Sunday – a chat on Facebook between myself and Jo

09/11/2014 10:11

Jo Tonkinson

BLOODY HORSES

Hetja and Esja had broken the rope on the gate and got in with the old Biddies and taken a bite out of every big bale of silage.

Got any bale tape?

I have had to open one as it was beyond economical repair, Do you need any for your lot?

09/11/2014 10:12

Frances Taylor

Yes silage is always good

I think I gave you the last of my bale tape

I will look in the fridge (we have an old disused fridge to store equine stuff in)

09/11/2014 10:13

Jo Tonkinson

They also smashed down my barricade in the shed, and ate all the topline! (that would be a 25kg brand new bag of very expensive high calorie feed to fatten up Delia) 

I left it like I left it for the minions so the biddies (Vitamin and Delia who would never help themselves) could get in if they wanted, but the big girls smashed it down and ate all the topline

they will pop (read explode!)

09/11/2014 10:15

Frances Taylor

oh god

I have no tape (having looked in the disused fridge)

but I have a roll of black duct tape

09/11/2014 10:15

Jo Tonkinson

I’ll get *** to get some on monday

09/11/2014 10:15

Frances Taylor

ok

bastards

bastards all

09/11/2014 10:16

Jo Tonkinson

You seem to concurwith my apraisal then

09/11/2014 10:16

Frances Taylor

too right

horrid animals

09/11/2014 10:16

Jo Tonkinson

I have awarded your Icelandics with a new pedigree

09/11/2014 10:16

Frances Taylor

unwedded parentage?

09/11/2014 10:25

Jo Tonkinson

with knobs on!

———————– – later on – ———————–

Jo Tonkinson

All the bloody horses were out AGAIN, Just got back from LK and I drove past, double took and reversed to find them all out in the car park with the haylage again

09/11/2014 17:30

Frances Taylor

How did they get out?

09/11/2014 17:31

Jo Tonkinson

Rope undone again

09/11/2014 17:31

Frances Taylor

Someone can nibble

09/11/2014 17:31

Jo Tonkinson

I have done a triple crofter’s knot on it this time

09/11/2014 17:31

Frances Taylor

Or do you want the security bike chain?

09/11/2014 17:31

Jo Tonkinson

I think the bike chain if you have it

09/11/2014 17:32

Frances Taylor

I will look for it tomorrow.

09/11/2014 17:32

Jo Tonkinson

thanks!

General Consensus:

No one is thin, apart from Delia.  We now have an unwanted open big bale of silage which Jo is adamant none of hers deserve let alone need, apart from Delia and Vitamin who can have large piles every day.

Hetja may be eating for two, but not two hundred.

And Esja is a very bad girl.  She has skills we did not know about.  Hmmmm.

No, they are not really the faces of evil, they are the very faces of deliciousness.

Today Storm was sharing the same wisp of hay as Taktur.  They remind me of the two dogs in the Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti together.

Waffle making a silly face as he eats his hay.

Storm carefully selected some hay….

and

placed it carefully on Waffle’s head …..

to see if he would wear it which he happily did!

Now this is the very face of handsomeness.

Bored of hay, Storm wandered off to see if there was anything better.

Nah, back to the hay then.

I love Storm’s hay-eating face.  He looks so sweet and loving.

As if he hasn’t really worked out what you do with hay.

Luckily Waffle knows.

Bored again, Storm drifts off to look for more evil doings and finds my pooper-scooper, which is full.  And yes, this is his “what me?” face.  Of course he tipped it all over mostly because I said no!

Waffle was all on his own today. I am not sure what was going on but he was extra cuddly this afternoon and wanted lots of reassurance and nose kisses.  He wasn’t lame and is eating well so perhaps he gave himself a gluff (from the Shetland For Wirds website – n – a fright. I got datna gluff I could hardly spaek😉 and frightened himself somehow.  I am not sure – I will keep an eye.

If you are wondering about Silver, he is on fine form and becoming more confident and easy to work with.  He loathes Loki, though, but is just about managing to talk to BeAnne.

It was a lovely autumn afternoon, cold but still.

The bad weather stopped and the sun shone today, so BeAnne and I popped over to Sandness to help muck out the stables. They had housed the Icelandic herd plus the two elderly Shetlands, Vitamin and Delia.  Delia seems to have turned a small corner and is eating better.  We rasped her teeth again a few days ago and I think that has helped her.

Jo put her two raptors out for the day too.  This one had just had a bath so was drying her feathers.

and this one took one look at BeAnne and screamed like a fish-wife!

After mucking out, I went home and, en route, saw the hill ponies on the open scattald (common grazing).  With the sunlight behind them, they looked beautiful.

I managed a quick ride on Haakon in the afternoon.  We plodded to Watsness and back.  He never broke stride and I kept my hands in my pockets as I had forgotten my gloves.  BeAnne pottered along too.

Storm’s rug is off while it is dry. I have decided my rule of thumb is that if I am cold enough to wear my Icelandic jersey outside, then he gets his light-weight rug on.  If it is cold enough for me to wear my survival suit outside, then he gets his heavy-weight rug on. I don’t want him to be permanently rugged up so I spent some time this afternoon, fluffing them all up, particularly Storm, to get his coat working as nature intended.

So a perfect day, playing horses and ponies.

I am not a fan, however, of the winter nights drawing in so early.  This is not even 15.00.

We’ve all gone rug mad here at Thordale!

Rugs, rugs, and more rugs.

Well, Storm now has his big-boy winter rug on with neck piece attached as we are in the middle of 36 hours of non-stop rain and wind.

I knew it was going to be bad so when he was eating his big-boy food, I changed his rugs over.  Darling little boy, he might be on a good day but I am sorry to report that Storm threw all his teddies out of the cot and had a tantrum at me.

He snatched at me – and, yes I felt teeth, and he tried to kick over his bucket in frustration when I told him to stand still.  All because I wanted to take off one rug and put on a better one.

We had words and he stamped his little hooves in rage.  I was shocked but laughing at the same time.  It was a darling little tantrum.  Sort of fitted him perfectly!

Anyway, I won, so that is all that matters and I am sure he is secretly, if grudgingly, grateful that I achieved this before the bad weather arrived.

Being the nice person I am, I have been watching the herd from the window of my warm house and noted that at one stage Storm had an Icelandic horse flanking each side of him so he had some shelter while he ate.  They are very kind to him.

OH bravely took Loki out for a run this afternoon and said the horses and ponies were standing in the only part of the field where the wind couldn’t get them, happily stuffing their faces.

Horses are not stupid about weather.

At Thordale we are not rug people.  We rarely rug any of our ponies except for health reasons, never cosmetic.  Dirt is good and a necessity in winter.

So, when we brought Raw Deal (Delia) down to the house yesterday to give her better care, we took one look and made an executive decision.

She is an old lady and just not keeping the weight on.

She has no muscle in her bottom and her backbone is starting to protrude as everything has sinks southwards.

So, this constitutes a health reason and we gave Delia one of Hammy’s original yearling rugs.

It is a good rug with a built-in full neck and will keep her snugly when she is outside in the field.

The others had not met Delia before and Esja was intrigued by the new fashion.

Today, we found that the herd were not being very welcoming so, before the foul weather kicked in, we popped back up to the field and collected Delia’s friend, Vitamin.   They were very pleased to see each other and whickered happily away together.  Both are sharing the same stable with plenty silage and a hard feed.

This is no weather to be out in if you are old – Gale Force 8, gusting 9 with rain.