Today is a Day of Shite (rain and wind) so Daisy had an indoor riding lesson from her trainer, Bjørn Roar Larsen.

She started off by riding Taktur, her 6 year old Icelandic stallion.

First they warmed up on a loose rein.

Then work on walk.

Tölt – this is not a particularly easy gait for Taktur but he can do it if asked nicely.

Trot (I love Taktur’s trot – it is beautiful and the photos do not nearly do it justice).

And then a big fat well-done.

Next up was Kappi – Daisy’s competition horse.  He had been waiting patiently in the wings.

Again, warming up on a loose rein.

Then trot

Tölt – Kappi has the a lovely tölt.  He really motors.

  

(they did canter but my camera had run out of steam by then so I missed it.  They also worked on both reins and did masses of walk which, again, I managed to miss.)

And breathe.

Daisy worked hard with her horses while it poured with rain and blew a gale outside.

I watched with Little Miss Sulky.

Or Little Miss Abject Misery as she goes by these days.  She does do the most dejected face.

❦ ✰ ❤︎ ✤ ❀ ❋ ❄︎ ✬  A Thought  ✬ ❄︎ ❋ ❀ ✤ ❤︎ ✰ ❦

Oh, by the way, does anyone want me to do the Advent Calendar for this year?

Let me know and I will create if requested.

 

Well, we have all been thinking.

There have been many suggestions – thank you very much.  All hugely appreciated.

Apparently, Daisy even lies awake at night deciding she tells me.

(ok, some are slightly less interested, it is true)

But anyway, here we are.

A name has arrived and we think it is The Name.

Meet Newt.

Not in the Harry Potter sort-of-way but more My-Newt because he is just that.  Minute.

Newt seems fairly settled now despite being thrown into the deep end yesterday.

This morning Newt followed Tor and Albie into the little paddock where he had hard feed.

He even managed a little hissy fit at Albie when he wanted to steal his food.

It was good to see a little spark and then, afterwards, he rushed off to spend his morning with his new Best Friends – Storm and Tiddles – who are being quite kind to him.

Since Newt’s arrival, I don’t think Delia has even noticed.  She is busy and doing very well.

So Newt it is.   He lets me tickle him and he has the best nose kisseys – tell no one because Albie is still green with jealousy.

I told you there had been much thinking

(Firstly, sorry for the appalling quality of photos but the light was quickly going – tis winter in Shetland and good daylight is a luxury)

Albie (yes, you!) is horribly jealous of Little Newbie.

He wants me to make my special Mum-Mum pony noise only for him and no one else.

This is the face of jealousy. It is not pretty. In fact it is destructive.

Little Newbie (Little N) wants desperately to talk to me.

I crouch down and he comes up.

He loves being scratched and tickled.

He instantly melts and goes all soppy.

And then Albie ruins it and says no one can talk to me but him.

And still Little N comes back to talk.

However, some ponies are very keen to meet him.

So, I made the decision and opened the gate.

It was interesting to watch.

Albie instantly took up with Fivla.  He suddenly stopped caring about Tor being his mother.

Tor went to Little N’s rescue.

She tried so hard to keep Tiddles and Storm away – she obviously considered them Not A Good Thing!

Then when they stopped being irritating, Haakon waded in to investigate.

He was intrigued by this new hairy dot in his herd.

Meanwhile Albie was eating with the big boys now.  I had forgotten just how settled he is with everyone.

Tiddles was kind.

He made an effort.

As did Storm.

And then Storm took Little N to one side.

I hope everything will be alright now.

Storm (and Tiddles) will be good mentors.  Little N is very related to Storm so perhaps he recognsied “Family” – said with your best Eye-Talien New Jersey accent please. Yes, I watch The Housewives of New Jersey – don’t judge me!

Meet…….

He doesn’t have a name (well, he has his registered Shetland pony name but it really doesn’t suit him).

He is very, and I mean very, small.  A few inches high.

We brought him home this afternoon.  He had been looking for a home on Facebook.  Like Albie, he is a colt (that will be remedied in the spring).

We fed Albie his tea first and then let them meet up in a small paddock.

I have always thought Albie was a small little squirt but this pony is even smaller.

He has lived on his own for the past two months, but he is desperate to make friends with Albie.

I stood and watched them together while Daisy went and fetched Tor.  Albie hates being away from his surrogate mother.

Once Tor arrived, things calmed down a bit.

(I told you, he is tiny)

Tor took an interest in this new little boy.

We stood and watched them all talk.

The tables turned.  Albie was the dominant one.  He behaved like Camus did to him when they first met.

“Keep away from my Mum” – he kept saying to our newbie.

I thought Albie would behave better than that but perhaps it needs to be said.  There is the hierarchy.

Tor and Albie grazed (almost frantically) with their heads pressed up against each other.  It wasn’t a calm moment.  Most odd.

Little Thing won’t let me talk to him.  He did arrive with a headcollar on (I think it had been on for a couple of weeks), and probably by taking it off we won’t get near him for a while but I am not a fan of ponies wearing them in the field.

Most importantly, he needs to remember how to be a pony.

And then we will get to know him and he will be another Minion.

And then there will be no more.  We are full now.

So, please name suggestions – remember tiny – and lots of vibes for him.  He needs to tame down and for everyone to love him.

My turn to go and see my little herd of Shetland ponies in Sandness.

En route, I passed the hill ponies.

These are the ponies that will spend their winter on the scattald (hill grazing).

On arrival, I quickly realised I had forgotten something.

I hardly dared tell them.

I was very tempted just to stay in the car and count legs but I had to take responsibility and own up.

I had forgotten the carrots!

“What?  Seriously?  You forgot?”

And suddenly I was the most unpopular person there.

I was surprised anyone wanted to talk to me, to be honest.

That was a look of steely determination from Waffle.  He wanted his carrots.

But, and I have said it before and I will say it again, everyone is fatty, fat, fat!  Yes, Vitamin, even you!

So they walked off in disgust.

I managed a few snaps while I was there.

And I promised my little herd that tomorrow they can have double rations.

“Double rations, you say?”

“Just make sure you do”.

Yes, Waffle, I promise.

I drove home feeling guilty.

(Note-to-self, put a bag of carrots in the car for tomorrow’s visit or there will be trouble)