Pepper is very good around the horses and ponies and, mostly, they are all very good around her too, with the exception of Silver who would like to chase and possibly stamp, if he could. I do not encourage this one bit.

Yesterday, I was sitting on a rock in the field when Tiddles and Newt came up for a chat.

Pepper instantly appeared on my knee.

Newt started to sniff my pocket and Pepper was curious – sniffing pockets is her job.

She wanted to study him up close.

Then it was Tiddles’ turn. He wanted to investigate Pepper.

And so she reciprocated.

All the time, I was holding my breath in case it all kicked off, quite literally.

But no. I just kept murmering to all around “be nice, be nice”.

And then Pepper decided Newt needed a nose kissey.  He agreed and now that’s Pepper’s thing. She gives nose kisseys out to the ponies, if asked.  Possibly not to Silver, though.  I watch him very carefully.

And Newt loves a nose kissey from anyone!

A few photies from the past few days. The autumn evening sunshine is perfect and then today it was windy, which gave a good hair day.

Newt

Fivla

Silver

Tiddles

Vitamin

Waffle

I should go out more with my big camera, especially this time of year.

It is been pretty obvious, even to me, that Waffle is better now while Albie and Storm are not.  Waffle is going stir-crazy in the stable. He is horrible to everyone and needs to go.  Albie and Storm were very happy to see the back of him.

And Waffle, who is normally the easiest pony I have, would not be caught. Oh, no. He galloped about like an idiot refusing to let me near him until I got him a corner and he had no choice.  Headcollar on.  This is not like Waffle at all. Time to be outside, then.

Waffle was thrilled.  Such a happy boy.

He cantered around like an idiot while the others just stood and watched. I think Silver went after him. They go way back and had some good games.

I think Vitamin’s expression says it all – Oh no, not Waffle back!

A little later, I went out to the field and Waffle sauntered up to me, all back to normal. I could’ve easily caught him then, if I wanted to. I told him to not eat too much or it would be back to Square One inside.  Anyway, this field is rough grazing and has been pretty much eaten back.

Meanwhile, these two – Albie and Storm – are not brilliant. Today is their first day without painkillers and I am dithering whether to put them back on them. I think I will, tonight.  Although a lot better, they are not right.  They are such good little boys (I never thought I would say that of Storm).

I have worried for a while about my horses and ponies eating from haynets. It is not the best method – the knots erode their teeth and gums, while being at totally a bad angle.  Equines eat from the ground and they develop the wrong neck muscles pulling away at a head-height haynet.

My friend and neighbour, Monika, invented and built these boxes for haynets for her horses and ponies.

I have coveted them from afar.  Last week, I asked her to make me two.  Included were four haynets without knots (better for teeth) too.

Each box has two metal rings (one each side) at the base and the haynet is securely tied down.

My new haynets (without knots) were full of hay and on soak.

These are Nibbleze haynets – made without knots.

It is wise to slowly introduce this new concept of eating slowly so I started with the old haynets in the box.

And then I wondered about the chippie-chipmunk syndrome and I was shocked.  Albie, really!

We had words about eating the new haynet boxes on Day 1.

Storm promised me it would never be him! Hmmm…..

This morning, I saw that the boys had been eating their hay from the boxes with no problem.

But…. there was evidence of chipmunkery.

I introduced the new no-knot haynets and showed the boys how they work!

No problem, they said and happily tucked in!

And I also went to town for more supplies. I bought an anti wood-eating spray and quickly squirted it all over the boxes – oh yes!

The boys get the left-over hay in one box and a fresh haynet (one of the new ones) in the other.

I love these hayboxes and the haynets. The whole system works beautifully.  So a huge thank you to Monika.  Bloody brilliant.  This is perfect.

I lasted 48 hours. I did try, honest.

But I am hopeless about diets. I hate them.  I hate watching animals suffer (it shitted with rain yesterday) so I let everyone go out together because they miss each other and never stop shouting. No one settles.

My reasoning is that the field is not brilliant – well, that was what I told myself.

And they were so happy all together – lots of rolling, little bucks of happiness and general smiling. They are a close herd.

Meanwhile I am holding firm on the three ponies with laminitis.  Even I can see the point of that.  Is it sad that when I was moving Vitamin and Fivla back to the field, Fivla went to Albie’s stable and he was absolutely thrilled to see her.  Someone kill me now.  The guilt is intolerable.