So we are all fine….. (note, the paddy paw of pointing with slight claw involvement).

But, and there’s always a butt, Little Herself, aka Pepper, is limping on her front right, I think, though it does change.  I haven’t taken her to the vet yet as I want to see if it improves over the week.  Seeing how she flings herself about, jumping out of cars, down the stairs four at a time, the limp is not holding her up. I have looked and there is nothing obvious and if I give her a painkiller, it will mask the problem making her jump about more.

Poor Pepper, now her official title apparently, thinks we don’t care.

And apparently food will make everything better.

Ted is, of course, an angel, just a rather grubby one.

And Lambie is fine, thank you for asking.  He is in his winter-I-won’t-do-what-you-want phase.  I am ignoring it and refuse to indulge it.

He wants treats. He is fat. Go figure.

**** sigh ***

I am sucking my teeth about Vitamin and I have a friend who says if you are sucking your teeth, you do something. So I did.

This morning, Vitamin was pottery on her feet, and I swear I saw her stand stacked out – legs sort of stretched out in a I-have-laminitis stance.

So, panicking, I took Vitamin indoors, checked her feet for soreness, and gave her a painkiller.  She wasn’t very active when I asked her to move around either.  Not like her usual bouncy self.

And then I put Vitamin in with the Minions on the track.

When she trotted off with them, I stopped sucking my teeth and sighed deciding I know nothing about ponies.  Absolutely nothing.

Fivla spent most of her day in the now-muddy paddock.  We’ve had a lot of rain these past few days. There are dry bits but she just stands and waits for the endless buckets to arrive.

I dragged out two of the hay boxes and put in some small-hole haynets full of soaked hay for everyone this afternoon.  I am trying to balance out their food supply. It seems a bit all or nothing and I don’t like that.

Vitamin decided one haynet was solely her’s.

The rabble could share the other one.

So the rabble dutifully tried.

And then Fivla marched in and said what she thought of that.

These two are possibly not the best of friends at the moment.  The Queen of Minions is a transient title.  Today Fivla is wearing the crown.

Having fed the ducky-wuckies their tea, I came back to see Vitamin’s largesse could include sharing with Albie.  I felt cheered.  So things are slightly changed and we will see.

Please pray this isn’t the start of laminitis for Vitamin. It would be just too much.

Off to town this morning after my weekly conversation with our local friendly BT engineer, who we are now almost on first-name terms.  To be fair, they are trying very hard to solve the problem but all eyes are now looking at the electric fence, which apparently could be the cause of the bother.  I tried to explain that the fence was vital to the survival of my ponies and we had to find a way around this somehow.

Anywho, I grabbed the van keys, put Pepper back in the house, started the van up, put Pepper back in the house and drove off, putting Pepper back in the house before I left.

It was a lovely quiet day, which is what I was feeling like.

The shops are now revving up for Wool Week 2023, which begins on Saturday 23rd September.

I popped into Jamieson’s Knitwear with an embarrassingly small selection of Sheeple.

Stock has been wiped out by the cruise ship visitors and I am struggling to keep up. Apparently someone bought 3 this morning.

Note-to-self, I must get a new printed sign for my field. Its looking a little tattie.

Lunch (crab sticks and chips – no one can afford fish anymore) and I went to the Feed Merchant to buy supplies and sell a kidney.  The money comes in (from the sheeple) and, like magic, it vanishes without touching the sides of my purse.  Still, the Minions ingratitude is worth it.

During my morning round, the one after breakfast where I just check everyone is ok while putting away outside things that might get blown away in the oncoming Autumn Equinox, which is guaranteed a doozer, I found this lot.

They were all having a snooze in the sunshine.  It was a lovely morning.

The two cousins.  So sweet.

And while I was trying to take photos, my duck-assistants, Huey and Louie, arrived.

Closely followed by Dewey, who has turned into a girl – I am pretty sure now.

Everyone ignored the hustle and bustle that is the ducklings.  They never go anywhere quietly.

Apparently, I was told many things duck.

And then Huey, or is it Dewey went over to tell Haakon, who looked utterly bemused.

This is Dewey. She has a very pretty head and a sweet disposition.

Meanwhile, Iacs snoozed on.

I wonder what he is dreaming about.

Pepper kindly guided the ducks away to their pond.  Probably wise though I don’t see the horses doing anything nasty.  I trust them and I also trust Pepper 100%.

The Autumn storms are on the horizon for Shetland and everyone (equine) is happily living outside, which is the best place to be and definitely their choice.

But the last time it rained a few days ago, I found Tiddles shaking and dithering even when it was double digits of temperature.  What to do?  Yes, I want him, and the others to lose weight, but shivering it off, is that the kindest way?  And I do want everyone to grow their winter coat.  What to do?

I have a shed-load (quite literally) of rugs of all different sizes, all neatly stacked and put away so, like a thing possessed, I went through them all to find everything that will fit a variety of Shetland ponies, even Newt.

Tiddles came into the stable with me and I tried various rugs on to see what size he was so, if he starts shivering, I can quickly grab the right-sized rug for him.

This was ok, if a little snug when pulled forward.

This was good but he doesn’t need a neck cover, I don’t think.

And this was perfect. I have two of these.  I think Tiddles’ pile will also fit Albie, Storm, Waffle and possibly Fivla too.  Silver and Vitamin are in bigger sizes and Newt the smallest one I have.

So now I alternate between thinking I am being too soft and shivering is natural but the Minions go all dithery and can’t think straight. I hate seeing that.  There is relatively little shelter in their field/paddock too.  So I think I have talked myself into rugs for those that shiver and dither when it rains.