Category Archives: Icelandic horses and Shetland Ponies

Country Mouse

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It’s been a very blowy day – the sort of day you could lose your car door if you’re not careful.   So I was careful.

Flossie (who is home to look after the animals when I go away) and I fought our way round serving breakfast in the low buckets that rarely blow away.

Afterwards, I drove to Lerwick for a hair appointment. I want to try at least to look a little less Country Mouse when I go to London. And then I’ve got to find some clean clothes!

Lerwick was deserted which is unsurprising as Shetland Wool Week is finally over.

There were a few woolly hatted visitors wandering around but Lerwick felt like it was going back to sleep now the tourist season is well and truly over.  Shelves were empty and shop-staff looked happily exhausted.

The hair was cut, shopping was done (including some sheep, horse and poultry feed for my ever-increasing getting-ready-for-winter piles).  This is not panic buying. I call it being sensible and thinking ahead.  It will always get eaten.

I came home late and this lot were waiting and tapping their watches.

I apologised and put out two of the fullest haynets I could find and all was forgiven.   I didn’t bother looking for the sheep – after yesterday’s debacle, they were nowhere to be seen. I’ve given up caring. I am glad they are finally doing their own thing.

Rainbows’ End.

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I was out first thing this morning to feed the starving hordes.

⬇️ This starving horde is Gussie ⬇️ (who is rotund and lying!)

Anyway, there was a faint but definitely-visible rainbow and I swear the end was on the container.  I was sorely tempted to go and find a shovel and start digging for my pot of gold but sadly there was much work to be done, ie the starving hoards to feed.

(though I do wonder just how much would be in hard cash – and, look, another faint rainbow on the other container.  As far as I was aware there was only Shetland pony poo from the night before).

Monster supervised in a condescending way.

Later two ladies from Wool Week came to see the sheep.  As per instructions, they arrived with a packet ginger biscuits and took photos of everyone eating them. Of course Lambie was being mysterious and aloof so I had to go and find him separately to give him his ration.

Obviously I mentioned Fivla and Vitamin, who had worn those Fair Isle sweaters many years ago for a Visit Scotland (Scotland’s tourism board) advertising campaign.

The old horses and ponies were resting down the bottom of the hill, so we clambered carefully down and were duly ignored.  Such is the way of the celebrity some days. Too busy eating.  Still, there’s always the gold from the rainbows.  Off to find a shovel then.

A Huddle of Horses and Ponies

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Today was much calmer, weather-wise.  Phew.

It makes a huge difference to everyone when the weather is nice. Everyone can regroup from the past few days.

I was on dog-walking duty this morning, so decided to incorporate an electric fence check as well.  I like to know there are no bad bits or problems as there are a certain five Shetland ponies who will know in an instant and then take full advantage.

Upon my return from the fence-check-dog-walk, I found all the horses and ponies together, which was interesting considering the big ones have absolutely no interest in the little ones.  I know this because the minute they were all in the same field together when it snowed earlier in the year, Kolka, Haakon and Iacs behaved about as badly as anyone can.  Rotten dinosaurs.

Luckily for everyone at the moment there is a fence separating both herds.

I won’t lie – I am dreading winter. I hope it is kind to us and all the animals get through it. I am trying to be prepared as much as possible and thinking ahead with supplies and stores.. It can be very tough on the animals, especially if they hate going inside.

(though Vitamin and Fivla love going inside.)

As it was now a flat calm, I gave the Shetland ponies a treat. They had their two haynets emptied out so they could stuff their little faces.

No one needed asking twice if they wanted this.

And there was a lot of shovelling accompanied by happy munching sounds. Very satisfying.

We are reaching the time of year when we take every day as it comes and adapt accordingly.  That’s all we can do.

It’s Blowing a Hoolie

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It’s been blowing a hoolie all day (hoolie = fierce wind, gale).  Tis the season now and the autumn equinox.

As it was so blowy, I decided that I would put all horse/pony food out in their flat “storm” bowls – they don’t blow away as easily and I hate chasing after buckets in the wind. It’s a thankless task.  They can go for miles, always just that bit in front of you and difficult to catch.

 

Obviously I had Pepper with me offering to hoover up any leftovers.  She is such a wee pig and useless on the bucket catching front.

I had a quick glimpse at Kolka’s scar, which I think is healing up as best it can.  As long as it is not infected or painful, then there really is nothing more to be done.   She wasn’t really into me looking at it for too long as the wind made her reactive and nervy at the slightest movement.

I left the field, clutching all my buckets to wash and put away, finished up and went indoors for my breakfast and my daily difference of opinion with Monster.

Along with my daily Wordle and Connections which I failed at dismally.  Monster was absolutely no help.

Back to a Normal Saturday

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I took this panoramic photo to show where everyone eats their breakfast.

From right to left, which is also the order I feed them:-

Kolka in the corner, with a touch more food than everyone else so she doesn’t got off to steal Haakon’s.
Haakon, who also has a sachet of boswellia added and is a slow eater.
Iacs – he has his four anti-cancer pills in his food at the top so if he is pushed off his food, at least I know he ate them.
Then Vitamin who eats very quickly. Wolfs it down.  She would only steal from Fivla, if she could.
And lastly Fivla who is possibly the slowest eater in the whole world (Haakon is a close second).

Once everyone has eaten and I have done all the remainder of my chores (put tomorrow’s food on to soak, put the sheep out in their field, swept up the sheep shed), I go back to the horses’ field and collect their buckets to take away and wash.

There was a soft light this morning and Iacs looked particularly nice in it.

He is very much an autumnal chap, I think.

I went inside and made a quick breakfast for myself, and then left the house, much to Pepper’s dismay.

Saturday mornings have gone back to being for Turriefield again.  There was lots of vegetables to weigh, pack and label.

I was particularly taken with the natural fractal geometry of Romanesco broccoli (I had to look that up).

It is extraordinary.  Nature at it’s cleverest.

And back home again just before lunch to my ever-waiting wee dug, Pepper, who has since followed me everywhere ever just in case I wanted to go out again without her.  That’s not happening on her watch.