Category Archives: Icelandic horses and Shetland Ponies

Last Night

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I felt bad but it had to be done.

Despite it being a glorious sunny and still evening, everyone who is rugged had to have their rugs put on because tomorrow was going to be a day of shite (that is actual meteorological terminology used frequently in Shetland).

So, I went out in the Eggbox (Suzuki Jimny), like I was going on safari with the boot stuffed full of  rugs, water containers and headcollars.  But first I threw carrots at the little boys and they came galloping over.  Tiddles was easy, standing still, and putting his own rug on if he could.  Then I drove over the open grazing (scattald) to see the old folk.  Diff on, low-range and we off-roaded into the hill.

Again, they galloped down to see me and no one needed asking to stand still or needed a headcollar. I wonder if horses and ponies have a barometer built in, or know when bad weather is imminent? I could feel the appreciation, though and I was right – today is a shitty day – all wind and rain. But I know their rugs are doing their jobs.

Even little FIvla said I could take her rug off possibly in August, but not a minute before!

When I got home, I found Monster had worked out his new bed and was very happy in it too – it’s his Man Cave.  So, win, win.

Scorned

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I appear to have tonsillitis so all bets are off and all plans cancelled.  I am just doing the bare minimum, ie feeding the horses, ponies and sheep and about to put rugs on everyone because winter is returning for the weekend. Meh.

Lambie is being a bit strange. Well, stranger than usual.  He followed me back from his field while everyone else was going out for the day and I ended up giving him two more breakfasts because I felt sorry for him.  He did look very pathetic all alone in the world.

Later, when I was on my way out to feed a friend’s cat, I found Lambie all by himself.  He didn’t seem to mind, though, and I offered him another breafkast, which he refused and I even told him that if he were around later, he could come and doss down in my shed while I worked.  We could watch “The Other Bennet Sister” together.

With that thought, Lambie got up and left to find his real friends.  A part of me was pleased he wanted to rejoin his flock and a bit of me feels somewhat scorned.

So much for my kind offer of company.  I think I will go back to feeling ill again.

Everyone Bare Nekkid

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It seems odd that not 36 hours ago it was blowing a hoolie and snowing but now everyone’s rugs are off and they’re all bare nekkid.

The nicest bit of taking rugs off is seeing just how clean and beautiful they are underneath.

No one looks too thin, which is my main worry this time of year – with rugs on, you don’t know what is going on underneath.

Everyone had a lovely sleep lying flat out in the sunshine too.  I could almost hear them snoring.

And also they told me spring is here by starting to lose their winter coats.

I am lazy and don’t brush anyone until it gets until mid May/June as their winter coats might still be needed.  It could get cold again still.  You just never know.

I am particularly pleased with Vitamoobag.  She looks glorious for such an old lady (32yo) but it doesn’t take much for her to look like a hat-rack, I know that.  At this age, we all just go day to day with absolutely no expectations.

I climbed up the hill back to the house to find we had company!

Goodbye Flossie

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We knew the weather would be very bad at 8.00 when we usually go out to feed everyone, so Floss and I got up an hour early (plus the clocks went forward last night) before it all revved up. We wanted to get everything done while it was safe to be outside.

Floss is going back to her home, having helped me enormously over a hard winter.  Later on, when there was lull in the weather, we went outside so she could say goodbye to everyone.

(we also put a hand under everyone’s rugs to find them totally dry and warm, which was good, as some quantity of rain had fallen).

 

And then Floss went to say goodbye to the sheep and we decided to have a sit in the sheep shed, mostly because it was dry.

This is one of my favourite past-times.

While the weather was raging outside, we were dry, calm and peaceful.

And ‘Bert was very cuddly – there was a brief minute when Flossie imagined taking ‘Bert back with her but he’s not great on a dog-lead so that would be the difficulty.

(I ❤️ this photo so much!)

However, Lambie is great on a dog-lead but not half as cuddly.

And then inside to try and put a few things on Ebay – the job that is always waiting for the rainy day.

It was not made easy but I achieved and put a few things on.  We’ll see what happens.  I feel quite inspired.

So farewell to Flossie. Both she and Daisy have been an immense help and support when I needed it most.  I think I can do this on my own now.  I just need a system.

A Day Between Weathers

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Today has been a day between weathers or “atween wadder”, as they say in Shetland dialect – calm, warmer and even blue sky.  It was very spring-like but of course we will all be thrown back into constant wind and rain tonight. Everyone was making the most of the calmness and I watched Vitamin having a deep snooze lying down in her rug in the sunshine.

And thank you for all your comments about my failed minimalistic dreams.  I took all the “family jewels” out of their casket, laid them out on the kitchen table, tried to value some with Google image, messaged our local jewellers to see if they had a gemologist (they don’t and my mothers spelling made me laugh), made a decision about what I wanted to sell, laid it out to photograph, decided I liked everything, and finally put it all back in the casket thinking that, at present, I don’t want to part with anything because they used to mean something to someone in my family and therefore they should mean something to me.  So I failed again, today.  I feel rather hopeless at this.

Later, I went out with a few not-very-nice carrots to give to the Shetland ponies, who, apart from Tiddles, have had a very rough few days weather-wise.  They were grateful and hungry and told me all about it while I tried to feel for ribs.  Ha-bloody-ha – if I have a very good imagination, I like to think I felt some but honestly, it was a struggle with Albie who is a very fat little pony.  How they can get fat in winter on pretty much nothing is an absolute mystery to me but they do. The track beckons for them but not quite yet.

And I made this little chap.

Oh yes, and I saw my first celandine of the year which is another flower milestone in my constantly looking for signs of Spring journey.  For me, it is the little things.