Category Archives: MyShetland

Cantering Old Fools

1 Reply

Everyone else had come up the hill for their breakfast, except for the Icelandic horses – Kolka, Haakon and Iacs. They were still on the other side of the stream expecting me to lug their buckets down to them.  Think again, I told them.

In the end Kolka crossed over and cantered up the hill to her bucket.  She knows I am more stubborn than she is.  I don’t offer waitress service in this field.

Meanwhile Haakon and Iacs eventually crossed the stream walking very slowly and then Iacs pushed Haakon up the hill.

At one stage, Haakon turned around to tell Iacs off while I was standing at the top of the hill with their buckets thinking to myself that I might put Haakon back on his very expensive boswellia supplement if he was finding walking so difficult.  Poor old man.

And then I turned my back to put their buckets in their usual spot, only to find Haakon and Iacs cantering up the hill, moving perfectly well for all their old age complaints.  So the boswellia thought quickly vanished and I realised they are absolutely fine.

After chores, I went into to town to get a big bale of hay.  I did a few messages on the Street and stopped off to see if my little town field needed filling.

It was in a bit of a mess so I tidied up the stock and breathed a sigh of relief that I have now reached a less frantic time of the year on the sheep-making front, though I will still keep going through the winter to build up stock.

Then home and I made another sheep, happy in the knowledge there is no mad rush anymore.

Dark and Dismal

3 Replies

It’s been a dark and dismal day with constant wind and rain.

Ugh!

None of us wanted to go outside – there are days I would gladly swap lives with Monster.

Still, I donned my full wet-weather gear and plodded outside with buckets for all.  I honestly think there is nothing more depressing than trying to complete Wordle in a driving wind and drizzle (got it in 4, thank you for asking).

Later in the morning, on my way out (to see a friend and work on her website (Squarespace)), I went via the sheep shed to see who was hunkering down.

Surprisingly, they were all outside on the long-side of the big shed which was offering full shelter from everything.  Sensible sheeps.

I had a quick chat with Lambie.

And immediately I could understand the advantages of this well-chosen spot.   Everyone was there, except for Gussie and Dahlia who were long gone into their hill field, either eating or resting.

Of course all the Minions had shovelled themselves into one of their containers.  When I went inside, it was warm and dry.  I think they spent the day there – their choice – and I hung up some haynets when I got home later.

And so Pepper and I set off on our expedition to the other side of the island to build this website, which we did with a modicum of success and Pepper behaved beautifully.  Ted stayed at home with OH as he would’ve only let the side down.

Moved Them

2 Replies

This morning Vitamoobag and her not-much-of-a-friend Kolka escaped and went walkabout around the croft.  It was all my fault. I didn’t secure the gate when I brought the breakfast buckets and it swung open in the wind offering a lovely escape route.  Obviously, they took it.

Kolka was easy to catch (with a dog-lead attached to the world’s smallest Shetland pony/foal headcollar (so shoot me, it’s all I could grab) around her neck like a necklace) and I returned her quickly to her field before she had another independant thought.

Vitamoobag was not so helpful and had wandered to the house. She had no intention of being caught ever again but using the old “I’m not holding a headcollar and I don’t want to catch you” ruse, I got her and put her back too.

While we did the slow walk back to the field, I mused that as the weather was going to disintegrate, perhaps this herd would be better off in a more sheltered field, as well as having more grass to eat.

So using the now successful method (patent pending) of leading a horse/pony without the right equipment, I put  my teensy tiny headcollar/dog lead contraption around Haakon’s neck and told him to come with me, which of course he did (such a well brought up chap).

Everyone else followed.

And now this lot are happy in a field with lots of grass and shelter.

One problem, though, three of them are pretty much the same colour as their background.  Spot three horses!

There you go.  Two….

Plus one.

But at least I can see Fivla and Vitamoobag still.

Poor Little Newt

5 Replies

“Poor little Newt” is not a phrase I thought I would ever be saying but today was that day.

This afternoon, we were down to one haybox (the other is being repaired by OH) and so I stupidly thought everyone would share nicely.

I was wrong.  I should’v known.

I hung my second haynet in one of the containers and showed it to Newt so he could get his fair share.  He was being bullied off.

Newt quickly got the message and I smiled to myself when I saw him clamber into the container to have a good go at the hanging haynet.  And it also left space outside if anyone else wanted to share, like Silver.

So I was disappointed to return to find Tiddles in the container with sole ownership of the haynet.

I guessed where Newt was and I could sense his misery.  Tiddles had no intention of letting Newt have any haynet.  These days, these two don’t get on well.  Tiddles is the bully.

Poor little Newt!

So I went back and filled up another haynet for Newt and hung it in the inside back corner.

So Tiddles wanted it too.  Of course he did!

I told him to go away, and leave Newt alone. His behaviour was unbecoming.

Tiddles left Newt to his food (for once, he listened to me – a good idea!)

And then I left everyone to it.  I had things to do – poo to pick around the track, water to fill up, etc.  I also moved another haybox into the paddock – probably something I should’ve done in the first place now I think about it.  Duh!

Not Fivla’s Day

2 Replies

Today was not Fivla’s day.

It started badly when I brought her her breakfast bucket and went downhill from then on.

Fivla likes to eat on her own if she can because she likes peace and quiet and is always the first to be picked on.  She’s an easy target. One of life’s victims.

The others were eating by the fence so a little bit away.

And then Gussie sauntered up.  Ever the pig (in sheep’s clothing), he thought he would have Fivla’s breakfast. He had already eaten his own.

And, I was shocked to see, that Fivla let him!  I could see she was very unimpressed with giving up her breakfast to a sheep but as usual she didn’t put up a fight and acquiesced miserably.

So I distracted Gussie and told him to leave Fivla alone, it was not his breakfast.  He took his telling off well and let me distract him from thoughts of food by tickling the top of his head.  Hugging was out, though.

Meanwhile, the others continued to eat and I realised that I needed to get between Kolka and everyone else as she is also a huge thief and bully with other horses’ food.  My only imperative at breakfast-time is that Iacs should have his anti-cancer pills no matter what.

So while I was standing now protecting Iacs (and possibly Haakon) from the vulture-like circlings of Kolka, I looked over to see Fivla was still in trouble.  This time it was a two-prong attack.

But this time, Fivla held fast.  She had a new strategy – to not raise her head out of the bucket until every last bit of food had gone.  I don’t honestly think Gussie got any and, if he did, they were only the dregs anyway.

I need to have words with young Gus-Gus.  His manners leave a lot to be desired.