Yesterday, on my very wet travels, I found Sóley-the-Foalie with a swollen and streaming left eye but, at the time, I could do nothing because there was no way I was going to be able to catch her in a Force 11 Storm. I didn’t even try.

So, today, armed with Flossie, eye-cleaning equipment, eye wash (cold tea), eye ointment, a headcollar and rope, plus a good pile of food, we prepared to do battle.

Floss was my best weapon.  She was brilliant.  Having spent most of her summer talking to Sóley when she first arrived, Flossie easily caught our Little Buttercup.  With Floss hanging on for grim death, I tried to clean the eye but Sóley was having none of it – there was rearing and she is quite big now.  So we tied our unhelpful foal up to the gate whereupon she broke the rope.  Floss caught Madam again (I was nicely surprised by that), I retied the rope and this time I mean she was really tied her to the gate.  We also distributed the food in large quantities with Floss shovelling it down Sóley while I cleaned away and then, somehow (the Gods must’ve been smiling) I got in a good dab of eye ointment.

Little Sóley did settle down and we let her eat her food peacefully.

And she even came to talk to me afterwards, which was good.

So I am feeling relieved. We managed. The eye is clean and already looking better and at least she has had one good dose of eye ointment.

Meanwhile, back at camp, guess who turned up off the hill having been missing since Sunday asking for their breakfast?

I am very relieved to see them. I had been worrying.