More snow fell last night and the ground is now solid, ie frozen.  The Shetland ponies mind this very much. They stop walking, and get very depressed.  The ice builds up in and around their hooves. They don’t want to move, preferring to stand around waiting for food and even fogetting to drink …… and then colic.

So I opened the gate.

And they went to join the old men in their field because it is much softer (old grass) there.  Better for their feet.

The boys didn’t need asking twice and were instantly much happier.  The water has frozen in all the outside taps, so we took buckets of warm water to everyone too making sure they all had a good drink.  There is also a running stream at the bottom of the field.

Later on, after feeding the old ladies and checking Silver and Newt in Leradale, Floss and I went out with carrots.  An instant popularity contest win!

It was so nice to see them happier. They are all managing very well doing what they do best – digging for the grass.

Just seeing their little faces made me realise I had made the right choice for them today.  It makes much more sense and a happy pony is one that eats and drinks.

They can all stay together during the freeze.