(Firstly, sorry for the appalling quality of photos but the light was quickly going – tis winter in Shetland and good daylight is a luxury)
Albie (yes, you!) is horribly jealous of Little Newbie.
He wants me to make my special Mum-Mum pony noise only for him and no one else.
This is the face of jealousy. It is not pretty. In fact it is destructive.
Little Newbie (Little N) wants desperately to talk to me.
I crouch down and he comes up.
He loves being scratched and tickled.
He instantly melts and goes all soppy.
And then Albie ruins it and says no one can talk to me but him.
And still Little N comes back to talk.
However, some ponies are very keen to meet him.
So, I made the decision and opened the gate.
It was interesting to watch.
Albie instantly took up with Fivla. He suddenly stopped caring about Tor being his mother.
Tor went to Little N’s rescue.
She tried so hard to keep Tiddles and Storm away – she obviously considered them Not A Good Thing!
Then when they stopped being irritating, Haakon waded in to investigate.
He was intrigued by this new hairy dot in his herd.
Meanwhile Albie was eating with the big boys now. I had forgotten just how settled he is with everyone.
Tiddles was kind.
He made an effort.
As did Storm.
And then Storm took Little N to one side.
I hope everything will be alright now.
Storm (and Tiddles) will be good mentors. Little N is very related to Storm so perhaps he recognsied “Family” – said with your best Eye-Talien New Jersey accent please. Yes, I watch The Housewives of New Jersey – don’t judge me!
Little N is so adorable! And so teeny tiny, especially compared to Haakon! 🙂
Can not get over how small he is. If you ever feel like measuring him, I’d love to know exactly how many actual inches of airspace he takes up. Can’t be many.
Well done! The “crowd” was able to share the love between Albie and Little N…
Gosh, he’s so teeny! I love his expressions. I suppose you can’t blame Albie for being jealous, perhaps he thinks Little N might replace him in your affections. Does he think Tor will abandon him now I wonder, and that’s why he sought out Fivla? Well done Tor for looking out for Little N.
I can’t help thinking that Tiddles and Storm remember how it feels to be little and a bit scared! What nice sympathetic boys, and little N is sooooo beautiful. I love the fluff of his foal coat, neatly cut out out round his nose and eyes.
Aww! Maybe you need to put an LED collar on him so Haakon won’t trip on him in the dark ;-).
As for Albie, goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horse put his ears back so far that you can hardly tell he has them! He wuved his mum and doesn’t want to share. Happily, the lure of older companions and shennaniganery will draw him away. I’m glad Tor and Storm took him on right away. He’s so lucky to have joined your lovely boys.
Oh my goodness, Frances, he’s adorable and I’m sure it won’t be long before he’s coming for his share of hugs and kisses. Is he another one who’ll need a rug for the worst of the weather? Has Daisy chosen his name yet? I’ve looked through yesterday’s suggestions and like Timmy – not very ‘Shetland’ tho’. I also liked Peerie. Sometimes you have to know them for a while and a name then suggests itself.
So if Albie is jealous that just means you mean the world to him…and Little N and Tiddles and (enter all 16 other equine names). It is hard to go from being the Baby to being the bigger brother. As for naming, Judith is right. Sometimes you need to wait for them to tell you their name. We had a Norwegian Forest cat who made us wait for 3 weeks before she admitted to being Gwen. Any clue how much bigger Little N might get?
Or how many centimeters tall he is right now?
Interesting how Albie tries to keep his two “mums” (you and Tor) to himself. Having lost his real mum at a tender age, one can’t blame him. And Tor’s protective maternal instincts kick in every time a newbie arrives — what a special mare she is. Haakon looks like a giant next to teensy-tiny Little N! Such furry cuteness!