This silly lot refused to come up from the fields and go to bed when the snow first appeared, despite my shouting for them and waiting by the gate for their shining eyes to appear. So they spent the night out in the wind and snow.  It could not have been fun.

And the next morning, they were all waiting by the gate wanting in, ready to have breakfast. They were very jittery with the cold and went straight to bed afterwards.

Also Harrel came in limping so OH and I grabbed him, I washed and trimmed his front hooves and then sprayed them. Harrel was very unimpressed. I think he thought he would get chocolate cake or something nicer.  He quickly stopped that limping thing, though.

This is Harrel thinking about chocolate cake!

Today has been snow flurries – nothing lying, but quite fierce blizzards, plus hail and sleet on occasions.

I brought the Old Men and Klængur up from their field, showed them their stable with full haynets, only to watch them all turn tail and go straight back down to their field. I tried.

This lot have not gone down to the field again.  They are mooching about between the feed shed (shut), the stable (open with the unwanted haynets, now half eaten) and their bedroom. I am happy they are using the stable as it is dry and will help their feet.  Someone might as well.

They are a funny lot.

We have snow. Ok, not very much but it is cold. Very cold.

My Cunning Plan to not lug hay is working well.  I lug buckets instead!

Both Fivla and Vitamin get a fibre-full bucket daily along with their TurmerAid and Vitaminnie’s Formula 4 Feet (she has cracked hoofs) which I also spray daily with apple cider vinegar (or ACV, for those of us in the know).  Apparently it works very well and even our farrier noticed the difference the other day.

In the field is an IBC (prizes for guessing what those initials stand for and yes, I had to look it up and have been calling it an LBC for months!). It supplies water to the top field and is filled up by my kind field neighbours and their very long hose.

I caught Waffle dancing in the buckets. He does love water. I ignored him.

I don’t feed the others – Silver, Newt and Waffle – though I let them tidy up.

(and that is a Land Rover tyre so much bigger than you think but, still, Newt is small – there’s no denying that fact).

Small and deadly!

(Intermediate Bulk Container = IBC)

I moved Albie and Storm to the indoor school first thing this morning having decided that this will be their new home for the foreseeable.

It is nice and big. I don’t ride anymore so ideal to keep Shetland ponies in and off the grass.

This time I am soaking all their food so please, no colic.

I have also arranged some sheep hurdles at the big door so they can see daylight. Sheep will also be kept out, which is a plus.

Next I moved the Old Men (and Klængur) to the “bottom field” which has been resting all spring/summer/autumn.

My aim is that they will have food for when it snows and I won’t have to lug hay nets.

The chaps seemed please with my decision.

And then…. I drove the horsevan over to Leradale to collect Tiddles and brought him home to live in the indoor school with Albie and Storm.

I have hopefully now made the arena Shetland-pony-proof though Storm is testing everything.

Tomorrow, I will spray everything with Crib-Stop for any potential chippie-chipmunks!

Our farrier, Stephen, came to Thordale today.

As daylight is brief this time of year, we did the Minions first because they are in a field with no luxury of extra lighting.

While Stephen worked, I caught and tied up the next contestant.

There was much “helping” and interest.

The boys, who had laminitis, were trimmed and we discussed continuing treatment.

Storm’s colic had rather derailed my laminitis thoughts.

Anywho, once back home, the Old Men were deemed fit and fine. Nothing done there and Pepper had her first riding lesson.

Stephen left and, while the sun was almost gone (I took this photo earlier), I went back with the horsevan, caught and loaded up Storm and Albie.  They are home now.  Tomorrow I will go return for Tiddles. I thought we had got through this but apparently there is evidence of hoof structural changes.  The dreaded laminitis is still amongst us, dammit.

The forecast for this week is snow or “snaa'” (in Shetland dialect).  So, as it was a lovely calm morning, I made the decision to move the Minions to their winter field at Leradale.  It is only a 5-10 minute drive away tops, so it is no hardship to me and the field has masses of old grass and lovely shelter.  My aim this winter is to lug as little as possible anything heavy.

A kind friend helped – it is always easier with two – and we did three loads of 3+3+2 very quickly. Everyone loaded beautifully, travelled well and unloaded with no complications. They chaps are used to this now.

On the last load, I took my big camera and once I had nailed up a gate (very badly), I went to see where they had got to.

It only took one call….

“I kick you….”

“No, I kick you!”

Newt wasn’t really into the running around thing as he wanted to come and talk to me.

The rest bounced around happily.

It was good to see Albie moving so well, as well as Waffle.

Fivla was telling everyone to “stop running in the corridors!”

Newt was on his mission. We would talk and we did.

The happy running continued.

And they were last all seen going around the corner.

Then suddenly Newt remembered who and what he actually was…..

And set off  like a baked bean shot out of a cannon!