OH announced that he wanted to touch-up his car ready for selling. So he brought it into the indoor school to spray….. (the only dry place).

And instantly I could hear the plotting and scheming from three wicked little Shetland ponies who were intrigued by their new visitor.

Lots of looking at the car.

And so very much wanting to help.

I said words like “don’t you dare” and “stay away” and I guess they knew they couldn’t reach the car (believe me, they tried) so Storm revenge rubbed his butt at me as if to say “I hear you, but I am not happy”.

Later on, after lunch, with the car now gone, I went to check on my little boys who were still hanging around in the last of the winter sunshine.

Nose kisseys all round for not eating the car.  Well done boys.

So far, Albie, Storm and Tiddles are doing ok in their indoor field.  They seem happy and I check all the time on the food-in and food-out situation.  And everything is soaked too so hopefully, no colic. Please, no colic.

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.