A new horse arrived here at Thordale.

Yes, I am cutting back and no, I don’t need another one but…… well, you know how it is.

He is a beautiful dapple grey with luscious mane and tail….. and he arrived with a full set of fitting tack too.

He is just the right size for me and looks stunning.  We’re keeping him indoors as he is a bit sensitive to the harsh Shetland weather.

I am so pleased!

This is Phar-Lap.  Mum and Alec Kinane from Legends Rocking Horses designed him.  Mum’s perfect rocking horse and he is now living here in Shetland.

Gotcha!

I went to see the Minions with my new plan. Writing everything down yesterday helped me to see the way forward.

I moved Vitamin and Fivla into the next door field where the spring grass is growing.  This is what Vitamin needs and will hopefully help her weight loss.

I was not popular.

But I cannot let the Minions have spring grass.  They are fat and I don’t want them to get laminitis ever again.

So I am being cruel to be kind.

I asked Fivla not to raid Vitamin’s bucket and she happily acquiesced, glad to see the lovely grass.

Once the ladies had finished their food, I nipped up the hill and moved the wee enclosure over the fence into their field.

The ladies were very happy. I had worried they would mind leaving their herd behind, but no….. grass and being in the next field is fine, apparently.

I popped back this afternoon just to see how things were and to see if anyone had jumped over (Waffle was threatening), and the ladies were happy enough – they had come up the hill for a drink.  The boys had not left their complaining spot. It looked like a picket line protest so I ignored it.

I bought four sheep hurdles the other day and OH kindly lugged them down to the Minion’s field.  The hurdles clip together easily and make a lovely little space for Vitamin to eat her huge daily bucket in peace.

Fivla has to have a bucket as well but it has almost nothing in it.

It shuts her up.  She gets very grumpy and huffy if Vitamin has food and she doesn’t.

Diversionary tactics are also necessary too.

But as long as Vitamin can eat in peace then that is all that matters.

That would be “in peace, without disruption”, Tiddles, please.

But I am in two minds whether to put Vitamin back into the next door field with Fivla as it has grass.  The other Minions do not need grass…. possibly ever.

Fivla does not really need grass but Vitamin must have a companion.

I am not sure what to do.  I don’t want Vitamin to lose anymore weight. She already looks scrawny but that could just be her winter coat falling out.

I worry that without her friends, Vitamin won’t eat and decline again but if she stays with her herd, she is not getting enough to eat.  Oh, and we can’t add anything to her bucket as she knows, promptly walks off and stops eating.  What to do?  Tomorrow we will try a smidge of linseed and see if we can get that past her without her noticing.

And then suddenly we are all back to normal. I have no idea what got into Maggie and Harrel but, there you go.  Maybe aliens visited and have left now.  Honestly, sheep. What is the point?  Someone remind me.

Anywho, here is Edna having her third (yes, she has three) breakfast.   Floss is our Head Chef.  I am on haynets.

I love Edna’s thank-you face (I think she came up for air, to be perfectly honest but we take what we can get!)

Pepper is in season and going outside without an armed guard is not something we are permitting.  A few nights’ back, I found the little sod-bag leaving the homestead at 4 a.m. (I woke to hear the catflap) and, instead of being angry, I adopted my grandmother’s favoured method of correction, I was disappointed. It nearly killed Pepper.  She couldn’t charm her way out of this and there has been a visible improvement in her behaviour since. Come Monday, I am booking her in to be spayed.

Ted is doing his best to ignore his terrible girlfriend.  He is the best behaved dog in this house.

I am not sure what is going on but everyone is behaving very oddly.

The horses are very strange (bucking and spooking about nothing) and the sheep are at war.  Harrel and Maggie are picking on poor, poor Edna to the point that yesterday I separated them all, leaving Edna and ‘Bert in the small field for the day.  Edna was very distressed so I gave her a nice big bowl of Rowen Barbary mash, which she adores, happily scoffing the lot.  Comfort food, really.

This morning, OH let them all out and said everyone was just as bad again, so I popped Edna back into her little field and she proceeded to shout and get very distressed.  What to do?  These two were patrolling with menace.

A deep breath and thinking that at least Edna was full of good strong food, I let her out to get on with the battle.  I kept an eye and saw her resting with Madge nearby.  The field is large.

To town for various stuff, coming back to find everyone sort of ok.

Not brilliant but ok. I have no idea what is going on but if Edna is not distressed then I won’t be.

The others are supportive in a sort of don’t-involve-us way.

Something is not right but I am not sure what it is.

Edna is eating, she has a good appetite, she is not (from what I can see) ill or anything.

But Harrel and Maggie are not being kind to her and accompanying her about like nightclub bouncers with added hassling.

Meanwhile, Pepper was with me while I was taking these photos and Dreki was taking a huge interest. Then out of nowhere, he tried to stamp on her.  We had words.  Honestly, everyone is mad at the moment.