Lots of photos today.

This morning Daisy and I worked with Dreki.

Here is the boy himself, happily in his field with his mates.

He is :-

• Easy to catch.

• Easy to lead.

• Stands tied up nicely.
• Easy to groom.

• Likes people.

• Takes an interest.

• Easy to tack up.

(even when his bestie, Efstur, is shouting his head off, telling him to come back. Honestly, such a baby – whinny, whinny, whinny!)

• Leads nicely in the school.
• Reads body language well.

• Likes being told that he’s a good boy.

So then Daisy got The Bucket.

Rewards are given when Dreki doesn”t ask and stands looking straight ahead.  Absolutely no mugging is allowed.

Daisy stood on the bucket.

Reassurance.

Reward.

The bucket gets moved to the other side – Dreki has a good look.

Reward – the theory being reinforced is that good things happen to good boys.

Daisy stands on the bucket again.

And then its my turn.  I put down my big camera, fill my pockets with little bits of carrot and hold the lead rope.

Daisy stands on bucket and leans over Dreki’s back.  Feet off the bucket so he has all her weight.

Dreki has a look to see what on earth Daisy is doing.  I give him a piece of carrot.

We work on both sides.

And then, when Daisy thinks it is the right time (ie safe, and Dreki is happy with what she has done), she swings her leg over.

And sits up!  More carrot, Daisy just sits there, Dreki does nothing.  He has another carrot.  Off she gets.  We both say “What a good boy!”. Saddle off and we call it a day.

One more thing – feets – all picked up nicely, all brushed clean and picked out.  No fuss.

So that’s a first for Dreki – he has been sat on and was a very good boy.  Yay! *** sniff ***.

This morning, after feeding the Girlzens and the Boyzens, I made the executive decision to give them their copper boluses.  In Shetland, there is no natural copper in any soil or plants so copper is given, if required and after seeing Lambie’s behaviour, I thought it couldn’t do any harm.  OH had collected 5 large hard gelatin capsules containing copper oxide.

Well, all I can say it that Edna was a dream (she just swallowed it down – no applicator, no nothing, like a ginger-biccie!), while the rest required a rugby tackle, half Nelson and brute force with an applicator.  Madge can set her steel-like jaw to never open.  Hey ho.  It is done.  Everyone should be like Edna, that is all I will say and everyone but Edna hates me.

Meanwhile, the Old Men are on top form.  I rug, un-rug, rug according to the weather like a demented person who rugs.  Haakon has kept the weight on and I do notice that if I don’t bother with his rug then he instantly looks thinner, tucked up and miserable.  At that stage, my guilt is huge and I vow to be out with the rug the minute the rain starts.

They have a bit of an Abba moment.

And another.

For the next 6 weeks Bibble is my “Noble Steed” due to Klængur being on his hollibobs.   I doubt he will look so glass-half-full afterwards!

And so onwards and upwards……

Most odd behaviour from Lambie yesterday. He had a furtle in his wool, found a nice bit, pulled it out with his teefs and ate it.

Eh?  I have never seen this before and of course it has set off every alarm bell inside my head.

I googled this as well as asking the experts on a great Facebook page of like-minded folk (they all have pet sheep, nuff said!) and we have come to the conclusion he is deficient.

In minerals, that is.  They possibly all are and it needs to be recitified.

Of course everything is for flocks of 100 sheep or so.  Five amounts or doses of anything is harder to come by.  So I have ordered a small mineral lick (to arrive hopefully this week) and now am in possession of copper boluses which we hope will fit in my “gun” (a long plastic syringe type thing).  Shetland has no copper and I should be giving it. We will go into battle tomorrow after breakfast.

I have also now convinced myself that Lambie is too thin and possibly dying, which he isn’t.

And I think everyone is very bored of me talking about Lambie!

Lambie, apart from the wool-pulling and eating is absolutely fine.

My life is just full of worry.  It is what I do best.

Hmmm…… Brá and Hetja – what to do?

After giving us some beautiful offspring over the years, I have been struggling over the decision for the ladies’ future.

I am already pushed for time between managing the horses at Thordale along with the Minions. Daisy is also busy with her horses and all the youngsters in training. Add some sheep and my day is full.

This winter, we moved the ladies to one of our nearer-to-home fields and my neighbour fell in love with them and spent time bonding with them.

Brá has never been simple so this is a huge achievement in its own right.  She doesn’t “bond” or even talk to just anyone!

And to be honest, both of us are just not “mare people” (a controversial topic, I know, but we do love our boys).

Nevertheless, we had some strict requirements for their future welfare. Our first consideration was that they would go to a home that would never breed from them again.

The second was that they would go somewhere where they wouldn’t be too badly affected by sweet itch (and would be treated correctly, if necessary).

And thirdly, the most important requirement, was that they’d go to someone who would love them and dedicate more time to them, which they definitely deserve.

Brá and Hetja still have so much to give to someone who is willing to put the effort in and we are definitely  grateful for the years that we had with them.

So now they have a wonderful new home and this is the best I could wish for them.

To all the Muzzahs of woolly, fur, feathered children who love you more than words.

(even if they don’t always appear as grateful as they should be…..)

🐶 🐑 ❤️ Happy Muzzah’s Day to you! ❤️ 🐑 🐶

And always rescue.  Never say never.  Just whatever it takes.