I am busy trying to get the weight back on the old horses and ponies and it is harder than I thought but I am hoping the spring grass will kick in and start doing its job soon.   The daily breakfast bucket remains at the moment but I have stopped all supplements to see if there is any difference.  There isn’t.

And every Sunday afternoon, I open up a little bit more of the track for the Shetland ponies on a diet.  I think they know this and, while I was working away making a new fence, they were waiting, looking hopeful.

I opened up old fence for them and they rushed through.

They will get this patch, which will be all gone by tomorrow, for the next week and that’s it until next Sunday when I will re-evaluate.

This time of year, I watch them like a hawk for any sign of laminitis and so far, so good.  I am trying so hard to be vigilant.  They can eat their rocket fuel but it is severely rationed.

It was not the best morning today. Windy and rainy and very cold.

I couldn’t find the little ones anywhere until I looked in the containers.  Everyone was sheltering in there.  So, feeling generous, I gave them a couple of double haynets full of hay but I only counted four ponies – Silver, Tiddles, Waffle and Albie.

Where was the fifth – Newt?  I found him in “his” container alongside Pepper, who was also sheltering from the achingly cold north wind (it is -3℃ out there, apparently, and I can actually believe that).   At least it is not snowing….. yet, though it has been known.

Anyway, Newt and Pepper are very sweet together.

They are the best of friends and I don’t say this lightly, but I actually do trust Newt not to be nasty to Pepper.  He would be vile to anyone else – that’s his little way.

So while the rain shat down on all of us outside, Newt and Pepper remained cosy and happy in their container.

They were passing the time of day.

(You can see just how small Newt is – as Pepper is about the size of a large cat!)

I was sent home yesterday from Turriefield (the veg co-operative scheme place where I volunteer) with a large sack of celery leaves/tops and stalks for the ponies. A perk of my “job”.

As the ponies actually bothered to come up the hill this morning, which is not their norm anymore, I gave them their lovely reward.  They are now out 24/7 as they refuse to go to bed when asked – I gave up after chasing them up and down the hill 5 times and ran out of steam. There is no hay ration either.

Anyway, they were all very happy and enthusiastically munching grateful, I think, for real food.

And the big ones were watching on.  I could see Iacs thinking “I could like celery”, but I know that he doesn’t from previous form.

Not like Newt who is a keen fan.

So, as there was masses, I threw Iacs his own pile of leaves.  He did eat most of them to be polite and almost made a “clean plate” but I doubt he will ask again tomorrow.  The others steered well clear.

When I went back later on to poo-pick the track, there was not a trace of any celery leaves anywhere.  They had finished today’s ration.  There is more for tomorrow.

I’m still worried about ‘Ster.  He is not himself.

He’s finished his course of antibiotics and doesn’t smell of wee anymore, which is good.  But his back end is hunched up and he is walking stiffly which could be an indication of kidney stones (urolithiasis) discomfort.

I am giving him huge bowls of soaked sugar beet to up his fluid intake and have spoken to the vet.

A sheep friend suggested giving him ammonium chloride, which will lower the pH of his urine, making it more acidic, which helps dissolve the stone’s components.

To the best of my knowledge (and searching), there is no ammonium chloride on the island so sheep-friend suggested a recipe of red onion, garlic, lemon juice and vinegar – boiled until everything is mush and strained which apparently creates ammonium chloride.  It is evil-smelling.

I syringed the liquid down ‘Ster this morning, much to his total disgust but he was a good boy about it and then went out with his friends for the rest of the day, which was an improvement on his recent withdrawn behaviour.

I also gave him some painkillers too.

We will continue with this regimen and I will also order the real ammonium chloride off Amazon. I have also bought a bag of lamb creep (feed for lambs), which has ammonium chloride as standard and everyone will start eating that daily.

As long as I can keep ‘Ster eating, drinking and chewing his cud, then hopefully the potion will nuke the stones and make him more comfortable.

Poor ‘Ster.  On a plus, he still likes his hugs and is stealing chicken food!

Everyone looks revolting these day. It’s that time of year when the horses and ponies are shedding their winter coats but I refuse to brush anyone because a) that’s too much like hard work and b) winter may well return and they will thank me.  The forecast is a harsh north wind and 5℃ at the weekend.  Told you so and oh yes, they will thank me for my indolence on the brushing front.

After their breakfast, Dahlia and Gussie also followed me down to where I was feeding the old horses and ponies.

After I sent Daisy her daily photo of Iacs, she asked where Gussie was, so I replied “he is tipping over buckets”.

Ever the class clown.

And suddenly Gussie has changed. He is no longer the sweet little lamb that sat on my feet and I brought home along with his mother.

These are his teenage years and he has quickly become a thug, tripping me up if he can in the pursuit of food.

Pepper is now off house-arrest due to her poorly paw and is allowed to come with me on my crofting duties, or on dog-walks but only on a lead.  She is making up for lost eating/clearing up time but I am glad she is getting better.