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.

What to do with the Minions.  Last night, they stayed on the track mostly because they refused to come in so I left them there and then spent the rest of the night worrying that they would probably get laminitis on the few blades of new grass (t’was Monday so they got a small new bit of track).

Anyway, this morning the ponies all came up saying they were hungry and I took this for a good sign that I still had some influence over them.

So what to do?  This afternoon, when they saw me in their wee paddock, they all (and even Waffle) came in to see if I was putting out some chocolate cake for them.  There is very little on the track – it is mostly moss.

And it was too late for them, as I shut the gate, and gave them last night’s leftover and untouched soaked hay.  It’s need to be eaten.  I hate waste.

Realistically, I need to decide what to do – do they all stay on the track 24/7 and hope for the best while cutting down the soaked hay in nets to possibly nothing and only having their 50g sugar beet + balancer ration.  This is what we did last summer and it did work and they did lose weight.

Pros – they are out exercising eating barely nothing.
OH stops mucking out every morning.
I can go south for a weekend to see daughters.

Cons – they could potentially break out in the night into lush grass despite prison-like fencing.
I get to muck out (poo-pick the track) for everyone 24/7 and that is a lot.

Or Tiddles and a fat friend comes in over night (4pm – 8am) and eat soaked hay.

Pros:  Tiddles and fat friend would not get a full 24/7 sugar blast.
Cons:  They would hate it and possibly me.
Going south would be difficult.

So, answers on a postcard, please as they say on the telly.  I am edging towards grabbing Tiddles and a Fat Friend for the night so they can’t overeat the absolute nothingness on the track.

I’m not feeling my best. I think I rather over-did it today.  I had to go to town for an appointment and ended up doing a million other things too.

So I came home knackered and with a monstrous headache and decided to go to bed for a little rest. Of course, I fell asleep.

And now I feel even worse having just woken up because that’s what happens when I have an afternoon nap.

I am having a cup of tea now to see if that makes me feel any better.

(sorry)

Yesterday the wormer arrived in the post.

Today, I diligently wrote down on a sticky label all the horses and ponies’ weights from the list written by Monika when she weighed everyone.

Then I took all the wormers out of their individual boxes and filled my pockets with the tubes.

I stuck the weights’ label onto a flattened empty wormer box and attached it to my top coat pocket with a sturdy bulldog clip so I could quickly look down and find out the weight of each horse/pony and give the correct dose.

Clever, eh? Not pretty but functional.

I also took two headcollars. A big one (horses) and a little one (ponies) because some are less than helpful when it comes to wormer.

So with pockets stuffed, etc, I strode off to find myself some horses.

I wormed Kolka.  She spat it out. I wormed her again.  I had planned for this eventuality – there is always one – and had ordered an extra tube of wormer.

I ended up not having to use the headcollars.  I just grabbed long winter chin hairs, shoved the wormer tube into the side of their mouth and hoped for the best.  It was very sloppy stuff and Waffle also got a double dose.

Tiddles wanted more.  Of course he did.

He loves all things medicine.  I think it is from his time being nursed in the shed and having all his drugs orally in a big syringe.

The whole process was quick and painless.

And, as a reward, I sat down and had a chat with Albie.  So that’s everyone equine wormed and I wrote it down in the Farm Book so I know.

I would be lying if I said ‘Ster was 100% better but today he did say he wanted to be with his flock, who had somehow magically managed to get through many electric fences to find the green grass field.

So, waving my yellow bucket of Yummy Things (barley rings that rattle very nicely), I lured ‘Ster down to join everyone.  I hoicked up fences for him to go through or under.

I think it was a good idea. Mental health is very important for everyone, even sheep.  If Ster is unhappy, I am unhappy too.

I’m not going to say Madge is ** cough ** fat, but she is one substantial sheep.  This is not my fault.

And Lambie was on spiffing form.

As was Edna.

Possibly.

Anyway, when Lambie saw my yellow bucket of Yummy Things (by now all long gone), he got out his famous and very beguiling Winning Smile.

Of course, my heart instantly melted.

Dear, dear Lambie working the field.

I would’ve given him anything there and then.

You’ve gotta love a Lambie. Tis the law.

So, I am glad I got ‘Ster into the field of green, green grass (the inside of the track) and I hope this helps him.

And it was lovely to see all the sheep together for a change (Dahlia and Gussie don’t go into this field – they hate it).  So much politics.