Haakon has had some time off to recover from being lame.  To this day, I have no idea why he was lame but I believe in time being a great healer so that is what I gave him – lots of time, shoes off and we would reassess a few weeks later.

So yesterday, as Haakon had stopped being lame, Bjørn, our trainer and farrier, shod him – fronts and backs.

Today it was a nice, if blowy, day, and I thought I would go out for a plod to see how Haakon was now he had shoes on again.

Of course Haakon was snoozing in the morning sun.

Daisy and Kappi decided to come along too.

This is the best sight in my world.

While he has been off work, Haakon has lost a lot of muscle and condition so we thought we would take it slowly.

We went along very happily and I let Haakon make his own decisions based on how he felt.

He tölted a bit and he cantered a little, but mostly we stuck to walk.

He was the same as ever – willing and happy but not very fit.  He didn’t struggle being ridden and we went to the “top of the world”.

He had his usual argument with Kappi and wanted to be at the front.

On the way home, Daisy and Kappi trotted past (that’s them in the far distance – the small dot!)

So, I played music on my iPod and Haakon and I pottered home listening to Al Stewart!

Once the Spring grass appears, I am hoping Haakon will fill out and, with regularly riding, develop muscle.

It was lovely going for a ride again.

While my OH was walking Loki around Leradale, I stayed with the Minions to brush them and sit on a rock for a chat.

Instantly, my coat was destined to be eaten.

And Dreki was watching, taking it all in.  What have I done?

I had already rescued my camera from Waffle who took it for a little ride….  And then Tiddles found my precious thermal leather gloves.

I shouted at him to put them down but Tiddles was having none of it.  Yes, I ended up chasing him in circles around the field until I finally got my glove back. He was not sorry.  Not nearly sorry enough.

Silver pretended to be a good boy.

Fivla was beautiful.  Today, I was trying to brush manes and forelocks.

The conditioning spray was carefully hung on the fence.

But only for a short time.

The conditioning spray had no hope. Everyone wanted it.

The brush was doomed too.

Various dfferent ponies made a point of eating my coat.

All my things!

Then, of course, there was the headcollar, which I didn’t use but brought along just in case.

And still Dreki watched. Taking it all in.

Somebody wanted something.

And Dreki was always available to help.

On a good note, I also managed to introduce Dreki to being brushed.  I did his tail.

And a vague attempt at his mane.  He is very sticky from the lick bucket which is his personal friend but he stood still and enjoyed being brushed.

What is that adage?  Never work with animals or children.  I am exhausted from rescuing my personal property from the Minions.  I ended up sitting on a rock just laughing at them.  Best therapy ever.

It’s blimmin’ freezing here with a fierce south-east wind.  There was even ice on the water troughs and buckets this morning.

But on the plus-side, the mud is drying up, which cheers me slightly.

I went for a wander with my camera.

I will admit to not feeling terribly inspired about anything at the moment.  It is just too cold.

The Boyzens are clever and know where to look for the best shelter – the back of the indoor school.  It is almost balmy there.

They were all sitting comfortably chewing their cud.  ‘Ster, as ever, enjoying his fashionable food look.

Lambie is not as fat as the others despite special efforts to feed him up.

‘Bert is another fat woolly boy.  Some might say obese.

Puzzah is his usual self.  He has his loving moments and is really trying to behave.  He knows his name and comes when he is called.

I went into Albie and Newt’s field for a little chat.

They are so very loving and appreciate my visits.  Always lots of hugs, especially for Albie.

I am glad they have each other and it is a good idea they are in this field.  I know they miss the others but there is far less mud and they can mooch about for miles if they want.

Could someone bring Spring back please.  We need it.

I love this photo.  It shows how bleak I am feeling.  Abba meets the Eastern Bloc!

I have been searching my photo archives for pictures of the 1906 Spindle Back Gig in action back in the day when we trained and sold Shetland ponies to be driven.

The gig’s first show outing was to The Black Isle Show with my most favourite Shetland pony, Jackson.

He was perfect.  A mini-Friesian just Shetland pony size.

Then off to the Royal Highland Show in 2006.

The gig was also used for a tandem team – Charlie as the leader (front) and Andy, the wheeler (back) in the Multiples Open Private Driving Class at the Royal Highland Show in 2008.

A few days before, these two ponies had been going as a pair but had started racing each other in a very scary way so the day before the show, we made the executive decision to amend our show entry as a tandem rather than a pair. The Gods smiled and they went much better qualifying for the Championship held in the Grand Arena well as The Osborne Refrigerators BDS National Championships.

Charlie also took part in the Best Driven Shetland Class coming second.

Afterwards, we had some dodgy folk following behind the cart with a wedge of money desperate for us to name our price so they could buy Charlie.  They had to be escorted off the Royal Highland Show premises by Security when they started throwing bollards at us because we kept refusing their “offer”.

It was quite scary and we ran away in our lorry hoping we were not being followed!

So that’s the fun we had with this beautiful gig.  It is nice to remember.

I may have fallen slightly by the wayside, so to speak, on this walking a billion miles a year or whatever it was I mentally signed up for earlier in the year.

But when the weather was slightly less frantic and now I am feeling much better, BeAnne and I went for our usual 3 mile walk along the road and back again.

For the first time, I saw a nearly-white mountain hare in a field by the side of the road. I have never seen hares there so it was lovely to just stop, wait and watch.

I think mountain hares are very special.  So pretty too.

There were the usual hill sheep in their wide variety of colours.

They are always very inquisitive and on the odd occasion Lambie comes too he could be a different species.  He likes the idea of hill sheep but he doesn’t really get it, and sticks out like a sore thumb, coming home complaining they don’t like classical music and biscuits!

On my way home, the horses had finally left their food to see what they could find in the field which runs along the side of the track.  Efstur was having fun aggravating dear old patient Iacs.

Efstur was not going to give up.

He wanted a reaction, so Iacs told him.

And then it developed into a little game of I bite you, no I bite you!

And that is why Efstur is so nice.

Because he has the best teachers all around him.

Maybe not the brightest, but certainly the nicest.

It was nice to get out and about on my pins.