It is very cold.  Bl***y freezing but the Shetland Spring flowers are finally trying to come out now.

Walls of wild yellow primroses (Primula vulgaris) are lining the banks of my burn.  They are called “Mayflooers” in Shetland dialect.

If it were a bit warmer, I would go and sit down there, keeping Lambie and friends company while they grazed.  Too ruddy cold for me.

I love the primroses but they are very difficult to photograph.  They don’t show up well.

The “blugga” or marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris) are now also putting in an appearance.  These look like overgrown Walt-Disneyesque buttercups but like damp boggy fertilised ground and are a pain as once they take hold, they spread and spread.

In the hill, there are common dog violets (Viola riviniana) who were flourishing, though they are not ejoying the sudden harsh cold wind.

I have had an industrious morning gardening.  Me?  Gardening!  (I am not a gardener at all but this year I have sudden desire to grow some vegetables).

So, OH lugged two empty aluminium feed troughs, filled them with the contents of the muckheap.  I topped them off with compost and sowed peas, rocket, lettuce (I think, I have forgotten now!) and then watched pesky birds feast on my efforts.  So I have added my anti-bird protection and ordered some net tunnels off Amazon!

Daisy and I also tidied up Lambie’s best bedroom so that , once Precious and her mother leave, we can shut the gate and let the patch grow better without random poo and twigs.

The Icelandic ladies are on bewb-watch – nope, not due yet, I think.

And the Shetland ladies have joined Fat Fighters!

Daisy and Kappi fra Frøberg are working very hard in preparation for the Icelandic Horse Society of Great Britain British Championships and Summer Festival that takes place on 23-25 June in England.  This will be our big trip south and I am making lists and plans worthy of Hannibal crossing the Alps.

I enjoy watching them work together.

Kappi and Daisy are both putting in a great deal of training.  Most days they are doing something – either training outside, training on our oval track, free lungeing or lessons indoors.

Daisy has at least two – three lessons a week from Bjørn Roar Larsen, our local Level 3 FEIF trainer and riding instructor (International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations, representing Icelandic Horse associations in 21 countries).

We couldn’t do this without him and his extensive knowledge.

And Kappi, who we love.  Kappi is a wonderful horse.  He tries so hard for Daisy and his reward is the promise of a Krispy Kreme donut after the British Championships.

Some may think that Kappi lives for food.

They would be right.  His stomach has a clock in it.  He actually knows when it is 17:00 on the dot!

Taktur is working hard too.

He is not currently training for any specific event but still works hard for both Bjørn and Daisy.  I am not riding him now.

Anywho, that is where we are at.  Riding every minute somewhere!  I usually accompany Daisy when she is training outdoors on Haakon or Klængur.

Krispy Kreme donuts – hmmmmm ( we can’t get them here in Shetland).  I think they are an incentive for all of us, actually.

I helped my neighbour, trainer and friend, Bjørn from Bergli Stud, put one of his stallions out with their mares.

Today, it was Wulfert v.d. Groote Woerd’s turn.  Wulfert is Waffle’s sire.  You can see the obvious family resemblance – they are both black!

Wulfert was put out with three black standard mares, who all behaved beautifully. We found this out when we found we had run out of headcollars and ropes!  Thank the Gods for well-trained and handled Shetland ponies.  They walked into the field on chin hairs.

We were on the island of Burra – one of the Scalloway Islands (according to Wikipedia).

A beautiful part of Shetland.

Next up, we took Wulfert’s winter field-mates, Merkisayre Tactic and Alex v.d. Voshoek to a new field where they could play together.

Alex is a beautiful mushroom miniature dude with amazing hair.

I have a very soft spot for Alex. He makes me smile.

Tactic is an amazing mover – jaw-droppingly wow (my photos don’t show his incredible trot).

So, the stallions were dropped off, and then home to the first of the 2017 foals at Bergli Stud.

Mum is beautiful.

And her baby (a colt) is divine – *** swoon ***.

I love this time of year.  Little bebbies everywhere.

It had to be done.  They could stay there no longer.

So we brought Fivla and Vitamin home to go on their summer diet.

Daisy spent yesterday afternoon constructing a good electric fence across part of the scattald (open hill).

There is a triangle of land that lies between my neighbour’s field and Clothie (where the pregnant ladies now live).

Water runs through it too, which is useful.

Before we fenced this field off, I asked permission from my neighbour, his tenant, the crofter who has sheep on the hill and the Grazings Clerk to make this make-shift paddock, explaining why (dangerously fat pony and her friend) and I have their permission to do this. It is not a permanent fixture.

The girls will stay here for the summer.

The photos somehow make the fenced-off hill look better pasture than it actually is.  This is rough grazing with low calories and roughage.

Needs must.

The ones I feel sorry for most are Hetja and Brá.  Their faces fell when they saw the “baby bores” arrive.  Fivla and Vitamin had spent the winter in the next door field telling them endless stories of their pregnancies.   You know the type.  We’ve all met them!

The ladies didn’t even go over to say hello.

This is Precious – a miniature Shetland pony filly born on Thursday morning.

We are helping out the breeder because Precious was a “red bag delivery”.

From The Horse Channel – “Red bag delivery” is a layperson’s term for premature separation of the placenta prior to or during a mare’s foaling.

The mare is on a course of antibiotics (intra-muscular) and, as we are on site 24/7, we can administer them.  The mare was very unwell after the birth and nearly died.

The mare is not maternal towards her baby so we are encouraging bonding, nursing and pushing as much food, ie green grass and hard feed into Mum as possible, while getting as much milk into Precious as well.  This is the mare’s first and only foal and she is not sure what to do but she is an easy mare and Precious is very hungry.  We sometimes hold the mare as she tends to walk away mid-suck.  She has now discovered carrots and is easily bribed!

OH has very kindly (but is not happy) let them into his garden.  He was only saying the other day how he wished the grass was shorter.  Well, now it will be!

Someone else is very aware that there is a pretty lady-girl nearby so Precious and her mother can only have access to the garden grass if they are supervised.

The others don’t care at all.

BeAnne, however, is thrilled.

This is her new little family.

I have just measured BeAnne.  She is 13″ tall to her “withers”.

Anyway, this little duo will stay with us for at least a week.  The breeder wants to give the foal a chance.

We are all aware that Precious’ legs are not the best.

And please don’t tell me your opinion about them.  We are here to help, not to judge.

We are all doing our best for them.