It’s getting to be that time of year again.

Soon there will be the pitter-patter of tiny hooves.

So, the supplies have arrived at Thordale.

First, we have an Emergency Kit – the mare’s milk replacer.  Included in the kit, is a rubber foal teat, sterilising tablets and mare’s milk replacer milk powder along with full emergency feeding instructions.  There is enough in the pack to cover for a few days and details are supplied of where to buy more.  This is supplied to me by The National Foaling Bank and costs a nominal £10 to anyone in Shetland who needs help.

I have used it on Albie, my orphan foal from last year.   I can thoroughly vouch for this kit – it was brilliant.  We did buckets because bottles were not working in our situation.

I have bought a couple of tubes of FoalStim.  I can vouch for this product as well – amazing stuff.  Although it is definitely not a replacement for colostrum or the vet, it can buy you time.  The FoalStim costs £14.50 (I paid £12.99 plus P&P) a tube and is worth every penny.

“A specially designed nutritional supplement of Colostrum, FoalStim is a complex blend of natural non-digestible carbohydrates including Prebiotic sources of FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) and Polufructosans that are scientifically proven to induce beneficial results.”

If you want to know more – click this link

I also have a lifetime supply of Emergency Silver Foil blankets (always useful) – £1 each and very useful.

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And this year, I have bought in Protexin Quick Fix for horses/ponies.  I have some spare tubes, if you need.  I like this product and will use it when we travel south for competitions and also on the little ones when they are wormed.  I also spoke to Westgate Laboratories who said that there is more occurrences of liverfluke in horses.  I would definitely use Protexin Quick Fix, as well as a B12 injection, if I had to treat anyone for liverfluke.

“Quick Fix is a highly concentrated probiotic and prebiotic paste to rapidly re-establish the horses gut microflora in times of stress or change, including travelling, worming and antibiotic treatment.”

One treatment is £10.00 – click this link for more product information – give me a shout if you want a tube.

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So that is me, ready for action and if you need these products, shout.  Any time.  Any day.  (seriously, I mean it, 24/7 – foals can’t wait) 01595 809 432 – I am on the westside of Shetland.

For real help, though, ring Shetland Vet – 01595 810456 – I think they are keeping colostrum in stock.

Why do I do this?  – read this for the explanation – https://myshetland.co.uk/shetland-foal-milk-service/

You can also get The Emergency Foal Milk kit in Orkney from Sharon Williamson – 01856 741248 (home) and 01856 873535 (work)

Brá and I are negotiating an armed truce.  I have the carrots and, if she wants them, she has to have a headcollar taken on and off.  There is no discussion and I have been known to feed her carrot to Hetja, who is always willing to help.  Brá watches on in disgust and then gives in.

I will not back down.  It is too important.  Anyway, I think consistency is the key here and, hopefully, I am winning.

Meanwhile, the little ones are doing very well.

Vitamin is the boss.  Everyone knows this.

Fivla is her best friend and they are often together.

Lyra is not really interested in deposing her mother.  She likes spending her time with her Minion fan club.  Together, they are adventurous and often go on expeditions together round their huge field leaving the less brave (usually Vitamin) behind.

Waffle is a dude.

Silver can be aloof but will sometime come over, when no one else is looking, for a long hug and a chat. He hates a row.

These days, Tiddles is a very serious little chap.  He takes on the worries of the world and needs more of a sense of humour. Hopefully when he comes home, this will arrive in the form of two little needy friends – Newt and Albie.  They adore Tiddles.

Storm is, well, Storm.  There to irritate and annoy.

He plots and schemes to himself and takes either Tiddles with him for company or jumps on some poor unsuspecting friend.

The word “no” is not in his vocabulary.

Sometimes I feel really sorry for the others.

Putting all the boys together is going to be so much fun!

Flossie’s horse, Klængur, had lost a shoe so Daisy very kindly leant her little sister Iacs, her 22 year old Icelandic horse gelding, to ride.

However, there were spectators.

First, Floss and Iacs warmed up on a long rein.

Daisy thought she was the one giving the instruction.

Yer, right, but really, it was the woollies who were doing the training.

They took an interest.

Lambie watched every time Floss and Iacs went past – he was fascinated by this riding thing.

‘Ster made sure Daisy was doing it right.

The sheeples have probably seen more riding lessons than most.

And look how beautifully Iacs and Flossie went.

Someone must be telling them something.

These trainers want only perfection.

A textbook turn-on-the-forehand – Iacs’ pièce de résistance.

It was lovely to watch. Darling Iacs – he’s still got it.  A very special horse.

Iacs and Flossie did very well.

Rewards were handed out.

The Sheeples left with the knowledge of a job well done!

(Don’t tell Daisy – she thinks it was her!)

Tor’s owners came over to collect their lovely pony-mama and take her home.

(They may have mentioned that she was a bit fat and had to go on a diet before she ran with the stallion.  I ignored that.)

We have all been dreading this day.  I will admit that I have been worrying about how the little boys would react when Tor was taken away.  Albie was having a melt-down in my imagination.

So, they barely noticed.

The boys ran round once looking for Tor and then attached themselves to Delia, who I don’t actually think looked up once.

Meanwhile, Efstur is taking a huge interest in the little boys, particularly Newt.

I often see them chatting over the fence together.

The two stallions sharing a good poo sniffing.

(happy days – green coloured poo means the spring grass is arriving)

Efstur is practising being Handsome Prince Mk II.

This Odd Couple are determined to be the best of friends over the fence.

Rugs are on at the moment because there is a harsh northwesterly wind bringing sporadic outbursts of fierce rain.  I am wearing my thermals so, therefore, the little boys are too.

Once the temperature is consistently above ten degrees celsius, then rugs will be off and Delia will join the girls.  The little boys can all be together.

A little bit warmer weather, please, or a least less rain.

Anywho, thank you Tor and thank you to Tor’s owners, Bergli Stud, for the loan of Tor.  She was perfect and the best step-mother ever to those that needed her most (*** sniff ***).

I am not talking to BeAnne.

Yesterday, she stunk so badly while she sat under my desk in her bed, that I could bear it no more.  I took her upstairs and bathed her, much to her disgust.  But it had to be done and then she was fragrant and beautiful again.  Afterwards, I cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom.

This morning, Flossie and I were up at first light to feed the horses and sheep.  The wind was gaining speed and the forecast was grim, so we started two hours earlier than usual to be able to do our chores without being blown over or soaked to the skin.

We finished just as it began to rain heavily and guess who we met coming up the hill as went into the house….. a mud monster or perhaps a small Patterdale terrier who had spent her morning digging up baby bunnies down by the stream.  She was clarted in mud from head to toe.  My heart sank.  Her chin had dangles of brown squelch.

I dragged her back upstairs to the bathroom and back into the bath she went.  The mud was of the type that was half concrete and half superglue – solid and hard.  A good fight later and BeAnne, for the second time, in less than 24 hours was clean.  Again, afterwards, I cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom as the mud had been transferred to every wall, towel and now myself.

BeAnne is not talking to me and, as I type, is sulking under my desk.

Loki is almost a good boy, though he did tumble Wu the other day.

Wu didn’t care much but has been bitch-slapping Loki in revenge when he walks past.

I have banned BeAnne from going outside unsupervised for the foreseeable future.