I totally forgot to take my camera with me today.  Sorry.  Today, of course, was absolutely stunning – calm, if freezing – the feeling in my toes is just beginning to return now.

Anyway, we went over to Sandness and constructed a good shelter for some young Shetland pony mares.  Moved 5 Shetland ponies (not mine) into the new field and added young Lyra to the mix.

It will do Lyra good to live in a herd of girls her own age.  She was getting very bratty (Daisy – sort it, please).

The old ladies came home to me.  Ok, I have not got long green grass for them but I have got an empty shed they can use when the weather is coarse and I can stop worrying quite so much about Delia.

Once the Delia and Vitamin know there is shelter available, I will open up the field so they can go into the next 20 acres and hopefully find something to eat.

I will also feed Delia daily special putting-on-weight food while fighting Vitamin off it.  She needs WeightWatchers!

It is all very complicated at Thordale – but hopefully we will muddle through.  The only real rule is that Taktur cannot meet the girls, any of them.  He is two fields away and can gaze hopefully but nothing else.  Needs must I will turn his electric fence ON!

The snow finally arrived yesterday evening.  It got colder and nastier by the minute all day until we had substantial flurries and it started to settle.

Knowing this was going to happen and the snow would be around for a few more days, I got the equine bedrooms ready.

I have a system which I put into place.

I shouted to the boys and put them in their stable.  I didn’t want Taktur screaming his head off at Hetja and distracting everyone with his obvious handsomeness.  Haakon and Iacs were in the little stall as Haakon gets very stressed living with Kappi.

(This is before I put in the hay and more sawdust down otherwise the chickens just wander in  and shit everywhere)

Then I opened the big shed doors, went out and caught Hetja in her field across the hill, mid blizzard, and hoped the others would follow.  Of course they did.  My theory was if they wanted to spend the night in a blizzard, then go them.

This morning, every cone had been played with, moved and/or thrown about.

After that, it was the Sheep’s turn.  This is their night-time quarters.

It is well ventilated and they share nicely.

OH made a sheep-door as the roof was beginning to lift in the last storm.  This has solved the problem and they happily hop in and out.

This morning, everyone was let out, fed I fed and then they all dispersed to find grazing.

Or annoy.

This time of year is always very beautiful.

If you look very carefully, you can see Fair Isle on the horizon in the photograph immediately below.

My 21 year old Icelandic horse, Haakon from Camster, occasionally stops being the grown-up of the group and likes a game.

(Don’t you think he looks very prehistoric in his winter coat?  Almost a Przewalski’s horse.  In fact, genetic analyses have revealed links between the Mongolian horse and the Icelandic horse.)

Uncanny. They could be twins. Same belly!

Anyway, the old fool enjoys a good game with his second-best friend, Taktur.  Iacs, of course,is his first-best friend.

It was Haakon starting the Game of Crocodiles too.

Crocodiles involves wandering around with your mouth open while just innocently happening to “resting your teeth” on your victim.  You then hang on for grim death or until they react.

If anyone says horses do not have a sense of humour, then show them this photo.  I completely disagree and can only think those that think it are probably very boring themselves.

Anyway, the boys’ games disintegrated and resulted in being shouted at.

Rugs are sacred and cost the earth.

I told Haakon that the rug cost more than he probably does these days – so they both adopted an innocent-sulky look.

They continued to play when I went into the house.  I know this because Taktur’s rug was undone at the neck straps this evening.

Good face

Good face

Plotting face (note the winter belly – I am so pleased).

Putting-evil-plan-into-action Face

Very Evil Plan.  Chasing sheep.  Not A Good Thing.  We had Words.

Who us?

What did we do?

Giggling.

Smirking

Sniggering

Annoying

Irritating

Intermission-ing

With a spot of dressage or trotting round together vaguely in step – ok, I am easily pleased.

But peace did not last very long

They were in a playing mood and Minions “just wanna have fun”.

Dear little Silly Billy Boys but bad boys for chasing sheep.

I’ve just remembered that we got Tiddles about this time last year.  He has come a very long way (mentally) and I am so pleased.  I did wonder last winter if he would ever come out of his depressed little world.

Today was meant to be Esja’s first ride outside but it started to rain and not just a brief shower, proper soak-you-to-the-skin type rain.  No one likes particularly going out.  Rain dripping off the brim of your hat and the tip of your nose makes me very unhappy.

We will got out another day.  So we were back in the school.

This was Esja’s first step with weighted boots on. She lifted up both front feet, one at a time, to find out why they felt different!  She is also shod on her fronts.

It did not take long for Esja to get used to the boots and she went happily along in them – especially in tölt – the four-beat lateral Icelandic gait.

Esja is working very hard trying to find out which leg goes where, why and how best to carry her rider.

Her trainer, Bjørn Roar Larsen, and I are very pleased with Esja’s progress.

Afterwards, we free-lunged Klængur.  He is not very fit and I am working on this as well as trying to help him, without my fat arse on his back.

I have discovered that it is very difficult, nay impossible, to photograph and lunge a horse at the same time so I asked Bjørn to show me what he wanted me to do while I took photos of the outcome.

Trotting.  I don’t do trot.  Haakon has never trotted in his life (apart from when he saw a mare and then floated across the yard like a dream a hundred years ago).  My back hurts if my horse trots.  I would probably get off and walk home.  But trot is useful and Klængur has a beautiful trot which I should encourage as it helps all the other gaits too.

I love Klængur – he always gives 100% to any job asked.

Horse in a million ❤