I was asked to help a lovely little lady this morning.  She arrived at 05:00 but hadn’t suckled from her mother despite everyone’s (mare and owner) best efforts.

So I went over at 10.00 to see if I could help.

The foal’s spirit was willing but the brain was not in gear at all.

Bless her, the foal was very easy and instantly tame but she just could not get the plot with this sucking thing, despite all our efforts.  Everywhere and anything, just not her mother’s teat.

The lights were on ……. (and Mum was certainly in the house, trying to help).

So we had to interfere and milk out the colostrum, give it to the foal in a bottle before she went downhill and then afterwards try to get her to latch on to her mother.

Once she had the bottle of colostrum and a little sleep, the foal tried to suck her mother’s armpits….

Then her own knees…..

And then she went under her mum, where we had been showing her for hours….. (note, she is missing the teat and sucking her mother’s fur, skin, anything…..)

It is so frustrating when they are like this because half of you does not want to interfere but the other half knows that foals must suck and fairly quickly too.

Et voilà!

Once the filly foal had suckled, we breathed a collective sigh of relief and left them to it.  I checked on them both a few hours later and everything still seemed fine.

Meanwhile, back to my life, little Lambie-Borghini is doing well.  He is walking, if oddly, and I am taking him out when the weather is nice for little walks.  He just runs back to the house like a heat seeking wind-up toy but, still, he walks.

He reminds me of a Star Wars AT-AT – All Terrain Armoured Transport

Well, he does!

There are a few things I hate in life. My daughters know this list.

Like –  trotting downhill, wet cotton wool left on the side of the basin, head collars with the cheek bit undone, all bridle straps not in their keepers, the word “moist”, liars, but today it is wet sand on horses or ponies.  It makes me feel very creepy-crawly.

I can’t go near a horse covered in wet sand and I think my lot know this and made the most of my loathing.

Wet sand in my hair…..

Wet sand never becomes dry sand…..

You can’t hug anyone with wet sand, ever.

Except maybe Storm as he wasn’t quite covered in it and always looks in desperate need of a hug from his Mum.

So my herd all made the most of my hatred and insisted in coming in from the rain to roll in the indoor school.  It makes me feel all crunchy and itchy when I see them.

So to distract myself from this phobia, I went outside to take photos of show-jumping sparrows instead!

So much easier.  Ugh, wet sand!  It is my Nemesis.

Lambie-borghini is doing so much better today.  I was woken this morning by a small bleat and went downstairs to find he was standing up on his own and very hungry.

His walking is almost running, he is inquisitive and chatty.  The lower door of the oven is open, not to entice him in for Sunday lunch!  Lambie is still a heat missile but there is a cold wind outside and I would rather he practiced walking in the warm kitchen.

So, a huge improvement – phew, what a relief.  It was touch and go for a time.

Loki is very good.  No snapping, no nothing.  He is wary of Lambie but he has not tried anything.  He is still chaperoned.

BeAnne is bored of Lambie.  He gets all the attention and she wants his bed.  There is sulking.

Wu is Wu.  What lamb?  They don’t talk.  Probably just as well really.

Lambie, of course, is enchanting with such beautiful eyelashes.  It is difficult to get the poo off his face and I work at it, a little at a time with the coconut oil.  Any suggestions?  It is rock hard now.

So that is indoors.  Outdoors, a certain little chap has really come out of himself. Spring is in the air and the hormones are rising!

Storm and Tiddles play endlessly.  They are the best of friends and these games go on all day.  I am surprised anyone has any knees, teeth or mane left.

Does anyone else think that Tiddles might be bigger than Storm now?

First things first.  Mum-ewe died this morning.  I am not surprised. RIP Mum-ewe. You tried your best.

Lambie-borghini is doing ok.  OH and I settled on a compromise of the name.

Lambie is trying to walk and stand up but his inflamed joints make it difficult, if not impossible. He is on his third type of antibiotics – this time with painkillers.  I hope we start to see an improvement.

In the morning, I made him a coconut oil/comfrey poultice which he wears for an hour twice a day. on his front legs.   After I have written this blog, I will get him up for a pee, his bottle and then he can watch telly sitting on me.

Anywho, I have also been riding today on Klængur.  We went like the wind.  It was magical.  His tölt is wonderful and he listens to my every word.  He is a horse in a million.  I am so happy.

And, I saw my first Shetland pony foalio.

Very beautiful.

I miss Shetland pony foals and am sad, but realistic, that we will have none.

Mum was very happy and proud, as in look-who-I-have, as opposed to foal-proud, which means she won’t let you near her baby.

I can see I need to do some hugging, if allowed, later on.

❤ I luff foals ❤

(I may have had gin!)

Lambie is on hourly physio.  He needs to walk and get his little legs going.  So I put him down at the opposite end of the kitchen and he walks to his bed, in front of the Rayburn.

We spent some time outside (I am a great believer in fresh air and sunshine) but he got cold, I searched around the house, found a sock without a partner and made him a little jersey.

It weighed him down to start with but, after I did some trimming (there was a roll neck and elasticated “waist”), he was very happy wearing it.

BeAnne is trying her hardest but she resents every minute I spend with Lambie (is this short for Lamington, btw?).

Her revenge is to sit in his bed the minute he is having his physiotherapy, ok walking around the kitchen.

Lambie (OH wants him to be called Lamb-borghini) is working hard on his walking skills and trying to be alert.  We will keep going.  Never say never.

Meanwhile, I managed to get out.  I went for a ride on Haakon and then walked the dogs around the 40 acre field.  En route, I met Iacs who was doing his best loony face – Daisy, take note, he will be fully your problem when you come home.

And Silver was doing his Gone-with-the-Wind face.

I love all my boys ❤