Tag Archives: Icelandic horse

Lost all my sheep

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It was a lovely morning for a dog-walk.  I was looking for the sheep, but came across Haakon instead.

We had a quick chat and I went on with the walk, thinking the sheep were probably at the far end of the field.

Beautiful flowers were everywhere – I am particularly fond of the forget-me-nots.

While I was walking up into the hill part of the field, I saw movement by my feet.

I think this is a Heath humble-bee (Bombus jonellus vogti) – please correct me if I am wrong.

She was very cute (apparently it is the females that collect the pollen, etc and do all the work – of course they do!)

(and she had lovely fat little buff-coloured knickers!)

She seemed very content buzzing around the self-heal plants.

And then onwards and upwards looking for my sheep.  I couldn’t see them anywhere.  I was worried they had all escaped as there is a very rickety gate at the end of the field.

But, having thoroughly searched the 30 acre field, scratched my head and wondered where they all were, I suddenly remembered I had put them in a different field. Duh!

So, after making my afternoon felted sheep, I went and found my sheep where I had originally put them.

‘Bert kindly plonked himself down behind me and I told him he was the most comfortable chair-back I knew.  He really was, nice and solid giving great support but then that’s ‘Bert all over.

I’m glad I found my sheep. I was beginning to worry before I eventually remembered!

 

Different Sheds

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I felt sorry for Fivla this morning.

After her breakfast, I found her queueing outside the closed door of the little shed, along with Vitamin and Kolka.  I opened it up so they could go in and Vitamin nipped in whippet-like, swiftly followed by Fivla.  Good, I thought, they are inside and can get some shelter from today’s windy/rainy day.

And then Kolka barged in, possibly uninvited, and there was pig-like squealing which I knew came from Fivla as she doesn’t do social pressure.

To give her her due, Fivla stayed inside for a little while but, when I came back with my phone to take photos, I found her back outside again looking very disgruntled.  She just hates crowds.

Buckets collected, washed and tidied, I put all the sheep out into their field.  They lasted a couple of hours, until they saw a cyclist coming down our track and all, to a sheep, ran to the gate in pure terror, asking to be let out so they could cower in their shed.  I have no idea who that poor cyclist was as I watched him turn around and leave.  He was obviously not here to see us.

After letting the sheep out of the field, I found Newt alone in his residence.

The other ponies were long gone down the track looking for non-existent grass to eat.

Newt said he wasn’t moving and no one could make him.

So I told him he couldn’t stay there all day, and it was clearing up nicely now.

(I may have not been telling the truth – it’s been a pig of a day).

Dull Start but Brightened

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Some of us didn’t even want to get up this morning, let alone go outside…..

…. as it was a dull and rainy start. But I put on my wet-weather gear and went out with the breakfast buckets.

Afterwards I let the wet and soggy horses and ponies out of their field to eat the grass around the house. Bibble just followed me round looking hopeful.

I decided to make my statutory hand-felted sheep this morning and was met by Fivla who I could tell had designs on my little shed where I work.

She reckoned it was just the right size for a small Shetland pony trying to shelter from the rain (and I probably wouldn’t have minded if she had come in as she is very well-behaved and has been in the house before – tell no one!)

Bibble lurked by, of course.

Once finished making sheep, I returned to the house only to find that Monster might have moved downstairs but he certainly hadn’t woken up.

And, being Shetland, the weather changes very quickly and the afternoon turned much brighter. I drove to West Burrafirth with a friend and her dog (on lead) and we went for a walk.

The views were stupendous.  I hadn’t been here before.  Definitely somewhere to remember.

So that was my day, and how was yours?

This and That

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It’s been an odd day – not very peaceful and I feel like I’ve spent most of it shouting and feeling agitated or worrying.

Pepper went missing most of the late afternoon.  After walking about looking, yelling and whistling and about to go out in the car to the neighbours to see if she was a-visiting, I eventually found Pepper in my big shed.  I swear I had been in there at least three times looking for her.

So I can’t be cross with Pepper but inside I am raging (mostly with myself for obviously not finding her every time I looked in that shed!)

This morning the sheep were wormed, fluked and checked over.  ‘Ster is not very well again – renal calculi and/or urine infection – so he has had his undercarriage sheared to clean everything up, started a course of antibiotics and painkillers. I also talked to the vet.   He will be drenched daily with ammonium chloride which will hopefully break up the stones.  Poor lad is going around like a wet weekend but perks up mightily when he sees the ginger biccie packet.  Food is worth living for and I must buy more biccies to say sorry for the daily drench which tastes disgusting.

The wind is blowing in force too.  The ground is drying up and actually, you know, I am glad I left the horses and ponies’ rugs on.  It feels like winter out there.  Everyone is very fed up – both people and animals.

As the temperature is also low, I have given the ponies extra haynets because I doubt the grass is growing much, if at all, on their track.

And today’s piece of resistance….

Haakon, looking like he’s in a boy band…

And Newt.  I am sure I had a friend at school who looked like that.  He doesn’t suit a centre parting and neither did she.

Haakon’s Weight Loss

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Haakon seems to have suddenly lost weight almost overnight which is not like him. Usually it is Iacs who comes into spring a bit lean.  So now, of course, I am worried.

It’s been a long day packing Turriefield vegetables this morning, collecting fattening horse-food from a friend and lastly popping over to another friend to collect equine wormer which she had kindly brought back from Lerwick yesterday.

When I finally got home mid-afternoon, although the sun was out, there is a north wind blowing which made everything much colder.

I walked down to the field and put Iacs’ winter rug back on.  He was very happily surprised and both Vitamin and Fivla said they would quite like their’s on too please so I told them no, you’re fine.  We’ll see how the week goes.

Then I led Haakon into the garden and gave him a big bucket of the fattening food which luckily he really liked and happily ate.

The others were now pretty cross at this blatant favouritism so I went into the house and found some carrots to throw and to get them off the fences. It briefly did the trick.

And then they were back, watching.

I don’t like how Haakon’s backbone is sticking out and his bottom is thin on his legs.  I can also feel his ribs and there is no cushioning.  For a 32 year old horse, I wouldn’t want him any thinner and he must put on weight if he is to keep going.

So rug on, and Haakon will get two meals a day to fatten him up.

I hope the others don’t mind too much.

Oh yes, and this is the damage in Haakon’s hoof after that horrid abscess/stone made.  Poor lad.

So that’s the plan. Two meals a day and rug on while the north wind is blowing.

I will consider rugging the others up but, to be perfectly honest, they are looking fine and probably don’t need it.