Tag Archives: Icelandic horse

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.

Last Night

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I felt bad but it had to be done.

Despite it being a glorious sunny and still evening, everyone who is rugged had to have their rugs put on because tomorrow was going to be a day of shite (that is actual meteorological terminology used frequently in Shetland).

So, I went out in the Eggbox (Suzuki Jimny), like I was going on safari with the boot stuffed full of  rugs, water containers and headcollars.  But first I threw carrots at the little boys and they came galloping over.  Tiddles was easy, standing still, and putting his own rug on if he could.  Then I drove over the open grazing (scattald) to see the old folk.  Diff on, low-range and we off-roaded into the hill.

Again, they galloped down to see me and no one needed asking to stand still or needed a headcollar. I wonder if horses and ponies have a barometer built in, or know when bad weather is imminent? I could feel the appreciation, though and I was right – today is a shitty day – all wind and rain. But I know their rugs are doing their jobs.

Even little FIvla said I could take her rug off possibly in August, but not a minute before!

When I got home, I found Monster had worked out his new bed and was very happy in it too – it’s his Man Cave.  So, win, win.

My Creepy Neighbour

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This was the view that greeted me when I opened the back door while I was cooking in the kitchen (making eternal soup).  I was being watched by Iacs.

I had no idea what he wanted!

The others were all away eating but not Iacs. He was standing there just watching.

“I’m watching you, Wazowski. Always watching. Always”

So I went outside in my slippers (so not exactly prepared for traipsing through our wet muddy garden) clasping two carrots that I happened to bring with me.

Just in case, because you never know (believe me, I knew).

And I was lucky because, only out of politeness and because he was “brung up proper”, Iacs ate them for me.  Phew!

I had a quick look around to see where everyone else was and whether they would come a-begging carrots, but they hadn’t noticed so that was a relief.

Iacs had scoffed the lot by now and it would mean more traipsing back and forth to the house to get everyone’s fair share.  I didn’t want to do that as it was beginning to feel a bit soggy under foot in my slippers