Tag Archives: Shetland ponies

Out of Sorts

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I woke up late. I never wake up late.  But, apparently, my alarm didn’t make a sound (always set on phone and has been acting funny) but the radio came on (my belt and braces) and I didn’t hear that either.  Too fast asleep.

So I went out 45 minutes late to some very disgruntled animals who were near death due to a late breakfast.  Luckily they rallied and will live to see another day.

I know this because I went back later armed with a bucketful of tubes of wormer and wormed everyone  (and possibly myself, when biting off the tops of the tubes – that stuff tastes disgusting. I can vouch for that.)

I also took my very useful weights and measurements chart, though it was a rather out-of-date one despite having a newer one which I never looked for – odd.  I tell myself that as I always over-estimate wormer, so hopefully I will have given them enough. I was not at my best today, thinking-wise.

And the rest of my day has been spent making a hash of everything I went near.  There are some days I honestly wonder why I am on this planet.  It’s a complete mystery to me.  Maybe changing our broadband and the resulting rearrangement of everything has discombobulated me.  I feel very out of sorts today.

Be Prepared

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We have a storm forecast and it’s not going to be fun. So today I decided to be prepared.

I went around the croft with Skippy making sure everyone would be ok if we couldn’t get to them.

The old horses and ponies should be fine. They have grass and unlimited shelter down the bottom of their field.  They won’t be rugged as rugs can fly off (despite leg straps) causing problems.

And they are all well-covered (cough “fat”).

I would rather they found their own safe place rather than me dragging them into a very noisy/scary shed for four days. Fivla would definitely disagree. She loves the shed (cough “fat”).

Duck Shed #1 got a container full of fresh water, and another of grain.  I made fresh beds of straw too, for the hens.

Duck Shed #2 had the same – this is where the latest duck family have decided to live, which means there is less over-crowding and arguments.

I spread the remainder of the straw in the sheep shed, put out fresh water and have their breakfasts ready for the following mornings (somewhere where they won’t be able to easily raid).

Then it was time for the Shetland ponies on their new winter track.

I washed their old water bucket and filled it up with fresh water so there is easy access and everyone will drink – so important.  I also put a spare fresh water container outside the fence (so no nibbling, thank you Albie who wrecks) ready to refill the water bucket when needed.

I was pleased to see Waffle instantly come over to drink.  The others followed too, so that’s good, they know there is fresh water. I refilled the bucket again.

(there is also a stream at the bottom of their track, but I doubt they know that).

What else?  It will come to me, but probably as I am fighting the wind tomorrow.  This storm is for four days.  I am dreading it.

This Lot

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Honestly, this lot……. they have mooched around in their containers all day refusing to go outside, enjoy the relative calm before the storm (which arrives Friday) or even enjoy the rare sunshine.

Nope, they mooched instead trying to catch my eye every time I walked past.

So, after talking it over with my experts (Monika from Sandness Equine Services and Daisy), we decided that the ponies could now have access to their winter track. I know I said I wanted to wait until the temperature was in single figures but I gave in because their track is getting very muddy and they don’t want to be there.

I opened the gate. Tiddles went straight in, walking over the newly cleared and hopefully now packed down mud-free (yer, right!) gateway.

The rest followed, eventually.

Well, nobody needed asking twice and started to stuff their faces immediately.

I hope I have done the right thing and I tell myself the ponies won’t get laminitis here and hopefully the change of scenery will cheer them up and they will not get colic.  That will be the next thing. I don’t like ponies mooching and not eating.  So, yes, I caved and gave them their winter track.

I am hopeless but always with lots of excuses.

Cantering Old Fools

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Everyone else had come up the hill for their breakfast, except for the Icelandic horses – Kolka, Haakon and Iacs. They were still on the other side of the stream expecting me to lug their buckets down to them.  Think again, I told them.

In the end Kolka crossed over and cantered up the hill to her bucket.  She knows I am more stubborn than she is.  I don’t offer waitress service in this field.

Meanwhile Haakon and Iacs eventually crossed the stream walking very slowly and then Iacs pushed Haakon up the hill.

At one stage, Haakon turned around to tell Iacs off while I was standing at the top of the hill with their buckets thinking to myself that I might put Haakon back on his very expensive boswellia supplement if he was finding walking so difficult.  Poor old man.

And then I turned my back to put their buckets in their usual spot, only to find Haakon and Iacs cantering up the hill, moving perfectly well for all their old age complaints.  So the boswellia thought quickly vanished and I realised they are absolutely fine.

After chores, I went into to town to get a big bale of hay.  I did a few messages on the Street and stopped off to see if my little town field needed filling.

It was in a bit of a mess so I tidied up the stock and breathed a sigh of relief that I have now reached a less frantic time of the year on the sheep-making front, though I will still keep going through the winter to build up stock.

Then home and I made another sheep, happy in the knowledge there is no mad rush anymore.

Not Fivla’s Day

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Today was not Fivla’s day.

It started badly when I brought her her breakfast bucket and went downhill from then on.

Fivla likes to eat on her own if she can because she likes peace and quiet and is always the first to be picked on.  She’s an easy target. One of life’s victims.

The others were eating by the fence so a little bit away.

And then Gussie sauntered up.  Ever the pig (in sheep’s clothing), he thought he would have Fivla’s breakfast. He had already eaten his own.

And, I was shocked to see, that Fivla let him!  I could see she was very unimpressed with giving up her breakfast to a sheep but as usual she didn’t put up a fight and acquiesced miserably.

So I distracted Gussie and told him to leave Fivla alone, it was not his breakfast.  He took his telling off well and let me distract him from thoughts of food by tickling the top of his head.  Hugging was out, though.

Meanwhile, the others continued to eat and I realised that I needed to get between Kolka and everyone else as she is also a huge thief and bully with other horses’ food.  My only imperative at breakfast-time is that Iacs should have his anti-cancer pills no matter what.

So while I was standing now protecting Iacs (and possibly Haakon) from the vulture-like circlings of Kolka, I looked over to see Fivla was still in trouble.  This time it was a two-prong attack.

But this time, Fivla held fast.  She had a new strategy – to not raise her head out of the bucket until every last bit of food had gone.  I don’t honestly think Gussie got any and, if he did, they were only the dregs anyway.

I need to have words with young Gus-Gus.  His manners leave a lot to be desired.