Tag Archives: stable

“It’s Got a Funny Taste”

Because I let the old Icleandic horses have the stable for one whole night, the sheep refuse to ever go in it ever again. “It’s got a funny taste” (our family saying for anything different or new).

After the horses left yesterday morning, I spent a good hour cleaning that shed, letting the surface dry, putting down deoderiser powder and laying out a whole new straw bale and shavings too.  It was now pristine and perfect.

But no.  Apparently it’s different.

It is also pouring with rain and all the sheep are huddling around outside miserably in the rain….

… or standing in the world’s grottiest shed that is about to fall down.

So, in the pouring rain, already drenched as in I couldn’t get any wetter, I went back to the house for the ginger biccies and animal crackers.

“Did someone say biccies?”

I rattled my boxes enthusiastically.

And suddenly I had everyone’s attention.

Barrel  had already decided there were haynets to finish (and he got an extra biccie for being my sensible boy).

The others soon followed me inside too.

That was all except for Lambie and Madge who were still playing Suspicious Aloysius.

But Lambie could hear crunching. I went out and lured him in with a crunchy packet.

And then suddenly it was alright. The shed was fine to be in and oh look, Muzzah put up some haynets to finish.  Who knew?

I left Madge to her own thoughts.  She’ll work it out.  I know she just doesn’t like people in her shed – they have a funny taste, apparently.

Give me strength!

All Inside

My morning was spent getting ready for the mother of all weathers.  According to the weather forecast, the temperature is going to dip hugely so I filled every container I could find with water for when the tap freezes, which it always does.

The stalls all have fresh water buckets, forage licks and haynets (except for Fivla and Vitamin’s – no hay eating teeth).

And Skippy is charged up, ready to go.

The sheep have haynets hanging, a lick bucket available and fresh water too. I even cleaned out their feed bowls just because.

Later on at 2.30 p.m., the weather started to disintegrate and I don’t mind telling you that no one needed asking twice when I opened the gates.

They all, to a horse/pony, rushed into their stalls, almost taking off their own rugs without rolling first and started to eat looking very relieved that they were not having to stay outside anymore.

So now I am going to spend my entire night lying awake thinking “thank the Gods everyone is inside tonight” while the weather rages around us.

But will I sleep?  Probably not, because Gussie and Dahlia are the only ones outside – I didn’t see them come home. I’ve wedged their field gate open just in case they remember.

update: they’re all home now. Phew!