Tag Archives: track system

I Worry at Night

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Every so often I suddenly have a panic (usually at about 3 a.m.) that the electric fence is not working and the Shetland ponies will break through into the long grass.

Last night I had that worry so today the dog walk consisted of walking the track with the fence tester to check it was zapping consistently all the way round.  And it was going along beautifully.  OH had strimmed all the plants off the bottom wire and there was the same strength of zap at both ends.

However, I do feel sorry for the ponies. They have minimal grazing while on the other side of the fence it looks fantastic.

The other side is for the old horses and ponies in the winter.  It is perfect grazing for them but not for fat little Shetland ponies who don’t need to get any fatter.

This lot seem to doing very well on just about nothing and to be fair I found no evidence of Shetland pony fence testing.

The ponies could probably lose a bit more weight.  As I walked the track, it was interesting to see which plants they refuse to eat – always the marsh marigolds, the occasional orchid, and later the Devil’s bit scabious. They don’t touch it.

The dogs enjoyed their walk and started digging the inter-island tunnels that are planned for Shetland.

“Councillors have backed initial plans to connect some of Shetland’s islands with undersea tunnels, which could be in place within eight years.” – BBC

Ted did the feasibility study.

While Pepper did the actual work.

I can see why bridges are not an option.

My little chief digger was tired after her exertions.

Happy News Day

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I found this lot staring at me when I went back to pick up the empty buckets after their breakfast.  You can almost hear what they are saying – “let us out, let us out – open the gate”.

I did as I was told and they wandered off for the rest of the day to eat and hopefully put on weight.

Later I decided to check the electric fence which, since we re-strung the whole thing earlier in the year, seems to be going (touch-wood) very well.  I had my fence checker with me and there was the same electric pulse strength at the start to the very end of the track – huzzah!  The solar energiser is also now re-charging too which is very encouraging and means I haven’t had to lug a battery down the hill for ages.

While I was fence testing, the little boys followed me round playing Grandmother’s footsteps.  They refused to go past.

The ponies’ coats are coming out albeit very slowly still but it has got colder recently, so I am not brushing anyone very much.

I did a bit of Tiddles but he walked off and was unhelpful.

And then suddenly, the ponies all broke rank and cantered downhill past me.

And the best news of the day – Skippy is finally revived and fully functional.  A huge thank you to my neighbour who spent many hours taking Skippy to bits, fitting parts and getting it working. It’s been quite the long haul and I can’t tell you just how relieved I am Skippy is working again.  Mucking out the sheep shed this year without Skippy made me realised just how useful it is and how much I rely on it.  I am so relieved.

Gosh, They Were Fat!

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This is going to be one of those even more boring blog posts because I am exhausted and lying on my bed trying to gather up some energy for the next thing.

All is well in the land-of-nothing-to-eat.  Apart from a bucket of breakfast, the Shetland ponies only get a bit of hay in the evening and yet seem to be surviving.

I find it hard not to feed them all chocolate cake 24/7 but that little voice in my head says we are not going back to fat ponies.  No, not never, ever again.  I found some old photos of the herd the other day and thought to myself, wow, they were enormous!

Seeing those photos from 2022, I feel ashamed that I let them get like that.  It was a slippery slope.  I had forgotten just how bad they were.

Meanwhile, in the land of vans, OH got the pressure washer out to give my horse-van a quick once over as it is hopefully now sold and then started on his van too.  I tried to put the Suzuki “Eggbox” in the to-be-cleaned queue but it wouldn’t start.  I am beginning to hate all machinery now.

So that’s me – currently summoning up some strength to go and cremate supper (no, never the duck, but it’s a nice pic).

They go Lickety-Split!

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A little known fact, but when my mother was pregnant with me, she read a children’s book called “Susannah of the Mounties” by Muriel Denison.  This book was first published in 1936 and funnily enough, my Great Great Aunt Kate was also reading it in 1950.

Anyway, my middle name is Susannah because of this book and, of course, I have the family copy. The film was not what I imagined, though.

So, when the Shetland ponies trotted and cantered past me on my poo-picking walk this afternoon, the word that instantly came to mind was “lickety-split” – the first time I had ever heard it used was in “Susannah of the Mounties”.

I was being followed on my poo-picking rounds.

And then one by one, with Silver first, each pony went past lickety-split.

(though Newt threw in a little canter as well – he would)

Tiddles went lickety-split ….. (because he is a good boy)

And Albie…..

Then lastly Waffle.

And then Waffle and Albie had a bit of a tussle….. because they are typical little boys who cannot just trot down a corridor without pushing and shoving each other.

Anyway, it is funny where my memory can take me when I am walking around a track with rubber gloves and bucket.  I never read the book sequels, though.  I wonder if I should (edited to say, I just looked it up and there are three!  Who knew?)

On Track Now

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I wasn’t going to move the Shetland ponies yet until I received a text yesterday evening from a friend saying that one of her ponies had come in “a bit footy”.

Footiness means their hooves are tender and it is often the first sign of laminitis from newly arriving spring grass.  I didn’t need telling twice.

The ponies had to be moved.

So after their breakfast, I called them all up.

And they were such good boys, leaving their field without question or argument or even a headcollar.

The boys immediately went off to investigate their old paddock and I had opened up their containers too.

OH and I set up the electric fence energisers (one for each side) and I let the ponies out to go down to their track, where they will now stay until winter.

There’s not much grass on the track but there seems to be enough at the moment.  This time of year what is growing is “rocket fuel” and I just can’t take the risk.

The fields have greened up over night, literally (or is that figuratively?)

And everyone has done very well over winter, so if they lost weight, I wouldn’t be too upset.  If they need it, I will also supplement with hay, but I widened the track (to avoid a muddy corner) and they’re not interested in eating this new grass, which I will take as proof that they don’t actually need hay at the moment.

I wish I could make the boys understand that this is for their own good and rocket fuel is always dangerous to fat little ponies.