Its been a bit of a day!!!! So we had the Shetlands in a small pen, due to SweetPeas' lameness. All Good. But with 40mph winds predicted we were worried the Barn might fall on them. So yesterday we set up an electric fence...Oh yeah...Yesterday. A Nightmare day. Wind and Rain. Lots of rain. Unexpected rain. I was NOT dressed for that. I was dressed for the dentist. It was like a sudden Power Shower. I left drenched. As I dripped in the dentist its not surprising they asked me to come back for a filling....by that time I was shivering and leaving pools of rain water everywhere.
So today the sun was out...all calm. I arrived to find the Shetlands mooching around on the drive. I thought Jo had opened the gate. Mid coffee Mark the Mechanic arrived with a van to fix. During a casual conversation we realised the Shetlands had in fact opened a gate and were not meant to be free-range. Off we went to look for them. They were fairly near and Mark The Mechanic and part time horse whisperer went to catch them. We Should Have Known Better!!!
Of course they ran off up the drive, Jo in hot pursuit. Armed with two carrots, I climbed over a couple of fences hoping to head them off. Initially I didn't run...with my lungs its actually slower than walking. But when I saw them heading down the drive towards the road I broke out into a sprint. They were quicker! With hearts in mouths, we could only watch them head out of the gate. They could have gone onto the road, but thankfully chose to turn the other way, and flat out headed across the beet field. SweetPea looked pretty sound!
At this point I had climbed over a third fence, not to mention forcing my way through some spiky Blackthorn Trees. Jo threw the headcollars at me. She was about to go and get a car, while I was thinking of throwing a bridle on Daisy and going in pursuit. While safe from the road, they were now loose in 35 acres of farmland!! Suddenly they appeared over the horizon heading back. Guess the grass wasn't greener. Avoiding my out-stretched arms they headed full tilt back up the drive. While Jo was putting up barriers, I caught up with the little buggers near the hay-barn. Dropping the head-collars, I knelt down, carrots outstretched and persuaded them into a stable......Whereupon I firmly slammed the door on them!
Never ever has a loose horse left the premises. Polly is often free-range. The Shetlands, who are escapologist experts (great fans of Houdini) , normally find grass, or turn the tack-room upside down. The moral of this story is ....errr.. NEVER TRUST SHETLAND PONIES!!!!
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| Penned In! |
Yep I am defeated by Winter! My New Year goals swept away by COLD, RAIN, WIND......Cold windy rain in fact. This has got to be one of the most dismal Januarys for several years! Its normally cold and bright.....or wet and windy. But this year has been grey, cold, wet and windy! High winds, with rain bordering on sleet. I hate to admit it but the cold wind affects my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker and by the time we have finished the chores, I am ready to go home to huddle under a duvet and sleep. I can only be grateful for the fact we are on sandy soil which means we are light on mud.
Despite that Lulu has lost a shoe.....probably during Storm David, which brought down our power, our outside fences, a few more tiles off the Barn and a large pine branch which took out our top fencing. We have hunted high and low. I mean how hard can it be to find a shoe in a field with practically no grass and no mud? Impossible it seems. Farrier due tomorrow. No doubt the shoe will turn up just after he has left!
Today was the first dry, sunny, calm day this month. I planned to take Daisy out. Rugs off all for a while, spring in the air......SweetPea horribly lame on her near hind. Jo called the vet, and we set about making a small turn-out pen for her and Mini between Barn and tack-room. Vet thinks she has probably pulled ligaments of stifle and gave her a shot of Matacam (Yes Dog painkiller) ....eventually.....after we twitched her. Yes this is SweetPea...Not a lover of injections! Dora had her Tetanus top up while he was there and by this time I had used up all my energy, so riding postponed till next month!!
What with more rain forecast, and a four day stay in Hotel Papworth looming, I officially give up till February!
This is what Dora thinks of Winter.
Wow, after that amazing royal visit, life is back to normal....whatever that means!! Basically it means its been cold, windy and hard work. Roll on summer!!
I have outlined some New Year Goals...which includes riding Charlie, riding at least 4 hours a weeks (pathetic considering I used to ride 4 hours a day!), and err getting the ponies driving!!! Its a bit of a dream to drive the Shetlands....
So far I am failing.....Its been too bloody cold to ride! At my age! By the time we have hayed, watered and poo-picked, we are frozen. But we are trying to work Dora regularly. She needs to lose several pounds....and learn some manners. So far in the pen she has behaved impeccably. And she has a jump on her!
And I have ridden Daisy.......Epic ride. And part two of the Bridleway Fight.. Some of you may recall, Jo and got into trouble a few months back for setting a foot or two on land belonging to a local campsite owner....he chased us over a mile and scared Daisy, after having a shout at us! Jo then contacted the council, as the Bridleway goes through his land, via a gate which is impossible to open on horseback. Apparently the Campsite owner, widened the gap to 2m beside the gate. So I went to check on Daisy at the weekend.
Not having seen my hat for a while now i was bare-headed. Nothing odd there then. Except when I got to the gate. I must point out, at this point its a narrow tree-lined path with lots of over-hanging branches. Daisy stood while I tried and failed to undo the gate. There is not room to turn the horse sideways on, and its not a horse friendly latch. There was no way she would fit through the gate, so I turned back.......reins loose and in one hand as usual.
Daisy took off like a racehorse from the start! Which surprised me.
As the track goes through a very nice mans garden, I frantically gathered my reins as I didn't want to gallop past his cottage flat out! No use pulling so I turned her into the trees, which stopped her. Thoroughly over excited, she reared and plunged several times, while i ducked branches. First time i have ever wished I had my hat on!!!! I managed to calm her enough to walk through the garden, then made her trot home.
So Jo and i went down on the tractor yesterday with a surveyors pole and took lots of pictures of the gap which is less than a metre. Bridleway War? Bring it on!!
Daisy Trotting out.
Jo with Dora ...Who can jump.
