2023 - My Shetland Blog

[Frances144]

Frozen Ground

More snow fell last night and the ground is now solid, ie frozen. The Shetland ponies mind this very much. They stop walking, and get very depressed. The ice builds up in and around their hooves.…

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Jolly cold today

 

[Frances144]

Security Guards

These photos are from yesterday. Today the snow has melted with endless rain and everyone does not look fluffy and pretty anymore. Think drowned rats, so I didn’t photograph them. Anywho, mo…

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Pat down by the professionals

 

[Frances144]

Silver’s Story

This is Silver’s story. He came to me as a 2013 weaned foal, along with Storm and Waffle in January 2014. when the weather had been absolutely vile. You can see the rescue here. It wasn&#821…

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Time for Silver

 

[Frances144]

Far Away

Having said a few days back that the Minion’s field was perfect, I of course moved them because that’s what I do. Say one thing, then do another! So the ponies are now in the “mid…

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They cross the burn

 

[Frances144]

Vampire Ponies

We brought the little boys inside this morning to assess their gait, laminitis, etc. After seeing Albie and Storm move, I have decided to go back a few steps. Yes, they are moving better but they a…

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Changing the plan

 

[Frances144]

Home for the Elderly

Long story short. Last year my friend asked me to take her Icelandic mare, Kolka, because she was dying. At that stage, I said no, because we had just come through a hellish winter, I had too many…

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And another

 

[Frances144]

Fitted Right In

Well, what can I say? It’s like Kolka has always lived here (btw, she has a rare double tooth thing we know all about on her right side that Stuart, our equine dentist, treats and it doesn&#8…

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Feels right

 

[Frances144]

Friends Over for Hot Pot

We had some friends over for lunch – Chinese hot pot. They brought their two dogs. Pepper was thrilled. Monster was less thrilled but not going to back down or disappear. He is not that kind…

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Dogs and cat

 

[Frances144]

Work Cut Out

This afternoon found Floss, me and Monster (and Pepper) in the stable sorting out rugs and tidying up. We are inheriting much of Kolka’s stuff so need to make space. Daisy, at Christmas, alwa…

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Tidying up

 

[Frances144]

https://myshetland.co.uk/requited-love/

Maggie missing

 

[Frances144]

The Bucket Restaurant

This winter I said I wouldn’t lug hay. So I lug buckets instead! Ten to be precise. All different too, depending on the individual dietary requirements. The only two not to be fed in my floc…

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Buckets!

 

[Frances144]

Potty!

Pepper’s sometimes nickname is Potty, which in English slang means silly or slightly crazy. (The Gods alone know what it means in Urban Dictionary and I refuse to go and look it up!) As in P…

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Wee one

 

[Frances144]

Breakfast Time

As the sun rises, Floss and I are out feeding the Icelandic horses – three oldies and one not-so-oldie (20 yo). Floss is on guard duty and I have the carrots for afterwards. No one is allow…

myshetland.co.uk

buckets at sunrise

 

[Frances144]

We All Walk

My turn yesterday to take the dogs for a walk, so I thought I would pop over to Clothie to check out the grass situation. Snow is forecast and I want to know my options. There was a loud wailing a…

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came too

 

[Frances144]

Little Sheep

We’ve had some rough weather recently and I’ve been busy these past few days looking after a little sheep. Short story long (see what I did there?) – I had a neighbourly message a…

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Winter is hard

 

[Frances144]

Powercut 2

We woke to a good few inches of snow and, while we were out feeding everyone, the power went off for the daylight part of the day, which felt like ages. And suddenly I needed to tidy cupboards! I t…

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Power off again all day.

 

[Frances144]

Snow Gone

The snow has just about all gone now. It went overnight with the rain and so we are back to our deep mud! The Minions came up from their “snow” field for their breakfast happily now in …

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Mud now

 

[Frances144]

Back They Go

Floss and I spent our morning moving the Minions back to Leradale. The snow has gone now, the roads are fine to drive, there is plenty grass in the field and they don’t need to be home anymor…

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Trying to do the right thing

 

[Frances144]

A Fine Art

I’m feeling slightly smug here – we’ve got it down to a fine art, this breakfast thing. Today, Floss was in charge of Iacs, Klaengur and Kolka….. …. while I had Haakon…

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Breakfast

 

[Frances144]

Town for Supplies

Floss and I got up half an hour early (it is getting lighter now in the mornings) as we had lots to do. Everyone fed, and we drove into Lerwick to get supplies, and for me to see the dentist &#8211…

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Supplies