A Northern Journal

The weaning process is all part of the horsey growing up process. Sigurd is 9 months old and needs to be fully weaned. This stops the mare’s milk flowing and helps her health as a lot of what she eats goes into producing milk which means her condition can deteriorate, especially at this time of year. It also helps to lessen the attachment they have to each other so when I take them out on their own in the future, they don’t get a major separation anxiety. The common age for weaning is usually 4-6 months so Sig has had longer with mum than many. I have also noticed that Jem has been discouraging him from suckling more often than not.

During the next few weeks I hope to work with Sigurd and get a much closer bond with him. This is much easier without mum there as he will therefore rely on me (and Thorf) to a much greater extent. To help with this process and lessen the stress on both of them, I have ensured Sigurd has been separated from Jem every so often. He is actually quite an independant little ‘person’ and will happily go out for a walk on lead rope with me whilst Jem stays in the field. Thorfinn will give him company and Jem will also have equine companionship.

Well the time has come to separate the Hobbit Cavalry. It is probably well beyond time to wean Sigurd from Jem. This is going to be quite hard for me as I will miss Jem’s cheery high pitched whinnies which she lets out nearly every time I set foot outside. Of course, it may well be harder for poor wee Sigurd, having his mum suddenly disappear from his field. He has already been separated for a few hours at a time during some weekends, but maybe not as often as he should have been. I put him in Thorfinn’s stable, whilst Jem is left in the field. Jem, though does most of the whinnying and runs around the field looking for him.

Thankfully, Sigurd is quite an independant chap, and has totally attached himself to his surrogate (much) bigger brother, spending much time following in his shadow.

As I have so much to do tomorrow (put Jem to her temporary home, fetch hay, go to Gregorian Chant class and run a Dungeons & Dragons game in the evening) I decided to bring the Hobbits in tonight. This means I don’t have to worry about catching them first thing in the morning. To save time (bearing in mind horsey shortcuts can prove hazardous) I decided to catch all three ponies and bring them in together. Thorfinn was caught and tied to the gate, nuts placed in the peedy guys feed bucket, then I placed a rope gently round Jem’s neck and surprisingly easy got the halter on her. Tied her to the gate. I then scritched Sig on his back and and went through the same process as with Jem and with the utmost of ease had all three tied to the gate. I clambered over the fence (the gate having a line of three ponies tied to it), after switching of the electric fence and headed to the other side of the gate. I untied the ponies, opened the gate wide and all three led out as pretty as can be. No shoving, barging, standing on each other! Cool! The ponies are so calm in each other’s company.

Thorf was popped in his stable, then I put the Hobbits in their pen in the shed and gave them some hay and feed. I do believe they like being in, all cosy with plenty of grub and a deep straw bed. ‘What about the vinegar?’ I hear you ask. Well, the friend who has offered to put Jem up for me for 4 weeks or so has lots of experience of mares and foals. Rubbing vinegar into the mare’s udder is seemingly an ‘old’ trick to help her milk dry up, so that’s what I did. Mind you, a gentle prod and squidge of Jem’s udder didn’t actually reveal any milk… but I am no expert in milking a mare.

So tomorrow morning I will drive Jem in the horse box over the hill to Evie, where she will spend the next four weeks on her hols away from the ‘kid’ looking out over Aikerness Beach and Eynhallow sound, accompanied by two other Shetlands and two bigger horses. It will be sad but for the best. I will be able to spend more time on training Sigurd and getting Thorfinn fit.

The snow is melting with a vengence and it is very soggy outside. I went out to fetch the big guy in to the stable and decided that, as there was so much rain or sleet, I couldn’t really tell in the light of my head torch, I would bring the Hobbits in after all. It doesn’t do them any harm being caught and brought in as handling is what the wee guy needs, and Jem still needs quite a lot of work too. I am caught between the “awwww! they are so soggy and little I need to bring them in” and the “they are native ponies and can handle it, and have shelter in the field” scenario. Anyway, the snow melt is making the field really wet, and taking them off it for a wee while at least will help to prevent even more poaching of the ground.

I get T’s stable ready, then go and persuade the we guys in. Catching is still an issue, especially as the catching pen is no longer as the sheep hurdles are now making up the pen in the big shed. I put some nuts in the bucket. The hobbits duly appear, run off, reappear and run off again. I rattle the bucket and move to one side and hunker down with my back to them - this makes you less of a threat. I put the rope round Jem’s neck and get the halter on and, as usual tie her up. I then gently speak to Sig and manage to get the rope round his neck… he is not having any of it tonight, even with the soft whoahs I try to reassure him with. He turns and runs, and I follow (now here’s the brief mud skiing bit), feet sliding through the soggy slush snowy mud. “Whoah, whoah” I intone… I don’t want to let go. I slide another couple of metres and decide I had better let go before I end up on my backside. Off Sig trots, rope round his neck and dragging behind him. Bother… it is goind to get all wet and muddy, I think to myself. Please don’t let the rope be lost in a dark muddy field! I also think.

I back off and Sig turns and trots back to mum, rope still round neck. I gently talk to him and follow. Scritching his bum, which he loves, I carefully grab the rope. He is jumpy, but I manage to get the halter on, talking to him and scritching to calm him down. Two very soggy ponies are then led in to their little pen, fresh water and free access to a big round bale of hay. Pony heaven! Thorfinn is (im)patiently waiting to come in and he nearly takes me ’skiing’ up the road in his hurry to get in.

Before it got too dark this afternoon, I happened to look out of the large sitting room window… well actually, I was watching TV and movement caught my eye. There were Sigurd and Jem frolicking in the snow galloping up and down having a fabulous time by the looks of it. Even Thorfinn joined in galloping up the fence line of his field across the wee road.

So, I have been laid up at home coughing, the snow is blowing horizontally past the window… not even real snow - it is wet soggy stuff and I have the vet coming in the late afternoon to rasp Jem’s teeth, give Sig his second tetanus vaccination and microchip him. Snow, wind cough, vet, soggy ponies is not a very good combination. As I sit on the couch watching the snow, and the peedy guys sheltering from the north wind in front of the house I think that I really really don’t want to go outside, but I will have to. It is only when I am totally laid up when hubby will deal with the ponies but as he is at work I will have to make a move.

In preparation for my journey into (soggy) arctic weather, I boil a kettle. Waiting  for the hot water I put a slug of vodka into a bowl and add some drops of essential oil - Ravensarra, Thyme oil (one drop though as it is potent stuff) and Frankiscence (soothing). Adding the hot water, a potent steam rises off the bowl and I breathe it in deeply… and start coughing! I spend 10 minutes with a towel over my head hanging my head over the bowl and despite the coughing feel a bit better. Next, it is through to the utlility room where the thick socks, scarf, hat, fleece and waterproofs are pulled on. I venture out side to a flurry (if it can be called that) of soggy snow from the north straight into my face… or what was left of it uncovered.

Walking round to the gate, the Hobbit Cavalry are actually waiting. I put some nuts into the bucket, open the gate and head to catch them. Drats… Jem still doesn’t like being caught much and she has sussed out what I am up to. Both walk away. Grrrr! As I close up the sheep hurdles, the lure of the feed bucket tempts the ponies back. I gently lay a rope round Jem’s neck, pop the halter on, tie her up and then get Sig. I then open up the gate and lead them round to the stable. Boy! do they want in! They know exactly where they want to go and that is in the stable. Now, Thorfinn has spotted this… NEIGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! He is pacing the fence, trying to keep his head away from the northerly blast. “Let me in!” He can’t come in yet.

I tie the peedy guys up in the stable. They are rather happy (and unsuspecting) to be in. I give them a cuddle and a scratch but can’t do much brushing as they are soooooo soggy. The vet is due at 4 so I have time to kill. I go down to say hello to Thorfinn. He whinnies. I feel guilty. He shakes his head. I feel guilty. “Sorry old chap, you can’t come in til later!”. I trundle back up to the yard. Potter in the garden. Take shelter by the shed, with a disgruntled Malfoy who wants in the house. The vet arrives a little late due to there being an emergency. She likes my Hobbit Cavalary… who wouldn’t?

I have had suspicions that Jem had a mouth issue for a wee while as she was a bit touchy about her head and being bitted. Now the bitting (not biting!) problem could just be due to the fact she wasn’t used to it. She hadn’t shown quidding (dropping food), the classic sign of teeth issues, but call it instinct or whatever, I just though she would be best checked. out. So here the vet was. Jem has a slightly nervous nature so I requested she be sedated for the check. She took the injection very well and very quickly became sleepy. Awww! Cute!

The vet put the gag thingy in, which kind of hooks over  under each set of incisors and is used to gently open the mouth so the vet can take a look at the molars which are a long way back in the mouth. I was so glad my little gut nudge made me book the vet. Her teeth were actually reasonably okay, but had a few sharp edges which had been digging in her cheeks. So she was tender after all. The vet rasped the teeth, whilst Jem dozed. Towards the end the gag slipped off, so I had to hold her tongue out to one side so the last bottom set of molars could be rasped. It is not easy holding a slithery tongue. That was Jem done, all calmly without any frightening fuss.

Sigurd, then got his tetanus vaccination. I held him and scritched him and he only jumped slightly when the needle when it. The microchipping into the crest of the neck was next… BIG needle! It went in but he only jumped at the clicking of the chip gun thingy. Mind you afterwards, he wasn’t too sure of the vet. The vet headed home, and now came the difficulty. Jem, as she had been sedated, needed to be kept in at night.

Leaving her and wee man in T’s stable I went to shift sheep hurdles and do a makeshift pen in the shed. By now I was coughing loads, but it had to be done. The snow kindly eased off as I fetched the hurdles from outside and lugged them to the shed. I made up a neat little pen by the big hay bales and put some straw down. The wee guys are going to be cosy… but I now have two stables’ to clean tomorrow. As I write this, all three ponies are now tucked and in bed. I have had a warming bath with cough frightening essential oils and I am tucked up on the couch avec my laptop and a calico cat.

Sigurd really has taken to Thorfinn. When they are in the same field the wee man follows T everywhere. T sometimes looks irritated but he is such a patient pony. I am glad they get on because it will make the weaning process, when Jem goes off on her hols, all the easier on him (I hope).