A Northern Journal

Thorfinn has spent the winter without a rug for the first time in years. I made the decision not to use a rug as I read an article in a magazine (whilst browsing in a shop) which made me reflect on the way I manage my laminitis prone native pony. It basically said that we (horse owners) now over feed and over rug our horses, meaning that they come out of the winter well-covered (fat) so that when they get the first influx of fresh spring grass the sudden increase in sugars triggers laminitis. In the wild ponies and horses would come out of the winter on the thin side so the extra goodness in the grass goes to building them up, rather than mucking up their digestive and circulatory system.

This is a painful condition affecting the animal’s circulation which affects the feet. Inflamation occurs in the laminae (the structure that holds the outside of the hoof to the internal structures and pedal bone, equivalent to the very end bone in your middle finger), but as the horny structure of the outside of the foot can’t move out like our skin it gets really sore, exacerbated by the fact that the pony’s weight is on the feet. Think about when you badly stub your toe or trap your finger in a car door, then it swells with blood and off course your nail doesn’t stretch! Ouch!!!

If you catch it in time, like I managed to with Thorfinn four years ago or so there will be little internal damage. Leave it too long and the laminae start to separate and the pedal bone moves. Ponies will become reluctant to move. They may rock back and ’stand’ on their heels to relieve the pressure and pain. If you ever see this then the animal is in pain! Thorf never got to this stage, as I know him pretty well and realised something was wrong very early on. In very extreme circumstances, the hoof wall will separate from the inside of the foot and can slip off the foot kind of like you would slip a wellie boot off. Now, I repeat… this is in extreme circumstances.

Once a pony or horse has had laminitis, there will always be a risk of it developing again so at this time of year I cut back Ts grazing and he will spend time on the sand turnout area with hay. He has restricted grazing in the summer.

So, to this end, very very fat horses are as much a cause for concern than the very thin horse. If, at this time of year you see an equine in a field showing ribs, but the main joints (hips, shoulders, etc) aren’t protruding, then it may well be okay. It will soon put on weight with the spring grass, but if it is still thin a few weeks later and on a good grazing (or carefully controlled strip grazing), then maybe there is an ongoing medical condition (some old horses will always look thin). Don’t jump to conclusions about welfare! BUT, of course if there is NO grass or a weed strewn field, then maybe it isn’t being looked after.

So, as you can see, Thorfinn has survived an Orkney winter without a rug. Admittedly, he comes in at night with his wee shadow (Sigurd) joining him. I believe he has been a happier pony and his natural thick double layered winter coat has done a much better job than any modern rug. I am just now going to have to spend hours grooming it out and put up with white hairs all over my clothing!

Good Frances went to fetch her ponies in on a cold and wintry evening. The snow lay roond aboot getting deep and even. Brightly shone the outside light and the frost was very cruel, when two hairy ponies came in sight desperate for their fo oooo oood!

Winter has (at long last) hit with a vengence. After what feels like months of continual rain the chill north winds has brought snow, only a dusting, mind you as most of it is being blown horizontal across the landscape, not being give the chance to settle properly. I woke this morning to the hail rattling the window and I looked out and my first thought was to get to the shops asap to get some food in… you know just in case the snow lingered longer. Next task was to clean the stable out but didn’t put the ponies out as  had the mad idea that I would go and deliver my local Christmas cards. This is an annual event where the ponies suffer the indignity of being tinseled up and adorned with jingle bells and we tootle down the road to deliver cards. With the forecast not looking good for Sunday, I made the decision to go for it.

Dressed in layers - 2 pairs of jodhpurs, 2 pairs gloves and socks, thermal layers, tee-shirt and fleece and padded jacket I mounted up (carefully - I hadn’t ridden for about 8 weeks) and we set off, with Sigurd trotting along side. Within a short time the horizontal hit, but luckily it was coming from behind us, as Thorf carefully picked his way down the road. No shoes on mean he has a little more grip in icy conditions, but even so, I mostly rode him on the verge. I have him trained to take teeny weeny slow steps if we do have to cross icy stretches. Nine households were visited, but we only lingered at a couple for any length of time one for a dram and the last one for a hot toddy which both Thorfinn and I enjoyed very much. I do wonder whether one can get done for being ‘drunk’ in charge of a horse, or could one argue that the horse knows his way home and was actually in charge! The ponies also partook of pan drops and carrots (spoilt or what?).

So, that’s the card deliveries done for this year and it is now time to get into the final preparations for the festive day itself.

I haven’t done much in the way of competition this year - some dressage, Riding Club Show and Dounby Show. I have got to the stage with Thorfinn that he has been there and done that and at one point or another won most types of competition I have put him in. He is one amazing Highland Pony who turns his hoof to anything asked of him. I now mostly enjoy hacking and driving out enjoying the Orkney scenery. We picked up a first at the RC show and got reserve champion ridden Mountain & Moorland. Thorf performed well at dressage league, but competition was much stronger this year so we picked up 4th place in the league. (He has won both the Intermediate and Open classes in his time). Dounby Show was one of the hottest days of the year which didn’t bode well for T as he doesn’t do well in the heat. I thought he was foot perfect and extremely well mannered in the ridden class, but the judge preferred lighter types. The driven class was at least 2 hours behind time (really really frustrating in that heat) and Thorf was a wee bit listless. Harness up, brass glistening in the bright sun, he perked up and was once again foot perfect. He took one fright whilst warming up at some kids (and an adult!!!) bashing water bottles against the ringside fence. He went on to be impeccable and to win all three trophies on offer. The three judges, especially the two men were absolute in their decision (only 2 in the class). I was chuffed. The best bit, better than any rosettes and silverware was the chap who entered the ring to shake my hand and tell me what a good job I did. He thought Thorf was a first class pony (but I know that anyway). My groom and I then drove Thorf the mile and a half home. A fitting end to a long day.

Orkney Riding Club Show

Dounby Show

A few weeks ago, I took both ponies to an Orkney Carriage Driving Group long reining event at the indoor school in Kirkwall.  This was an opportunity to introduce the peedie chap to other ponies and carriages. For Thorf it was just an outing and to keep Sig company. To begin with I long reined T, but he was a pain and not concentrating as he wanted to get back to Sig. Sig meanwhile, decided to throw himself around wanting to get to T. Someone went over to him, but I requested that folk ignored him. He is an intelligent bright spark and if he learns he can misbehave to get attention, I am in trouble. He has to learn to tie and stay still. He actually soon calmed down. I then took Sig out. I introduced him to the cones and other horses and carriages and he took it all in his stride. At one point Thorf came over and joined us, having somehow untied himself (???). What a bright spark Sig is. Before long, he was looking for the next turn through the cones. I also had a shot at driving Jethro, belonging to Gaira Driving Ponies in a 4-wheeled carriage. What a difference to my 2-wheeled one - great turning circle and Jethro was very kind to me, thankfully as it was the first time I had ever driven a different pony. After a break I gave Sig another turn round the indoor arena and even ‘drove’ him next to another Shetland in a gig. My little fluffy hobbit pony hardly bothered. We even ‘put him to’, well a friend held the gig whilsts Sig was placed between the shafts. He was great!

Sigurd is now a year and a half old and has adopted his role of Thorfinn’s shadow with gusto. Wherever Thorf goes, Sigurd is not far behind. Both are now incredibly attached to each other and will neigh for each other if separated. Gem is keeping a horse, who lost his aged companion back at easter, company down the road and it is quite funny seeing this little ginger 35″ Shetland Pony bossing a 16hh horse under whose belly she could quite easily walk. Thorfinn is very fluffy by virtue of the fact I have not rugged him yet, like I have done in previous winters. I just felt it was time for him to be more natural in his upkeep. Even with the wet, I haven’t found him shivering in the field as his thick coat and layer of fat appears to be keeping him war. Rest assured, the ‘old’ guy (only 16 yrs young) will be rugged if I see he is not coping. The one downside of not rugging is the extra work needed in cleaning him prior to riding.

Sigurd is now a year and a half old and has adopted his role of Thorfinn’s shadow with gusto. Wherever Thorf goes, Sigurd is not far behind. Both are now incredibly attached to each other and will neigh for each other if separated. Gem is keeping a horse, who lost his aged companion back at easter, company down the road and it is quite funny seeing this little ginger 35″ Shetland Pony bossing a 16hh horse under whose belly she could quite easily walk. Thorfinn is very fluffy by virtue of the fact I have not rugged him yet, like I have done in previous winters. I just felt it was time for him to be more natural in his upkeep. Even with the wet, I haven’t found him shivering in the field as his thick coat and layer of fat appears to be keeping him war. Rest assured, the ‘old’ guy (only 16 yrs young) will be rugged if I see he is not coping. The one downside of not rugging is the extra work needed in cleaning him prior to riding.

Autumn has been one of the wettest I think I can remember. The field is squelching with mud, yet I am still having to strip graze as the grass is still full of too much goodness for native ponies. This really puts pressure on the land. To help Thorf will get his shoes taken off, as unshod feet don’t quite do as much damage as iron clad feet. I started to bring them in to the stable at night at the end of October, more to save the grazing than because of the weather. I have now got it so I don’t even have to halter them. I open the gate and they follow me to the stable. So we are now in the winter routine. Morning stables in the dark. Evening stables, in the dark and two ponies, despite being tough natives thoroughly enjoying their home comforts.

Beaquoyside was a hive of activity the other weekend. A neighbour was having silage bales wrapped and a combine was  at full pelt harvesting the last barley  in this area. The thrum of engines was all around. Autumn is well and truly upon us as the leaves of the trees turn colour - brown mostly, although this year there is a bit more variation in the brown than usual. I do still miss the colour south.

It was a productive morning. I sorted my tack shed so that anything (rugs, numahs, etc) appealing to mice is in cupboards or plastic boxes (can’t fit the plastic boxes in the cupboards tho’, whilst the ponies grazed on the drying green under the washing flapping in the strong breeze. I couldn’t quite believe it at one point, Malfoy puss nonchalantly walked under Thorfinn’s belly between his back and front legs - as calm as that pony is, he could still decide to lift a leg at the cat if he got a fright. The morning had started sunny and bright but it clouded over. The coos were lying down in the corners of the field which is usually a sign of bad weather to come. Hubby mows the lawn, which means the two bizarre grass rings are cut back… any theories?

Thorf is getting quite hairy now and as I am still riding him a little before a winter lay off, he needed to have some hair clipped off… to stop him sweating too much. I just take a bit off his chest and under his neck. Wee Sigurd also was clipped very slightly - more a training exercise as I like to ensure he is exposed to loads of different things. He didn’t particularly like the noise of the clippers but was okay with them on him. Awww! The little amount of fur I took off was so soft and black and fluffy. This also means he won’t get so hot when I take him for walks which I try to do as often as I can, whether being led from T when I ride, or whether I long rein him. I know he is young still, but long-reining is a really good way to train ponies to be forward going and not to rely on you being beside them. Sig is an argumentative little b…. at times, but he doesn’t appear to have a bad bone in his body. He just wants to do what he wants not what I am requesting.

Sig: “I am going to speak to those ponies in that field!”

Me: “No you are not!, Walk on!” Gentle tap with schooling whip on the roller (band round his belly). It makes a noise so he is not getting tapped.

Sig: “Nope! I am speaking to those ponies and I am now going to show you up in front of that tractor driver.”

Me: “Walk on! Get on with you!” Firmer tap, now on his shoulder, which is a command we use when driving ponies. He spins round, backs away from me. “Come off it! Stop being a wee sh.. and get on with you!” I have lost! Okay so I walks gently, calmy up to him without looking him in the eye and stand by his shoulder, give his mane a tweek at the wither, “Walk on!”

Huh! And he does as sweet as pie and I continue up the road behind him as he trots happily home!That’s ponies for you! Thorfinn now waits for his quota of hay every evening… standing at the fence watching my every movement in the kitchen / dining room or sitting room… standing, waiting, imploring to be fed… he isn’t starved by any means of the word, but he is a Highland Pony after all and they are rather well known to look after their stomach at all costs.

This time of year also brings with it my harvest of tomatoes. This year I had stripy ones, yellow ones, pear shaped ones, orange ones and bobbly ones. The cucumbers and courgettes have also been pretty good but these have tailed off now. I only managed to get tatties, cabbages and beetroot in the ground. Tatties are good, beetroot is doing okay and the cabbages somehow have survived after being made skeletal by caterpillars. Carrots were sown but didn’t germinate (yet again), neither did the spinach.

So the nights are drawing in, as they say and it is dark by just after 7 in the evening. Time to think about being creative and doing some writing or drawing rather than vegging in front of the TV.

So, it has been a while since I last posted. It is not that I have been particularly busy but the last vestiges of winter yuckiness has kept me at a low ebb for the last few weeks… well I suppose I have been busy in that I have been plugging away at work, and spending much of my time at home writing the next stage of the Dungeons and Dragons adventure which is due to start this Saturday.

The bright wonderful sunshine of the last three or four days has managed to  bring me out of my winter stupor and the garden is looking (slightly) better for it… the raised beds weeded and prepped for veggies, as well as the boards and some fencing being painted. Got some seeds planted in the greenhouse, and most (except the corriander and Echinacea) have germinated. Got loads more to sow. Going to try 6 different varieties of tomato this year… yellow ones, stripy ones, plum shaped ones….. Seed tatties need to go in, but that will have to wait a week or so yet. Whilst working in the garden, I always have an audience. If it isn’t a pony or three, it is a cat or four. I think the cats have an ulterior motive as they do like to watch me till the soil just until it is the right consistancy to be used as a cat litter tray… going to have to get more pepper dust! Of course, they now have the biggest sand box a poodie cat can dream of … the ponies winter turnout and exercise area has been covered with sand. Thankfully there wasn’t too much shovelling of the gritty stuff to do as hubby borrowed his parents tractor.

Jem has returned home. It took ages to catch her, but food eventually won the day. She appeared to be pretty pleased to be home, and Sigurd was absolutely delighted and promptly tride to sook her. Thankfully she didn’t want to know and ran away! They are now as well bonded as ever, but Sig shares his time between Thorf and mum. In fact, all three seem to be closer than ever.

The ponies got a visit from the farrier last week. The Hobbits got their feet trimmed… thay are still not too keen on standing on three legs, but are learning. Thorf got an old set of shoes put back on in readiness for starting the fittening process (I am very late starting this year). Today I pulls him in from the field to go out on a hack to discover the sod has pulled a front shoe. It will be in the mud somewhere! Surprisingly I didn’t swear but I was annoyed because getting the farrier back will cost me again! He should be back later this week so in the meantime I will exercise Thorf in the sandy turnout area.

At the beginning of March, Jem went on her holidays so that the weaning process could be done. It was quite a difficult thing to do as I was used to having her around and I was worried about both her and Sigurd’s state of mind. A horsey friend about 4 miles or so away, over the hills in Evie, had kindly offered space in her large field along with her Shetland Ponies and two bigger horses.The field overlooks Aikerness beach and Eynhallow Sound.

The night before, I decided to keep the Hobbits inside so that I didn’t have to worry about catching them. The horsebox was backed up close to the stable door and Jem was quickly led out of the stable, Sigurd left in. To my utmost surprise, she leapt up on to the ramp and walked straight into the horsebox. Hubby quickly put the ramp up and I tied her up. There were a few frantic neighs between her and Sig, but it wasn’t too bad. Jem tried to turn herself round in the box, so I decided to cross-tie her, that is, put another rope on and tie it on the opposite side. We then immediately set off to Evie over the hill road.

There were a couple of neighs on the journey. On arrival in Evie, Jem trotted out of the box quite the thing. She neighed a couple of times but was generally fairly calm. She joined two ponies, no sign of the bigger horses. Now, quite often, when ponies meet each other for the first time there will be nips and squeals and possibly kicks. Jem and the two black ponies greeted each other with sniffs and only one squeal. I thought that, as Jem can be feisty, there would be many squeals but the ponies accepted each other. This was a great relief to me as I was worried that the trauma of leaving her foal would be too much… little did I know what was to come!

We watched her for a while and she headed off to graze. We fired up the car and headed home as we had hay to fetch, and I had a Gregorian chant class in the afternoon and a Dungeons and Dragons sessio in the evening… a lot to pack into one day! We headed straight to get the hay from a farm in Sandwick, then headed home to unload. I let Sigurd out of the stable and put him in the field with Thorfinn. There was a lot of nuzzling, and then Sig realised mum wasn’t about. He ran around for a while, neighing and looking rather sorry for himself. He then decided to ‘attach’ himself to Thorf… not too sure if he was keen on being suckled by an upstart little foal though!

Sigurd was a bit subdued for a few days, but he wasn’t going to starve as I was pretty sure Jem was dry of milk (not that I know much about milking a mare!) when we relocated her. Sig is now very attached to Thorfinn and even shares the stable with him at night.

So, that was that… until a couple of days later, the friend left a message for me on a social networking site. Ummn! How embarassing… and incredibly impressive…

It turns out that not long after we had left Jem, she jumped a 2′6″ wall to follow. Luckily she ended up in someone’s garden and thankfully proved easy to catch again. Now… think on this, Jem is only 35″ tall at the withers (just behind the neck) so that leap must have be quite something!

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.