5th October 2008

Well, I'll be ...........totally gobsmacked!

Sorry no ponio photos.

Yesterday was a day of shite, as we say - it rained, sleeted, snowed and blew a northerly gale (constant 8, gusting 10), wind chill factor minus several somethings. So it was very cold with blizzards all day. The snow couldn't settle much because of the rain and wet ground but it was disgustingly cold.

I felt so sorry for the ponies - they all live out and all I could do was hope that Charlot copied the others and used the available shelter - 5 foot high dry stone walls. I also remembered that he is quite fat so there are some reserves in there he could shiver off!

Today is much better. The wind has changed direction. It is warmer and everything has calmed down too (about a Force 5). Jo, the dogs and I went into the field to call the horses home as we wanted to put a medium-weight rug on Charlot. Of course when you want them, they just stand there and look at you refusing to budge. So we walked up the field (I slowly limped unable to keep up). Jo then announced that she actually hadn't got a head-collar with her, just a piece of rope. So, she went up to Charlot, put the rope round his neck and he followed her for about 1/4 mile home where we put him in the shed, found a "real" headcollar and put it on him.

I was amazed. I expect that sort of conduct from the majority of our long-term boys but from a rescue pony owned for 6 months, that kind of behaviour is amazing. When you can do stuff like that out of the blue, who cares about the feet drama - it will come together eventually. So, well done that lad!

Anyway, we put the new rug on. There were no kicky moments around the back end when Jo did up the leg-straps even though she nearly clipped Charlot's manly bits by mistake! I told him he had my full permission to kick her if she did that again!

With the new rug on, we put Charlot back with his friends hoping they would not start ribbing him and tearing the rug up like last time. I am watching!