It has been quite a while for various reasons, the main one being my back operation and subsequently being confined to barracks.
Anyway, today we are heading towards my 6 week anniversary and so I decided to take the dogs for a walk down to Finnigert, where the horses are.
They have had a good winter, no one is thin and Charlot's rug is standing up well to the rigours of Shetland pony playing and general wear and tear. He managed to get stuck in one part of the field and ended up relying on a human being to sort out the problem, ie help him jump the burn. Winnie (Icelandic/Fjord mare) showed him, jumping to and fro endlessly in front of him but he could not get the plot at all. With the help of Jo, he managed this huge feat and had to have a good 30 minute rough game with Jackson afterwards, the Shetland, to make up for his "loneliness". Idiot! It was good though that he didn't panic and just waited for human help to arrive.
So, today, armed with my camcorder that can also take the world's worst photos too, I went and talked to my chaps. It was so good to see them and everyone looked well and pleased to see me too. They all came charging down for a good snog and general scratch. Charlot is definitely part of the gang, both Shetland and Icelandic which is nice to see. He let me kiss his nose and joined in like everyone else. He has lost his summer stand-offishness (is that a word?) and that can only be good.
He has the most amazing winter coat too - a regular fluff ball, like the Shetlands and has lost no weight this winter, despite some fairly hefty snow last week. No one has been short of rations, though, and the whole gang have been regularly moved about Finnigert into different long grassed fields all winter or had unlimited silage. Everyone was in a very good mood and appeared relaxed. I did not feel nervous or worried about my safety at all. Although, I am not very steady on my legs, there was always an Icelandic to hang onto if needs be.
It was so nice to get out and about. I have been stuck indoors for far too long.
