Yesterday I walked over to see the herd over in the marsh that they've been frequenting so much. When I got there, I could see Betty but not Lizzy, which was very odd. However, as I was on my way out, I heard the tiny thunder of hooves behind me and there she was, covered in mud and, I would say, suffering that flush of adrenalin one gets after a brush with near disaster. The above picture shows how deep she must have been in the bog. I have no idea how she got out. I managed to take a little, very inferior quality movie on the camera of her careering about. When she stops at the end, she's having a face-off with Snippet who did very well to just sit there as asked. She was asking for something! Here it is.....specs required for those of us who've got to the stage of wearing them around our necks!
She was being very feisty with foal numbers two and (just off to do a reference check....) five. I really need to do a foal directory but it's finding the time. Here she is....
I witnessed an interesting thing as I was walking to the marsh yesterday. Foal number four, a little colt, was hanging out with three geldings about half a mile away from the rest of the herd. They followed us over there and he returned to his mum but it was as if he was being initiated into what will very likely be his future if he doesn't get sold for meat. I do hope not.
Foal number four with one of the lads
Today it's very misty and muggy and Snippet and I just went for a short walk with no purpose. He's a bit off colour and doesn't have his usual boundless energy, so I decided to let Trigger settle in for one more day before he becomes the second dog. He's doing well by the way.
Misty rocks
Heather beginning to flower
Off colour but still happy to go for a three mile hike
Skylark
I've just heard that the injured yearling filly is doing really well and will be turned back onto the moor once she's fully recovered. Great news.
Time to sign off and go and create something with chick peas, shallots and cashew nuts and resist the temptation to pop in a bit of bacon.....
Em - I am Cheered Up! I loved your photos - and especially the video which I put up to full screen size (helped the old eyes no end!) Lizzie has had a lucky escape by the look of things, and I expect, learned an extremely valuable lesson early in life. Bright green tasty-looking grass = a bog . . .
ReplyDeleteThat coloured colt is HUGE! I think his size and his colouring will be the saving of him if he is sold, as people want bigger ponies rather than small and coloureds are all the rage right now. They must have put the mare to a coloured cob stallion. On the New Forest you can even see larger spotted foals where they have taken the mare to a spotted stallion to get better money for the foal at the sales.
I now have a terrific yearning just to smell the moor right now, and see my favourite places, and the Cinquefoil and Harebells and Bog Cotton (in their season) blowing in the wind. I am half-planning a day trip with my OH when we can juggle it this summer but with D off solo back-packing in Europe we will be stuck for a cat-sitter . . .
P.S. Would love your chickpea etc recipe as chickpeas are No. 1 daughter's favourite nosh, in various guises.
Glad they've cheered you up! I hope you're right about the colt. He's very nice natured which will help his chances too. There's a spotty stallion out there too but they never come up this way. More over Jurston and Meldon if that means anything. It probably does.
DeleteYou're welcome to pop in any time for tea if you get here in the summer.
Will post the recipe or perhaps if I click on 'send message' on your profile, not everyone will have to trawl through it. I'll try.
Lizzie was obviously warming herself up after her brush with the dreaded bog monster! She was lucky to get out by the looks of all that mud.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos again. I agree with BB that the coloured colt will probably be fine, by dint of his size and the popularity of coloured ponies. Let`s hope so.....
After all this following, I'm going to have to go to the sale when it happens, heartbreaking though it might be. I need to know what's going to happen to them all. His sire was at least 14hh which explains his ridiculous size. Dartmoor he's not!
DeleteMe too! I'd like the chick peas, shallots and cashew nuts recipe.
ReplyDeleterailwaycottageattescodotnet
I do like that big coloured colt, I always wanted a coloured pony!
I think I'm going to have to set up- a link to a separate page with the recipe on. It went down very well tonight! Will get onto it tomorrow once I've worked out how to do it.
DeleteIf you came to the pony sales, you might be able to have that pony you've always dreamed of.....
Get you a mini film!!
ReplyDeleteGreat news about pony
Hope Snippers feeling better soon x
He's feeling a lot better today, thank you. Am waiting in all morning for a delivery of a shed to put Trigger's things in, so I won't be at school. The weather forecast was for mist and cloud over Dartmoor this morning, so I looked out the window to see sunshine and clear skies. They're only in Exeter for goodness sake!
DeleteIt was actually almost Summery this afternoon! x
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