THE RAMBLINGS OF A STRUGGLING ARTIST ON LIFE WITH TWO TERRIERS, A PONY WITH ISSUES AND OTHER WILDLIFE AND BIRDS THAT CROSS OUR PATH

24 June 2013

BAD HAIR AND SHENANIGANS

 

Today I decided to go to the marsh below Thornworthy Tor in search of the lovely Marsh Orchids I found there last year. What I found instead was a huge collection of ponies, only half of which I know, and a lot of newly shorn sheep. The pony above, a two year old I think, and its mother, are a bit behind the current summer hairdo fashions. What a state they look!


At least the sheep are feeling cool if not looking it:






I noticed Foal A, Isaac and Foal number 3 from last year relaxing:




But suddenly, further towards the Orchid site, all hell was breaking loose amongst a largish group, including rival males; geldings acting like stallions, careering about annoying the mares and posturing with each other. 






Some of them have pretty bad hair too. Foal A and Isaac look on without much interest. Both are getting browner by the day. 


A brief break for a nuzzle..........


..........then back to it.



Believe it or not, that last one is poor little foal number 3 being chased. I remember Anna Bonnage telling me that any tolerance of childish behaviour from a young horse within a herd disappears when it hits a year old, which he has now! He looked very shocked poor thing. 

Things then settled down as I made my way home without the orchid pictures I had hoped for. 




 Pink snow up the drive...


Lovely red Astrantia in bloom in the garden. My mum reminded me today that as well as being Masterworts, all Astrantias are also known as Hattie's Pincushion. What a fabulous name. 


The word has passed around the Chaffinch flock:


After a weekend of rain, the sun is out a little today. Saturday was the school fete, which was held indoors thank goodness. I don't know the total takings but, if the book stall I was manning was anything to go by, we did pretty well. All the money goes towards trips out for the children and other stuff the school can ill afford. It was combined with a farmers' market which swelled the numbers too. 

Trigger seems a bit better today. He cantered over to me with the others when I blew my dog whistle. Amazing how a tiny bit of food can train the wildest of ponies so quickly. Sometimes they are far away, but one blow is all that's required. Better than Snippet! Talking of the little scruff, until next time...........here he is with a borrowed toy. Five seconds earlier, it was on the end of his nose. 

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35 comments:

  1. SeagullSuzie24 June 2013 at 19:51

    Sorry you didn't get the orchid pictures. Oh those ponies are just great to see. I feel like I've just watched them myself. Hattie's Pincushion-thats a great name.

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    1. Em Parkinson24 June 2013 at 20:42

      I'll try again tomorrow with the orchids and it was so great to observe their behaviour.

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  2. Jenn24 June 2013 at 20:09

    Love the shots of the ponies, but the one of the pink petals all over the driveway is by far my favourite... beautiful!

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
    (¸.•´ (¸.•`¤... Jennifer
    Jenn's Random Scraps

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    1. Em Parkinson24 June 2013 at 20:43

      Glad you like the petals - I just saw it and knew it had to be photographed.

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  3. Anonymous24 June 2013 at 20:19

    Is that the posh shell-less bird seed? No wonder you gulped at the price. I'm sure it'll disappear very quickly now :-) Did you realise you can actually see Snip's eye in the last pic?! CT x

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    1. Em Parkinson24 June 2013 at 20:44

      Disconcerting isn't it? That expensive shell-less stuff also gets clogged up and sticky in the rain. We've been having to poke it with a twig the last few days. Everything about that mis-purchase has been wrong!

      Delete
  4. The Three Muleteers24 June 2013 at 20:59

    Perfect pictures! Love seeing them all behaving so naturally although some of the posturing looks serious hopefully they sort it all out. Glad to see the weather is playing havoc with the coats of other equines, mine can't decide whether to shed or hang on to theirs!!

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:34

      When I left, they were all pretty calm. Trigger is almost finished shedding thank goodness, so my clothes are less hairy!

      Delete
  5. Jenny24 June 2013 at 22:12

    I'd love to get a curry comb to those first two shaggy beasts!

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:35

      Me too Jenny. I think just pulling it out in fistfuls would do!

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  6. Jane and Chris24 June 2013 at 22:21

    That must have been thrilling seeing the horses behave as horses do. I'm wondering if the sheep are embarrassed at their blue rinse!
    Jane x

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:36

      It was although I was a little closer than I would have liked when they started it all. I appear to have become part of the furniture to be ignored which is good....I think.

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  7. Margaret Birding For Pleasure25 June 2013 at 00:17

    Hi Em Wonderful set of horse photos. Lovely to see them in their natural state. My favortie shot today is the pink snow following by the closup of the flower.Margaret

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  8. Terry25 June 2013 at 01:15

    Great photos of the horses! Herd dynamics are so interesting. Hope none got hurt in all that roughness. And the bad hair! Wow, their winter coats must be so long! I'm sure they'll be so much more comfortable when they get shed out.

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:40

      The more I watch them, the more fascinating it is and the more I understand Trigger and his interaction with whoever he is with and with me.

      I've never seen anything quite as shaggy as those two. They get very furry but not usually that matted and horrible. The bit hanging off the side of the chestnut's face is bizarre.

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  9. rusty duck25 June 2013 at 01:19

    Beautiful pinks, the petals and the astrantia. Not so good though if the petals were torn off by the wind..

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:44

      I think it was a mixture of wind and natural fall. I'm not very keen on Rhododendrons so if they were mine, they would have been chopped down I'm afraid. Seeing the damage they've done as escapees along rivers and in native woodland makes me want to go off swinging an axe.....lovely in a garden I'm sure, but I wish they would stay there. I'll probably start an outraged backlash here!

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  10. Gail H. Ragsdale25 June 2013 at 02:25

    Wonderful photos!

    The herd fighting reminds me a lot of the dominance fights with the does during the winter when all the groups are together. It can get pretty vicious.

    My what hair the ponies have! And the poor sheep with none.

    I must stay that the background to the pony fights was spectacular! The moors are so beautiful.

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:46

      How brilliant that you get to watch the deer behaviour so closely. You must spend half your life crouching by the window....I know I would!

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  11. angryparsnip25 June 2013 at 04:01

    Wonderful photo of the pink snow. You live in a lush paradise.
    All the horse and herd photos are great !
    Love to see Snippets eyes !

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:46

      When he was a puppy they looked pitch black but now they've mellowed to brown; a bit like those foals' coats.

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  12. Bovey Belle25 June 2013 at 07:43

    I loved the photos of the herd dynamics being sorted. I can remember reading years ago that the moment this year's foal is born, last year's foal has to become an individual (rather than mum and baby) and so find his/her place in the pecking order. The skewbalds are nicely marked - I HATE to see the Jack Russell gypsy type - all white with just a splodge of colour above their tails or on their heads. Yuk!

    I hope you get the Orchid photos today. Meanwhile, the Astrantia (think mine snuffed it in the winter) is so lovely and the pink petals up the driveway . . .

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 08:52

      I'm with you there....you know I'm not a big fan of the pie or skewbald, but these ones look like proper painted horses don't they? the less white the better. At the age of 13, I borrowed a pony I had never met before to go to my one and only Pony Club Camp in Essex. He was blue roan and white and I was the embarrassment of my team as there was no room in the stalls for him and he lived out, rolling in the mud every night so I could never keep him clean. He also bolted with me round the cross country course....the whole experience is one I remember with utter horror!

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  13. Wendy25 June 2013 at 10:31

    Fantastic photos of the horses and the sheep - they always appear like different animals altogether after shearing, slim with heads that suddenly look larger. I love the carpet of petals, too.

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 12:01

      A couple of those look more like goats I think!

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  14. The Weaver of Grass25 June 2013 at 11:03

    As usual Em - glorious photos of those ponies. Interesting about astrantias. I have a couple of clumps of the cream one, which I love, but didnn't know there was a pink one too. I must look out for it. I love the mame 'hattie's pin cushion' - hadnt heard that before. It seems to have been a good year for orchids - there are masses round this area - probably due to last year's wet weather.

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 12:04

      I think they're one of the most beautiful plants in the garden and it seems, having looked around a bit, there there are quite a few cultivars around, one with red flowers and black stems.....I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those.

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  15. Ragged Robin25 June 2013 at 11:57

    Gorgeous photos of the ponies - did have to laugh at the first two photos. You have captured sense of movement too brilliantly. Sorry about the Marsh Orchids - perhaps they are late this year?

    Love the Astrantia flower and alternative name for it.

    So glad Trigger's foot seems to be improving.

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 12:07

      I think it's highly likely they are going to be late, but I'm off in about half an hour to see if I can get there again today without being put off by marauding ponies!

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  16. ann @ studiohyde25 June 2013 at 15:47

    Aww, Snippet's got a pink toy like William's blue one, I expect he loves it as much as William does with his. Your photos of the ponies on the moor are lovely to see, it's like being there.

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    1. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 15:55

      Sadly it belongs to our neighbour's dogs who often leave their stuff out on the moor. Snippet finds them and brings them home. He wasn't very happy to give it back but got a treat for doing it nicely nonetheless.

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  17. HappyK25 June 2013 at 19:18

    I've never seen a horse with curly hair!! : )

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  18. Em Parkinson25 June 2013 at 21:06

    Not a great look is it?

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  19. Willow26 June 2013 at 00:28

    This was fabulous ... I adore ponies and flowers ! We have a shetland pony that is wonderful for driving country roads. It was such fun seeing the ponies in the fields. Thanks so much for the share.

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    1. Em Parkinson26 June 2013 at 10:15

      There are a lot of ponies and flowers on this blog Willow!

      Delete

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