My sister had these cushions made for me as gifts for my Birthday and Christmas. They are absolutely beautiful and the photographs really don't do them justice at all. These have been hand stitched onto Harris Tweed and it's easy to forget that they are not photographs. The lady who makes them is so incredibly talented and has managed to capture their personalities perfectly. A beautiful reminder of my special ponies and I now have a real love of Harris tweed. I will treasure these cushions forever. Please check out her Facebook page , The Canny Squirrel, her work is stunning. 

Every story has an ending but in life, every ending is a new beginning

It's been such a long time since I blogged. I originally started this blog, so that in years to come I could look back and remember everything we had done, the good times and the bad times. In March last year, our beautiful boy Buttons  left us for the bridge. Not even 6 months after we lost Honey. Losing the wee man absolutely shattered my heart. And although I miss them both every single day, I get comfort from knowing that they are together again.  Someone said to me after Buttons went 'poor Honey, she won't even get peace in the afterlife'. This made me smile. They really were like night and day in terms of personality. The saint and the sinner but those two wee ponies had a friendship like I've never known. They never strayed more than a few feet from one another from the day they met. I will eventually blog a longer post on the pony blog. I have 2 new ponies. Buttons and Honey can never be replaced, truth be told I wasn't ready to take on any more but these ponies desperately needed a safe home and I had space to offer them one, and no matter how hurt I felt, I couldn't turn them away. 

 

Wolfie is well. I am just beginning to try and bring him back into work after his winter holidays. Try being the word as the weather is being particularly unkind and although the nights are beginning to get longer, the constant rain and mud is beginning to get me down. Wolfie and I found an instructor and had regular flat work lessons last year which helped us enormously. We even managed to get out to a couple of dressage competitions where Wolfie did brilliantly but some of the comments from the judges were hilarious. In true Wolfie over enthusiastic style he was performing classical high school movements and airs above the ground which are really not required in prelim or novice tests! So the aim for this year is really just to get fit get out and enjoy ourselves. My goals are to be softer and better during groundwork and riding. Oh and to try and blog regularly. 

 

I can't believe it's already nearly the end of October. This year seems to have flown by and winter is just around the corner. The lovely sunshine we had over the summer has spoiled me and I'm finding switching to the winter routine, the mud, the rain and the lack of daylight difficult. Wolfie already resembles a hairy mammoth with a thick winter coat. I normally clip him in October however I've held off this year. He had some horrible skin thing over winter last year and we never got to the bottom of the cause of it. I don't want to clip him and expose his skin to anything as he does have very sensitive skin and has had clipper rash before. He's feeling well in himself although he is driving me insane with the electric fencing. I spend vast amounts of time checking the electric fencing to make sure it's up correctly and electrified. Wolfie has taught himself to dismantle it. He systematically pulls poles out using his teeth, he then picks the top of one pole up and walks backwards pulling the fence until more poles come out of the ground and the tape slackens and eventually comes loose from the poles. And then he walks over it and goes on his merry way into a part of the field he shouldn't be in. I couldn't understand how he was managing to get through, several people told me they had seen him picking the poles up, but I laughed out loud and guffawed. Thinking he's smart, but not smart enough to know how to take down fencing. I still wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself on Saturday. When electric fencing works, it's fine, but when it doesn't, it can be incredibly dangerous. I don't want him in the wrong part of the field, if he takes the fence down the ponies can get out (although so far they seem to have stayed on the right side of the obliterated fence even though they could have easily stepped over it) and I'm terrified they get caught up in the tape. There's a mare fenced off across the main fence line from him. She's being kept in a small dry area at the moment as she has an abscess. Apparently Wolfie has been leaning over and pulling the poles to her fence out enabling her to get out. I don't know what to do. I've got all 3 batteries on the part of the fence where he seems to prefer to take down. It won't be long though before he realises that the rest of the fence doesn't have a strong current going through it though. I was going to get some anti cribbing stuff and try and paint the tops of the poles with it. Maybe a horrible taste might put him off. I've never used anything like that before and the rain might just wash it off. I'd love any suggestions from anyone. Horses eh,. Sometimes I think I'd be better off with a goldfish.

Some horses come into our lives and quickly go, others stay a while and make hoofprints on our hearts

Somewhere, somewhere
In time's own space,
There must be some sweet pastured place....
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow,
Some paradise where horses go.
For by the love that guides my pen,
I know great horses live again.

I haven't blogged very much this year at all.  This has not been due to having nothing to blog about, we have had a lovely summer together, Wolfie, the ponies and I and we have been busy.  My beautiful pony Honey was put to sleep on the 3rd August.  A blood test in January showed she had elevated liver enzymes and the following months involved a liver biopsy, more blood tests and a lot of soul searching on my part.  I didn't feel I could blog this part of our journey, although Honey remained symptomless right up until she was put to sleep, by writing down all my thoughts and fears would have made it all seem too real.  I will write about it in more depth on the ponies blog.  We have taken another pony, a new companion for Buttons.  She is a 3 year old black Shetland mare called Bess.  I miss Honey very much, I was devastated at losing her and she will never be replaced, but Bess deserves this chance now at a happy safe life.  So we carry on and begin the next chapter.    

Quick Catch Up

I haven't posted in ages, but Wolfie and I are keeping busy, having fun and enjoying the good weather we have been having.  Hopefully, I will get back into blogging regularly again. 


Wolfie found fame in an Irn Bru Advert :-)

Wolfie does a spot of photo bombing

Wolfie is mastering the John Cleese Funny walk :-)