I am so late today!
I couldn't miss though, so better late than never as they say.
Some of you may have seen this first photo before, as I think both my husband and my son have posted it, but I'm making no excuses for posting it now. I took it after all.
And this is actually my 200th post!
For the full story we have to go back in time to the end of April 2005, when we'd left the island and were renting a house from people who became friends.
Twice a day I walked our two dogs past our friends' stables and down the track onto the bogs. There they could run and play in safety.
I used to take crusts or sleepy apples to the ponies, who demanded a toll to let me pass their gate. Misty, the white pony, went away to find a husband, but failed to conceive. Rosie, the lovely 20 year old chestnut, was lonely, so a friend came to keep her company. This friend was a very small stallion. He obviously liked older ladies, and didn't let her height bother him. I used to watch him herding Rosie to an area where the path was about 18 inches above the rest of the field. Clever lad!
Anyway, as Rosie's time came closer, I checked her several times a day, but found nothing. Then one morning I went out with the dogs as usual, and I knew instantly that something was different.
Rosie came rapidly to the gate for her morning treat, but she was agitated. She'd come to the gate then run back towards a tree. There were clear signs that she'd given birth, but where was the foal?
With the dogs behaving beautifully, I went looking.
She'd had the foal in the open, below a hawthorn tree. When the foal tried to stand, it had slipped down a bank into the next field and ended in the heart of a huge bramble thicket.
This was something I couldn't manage alone, particularly with two dogs on leads. I rushed back to the house, shut the poor dogs in, grabbed cutters and gloves together with male help, and rushed back.
Now let me tell you that some of those briars were thicker than my thumbs! It took quite a time to cut enough away to free the foal,a beautiful filly, which was unable to stand at that time.
The first photo shows Stephen carrying the filly along the field and back to the gate.
I couldn't miss though, so better late than never as they say.
Some of you may have seen this first photo before, as I think both my husband and my son have posted it, but I'm making no excuses for posting it now. I took it after all.
And this is actually my 200th post!
For the full story we have to go back in time to the end of April 2005, when we'd left the island and were renting a house from people who became friends.
Twice a day I walked our two dogs past our friends' stables and down the track onto the bogs. There they could run and play in safety.
I used to take crusts or sleepy apples to the ponies, who demanded a toll to let me pass their gate. Misty, the white pony, went away to find a husband, but failed to conceive. Rosie, the lovely 20 year old chestnut, was lonely, so a friend came to keep her company. This friend was a very small stallion. He obviously liked older ladies, and didn't let her height bother him. I used to watch him herding Rosie to an area where the path was about 18 inches above the rest of the field. Clever lad!
Anyway, as Rosie's time came closer, I checked her several times a day, but found nothing. Then one morning I went out with the dogs as usual, and I knew instantly that something was different.
Rosie came rapidly to the gate for her morning treat, but she was agitated. She'd come to the gate then run back towards a tree. There were clear signs that she'd given birth, but where was the foal?
With the dogs behaving beautifully, I went looking.
She'd had the foal in the open, below a hawthorn tree. When the foal tried to stand, it had slipped down a bank into the next field and ended in the heart of a huge bramble thicket.
This was something I couldn't manage alone, particularly with two dogs on leads. I rushed back to the house, shut the poor dogs in, grabbed cutters and gloves together with male help, and rushed back.
Now let me tell you that some of those briars were thicker than my thumbs! It took quite a time to cut enough away to free the foal,a beautiful filly, which was unable to stand at that time.
The first photo shows Stephen carrying the filly along the field and back to the gate.
And the second photo shows the reunited mother and daughter.
I'm sorry the light isn't better - the sun was still low enough to cast a lot of shadow. Rosie was so pleased to have her daughter back.For more Two Fer Tuesday posts, visit
Jonna
who hosts this great idea.
10 comments:
That is such a lovely post.
Congrats on your 200 post too.
Love
Blue
This si such a sweet sweet story for your 200th post, I truly enjoyed it and congrats on your 200th post!
Congratulations on 200 posts. Now forward to five hundred.
That was quite an adventure you had. I'm glad you saved the foal.
Congratulations on your 200th post. I like the photos, even though the one is somewhat shadowed. Nice story, too.
What an amazing story :-)
Fantastic pictures and so exciting to be involved.
That is so sweet! Lovely pictures to document the story.
A worthy entry on all ounts.
Lovely pictures. I bet you were glad that you spotted the foal and managed to reunite it with it's mum, she must have been frantic.
What a lovely story, and photos, too! As a young, horse-crazy girl, I read countless "horse" stories, and this has all the makings of a wonderful little children's story... Magical!
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