New Forest ponies do not choose to live in a stable. They are born and raised in the wild Forest heath and woodlands, so are happiest outside. Tonight, Woody is sleeping inside. He has not had a good day. The photo shows him looking drunkenly out over the stable door as he recovered from his sedation by the vet. He has an infection in his , err...."Boys Bits", and has been feeling sore and very sorry for himself. His owner noticed that all was not well yesterday, and when I checked this morning, there was heat, pain and swelling, so the vet was summoned.Although he is a friendly and co operative pony, Woody was sedated so that the vet could examine and treat him safely and effectively. He has started a course of antibiotics and painkillers, so now we just have to wait. Hopefully, we have caught the infection before it could travel up his urinary tract and cause serious problems.
Woody is not the only one "in the wars" this New Year. After a very stressful New Year`s Eve, when new neighbours, without warning us, let off an extremely noisy firework display, Old Dog was terrified. He shook and trembled for a long time afterwards. By the morning, he had a very upset stomach and was not at all well. Thankfully, he seems to have recovered now, but we were worried. He will be on his rice and fish diet for a few more days.
Just before Christmas, one of the heavy gate posts snapped through, rotten at its base. Over the past few days, my OH has been replacing the two posts with new oak posts. After he had finished , everything was carefully examined by the Inspector of Works (AKA The Lion Pony), who had been watching him and trying his best to help all morning!
Inside the house, Lucy keeps on growing..........
......while the buds of Cornish daffodils have opened in the warmth. They have a faint , sweet scent of spring and have cheered us when we come in from the cold, grey , outside world, where snow is threatening again.
Wishing everyone who reads my blog a very happy and healthy year in 2011.
11 comments:
Happy new Year to you too. I have enjoyed your walks, the ponies and animals throughout the year. Unfortunately we had the same experience with our old dog and fireworks,arent they a menace?
Let's hope 2011 is the year they are banned for home use.
Get well soon Woody!
A Happy New Year to you too! Sounds as if it didn't start out too well for you. Hope the pony heals well and Woody has settled down. Poor boy. But the daffodils are definitely a sign of better things to come! I looked for daffodils in the store yesterday (we can't grow them here, not cold enough -- and the rabbits would get them too) but I think it's a bit early to find any in the store.
Oh, for daffodils this time of year. Warmish this week and then right back to the cold. The local newspaper this morning wrote that this December was the fourth coldest here in Greensboro since they started keeping records back in the 1880's. I'm scared to even look at my electric bill (my house is all electric heat). It may rival the national debt.
I hope you are going to have a quiet word with those new neighbours!
I have daffodils too - I won't ever buy them till after New Year, but oh, what a joy to see Spring flowers in the house again!
Happy New Year - all the best for 2011; I look forward to another year of your posts.
A Very Happy New Year to you. Lucy is so beautiful and I feel for poor Old Dog. I had an elderly cat that clung to me every time there were fireworks ...Nov 5th was hard ....I had to sit with her clinging like a baby across my chest 'til it was all over ....even made a coffee with out her moving an inch.
Daffodils ...wow ...we dont see sight of them up here until March ...love the scented ones.
Poor Old Dog. People can be so inconsiderate. Hope Woody's recovery is a swift one.
Now that your OH has gotten your gate posts repaired, send him over my way. I need some fence posts replaced. A section of my back fence is propped up with a trunk from a "volunteer sapling" to keep it from falling down (There is a "paradise" tree next door. Need I say more?) and one of my back gate posts is moribund to the point I can hardly get my gate to latch.
Thank you all for your kind thoughts. Woody does seem better this morning. Less swelling and a return of his usual sense of mischief! He had a dry night in the stable and this morning he had a good groom, breakfast with his medication disguised in it and then an excited walk back to his field. He is now munching hay under the old hedge. Yesterday, he almost lost his appetite.
Old Dog seems better too and managed a walk around the hill. Crossing fingers that he will keep going for a while longer......
WOL - I`m sure Mr DW would love a trip to Texas, but it is a long way to go to mend a gatepost :-)
What is a Paradise Tree?
Paradise trees are a pain in the wazoo!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima
The seeds sprout all over the place and they grow fast. They're all in my flower beds and in the grass and everywhere. See pictures on: http://grundlepod.blogspot.com/2010/11/kitty-crisis-continues-still.html
Those neighbours would have made me so cross! A little warning wouldn't have been too much trouble, surely? I don't get fireworks anywhere near but we do get night shooting very close. One blast of the shotgun & I'm out, trying to gather up the cats!
Thanks for your comments & Happy New Year!
I landed here from another link, because of ponies! I adore New forest ponies- had some wonderful rides way back when I used to visit my cousins in Dorset.I now own 2 wild and woolly Shetlands! Thanks-
Our Border Collie, the late [sometimes lamented] Henry Higgins, was terrified of fireworks and any related "bangs" such as thunder or gunshot. As he aged, although he was quite deaf at the end, his distress over fireworks increased. The sort of people who let them off in bunches don't seem to be approachable or "good neighbor" types.
The fence posts are impressive--rather like what J. put around our garden here.
Glad to hear that both pony and Old Dog are settling down today.
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