The Not-So-Secret Diary of Diva the Shetland Pony - Floof!
18/04/2024Diva (Melland Queen of Scots) usually gets her summer coat quite early compared to other horses and ponies, but this year she has been holding onto hers for a lot longer.
With Jill coming over to join us on our walk in the glorious spring sunshine, I opted to do something that we had first planned about a year ago, just before the first lockdown. We would visit the local pub halfway round our usual route.
The lovely weather brought out plenty of walkers, some of whom were bemused by the sight of a Shetland pony going for a stroll. They all commented on how they initially thought she was a very big dog until they got close enough to see her properly.
When we got to the village of South Luffenham, and more importantly, arrived at The Boot Inn, the three of us made our way to the seating area near the car park. I ordered the drinks and explained I had a pony with me, which caused much amusement. I explained we would keep well out of the way of everyone, however, our decision to sit on the sleepers at the boundary of the seating area came unstuck when we realised we were blocking the entrance to the car park. We then moved to the first of the picnic benches with Diva standing quietly next to me.
Our drinks arrived and the lovely landlady came out and exclaimed that they were already a dog friendly pub and now could say they were pony friendly too! Diva enjoyed the attention of the staff and was impeccably behaved as we enjoyed our cold drinks. I was rather pleased that she didn’t leave a present behind, although the landlady said it could go on their compost heap if she did.
Diva was such a good girl that we might include a sandwich for us next time and see if there could be an apple or carrot on the menu for her. This might become a regular occurrence.
Diva (Melland Queen of Scots) usually gets her summer coat quite early compared to other horses and ponies, but this year she has been holding onto hers for a lot longer.
Is it spring yet? It’s been teasing us the last few days, going from a few dry days when I could walk across most of the field and it felt like spring, to heavy downpours, including hail, which reverted the field back to a quagmire. I didn’t let it put me off too much, though, and I’ve now managed to get all three horses back into work! Eek!
I can’t believe it has only been just over two weeks since Freya arrived! She’s kept her calm temperament, although does have her cheeky moments with her being a baby, and now discovering what treats are (my own fault!).
Following on from the previous blog, Diva and I were taking part in a clinic held by Lisa Dixon of Freelance Equine – Trick Training and Horsemanship at Truesdale Equestrian Centre.