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 the summer fast approaching, the time comes for us humans to plan for going away on holiday. For those of us with horses. this can present a challenge. To be honest, most of my ‘holidays’ are going to overnight shows, but for the first time in an age, I was heading off for a long weekend with only Flora the dog and my friend Jill along for the ride.
As a result, Diva, Mabel and Florence needed to have their care arranged. At this time of year, they are pretty much living out 24/7 which makes their needs a little easier. However, this holiday also coincided with the prime time for the risk of laminitis too. Diva, thankfully, has never suffered from this horrible condition, but I am extremely vigilant when the grass is growing quickly. I check for increased digital pulses and heat in her feet and generally have her out during the day and in at night or vice versa rather than out all the time.
I am very fortunate to have friends who I can totally trust to look after them as if they were their own, allowing me to head off without any worries.
It was lovely to get away with just the pooch to look after, as Flora loves a lie in as much as I do! We did get plenty of exercise too though and enjoyed our first trip to the coast.
Much as I enjoyed my break, it is always lovely to see my girls again. I miss Diva’s little cheeky face and Mabel’s gentleness and Florence’s greediness at the first sign of any food. One thing I do only very rarely is give my horses or pony a treat in my hand. Except when I give them a thank you as they come out of the ring at a show, I usually pop a treat into their manger or even just on the floor. The main reason being that hand-feeding can encourage horses to nip or push at you if they begin to anticipate a treat.
My next holiday will be our trip to the Royal Highland Show towards the end of June with Jackson (Melland Jackson Jive) and Diva (Melland Queen of Scots). Will she be the Queen of Scots at the show? To be honest, I would just love to be placed at one of the best showcases for the breed I have come to love.
