7th September, 2011 What time is it Mr Wolf?

What time is it Mr Wolf? Two o'clock

What time is it Mr Wolf? Dinner time!

After a lousy day at 'the office' I thought these pictures were much more fun. This filly obviously couldn't work out quite what was in front of her and the little hinny didn't care to explain.

Why lousy? First of all Chancer had to have the first injection into the sarcoid on his eyelid. He withstood it very well and fortunately there were none of the instant side effects that there can be with BCG such as anaphylactic shock. Amy, as usual did a great job, and we will be seeing her again next week. Just a worry that's all.

Then Brandy's owners came over to see her and decided that the best way keep weight on her for the winter was to take the foal away. I know that this is the way things are on the Forest but I couldn't help feeling very sorry for her and her foal to be parted so abruptly. It is happening all over the Forest at the moment with the drifts on; she's not the only one. Luckily Nelly, Blue and Peechay turned up and took her off with them but I could hear her neighing all the way across the green. Luckily too she gave me something to really cry about. Having avoided injury all year she managed to jam my thumb against the gate latch and now I have a black nail and a skinless bit. Sat with my finger in the water butt for a while and cried my eyes out.

Then, to cap it all, my neighbour came to have a go about me having a 'habit' of taking trailers through to the front gate. Since I haven't taken anything that way for months or on more than the very odd occasion for years this feels unbelievably unfair. Letting one Commoner (who has the right to go anywhere) collect a foal from another Commoner (who also has a right to go anywhere) on one occasion does not constitute a habit. I think I am now going to be blamed for every stock trailer that goes in that direction simply because I have a stock trailer too. Galling because I have gone out of my way not to create any tension here.

This, just two days after I helped a customer to deliver her horse to another trainer for breaking in. That trainer sternly told me that she would rather have a horse when it had done nothing - so where was she when the horse didn't know how to lead, load, have his feet picked up or tie up? The two big lunging whips outside the stable block didn't fill me with great hope either.

In the grand scheme of things it isn't so bad. The anniversary of 9/11 certainly puts things more in perspective. I just wish I was a little more robust.