Once again, the big horses and the long-ears have been restricted to one oak-less paddock while the very last of the acorns fly off and tempt them like chocolates. Here they are in the waiting room ready for the vet who was doing teeth and vaccinations ahead of the winter; much the best time for older horses to have them done.
We have worked out it is much best to start with Olly the donkey as he is the most likely to get upset if he sees the other horses and his best friend Coco, being sedated. I've probably said this several times, but here we always sedate so that Amy, the vet who is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Equine Dentistry, can take a proper look at all of the teeth, especially those right at the back. I'm pleased to say that all of their teeth were very good, and Theoden's filling has stayed in (unlike my own!).
At Hook, the Forest ponies and Pie were doing a thorough search for acorns but all that I can say is that this is no different to the Forest itself, where despite the pigs, there are thousands of acorns for them to find. Indeed, there are ponies which run from tree to tree to guzzle them. Apparently, they didn't stay in this area long and went off to graze on the long grass along the pylon track.
Other people have caught pictures of them during this drizzly week.
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| Patsy in the mist: credit Looker Chris |
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| Jack in the 'field' - again under an oak tree! |
