Category: Little Viking Horse Blog

When I said, in a previous post that the thieves ‘took the gate off the hinges’, what I should have said they ‘took the hinges off’ ……by driving their vehicle through the gate – which was closed at the time! It was a scary moment but it did at least present the possibility that the dreaded “boot camp” at Helgi’s house would have to be cancelled. I do refute the suggestion from one of my friends that I arranged the theft to avoid boot camp. You humans do have to remember I am only horse. I know I am an Icelandic horse which makes me exceptionally clever and talented, but even I can’t engineer conspiracies with thieves to avoid boot camp.

However it appears that My Mate Roger was not to be thwarted, and that afternoon he reappeared with the trailer (helpfully recovered by West Mercia Police) and a pile of new locks! So it looked like boot camp was back on.

Then Friday evening My Mate Roger didn’t come with my hay as usual – which was strange. The Woman came instead, though she was late. My Mare Gydja was waiting at the top of the ramp instead of in her proper position 3rd in line, below the ramp. She was soon told to shift. Standing on the ramp when the hay is due is not permitted. Even I know that. This was made very clear to me following the “mug The Woman for hay” incident a few weeks ago.

The woman said the trip to Helgi’s house was cancelled as My Mate Roger had to go away on urgent family business. So it appeared boot camp was off again!

Things are really not as they are supposed to be this weekend My Mate Roger didn’t come again on Saturday.  The Woman came and told me to get off the ramp, and then took My Mare Gydja out – they went for a ramble on their own! I watched them get ready

“Where are you taking my mare? What about me? Where is My Mate Roger?”

I stood at the ramp and called and called as they went up the lane, but My Mare Gydja didn’t answer. Then Big Fat Cob told me to shut up as he was stood beside me, below the ramp, and I was neighing in his ear.

They were gone ages – then I heard her hoof beats on the road, so I started calling again and Big Fat Cob joined in. I ran down to the bottom gate, but she had already gone past. So I galloped up the hill, with Big Fat Cob bucking all the way, to wait for her at the top gate….I got into trouble again for waiting on the ramp for hay…opps.

“Oh it’s you. I am not sneaking up the ramp, honest!”

So now it’s Sunday – and its snowing, and there is still no sign of My Mate Roger. Boot Camp has definitely been cancelled, and instead I have had a whole weeks rest. Boy am I going to be full of beans next time me and My Mate Roger go for a ramble.

Last night there was some very strange goings on. My Mate Roger came and delivered hay as normal, then it got dark, then very dark and then all the lights in the humans houses in the village went off. We horses were minding our own business…

I heard a noise down at the gate, and we all wandered to the top of the hump in the field to take a look. Some shadowy human figures had appeared and were opening in the gate. It wasn’t My Mate Roger, or the Woman, or any of the other humans we know. And I wasn’t at all sure they should be taking the gate off it’s hinges like that! We all stared at them. I am not sure they could see us – humans don’t see too well in the dark. They started messing with the stable on wheels that we use when we go on our holidays. Big Fat Cob didn’t like that. He doesn’t like to go in the stable on wheels and gets very upset when humans mess around with it, especially when they start hitching it up to a vehicle, which was what these humans were doing by now.

Big Fat Cob snorted and galloped up the field putting in a buck on the way…he always does that. Its his way of saying “if you think I am going in there you’d better think again!”. If they were thinking of taking him as well as the stable on wheels they must have thought better of it at the point.

Me and My Mare Gydja stayed quiet and still.

Then they just drove off, taking the stable on wheels with them. As soon as they pulled away the light in the human house opposite came on, and our human neighbour came out. She seemed to be counting us “1, 2….3…” and then closed the gate. A white car with blue lights came and then went, and then it went all quiet.

I didn’t like all that business – strangers in our field. But then on the plus side, I began to think, if there is no stable on wheels then My Mate Roger can’t take us to boot camp at Helgi’s house at the weekend. Every cloud….

Then this afternoon, My Mate Roger turned up with the stable on wheels – blimey how did he get that back so quickly? He didn’t seem happy about it all. It seems to have a lot more locks on it now………and apparently we are going to boot camp after all.

My Mare Gydja has been relegated to 2nd favourite horse after her performance on Sunday. The Woman decided to practice some more tölting. You see even though MMG is older than me I am better at tölting *smug*

The Woman thought she would try out my tölt training run (otherwise known as a slight down hill on the way home). Bad plan. MMG lost all her collection and took off in fast trot and refused to stop until she had gone past me! What I cheek, I aways go in front! MMG was very pleased with her show of speed but I don’t think the Woman was impressed.

Apparently MMG is going to Helgi’s house this weekend as well as me. I’m getting a bit worried – it’s starting to sound like some kind of boot camp!!!

I have been thinking…… I do a lot of that. I have been thinking about food……. That’s what I think about most.

When I am trapped in the small paddock (apparently for my own good)  I spend hours gazing into space thinking about food. At least that’s what I do when My Mate Roger is looking, in a vain attempt to give the impression that there is nothing worth eating in the sparse dusty, tiny enclosure that isn’t big enough to deserve the title “paddock”. When he is not looking I use my very versatile lips to tease out the tiniest suggestion of grass tips and paw the dirt to expose nice juicy roots hidden under the surface – and if all else fails I use my incredibly thick mane to insulate me from the electric fence and stretch as far as I can underneath to crop a short grass path that extends all around the enclosure.

When I am released into the big field it’s a whole new menu. Mostly I eat grass, and if that runs short I stomp on the nettles and eat those, or pick the tops off with my very versatile lips.

Some times I eat thistles and sometimes I go to the boggy bit of the field and eat reeds – Big Fat Cob can’t eat those being a Cob and not having a versatile stomach like me.

Sometimes My Mate Roger gives me chaff or hay and if I am lucky I can beg a carrot from the humans who visit the grave yard next to our field – but don’t tell My Mate Roger – he thinks he is the only human allowed to feed me. Apples – great, thanks very much.

What I have never eaten is a banana. And I have no intention of doing  so.