Animals and me

 

It is time I stopped doing other websites and concentrated on mine.

Currently animals include Basil - Jack Russell, Mum's few bantams and my 3 aged sheep.

I have always liked animals, being brought up on a farm helped. Dad was a farm worker and I have vivid memories of catching lambs with a leg crook and being dragged all over the pen because I wasn't big enough to actually get hold of the animal.

As you can see from the photo, I started young, aged about two and a half. We had a donkey first, but I don't really remember him. Bracken was my first pony, a liver chestnut mare. Absolutely bomb-proof, but prone to laminitis in the summer. I took her to Pony Club when I was only about seven. I was always in the bottom ride with the "fat pony".

We had various cats Sophie the Siamese had a very distinctive voice, Phoebe an old fluffy cat and Katie, black and white - she came as Sebastian. The people we had her from obviously failed in the identification process!

Dogs, there was Dad's sheepdog, he lived in the shed outside. His hip used to come out of joint occasionally and he would limp for a bit. He was a good dog with the sheep, but not to be trifled with when he had his food or a bone.

Jasper was Mum's first dog a Cairn Terrier, he used to chase vehicles down the drive and it wasn't long before one got him. Tina was a Yorkshire Terrier. She had several litters of puppies and we kept 2 from the last litter. They were very small and nicknamed "The Dots".

Bracken was followed by Nibs, a 13.2 bay gelding. He was fine except he was terrified of lorries and tractors. Not the best when living on a farm. I had a few hairy moments with him, he would swing round and take off at a gallop, if I met a lorry. Just as well it was 30 years ago and not now. A traffic shy pony in todays traffic would be impossible.

There was Pasco who turned out to be a rig, so Donovan was acquired. He was skewbald, brilliant with hounds, but had a tendancy to go backwards if he didn't want to do something.

Kate cross country

Kate

A horse called Kate

Finally I migrated to a horse in the form of Kate. She was 6 yrs old, Irish, probably some Shire in her but a lovely temperament. She apparently came over from Ireland as a hunter. I Pony Clubbed, hunted, did sponsored rides and just hacked for pleasure. She sadly got sidebones and after a couple of years retirement I called it a day, she was 23.

Lady bob-tail

Lady and me

Sheep and dogs

I have kept ponies and sheep, see Lucy's page, I wanted a dog for the sheep so Lady came first, back with me from Wales. She had a run in with the Land Rover and ended up bob-tailed. It never affected her, but she was a bit keen with the sheep.

She adapted to life in Lincolnshire and her favourite game was to take a ball to the top of the stairs and throw it down. It was then a toss up whether she rushed down and caught it or waited for you to throw it back up again for her to catch.

Pip in the garden digging

Pip helping in the garden

Pip

After her came Pip who just could not cope with people. She was fine with family and people she knew, despite socialisation classes, she was not friendly to strangers. She did love to help me digging in the garden though. Her favourite occupation was chasing a rubber ring. We lost several up in the trees due to my over enthusiastic throwing.

She was very keen with the sheep which were getting on a bit and tended to rush straight into the pen so she could not chase them round!

Basil investigating things

Basil investigating

Basil the Jack Russell

Basil on the other hand loves people, other dogs - unless the are big, black and male and is only dangerous if you have fur (rabbits, rats, mice, cats etc.) The nature of Jack Russells I suppose.

He is a very "busy" dog and loves his walks. He is usually attached to a long rope when we go up the field. It means you can generally get to the end of the rope before he disappears down a rabbit hole or through the fence. If he goes awol its between 2 and 4 hours before he comes back.

Chances are, you see him come up a rabbit hole, before you can get there he's gone again!

Afrose an Anglo Nubian

Spot, Tom and Stella with sheep and geese

Goats

I was given Afrose as a birthday present. She used to travel to and from home with me in the front of my Land Rover. I think some of the service station attendants were a little surprised when she stood up on the seat, when I went to get diesel!

Spot, Stella and Tom, all Anglo Nubian crosses were also variously gifted to me.

They all had their individual characters. Spot was huge, I planned to get a little cart for him to pull, but never actually managed to.

Tom came to me when I left a job with goats, his sister Jerry went into the milking herd, but Tom, being male wasn't required! He was a lovely chestnut colour and very friendly.

Stella was an orphan as her mother took a dislike to her, so she was hand reared.

I started young - Dad with Me (aged 2) on Bracken