Danilon in april

Danni had a rare treat when we hired a school for an hour this week but I think the work we have been doing with him to approach collection is starting to pay off and he has gain more elevation without dropping his back.

and nothing like a nice long rein when you have finished to stretch your neck ahh..... sorry to be brief but time and tide!!

Danni's winter outfit and other chilly mutterings

Danni looked rather like Desert Orchid today for his morning exercise as we both piled on as many clothes as possible before setting out between the snow showers. He grew rather err ummm whisper - portly, after he last snow incident, so I'm trying to keep going until we are stopped by too much ice on the roads.






We still have our robin with his haunting song amongst the barns rafters diving down into the horses feed buckets ans scooping up every spilled oat that falls - I'll miss him when the winter ends and he moves off to do what robins do for the rest of the year!



At the back of the farm a pair of buzzards wheeled above the stables with their poignant shrill call as I mucked out today and i disturbed one later, dining on a rabbit in the little group of apple trees that we have planted up there but he didn't go too far and was soon back on the ground with his rabbit lunch.

The youngsters make the most of the days picking at the hedgerows and ambling about as we beaver away carting wheelbarrows, haynets, water buckets and feed buckets. We break the ice on the water troughs only for them to freeze again and so if it is OK could we send the new cold spell back, Christmas or no Christmas - thank you so much!