These two

Well, they're here. The horse and the pony. Harmony and Flo, actually.

It has all happened rather fast (like many good things do) but not without a significant amount of internet searching and soul searching on my part. So I'm breathing a sigh of relief just to see them together in the paddock, resting under the trees and eating the grass (yes - eat that grass! But not too much Flo, or you'll be locked up..).

Flo was the first to arrive. She's a little Shetland pony, who has had not much handling by or interaction with humans. And that which she has had, I don't think it has been great. She's not real sure about us and our intentions and promptly heads the other direction whenever we approach. I've caught her once, using this method, but I tell you what, the next day when I tried it again, she knew the game and outplayed me. Tactics that may work with a horse, may not have the same results with a Shetland pony.

Anyway, she's about 6 years old, she may or may not be in foal and she cost us $120. So here she is, slowly deciding to become part of the family and I'm happy she's here (for the price she cost us, I was worried she would end up being dog food). Poor little thing spent a week here by herself, fretting about being on her own, and with me fretting about her fretting about being on her own. Hence driving myself and my family nuts trying to find a suitable companion for her. 

And then Harmony came along. She's a buckskin quarter horse, almost certainly in foal. She's had much more handling and is broken to saddle and thankfully is quite catchable, but has spent the past few years in a paddock having babies. She's in pretty poor condition to be honest. She's about 10 years old, she's a stunning looking horse and I'm so, so happy that she's here too. Come December we hope a little baby horse will appear, the father being a Clydesdale cross Cob type, so the foal should be an interesting horse. All going well.

I have spent so much time with my head in the internet, lurking around Horse Deals and Gumtree and Horse Yard trying to find the right horse to be here, to keep Flo company and to be a riding horse for me. I looked at one that was too big, I looked at one that was too small, and shortlisted about eight that were okay… but not really what I was looking for. Anyway Harmony had been under my nose the whole time, and when I clicked on her ad at the end of the week (after a brief look at the start of the week), I just knew. And she came from the same place we picked up Flo, after all that.

So here we are. The horse and the pony are here. And the relief for Flo when Harmony arrived was palpable, and the relief just washed over me then too. Our little flock of animals is complete, until perhaps a foal arrives, maybe two. Anyway the life of these two right now involves eating grass, getting treats, feeds and brushing. Getting to know us, doing some ground work with me, and making sure they're healthy and happy. It will be a while before there is any riding of Harmony, and that's fine with me. And goodness knows what Flo's intentions are, she may decide she never wants to come near us, and that is ok too. I'm hoping that in a few years I can get her trained enough to be a lead pony for William, but we will see. In any case, this is her home, both of their homes now. For me it feels like pulling on the old favourite pair of jeans, to have horses in my life again. A part of me that was pretty much gone is suddenly surging back into life. And of course, William loves them.