Hi all! First off, we have a riding lesson I had last week, some great news about Harriet the sheep, and then I literally just realised that I haven’t introduced you all to Onyx, my black beauty!! Well, that has to change… more on that later. Happy reading!☺️
I recently took Mackenzie to local equestrian grounds for a riding lesson. She has been slightly tricky to float lately, so we worked on that and the day after she walked on the horse float very well. The lesson was pretty good in general, the circles were quite good, the change of reins improved, and the canter transition was tough because Mackenzie kept picking up the wrong lead so I had to work on my cue and timing. For those of you who don’t know, a horses’ canter has three beats. To stay balanced, you should have the correct leading leg, e.g. Left lead: right hind leg, left hind and right foreleg together, left foreleg, and vice versa. We eventually got there, and Mackenzie was much better!! We also did 10 metre loops off the side of the arena. We are practicing for my next Pony Club certificate, which is at a grade that is necessary for certain competitions and things, requiring knowledge of how to look after horses, riding horses, recognising parts of horses and saddlery, equine ailments, etc. Mackenzie needed a good cool off afterwards, she had some steam coming off her rump! It was a very chilly day, so I groomed her, then put her rug on so she didn’t get a chill.
About a week ago, after a week of looking after Harriet, I went out to feed Mackenzie and noticed that I couldn’t see Harriet in her yard… I went over to investigate, and found her looking quite uncomfortable having contractions. I ran to get Mum, and a knowledgeable friend who had arrived just in time, fed Mackenzie and came back to see what was happening. It soon became clear that Harriet would need some help, so Mum set to work. I got to play errand girl, fetching old towels, electrolyte for Harriet, frozen colostrum (Harriet had zero milk), lamb bottles, more electrolyte, etc. After a while, we watched Harriet give birth to a lovely little black baby boy, with a few tiny white patches and a white splash on his head. He was very lucky Mum and her friend had been there to deliver him, so we named him just that: Lucky. His twin brother was a bit easier (his legs were in the right place!), and arrived quickly with Mum’s help. My youngest brother named him Speck, as he is black with lots of white speckles. Speck had some feeding issues, so he was helped along the first day, but they are healthy and strong now! Harriet is not our sheep, but I have been feeding the lambs for her owners… with some help from my brother. Here are some cute pictures…
Meet Onyx! Onyx was born 4 years ago, to a Friesian cow named Frida. Frida was old and had some foot issues, but she gave birth to a beautiful little Angus x Friesian heifer, black with a white tummy. I was riding past on my bicycle when a younger me realised that Frida was literally giving birth. I was very excited, but the next day Frida got milk fever (paralysis of back legs due to calcium deficiency), and after three days of checking Frida every 20 minutes, lifting her with the hip clamps, multiple interventions/treatment and hoping, Frida sadly passed away in my arms. I then looked after Onyx for the next few months, and now, four years later, she is a beautiful big cow! We all love our big girl. 🖤🤍🩷
That’s it today, stay tuned for some cool fungi photos. I hope you enjoyed… have a great day! Love Amarylli🩵🐴
P.S. Sorry to the subscribers, I accidentally did not send this as an email… my bad! I published this last week.😳🤭Watch this space for a new post coming soon!
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