Grief and Fjords

I'm very sorry for disappearing on you all last month, this has been a really horrible week.

I've posted about this before in a lot more positive light, but most of you know I've been waiting for the birth of my first horse, a Fjord Horse foal from the Dunkirk stud ran by my friend in Cambridge.

We were a whole month overdue in June, but still no sign of the baby. The due date was moved several times and Elianna kept going over each one.

Finally last Sunday she went into labour, but the worst possible thing happened and she had to be transferred to an equine hospital where the foal died. My rainbow boy didn't make it.

It's a devastating loss after such a long time of waiting and so much planning. I've not really felt the same since and Elianna's still in hospital at the time of writing this. I felt really lost and with nothing to look forward to now that the foal was gone.

However, I had a phone call from my friend with a completely out of the blue offer. I met the whole herd last year in Ely where we decided on how to proceed with the foal plan. One of the horses she has is called Honey. She's only got one healthy eye and she can't be bred from because it'd be dangerous to her health. So she's a field companion to the mares and extremely great auntie to the foals.

My friend offered Honey to me on a lifelong loan. We've considered it very carefully, I've been to see a place for her and I'm going to travel down south to see my friend and the herd again.

Provided everything goes well, Honey is going to join me in Shetland. Not sure when yet, but it'll be before winter. She's prone to putting on weight so we'd like to get her here before the temperature drops so she can enjoy the hill with couple of Icelandic Horses and Shetland ponies, that we've nicknamed 'Fat Camp', lovingly and with best intentions. :') 

It's a lovely rolling hill with rough Shetland grass, low lying heather and moss mixed inbetween. Perfect for horses that struggle on lush pastures or with laminitis.

It's a big change from my original plans, but I am looking forward to it. I'm still very sad about the foal, he was meant to be my heart horse, but these things unfortunately happen.

We'll see where we are this time next year. My friend has still promised me a foal next year, likely from a different mare to Elianna since she might need a break after such a traumatic delivery. But she's promised I'm welcome to keep Honey as a companion to the baby. So lot's of positives out of a horrible situation!

I'll keep you posted on how things develop, I really want to start producing the videos I had planned about the horsey adventures, this just wasn't a chapter I thought I'd ever have to include.