Eggsy Pony's year that was 2022 Part 2 July - December

 

This is Part 2 of Eggsy Pony's year that was 2022, if you haven't read part 1, January - June, you'll find it here:

Eggsy Pony's year that was 2022 January - June 

July

You may remember that when we left Muddy Bottom in January, Hansel the Goose and  Gingee the stray cat who stayed came home with us, in July Eggsy Pony gave an update on how they were settling in via his Eggsy Pony Diaries on Ko-fi :

"Gingee our old feline compadre from Muddy Bottom days finally left the sofa and started to explore the house. This has not gone well, he is now encamped on the landing much to the disgruntlement of several other felines who liked that spot. The human is also rather disgruntled as Gingee Roo Roo is now deserving of the name Gingee Poo Poo, he has, unfortunately taken to using the bathroom for toileting. That's right Gingee Poo Poo is pooing on the bathroom floor! On the bright side he is still weeing in a litter box downstairs. As far as this little pony can see cates are a law unto themselves."

"Hansel our goose compadre from Muddy Bottom got a new pond so at least he's happy. For pond read huge shallow sided feed bucket, it's really not fair I want one filled the the brim with yummy food..."

As temperatures rose to 40c, 104f, tempers frayed on the yard. Two ponies colicked after apparently ingesting grass clippings, the owner blamed the yard owner claiming that cutting  grass and not removing clippings was criminal negligence.

Someone called the fire brigade when the yard owner had a bonfire. 

One of the ponies who had colicked came down with laminitis and once again the owner blamed the yard owner for her pony's health problem.

Then to top it all the yard dog was accused of biting someone and reported to the police as a dangerous dog.

Things were getting rather unpleasant ....

August

The RSPCA visited the yard following a complaint about a dog in distress.

The police visited the yard following complaints about goodness only knows what.

In a fit of pique the yard owner declared he'd had enough of liveries, was going to put the place up for sale and that we would all have to leave. The thought of having to move the horses again, after they'd only just settled, was horrible. 

It was a horrible time on the yard, muck destined for the muck heap got dumped in a gateway and left, the sand school gates were locked to prevent access to a certain person, fences were pulled down...

It was so hot that the grass was a scorched savannah.  

And suddenly it was all over, the unhappy owner finally left and peace was restored. The place never did go up for sale.

September

I concussed myself, I'd gone out to feed Hansel the goose in the pouring rain, not looking where I was going I walked straight into a branch that had come down and banged my head. I didn't think anything of it but by tea time I was feeling decidedly sick and unwell. So unwell that next day I asked my son's to do the horses for me.

It actually took me a few days to realize I was concussed, at first I thought I'd caught a bug of some sort but realization slowly dawned when I started getting words muddled up and forgetting what I was doing. Unfortunately I suffered post-concussive syndrome which was to last for several months. 

I'll let Eggsy tell you about the next traumatic experience with another extract from his Ko-Fi diary,

"The next disaster also came in the pouring rain, Mr Boo colicked. He was pawing the ground and going down to roll, eventually refusing to get up and we all thought he was a gonna. The horse's boy and herself sat in a muddy heap trying to comfort him whilst waiting for what seemed like hours for the vet. We horses all stood watching with worried hearts.

The vet thought he was a gonna too and was talking about humane euthanasia on welfare grounds when Mr Boo basically said, "Sod that I'm not ready to pop my clogs yet" and stood up. He had to undergo the indignity of having the vet's arm up his bum and several injections but was given 24 hours reprieve." 

I must add that Mr Boo made a full recovery from that colic episode and is still with us.

October

Miss Darcey Puffle Dog is back at the vets with the mysterious swelling again, she had surgery on the foot a while back and we thought / hoped the problem had been resolved but a couple of months down the line we were back to square one with little idea as to what was wrong with her. This time biopsies were taken, along with one from a spot that had appeared on her ear. The results came back as "trauma" causing the foot to swell and a benign tumor on the ear. More antibiotics.

November

Tina from Guiding Horses made a supa dupa brooch / pin using some of Eggsy Pony's tail hair, that's his hair in the little bottle. She's selling it and some others as a fund raiser for Eggsy, the kindness of some is heartwarming.

(Now sold)

December

And here we are in December all present and correct, Miss Darcey Puffle Dog finally came off her antibiotics and (touch wood) the foot is fine and the benign tumor has simply disappeared. 

Everyone is fine, though the horse's boy did catch covid earlier in the month he has now fully recovered. 

We've had bitterly cold weather with days of hoar frost and frozen ground, we seem to be in the middle of a rainy spell now and everything is mud including the ponies. Here are some photographs from Christmas Day.

So that's Eggsy Pony's year that was 2022. Wonder what 2023 will bring.....

(If you enjoyed the extracts from Eggsy Pony's Diary there are more on his Ko-fi page, some free for all to view others for supporters only, buying him a "coffee" gives you access to them and other supporter only posts)