Pictures The Adventures of Cousin It!

Ok I went for the middle ground.
It was quick and agricultural and he has more lines than a shorthand notebook 🙈 but he was actively sweating while I was doing it, so I accepted today would not be the day for perfection!
I also tried the little listers on him and the universe laughed at my foolishness! 😂
So had to bring out the meaty heinigers which don't actually fit between his front legs 😳

So before....
Looking at these again, I'll admit, he looks like a fat grubby gremlin.

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Sealine said:
He is now super cute AND super smart 😍 Whenever I see a shetland being clipped I wonder if anyone has tried turning them over like a sheep for shearing :p
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Not this time I didn't... but it has been known!

I usually trim his feet when he's lying down too, it's much easier to roll him over on to his back and straddle him and work at a reasonable height than get down underneath him and keep banging the rasp on the floor 🙈
 
angel7 said:
I've just cried at Michens update and now I've laughter so much a bit of wee came out!
OMG that why we have horses. The love and laughs and joy and heartbreak they give us.
Hug the pony for me.
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Hairy little roller coasters aren't they ❤️

I'm just walking up the field to grab him in for a walk so he will be thoroughly hugged! 🥰
 
Never one to miss an opportunity to add a little more chaos to the universe, yesterday evening Cousin It decided he must gate crash his Big Brothers lunge.

It started off rather pleasingly!
Wee man was cantering round on the outside happily self exercising, and I thought this could well be a fabulous time saver for the future 😁

My second thought a few minutes later, was that the sneaky beast been regularly fibbing to me about his terrible exhaustion after walking and trotting short distances in hand. He was still merrily cantering round at tb trot speed showing absolutely zero signs of fatigue or diminished enthusiasm!

And then rather inevitably I suppose, he got bored.
He decided the real goal of the game was to play traffic chicken, by weaving repeatedly into the path of the horse that's more than 6 times his body weight, then bucking up his nose. 🙈

Big Brother tolerated it far longer than I would have given him credit for!
But after a few pointed shoves that were gleefully ignored, he resorted to a firm application of teeth to hairy ginger backside.
This produced a startling squeal of indignation which spooked Big Brother into doing a few laps resembling a yak on crack, while Cousin It removed himself to a corner to sulk dramatically. 😂


The phase of optimism!
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The trip hazard in action, seconds before deployment of teeth 🙈
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ElleSkywalker said:
Little stinker 🤭 I was hopeful for Snowy It pictures but Cheeky It is just as welcome 🤗🤗🤗
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We didn't have any!
Well a few pathetic flakes but it just looked like a hard frost 😕

Request duly noted for when the weather cooperates!

If proper snow he will also require jingle bells and a sled though... 🤔
My afternoon will now be spent online shopping for bells 🙈
 
I obviously have too much time on my hands, am too besotted with Cousin It and am really going to show my age now by asking: does anyone remember the dressage rider Tanya Larrigan back in the 70's/80's? Tanya came from a circus background and when she stopped competing she trained up a group of mini horses, nicknamed the mini marvels. These ponies visited schools and hospitals but also did long reining displays, including all the advanced movements. I can't for the life of me remember where it was, let alone find anything on YouTube, but one thing that I will remember forever is seeing Jennie Loriston-Clarke with Dutch Courage/Gold (??) and Tanya with one of her minis doing a long reining pas de deux incorporating all the GP movements. It was a real sight to behold.

Something for Cousin It to aspire to?? :)

PS If anyone can find a video of the performance I would be eternally grateful.
 
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The Mini Marvels is a blast from the past! I had a quick look and found these:

A short video of one of Tanya's shetland long-reining displays from 2008 (the clip is at the beginning but the whole video is quite fun, but looks alarmingly old now!):


This very short clip shows three of them being long-reined in a display at a county show a few years ago.


A montage of stills from from 2010 (starts at 1min18secs):


Cousin It looks ready to take on the challenge with his smart new haircut :)
 
SilverLinings said:
The Mini Marvels is a blast from the past! I had a quick look and found these:

A short video of one of Tanya's shetland long-reining displays from 2008 (the clip is at the beginning but the whole video is quite fun, but looks alarmingly old now!):


This very short clip shows three of them being long-reined in a display at a county show a few years ago.


A montage of stills from from 2010 (starts at 1min18secs):


Cousin It looks ready to take on the challenge with his smart new haircut :)
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Oh I remember the Mini Marvels 😃
 
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