The gypsy ponies are doing well, fat and sleek in the sun, their foals play and joust round the old leat. I counted about 18 ponies, the picture sequence shows the first mum charging down the field for a drink, the second are the two foals pawing the water, and the third well I think that is the stallion at the back, but not the old one.
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| This is the old stallion from 2009 |
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| Peaceful old Chelmer river |
The foals are gorgeous. I bet they're Dartmoor size at the age of a few weeks!
ReplyDeleteI shall have to take a stroll along the river where I spent all my childhood. Seeing your picture made me realise how long it has been. On Saturday I went to Maldon and went out walking with my brother and sister.in.law to Beeleigh falls aother place we use to be taken as children. It was lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it with us.
Hi Em, Yes they are heavyweights,Jennie knows something about them I think.They are kept on about 50 acres of water meadow and do well on the grass. Not sure what they are bred for, and perhaps don't want to guess but they are a happy bunch and very good round people, though their manes and tails are covered in thistle burrs.
ReplyDeleteHi Paula, Yes the river is very beautiful at the moment, full of fish as well by the old mill and those underwater lily leaves that look rather creepy. We have been to Beeleigh once, it is where the Blackwater and Chelmer rivers meet I think, and it had a priory if I remember.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos Thelma - you've nearly sold Chelmsford to me! The mares and foals do look well. We get lots like that here in Wales - the stallion goes back to Shire crosses - here they were called "Colliers" because they were bred specifically to work at the Pit Heads, hauling coal. Looking at the stallion, if it's the one in the field behind the mares and foals, it could be the same one, but his mane dresses to the other side of his neck (unless it goes both sides!) If you could get a photo of his head showing his blaze, that would give a better ID. The bigger photo of the stallion shows him croup-high too - hard to see in the far off photo, and he may have grown into that by now.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennie, you are probably right, the ponies are sort of a hybrid between a shire horse and a pony. Wouldn't mind one to pull a cart for trips out, of course we would be very slow in traffic but there again the cost of petrol might get more people.
ReplyDeleteYou would not like Chelmsford,no auctions or car boot sales filled with lovely old things ;)