Bertie.

The Fells are all very settled now and go out in the fields during the day. They are all good to lead and very amenable. They jump a little when you touch their hind quarters but none of them has ever shown the slightest sign of even thinking about kicking.

The 6yo (who I have now started to call Bertie as that's what his breeder called him and he does know his name) is blossoming and becoming more confident everyday. He was the most nervous and was hard to catch but he now has a friend to set him a good example.

Bertie reminds me a lot of my old beloved pony, Ben. Ben was a surrogate parent to Russell, the chestnut I bred, and helped bring him up. I hoped Bertie might remind Russell of Ben a little too.

Bertie was never turned out much at the stud as he would jump 4ft fences. He once got in with his previous owner's other stallion and they nearly killed each other.

I noticed that he is very nervous of other horses and tried turning Russell out with him and it's been a great success. He comes with Russell to be caught at night and to see visitors. Russell seems to like the responsibility too.

Here are some photos of Bertie on his first day out in the field.