Tiger's first rosette

Teeny Tiny Tiger won his first rosette yesterday. OK not so impressive as it was just at Smem’s school fete. And it was in the dog show - for obedience!

He probably only won it because, when asked what he could do, Smem thought about it for a bit then replied, “he can roll over”. And then he didn’t retaliate or run away when another competitor started barking at him, he just got down and had a roll. I don’t think she said anything specific about him rolling over on command!

He was actually there for a competition “Guess the name of the pony”. Don’t worry. No cheating was involved. They changed his name for the day. I thought “Guess the weight of the pony” would have been better. (He’s a bit chunky at the moment – we’re not allowed to use the ‘f’ word). Ra suggested “Guess the number of sweets in the pony” but I said that would be too expensive. Anyway I don’t think Tiger likes sweets.

And if you’re wondering what breed of dog Tiger is, don’t worry, you’re not going mad. He’s a miniature (very miniature) Shetland pony. He stands just 7 hands high. That's 28” at the shoulder in real money. Usual questions on people seeing Tiger for the first time are “Is he a baby?”. Response – no, he’s about 7 years old. “Will he get any bigger?”. No, he’s fully grown.

Other answers include – no, he doesn’t know he’s so little. He thinks he’s a normal sized horse. Yes, he might bite. No, he doesn’t go in the car. He travels in a horse box like any other self-respecting horse.

He was an absolute star at the fete. He got a bit excited when he saw the ponies who were there to give pony rides and tried to dig his way out of his pen but he calmed down eventually and was a little lamb when Smem took him for a walk around.

The little chap doesn’t get a great deal of human contact because his job is to look after the sheep, but it seems to make no difference (no, seriously, he herds the sheep). He can be a bit wary of people when he’s loose but as soon as you catch him he’s fine. In fact this was probably the first time he’d had a proper bridle on - he is halter trained but usually manages to go wherever he feels like when you try to lead him. The bridle was one of my ebay bargains. I got it a few months ago but hadn’t had the chance to try it out. Tiger must have had it put on and taken off about 5 times yesterday and hardly minded at all. I’m not keen on the bit though. It’s too rigid for his little cheeks. I think a snaffle would be more comfy for his tiny mouth.

Off to the tack shop for me then. These horses cost me a fortune and none of them are actually mine!