Prodney’s Blog: Taking Polly under my withers

I’m spending my summer in what Natalie rather rudely refers to as the ‘oldies’ field’, currently in the company of Mini, Barney, Rusty, Black Jack and Jay, all of us now getting a bit long in the tooth and enjoying a quiet life after many years of service with Park Lane Stables.

Don’t get me wrong, we love a good run, and an energetic roll in the mud is a great cardio workout too, but we’re far too mellow to do any scrapping (what’s the point of that?) and our favourite activities are grazing and snoozing. We’ll be wearing slippers next ...

Natalie asked me recently if I could take Polly under my withers and show her the ropes. Of course I take my roles of Herd Leader and Chief Equine Officer seriously and know how important it is that I pass on my wisdom to these youngsters.

I can’t quite believe how small and round Polly is. At her height she must still be a foal, what was her mother feeding her, cheese? I may have my work cut out trying to turn her into a fine athletic specimen like me, but I do love a challenge. She’s surprisingly opinionated for one so young, but I have to admit I’m getting quite fond of her too. She definitely looks up to me – though now I come to think of it, she has to.

Polly the Shetland looks back at Prodney for approval

Our friendships and mentorships within the herd are very important to us, and you can see Polly’s grateful to me, watching me carefully, following me to the juiciest grass or to the water trough. Mutual grooming is an important part of the deal, too, but although Polly clearly gets the idea I’m definitely missing out at the moment as she’s only 2 feet tall. Frankly this isn’t much good to me when I need my back scratching. Maybe I could steal a mounting block from somewhere and train Polly to climb it?

Prodney is Chief Equine Officer (CEO) at Park Lane Stables, and achieved celebrity status following the TV coverage in 2021.