Although I do enjoy going to the various country shows during the summer months I have never been brave enough to take any of my own livestock. This is mainly due to the fact that very few of my animals know how to behave themselves in public!

Don’t get me wrong, they are very tame, or at least the majority of them are, with sheep coming to their name and wagging their tails like dogs and donkeys pushing each other aside in order to get the first hugs and tummy tickles, however when it comes to conforming they just seem to have their own agenda and, if they aren’t in the mood, then it simply isn’t going to happen!

Take the ponies for example. Chieftain and Jo-Jo can be adorable - when they want to - but, in equal measures, they can be an absolute nightmare. You only have to talk to my vet to have this confirmed when it took him two days to get close enough to sedate Chieftain simply to be able to check his teeth!

So, it is for this reason that I leave my own animals at home when I enjoy a day out at the country shows. That is not to say that we don’t enjoy our own entertainment on the smallholding.

I have the luxury of being able to spend most of my time with the animals and I must admit the the more time I spend with them, the more they appear to crave it, with the donkeys braying loudly when I have the audacity to leave their paddock and spend some time with the goats, the pigs or the sheep.

I try to spend as much individual time as I can with all the animals so that, each in their turn, get the required stimulation and attention they need and deserve. Grooming is an essential way to get close to the animals and the donkeys in particular enjoy this particular pastime.

I also try to think of new ways to keep them all entertained so that each animal is suitably stimulated. With the donkeys this might be a little training exercise involving lead ropes or mini jumps and with the ponies it usually ends up with me unsuccessfully trying to catch them but safe in the knowledge that they have probably run a marathon in the process and, as such, have managed a good daily dose of exercise whilst running me ragged!

The sheep are incredibly friendly and will often come running up for a cuddle especially if they see a feed bucket. Unfortunately, the Valais Blacknose sheep that I keep have huge horns which they sometimes forget they have hence the number of bruises I have along my arms and legs!

I am incredibly lucky to have such a variety of animals that I keep as pets and although it can be hard work and very expensive, the joy they give me far outweighs anything I have to do for them and this is something I remind myself of every day. It is very important to ‘enjoy’ animals rather than simply ‘care’ for them. This doesn’t matter whether you have a cat, a dog or, like me a whole menagerie of animals. It is the time you spend with them, having fun and enjoying their antics that is just as important as the time you spend feeding and looking after them.

Animals teach us to slow down and enjoy life which is probably one of the most important lessons in life.


You can find Allison on Instagram countryliving_writer or visit her website here