Marina and Pip enjoying the snow.
Marina and Pip enjoying the snow.
It is only Wednesday but I feel like I’ve walked enough for two weeks. Monday was farrier day. (That is the guy who trims horse feet and puts on their shoes.) We have to plan a day ahead for this event since our horses are outside horses. Sunday was a cold one so the horses got to stay out in the pasture all day. That meant that we had to walk in the six horses that were going to have pedicures so they would be at the barn early in the morning on Monday. Our farrier puts us first on his list. That means he is here as soon as it is light enough to see the bottom of the horse’s hoof. Those six stayed in the paddock just east of our house. Well five of them did. Gary and I were out there before daylight to put the horses in the pens. Remember the temp. on Monday? Something like 7 degrees F. Gary started to get Sheriff, as he was not with the other five. “He’s gone!” Gary shouts. “How could that be?” I replied. “He ducked under the electric wire.” says Gary. “He’s with Nosy. I’ll go get him.” So went the first half-mile hike in the cold for the week. Sure ‘nough, there he was standing in the paddock that was open next to where Nosy and the others were grazing. (Sheriff and Nosy are full siblings; the only ones we have. They are a year apart in age and never met each other till Nosy was about one and a half years old. They immediately became best buds and have remained so ever since.) I got the boy and walked him back to the barn. The farrier was there when I got back. The temperature was probably about 10 by then. I was sweating under all those layers!! Thank goodness the wind was not an issue.
After the farrier left, we again walked out to move the herd to the dry lot where the six newly pedicured ponies rejoined their friends. The wind had picked up by then, no sweating!
That afternoon they were taken back to the pasture. Tuesday a.m. we walked out to the paddock and brought the herd in for the day. Because of the impending snow, four of the horses get to stay in our primitive, inadequate barn. We do this because they have thin hair coats and/or they just don’t handle the cold as well as the others. Cold without wetness doesn’t bother them but wet and cold is not a good combination for these four. After walking those four to the barn, the herd got to go back to the paddock to munch the night away.
It snowed last night as expected, we didn’t get a lot. Just as well from my point of view. I walked the barn horses out to the pasture in two trips. No need to keep them in those cramped quarters since they were nice and dry. It wasn’t nearly as cold this morning but working in any cold with all those clothes and heavy boots is exhausting.
Marina wanted more snow. She spent some time playing with Pip and hiking around in the snow. This snow wasn’t a good one for “Olafs” or snow balls. It isn’t sticking. But when you’re from the warm climes of Spain any snow is a good one.
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