boarding school 2015

What a difference a day makes. The wind is howling and the temps are in the 20s. Way too cold for me, not to mention unbundling the horse and having him trot around with no cover. So, it was al cleaning and making sure the kids had plenty of hay. They seemed happy enough even if I was miserable.

We appear to be on the rollercoaster for weather here too. Every other day it warms up a bit so it can snow, then gets tooo darned cold the next.

At least the kids were happy. Just remember, spring is only about 6 weeks away.

The tree buds are getting fat. The horses will be so happy to be able to ditch blankets and roll. The shedding has started. Once it gets warm, it will be crazy by the end of March.

I can only hope it starts getting warm in March.....

By the time the shedding is halfway done the birds will be using that hair to soften nests.

Yesterday and today are downright springlike. No blankets or sheets, and both horses ROLLED. Kina is ready to get rid of her fluffy winter hair. She isn't shedding bad yet, but when she does, there will be enough to build a mini horse.

Yesterday was farrier day. I'm so lucky that my farrier has another client just 4 miles from boarding school. So, they got their feet done, and are happier. I didn't ride yesterday because I wanted to give them a day to get used to the new trims/shoes. Hopefully, Kina will be more comfortable. She's had some funny stuff going on with her right front when I ride. I'm hoping it was just long toes.

Did the farrier say anything to you about her feet? Just wondering. Hope she's feeling better now with new shoes.

He said everything looks good and she seems sound. I wonder if it's something about the way I'm riding. It could be... I'm fat and out of shape!

Would the trainer give you some constructive critique about your riding style?

She would. I have issues with position (as do all riders). Everyone who rides can use tips on their position and basics.

I rode Kina today before the awful weather got here. She was fine. I think maybe the problem was that she had to wait an extra week for the farrier. Since we moved her to another part of his area, he had to change their schedule. But, all was fine today, and we had a great ride. Lots of fun with trot exercises. I was thinking about cantering, but I was having too much fun with working on all the trot stuff. Maybe after the howling wind goes away, we'll work on more things.

No riding today. The wind was insane. The horses would have been fine in the indoor, but I was jumping at the branches blowing out of the trees. It wouldn't have been a fun ride with me on edge. So, I cleaned, had a cup of coffee with my friend, and then fed and came home.

The horses are as ready as they can be for the winter storm that is supposedly coming. It's supposed to snow like crazy. I was hoping we'd make it through the winter without any white stuff, but it looks like our luck has run out. They have their heavy blankets on, a new bag of food, and hay all stacked up in the little food room attached to Envoy's stall. Fingers crossed that roads don't get too bad.

***fingers crossed*** Hoping that the storm blows over quickly.....

They probably look like walking igloos now. When I left earlier this afternoon, the snow was already sticking to their blankets and hoods. Their hay is in the stalls, so hopefully, they'll ride out the worst inside.

Trying to picture that......

I remember some years ago when we got 10 1/2" of wet heavy snow while I was at work....literally coming at you sideways, and sticking to everything including me.  I DID look like a walking snowman.  

How bad did it get there? I saw the ice Kentucky got......and a woman resorting to a kitchen spatula to clear her car windows.

We got about 6 inches of powdery snow. It was so cold that it couldn't get wet and heavy. We're supposed to get stupidly cold for the next few days, and then warm up on the weekend.

My friend sent me pictures of both horses in her stalls. Kina was sound asleep and Envoy was munching hay. I didn't go there today because the roads were pretty bad. I hope they're better tomorrow. I saw plows today, so there's a possibility.

By tomorrow it should be okay to drive, but still cold. Just be careful on bridges and overpasses. Maybe you can't ride but I bet the kids would love to see you anyway. Petting, scritchies, and hugs work wonders!

We got a dusting of snow but the cold temps are just insane. And it gets worse tomorrow....

The horses were happy to see me, but the driving was TERRIBLE. I tried to crash on black ice. Unsuccessful, thank goodness. Envoy actually sniffed all over me. I guess he really missed me. Kina wouldn't stay in her stall unless I stood with her. I think they might actually want to come home. April...

I bet they could smell the residue of stress and fear from that dangerous drive and Envoy was seeing for himself that you were okay. Sounds like they both miss you a LOT! More than ready to come home even though it's still cold.

They were mischief makers today. Envoy got the board off his stall, and got his gate open. He got banished to the lower pasture with Kina so they could romp in the snow. Fortunately, the repair was pretty easy.

It's so cold that I can't clean paddocks. The poo is frozen to the snow. Horrible!

OhGoodLord......that is cold. **we really need a shivering icon**

Cooped up kids will come up with mischief to kill the boredom.

It's warmer, raining, and foggy today. The fog is coming off the melting snow. Purely miserable. But, since it's warm enough, I will be picking up soggy paddocks today. Yippee? I hope I can ride too. The indoor is nice and dry. But, in real cold weather, the footing can freeze, so we don't ride.

The rain stopped, and I got to take blankets of the kids. They were very happy to be naked for the afternoon. I rode Envoy. Walk only. His back fetlocks (ankles) were swollen. It's probably from slipping on all the ice an distending on uneven, frozen ground. He was comfortable enough at the walk. I put him on the long line, and he was rushed at the trot and hopped into the canter going to the right. That's what he was doing before his stifles were injected. I hope he didn't reinsure himself on the slippery ground.

So do I.

Hope the weather warms up soon!

BRRR! Not today. I rode Kina, but it was really cold. We kept it slow because I didn't want her to get sweaty. I was going to put her blanket back on, and you can't do that on a sweaty horse. They get really chilled. She's so fuzzy that it would take about a year for her to dry all the way. So, we worked on loosening up her joints and some lateral work.

Envoy seems happy enough. His paddock melted yesterday, so he has better ground to stand on. Unfortunately, the mud will freeze tonight, and might not thaw out tomorrow.

Spring can't come soon enough!