It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like....

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow


Ok, first things first: I’ve been singing Christmas carols since the first snow started falling and I won’t apologize for it. I blame my upbringing. I mean, Texas doesn’t really get snow, so I’ve long since been conditioned to equate snow with Christmas movies (thanks, Dad). Either way, don’t judge!

(Baby, it’s cold outside…)

Alright. Main event. Yesterday the snow started lightly falling around two. The area had ice in the forecast, so I went out to the barn to make sure that all of the ponies were nice and snug, and bring Chantilly her new blanket-unfortunately her midweight hasn’t arrived yet, so she’s in her heavy weight. Good thing I brought it out though, since out of the 20 horses on the place there were two that couldn’t hang when the snow started.

RC and Chantilly.


Why don't the ponies like me?

I think Chantilly would have been ok except that she’s turned out in the pony pen, and the little appy ponies wouldn’t let her in the shelter. Then again, she has even less of a winter coat than RC, and way less than Delight, so blanketing it is! Also, she’s so happy in a blanket.

(Chestnuts roast on an open fire...)

RC had to be brought in from turnout before I got there since he was shivering in his midweight blanket when it started snowing. What a wimp. When I got there his neck was wet with melted snow, but he was happily chowing down on hay. Today we’ll try the heavyweight, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll add his hood. Really, this horse is already an embarrassment. What’s one more layer?



Oh, that pony gets to go in first?!?!


Delight was the only one of the three unperturbed by the snow. She gets wicked jealous when I get Chantilly and RC before her, but the cold was not bothering her. Though she worked second in my rotation yesterday, so she was somewhat mollified (and she’s the one who breaks a sweat, so needs to be in a sheet to dry off before she’s done).

No, that's ok. I don't mind. Really....



Riding wise, Chantilly had another good day. She’s going to be a fun little horse, even if she’s still a little wide eyed at some of the shenanigans happening at my barn. Delight was less naughty than yesterday, but she needs a lot more work. I think she’s ready to work harder than I was expecting. It’s an eye-opener riding her right after Chantilly. Oh, maybe Delight isn’t the young green horse that I keep thinking she is. RC was last in my rotation because he felt NWR yesterday at the trot (what little of it we did), he isn’t a priority. Which is a mistake, because that horse makes me smile like the two ponies can’t (yet). Since it was cold and I had already ridden three other horses (I did a tune up on a boarder’s horse), I opted to go bareback, and just walk RC around for a while. And he was amazing. We did our little QH jog and even some of our western horse lope around the arena. Riding that horse just makes me smile- and bonus: the advice giving mother think that I’m the most talented thing since Pat Parelli (cringe) because I can do everything bareback that I can do in a saddle on RC (yeah, NEVER riding the ponies bareback. At least not til they’re in their teens).

Evidently I live in a gingerbread house...

The down side of all this snow: I have a 100 yard driveway and no snowblower. Just me and the shovel this morning, humming christmas carols under my breath with the poodles romping about in the snow, sans blankets because they were so excited about being outside in this new white stuff.  When I was nearly done, I was politely informed by the school bus driver this morning that it's simply not done to shovel a driveway for this little bit of snow unless one drives a Smart Car or go-Kart (maybe not that exact phrasing). Oops. First winter faux pas.



That tennisball is harder to find in the snow...