more cold in the a.m.

We had a respite here the past two days, and I had a revelation. 45 is almost tropical after 8.

This morning it's 22 and I'm already thinking of the stiff fingers and difficult to open plastic buckets of vitamins/minerals and flax that face me in the feed room.

I was thinking, though, that while there is a moment of dread over bundling up to go out into the cold, once there something changes and it becomes magical. There is something almost physiologically good about weather extremes.

In this intense (for us here in the south) cold, there's a purity of air and breath and thought that happens when I stand outside. My head clears, and my airways, and suddenly I can feel my body in a way I don't feel it when the air is warmer.

It's hard to imagine the heat of summer in this moment, but that opposite extreme has its own visceral sensations: heaviness, sweat, the feeling of almost melting into the heat and humidity.

The extremes defy distraction. They force us to be present and aware.

Which makes me think how much we lose when we buffer ourselves so successfully against the season's changes and extremes. How whole and complete we might be if we followed the wheel of the year and actually participated in its turning.

a couple of shots from weymouth

These were the ones that managed to get snapped before the battery died.

This pair of painted ponies at the barn kept me from missing my horses too much. I went down each day and said hello to them. They are stunning here but even more so pulling a carriage!



This was my desk this trip. I did very little work there; instead, I set myself up in the chair across the room with my feet resting on a folded comforter. It worked well. It was nice to have the desk set up, though, and my horse helped.

very cold

Last night we hit 8 degrees Fahrenheit. I went out this morning at 9 to feed and it was 14 degrees.

The horses came in for their feed same as usual, and licked the tubs clean. I hauled some hot water from the house to add to their water buckets so they could drink cold water as opposed to icy water. The troughs out in the paddocks were frozen solid on top, so I cleared the main one and will let the sunshine help out with the other two.

They are in the front field now with a bale of hay spread in piles in the sunniest spots, and will keep blankets on until it gets to the high temp for today, near 40. I like to give them a break from the blankets.

There will be no riding today, that's for sure.

lesson

I had a 2-hour riding lesson with Keil Bay today. We're focusing on forward motion, impulsion, and softness. I need to do less of the work, and he needs to have more fun.

We did lots of baby steps toward these goals. By the end of the lesson he was softening to the bit with the tiniest squeeze of my little finger and we ended with a sitting trot that was quite lovely and relaxed. He's moving well and my head was so clear when I led him into the barn to untack.

He got peppermints and I drank a water bottle. We were both happy as could be.

rainy day in january

We didn't get much snow at all, if any. There was sleet and icy rain and now just cold rain. The horses are in and out of the stalls, not really wanting to go out, but needing a break from standing still. Fortunately they all have paddocks to march around in. Later when the rain breaks I'll give them a turn in the arena to get some energy out.

I've been out several times today to keep the stalls mucked and make sure they have fresh hay and clean water, and each time I go out they each get a turn in the barn aisle where they can walk around and get rubbed. I decided to take their blankets off since they're staying in. Inside the barn, with lots of hay to munch, it stays plenty warm for them.

I'm very relieved today because Keil Bay broke out in hives yesterday afternoon. After consulting with the vet, since he didn't seem uncomfortable, we opted to give it a day with no intervention. I'd started a new vitamin/mineral supplement on Monday, so I've discontinued that for him for a week to let things settle down before trying it again. This morning the hives were gone, thankfully. I hope it was simply a weed in the hay or a bit of something in the field that didn't agree with him.

Tomorrow it warms up and we'll have some sun for our riding lessons.


*******


Around 4, I went out to the barn and got the horses back in their blankets so I could give them some play time in the arena. I've learned from past experience to put the blankets on first if it's cold, because the first thing Cody and Salina do is roll in the arena footing. They end up looking like gray ghosts and have to be cleaned up before bedtime blanketing. Much easier to blanket first and let them roll in the blankets, which can simply be dusted off.

They came marching out of their stalls when they realized I was opening the gate into the arena, and trotted one by one through the paddock and then the gate. I used the time to muck stalls again, refill water buckets, and set up their hay in the mangers.

In between I took breaks to watch them play. Keil Bay was just full of himself, and I was very happy to see that not only was he doing his huge, floating trot, but some nice big cantering as well, and landing on his heels. Even Salina was trotting around, although once she'd stretched her legs, she retreated to a safe spot and watched while the boys went wild.

Rearing and bucking and running, spinning and pawing and play-nipping. They were at it for nearly an hour.

Once they were done, they filed out of the arena and back to the barn. It's amazing how methodical they are.