I found it kind of cozy to be riding on polarfleece, but I was nervous my feet would get stuck if I fell off. I was also nervous about falling off cuz he was spooking at snow (everything was white, the color of things that like to GET HIM!) and uh, it was too cold to wear a helmet, I couldn't take off my fuzzy hat. All of these things together, oh, and a loose saddle, could have made for an unfortunate, irresponsible incident, but I got lucky. I also jumped off of him a lot, like when he saw a pack of Alaskan Malamutes appear out of nowhere. He was transfixed. I was on the ground for safety.
I think he had fun today, cuz we visited horsey friends, and when a group of girls walked by, leading/riding thier polarfleeced horses, he nickered a greeting to them. It's been a while since he's talked to strange horses on the trail. That was nice, so I let him follow them. Then they decided to take turns racing up a hill, and Baasha said, "ME TOO, ME TOO!" and I said, "Don't make me get off you!" and he was good.
Some dog walkers were out, and one dog ran across a frozen lake. I laughed as I heard someone say, "Your dog can swim, right?"
The ground was padded with powder snow, and he didn't slip once. I felt so confident, we cantered up a hill, spraying powder behind us. Then it started to snow, big beautiful flakes and it stuck to my fuzzy hat and flannel shirt, and I looked like a snowman on a white snow-covered horse, cuz I got so many strange looks.
Some kids were dragging sleds up the sheep field, and I couldn't resist. I steered Baasha up it and said, "Go for it!" and he dropped his head playfully, and cantered away, with complete 4X4 barefoot traction.
I gave him two warm mashes, cuz I spent the whole day there. There was a little electric heater in the barn, and I sat in front of it every so often. I realized it was just like camping. You're freezing cold, so you stand right next to the fire til you're burning hot. The neighbor invited me in for coffee, and I happily said yes. Then I was truly cozy. Baasha dozed off in his stall.
I put medicine on his cut over his eye, my goodness, look at his swollen eyebrow! He looks pitiful! His eye over there has been icky for a while, but it seems to respond well when I rinse it with saline. If it doesn't get better soon, I'll call the vet. What could cause a gooey eye when there's no dust?Now there's a black polarfleece cooler hanging next to me, I fastened it on our living room/hallway door as if the door were a horse, so it can dry. I almost didn't make it up the hills getting home, scary! But what a wonderful day with Baasha.
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11 comments:
I'm deeply envious of your snowy ride....everything here is thawing, and therefore knee-deep in mud. I'm not even sure I can move my trailer out of its parking spot without getting it stuck in the mud, and might have to skip ANOTHER riding lesson! BAH!
Here's something useful for you: http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa020900a.htm You can make this yourself and if you make it big, it will fit OVER a helmet. Then I won't worry about you crashing in the snow when Baasha sees a monster!
Your ride sounds wonderful! I'm hoping for warmer temps this weekend to take mine out. It's been awhile since I've ridden.
Oh Yes! What a wonderful day :)
I'm glad for you that you enjoyed such a lovely snow ride. Also a little envious, in a good way. Mostly I'm relieved that you came back safe and sound, too.
I hope Baasha's eye gets better soon,
~Lisa
New Mexico, USA
Crazy girl... make the helmet cover Aarene sent you the pattern for, so we won't worry!
I wonder if he got a little eye infection from the cut. If the goop is green, I'd call the vet.
OK, I'll stop being a worry-wart sister. ;)
How was your visit with the neighbor? You finally had coffee with her. :)
Sounds fun riding in the snow. I remember bashing through great drifts in the mountains. That was OK, however the bear tracks made one think!
Back in the 1980's I visited a German stable in winter and was surprised to see a central heating radiator in each box, protected by a steel grille. That was in the DDR too. Yes, things are well organised in Germany.
Becky, it's not green, it's just normal looking goo, but it worries me. It also makes me wonder how often this occurred in the past, but I just wasn't there often enough to notice. I'll keep on with the saline, and call a vet if it doesn't clear up soon. It was in both eyes a few weeks ago, but the saline fixed the other eye. The cut is new this week, the gooey eye is not. I worry...One of the other horses has it too, so I hope it's just an environmental reaction. I had to defrost the saline solution on the space heater yesterday, it was a frozen block. After it was good and warm, I could finally use it. I think he prefers it warm.
WHP - Heaters in a barn? Oh dear. I can't see how that would be necessary outside of antarctica. Horses seem to prefer the cold to the heat. As a human, I have never experienced this level of cold, and I'm always a little surprised to find my horse alive whenever I visit him. Spring will never have felt so welcome.
~lytha in -6 Wuppertal
Becky, Oh, the neighbor, I forgot to say, it wasn't the "leaf nazi" from before, no, she's been sequestered in her cozy home nonstop since the chill hit. It was the Barn Owner's mom, who lives in a little add-on apartment to her home. We've been asking her for water lately. I was hoping she'd offer me tea of coffee, and she finally did. I talked and talked, telling her how I got married here in March on the Schwebebahn, and how my mom LOVES KOELN! and got on the RTL network. She told me about how the streetcars used to run, but no longer, who knows why. She has Alzheimers, so it was interesting for me to visit with her, and wonder what parts she'd retain. She also pointed to her birdfeeders, full of seeds in heavy snow, and told me the names of some German birds. My feet were dripping on her floor the whole time, but she says, every time, "It's only water." : ) I always say, "I hope!"
Ya know what, she served me instant coffee. What wonders abound!
Becky, sorry, one more thing, but the morning caretaker (the lady who feeds mornings) always dotes on Baasha, giving him "leckerlis" (little horse treats that people buy) and she puts her finger up to his eye and removes the goo that way. I'm like, uh, I'm his mom but I need a kleenex! I could never do that. You could.
So you got married on the Schwebebahn. I guess that you were happy to hang around. (Now you will have to tell readers what he Schwebebahn is. There is that historic tale about the elephant too!)
Perhaps you shouldn't actually call your neighbour a "leaf nazi"! Not in Germany.
Sounds like a fun ride. I have been wanted to head out in the snow, but we don't have the "powdery" stuff...it just compacts in the shoes. I am jealous of that canter up the hill with the snow flying behind you:-)
WHP - I know not to use the "n" word in Germany, except to my man when referring to that analretentive neighbor.
I will miss the Schwebebahn! (For Americans reading this, it's the city's famous hanging train - kind of like a monorail that hangs from its tracks above the river that runs through the city.) The Schwebebahn is something special, I really enjoyed using it every morning to get to school (language school). I was the only person in the morning commute with a travel mug of coffee in my hand every day. Travel mugs are just not quite here yet.
Getting married in the old kaiser wagen was something special. I can hear the kaiser wagen when it goes by, very faint squealing wheels, because it's over 100 years old and has a particular sound to it in the valley. I'll miss that sound. I'm moving to the country, where there will a new set of sounds, none of them city-like; ) woo!
Photogchic - This snow is really different for me. It's so powdery. I keep eating it, cuz it's just fluff. There is NO ice at all on the roads, just snow. It's too cold to melt, so it is quite safe to drive. Just intimidating sometimes for me. I'm learning! I'll be so glad when it's gone. Give me some nice flooding now please: )
I was at a wedding party last night, and a lady said "So, I hear there's some flooding goin on in Seattle." I said, "So I hear. Wow, you are well-informed!"
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