Winter in Humboldt County is marked by wind and rain, two obstacles to happy horse ownership. Although horses are basically cold weather animals, they prefer dry conditions. Their feet and joints don't like too much dampness. So winter here means moving horses to dry spots when possible, putting them in stalls at night to allow their fur to dry out, and then putting them in pens during the day so they can breathe fresh air and stretch their stiff legs from sleeping in a stall all night. Unlike some horses who benefit from a blanket to keep out the cold and wet, Cleo goes uncovered twelve months a year. She has thick, almost long, fuzzy fur all over her body; she looks like a stuffed animal. Her fur serves as an insulator against the cold, but she waits impatiently at the gate to come in at night for her evening meal.
Tuesday, we had a great lesson, but we were both exhausted at the end. We practiced leg yields at the wallk and trot, counter leg yields at the walk and trot, and lots of circles at the trot. That afternoon when I went to bring her in, she appeared stiff and her fetlocks (ankles) seemed swollen. By the next morning, they were visibly 'stocked up.' I fretted all day while at work, but by the evening, they were back to normal as they were this morning even after a night in the stall during a pounding rain storm that managed to keep me awake, and I don't have a metal roof over my head! Horses, like children, require daily attention and concern. That's why I love having them--they require that I get outdoors and think less about myself.
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