Waiting for more daylight

I am SO excited! Do you know what next week is?

Dec. 21 is the winter solstice...which means Dec. 22 will have one more minute of daylight than the previous day...and slowly but surely we'll see more and more sunlight every day until summer. More daylight! YAY!

That just makes me so happy. I'm so tired of feeding my horses in the dark in the morning and at night, never able to ride because it's either A) Dark or B) Muddy. As in really, really muddy. The mud has been absolutely ridiculous this year. One of my goals was to have lights up in the riding arena before the Dark Months this year, but that didn't happen. Of course, it probably wouldn't have mattered if I had lights this year any way, it's been so muddy riding in the arena would be a disaster. Add to the mud all the mole tunnels (the poison DID NOT work, by the way) and it's a broken leg waiting to happen. Ugh. Needless to say, I don't get much riding/training done during the winter.

I've put Gabe back on the long reins a few times, but the mud is so bad it's kind of unfair to ask him to do much in it and he just ends up slipping and sliding all over the place.

Sometimes I wonder why I keep my beasties at home instead of at a nice barn with an indoor arena somewhere where I can ride through these dark, cold months.

Then I look outside and see them playing or sleeping or running and remember how very happy they are in their little herd living on my little piece of heaven and I know why I have them at home.

I'd have it no other way.

PDAs

The boys like to pretend they can't stand each other. When they know you're watching, Chief pins his ears at Gabe and Gabe tucks tail and runs.

But when they don't realize you're watching...


They are makin' kissy faces at each other. Silly boys!

*smoochy smoochy smoochy!*



Uh oh! She's watching us! Quick, run away!



(Please ignore the muddiness that is my horses. No matter how many times I groom them clean, they are back out there grinding it in again.)