Friday, December 3, 2010

Winter blahs

Oh, here we go again, the delightful period when all I can manage to write about is:
1. The early dark
2. The unending mud and
3. My inability to ride often because of 1 and 2.

Frustration sets in quickly and I begin to question more often, wondering if I really am a crazy person for wanting to keep my horses at home where I have no indoor arena and am constantly at the mercy of the weather.

Then, the ground freezes during the weekend, the sun comes out, the horses aren't plastered with mud and I can ride in the brisk, bright sun on a snorting, prancing, full-of-vim-and-vigor horse.

And life is good again.

Until the ground thaws, the horses take mud baths and I'm slogging through muck in the cold dark while cursing the winter solstice, frozen fingers and mud-caked boots.

But the hay shed is full, the horses are fuzzy and the tank heaters working. I'll get through another miserable winter, endlessly craving those seemingly scarce days when I can ride, finding contentment in simply burying my face in the warm, fuzzy neck of Gabe while he slobbers through his warm evening meal, dribbling some of it down my neck or across my back as he returns my affection with sticky, wet horse kisses.

13 comments:

  1. Fuzzy horses in winter - now that's a nice thing!

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  2. I hear you...the dark is definately depressing. We don't have mud but lots of wind and cold, cold, cold. Monday was 30mph winds - windchill 10. Nice. Winter solstice is coming!

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  3. The early dark really gets to me. I can't seem to keep up with everything, not to mention wanting more horse time :)

    Warm fuzzy horses do make it a lot better though - who cares about hot mash goobers on your clothes?!

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  4. Less than three weeks til the solstice! The best day of the year.

    The sun goes behind the mountains at something like 3:40 in December in Reno. I totally feel your pain. Let's all move to Costa Rica with our horses!

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  5. Ugh... mud.
    We have stupid amounts of snow here in Scotland atm... way more than usual, hay situation is always on a knife egde as farmers only make big round bales up here and we only have stotage for one at a time... 10 days worth :(
    Waiting for a lotto win so I can buy a BIIIIIIIGGGG hay barn!

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  6. Dream seems to thrive on mud baths. I think he's finally had his last until Spring.

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  7. Only 15 days until the solstice. I'm counting them down. Longer days can't come soon enough.

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  8. Hence the name! Sweet Slobbering horse~
    Hang in for those rare days of solid grounds, and the hope of longer days ahead...In this season of looking at the horses!

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  9. Tomorrow.... begins the trend in lighter days! Hang in, love on those wonderful horses...kiss the family.
    Merry Christmas!

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  10. I heard someone say that we must be having a good winter because all they can talk about on the news is LAST winter! And it was a doozy. It hasn't been too bad yet this year & I am thankful for that - but still the 2 terrible months to go....

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  11. Boy do I hear you! Urgh. Mud, rain, cold.. no frozen ground here, though, so I guess I'll count my blessings.

    Longer days are now officially here, though, right?

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  12. Me again....just sending you and yours a New Years Wish...I wish you warmer, lighter, dryer,fun -family and horse times dreams...if not now-soon!

    xo
    KK
    Happy New Years blessings

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  13. We'll all get through the winter if we stick together.

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