Oh my goodness, it is cold outside. But I am actually thankful that it is this cold, with squeeky, crunchy powder snow everywhere because if it were the usual Cascade Concrete, then the horses would be stuck in the stalls til it melted. This super fine stuff allows us to turn the horses out for a few hours during the day, where Seattle Sludge balls up in their feet and makes dangerous ankle bruising hooves. Cricket has been making a habit of snoozing in the snow, making little belly dents in her paddock and Maverick is efficiently nuzzling his way down to edible grass and proving that Mustang’s are more resourceful than warmbloods.

I am so used to our horses getting 14 or so hours of turnout every day, that I forget perhaps this is a more “normal” schedule for a big barn to keep. Kat (new working student from KY) has come here straight from a fancy, schmancy hunter barn where every horse got 1 hour turnout daily. And turnout with 4 polos on, 4 bell boots, fly masks and sheets! The horses are ridden at most for 20 minutes and the rest of the time they spend in their stalls. I cant help but think that while I know they get great care, feed and training at that barn, how much would I want to be a horse there? Yet, most sport horses in Europe never get turnout at all. I remember Jules Nissen telling me once that the last time a young Dutch horse is wooly and dirty is the last day before he tries the bit and saddle on for the first time as a 2 year old. After that, it is a life of indoor arenas and hand walking. Are these horses healthy? Yes, of course, and they are very loved, Im sure. But still, I wouldnt want to be one of them.

I will continue to nurse the nicks, bruises, wash dirty tails and look for lost shoes that happen here at the farm that all result from our turnout schedule. I think its a small price to pay for the endless hours of relaxation, playtime and grazing that our horses get in exchange for working so hard for us.

Its been close to half a year since I saw Jen, and I was hoping that it would snow so hard yesterday that she had to stay another day! The morning rides were beautiful with the backdrop of snow flurries coming down. But by afternoon it was just plain ole clear and cold. As usual, Jen rocks. She taught 11 of us yesterday and everyone that I watched left the arena with huge smiles and some insight into their horse and themselves.

It is days like yesterday that I really appreciate my boarders because Lori made a giant crock pot of chicken and dumplings for everyone! It makes me, and Im sure others, feel welcome and happy. People want to be here and they take care to look out for each other. Sometimes I read on the COTH forums about how ugly the barn atmosphere can be for some and I thank my lucky stars that we have such a great collection of people and horses here at Polestar. I was also thrilled to see so many students stay to watch rides other than their own. There was a jury of students huddled under blankets watching the rides and learning all they could, providing peanut gallery feedback too. Of course…. I ride at the end of the day and there was nobody to see Lacey!  Where is the love??? Kidding, it was 6:00 and Im sure that I would have left also if I were cold and had to drive home. But everyone missed a treat. Lacey, a new mare in training, was fantastic. She is missing a lot of strength and fitness over her topline, but the buttons are all there. She and I worked on establishing a waiting relationship… her waiting for me to ask her to do things. Lacey is into volunteering. She sees the diagonal across the arena and she volunteers to extend. She feels an outside bend at the canter and she volunteers like the Salvation Army to pop in a lead change. She is a lovely horse and she nearlly jumps as well as she does dressage. We are re-negotiating the “wait” to the jumps, and it is coming along nicely.

Its snowing again right now, and I imagine that it will be crickets here all day long. Mondays are like that, but the horses deserve a nice rest in their stalls after such a busy weekend.