Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

This might sound pretty bizarre but I'm feeling very excited about the fact that I'm starting to see some shed out on my horses. With lots of snow still on the ground I see this as a sign of hope that we're an inch closer to spring. I will now delight in the mess of winter coats flying to the ground and spitting horse hair out of my mouth. I promise not to complain as the hair works it's way into polar fleece and clogs my dryer filter. Grooming and fluffing my Fox Trotter to perfection before the mud arrives will be my new mission, and everyone will be glad when we can get back out on trail.

Happy Brushing, Kathy

My First ADT

After one formal lesson in the dressage pattern and little cart driving done last year because of trail riding activity, I fearlessly signed up for an Arena Driving Trial. The first challenge was getting and keeping my Haflinger clean enough because we had had a January thaw and the mud reappeared. My next challenge was learning to be patient as 34 other contestants participated.

Mind you, we had not mastered the fine points of driving in this type of competition but now I know what we'd need to work on if we are to continue. The good news is that my middle aged brain remembered the dressage pattern and when to salute the judge. During the cones course we had a good time and didn't destroy any property. The hazards were our undoing. We had borrowed a training cart from the facility. In this cart we were sitting lower than our own cart. Unfortunately this made it harder to see over my Haflinger's healthy backside, and we were disqualified for passing through one gate to get to another before we had used the first gate.

It was fun to be with our equine friends in the middle of winter. And it was fun to know that my horse won't spook at hazards and that I could learn to be a much better driver. Now I know what we don't know. Happy Trails Kathy

Happy New Year and Horse Resolutions

It's been a rough 4 weeks limping along with a case of bronchitis, but am on the upswing currently. Horses are enjoying their Christmas vacation and don't seem the least bit concerned about not being worked. It's a time to recuperate from the holidays and to reflect on equine goals for the new year. Here's a list of my top ten.

1. learn more about horse anatomy; the hooves are a good place to start and here is a website: Fran Jurgis Hoof Blog

2. worm in a more timely manner

3.buy a water heater for the barn for more comfortable grooming

4. practice yoga more often as this has helped my posture and my balance more than anything

5. convince my husband that a few lessons will increase his enjoyment on trail

6. work more diligently on ground manners

7. take better control of my allergies for spring and fall riding

8. clean out the barn of all unused junk

9. drive my Haflinger and cart more

10. have more fun; ride new trails

Happy New Year and Happy Trails, Kathy

Sweet Dreams

With pastures either frozen or under snow and ice, it would be easy to assume that our horses crave something fresh and tasty. My local produce market sells "deer apples", you know the less than perfect ones that are just as sweet. Horse don't inspect for the tiny imperfections and I've not heard one complaint about the off color.

Have seen some recipes recently for more creative treats like apple banana snacks which involve cutting up the fruit, drizzling with honey, dusting with powdered sugar and refrigerating until firm. Another simple treat is to take plain rice cakes, drizzled with honey, then adding grated apple or carrot to the top. The horse version of kisses would require 3/4 cup of molasses, 1 C of feed, 1 C of oats, 3/4 C of peanut butter. Mix together and roll into balls that you wrap in foil and freeze.

From my horse loving home to yours, Happy Trails

Creating a New Routine

Even devoted horse lovers have lives that intermingle with their hobby. We just returned from a vacation to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We ate sushi for Thanksgiving dinner and took one hour Yoga classes every morning on the beach of a beautiful tropical island. We snorkeled, hiked in a rain forest, ate seafood at the edge of the Caribbean, felt the constant soft flow of trade winds.

With the challenge of holidays approaching, and winter knocking at our door, we need to create a new routine for our equine buddies. They've been on a 2 week sabbatical, not that they've minded. But horses are like gardens; if you don't tend to them they can slowly become unruly. So it's time to make arrangements for indoor riding where the land is soft and dry, so that when the weather breaks, and it often does in the winter, we can ride the trails that we know are well drained.

We've expanded our driveway to be able to keep the trailer closer to the house to avoid having to track it over too soggy or too icey ground. This will mean walking th horses about 200 feet to the house, but it's the best solution for our freeze, thaw problem here in Northeast Ohio. No effort is too great to be able to experience the joy of riding.

Cookie Monsters

Our horses delight in being able to change scenery. Several times per week we let out to the back pasture where they can bond with the neighboring cattle and quarter horses. With the days so short lately, this means that we are often out back with flashlights bringing them back to the barn.

This is an adventure as the skies are constantly changing and sometimes in the distance I hear the calls of an owl while it waits for the opportunity to thin the bunny population. We gingerly step among potholes made by fleeing hooves, and the unexpected bleat of the neighbor's sheep makes me startle.

I often wonder what the neighbors think as we stand there shouting "cookies", clutching our flashlights and sometimes wearing pajama bottoms. The routine is the same, our horses meander towards us while we catch the first glimpse of our Haflinger's flaxen mane. Thank goodness one of them is a blond, otherwise they would be difficult to spot.

The routine ends with the horses tired and happy to be back home, the source of all "cookies"

Riding and Driving Haflingers

My Haflinger looks as if he is indifferent to the complexities of life, but looks can be deceiving. He's always thinking even when he appears to be inattentive. Possibly gating back to prehistoric equine roots, the Haflinger draft "pony"hails from the Austria ,Italian border, and is a "sturdy" mount that makes it versatile enough for many under saddle disciplines as well as driving and work disciplines. Haflinger owners have told me that they hook up their steeds for manure spreading which serves two purposes, exercise and manure management.

We love our Haflinger because he has a great work ethic, loves to haul our cart across the countryside, and has been a patient teacher to my husband who was new to trail riding. He's an "easy keeper" considering that his ancestors lived on alpine shrubs His flaxen double mane and volumous tail are his crowning glory. He can boast having more hair products than most women.

Haflinger owners are loyal to the breed for good reason. They own horses that the whole family can enjoy. They own horses with a big heart and with good sense.