Winter Visits

Winter visits with Abby tend to be less frequent and short in duration due to the cold and snow. The horses winter in the old barn so I either have to hike through the snow and ice across a couple pastures to get to them or drive down an access lane/drive that is infrequently used and does not get plowed. You have to back up to get back onto the road, an added challenge.

But even if I don't get out, I know Tim or his son-in-law, Brandon, did, and that Abby was checked, has fresh water and access to hay day and night, and a warm barn she can choose to go in and out of. I love that she is able to live where she can come and go as she pleases.

 She has her BFF, Diablo, to hang out with.

And she grows a long coat that protects her when she chooses to be out. (I rarely blanket a horse and only in extreme cold and if the horse shows signs of being uncomfortable.)

 There is a lot of wildlife out where she is - here is a Cooper's Hawk up in a tree by the fence line.

 I keep Abby barefoot, too. Tim  trims her as needed, and her feet are in wonderful shape. (A far cry from four years ago when she was rescued and her hooves were slippered!) I check them carefully in the winter as the frozen ground can be hard on horses' feet, but Abby is an Appaloosa, a breed known for its hardiness and scrappiness. (Er, and just possibly its sassiness. Indiana Horse Rescue dubbed her Sassy.)

Hokey soaking up some rays from the weak winter sun.

All in all, it's a pretty idyllic place for a horse to live, and that is all I want for her.