Peek a Boo!

Abby peers around the side of the old barn when she hears my car roll up.

She's hoping for something to eat!

Frozen Mud

One of the worst things for livestock in the winter months is frozen mud.

Diablo and Abby negotiate the frozen mud in order to come see me.

There's nothing you can do about it - where the horses tend to congregate, it gets muddy and soft. That gets churned up into an icky mess with deep pockets, but it's not dangerous then.

But when those deep pockets freeze, it is a nightmare to walk on, for man or animal. The horses walk very gingerly over it if they must, and avoid it if they can.

I will be careful to not call them over around places with frozen mud when I visit.

Candy Canes - Unwrapped

The weather has turned very cold, and the wind seems to blow right through me when I am out at the barn. Abby's favorite treat is candy canes, and taking the time to unwrap each one means more standing in the cold.

So...

I brought a bunch inside and unwrapped them ahead of my next visit.

Now Abby no longer has to wait for her treat, either!

Muddy December

The weather in Indiana has been dreary this December - cold, overcast, rainy. Not much fun to be outside. 

The horses are faring well despite the damp chill, and yesterday when I arrived, they were out in the north pasture grazing.

I usually whistle for them, but they saw me and came up without being called.

 Diablo, as usual, led the herd.

 Trouble and Persuasion were coming, too, but where was Hokey? I found him later - he'd wandered over to the west pasture by himself.

 Would you give a candy cane to this muddy mare?

 And what is it that she is always sticking out her tongue??

 "Please, please, PLEASE may I have a candy cane?"

There's that tongue again. Look at the mud on her muzzle!

Abby ate a couple of candy canes before I headed back to the warmth of the barn and car - it was chilly! 

Abby left gifts for Tim in his barn workshop. Hope we get some snow so he can hook up that sleigh in the background!

My Christmas Wreath!

I LOVE my new Christmas wreath - thank you, Cindie!!

 She made one for me last year, too.

Juicy Apples Lead to...

The teachers at Hershey know I love horses and have Abby. Sometimes they put treats in my school mailbox for her - an apple, a pear, candy canes, and other goodies.

This fall my little horse has been living the life of Riley - four times I have been given BAGS of apples for her! She likes apples almost as much as she likes candy canes, and their sweet juiciness gets my hands just as sticky as the candy canes do.

So naturally, Abby has to lick all that juice off.

Ever been licked by a horse? Their tongues are soft, but they are also huge.

See what I mean??

Peppermint Sticks!

One of my students gifted me with some very expensive peppermint sticks. "They're for Abby," she said, "But you can have some, too."

I tried one, and Abby almost didn't get ANY! They are delicious!

 Abby sniffs the peppermint sticks.

 I break them into pieces for her.

 Crunchcrunchcrunch!

 And some more peppermint stick pieces.

 She loves them, too!

 So much so that she licks my hand clean.

 I also had brought her some carrots.

I pulled one out and gave it to her, and this happened next:

Diva Girl walks away! If she can't have the peppermint sticks, she's going back to the grass!