freeeeeedom!!

Otherwise known as running around through deep snow like absolute children, and loving every minute :D

foes in turnout, but friends under saddle?

First off, our BM managed to clean up the barn's driveway a bit more after the storm (definitely needed since even my 4wd truck had gotten stuck a couple times on the way in the day before...) and all the kids came out to help out since schools are closed. And by this point, more paths had been cleared and the manure pit was finally accessible again.

So after only a few very short days, our barn actually looks more or less like a normally operating facility, rather than the scene of recent disaster. (Just don't try to find the arenas - they're buried. Oh, and watch out for the parking lot too.... in time, folks, in time)

giggling like a child

Only a few tasks were really left by this point (like digging out the trailers...) so who could resist taking a break on a balmy ~40* sunny day to ride around in the snow?!?

isabel says knee deep snow is nbd

Never mind that Isabel hadn't been ridden in about two weeks (first bc of her bruised sole, then bc of the storm...). And the fact that there really isn't anywhere to actually ride except for the field, where horse eating monsters are known to live. We just led the horses up alongside the fenceline and climbed aboard that way (bc let's be honest here, even if my leg weren't recently broke, getting on from the ground is not my specialty lol).

pictured: isabel's preferred method for clearing the snow 

And omg guys - SO FUN!! I've only ever ridden around in snow like this mayyyyybe once before in my life. It's just pure sheer joy :D

wheeee!!!

Isabel was predictably a little, erm, expressive about getting around in the snow, and it didn't take much for her canter stride to morph into a series of small bucks... But nothing malicious - just playing, really.

run mare RUN!!

I think she enjoyed herself tho ;)  Actually - I had heard tell of her tearing around the pasture like a maniac upon first being turned out after the storm too. Apparently there's video, tho I have yet to get my hands on it.... maybe soon?

i love the tail flick

Obviously we weren't really shooting for any real work out there... Even just walking through the snow before climbing up was exhausting for us, so surely it was tiring for the horses too... Mostly I just wanted to play around a little bit and catch some fun photos and videos. Mission accomplished? I think so lol.

My favorite part about this little clip above is that while I'm absolutely getting tossed around in the tack after losing a stirrup and actually coming close to eating shit in a couple places... what you can't tell from the gif is that the videographer and I are both laughing hysterically the whole time. Like, c'mon, look at her go!?! Lol sassy mare!

she thinks she's vurry impressive

I guess we gotta just cut loose and have a little fun sometimes. Especially given that all our implausible winter plans are already unraveling - starting with the cancellation of this upcoming weekend's clinic... Le sigh. I guess we kinda knew it was coming tho, right?

look at that hock action! ha

And it's fairly official that riding at our farm on weekday evenings is absolutely out of the question now, probably through the end of the season (unless we're REALLY lucky with the weather...).

tired horse is tired 

Some readers might recall that last year we shipped out to FV once or twice a week to school, in addition to our weekly lesson at OF. I'm not sure yet what the plan is for this year. Weekly lessons at OF are still on the docket, as are weekly rides with dressage trainer C too, hopefully.

But what about weekday evenings? Will we try a repeat of last year's plan? Idk yet. It's soooo exhausting to have to haul out every time we wanna ride... but then again are the lessons even worth it when we can't school and practice? And is it fair to the horse if she can't be kept in enough work to even maintain a baseline fitness? Idk. Gotta figure it all out, I guess.

gettin by with a little help from my friends

In the meantime tho, priority numero uno was liberating the trailer (and my car, which had been parked directly in front of it with the idea that if you dig one out, the other is more or less free too). And very fortunately, the BM took pity on me and moved most of the snow with the tractor, while our lesson program director R helped dig out the rest.

nothing quite like the sight of a dug-out trailer!

So. Have trailer, will travel, right?