Brrrrrrrrr

Beautiful!

I generally don’t mind winter; I love how the snow makes everything looks fresh and clean, and I like to breath in the fresh crisp air.

But this is too much.

 -22C for a high?!

 Literally snowed in for three days?!

 Ugh, this is not fun, AT ALL.

No, thats not a tiny fence,
just a massive drift!

It takes more time to do everything, ten minutes layering on enough to clothe an army, giving the car half an hour to warm up just so that the clutch might think about moving….

Okay enough of my rant, but Traveller isn’t too pleased either.

"@#*!", I hear ya buddy

With the cold weather comes the need for blanketing, and with blanketing came a terrifying accident that although turned out okay (thankfully), taught me an important lesson. Traveller is generally fantastic for blanketing and unblanketing. He stands really well and rarely fidgets or moves. Due to this I had become a little lazy; usually I insist on haltering the horse, and prefer two people- one to hold and one to blanket. 

On this particular day (Christmas eve actually) I was alone and Traveller came running up to the corral so I decided just to loop a rope around his neck since he is so good and we were in a fairly confined area.  Just as I finished undoing the belly surcingles the other horses spooked at something in the field and came racing up towards where we were. Traveller of course spooked, someone got around me/jumped over me (I was very lucky not to get hit) and started running with the others. The blanket, only fastened in the front, quickly started to slip--ending up in front of him. This caused him to fall at least 4 times before he stopped and let me catch-up and quickly take it the rest of the way off. I don't think I need to tell anyone how badly this could have turned out--I was very lucky, there was a little blood on his knee from an old cut that he had re-opened, but other than that, was fine. I can't say the same thing for his poor practically new Rambo Supreme, it suffered catastrophic injuries. 

Replacement RamboPlus

Moral of the story? Don't be lazy! If he would have had a halter on I would have had 100% more control  and the entire thing would have been avoided. My biggest punishment was to my poor struggling bank account- blankets are expensive! Yes, I am a blanket brand snob, but the Horsewear Ireland products look great, fit great, and hold up well (you can't blame the blanket in this case, obviously)--the only downside is the hefty price. Thankfully, the wonderful owner of the tack shop gave me a 25% discount on the replacement, so once again, Traveller is warm and happy(ish). 

Stay warm out there and be safe!