Horse in the Snow

My husband was able to come to the barn today to see his "boy". JC has been on vacation since the middle of October and gets to spend his mornings running outside. I never get to see him do it as, by the time I get to the barn, he is inside. Today, we got to the barn and JC was still outside--as beautiful as ever. We went outside and called him. He came running. The first thing Brian said was, "where is the camera?" Well, it was at home. What a wonderful picture watching this beautiful liver chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail playing in the white snow and then standing perfectly still like a statue.

It amazes me that we take these gorgeous animals who the trainers work so hard to make into show horses and give them their time to be just horses again, and they are more beautiful than when they are showing. The tail and mane flowing and them running free as they were meant to be. I missed the perfect moment which I don't know that I'll ever get again. Then I wonder what will happen when his vacation is over and it is time to get ready for show season next year. What if he doesn't want to do that again? What if he just wants to run and play and be a horse? more

Thanks to the trainers and grooms

It is the time of the year where we need to remember and thank all of the people who help our horses look and be the best they can. For some of us, it is our trainers who spend countless hours and a lot of patience to help our horses become the best they can. Not to mention the hours they spend on us as riders and probably more patience to make us the best we can be. It is no wonder we have so many trainers who are either grey or bald. These trainers also care for our horses when they are sick by giving them their medicine or staying up all night worrying about them. Our trainers also get the wonderful job of teaching young babies how to be show horses. They get dragged around the ring, thrown and tossed out of carts on occasion. We won't even mention the demand that customers put on their trainers to make the next Imperator or Sky Watch. read more