Snow!

Still suffering from back pain so I haven't been quite as ambitious getting out to the barn as I should be. I did finally get out on Sunday to see that the boys are much happier now that it's snowed 6 inches. They can just about walk around their pasture like normal without slipping and sliding. I noticed no one has gone for a run in the fresh snow on the opposite side though. I guess that round bale is just too tempting.

I put Axel in the arena and brushed him off quickly and removed the tornadoes from his mane and the icebergs from his hooves. He wasn't too interested in running around on his own but I grabbed a lunge whip and clucked at him and off he went for a few bucks and a few laps. He had a bit of a gimpy trot but pretty much the same quality that it's been all this fall so I'll take that as a good sign. He's puffy as ever and he looks more pregnant than I do. I think he might have an eating disorder. I couldn't even pull him away from my grooming bag when he found the bag of treats in there. I had to scare him away. Seriously. He must thing he's a camel and he's trying to store up fat or something.

I brought Cody in for a while as well and got his hooves cleaned up. He does have swelling on his belly and sheath, not quite as bad as Axel but it's there. He definitely doesn't want me touching his business but that's how he usually is. He took a few laps around the arena with a bit of encouragement as well. I'm really hoping to get this back issue resolved so I can get back to riding at least a few more times before I can't get myself up there. Then I really have to get on the ball and start ground driving both horses. It won't be all that much exercise for them physically but maybe it'll keep their brains going.

Snow!

I took a couple really crappy phone pictures last night and I don't think I'm even going to bother uploading them. By the time I got out to the barn it was dark, the wind was blowing, and there was snow everywhere. Axel is now back in with Cody and Vinnie and from what I can tell in the dark there isn't any new chewing. It's hard to tell though.

Cody and I trampled through the snow into the barn. All the horses had their custy layer of ice and snow on their backs and I didn't want to scrape it off. Supposedly it creates some insulation to keep them warm. I just let him run around a bit in the arena. He bucked a lot and kicked up his heels. It was pretty windy so I think he was just a bit on edge. I thought maybe he'd want to roll but he just wanted to go back outside. So we only spent a few minutes in the arena.

Sometimes I get to see Axel as a real horse and it's always dependent on his height when I pull him out of the pasture. Last night he was pretty tall. I put him in the arena and he cantered around *not* on the forehand. He was light and fluid and looked like a real horse. He too didn't want to roll and wanted to get back out to the great weather as soon as possible. So back outside he went to stand in the snow and the wind.

Poor Vinnie is apparently not allowed in the shelter so he stands on the side where he can be blocked from the wind. Though all the horses had a layer of crust on them so even Cody and Axel had spent a fair amount of time outside of the shelter during the storm. I distributed carrots in everyones' feed bunks and headed for home. Then it snowed 6 more inches. Maybe the snow will keep Axel occupied for a while so he forgets about chewing on things. Of course now they won't be able to find their toys under the snow. The race car tire was still in the shelter so they can play with that if they get bored.