The Rights Of Spring (And A Couple Of Wrongs)

Ah, SPRING! My favorite time of year! Really now, isn't this picture a lot better



than this one? Come on!



Isn't the sight of Indy and Ami grazing with their dear, deer friends lots more inspiring than all that snow? I realize the horses love cold more than heat, but I'm willing to meet them halfway. Well.... maybe not halfway, but I don't require 80s. 70s maybe. Heck, I can't even groom when my hands are freezing, and Indy especially wants his grooming, scratchaholic that he is.

Spring, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

No more electric water buckets. Those buckets are a godsend, no doubt about that. I don't know what we would do without them - too horrible to contemplate. Still, they are bigger and heavier than regular buckets because of the false bottoms enclosing the heaters. And then there are the long cords to gather up or else step on/trip over when you take the buckets down to clean.

We can leave the water on instead of having to turn it off and on under ground every time we need it. We keep a small heated tank to top off the buckets, but the water still has to be turned on/off and the hose connected/disconnected and drained at least once a day, and often twice a day to keep the buckets clean and full. A bit of a pain, to be sure.

I can go outside without having to spend twenty minutes getting dressed. Not only is dragging on all those layers a pain in itself, their weight makes my back hurt, the heavy gloves make my hands hurt and the heavy boots make my legs hurt.

Although it was fairly cool today, it's getting warm enough that even Miss Ami will consent to having her body groomed by her Personal Attendant (that would be me). Since it stayed cold so long, and I got a late start getting them shed out, it's quite a challenge for my hands and wrists to get the job done on both of them at the same time. Not that they are concerned about that mind you.

All the cats are enjoying the weather too. They're all over the place. Every time you look out the window you see another set of kitties lurking, trying to sneak up on birds, butterflies, blades of grass or each other. They are seldom successful in any of these endeavors, but they love life so much they don't care. It's the journey after all.

Of course nothing is perfect, and I'm afraid that goes for Spring too. Sometimes there is scary weather. And the bugs - face flies, gnats, deer flies, horse flies, fly flies. I've already started using the fly masks on their faces, and soon I'll probably be getting the full fly sheets out. And, then there's the spraying before and after riding and before turning out for the night. Fortunately, they both understand what the spray does for them and stand well for it.

Worst of all, there's the fact that they have to stay in the paddock until late fall instead of being out in the full pasture. The paddocks are quite large, but it isn't the same, I know, I know. Still, it's better than obesity and/or founder. Even they have to agree with that.

Even with these minor glitches, Spring is the most glorious, beautiful, wondrous season of all. I mean, how can you beat this?