Furball makes a Snow Angel

It snowed... and snowed... annnnd snowed.

Seems a good 4-5 inches or so. Without snowball pads, riding Monty ain't happenin' but since I haven't been able to get to see him in a week, I made my exit and headed to the barn. The barn workers were in the process of plowing and dragging the grounds when I got there. I glanced at the riding ring behind the barn. Not bad, looked like they plowed it out so maybe I'd be able lunge him a bit.

I was the only boarder there. No surprise. I grabbed a fistfull of horse cookies from my tack locker and my lunge line and went into the barn. The handsome hairball
was standing with his butt to the door. He glanced over his shoulder at me with a look of scorn and ignored me. Oh boy, I felt the chill and I don't mean the weather.

"Sorry Buddy", I muttered. As soon as I slid the latch he turned around with an expectant face and I popped a cookie right in his mouth. "Ah, much better, aren't we", I chuckled and slipped the halter over his ears. I clipped the chain of the lunge line across his nose and led him out of the stall.

I took his sheet off, popped another cookie in his mouth and we walked the length of the barn out to the arena.

Well, only half the arena was plowed. I cast the lunge line out to Monty and he started walking on a circle. One complete circle later he had muddy snowballs packed in his shoes. I figured that. Then I said to him, "C'mon, lets make some prints in the snow". So I walked him over to the unbroken snow and let him play. He put his head down and walked with his nose pushing the snow. Then he stopped and started pawing at it with his front legs. Then he made a circle, dug a bit more and to my surprise, he buckled his knees and went down for a roll in the snow!

I laughed as he made a big, furry, horse-shaped snow angel. Then he got up and shook himself off. We walked around a bit more, then I let him take another try at lunging. He walked out to the circle, gave a huge buck in place and then calmly walked in to me as if to say, "I'm done". I let him end with that.

We went back in the barn and I cleaned out his hooves. I took some time to clean up the melanoma situation under his tail, which is a nasty chore in the winter. Then I spent some quality time just scratching all the right places and rubbing his nose. In between scratches, I would surprise him with another cookie. By the time I put his sheet back on and returned him to his stall, I think my week's absence was forgiven.