Nature Decides

Sunday, February 16, 2020

This day which couldn’t have been more beautiful occurred deep in the heart of winter. Just another lovely day in this season’s unusual warmth. Why such unseasonal beauty? It makes for some stressful-deciding.

As an example, many days feel so warm I’d harness a horse and go for a drive. An inviting idea if there’s no possibility of facing into freezing winds. When my farrier came to trim hooves, he wondered if I’m ready to have the horses shod, and I struggled. Between now and maybe April we’re likely to face streaks of freezing weather and snow. I made a safe decision to nix shoeing and driving before real spring weather arrives.

Meanwhile, most days are lovely with unwinterly-bright daylights creating a beautiful backdrop to my horses, happily roaming and grazing across pasture and around the edges.

In this warmth, grass is beginning to grow, with new green patches apparent. My horses are “easy keepers”, because they can gain weight at the drop of a hat, and especially from too much time on green pasture (grass too sugary and sweet). Very carefully, I control their weight (except for my hopeless donkey) by measuring feed quantities. Annually, during the coldest winter months, they’re allowed full days on pasture, for grass frozen and dead doesn’t increase their weights.

These photos show my horses as “fat enough”. I’ve already reduced their hay allotments. If this warmer winter continues, maybe they’ll start having less time on pasture. Bummer, for reducing their pasture time is as complex as making an “iffy decision” about whether to shoe.

Dear Friends: This winter, the weather ain’t playin’ fair enough for good planning. Diana