the 'RED HARROWS'

WEATHER:

Today, it's winter.  As the hunt charge down our lane all hairy clips and hacking jackets, I wonder if I'm alone when I note the weather is horrible: windy, icy cold and raining, and decide to stay indoors with the range on.

 

 

Tom & Henry have been standing out in the weather all day, in fact they've not been near the yard at all today probably because it's so windy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Then it started to rain heavily, the hunt were charging back down the lane to where their boxes are parked, and I began feeling guilty for not rugging Tom & Henry sooner, but it's 40miles an hour winds here so I can't just pop out and put rugs on them in this, I'll be blown away, run over and get wet and cold in the process.

 

 

 BUT, the wind suddenly died down slightly, and the sun came out for a brief moment, Quick!! I said to John, 'operation rugs-on'. 

  

We both charged out into the field, Puffa's on and zipped up, splashing about in our wellies.  The boys' deep suspicion about this odd looking figure covered in bright red silver interactive flapping about in the wind and coming toward them.. setting them off into gallop, they don't need much excuse!

 

 

 

So afer a shaky start and some ducking and diving in gallop their fake fright at me was quickly quelled at the sound of my hero John shaking the herbal treat pot very loudly!!

 

 So then John dispensed treats at a perfect rate for me to dress those two mad Trakehners in rugs, with neck covers on, before they went charging back around their field, this time not cold and shivery but warm and getting dry thanks to the brilliant rug technology.

 

 We call them the 'Red Harrows', because their perfectly synchronised movement wearing their red rugs, is like watching a high speed display, just incredible. 

 

 

TCJpart49 Thundery Skies

MUD:

We sometimes complain about bad weather, the rain for example.  But these skies are often a wonderful kaleidoscope of watercolours.  And the light gives a moody effect to photos of horses.  And of course, if you can imagine lovely bays underneath, photos of the horses are actually quite beautiful.

The skies above our village are swirling and churning with weather, clouds of vapour rolling and changing colours from dove white to dark gunmetal.  Thundering in a palette too interesting to leave unnoticed.  The consequence of extreme weathers in particular lots of rain as we have had recently is mud, and of course horses like few things better than rolling about in it.

I use a rubber tipped hairbrush to remove the worst, and a secession of gradually softening bristles of a variety of brushes to get them sparkling again...or, more likely, to make a clean spot to be filled with a more recent application of the wet stuff - I expect it's good for the skin.

I almost had a bit of a tail-trimming disaster too. Stupidly I began a job in the raging wind I was unable to satisfactorily complete in one go since they wandered off in mid-chop...yes, both of them!!  Their tails looked hacked and uneven, and pure-bred Trakehners can only have perfectly Vidal'd tails in my book.  Getting them perfect took a second attempt, and their tails are a little shorter than I usually trim them, but at least they look like dressage stars now, not rocking horses!!

Now, no photo diary of Tom & Henry would be complete without lots of shots of their amazing bums!!  Tom's  bum is all dapples at the moment as you can see, and Henry's, well of course you must recognise it... so rounded and perfect...even covered in mud!!

They love this weather, they both roll a lot.  They pick a perfect spot and take it in turns to smother themselves in earth.

In the opposite camp, the cats stay indoors when it's raining, they have us light the fire, put their snugly blanket out and they curl up with Fergal, their sharky!!

And left here is Fergal, Mum bought him back from her holiday in South Africa.   They love it!