Trying to Stay Warm

It was five days before Christmas and a snow storm guaranteed that some portions of Northeast Ohio would be doing more than dreaming of a white Christmas.

We had gone out to check on Mary Ann’s horse and I took my camera, figuring to get some winter photographs at the same time.

Not only had it snowed the temperatures had also fallen and many of the horses were wearing their blankets to stay warm.

Well, some of the horses. The ponies who reside at this barn were wearing just their regular hair and being something of a nuisance to their bigger herd brethren as they ate their hay.

The scene is east of Chardon, Ohio, which isn’t known as the snow capital of Ohio for nothing.

 

Last Horseback Ride Before Winter Sets In

There is nothing that says you can’t ride a horse in the winter. Many people do it. But bitter cold temperatures and deep snow can be a challenge.

It is November and the snow has yet to fall in large quantities in Northeast Ohio. Mary Ann keeps shadow on a farm near Chardon, which likes to call itself the snow capital of Ohio.

About a week after this image was made, Chardon received 3 feet of snow.

But all that was in the future on this afternoon when Mary Ann worked out Shadow in the outdoor ring in what turned out to be her last ride of 2016.

All Dressed Up for Christmas

It might be coincidence that the winter blanket that Shadows wears is red, but nonetheless he looks ready for Christmas in it. Add in the snow and it’s a scene worthy of a Christmas card.

You can’t tell from this photo, but Shadow has just been cleaned up and his winter blanket placed back on him.

Then it was time to turn him loose into the pasture. The snow around his nose shows that he’s been digging down trying to find some grass to graze on beneath all that white stuff.

Would Someone Let Me Outta Here?

As far as Fancy was concerned, there was no reason for her owner to drag her out of a pasture and lock her up in a stall in the middle of the day.

But thunderstorms were threatening the area and owner Todd Vander Sluis of Vermilion, Ohio, thought it best to put Fancy (registered name: I’m a Fancy Chip) and her stablemate in before the storm hit.

So all Fancy could do was look out from her stall. But tomorrow she would be turned back out again to graze and the storm would be past.

Fancy Steppin’

A friend of mine owns a horse whose registered name is I’m a Fancy Chip. But he calls her Fancy for short.

We were recently in his home town of Vermilion when a storm front began approaching. Todd suggested we head for his barn to bring in the horses.

Knowing that eats awaited her in the barn, Fancy didn’t have to be prompted all that much to come in.