no more wind!!

Finally this morning I was greeted with nice sunny weather. It wasn't overly warm but finally the crazy wind was gone. Finally Cleo could go outside for the day.

I was greeted as usual with a big nicker when I walked in the barn. It's good to be loved. After blanketing Cleo up I let her out. She was very cautious as she reached the doorway outside but then realized it was safe to go out. She started in on her grain as I went back to clean her stall. A few minutes later I heard the unmistakable sound of hoof beats. Sure enough Cleo was in the back of the barn exploring I shooed her out and went back to work. A few minutes later I heard her enter the barn yet again. Again I shooed her out where she stopped and looked at me. Finally I thought to myself " Why isn't she eating her hay? She loves to eat...". Apparently Cleo didn't want to paw into the snow like a normal horse would to find her meal. I went out with a pitchfork to pick up the remains of her round bale, shake the snow off and deposit in a new "snow-free" heap. Only my horse would be too much of a princess to forage through the snow and bother me mercilessly until I did what she wanted. After doing this she was quite happy to leave me alone though I think she would have liked to play with me a little bit. I'm not really into running around with such a large animal as I can't buck like she can. Silly animal. I've thought about finding her a friend but she's not welcoming to anything that's not human invading her space. This includes small creatures as well such as cats. Cleo is definitely the "queen" on the property.

First Big Winter Storm

Sometime late last night we entered our first big winter storm of the year. Waking up this morning I was greeted with raging winds and lots of sharp, blowing snow. Yay. I went out to the barn to feed Cleo and clean. I wasn't planning on letting her out but I figured that if she wanted to go out for an hour she was more then welcome to. I haltered her and led her to the back of the barn. We have an old fashioned barn so there's a part in the back that's open I guess so they could drive the tractor in? Anyways. Well Cleo took one look outside and was instantly freaked out by the raging, scary wind that was about to carry her away like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

She then looked at me as if to say: " you're not seriously thinking about putting me out there today are you???"

I reassured her " No I'm not putting you out there today, was just showing you that you really don't want to be out there today."

She then came back inside and enjoyed her breakfast and as much hay as she wanted as I made sure her stall was clean and fresh. As I was doing this I found myself wishing that I was her at this moment. I mean how great would it be to have someone clean up after you all the time and make sure that you had meals and water and not to mention the pampering she gets everyday? Lucky girl she is. Anyway.

Later on this afternoon it cleared up outside and the wind died down a bit. With the last 20 minutes of daylight I decided Cleo could go out and get some fresh air and run around a bit if she wanted. Obviously she wasn't so hot on this idea. I opened her stall and she just looked at me not moving. After finally getting her to leave her stall she walked very slowly out back stopping at the doorway to sniff the snow - just in case it was really a monster waiting for her. She then stood at the gate staring out me, pleading with me to let her in. I cleaned her stall again made her dinner and let her back in. When she saw me coming I got a big whinny, her way of telling me she was dying outside. I'm sure she was :P. That's my girl! Always good for a laugh!

Photo Shoot

So I have had this idea brewing for a little while that instead of spending money buying cards for people, this year I would take a few goofy pics of my horse all done up nice and pretty and print them out.

So this morning I go out and fetch in Cleo and give her some hay to keep her occupied and start braiding. I clearly didn't think too hard about this because about 4 braids in I couldn't feel my fingers anymore as it was freezing outside. But I finished and it was worth it she looks so cute in her little braids and ribbons!!

Here are a few shots

I was very

happy with the pics and I set to work making cards. As and end result I had about 4 different cards that I now have to choose from :( ...or I could print a few of each out and then everyone will get something different! Sounds great to me!

Well that's about it for me tonight. I'll be back tomorrow with another exciting post.

An Intro to Me and Cleo

I have loved horses as far back as I can remember. From before I was born we owned horses so I grew up around them. There is a picture of me approximate age two and I'm sitting on top of one of our mares just loving every second of it. While I was growing up we never owned less then four horses. My favorite and own personal mount was a large, round pony named Patch. Patch was the best horse a girl could have growing up. I trusted him with everything I had and had a ton of fun on him. I never took lessons as we never could afford them for both myself and my sister but she taught me what she knew and I learned from reading and watching.

I rode Patch until my teens and by then even I was getting a bit too long in the leg for him. My father found a new horse for me to ride. He was a palomino and he was very green and slightly crazy. I just didn't click with him nor did i have the time or the desire to work with him. We sold him soon after to someone who wo

uld. I was also becoming focused on other things such as school, boys, and friends. When I moved away to attend college my parents sold all out horses in one weekend. At the time I was slightly upset but I was in a very demanding program and had no time to think about anything else but making the grade.

About two years ago I started getting into horses and I started getting the "itch". For several months I was online combing through various horse classifieds looking for a new horse to call my own. At the end of August 2008 I found a promising looking ad for a big chestnut thoroughbred. I called the girl to talk about him. She informed me that his price had gone up about 1500 so I said I had a price limit and that was bey

ond it. She told me to come down and look at a few other horse that were within my price range.

The day came to go visit. After arriving there I was told that most the horses were way out in the field but they had one mare inside for me to look at. A dark bay thoroughbred with no markings. She was rode in front of me and then I hopped on for a test ride. This was the first time in the saddle in several years and she wasa huge step (I mean much taller then Patch). But she was very quiet, she didn't spook at cars or big noises so that was it for me. I called later that night to say that I would take her. A week later Cleo came home.

She stepped off the trailer took a look around and then proceeded to put her head down and nibble the grass. She was settled in already.

Here is a picture of her the day she came home: yes her neck is VERY skinny

but she looks much better now.

So I have had Cleo for over a year now and I know her and her habits now and I like to think she loves me like I love her...or more so she loves me because I bring with me food and treats. WE've worked on her ground manners so she will lead better and her new biggest accomplishment is that she will let me pick up all four feet without a fuss or without her being super stubborn about it. Yay!

So that is the brief history of me and Cleo. Stay tuned for more updates about what we are up to.