Blue And Remy In December

We had a December thaw which melted almost all the snow in the pasture and made Remy happy:

Blue also liked the winter thaw, and together they roamed the pasture while looking for edible grass:

But snow soon came again, meaning their diet was just hay:

They don't seem to mind the cold and snow at all:

I pull off the frozen outer layer of each new hay bale, tossing the icy chunks, good side up, outside the hay bale feeder. Both little horses (and sometimes the cows) often seem more excited by these than by the big bale of good hay in the feeder:

Remy is looking pretty spiffy in his new, bright red halter:

And he seems immune to winter's blowing snow:

Blue moves more slowly, but he too has a brand new halter to show off:

When the snow is deep, they paw at the ground to expose the grass:

Blue stopped his pawing to watch me:

When the neighbors brought over another load of hay stems which their sheep wouldn't eat, Remy was right there to "help" and try to grab some hay. He had a full bale of fresh hay ten feet away, but stolen hay is always better:

Both little horses seem to be experiencing hoof problems again, and I am calling over the farrier to have a look and trim them. The vet may be the next call:

Here And There

Autumn came early and suddenly, with cold nights and nearly nonstop drizzle. The grass mostly stopped growing, and the herd began grazing far back in the field. They found new places to eat which they'd previously ignored:

 The little bantam hens don't have to worry much about the weather, but many days were so dark that I had to leave a light on in their room:

 Remy had grown so much over the summer that his former halter no longer fit. I bought him a new halter at the feed store. Remy has become much too large for a mini, not that I mind. It's a shame he isn't pulling a cart. I think he'd be good at it:

 Blue's halter still fit but was a bit tight. I ordered him a new one:

 The fantail pigeons seem healthy and even raised two end-of-season babies:

 The Easter Egger bantams pretty much quit laying eggs for the season, but the Barred Rock bantams, though getting old now, kept laying occasional eggs for my use:

 I began putting out bales of hay two weeks earlier than last year and the herd has been eating them at a rate of one bale every two days. This has me worried about running out of hay this spring:

 Two Easter Eggers and one Barred Rock bantam:

 I hope I've prevented any more English Sparrows from getting in with the pigeons, but the food and water are being consumed at such a rate that I have my suspicions:

 The Red Poll ladies still don't come in for grain in the morning. Of course they are obese and don't need any, but the grain is how I get them in the barn for artificial insemination. Scarlett was inseminated several months ago but I just saw her come into heat, so it will have to be repeated:

 I worry about Blue and Remy eating too much grass and having hoof troubles again. There isn't much I can do now, however, except trust that winter will intervene, putting an end to all grass eating:

 My Thanksgiving Cactus bloomed early this year. I posted photos earlier, but it seems that every time I look at the plant, it has more flowers and brighter colors - so I took another photo:

Blue And Remy In November

Blue was looking mighty handsome when I snapped his photo out in the south field and his blue eyes showed nicely. Alas, right after this photo was take, he lost his halter and I never found it. I began looking for a replacement halter:

But being without a halter didn't slow him down. In fact, Remy often used to grab him by the halter when playing, so Blue may have had a sudden advantage without it. And play they certainly did:

Remy chased Blue, then Blue chased Remy:

With no halter to grab, Remy tried biting. You can see Blue's anger by the set of his ears:

They certainly do roughhouse, and it's clear to me where the term "horseplay" came from:

I began cleaning up the occasional manure in the barn with a wheelbarrow. Remy and Blue "helped" by trying to tip it over and bite the wooden handles. It's kind of like have two 350 pound puppies:

The grass ran out and I had to begin feeding hay for the winter. I feared the cows would not let the horses get any, but they mostly seem to get along. And at those times when the horses can't get hay, they can come inside the barn, where it's always available:

One night we had snow which turned to freezing rain. It was miserable. I put the two soggy horses in their stall and then let the cattle into the main part of the barn. I don't think it would be safe to crowd the big cows and little horses into a confined area. This is safer:

Blue looked terrific in his brand new red halter, even though he was wet:

Blue looks a little like one of Santa's reindeer with his blue eyes and red halter. Now I need a pair of antlers and I can take Christmas pictures:

These autumn afternoons can get quite cold, but winter is coming and then these days will seem warm by comparison:

Blue and Rosella had a drink of water and were returning to the hay bale feeder when I snapped this picture. I had to put the water heater into the stock tank in October as the water was freezing during the night. Yes indeed, winter is almost here:

Remy And Blue, Imps Of Autumn

I moved the cattle across the road into the north field but kept Blue and Remy in their usual south field where they could access the barn. It was a beautiful autumn and they seemed happy:

They were indeed happy and healthy, enough so to get into plenty of mischief:

They are both kind hearted, friendly horses, but still young and playful:

Sometimes I walk out into the field just to spend time with them. They seem to enjoy it and come running when they see me:

Remy always had the more outgoing personality but Blue is very sweet and loving once he overcomes his shyness:

And they are seldom separated. On this day the loveliness of autumn was marred by that tank trunk you see in the background. The workers were spreading liquid manure in a recently harvested corn field, which required pumping the gunk from the tanker to the spreader. Someone goofed and the connection failed on one of the trips this day, resulting in liquid manure spilling across the road and filling the ditch. It stunk for a week:

One day Blue lost this halter and I couldn't find it anywhere. I ordered a new one but it hasn't arrived yet. These photos, though, were taken before he lost his halter:

I think it would be a fine idea to train them to pull a cart or do some kind of work but for now, their role is to look cute and be lovable:

Whenever he sees me in the field, Remy comes trotting over, getting closer and closer..............

Kiss me!

They have a fine life and they seem healthy except, perhaps, for being too fat:

Who are you calling fat?