Lessons from the Barn- Winter Edition
If you have never taken care of horses in winter time then you are truly missing out. Missing out on frozen poop balls that freeze together in piles that freeze to the ground. You miss the opportunity to spend extra time at the barn each day making attempts to prize them from the ground and the sound, similar to a bucket full of hockey pucks being dropped, that this fecal matter makes when you dump if off of the fork and into the wheelbarrow. If the poops were dropped onto ground that was flat when the freezing occurred, you are in luck. This is relatively easy with a little bit of the proverbial “put your back into it” to get the frozen pile to release from the ground. If you are of the unlucky variety, the poop pile has frozen to ground that is riddled with ruts and divots because alas, yesterday that ground was uneven mud. This type of removal is truly an artform- you must maneuver the muck fork under the pile to release it from the ground without getting any of the prongs completely wedged into a frozen crevice that will result in a breaking of the plastic tine upon removal. Forget even trying to push the wheelbarrow beneath any fencing as there is no give to the pile of poop so attempting to plow beneath the wooden fencing material will only cause further headaches. Instead, you have to push the wheel through the divots in the ground created by the freezing of yesterday’s mud and out of the gate. But before you can do that, make sure the latch is unfrozen which is often accomplished by cupping it with your hands and blowing on it. Now that the latch is undone you have the opportunity to attempt to prize the gate open, hoping that the hinges have not frozen as well because if that happens, well we won’t go there. Now, continue to push the wheelbarrow that’s a bit tipsy due to the frozen ballast within over to the manure pile and dump. This again makes the sound similar to dumping a bucket-full of hockey pucks.
Horsepeople will tell you that there are infinite lessons that being around horses will teach you. There is no shortage of these lessons from the barn in the winter months. And now, without further adeau here are the Lessons from the Barn- Winter Edition:
1. You MUST have patience and be patient. Everything takes the time that it takes. And in winter, the time that even the simplest of tasks takes is a lot longer than usual.
2. A sense of humor really does make a difference. If you were able to read the above description of my barn adventures this week with a straight face, I applaud you. For the rest of us who were laughing ourselves into hysterics either at the description or the recognition of a kindred spirit’s experience, May the Horse Continue to Be With You! 😊
3. Be mindful… particularly of where your feet are. More so than usual. The hazards on the ground are many. Frozen poop and mud ruts will not give with their usual squishiness and rolled ankles do happen. Also, horses tend to get a bit itchy with their winter coats and LOVE a good scratch- they will step and lean right into it. This is a sign that they trust you and that they are grateful for your manual dexterity as you hit that itchy spot. Sometimes that scratching you do just feels so good that they stop paying attention to any part of you other than those fingers-skilled-at-scratching and if your feet happen to be where they are going to put their feet…
4. Layers. Of clothing. Multiple.
5. There is nothing so good as the greeting from a loved one. Sounds carry farther and louder on cold and crisp winter days. That whinny your horse gives you in greeting is going to sound so beautiful. And when you see the horse it came from as you round the bend to come into view, your heart is going to melt from the beauty that is love.