my favorite thing about winter

     To me, the best thing about the winter time is feeding the horses. Sure, moseying around in a usually snowy, often muddy mess doesn't seem like much fun, but it is. There is something about the sweet smell of molasses- infused feed and the tickle of over- grown whiskers and velvet noses on my cheek that is irresistable. And just walking outside of my house and watching them watch me with alert ears and soft neighs lets me know how important I am to them. It is an incredible feeling, to know that a creature so utterly magnificent relies on me to take care of her.

This is me and my first horse, Ginger Snap. I've had her for the past 8 1/2 years; she's a Standardbred/ Quarter Horse.

The way she eats reminds me of a hungry calf going at a bottle... it's like it annoys her that she can't get the whole bucket worth of grain in her mouth at once :)

Snowy nose <3

I love how the snow sticks to their fur; on fairly nasty days their whiskers get frozen and they look almost like some sort of mythological ice creature!

This is my other horse, Silky Doll. She's a Paso Fino/ Quarter Horse & she'll be 3 in April.

It's easy to tell that she's the baby of the group because she is constantly being nosy!

     Feeding the horses comes with an occasional suprise. About three or four times this winter we have had a visitor. According to Dad, he needs to be exterminated, but according to me, his name is Leonard. I do feel bad, because I'm sure it's pretty hard for the little wild things of the world to find food this time of year. We have been making extra- sure that the feed bins are closed tight, but I like to think that he gets some of the grains that the horses drop.

I think he's pretty darn cute, with those big, innocent eyes.