January horses: Hooligans

The biggest field at the barn belongs to the geldings.

Buddy, Mistral, Gambler and Dango

Most of the horses who live in that field have been there for a long time.

Santana

It's a pretty chill place to be...

Nash

at least until the Hooligans show up.

Boarders are allowed to use this field as a turnout for their stalled geldings, as long as they avoid mealtimes.

This means Roy,

Judge,

Rhino...

and Thunder all tend to go out at the same time each day.

I call them the Hooligans.

They are pure chaos.

They make some of the old man residents grumpy...

but I can - and have - watched these boys go at it for hours.

So fun!

The rest of this post is just a few of the hundreds of pictures I've taken of the Hooligans this month. Enjoy!

January horses: Olive

All my life, I've wanted a horse.

It took fifty two years, but I finally got one.

We've been together for more than year, but I am as obsessed now as I was the day she stepped off the trailer. Rain or shine, I look forward to spending time with her every day.

There is nothing that can keep me away.

But this month has come close.

It has been so cold,

so snowy...

and so icy.

I'm so, so, so over it.

Because I've been tracking my rides for PonyUP 100, I can tell you that I sat on Olive eleven times this month. Most of those rides took place in the cozy confines of the indoor arena.

I also went on a couple chilly trail rides...

and walked around the snow covered outdoor ring once or twice.

The other nineteen days were turnout days.

Olive loves turnout days...

especially when she's turned out with friends!

This month, Olive has gone out with Thunder,

Saphira...

and Judge.

I'm pretty sure Saphira is her favorite.

No matter who she goes out with, there's always chasing...

So... 

much...

chasing!

and an occasional, horrifying moment.

How she survived this one unscathed I will truly never know.

This is the picture that will haunt me for years to come.

Fortunately, it was a quick recovery.

And then it was like nothing had happened. Phew.

I really love watching Olive interact with other horses.

It hasn't been a good month for riding, but it's been a great month for turnout.

Here's looking forward to a warmer and less snowy February!