It's Winter. Boo.

The muddy/icy Ohio winter is upon us.  I find it frustrating watching the paddocks go from sticky slick mud to frozen over and back again.  At least in MN we had a good snow-pack for most of the winter.  This freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw is bull cheese.

Aside from the clouds of mud/dust I get to inhale while grooming, it makes for somewhat decreased turnout.  I appreciate not having my horse turned out in unsafe conditions, but I wish things could be perfect... don't we all!

You all know how smart (annoying) my horse is and how boredom has been an issue with him on and off, especially in the winter months.  This time around he's made a habit of dumping both of his water buckets overnight, soaking his bedding and making the morning feeder have to clean his buckets before refilling.  Joy.

In addition to rehanging his old Stall Snack, I was able to get my BO's approval to start using a slow feed hay bag for a while.  For now I've got the one I bought for shows (that he ripped during the first use) and has figured out how to get hay out of the top.  I am surprised it has lasted over 24 hours, but I don't want to push my luck.

So I also broke down and ordered a Nibble Net.  I've been eyeing them a long time.  It will arrive after I leave for the holidays, but you can expect a product review when I feel like it's been thoroughly tested.

The chiropractic adjustment seems to have done a good job and he's feeling looser and smoother than he has in a while.

I was pleasantly surprised that his new joint supplement, Acti-Flex 4000 passed the taste approval and he has been licking his feed pan clean.  I gave him his first dosage with only a pinch of grain and he ate it all up and continued licking for a long while afterwards.

Yum.

I am hopeful that maybe, just maybe, all this money into supplements and hay bags and lessons will pay off..... fingers crossed.