Warmer weather in the future

Although the low for tonight is about 25 degrees, the high for the day was a sunny 55. The horses' blankets came off around noon and everyone got to feel the cool breeze on their fur. The ice around the troughs is mostly melted away and it's actually kind of NICE outside instead of dreary, icky, frigid cold.

Yesterday morning and evening everyone got a hot bran mash mixed with their grain. I added salt and minerals to everyone's food (except Bodhi who is eating a supplemental feed high in electrolytes already). In theory the salt should encourage the horses to drink more. Added salt in addition to mushy, sloppy, warm wheat bran will help with smooooth digestion of all that coastal hay. Fingers crossed that every remains healthy and doesn't have impaction issues! We are doing everything we can to avoid colic during this awfully cold spell.

JW is feeling his oats now that he's back on the farm! For those of you who didn't know, JW made a 5-day trip to Springhill Equine (at their new facility!) to have minor surgery to flush his sinuses. The vet okayed him to go straight out into the pasture when he arrived home, so I turned him loose after unloading him. To say he was happy to be home would be an understatement! He bucked and crow hopped and caprioled, farting all the way. He hollered like a stud, telling everyone at Greener Pastures that the King Had Returned! Of course Tie was the only one in his pasture and he just stayed out of JW's way. The girls met him at the fence, especially the flirtiest of them all, Shellie.
Each time we have let him out in the morning since his arrival home JW has bucked and farted in pure joy! He is definitely feeling much better without all that snot in his skull!

Tav and Pokey are an adorable match. Pokey has recently been dealing with some emotional issues. It seems he may be missing his true love, Goose, who left us in late December. Pokey seemed fine next to the pasture of mares with his two pals JW and Tie. When JW left for the vet Pokey was alone with Tie and his neighboring girls. Tie is not too fond of conversation and the girls always play coy, so I think Pokey was beginning to feel pangs of loneliness. When JW returned and took his best friend, Tie, for himself, Pokey probably felt abandoned.
In his emotional state he did not want to be played with or have fun and sort of threw a tantrum, not allowing his poor mother, Ashley, to catch him. It was as if he was saying, "I don't want to talk about it! You can't make me!"
It's hard to say what is really going through Pokey's head, but by his actions we can certainly tell he's nervous. Perhaps it all the changes on the farm - Goose leaving, JW leaving then returning, the cold weather, and things unseen to our human senses. Poor Pokey need some undemanding, quiet time spent with his mom. It will take time and patience, but he will eventually let his mom comfort him.
In the mean time, John and I are giving Pokey his space. If he immediately walks away from us when we enter his space, we recede.
Now Pokey has a new pasture mate, Tav, and they get along wonderfully. They share their hay and munch nose-to-nose. They play dominance games all day and you'll often see Pokey standing very close to Tav as he sleeps lying down in a patch of sunshine.
Pokey dressed himself:

As I was walking through pasture 4 today to remove Molly's blanket, but also to survey the fence line, look for fallen limbs, and make a mental note of the grass status, the three oldies (Molly, Jedi, Ufir) came galloping to me. Molly was feeling very playful and stood almost on her tiptoes, nose in the air, tossing her head. It's sweet to see the old horses with so much energy!

Blankets will be back on tonight and I will be feeding another hot bran mash with their grain this evening.Tav napping.