Red's First Snow

Well we woke up to a big surprise today, a few inches of snow on the ground! I'm pretty sure Red was born, raised, and lived his entire life in Northern California, so I don't know if he's ever seen snow or at least this much. He rolled around in it a few times but didn't really seem to care. It all melted off by the afternoon and the last third of the day was beautiful.

He is being a bit of a pill in that he will only eat his alfalfa, he has no interest in the grass hay. It's not bad, he just likes the alfalfa better and refuses to eat the grass. But that's ok, he'll eat it when he gets hungry. He also is starting to pin his ears back and act like he wants to bite if I hang around after he gets the alfalfa, like to put his blanket on. Today he got a touch in the nose and a "no" and he looked at me like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. They all test you.

After the sun came out, it warmed up, and the snow melted. After work, I decided to go spend some time with Red and see what else he knew and what else he would let me do. I didn't think I had a place to tie him to and I remembered the fence post that holds our gate has a 4x4 wood post in it! So he was tied there and he didn't care or move. I brushed him and he really relaxed. He dropped his head, his eyes got heavy, and his breathing slowed. I brushed his mane and tail with no problem. I asked for all 4 feet and he picked them right up. I cleaned them and held them up for a while with no problem. After that, we went for a walk and did 2 laps around the paddock. He really seemed happy and relaxed!

When we were done, I opened the shed to get him some treats and more hay. I put the hay in his trof and as I come back around, he literally hopped up into the shed! Our tiny shed! I prayed that he wouldn't break the floor boards and I snuck in next to him and stood on the hay and said, "no boy, you need to get out" (like he'd understand me) and he actually slowly backed out, very calm, like a pro.

Everyday I love this guy more and more. He is fearless, lovable, and patient. I can't wait until I start working with him after we've bonded more because I think he's going to be a blast to work with!