Full Snow (?) Moon – February 27, 2021

Wow! End of February, and it feels like April here. There are still a few patches of snow melting, but it was a glorious day. And a full moon – called the Snow Moon, but that is not the name for today. Alas, clouds moved in, so no moon is visible. The full moon effect is still at hand, I’m sure, in spite of thunderstorms that have just set in.

Cedar and Tom Morris, the varmint avengers, trotted together this morning, comparing notes.

After catching up with Cedar, Tom Morris joined Marmalade and Licorice in the shed for breakfast.

I got more cat pictures today than bird pictures!

I was lucky to see Marianne this morning, and catch up with her. Still smiling!

The day started well, with a ride on Stone, who was delightful. Afterwards, he was sweating, so I gave him a bath. Naturally, when I turned him out, he was compelled to roll and get as dirty as possible, which was pretty dirty!

Next up, Bart was scheduled to ride with Jane and Derry. Somehow, he heard our plan, and when it was time to go, he was napping…

After 15 minutes, I bribed Bart with treats and encouraged him into arising. Poor Jane and Derry had to wait while we tacked up. We have decided to structure our riding with Linda Allen’s book – 101 Jumping Exercises for Horse And Rider. Jane and I each have signed copies of the book. We are very lucky to have worked with Linda Allen, a legend in our sport of showjumping. It is a rare privilege to have ridden with someone of Linda Allen’s caliber. We are grateful to Linda McClaren Parkhurst, who brought her to Missouri two or three times, and to Brody Robertson, who brought her to Lake St. Louis. Today we worked on Exercise 1 and Exercise 2. Here is Jane doing a lead change in the “chute” of poles.

Bart, too, got a bath after riding, and he was just as bad as Stone about rolling in filth. Horses just have a need to get rid of that clean feeling!

When we were kids, the belief was that a horse was worth $100 for each time he rolled over. With inflation, we figure it’s now $10,000. Good boy, Bart!

Rosie wonders if cats increase their value by rolling…

Weedy went on a very long adventure today, but stayed away from Herters’ place. He returned home exhausted. Harry was pretty tired, too, from keeping track of his naughty dog’s exploits on the iPhone app.