Spring Horse-keeping in Vermont . . .

Spring in Vermont brings it's own set of challenges . . . the big thaw has begun, complete with forecasted downpours, and so it begins. The girl vs. mud challenge. You know it is out of control when you start fantasizing about earthmoving equipment, but settle for buying a new ice axe at the hardware store. We now have a set of 3 pick axes, not including the one I broke last winter on an ice dam.

I know some people have the zen-like ability to not worry about it and accept that the ice will melt, the mud will dry up, and eventually we will have dry, firm ground again. Simply put, I am not one of those people. Each spring I go to war with the giant manure encrusted glacier that is my paddock. I have ruined plenty of clothing and required numerous bottles of Advil in this endeavor. The sooner the glacier is gone, the less mud we have, and the sooner we will have firm ground to ride on again!

Don't get me wrong, I love looking at, caring for, and spending every dime of extra income on my horses. They are big pets for the most part, but it is so nice to have all that hard work pay off by being able to go for a nice long trail ride. But before that can happen, hours of training and conditioning must be done, which requires dry ground.

And so I spend hours, ice-picking, manure-scooping, river-diverting and trench-digging in an attempt to decrease the mud-bog come spring. Right now my wheelbarrow is stuck axle-deep in a snow bank, and I spent most of the morning digging trenches in the ice that will be filled with mud by lunch time. So for now its looking like glacier:1, me:0.

I'm considering conceding defeat and preemptively re-naming our barn "the Mud Palace". Good thing we have a horse trailer!