Leahaven in the Snow

Yesterday after a rather hairy ride over Lookout Mountain
(see my Zephyr Hill blog for the photos:  http://zephyrhillfarm.blogspot.com/2011/01/tale-of-two-mountains.html ) we arrived to find Leahaven under a thick blanket of snow.  We didn't measure it, but based on what we got at home, it was at least 7" and probably more.  The tenth of a mile between the road and the house was pristine white, untouched snow.

The first order of business was to find the water main under the snow, then use a tool to turn it off.

The house sat warmly welcoming in its cold setting.  The first order of business inside was to turn on a faucet and drain all the water from the pipes .  With a forecast of several nights with temperatures in the teens and days not rising above the mid-20's, there's always the danger of freezing pipes with subsequent flooding when they thaw.  Now we can sleep easy at night!

The picnic table and front lawn don't look quite so inviting under a layer of snow, but I wished we had time to drive back to the pond and the lake to enjoy their winter beauty.

The gumballs on the sycamore tree out front were sculpted against the gray-white sky which seemed to be painted with the same palette as the snowy fields.

I had to smile at the icicles hanging off the gutter.  They bear silent witness to the winds that frequent Sand Mountain.  No tamely hanging icicles here!  Like gnarly trees, they battle the wind for existence, their sparkle belying the struggle to be.  Perhaps they are like some of us, buffeted by life, a little twisted and bent, but hanging in there by God's grace!

A Great Way to End the Year (Wednesday, Dec. 29)

On December 7, my four-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse, Brandy, had surgery on both her hind legs.  Her rehab involves riding an hour every single day for six weeks.  Because of the pain, Brandy has been step-pacing (taking mincy little steps) instead of doing a "flat walk" or "running walk" which are a lot more work.  When I ask her to speed up, she just paces faster--a VERY uncomfortable and jolting gait to ride!  My research on how to cure pacing without a bit (since I ride Brandy without one) or artificial aids suggested riding in snow, sand, or mud to oblige the horse to pick its feet up which creates a better gait.  So when we heard from guests that there was more snow at Leahaven than in Chickamauga, we bundled the horses into the trailer and headed to Leahaven.

This was only Angel's third visit to Leahaven, and she was very excited.  I think she definitely enjoyed the change of scenery after three weeks of riding the same 29 acres at home!  And although she was a bit "antsy," she behaved very well and didn't do anything silly.

Zephyr and Hero came along, too, and had a blast.  Hero probably ran twice as many miles as the horses did, running ahead, coming back to us, and running on ahead.  Sometimes Zephyr got left pretty far behind, but she always caught up to us in the end.

This was only Brandy's second visit to Leahaven.  I don't know if it's the natural horsemanship training she has had or if it's just her personality, but although Angel is 11 and she is only 4, she's extremely laid-back and calm.  She was very interested in her surroundings, but not at all "antsy."  The only problem she gave me was refusing to cross the stream of running water below the beavers' dam until I got off and led her across--of course getting my feet wet in the process!  I made her go back and forth across three times, and that was all it took for her to make the next crossing with me in the saddle.

The nice deep snowdrifts that had blown into ditches and along fencelines were just what the doctor ordered to encourage Brandy to gait; even where there was no snow, the long clumpy grass did the same thing.  It didn't take long at all for her to pick up a nice flat walk instead of step-pacing.  You can tell by her damp shoulder and neck that she got a good workout!  You can also tell how relaxed she is, standing there with her eyes closed!

After we cooled the horses down we turned them into the little enclosure by the barn where there was water and grass to eat, and we went to clean the house for the next guests.  As we came out to load the horses up and head home, the sun was setting across the field, a beautiful end to a great day!

Happy New Year, Leahaven!