FRIDAY WAS A day of carelessness for me. Our recent heavy snowfall caused me to change my usual routine — always an opportunity for error.
With the ground blanketed in snow, I allowed our aged Goldie Boy out of the backyard so he could stand under the hay shelter to stay dry.
There, he’s normally content to stay all day nibbling on hay with his worn-down teeth.
Well apparently Friday afternoon, I didn’t properly latch the gate to the adjoining horse shelters in the pasture.
As I readied to leave home for an appointment, I saw the turquoise-blanketed Snowball Express trotting happily down our steep driveway, where he made a right turn onto Olson Road, followed closely by Goldie, who was wearing his decidedly unmasculine, bright-pink winter coat.
“Snow!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
The two stopped, looked up the hill at me, looked at each other, and I’m sure Snow said to Goldie, “Hide!” because they ran behind the trees in my neighbor’s equally heavily snow-clad yard.
Although I live at the end of a road with scant traffic, even less so on this stormy day, I felt the need to quickly chase them down before they got too far.
So, I jumped into our farm cart (an old golf cart) and gunned it down the asphalt drive, which was newly layered with a thick sheet of ice that promptly sent me sliding down the hill.
Thoughts of “Steer away from the turn, keep it straight and don’t brake!” ran through my head as I slid mostly out of control to the left and right down the 450-foot drive.
It was careless of me to push the cart to its top speed (which truly isn’t very fast unless it’s down a steep icy hill).
With heart-stomping quickness, I made it safe at the bottom in time to see the comrades in arms, Snow and Goldie, calmly walking back to our house.
I guess they discovered there wasn’t any green grass at the neighbors’ either, so might as well head home to eat hay.
Which they did.
Boys!
By the way, keep in mind a trailer’s tires don’t necessarily follow your car tires on icy roads.
Do everyone a favor and put chains on trailer tires.
Also, be aware snow can weight down a rotting or flimsily built shelter, causing the roof to collapse and hurt your horse (which has already happened to a horse this year), so please do what you can to brush snow off the roof.
Gem
Last month, I was pleasantly surprised to see Mary Gallagher step out of the truck when her husband, Jerry Schmidt, delivered hay to my place.
The owners of Freedom Farm in Port Angeles tend to stick to running his and her areas of expertise:
Jerry the farming business — cows and hay — and Mary anything and everything equestrian.
Both are kind-hearted, hard-working folks who tend to live by the adage:
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
Their farm, located off Old Olympic Highway on Spring Road, is a genuine community jewel, offering some of the best hay in the state and — I think — the most ascetically pleasing horse facilities in the region.
Truth be told, I’ve been dreaming about owning an indoor arena like theirs nearly all my life.
I like that the farm’s overall training philosophies are patterned after natural horsemanship, or horse whisperer, techniques, which inculcate communication between horses and riders.
The return is a higher level of awareness, cooperation and trust between the two.
When asked by parents or grandparents where they can get riding lessons for their kids, Freedom Farm is high on my list of recommendations.
Lessons are offered for basic horsemanship, hunt-seat, jumping, cross-country and dressage.
Programs include Hoof Beats Riding Club, an after-school club for adolescents; Mini Beats Activities for youngsters under 100 pounds (Mini Beats game day proceeds are a benefit for Peninsula Friends of Animals); and working cow and monthly shows for all age groups, which Mary makes more fun by referring to them as “Play & Game Days.”
The farm is a dream come true for Mary and one that requires many helping hands to help it run smoothly.
I like how she humbly and gratefully gave thanks in her newsletter this month to “everyone who has been a part of making Freedom Farm such a wonderful place for learning and enjoying horses. . . .
“All your efforts have made a difference in the joy Freedom Farm gives to our community.
“Thanks, too, for supporting your child’s growth, developing your horse and horsemanship, participating in the farm activities, taking care of the arena and parking area, participating behind the scenes, feeding, teaching, volunteering your time, playing with the cows and dogs, cleaning, caring and maintaining the facility.”
Thank you, Mary and Jerry. And thanks, too, for generously donating weekly private arena time to both Port Angeles and Sequim High School equestrian teams.
Rescheduling
Due to last week’s snow, the Jefferson Equestrian Association rescheduled its annual meeting to Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jefferson County Library.
The public is welcome, and the meeting is free.
“The annual meeting is a time when everyone, outdoor and horse enthusiasts alike, can learn more about the progress of the Jefferson Equestrian Events Center, fondly dubbed ‘the horse park,’ and what its programs will bring to the community,” said JEA President Kim Hunt.
“We’re in the final stages of the initial permitting process, and there is more to do than ever — our membership is growing, but we still need and welcome everyone’s help and support.”
For more information about the annual meeting, phone Hunt at 360-379-0507.
________
Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears every other Wednesday.
If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, please email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also write Griffiths at PDN, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
