January 2026
It has been cold up here!
The last two weeks have been brutally cold up here. One night last week we had wind chills at 50 below zero. It was many days when the actual temperatures did not even reach 0 degrees. The horses did ok in the weather but we decided to blanket almost everyone to make sure that no one would be cold or shivering. A few of our horses may never have had a blanket on before. Mr. B ran around in big circle after his blanket was put on; making sure he could still move adequately. He does seem to like his blanket. We have been so lucky that when new horses have been gifted to us, their owners frequently send their blankets plus extra blankets, sometimes. Thanks to all the generous former owners we have enough blankets for everyone…not many big stables can say that.
When the temperatures are so extreme, the care of the animals takes top priority…it also takes a lot more time. They are worth every extra minute but we are looking forward to more seasonable temperatures. The horses will also be glad when their blankets come off so they can roll and scratch their backs without any impediment.
Celebrity in her rainbow unicorn blanket. She says, “I am so cute, don’t you agree?”
Ellie’s goats needed coats, too. This is Diego in a blanket made for a baby horse. He is the biggest goat and is not an angora goat like all the rest. The chest was a little big for him but safety pins took care of that. Diego wasn’t thrilled about putting it on, but it kept him warm!
Miley has a pink blanket. Here she is the other night after finishing her supper. It gets dark pretty early still, so we had to use the flash to be able to see her. She is a good girl and never takes her blanket off without help from people.
Gator has a reputation from his previous owner that he takes his blanket off most of the time. He hasn’t taken it off yet. Here he is eating his supper. He gets very excited about eating and doesn’t hold still very well.
Sweetie gets a special blanket that has a neck attachment. She loves to have her neck covered and she frequently tucks her ears back into it to keep them warm.