Snow Day for Wizard & JR

Tuesday, 3/3/09 Happy Square Root Day!

As the East Coast contingent of the Rock and Racehorses Blog Posse can attest, we got a little snowfall on Sunday and Monday and a shot of cold air on Tuesday. I walked to work on Monday, which was exhilarating- it felt kinda cool wandering the unplowed streets and being the only person walking around town.

On Tuesday, I snuck out to the barn before work to get some photos of the horses playing in the snow. JR, Wizard, and company did not disappoint; they were a group of equine children on a snow day. They had already been outside for a few hours and judging by the laps of horse tracks and various “snow angels” around their paddock, they were having a grand time all day long. The two hooligans put on quite a show for me. They bit, they kicked, they galloped, they reared, they fought, they played.

I expected JR to be hardier and sillier in the snow since he has a longer winter coat and is, ah, “fluffier” than his Thoroughbred friend, but Wizard was the superstar. He was charmingly snorty as he raced around the arena, leaping snow drifts and chasing JR. Both Wizard and JR do a lot of snorting when they play- it’s that deep, percussive purr that horses do when they are in high spirits.

JR got in on the fun as well. I think fitness was a factor when the horses were playing. Wizard is fitter and was happy to run, but JR was more interested in sedentary activities, like eating snow, rolling, and relocating a plastic barrel to the other end of the arena. Tho two horses also picked up a traffic cone and played tug of war- there is nothing as enjoyable as watching horses play just for the joy of it. The two hooligans made my trip worthwhile and it was a real treat to see them enjoying their snowy day.