Saturday, March 5, 2011

The White Blanket


The white blanket on our pasture is getting lower to the ground, but there’s still a lot of ice and snow before you hit grass. At the worst, it was actually almost reaching the top rail of the fence but slowly it’s melting, inch by inch.

I was gone for about five hours yesterday, visiting my mom and going to the grocery store. My husband was supposed to throw a couple of flakes of hay to the horses, but he got busy and forgot. So, when I came home, Silk was standing at the gate of the corral watching anxiously for my arrival. I didn’t see Siete until I walked up to Silk with some hay. There was my little horse, standing at the far corner of the pasture, four hooves on top of the snow like an ornament on a birthday cake. I called her to come get some hay. She was still as a statue.

I realized, oh my god, she's stuck, so I headed inside to put on my boots. My husband beat me to it, feeling guilty that he forgot to feed the girls. He grabbed a halter and lead rope and ventured out to rescue Siete. Each step, he sunk into the snow almost to his knees. When he reached Siete, she started shaking her head wildly. He petted her and whispered something in her ear. Did I mention that Siete is his girlfriend? She let him put on the halter and lead rope without any fuss.

I stood at the gate, worried that she would drag him but she wasn’t going to budge. Finally, he calmly and gently coaxed her to follow him. She took two steps on top of the ice and then, whoosh! Siete’s feet dropped into a soft spot in the snow, and she sank about a foot. After that, she was afraid to lift her leg again. I don’t know how he convinced her to try, but step by step, my husband patiently dragged the horse at a snail's pace across the white blanket. At the edge, where the snow ended and the small “runway” was cleared except for ice and mud, Siete started leaning on him like she couldn’t bear to take another step.

I was afraid she was going to explode as soon as she hit terra firma, but she waited until he unclipped the lead rope and stepped out of the way. Then, she took off running into the barn. Safe in her stall, Siete bucked and bucked and bucked and bucked. Then, she whinnied very loud at us. It was quite clear what she had to say about the whole experience.

I offered her a carrot to calm her rattled nerves, and I served dinner early to the girls. This morning, when I opened the stall door, Siete poked her head out and tossed her nose in the direction of the white blanket. I reminded her that there was nothing but trouble out there for her. She’s a smart little horse, so she stood at the edge of the snow for a long time today without lifting a hoof in that direction.

Soon, little darling, soon. Spring is right around the corner.

10 comments:

Deejbrown said...

Glad your husband was able to coax his girlfriend to safer ground. It is always about trust in the end, even if it wavers a bit.

detroit dog said...

Oh, my! Poor Sietie; thankfully, she has a patient "Dad."

:-)

Here in the Detroit area, February was the snowiest it's been since 1908! Now, it's just rain for a couple of days. The dogs have cabin fever.

We're *all* waiting for spring.

Lori Skoog said...

At least it ended well. We have had some rain and our snow was almost all gone today. Tomorrow we could get a foot. Go figure.

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

Good teamwork with your husband and Siete. I imagine that snow can't go away fast enough for you (and Siete!)
Glad she's okay.

Sending warm weather wishes to you :)

Paint Girl said...

Wow, that is a lot of snow! Poor Siete, I can't imagine having to lead a horse through that much white stuff! That is great that your husband was able to get her back to the barn safely!
I totally hear you on Spring! I can't wait! I am so tired of rain and mud!

Ewa said...

oh, what a story!
I always love to come here and read a piece - you have a great talent to tell stories about simple things in such a way that I feel like being there.
Stay warm Vic! Spring is on the corner!
I also can't wait... enough is enough!

Máire said...

What a story! And your poor little Siete, how dependent they can be on us. We have absolutely no experience of that level of snow over here.

Rising Rainbow said...

Your husband did quite well with that situation. Very impressive!
Mine would have come to the house in a panic wanting me to fix things. LOL

I can imagine that Sietie was not happy with any part of that situation, well, other than the rescue. I can see her mare attitude about the whole thing. I'll bet she doesn't get herself into that kind of fix again anytime soon.

Dream Valley Ranch said...

What a sweet story about Siete and your husband...and her reaction to buck and buck inside her stall afterwards made me laugh. Horses are SO communicative! I know just how upset she was by that!

I love that she is your husband's girlfriend...thanks for a lovely story and a happy ending!
Sue and the crew

Unknown said...

I'm catching up on your world, and this was wonderfully told.

Glad the white blanket is gone and she can run about again!