Salad days

I forgot to take Spanky a treat yesterday, so I let him graze for a while which he seemed to enjoy as much as a carrot or apple. There is something calming, almost meditative about watching and listening to a horse eat.  Talk about living in the present moment-- Spanky would teach us a course on "mindfulness" if he could only speak.

All the wild (and not so wild) grazing animals like to gorge themselves on grass salad in the spring.  Most horses just need quality hay or pasture to stay sleek and healthy. They know instinctively what's good for them.  But like humans, horses also have a sweet tooth and will scarf down all the rich grain, molasses, corn, alfalfa and sugar beet pellets you put in front of them.  That's the equine version of a Texas Sheet Cake diet. 

Well, Spanky is gleaming with health this spring, due to all the careful care he gets from Jen and Dolly.  It was a beautiful day in the foothills, and warm enough for some of the barn ladies to start complaining about the "heat."  But not this lady  :-)