Winterizing

Late fall is my least favorite time of year.  Though the holidays are always a welcome distraction, I hate the darkness and cold of months of winter stretching out before me.  I have previously said that I need some winter hobbies to quell the winter doldrums, and yet my primary hobbies are showing horses and racing cars - both dependent on good weather.  Winter does give me a chance to regroup and prepare for the next busy fun season, though. 

This winter I have a number of aspirations both racing related and riding related.  On the racing front, I want to do some work on the car.  I would love to tackle my engine rebuild project, but fear that I won't have enough time to do so.  I also want to work on the CAI bracket and configuration, and also need to see about getting the new exhaust installed.  I need to look at the bushings and motor mounts, too, and J wants to get a set of super light 7.5 wheels.  Practice will have to consist of time logged on the simulator with Forza and pining for the season to start.

On the riding front, Legs doesn't need much through the winter.  I will ride her a couple times, but she'll get her shoes pulled on the next farrier visit, so we won't do anything intense after that.  Lar's a different matter.  I want to continue to build repoire with him and he has given me a reason to brave the cold for winter riding again.  I haven't been this enthused or die hard about riding in a while.  When the weather really turns, we'll have to work on indoor stuff like clipping around the ears and showmanship stuff.  On the horse front, I'd also like to go through and thoroughly clean all of my tack and work on some new western outfits. 

I've done some winterizing around the place.  The horses got their annual dental check, which is always important for winter hay feeding.  Lar has a full set of turnout blankets now.  He has been modeling his navy Turtleneck sheet last week while it was rainy and cold.  He also has a brand new green midweight Hug which will serve him well throughout most of our chilly but not bitter KY winters.  He also has a Schneider's liner to layer with either of the above to adjust to any temp.  And yes, Legs has matching ones, so they are twins!  The barn is stocked full of 1st and 2nd cutting alfalfa-orchard grass hay, with another 100 bales reserved for later pick up this winter.  There is a large woodpile behind the barn now for cozy evenings in front of the fireplace.  40 tons of class I are piled up next to the field and the bobcat is reserved so we can improve drainage and prevent mud around the hay racks and the top of the hill.  I also had a thin layer of class I spread around the perimeter of my "arena."  The objective isn't to have a true arena with 4 layers of base and proper sand footing, but to firm up and improve the traction on the most used part of the riding track while still allowing grass to grow through so I still have the look of a nice green yard.  I rode Lar on it tonight and it was fantastic (As was he.  He's starting to get a lot more responsive and consistent.  I really like that he's getting much softer on the bit and much more prompt about his transitions).  I think he even moved freer on it, too.  The next step is to add another light to the front so I can ride on the winter evenings.  I bought one to install, but I'm not thrilled about it's design and may end up exchanging it for a different one.  All in all, I think we're in pretty good shape for winter now.