It was the coldest Thanksgiving Day Parade in history.  Are we talking global warming?  This is Florida and we’re going down to freezing tonight.  It’s only November 27th folks.

Christmas is closing in fast and I’m not ready.  Something did tell me to get the winter blankets out two days ago.  I listened, but one blanket is in for repair (I know, practice what you preach).  So then what happens?  The girl who repairs them ended up in the hospital.  Oh my!  I have plenty of other blankets, so I’m not worried, but we don’t usually get winter until after Christmas.  Usually January and February is winter here.

Good bye green pastures.  Hello sheets on the sensitive plants and moving the ones that can’t take freezing into the house.  When you think about it, winter is so much easier up north.  Everything outside goes to sleep until spring.  You put the winter blankets on the horses and they stay on until spring.  You set up for freezing temps with your water situation and you hibernate until spring.  Oh that wonderful word – “Spring.”  Down here we have winter for three days, then back to fall/spring temps.  Actually in three days we’re going back up to the 80’s.  Now if that doesn’t make you crazy, nothing will.  One night the horses have winter blankets on and three days later they are soaking wet with sweat.  Plants go back out and get uncovered and you’re in Florida again.

So while we’re on the subject – have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  Are you already done?  It’s a magical time of year.  I remember putting bells on the horses, my friends used to put Santa hats on their horses.  We’d ride without a saddle on top of the blanketed horses just to stay warm.  Now I run out, do what I have to do, and get back in the house, and I live in Florida.  I think back about giving lessons in 20 degrees.  Frozen toes, hoses, water, chopping sweet feed with a shovel, using a hoe to break up the frozen manure on the rubber mat and snow balls in your horses hooves.  Oh the good old days.  When we were kids, we’d put our feet in fresh manure just to be able to feel our toes again.  Yes, I remember it well.

Oh well pack up the memories and move on.  Heat up the apple cider or hot cocoa and get ready for a rough ride through a winter wonderland.  Only 27 days ’til Santa Clause comes to town.

T’is the season for Shop Till You Drop.  Don’t forget your fur babies (not that I believe you ever would), but also don’t forget the shelter animals and rescue groups.  The ones that have been helping the hurricane and fire victim’s are struggling.

Just think – Spring is on its way.  (That’s called the art of positive thinking.)

You see signs in front of people’s properties down here that say “Happy Fall Y’all.”  Well I’m borrowing it for today.

Now you may wonder how we know it’s fall here in Florida.  Some folks go up to Georgia and The Carolina’s for the fall colors, but if you really look around, you can see small amounts of color right here, and there’s also the temperature drop.  Not to mention the hairy horses that are walking around sweating.  We rake leaves in the spring, so no leaf raking to take up our riding time.

Our temps today will be in the 70’s, perfect riding weather.  Wind chills in N.Y. and N.J. (where I come from) will be in the single digits.  I remember those days, and am glad I live here.  I do feel bad for the people in the parade.  How do the Rockettes do their routine in those skimpy outfits.  I don’t care how fast you dance, it’s cold.  The balloons may not fly because of the winds.  That’s so sad.

Lost track of what day it was with the holiday week, but the meaning is still there.  We need to be thankful for what we have.  Now-a-days we focus so much on what we don’t have.

Horse people seem to be more thankful for what they have.  We have the unconditional love from our animals.  We have the time we spend with them out in Gods beautiful creation.  We are in touch with the seasons, like most people can never experience.  We have our friends and family who share our passion, and understand how much this all means to us.  We have the peace that comes from just being in physical contact with the most beautiful, majestic animals on earth.  Not just to be partners, but be able to become one with them.

No we can’t invite them in to share our Thanksgiving turkey with us, but we can go to the barn and share the carrots, apples, and other goodies at their Thanksgiving table.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving and don’t forget your fur babies (I know you won’t).

Well no one really had to tell us, we knew it all along.  Sorry men, unless you’re married to a horsewoman.

“Women Who Own Horses Live 15 Years Longer Than Those Who Don’t”  I’m serious, they did a real study.  I don’t know what set of researchers did this study, but I did find out that supposedly a Gary Cockburn was one of the leading researchers.  You can Google the article.  There are several versions.

Recent studies looked at how owning a horse impacted a woman’s health.  They studied women in Northern Virginia, Western North Carolina, and North Florida.  They tracked women for decades.  Researchers conducted a double-blind study.  This study divided women into different age groups.  They looked at a 40-year period.  The result was true for different ages and nationalities.  The scientist even looked at data from 50 countries to see if the results are accurate.  It turns out that owning a horse is good for your health.  (If they don’t kill you – my thought, not theirs.)  They set guide lines since some own a horse for just a few years.  The women had to have a horse for at least five years to be counted as a horse owner.  In Spain, women lived 16.5 percent longer.  For American women, the difference was around 14.7.  Over all average was around 15 years of longevity.

There were different theories as to why this is.  With horses, women are outside more, they exercise more, and socialize with other horsewomen.  They are less likely to have heart problems, high blood pressure, or diabetes.  They are happier and with an over-all well-being.

There is a lot printed on this, but not a whole lot of information who conducted the study and where they were from.  You can continue to research it yourself.  I’ll just accept it and say Thank You.

I guess I’m just happy that someone else figured this out.  I’ve seen a lot of old cowgirls, and horsewomen in general, walking around still taking care of their animals.  More than people who aren’t involved in a sport.

If this is an actual study, Yay for us!  If not, we’ll just go on believing it anyway.