when your other half suggests swapping to the double sleeping bag and donating the duvet to the horses rug wardrobe. Seriously!

It certainly is pretty cold, but we haven't stooped to this low just yet - Harvey is wearing all the rugs he owns and I am wearing all the clothes I own, and I am resisting the urge to make him warm porridge and knit ear warmers. I really do believe that a natural lifestyle is best for most horses, but you try telling Harvey that when he is looking into the back window of his stable asking to come in - he's come from the high society of the showing world, and I sometimes think he already feels as though he has traded Armani for Asda in coming to live with me. Still, he's toughening up pretty well, I was especially pleased with him on our hack last week (before the big freeze grounded us!) when he coped with a swamp (complete with imaginary alligators), a bridge (with residential troll) a sticky gate (with overhanging branches and a puddle of doom) and a herd of galloping racehorses. He was such a star, that we even played with a ditch or two on the way home - real life is turning out to be something Harvey can handle pretty willingly and with a steady head. We'll make a rugby player of him yet!!

 My car has now broken down in the snow! I was rescued (thanks Han :) ) but the car is less lucky, and has been abandonned to become a snow scultpure for now.

This means  I have had to cancel all my appointments for the next couple of days, and am crossing my fingers that the Leading and Loading course I am teaching on for Intelligent Horsemanship is not cancelled next week.
I also have a packed weekend of appointments so will continue to do the sun dance (and the easibly-fixable-car-problem dance) and look forward to next time the weather permits a ride.
Good news is, I think I have found a little lorry to borrow, which means I can take Harvey, and the other youngsters at Jim's place, out and about occasionally, look out for us at sussex clinics/shows and say hello!