Roll out the barrel

Will be what I'll do tomorrow when I turn Ben out.

The weather was horrid today (as those of you who live near me are all too well aware), warmer than usual but lashed by high winds and driving rain starting around midday. After a few hours of huddling in the run-in, Ben, Commander, Counterpoint and Cholla were all glad in late afternoon to go into the barn and their warm dry hay-stocked stalls for the night. I'd put rain sheets on both Ben and Commander in the morning, in anticipation of the crappy weather, and when they came in I left the sheets on so they could dry on the backs of their four-legged clothes racks.

Tonight I whipped off Ben's rain sheet and thought "Hmmmmmmmmmm........ looking a bit rotund, are we?" Then instead of putting him back in the blue winter blanket he's been wearing for the bitter-cold weather, I grabbed his lighter-weight plaid blanket from the tack room, flung it over the mighty bay back, and began to do up the straps.

I had to let out the belly cross-straps and the leg straps. The boy's tubbed out. I'm sure there are ribs in there somewhere, but darned if I could find them when I ran my hands over his sides.

Sigh............ No more evening grain, just the morning's with the supplements, and I'll be cutting back even that small amount. It was only about three cups' worth at each meal, but down it goes to two, maybe one and a half. For both of the bay boys, since Commander has also gained weight since I got him. He's not a lardass like his big buddy, but it's best not to let him get any plumper.

Oddly enough, neither seemed to notice that they got only hay at tonight's late feeding, and not the usual grain ("Candy! Horsey crack cocaine!") in their bucket. One can only hope they continue to be bought off so easily.