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Windt im Wald
Farm
Saturday, August 18, 2007, dawned unexpectedly sunny,
dry, cool and crisp. It felt like mid-September instead of late
August with breezes and an early-morning chill which made us think
of shortening days, slanted rays of the sun, and a distant memory
of the need to be prepared for the winter blasts that visit northeast
Ohio anytime after October. It was just a fleeting memory, however,
as the pleasure of the day surrounded us with the thought that 1404
bales of hay were safely stored for the horses at our farm and that
many of the challenges of 2007 were now behind us. It was a day
for adventure and opportunity. It was a time to treasure the beauty
and
Visitors since September 1, 1999
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THE
2007 
peacefulness
of the day and to savor with gratefulness the fact that we were
together and had some time for fun with our horses! Oh, how we welcomed
the diversion and the distraction!
since
this show was the very first away-from-home experience for both
youngsters. Both came out willingly and immediately made friends
among the humans besides us. I fastened on both show halters, and
we just walked around, not really wanting to practice any more show
setups with these two youngsters. It was enough that they both seemed
to be taking it all in stride so far. There was Icky baby-talking
every strange horse that came his way and LC playing the role of
Alpha mare as long as she had Icky to lord it over on. What they
would do in front of the lady judge...well, that all remained to
be seen.
And
then came the first call and the second call for Class 1. By the
time Icky and I got to the starting point, Announcer Anita Cook
made it known that there were thirteen entries. Wow, I thought,
as I looked straight ahead. Icky walked to the judge, his Arabian
brush tail held high. Then we trotted spiritedly and easily to set-up.
Now, that might be the challenge for a four-month old! He set up...and
stayed put...and stayed put...and stayed put, taking away a fifth
place in the large field. Wow! Could this all be happening this
beautiful clear, quiet, calm, ethereal Saturday in August?
contestants.
This time it was only seven in the class. LC and I approached the
judge, her mouth open and crying loudly for Icky, who was perfectly
happy to be in the outfield with Tom. The big challenge for LC would
be the trot, which she rarely liked to do, but suddenly she was
the picture of animation. Was this really sluggish LC? I did not
worry about the set-up, but I should have. LC kept calling for Icky:
"Where are you, little half-brother of mine?" No response from any
horse on the grounds. She was totally on her own. By the time she
was done fretting, she gunked up my new white shirt, and I figured
us as also-rans, but somehow we pulled off a third-place, and we
both beamed our joy to walk away from this class in the sunshine
with LC's silver frizzy mane just glistening like a white beach
on an endless summer beach.
stall-cleaning,
and an evening appointment. Man, time sure flies when you're having
fun and thrills, kind of like seeing the bottom of the roller coaster
come up to greet you as the scream just tears out of your mouth
without having to think about it...
it
when the winter blizzards, the ice, the sleet, the hail, and the
darkness of winter remind us that summer is on its way again.
