First appearance of the spring crazies

When I got to the barn today Dude and Bestie were fully engrossed in the all-important task of consuming grain and hay. They were so totally uninterested in my arrival that I was really surprised when I found out that the horses hadn't gone outside today. Usually a day with no turnout means that they are a little stir crazy by the time I get there.

I didn't have time to ride or do anything, and since they had just eaten, I didn't want to take them in the indoor because they always roll when I walk them in there. That didn't seem to be a good thing to do with full bellies. So I decided to walk them down the road; a little stroll on a nice day. I got Dude haltered and ready, and we headed out. The first stretch of road is always busy in the late afternoon with commuters even though it's an unpaved road, but he was fine as cars passed. We strolled by a flapping tarp. We passed a house where a guy, barely visible through the brushy trees, was loading his car and opening and slamming the doors.

The walk was going swimmingly, and then my socks started to fall down. I had kept my dinky little thin socks I'd worn to work on with my Columbia boots, and the socks proceeded to slowly slouch down until basically there was a big lump at the base of my heel. Right about the time the sock lump was starting to drive me crazy, Dude started to do his huffy snort and short prancy trot--typical behavior when he wants to make a point about something he doesn't like. He was snorting in the direction of two people walking a dog waaaaayyyy across a field.

So much for the pleasant walk. He stopped in the middle of the road (no traffic, luckily) to snort at the threesome. After that, as we made our way back to the barn, everything became cause for alarm: the flapping tarp, the guy in his driveway, the cars passing. Not real alarm though, because he didn't really freak out. I think he just wanted to snort and trot and have a little fun in the warm weather and sunshine. Got back to the barn and put him on the cross ties to groom him, and he basically fell asleep.

I decided not to attempt the road with Bestie, and just took her to the back field to let her pick at the grass now that most of the snow is gone. At first she didn't know what to do with herself ... so much grass, where do I eat?? Eventually she settled down, seeming to prefer the clumps of still green crab grass. An uneventful little graze. I like that.