The past two days it’s been in the mid to high 70s here. That’s amazing for the middle of March and too darn hot for a horse that still has his winter coat.

Yesterday I took advantage of the beautiful day and took a two hour ride. I met my husband at one of our favorite local walks and while he walked, I rode.

Freedom wanted to move along and I did have a couple of nice gallops in one of the big fields. But between the heat, the humidity and his high spirits, Freedom was hot, sweaty and uncomfortable. I gave him a good bath when we got home but even this morning he still looked hot and sticky.

So today, I took matters into my own hands and brought out the clippers. I’ll probably take the rest of his coat off later this week, but with only 40 minutes to spare, I did the next best thing — a high trace clip. He looked so much more comfortable! And think of all the birds’ nests that will be lined with soft chestnut hair.