It’s still snowing, last I checked. Another five inches to add to the ten we had last week. While Zelda may be shedding out, Freedom is firmly convinced that there will be six more weeks of winter. He’s not shedding at all. And he may be right.

Although I love riding in the snow, I’m a bit more leery of it since Zelda fell. It’s been three years now, but I still am super cautious when it’s slippery out. This pas week Zelda and I went out a couple of times but the snow was deep and heavy (probably would have been a good cushion). We chose not to use the regular trails as they are inundated with cross country skiers and dog walkers. There’s not much tolerance for horses who dare to leave hoof prints (even if these are multi-purpose trails).

So we broke new ground. Virgin snow. Zelda was not amused as it was hard work slogging through it. I don’t really blame her. I wouldn’t have wanted to lead the way! I also didn’t want her to get too overheated. It’s a lot of work walking in deep snow. Zelda needed to work, though. When left to her own devices, she terrorizes Curly and then tries to get all alpha with me. A tired horse is a good horse.

There is something magical riding in fresh snow. It’s a fresh, pristine canvas, marked only by the tracks of the animals that came before you — and when we first tackled the snow, there were hardly any of those. Just the squeaking of cold under foot and the sound of the wind rustling the few remaining leaves.

Most of the week was quite gloomy, but yesterday we had a bright, sunny day with temperatures near 40 degrees. A perfect afternoon for soaking up the sun. I caved and let Zelda walk in her own tracks, only venturing a short distance beyond our existing path. A red-tailed hawk sat an watched us pass his tree several times while he sunned himself.

Today? It’s still snowing. So much for an early spring.