9999

I know I promised to write about rainrot, and we've all been breathless with anticipation—but with the Puget Sound area cold-snap this weekend, I thought we'd postpone that discussion for a day or so, and talk a bit about cold-weather horse management, instead. There are a number of things you can do to keep you and your horse happier and healthier when the temperature drops.

Take a good look at your horse, to begin with. Is she a bit thin, already? Perhaps she's a hard-keeper, anyway? You'll want to beef up her feed, then, especially during cold, wet, weather: Extra hay, if she's currently cleaning it all up, and extra grain or sweet feed, as well. Horses can shiver off an amazing amount of calories, even just overnight.

There's no need to stop riding, during the cold weather. In fact, you and your horse can very much enjoy cold-weather rides; but you'll want to perhaps take your warm-up a bit more slowly. Pay close attention to how easily your horse is breathing, and don't be surprised if she coughs a bit while warming up, especially if she's spent more time than usual, stall-bound. It's dustier in a stall than out in a pasture, after all. (If she doesn't stop coughing, though, you'll want to stop working her and figure out whether or not she's ill.) You'll definitely need to leave extra time for cool-down and extra grooming, after a ride. If you don't have a good cooler to toss over your sweaty horse, post-workout, you'll need one. (I often use an old wool blanket I've repurposed for this situation, actually) If you're going out on the trail, consider a rump-rug, to keep the big muscles in her hind-quarters warm and comfy.

You'll want to leave a bit of extra time to curry her, as well. Her winter coat is denser and longer than her summer coat, and she'll need more time to dry. That winter coat, by the way, serves her better if it's well groomed. Warm air traps much more effectively between those longer, thicker hairs when they're clean, fluffy, and free of mud, sweat, and debris.

You'll want to provide a good blanket, whether she's in a stall or turned out. If your horse has access to pasture, that blanket really should be waterproof. (I like Weatherbeeta ^TM, or Rambo Rugs ^TM.) We'll be talking more about blankets again, when we get around to the rainrot conversation, by the way. Tomorrow, though, we're going to visit about feeding for cold or inclement weather.

If I were to randomly pick an entertainer to host a new television show, I probably couldn’t do too much better than Elvis Costello.

The one time computer programmer turned angsty musician and producer has begun hosting Spectacle (pushed by the Sundance Channel in the US). Airing in Canada as well as the UK, the show, which has been scheduled for 13 one hour episodes, will be primarily Costello interviewing various influential, famous folks.

Already Costello has played host to Lou Reed as well as Elton John. But for the next episode – slated to air on December 17^th – former President Bill Clinton will be the guest. Viewers can only hope for a reprieve from an encore to Clinton’s now famous Arsenio Hall appearance during his election campaign where he played that saxophone.

But I wonder what Costello is going to ask him. The show is supposed to focus on the arts in a very broad sense and apart from linguistics, what does Clinton have to contribute to that discourse? More likely than not, Costello, who has been a US resident for some time, will try to match political wits with one of the most adept and adroit politicians of modern times.

Look for a lot of Obama talk as well as some sort of dissection of Bill Clinton’s charitable work – nothing too out of the ordinary. Most likely Costello has a litany of questions to raise that the handlers of President Clinton have disallowed the host from using. We’ll have to watch to see just what happens and if Costello has the gumption to make some good T.V. by challenging Clinton.