2015 has started out wet and rainy here in Georgia, and Teddy the Haflinger Horse was soaking wet when I went to see him today. It isn't very cold, but I wish the weatherman would have been a little more accurate on the timing of the rain, because I would have thrown his sheet on the night before. Oh well, he's fine. 

Since the weather is so yucky, there's not much to do at the barn when it is so wet, I decided to make Teddy a warm, healthy treat. I know that there are bran mashes but, for various reasons, I don't really want to give him bran. So, I mixed up a small pot of oatmeal, carrots, apple, and a dash of cinnamon and cooked it in lots of water until it became a slurry of horsey goodness. Then, I added a splash of 100% pure apple juice to cool it down a little and add some more flavor. I poured all of this in a bucket and off to the barn I went.

The delicious smell of warm cinnamon and apples filled my car on the 5 mile drive, and I couldn't wait until he tasted it. After wading through the mud and muck to catch him, he willingly came with me in to the barn. He knows that there's always a good grooming session and maybe a snack or two during the process. Well, there wasn't much grooming to do so I put a towel on his back and covered him with a polar fleece blanket. Even though it was going to rain again, I wanted to try and get some of the water off of him.

I put the bucket of his oatmeal treat down and he dove right in. And, yes, he loved it and licked the bucket clean. It is very satisfying cooking for your horse. Although, I wouldn't do it every day, once in awhile is perfectly fine. It wasn't a lot either, just a snack. So, I'll be planning to do this more often, especially when it is cold. Maybe once a week at the most.