This was a work day and I didn't get a chance to do anything with the horses but feed them. I did get to Costco to get Cowboy's corn oil. Providentially, I got a nutrition newsletter from The Horse about feeding horses in the winter, how much they require and how to supplement with oils. A 1000 lb horse requires 20 MCals (20,000 calories, wow!) for maintenance, and that can be provided with 20 lbs of hay. You can provide up to 12% of the calories with corn oil. A cup of corn oil provides 2000 calories (keep that in mind next time you deep fry something). When the weather is cold, the horse requires more calories--when the thermometer dips below 50 degrees F, they need an extra 2000 calories for every 10 degree drop. I'm adding a cup a day of corn oil to Cowboy's already enormous and complicated diet to try to put some weight on him. It was dark by the time I fed him his first dose so I couldn't see his expression, but he gobbled it right up so I think he likes it.

Tomorrow is another work day but I'm hoping to squeeze in a little horse time, at least to clean paddocks. I've ordered the equine body work book and meanwhile am going over an old book by Jack Meagher about using massage to treat muscle injuries. He refers to 25 specific stress points that should be checked out on the horse, and treated with massage if necessary. I'm hoping to start at the neck and check out Cowboy and Dexter to see if they have any problems.

I'm really looking forward to longer daylight hours! Thank goodness we're past the winter solstice.

I got no exercise today and while my intentions are good, my diet resembles the M&M diet--you've probably heard of it, the day starts out with dry toast and grapefruit, you slip in one M&M midday, and by evening you are consuming an entire chocolate cake with ice cream. Not quite that bad, but the resolve does tend to slip as the day wears on, the hunger grows, and the stress level builds.