• Thursday-What'sUP November 18 - 07:59 am

Along with the snow here in the Keweenaw, comes a change in the way we drive. Some folks switch to different vehicles for the winter months, using 4 wheel drive to get around. Others, like Amanda Cadwell and friends, choose alternative transportation similar to the 4 wheel drive, but 4 legged drive instead. Of course that's only for recreational purposes, not everyday back and forth to work. These are some beautiful horses and it sure looks like a great way to spend a day, exploring the countryside in the Keweenaw. Glad to see the hunter orange on the rider this time of year, too. Happy trails everyone.

When I see horses, I think of Janie!! We saw a beautiful one on the way home from Michigan on Tuesday!! Again, I thought about Janie, lol!! Oh, and Janie, thought of you both times we drove through Iron River, WI!!

Ditto, Deb. I expected to see JT on one of those horses.

Life is great from the back of a horse! Wonder how much business I'd get selling hunter orange riding helmets and fly masks? lol

Do horses get winter treads on their shoes this time of year or is that too dangerous for them knocking one against another leg? Does their weight on their shoes give them enough grip on the ice - or do you just keep them off ice?

Tell Me They Make Snowshoes for horses...

Deb, Iron River, Wi, just has my name calling a lot! A couple of pretty Tobiano Paints! In the breed of Paint/Pinto horses tobiano means they have white coloring over the back. Overo means white coloring does not go over the back. And yes they make *snowshoes* for horses, made from rubber.

About the ice, generally shoes are pulled off for the winter. At least by my ways. Also my way is to not allow my horses to be where they could get on ice as much as I can prevent it. I keep sand in my barn if needed.

What beautiful horses! For the most part they are such lovable and gentle creatures! My husband had always been fascinated by horses.....their big strong bodies on those seemingly tiny legs. He loved to watch them in western movies! Thanks for sharing, Amanda, and thank you, Janie T., for the descriptions. Like I said, these are beautiful!!

On the subject of Paints/Pinto's, I have a American Miniature Horse known as a Mini, that has markings of a Tobiano Pinto and Appaloosa. He is registered as a Pintaloosa.

Wow....your place has to be awesome Janie! WOW! Do you have any Clydesdales? I love them...LOVE those Bud commercials with those horses....

Love the pics Mandy Lou...but where are you? You need someone to take a pic of ALL of you! I'd imagine the ride in the woods is phenomenal!!! What beauty....

@Donna, never owned any of the Draft breeds. But I rode a friend's Percheron one time. Bob & I have visited Grant's Farm in the St Louis area where the Budweiser Clydesdale's are bred, raised, and trained. They are stabled in a round barn.

I love the Budweiser Clydesdales, Janie T! They came to visit our county fairgrounds, so we got to see them in person, and pulling the wagon, etc. That was awesome!

They used to race Standardbreds (Trotters & Pacers) on frozen lakes in the relatively recent past, I can remember seeing them in the 1960's. They were shod with shoes that had short sharp spikes that were removed when the horse wasn't on ice. In later years we used shoes that were fairly normal looking with the exception of spots of a hard alloy like stellite welded on a least 4 points on the shoe. These were more like nubs and allowed training and racing over a frozen track surface. Haven't heard of ice racing in years. Back when horse power was the normal mode of transportation, there were a variety of snow and ice shoes.

I have always liked pics of horses, they are such beautiful and intelligent animals. Maybe the horses should have some hunter orange on them also; there are a lot of inexperienced nut-cases out there carrying high-powered rifles around at this time of year.

Winter shoes have "corks" or "caulks" The tails of the shoe are bent down and sharpened and a sharp projection is welded to the front of the shoe. A beveled inner surface helps the shoe to shed balled up snow.

Janie and Marianne...I'm jealous! I just adore those big horses......

Daveofmohawk, I agree with you about 'marking' the horses because, like you said, there are way too many inexperienced
'hunters' and "otherwise" out there at this time of year. Watch your horses, gals!

Donna ,Clydesdale's are a beautiful horse before the eyes, but they can be a handful in attitude! They have been known for stubbornness, orneriness, just not always the friendliness personalities.

I kind of always wanted a horse and the photos today are awesome. The first horse rreminds me of my cousin Bob's horse,Dude. He won a lot of barrel reaces with that horse.Good memories....thanks!

Speaking of marking horses because of too many experienced hunters and otherwise, some 23-year old hunter managed to bag his 26-year old brother in the LP on the first day of the season. I have no idea how the younger brother managed to shoot and kill his older brother, but there is always something like that on the first day of the season. It's things like that, that make me think that the little kids should not be out in the woods on the first day of deer season, because I don't want to see any little kids accidentally shot. Also, some years ago, a woman who used to work in our area was sitting on her porch, when she was shot in the leg. It caused a big stir because her husband was a detective on the region's narcotics task force, and people thought it was a hit attempt on him. The investigation later determined it was an inept team shooting target practice in a nearby cornfield. I totally believe in the second amendment, the right to bear arms, hunt, etc, but I don't like the casualties that happen. I did visit the woman while she was recovering in the hospital. And then, there are always the deaths from natural causes during the early days of gun season, with overexertion, trying to get their deer to their vehicles, etc.

That's terrible, Marianne! Unfortunately the opening of deer season, fireworks 'season', etc. allows some inept, devoid of commonsense people to believe that it's time to 'play' because it's 'legal'! There seems to be no age limit on that nonsensical behavior!!

MARIANNE; Even though what you said in your posting is true, the only problem I read, if you will, is the '23 year old hunter managed to bag his 26 year old brother.' I am not saying in any way, shape or form , that you were saying the 23 year old brother meant to do it, it is just the brother, who is a human being, not a deer that is being 'bagged', died.

Oh Yeah!!!! I went to high school with a kid who always went hunting with his dad and word got back to school that as he was crossing a road, on foot, a semi came out of no where and ran him over. We, the high school, never really knew exactly how it happened.

"Splittin' hairs" there, eh, Mickill?;)

What ever do you mean, Shirley?