Well, it's year end. I'm an accountant. I hate January. And my birthday is in January. I'll spare you the gory details, but I've done 130 hours since January 3, up til 1:30 am, phone calls in the middle of the night, it's been ugly. And last night, I sat at my desk in tears. Last time I did that, I went on stress leave and quit that job. So, today someone else is on call (although I got one call this morning). And off I went to the barn.

My darling little girl was happy to see her Momma. It's -23C, -30 odd C wind chill. I picked her paddock... okay, chipped poopies out of the snow. Chatted with my trainer. Maggie's Auntie Gail says that she can always tell if I've not been out for a couple days, because she hustles down to see her when she goes by. My trainer rode on Weds, she was good, but she'd been off for two days.

So, we head into the arena, the solar heat was on, didn't bother Maggie. For some reason her vice in the winter is looking at the ground. Tracks in the sand will stop her dead. She's a strange girl. She had some hissy fits, as she does. She was pretty fresh, really. That's alot of horse to be sitting on when it's fresh horse. And, part way through a 15m canter circle at P, someone knocked on the door... she can do a canter pirouette at full speed.

We had huge, beautiful trot, lovely lengthen at the trot and canter, good canter transitions, no change of frame, it was absolute heaven. I love that little girl. She's the only reason I work a job that sometimes, frankly, I detest. But it pays enough to have her in her lovely private barn, have lessons, do some showing, and keep my sanity. I think I might even sign in later to see how things are going at work. It's amazing how a few hours of horse therapy can set the world back on an even keel.

To Maggie, and her little nephew Havoc....