I’ve been putting off writing about Pippin because I don’t really know where to start. It was all so overwhelming in the beginning that I didn’t blog about it, and then I didn’t know whether to start with the present moment or start from the beginning until we caught up. I finally decided I could do both, and so I am introducing Pippin with this photo that makes me feel so joyful. It was taken last year at the barn where we were boarding; they have a holiday get-together every year called “Christmas for the Horses” at which a real tree is decorated with carrots, apple slices, and candy canes; and the horses, decorated for the occasion by their owners or barn kids, are turned out two at a time to nibble away. In the photo above, Pippin (on the right) is with his best friend at the time, a newly-off-the-track Thoroughbred named Remy.
Once the horses have had a few minutes at the tree, they get to visit onlookers at the fence who offer more treats and pet their noses while the tree is redecorated for the next round.
Pippin loved it—he’s so gentle with kids!—and this festive event was one of the things that truly filled me with Christmas spirit.
I’m looking forward to finally putting down stories about my time with Pippin in this blog. It’s been one of the most amazingly beautiful-frustrating-rewarding adventures I’ve ever been on. Blessings abound, and I (and Pippin) wish you a joyful, happy Christmas :-)