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After a particularly nerve-wracking summer due to the number of fires we had in our local communities, it is wonderful to now receive much-needed precipitation. As I sit here and write this, the rain is pounding down outside and the winds are blowing the poor long-suffering oak trees around. The earlier rainfalls that we received reminded me of the words of one of my favorite childhood hymns – 'He sends the snow in winter.... And soft, refreshing rain' (from 'We Plough the Fields'). The "soft, refreshing rains" appear to be over but we were lucky to have those initially. Still, we mustn't grumble because our lands need these rains so badly!

A note of caution, though; I have seen people out and about riding on trails after rains while the trails were still wet and treacherous. Upon examining the trail after the riders had passed by, I saw potholes up to 12 inches deep caused by hooves. Common sense needs to be applied when deciding whether to ride or not in slick conditions. Not only is there a chance that your beloved equine could slip and injure a tendon, or fall down, but the trail will certainly be damaged. During current conditions, those of us who are wise will stay home and hunker down until the trails have dried out.

Although the inclement weather puts a damper on outdoor activities, perhaps the enforced confinement can be put to good use. We can inventory and check tack and equipment that probably needs to be cleaned and, perhaps, repaired. It is all too easy to just tack up and go without carefully scrutinising our gear. After all, who has the time? Often we are in a rush and do not want to keep others waiting. Of course this usually works out fine, but it is only wise to overhaul tack from time to time to ensure our safety and that of the beloved equines that depend upon us. An easy to keep New Year's Resolution would be to do this task once all the festive celebrations are over. And it may be that the best part of doing these chores during 'down time' is that you can't do this and housework at the same time.

To brighten up these grey days, here is a photo of 2016 winter/spring Carriage Club fun outings. As you can see, we even lined up to go through puddles in the Mojave Desert as good sensory practice for all our equines!