Twas the night before Christmas & outside the barn...
The wind was a howling & causing a harm
The storm moved in like a horse on a track
With the horse’s all huddled together in a stack
While most would be huddled by the fire, away from these forces
No weather can keep you away if you own horses
In wool socks, and layers, and maybe muttering a curse
A girl saunters down trying to remember, things could be worse
Arriving at the barn, wreaths hanging on both doors
She could begin to see snowflakes on the backs of the creatures she adores
She grabbed from a bale to throw flakes into the feeder
Wishing she’d sprung for the overhead heaters
With hay flying around she checked each stall
Laying out dinner for each horse big and small
The water wasn't frozen and was ready
To keep the herd hydrated & steady
She opened the door to the grain room and flicked on the light
And nickers and whinnies began in a delight
She grabbed each horses bucket to fill
First grabbing a pouch of Flow to help mask a senior’s pill
Then to a bin that has the power of 4
Trifecta for each horse to cover all their bases she was sure
For the two horses that travel & didn’t handle stress well
One scoop of Gut Guard, it helped their GI tract, she could already tell
The snaffle bit winner and the show jumper soon headed out of state
She popped a cup of Joint Guard in to keep joints in tip-top shape
The nervous new addition and a rehabbing barrel horse
Get a new bag of Super Weight Gain straight from the source
She always topped the buckets off with something that tasted sweet
She searched for the red bag of the sugar-free treat
When she reached in the bag a panic set in
The bottom of the bag was empty, her head started to spin
No flax for Christmas, this can’t be right
These happy, healthy horses deserve their tasty omegas tonight
Reluctantly she carried the buckets and placed them in the stalls on their hooks
When a noise from outside made the horses all look
A jingling of bells and sleigh sped through the sky
The horses all scattered the pasture, one jumping real high
She wiped at her eyes to see if it could be true
8 horses headed towards the barn as they flew
She rushed outside to peer up at the roof
She couldn’t believe what she saw but a whinny showed proof
8 horses with a black horse in the lead
Standing atop the roof with a white blaze, what a steed
Behind him a big bay, a buckskin, a sorrel, and a horse with a star
A grey, a red pony, and flaxen maned mare...how bizarre
They all wore a brand but the one font everyone would agree
In the moonlight, it shown, a big HG
The horses in the pasture still kicking in a scurry
While the big black horse looked down at them as if he was in a hurry
He flicked his tail and looking straight down at her he winked
She looked up in awe, She didn’t know what to think
With a whinny the sled of horses leapt off the roof and back into the sky
She watched their coats glimmer and their muscles look spry
She turned back to the pasture to get the horses inside
As she moved towards the gate the horses increased their stride
One by one they ran into their place
Each knowing which stall was theirs, they didn’t need to read the nameplate
She walked into the grain room to turn off the light
When what was on the counter, a red bag so bright
A big bag of Flix Treats filled to the brim
On her rosy cheeks she let out a big grin
She grabbed the bag to give each horse their special flax cookie
Each horse perked right up, they were no rookie
They nickered together as all was all right
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Michael Ann & Remington
December 21, 2023
Thanks for the story it was very cute! Merry Christmas