The warm and dry weather has allowed more than a month's extra riding time, and riders are out there, even in November, when most would have turned their horses out. There is an unprecedented interest in foxhunting when these fall days are clear and warm. No one is pulling shoes yet. No one is asking nervous questions about borium and snowball pads and if those little Hufgrip things really work. They're too busy using their horses.
Good weather is good news for the horse business.
Happy owners buy more horses. Good weather encourages more people to go to polo matches, fairs, and horse shows. Of course, that leaves all of you to keep those horses going those extra weeks. There's a strong message out there, coming from the mouths of many leaders of the farrier and veterinary profession. It is a message of realistic expectations of what we can achieve, what our limits are, and what we can realistically expect a horse to endure.