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Description
Horse: Pikku-Tauno
Rider: Ilpo Salomäki
Endurance training
For the White December and also a practice in colouring snow.

November 2015, Somewhere near Pudasjärvi, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland.
After having got a permission to borrow Olga's stallions for the White December Ilpo, of course, had to train and test them. Luckily he'd never shared Olga's scepticism when Tauno the ex-trotter was in question, because his own horse Vesti started exactly the same. A few weeks on the muddy fields, a lot of uphill training, and a trip to further up north where there was snow would surely do.
Wearing two sweaters and a proper winter jacket, and having loaded Tauno with al the needed stuff for their hike, Ilpo was more than ready to test out the blue-eyed stallion. He hadn't yet decided which of the three Finnhorses he'd ride and which two would remain as packing horses, so it was good to try out every option. Tauno surely had the neerves of steel to do either of the jobs, and even if he was a bit... weird to ride he seemed to know what to do well enough. He didn't spook and behaved exactly like the gentleman Olga had told the horse to be. The snow was all fine powder and thick mounds, but it proved to be no challenge whatsoever despite Tauno's lack of height.
Tauno seemed to like the trip, but even more so Ilpo liked to see the relaxed snort and yawn when they reached the timberwood laavu that was their final destination for the day. There was a couple who had arrived there to end their hike for the day, and while Ilpo drank coffee with them Tauno ate his oats.

Using the Finnish word 'laavu' instead of a 'lean-to', since I think the latter is weird and the English wikipedia uses both

Description
Horse: Pikku-Tauno
Rider: Ilpo Salomäki
Endurance training
For the White December and also a practice in colouring snow.

November 2015, Somewhere near Pudasjärvi, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland.
After having got a permission to borrow Olga's stallions for the White December Ilpo, of course, had to train and test them. Luckily he'd never shared Olga's scepticism when Tauno the ex-trotter was in question, because his own horse Vesti started exactly the same. A few weeks on the muddy fields, a lot of uphill training, and a trip to further up north where there was snow would surely do.
Wearing two sweaters and a proper winter jacket, and having loaded Tauno with al the needed stuff for their hike, Ilpo was more than ready to test out the blue-eyed stallion. He hadn't yet decided which of the three Finnhorses he'd ride and which two would remain as packing horses, so it was good to try out every option. Tauno surely had the neerves of steel to do either of the jobs, and even if he was a bit... weird to ride he seemed to know what to do well enough. He didn't spook and behaved exactly like the gentleman Olga had told the horse to be. The snow was all fine powder and thick mounds, but it proved to be no challenge whatsoever despite Tauno's lack of height.
Tauno seemed to like the trip, but even more so Ilpo liked to see the relaxed snort and yawn when they reached the timberwood laavu that was their final destination for the day. There was a couple who had arrived there to end their hike for the day, and while Ilpo drank coffee with them Tauno ate his oats.

Using the Finnish word 'laavu' instead of a 'lean-to', since I think the latter is weird and the English wikipedia uses both