We aren’t afraid to admit it, fall is our favorite season.
It’s not that the other seasons don’t have plenty of merit; we’re huge fans of the spring, summer, and winter too!
It’s just that there’s something extra special about the crispness of autumn weather, and the leaves turning. And we’re not the only ones that think so.
You know who else loves autumn just as much? Horses!
They may be one of the world’s most beautiful and majestic animals, but they aren’t above a little horseplay when it comes to enjoying the vibrant fall weather.
In fact, a goofy gaggle of horses from the Second Chance Ranch in Washington showed us exactly why fall is the absolute greatest when a delivery of apples showed up at the ranch.
As we all know, bobbing for apples is a long-standing fall tradition, but we doubt that the game’s original inventor ever tried an equine take on the tried-and-true classic.
Check out their hilarious, adorable responses to fall’s favorite fruit in the gallery below!
Second Chance Ranch is a Washington-based program that champions the rights of thoroughbred horses, and gives these animals a unique second act as therapy animals.
Originally, the organization operated as a rescue and rehab facility for thoroughbreds, often raised for sporting purposes, that were abused or neglected.
Over the years, the organization has pivoted. Now, the same horses that were once rescues themselves help in therapy and leadership programs for humans that need a confidence boost of their own.
Still, even though these horses are consummate professionals, they still enjoy their leisure time.
If you know horses, you know that "leisure time" is often code for following your favorite people around and begging for delicious treats.
Horses know that people are all secret softies at heart, and if you nuzzle and whicker enough, you are bound to eventually end up with a tasty carrot or two.
But of course, the holy grail of happy horse snacking is the apple.
Or, for at least one of these horses, biting into individual apples then putting them back, as pictured above!
Luckily for the horses at Second Chance, it is officially apple-picking season, and the organization decided to celebrate by trucking in a whole load of apples for their four-footed friends.
Apples make an excellent sweet treat for horses, according to The Way of Horses, and are especially refreshing when shared with a whole bunch of your best buddies!
And that's exactly how these goofy horses enjoyed them; they all gathered together around the bed of the pickup truck to go "bobbing" for apples out of the back.
The photos, originally posted to the Second Chance Ranch Facebook page, are full of fascinating tidbits about the beautiful animals and their excited reactions to the sweet surprise.
First off, their human companions are quick to assure us that the horses are being carefully monitored to avoid overindulgence.
An overexcited horse might eat the tasty apples too fast and swallow air, leading to colic and gas, just like a tiny human eating too quickly.
Still, even while keeping a careful eye on the horses to make sure they were pacing themselves, it's impossible not to delight in all of this sheer horsey happiness.
Just look at this goof, named Sarge, showing off his tasty apple and mugging for the camera, what a ham!
Even funnier, he has a sneaky plan for hoarding apples.
In the caption under this photo, his humans write, "Sarge! He took one at a time and set it down on the ground — then got another one… I figured it out after three apples and had to take one away… It almost worked."
Meanwhile, these two goobers couldn't quite decide whether the surprise bounty was for real or just a prank.
The caption on this photo notes that Bedford, on the far left, "sniffed for a while, and rolled them around. He was sure it was a joke. Didn't want to be the one to bite into a fake apple."
We can only imagine how excited he was when he realized that those apples are all real!
We wish these sweet horses happy eating and a fall full of apples! If you agree, make sure to SHARE these cuties with all of the horse lovers you know!
