Grooming
| April 19, 2015 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
It’s a big deal when I groom my horses because it only happens a couple of times a year. My normal grooming routine is to knock the dirt and hair off under tack areas with my bare hand, roach manes that have the audacity to tangle, and trim hooves when needed. Tada!
Funder being more wise than me in the ways stress, a world that is changing faster than you can keep up, and circumstances out of your control, sent me a simple message. Go groom your old bat for an hour.
As I stared at the grooming tools, which were the first new ones I have ever had since I first brought home Minx almost 9 years ago, I cried. Because she was right. Grooming my horse is just as valid as riding, driving, or doing a lead line run. I’ve been lucky that it’s been a lot of years since I’ve had forced down time with Farley due to an injury, and usually if I have the time to see my horse I have the time to ride my horse. Which has not been the case recently. And so I find myself not even wanting to go out to say hi.
After feeding at the barn this morning I grabbed my basket of brushes and conditioner and went to work on Farley.
I’ve never got the impression that the old bat enjoys being groomed. Sure enough she stopped eating her hay and looked at me as if to say “what the HECK are you doing”. But I persisted, she did not actually bite me (instead it was a nuzzle – WTF?) and eventually she went back to eating.
She was curried and brushed head to toe, feet picked, and mane and tail brushed out and conditioned. 20 min later it was time for the final touch.
GLITTER.
As I left my glammed up pony she actually nickered at me as I left. Maybe she enjoyed the grooming time more than I thought?
I don’t have pictures of Farley because I deliberately left my phone in the car, but I have something just as good.
Horse dirt, glitter, and hair. What could be better?
Confession time: Farley didn’t get to be the first horse I groomed with my new stuff.
Because I received the package last Thursday it was in my car when I went to visit ML and Amber. Traffic was light so I was an hour early. What the heck do I do with an hour? Ummm…use the present intended for Farley on ML of course.
Now you know why she had a sparkly handprint on her butt during those riding photos.
So. Hard. To photograph a horse that refuses both stay where the lighting is good, AND not walk towards you.
Settling for crappy lighting. OMG is she butt high AGAIN???? Her body condition is OK – staying somewhere in the 4-4.5/9 range. I keep thinking that when she stops putting on height she will fill out a bit more.
The glamor shot, proving that yes indeed I brushed out her mane. It’s not quite as long as Farley’s, who I can french braid quite nicely (only 2 years since I roached it!), but ML makes up for it with a glorious, Minx-like forelock.
“I am so BORED. Can we go DO something now?” (ML gets tied for at least an hour a day as part of her training. She thought that me coming over meant the tying time was cut short, not that she was going to be groomed and posed for pictures. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.)
(PS Farley says she doesn’t mind the overload of ML pictures in the post. Especially if it means she gets to continue to eat her hay without interruption during grooming and NOT be made to stand in good lighting for the perfect shot)
What I posted….
Two years ago: Earl Grey’s story continues
Four years ago: Elyte update
Five years ago: Getting ready for AR 50
This may be the first time I’ve ever approved of someone putting glitter on the horse. Good show!
This was my second experience with glitter and I have to admit its silly fun. The first time was at rnt championships when in an effort to not pass farley tied in a tree we decorated with not just glitter but curling ribbon attached with electrical tape.
Thank God someone else doesn’t groom their horses either. I feel like I’m the only one that just clears the tack areas, picks hoofs, and calls it good.
Because they’re barefoot sometimes I’m not even super good about picking hooves if I’m not going to trim? LOL. I agree – it’s reassuring that not everyone details their horse daily. I’ll admit it was fun to do yesterday but if I did it everyday I think it would feel more like work?