I lay in bed this morning thinking how fun it would be to get out in the sun, gather all the horses and tie them to the hitching post next door, and brush them all down really well so they looked pretty for company. Might even take a gander at their feet, since I noticed a couple of feet on some of them looking just a tad long. No riding means no natural hoof grooming. OK, so I looked out the window and we had a layer of new snow on the ground, 25 degrees. Drat. Not the sunny sky I had in my dream world. Went to feed and realized how hard they had all worked to accumulate just the right amount of mud to act as an extra protective layer against the cold. As I ran my hands over each of them, it was apparent the mud was caked just so - on top of all that woolly coat they have all grown.
This is an example of a fairly professional job by Washoe, the cleaner one of my crew.
(Picture taken last Feb, while they were free on the winter graze.)
The undercoats on each were soft and fluffy, no signs of skin issues, and since in two days time they will be running free, the feet will take care of themselves. So much for dreams.....I still have five horses who are all now the same shade of mud.
Juanita
See how lucky I am to have a brown horse? Can't hardly see the mud.
ReplyDeleteI'm with GunDiva - bays are so nice when it comes to mud!
ReplyDeleteExcept... well... mud is still MUD when it transfers to your jeans...
I would miss my horsie too much to let her out for the winter! :)
I love my grulla mustang- just the right brown with a hint of green so he can roll in the "fresh stuff" and come out looking fine!
ReplyDeleteBill
I hear you on the dreaming part Juanita. Lately all I do is dream of horses... riding... grooming... being drooled on by them....
ReplyDelete(Umm Bill, no comments on the drooling part please!)
Two more days huh? I sure hope you can get in a last ride that is absolutely GRAND for everyone!!
(And Bill, we love your grulla mustang with the cute curled ears too...!)
Rachel, I can't tell you how much we miss the horses over the winter, but we do it for them. The time of freedom lets them truly be horses, which I think is especially necessary for the Mustangs. I feel very lucky we are able to give them that...and that they come when called, even in the wild! LOL
ReplyDeleteMrs Mom, dreams do eventually come true if you keep believing. That appy will appear some day, and so will Colorado.
Juanita
Ahhh...mine are dirty, too. I'm actually looking forward to the snow now.
ReplyDeleteI love to have mine here, too, but I think it's great to let them go be free. If it were an option for me, I just might do it. Cleaning stalls in the winter stinks!