The use of the term filthy is subjective in blogland. I honestly feel like a bad horse owner that my horse looks like this every day, but aside from keeping him stalled there is no alternative that I can see.
Do any of your horses roll in mud every day of their lives for pleasure?
Honestly there is no point in trying to groom him, he'll just roll as soon as we're done.
He was nibbling on me, or rather, taking the skin of my palm and holding/pressing his teeth without biting or hurting me. It's very cute. He never progresses to anything naughty. He just lips my clothes and rests his gums/teeth on me. Like Kate's Dawn.
The thing is, he knows I have some of Funder's treats in my pocket, he can smell the delicious smell. So I have him acting like a puppy as I do my daily tasks. He does his tricks even as I clean the stall. I tell him, "You know I am working here!" Whatever it was that Funder sent me, they're his favorite.
Dirty feet to clean, which I did, three times today.
Three times cuz even when I thought he was done playing in the mud, he went down there again.
What exacerbates my frustration is that I'm reading Intrigues by Mercedes Lackey, about sentient white horses who, of course, stay immaculate and gleaming, hardly needing the careful attention of their chosen humans. *sigh*
Clean feet.
The tail was washed too.
I think it's interesting that this toe crack that he's had since I got him (@3) is better this fall/winter simply because we've had such a wet summer. Usually the dry summer months cause a fallout in this crack and it opens up wide. This year is the first it has stayed just a line. I know that a dry climate is better for hoof health in general, so I cannot explain this.
Looks like I should get the hoof jack out again, but for now I'll just enjoy 10 minutes of clean hooves: )
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We got our tree and I love it so much I named it. It's one of those you can plant in the yard afterwards, which we always try and sometimes succeed. This is the best one yet. I love it so much I'm keeping it in the entry way (which is cooler) to try to preserve it. I call it Steven.
All of the ornaments are tiny, perfect for such a diminutive tree, and all are from my mother in law.
I have to tell you how often people come into my office at work and say, "Oh my, well, this is American." when they see my windows with the multi-colored lights and the pine branches. I say, "Oh, it's German to just use white lights, I know, but I love the cheerfullness of multi-colored lights."
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The horse search continues and I will post soon about it. I found another one I fell in love with from just the photos and description, but I doubt they'll accept what I have to offer.
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I would love to ride either of those two Standardbreds but I've kind of chickened out on Star Island a bit cuz his owner is what you might call cantankerous. I do plan on contacting him, but I'm just nervous. Also, last week I was driving and saw two girls riding Ibn and Star Island, so I guess the old guy found some girls to ride during his convalescence.
Coin, the other one, I need to get on the ball about. I am simply so tired after working all week, that my weekends are all about housework, laundry, picking up the week's manure in my pasture, washing my car, etc. I want to ride but more than anything I want to buy my own horse and ride that. I think that is why I'm not aggressively pursuing these two neighbor horses. I really want my own to ride. I'm also getting to that age where you don't like to be told what to do when you ride other's horses....but truly I need to ride.
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14 comments:
Honestly, I'd rather see a dirty happy horse than a cleaned one penned up in a stall all day. Hell, G.I. is technically black and he's perpetually dirty.
If I were you, I'd definitely give the STB's a shot. By far, my favorite breed that I've come in contact with (not that I'm biased or anything, LOL). They seem pretty lanky and from what I can see the horse that's mostly in the picture has some alright conformation. I'd say go take a look at least.
Yes, when I lived where it rained, my horses would all get as filthy as possible and stay that way. They loved to be brushed, but as soon as I turned them back out they dove right back into the mud. Agree with Eryn - better for them to be mudballs than locked in a stall!
Yay peppermint treats! :) His feet look beautiful.
I love that tiny tree. :3
Totally hear you on riding your own horse. I wish you weren't so busy! It's hard to find a balance.
I totally understand about riding somebody else's horse, and I know you understand why I understand. I don't even enjoy riding *Hana* very much, and she's only half-a-step away from being my horse...but every time i get on her, I long to be riding Fiddle.
That said, I can't wait to hear if you *do* go riding on Coin or Star Island...get that Big Thing trot going and say goodbye to gravity! Ahhh, I do love standies. Um, you knew that, right?
Baasha just wants to make you feel useful. If he were retired from riding AND keeping himself immaculate, you would feel extra lonely. Isn't he considerate, to fling himself in the mud for you?
Grey horses are hard to keep clean :)
My horses love the mud. They can't get enough of it in the rainy season.
Those standardbreds look nice. I agree with Eryn, they are one of the best breeds.
I groom them for me, not them, because they get a few steps away and it's all gone.Why oh why does Jaz have to be a grey horse?
A little dirt is good for them. ;)
I admit I love how clean mine stay under their blankets... I try to groom daily just because I love how it makes them shine. But they live out too, and if I don't brush them off for a day or two I don't worry about it.
We have a fake Christmas tree we use year after year, but I love the idea of a plant-able one! Wish it would catch on here.
Standardbreds are just awesome. No doubt. :)
Oh my.... filthy is an apt description!
My guys get dirty...and the clay soil sticks to their feet like glue. But, I'm not sure I've seen my guys as dirty as Baasha.
I can't wait to hear about the search.
Every single one of our horses relish rolling in the mud and dirt, particularly after we are finally finished getting them clean! Despite the fact that we have to spend extra time grooming them in order to ride.... I would never have it any other way! Horses LOVE to be dirty!
We used to have mud balls in the winter too, if you weren't working too hard (ie - they're not going to get a sweat up) it was sometimes best to just brush the mud off where you needed to put tack and go.
With the feet, if they get too dried out the hoof is more inclined to split. I knw that here in NZ during a really dry summer some people will take a couple of buckets of water out of the trough each day and dump it on the ground so that the horses feet get a bit wet on a regular basis to stop them drying out too much.
Went out and groomed my boy on a quiet Sunday afternoon and he was down in the mud before my car pulled away from the barn. Gotta love'em.
Like the Germans I am partial to white lights but I switch from a wintery tree to a colored tree every other year. Keeps everyone in the house happy.
Love the little tree. The older I get the bettr a little tree looks to me ;)
Steve is adorable. I hope he takes root and becomes a big outdoor holiday tree.
Yes, my horse rolls constantly, but in his current winter color - grulla - it's hardly noticeable from a distance. So clearly it's Baasha's inner grulla, just trying to be realized!
Lily does not roll as much, or at least doesn't get as caked on as my wooly bear.
Perhaps you could just spray paint him a dull drown. :) or you could try to see mud as a sign of joy in your horse, and hopefully make it easier to take:
Look! Baasha is full of joy!
(you may need some rum enriched egg nog to pull this off...)
Haha you should be used to Baasha being dirty by now!! And a dirty horse is usualy a happy horse, so let it be. Our mud is frozen and as long as there is a little snow on top the ponies stay really clean, almost cleaner than in summer. Dont mind furry coats as much when they are clean.
I like Steven (although I have honestly never thought of naming a tree before). We cant get a plantable one cause we would have to keep it till spring to plant and then it will probly be dead so we have a fake one with a pine scented stick in it.
Dirty horses are happy horses.
Even filthy he's still such an adorable horse! I love Baasha!
I also LOVE that series by Mercedes Lackey! She was my absolute favorite author when I was a kid. I love all of her books and still read them all the time. :D
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