>>> Generally, if truth be told, I don't like horses that are 'gussied' up like >>> this. Have you ever looked at the covers of some of the horse magazines? >>> The horses even have their ears shaved and it looks like they have vaseline >>> smeared around their eyes.
I don't like to spend the extra time grooming my horses excessively, but I can tell you from experience, that many horses enjoy this kind of grooming. When we used to take Emily, Thunder and Joe to shows, I didn't have my new barn and wash rack. We'd hook up a hose at the edge of the pasture, and run an extension cord for the clippers. The horses would come and stand there in line. We never showed Holly, but she'd often push rudely to the front of the line. She liked the clippers and she loved a bath - probably still does, but she hasn't been clipped in probably 10-12 years. (She probably hasn't had a bath in a year.) All of the horses would stand quietly, looking perfectly happy, even drowsy. I frequently didn't even put a halter on them - they'd willingly stand there untied for the attention. For many horses, it's simply another time to indulge their curiosity and to get some one-on-one time. As for the Vaseline - well, I never did it...not to my horses. But as a young teen, not yet allowed to wear makeup, I certainly used Vaseline on my own eyelids and eyebrows for a "non-makeup enhancer." I still use Vaseline to remove eye makeup - mine that is, my horses don't wear any. People sometimes use Vaseline on their infants, so I hardly think it's anything to get offended by. When I was looking up some old articles about shoeing-vs-barefoot for icy/snowy conditions, I ran upon an old recommendation I hadn't heard in a while. Some folks recommend putting Vaseline on the bottom of the horse's bare feet to aid in prevention of hoof snowballs. >>> This is why I like my hairy ponies in all their glory. No hoof polish, no >>> tails that have been bagged or manes that are wrapped. I can't say for >>> sure that's what is happening to this horse. No, we don't even know if the owner of this horse does these things... But, of all the ills inflicted on horses, bagging tails and braiding manes are probably at the bottom of my list. I've never done either - well, we braided a few times for showing - but if that's the worst someone is doing to their horse, I think I can forgive them...:) Believe me, Thunder looked as flashy as any horse he competed against back in his glory days. And we'd pull him out of the pasture to go to a show, and he'd go back to the pasture when he got home. He's not the only "show horse" I know who was allowed to be a horse on his off-time... and Thunder had plenty of off-time. I don't spend a lot of time doing that kind of grooming of my horses - but then, I can shower, shampoo and dry my hair, get dressed, do my makeup and get out the door in less than 30 minutes in the morning - including grabbing a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. I've never had a manicure or pedicure and neither is on my wish list. I'm not a high maintenance kind of person myself, so I'm certainly not going to spend time doing those "frilly" things to my horses. But, that's just me. It doesn't bother me if others choose to do them - for themselves or for their horses. All I can think of relating to this horse is that old series of commercials: "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...." Karen Thomas, NC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.9/623 - Release Date: 1/11/2007 3:33 PM
