The work of spring started a few weeks ago with pasture maintenance and re-seeding. However I know it is really spring when I have calluses on my hands from the shedding blade. And as I type not only do I have calluses on my hands but my hands are actually both tired and sore from gripping the shedding blade so much today! Some of the horses are shedding a lot and some are shedding a little but the shedding blade, shedding daisy and curry combs are all working overtime these days.
Few tasks are more satisfying than de-fuzzing a woolly horse while enjoying fabulous weather. Nothing motivates you more to keep going than the super shedders, where your pile of hair grows with every swipe you take. After working on a super shedder it is somewhat disappointing to work away on a horse that isn't shedding nearly much.
For those who have asked for a Miracle update she is doing well. She is very friendly and quite spunky. Despite the fact that she is "kid broke" under saddle she has been taught very little in the way of ground manners. We've been practicing walk when I walk, stop when I stop, etc. Next we'll work on having our hooves handled, she also needs to learn how to tie, etc. so we have plenty of things to keep us occupied. I don't drill her, just spend 10 to 15 minutes working on the basics. As a friend of mine said it is no surprise that they can ride her into the ground without bothering to teach her anything else, not to mention the other horrors she was subjected too.
Tuesday morning I was working in the barn and Miracle was in a stall. She was tired and I could tell she needed to sleep. She did lay down but made sure her head was positioned on the hay. She fought to keep her little eyelids open even though she was clearly exhausted. She did not want to stop eating and this was why she was fighting sleep. She lay on her side in the stall in dead horse position, still picking up bites of hay and eating. She never eats particularly fast but she rarely stops eating. It was so sad watching her fight sleep, taking bites of hay while down. Hopefully the emotional scars of hunger will fade for her over time.
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. I see many hours with the shedding blade in my weekend outlook!
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A video of Miracle racing around in a paddock. At the 13 second mark she jumps the goats' teeter totter - she's a spunky little girl!
Regis and Noble playing
Sky and Miracle hanging out together; Sky was introduced to Miracle yesterday and she has babysitting duties for now
Silky and MyLight
another run-in shed under construction 
Gus, Chimano, Romeo and Asterik
Clayton napping in the morning sun 
Justin
Cuff Links and Harmony
Tiny, Romeo and Johnny 
Murphy and Dutch
Rocky, Toledo and Kennedy
Some of the hair I removed from Lily today; the pictures simply do not do justice to the massive mound of Lily hair that was on the floor and we still have a lot more hair to go! 
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11 comments:
Miracle looks so awsome! That was so touching about her fighting sleep so she could eat. My rescue dog who had 8 months in a shelter before we adopted her and she was probably only about a year old when we got her is crazy about food. She will eat anything and everything at any time and finishes her dinner in a few seconds. I can't believe the hair coming off of Lily! There are several horses where I ride whose owners don't take any time with them that I can see and never groom them. It is hard for them now in 80 degrees and sunny with those winter coats. It's not right...
Suggestions on the shedding:
1.) Shop vac. I have a $40 shop vac I use year round on my Arab (if his spooky self can learn to deal with it, most any horse can!) anytime I can't or don't feel like giving him a real bath. He winds up looking almost as clean with that as he does after a bath.
2.) High velocity dryer. We use them on dogs in the grooming salon and I now have one at home (it was a reject from the salon I work in because its losing power). I plan to introduce my boy to it tomorrow after work.
Wow, I can't believe Miracle running around like that!
Have you discovered the tenacity of Lily's shedded coat? It's almost impossible to sweep up off the barn floor. It actually sticks to the cement.
I'd love to see you try to use a shop vac on Lily - that would be fun to see (good suggestion, just not for Lily)!
Does the Lil need a body clip? She still looks mighty hairy. We always used to joke that we should take all her hair and have it cleaned (there are apparently places that will take pet hair and do it) and use it to make loads of sweaters, afghans, etc. but decided her hair just smelled too bad!
Love the Miracle video - for a horse that couldn't stand she's made a remarkable recovery.
That breaks my heart that Miracle fights sleep so she can continue eating. So glad she's with you now. Looking forward to watching her progress.
Glad I only have one shedder to worry about. Have a nice weekend :)
That little clip of Miracle had me in tears.
It's hard to believe that is the same filly! Thanks for sharing the update.
I don't have a horse of my own right now, but I have this link saved for when I do.. you should check it out!
http://sleekez.myshopify.com/
I saw it on Fugly's blog.
Jamie
Thanks for the link Jamie - I own two of those already! I think I own every shedding tool known to man :)
Hi Melissa, Miracle is just precious! Do you have any idea what kind she is? I went back and read all posts you did on her but didn't see anything mentioned? It's just horrible treatment some animals get and it makes me ill but such a happy ending for her. Have fun with her!
Her original "for sale" ad (shudder) listed her as a Tennessee Walking Horse, so I guess the best guess is a TWH! I have pondered the "what is she" question a lot myself but in the end I guess we'll never know.
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