Horses are Glamorous

Today was a beautiful day in horseworld. The temps were in the high 70's, low humidity, bright blue skies and billowy, white clouds, not too many flies. Perfect riding weather. I spent the day with the usual chores, feeding, getting the horses out in the big field, then cleaning and bedding stalls. They won't get to go out in the big field for a time since I'll be working some long shifts in the next few days and it's going to rain or storm or something and with it, bring in some really hot and miserable temps in the 90's. With that in mind, I decided not to go home and catch up with a few more things, dumping and scrubbing some water buckets and then planning on getting my horse Forrest, the one that's been dx'd with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which can be insidiously progressive, bathed and cleaned up after I bring them in. Besides, the horses shouldn't be out there too long anyway since the clover is up and the grasses, while not too lush, are fairly high in sugars mid-day.

So as I'm leading them all back in one by one,  I notice Forrest's hair coat (which I've been keeping an eye on) is still long and cushingoid looking, now wavy with dried sweat. I'm also wondering when I would find the time to clip him when I barely have time for his baths. His hindquarters, legs and inner thighs are caked with long hair and an eternal dried sludge of manure. The horses are munching happily on some hay while I drag the hose and buckets and shampoo, and fly spray all out to the back end of the barn where there is shade and some grass to  munch on. Then I get my horse Forrest and take him outside. Even though it's time for the grain meal, he's cooperative; he knows the pattern, as we do it a lot, and he looks forward to feeling clean of his disease--for at least as long as the hose is running because he's just going to get messy again.

While I'm busy lathering and rinsing and lathering and picking off old loose hair from his legs and rinsing again I'm thinking of a certain veterinarian where I used to work, busy at the wash stall performing what she calls the "weenie wash."  She's gently scrubbing an expensive and mildly sedated warmblood's penis and sheath area (because when they are expensive and fancy you have to have your vet do it. When you're like me, you learn to do it yourself most of the time, and without sedation) and in response to some kind of remark or small talk I was making with her then that I can't remember now, she exclaims "Ah, yes, the glitz, the glamour of horses! I thought that was so funny then, and was thinking all the while as I was chuckling at the time 'Man, she's just brilliant, brilliant AND funny. '

So I'm still lathering, rinsing and repeating and while I had a little laugh remembering that, I'm saddened too because we've been at this for three to four years. Now I see that he's getting some scalding and complete hair loss in some areas. His hind hooves are looking horrendous--mushy and peely, and there's areas around the coronet band and up into the pastern where his hair is patchy. I worry about laminitis since he's been on a low dose of steroids that, thank God, he'll be done with. I sob here and there, thinking what a good and funny horse he is and I don't want him to suffer another winter if this keeps going on, but I try to be cheery too for him as we're finished now and walking back up the aisle in the barn and he's being his usual nosey self, sniffing and checking out empty buckets and muck tubs, and making sure the other horses are where they should be.

After feeding and watering for the night and tucking them all in, I stand with him in his stall, my back to his chest while he gently rests his neck on my shoulder and with my hands on each side of his face I scratch his cheeks and behind his ears and and stroke down the front of his nose to the soft fleshy part where his nostrils begin and all the while he looks at me with a soft eye while I tell him I love him, oh how I love him so much. And I know that he knows it. Just that moment there is not anything glamorous really, but something that is just as rich.

When 'Livin' the Dream' Means 'Lots of Work for Little to No Pay'

I hear this oft used phrase many times throughout my day, often being issued from the lips of farmers, ranchers, trainers, co-workers, all with sour looks and lips that want to spit it out as though they ate a piece of bad meat, or being chimed out of mouths while smiling big dimpled smiles accompanying the classic rolling eyed sarcasm.

It's hard; working in this industry it really is, but many of us find it is a labor of love and when I say labor there is a lot of it but we try to work smarter, not harder and by doing that we make it look easy--sometimes too easy and people think we are rolling in the dough while we are living our dreamy lifestyle.

I find myself very lucky to have the opportunity to work with and own horses. My reward is the relationship I have with the horses in my care. Horses are fair. Horses will actually thank you and will give you that gentle tap with their muzzle on your hand or even softly embrace you with a gentle curl of their neck to pull you in close to their shoulder--that's a horse hug! Mama horses do it to their babies and horse friends do it to each other.  It's even more meaningful when I get a horse in that is empty-eyed and skinny, scared or spoiled--or all of the above--by bad or inexperienced handling and I take on the task of helping the horse get healthy nutritionally, find out what they need medically, and learn to be a good citizen around humans. When I've accomplished even minor things I get my little nuzzles and hugs, telling me I understand them and that I've got it right when they offer without resistance to perform the tasks I've asked of them.

What the horses don't have are bank accounts (well, some do but not any of the ones currently in my care.) I know they would write me a big fat check if they could or hand me some cash from time to time but for now, I work at a "real" (note my sarcasm) job so they don't have to.  I have to mention my human family, and non-horsey friends don't really get what I've set out to do and have long been neglected in my pursuit. That being said, I will be honing down my operation as the emotional and financial overhead is way too high to keep doing what I'm doing for no pay and keep the horses healthy and happy. I'll be busy trying to find good homes for some of my residents, as well as highlighting some of the work I've done with all the horses in my barn. Hopefully I will be able to continue some of my work and services to help at risk horses and support owners with their endeavors without being responsible for running my own facility and free up some time that I can spend with my two-legged family and friends.