I have my work cut out for me.  I have two big mama’s who need bathing.  Actually, I have more than two…………but today………..it’s just these two.

They need scrubbing and hosing and rinsing.  They are equine-examples of the phrase—–“Rinse, Lather and Repeat”—–a lot.

I love their socks and feathers.  I don’t love their maintenance.  But alack alas.  It’s one of the perks & troubles of owning a “feathered” breed.  Clydesdales are so very unique and quirky and hairy.  They are a NAIR commercial’s nightmare.

But after this summer’s weather, their fluffy feathers are more like dread-locks composed of mud and well, you know what else……………..

Pressure hose here I come.

With big tall girls come big tall backs.  I don’t mind.  I like tall.  BUT—–one of my pet-peeves is how that cold trickle of dirty, sudsy, slippery water winds it way from your wrist to your armpit (when your arm is up in the air hosing off those tall backs).

It’s always cold.  It’s always gritty, it’s always muddy and it always pools in your armpit just to eddy and puddle to gather speed before it runs down over your ribcage to your belly-button.  There it ultimately chooses which leg it wants to run towards and then down your leg it goes into your boots and ultimately saturating your socks………………………………fun, huh!?!

But Violet and Ruby are now clean.  Well for that nano-second of a moment.

Ruby immediately ran to the first sugar-sand, dust-bowl and rolled & rolled & rolled.  She got up looking like a walking-caked-mud-pie. Totally happy with her results, sporting a mile-wide grin on her face…………………….but thoroughly filthy again.

Violet behaved in a far more dignified, mature-manner.  She just waited demurely and air-dried.

Ruby is such a child.

Truthfully, they need a dozen more baths each.

I’ve made an appointment for the “Clipper Guy” to come out and sharpen all our blades.  That’ll be the next step.  These girls are hairy. Clydesdale’s have whiskers everywhere.  And they’ll dull a blade just by looking at it.

But Opening Hunt Meet is coming up rapidly.  And we have to look prim and proper……………………………….Spit & Polish.  Both Ruby and Violet have docked tails.  I bought them from other owners, not from the breeder.  In the past when I’ve bought foals directly from the breeders, I’ve requested the babies be left with un-docked tails.  But these two girls will need their docked tails braided along with Wal-Mart silk flower adornment (purple & green not eggplant & teal)-(see “Button Braids & Stuff” post/published July 23, 2017).  Not too much though (although cascading garlands are always tempting and appealing to me), because they do have to stay firmly in place during the runs………………………….

I know the braid well, it’s the same one that is in my hair right now.

 

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