I’ve been in major denial about the seasons this year. I’m not prepared (mentally or physically) for freezing temperatures. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I quite enjoy the rare nights/mornings where we get a solid freeze. What I dislike is preponderance of days where the temperatures hover just above freezing, leaving the mud in the pastures wet and deep. Those are the days that truly define a “Pacific Northwest winter.”
But I grudgingly had to admit that winter is here (or, coming, rather) this week when we got our first freezing temperatures. All of my horses are currently fuzzy and living in rain sheets, and I decided that transitioning to a heavy blanket would be easier on a cold day than a warm one. So Billy was the first horse attacked by my clippers this year.
As usual, he stayed close to the same color and came out absurdly shiny. He’s been that way ever since I started him on SmartDigest Ultra. I don’t know if that’s supposed to be one of the effects of the supplement, but it sure does the job on Billy!
But I also learned that habits acquired in other areas of life apply to clipping horses. When I clean my house I often think that I understand what it’s like to be a dementia patient (or a 5yo). I start one thing, then get distracted by something else and start that, only to get distracted by something else and start that, occasionally returning to earlier tasks to advance/finish them. If I have lots of time the jobs all get done. If I don’t, I pretty much just make everything worse. Well, 25% into my clipping job last night I realized that I was clipping the same way:
Start the saddle patch….ooh! I should get his neck….oh, outline the back legs…wait! I should start his butt….no, stomach first…..and so on. Thank goodness I had time to finish it all!
And boy was I relieved to finish last night. Up until the point that I realized that getting one of six done is nothing to celebrate. I have a lot of cold, hairy nights ahead….
Now I’m back off to the barn to start the next victi….er….lucky recipient of a new hairstyle 😉
