When I got to the barn yesterday (Saturday), I decided to work on Jaz first. I groomed him up, doused him with MTG for the sweet itch or rain rot or whatever the hell is making him itchy and scaly this time. Picked his feet, which look good, but still not great.
Because I worked on Jaz first, then putzed around before I went to see him, Poco's nose was so out of joint that no matter where I moved in the barn, he pivoted like a compass so his butt faced me. Snotty pony. He surprised me by willingly giving me all 4 feet; he didn't try to lean on me or jerk his feet away after a few seconds. That's the good news. The bad news is, he has a touch of thrush and white line himself, though not nearly as bad as Jaz.
I rode with Jim (Heather's dad, Nita's husband) to get feed. On a whim, I bought a bag of rubber bands, thinking that maybe if I banded Poco's crazy mane, it would help it lay to one side. I did the banding and baby-oiled his frizzy ends. It worked! I stepped outside the stall to dry my hands and grab my camera. He shook, and this is what I got.
Because I worked on Jaz first, then putzed around before I went to see him, Poco's nose was so out of joint that no matter where I moved in the barn, he pivoted like a compass so his butt faced me. Snotty pony. He surprised me by willingly giving me all 4 feet; he didn't try to lean on me or jerk his feet away after a few seconds. That's the good news. The bad news is, he has a touch of thrush and white line himself, though not nearly as bad as Jaz.
I rode with Jim (Heather's dad, Nita's husband) to get feed. On a whim, I bought a bag of rubber bands, thinking that maybe if I banded Poco's crazy mane, it would help it lay to one side. I did the banding and baby-oiled his frizzy ends. It worked! I stepped outside the stall to dry my hands and grab my camera. He shook, and this is what I got.
The same thing happens when it's not banded!I cracked up, because it reminded me of this guy
Buckwheat from the 'Our Gang' comedies of the 1930sand/or this guy
Crabman on My Name is Earlboth of whom make me laugh anyway.
Not bad for my second attempt at banding. And kudos to him! He stood there like a champ as I fussed. He wasn't tied either, just loose in the stall. This is a 2-year old stallion!
My body and feet ached when I got home. It was only then I realized I did not sit down even once all day. Kind Mr. Fry drew a lovely hot bath. Took some Aleve and slept like I seldom do.After finding some dark pix of Tori in my inbox this morning, I got out there as quickly as I could. I brushed both my Boyz and slathered Poco's mane with Garnier Fructis for frizzy hair. Not that I really expect it to help, but I keep trying. By this time, Dove was comfortable enough with my presence to let me get pix of her pride and joy. Nita and I sat around for about an hour, but it was so windy, we kept getting stuff in our eyes (and it was cold!), so we called it a day.
I'm vegging out for the remains of the day, resting up for another wild and wacky work week. Ciao for now.
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6 comments:
Tori is a doll!
Poco's mane cracks me up. I guess I am pretty lucky, both of my girls' manes lay flat! Sounds like you had a very busy, horsey weekend! We had a busy, horsey weekend too (we finally got some good weather!) I am ready to relax now!
omg Poco's mane is so wacky! Here's something you can try (but I'm not sure how well it will work for him): brush his mane out and to the side as best you can, then lay some damp towels over his neck on top of the mane. Do this when grooming before and after a ride/work session.
Also braiding usually works better than banding for training a mane. Just don't leave them in for more than 2-3 days or you risk damage to the hair.
Tori is adorable!! I've never tried banding before, but would love to! Right now, our mares don't have much of a mane though (except for Isolde) because the fillies are chewing them all up.
cdncowgirl, I braided both Boyz' manes one time -- never again. That incident prompted me to roach Jaz. And Poco's did the same thing when he shook. Both horses tried to rub the braids out against the t-posts and trees. They had twigs twisted and tangled in the braids, made worse by sap.
The towel thing might help. Unlike many Appies, Poco has a beautiful tail that seems to grow quickly. His mane grows slowly. Although he has a thick mane (lots of hair), the hairs are fine and frizzy. The new growth seems to be a better texture, so maybe once I'm able to trim the old growth completely off, the texture of the whole mane will be improved. Jaz looks handsome roached (nice neck), but I can't bring myself to roach Poco.
OK Ok Mizz Fry-- beat me up! I saw this post, but slam ran out of time to comment. Tori is adorable!!! (As is the other lovely spotted baby too!!)
Poco's mane brought a tear to my eye-- not in a bad way--- but in memories. My old Appy gelding's mane did the same exact thing. For almost 20 years that we were together, Jack's mane was like that.... and every time I see something like Poco, it brings back those memories.
Rubs to allt he critters from us!
lol! I had to show my hubby the picture of Poco's mane. The appy that we had, had the SAME crazy mane. It's not use. His mane would never grow and you have to take it for what it is. Crazy. lol
You did an excellent job banding on the other one though (Roco?) And baby Tori is a gorgeous little girl!!
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