Nibbles and Bits on a Winter Day

People chew their nails.  Horses eat fences. 

It doesn't take long for the little guys to figure out what's fun to do in the midst of winter boredom, or boredom any time, for that matter.

Let me tell you what else horses do eat or at least try to eat.  Boots. Pant Legs. Coats. Anything dropped in their midst, and, oh yeah, pony tails.

My pony tail has nearly been nipped off several times since CB came on the scene at my sisters' ranch. Stay tuned, Locks of Love, a pony tail from Love may arrive any day. 

So far, CB's not the pony-tail culprit, though he has gotten a good start on eating his helping of the fence surrounding the corral where he, Mazy, Arty and Persi stay during the day. 

My sisters had told me earlier that CB had some swelling around his front fetlock joint and that, even though it doesn't seem to affect his movement, it had remained swollen the past few days.

So, I went over yesterday, looked it over and told them I'd bring some Epsom Salts and hot water and soak.

"What's your suggestion for the best means of doing this?" I asked, knowing full well how to soak a horse's owies from years and years of experience.

My main concern was how I was gonna get the job done with three nibbling assistants vying for their share of human attention.

My sisters showed me where CB's halter was hanging in the barn and just kinda chuckled at the thought of Marianne out in that pen, bent over soaking a baby horse's leg with all that help hovered around her. 

Barbara and Laurie's suggestions didn't help much.  I knew it was gonna be a challenge fending off the lips and the nibbling pearly whites. 

And, it was.  

Once I walked through the gauntlet of eight horses in the main barnyard, carrying a halter, a jug of hot water, a bucket, a baggie of Epsom Salts and a towel, my next challenge was opening the gate without someone stealing all my medical gear.

With horses standing behind me and a quartet waiting for me on the other side of the gate, I positioned the stuff near the gate in front of my feet so nothing behind me could latch on to anything during gate opening time.

Barbara and Laurie want that gate chained tight because, of course, trained nibblers can do wonders with a gate, and what fun it would be to bang it back and forth and maybe even break the chain.

So, to say that unsnapping the snap from its tightest possible chain length is challenging---yup, understatement.

Yesterday the snap cooperated faster than usual, nothing on the ground was stolen and I made my way quickly through the opening, grabbing the stuff, pulling the gate shut and snapping it shut.

Then, I needed to leave the materials for a moment to put a halter on CB.  It takes mere seconds for horses to find new goodies in their enclosure, and those other three wasted no time inspecting the goods near the gate. 

Fortunately, CB cooperated while I strapped the halter on, and I was able to race back to retrieve the soaking ensemble. 

I led him away from the herd over to the fence and hurried to pour Epsom Salts and warm water into the bucket.  Haste makes waste----in a horse's mind anyway. 

Within seconds of my prep work for the soaking routine, I stood in the midst of a horsey, hovering huddle.  

Luckily, CB has continued his routine of not taking any new situation in his life too seriously. He stood as I draped the towel over his front leg for the first time, while the others stood, on a reconnaissance mission to figure out which part of my body or clothing would taste the best.

When you have one little feller getting all the attention, along with 16 horse hooves and three curious sets of lips, with educated incisors, tightly surrounding your personal space, there's potential for death or permanent bodily damage. 

I've become a fatalist in my later life, figuring what will be will be.  If God meant for me to be scalped or eaten by a hungry horse or stomped on like so many grapes, so be it. 

Apparently, God has other plans because I made it out of there alive, and CB even got some quality soaking done on his injury. 

After successfully making it through the 8-horse gauntlet in the barnyard,---all wanting to be No. 1 on the TLC list, I headed up the driveway to my sisters' house and once inside, announced that every kid who loves horses ought to go through similar situations in their early horse training.  

Then, when they're dealing with just one horse in a controlled environment, it would all seem so easy.

Again, they just kinda chuckled.

I have a feeling there will be more situations like yesterday's and more chuckles in the future as long as CB is the new and youngest kid on the block among those dozen people-loving horses. 

I'm not so sure about the future of my pony tail, though, but if it ends up getting snipped off and sent to locks of love, that will be okay. 

All in all, we enjoyed sunshine through most of the day yesterday, and, happily, that snow we were supposed to get overnight must have gone elsewhere. 

So far, this new year's weather has provided some great outdoor memories.  Hope the trend continues.

Happy Friday.  Enjoy the photos.   

For some reason, this photo reminds me of a line from the pages of  Steve Martin's classic book Cruel Shoes:  The callous sophisticates laughed at Judy's tiny head.

Only it's my tiny head.  Hope you're not laughing.