The Heat is On
Summer has finally overtaken the rainy season here in Idaho, and with a vengance. We've had a couple of days over 100 degrees but mostly we've been in the high 90's. This makes for some pretty sucky riding weather, as I don't relish the idea of being out in that sun moving around and the horses are even less enthused, believe me. The evenings are better, cooler and it stays light forever, the problem is the bugs. The mosquitos are just awful starting in the late afternoon, so with a few layers of repellant on the horse and long sleeves it can be tolerable. If you're really moving you can kinda out run them but then the repellant gets sweated away, and horse sweat seems to attract them anyhow. I kick myself for wasting all those spring/winter/fall days wishing it was summer so I could go ride.
There is one horse activity I just can't get enough of in the summer, though. Hose Play. Anything with the hose. My horses spend much of the summer dripping wet, and they don't mind that. I love giving them baths, but you aren't supposed to use soap or shampoo on them too often as it washes away vital oils in thier coats. But boy do we play in the water. They apprieciate being hosed down on a hot day, much like I do. Or I'll set up a soaker hose or sprinkler in the pasture, and Tickles will stand over it or I'll hop on and cross through the spray. Stupid, yes, but fun and oh, so refreshing.
Now there are better smelling things in the world than a wet horse, but I don't ever notice when I see how much more cool and comfortable they are. I stand at the fence and spray the hose at the herd. It's funny, some horses like to stand broadside, some close thier eyes and face it head on, some feel it's unappropriate to stand in the stream and instead pass back and forth in front of it.
The only option for them, it seems, when they're done, is to then lay down and roll and make complete mud-balls of themselves. But then they are happy and wearing an inpenetrable mosquito barrier of cool mud, and the mess? No problem,because as long as the weather holds up, you can bet we'll be getting wet again tomorrow!
There is one horse activity I just can't get enough of in the summer, though. Hose Play. Anything with the hose. My horses spend much of the summer dripping wet, and they don't mind that. I love giving them baths, but you aren't supposed to use soap or shampoo on them too often as it washes away vital oils in thier coats. But boy do we play in the water. They apprieciate being hosed down on a hot day, much like I do. Or I'll set up a soaker hose or sprinkler in the pasture, and Tickles will stand over it or I'll hop on and cross through the spray. Stupid, yes, but fun and oh, so refreshing.
Now there are better smelling things in the world than a wet horse, but I don't ever notice when I see how much more cool and comfortable they are. I stand at the fence and spray the hose at the herd. It's funny, some horses like to stand broadside, some close thier eyes and face it head on, some feel it's unappropriate to stand in the stream and instead pass back and forth in front of it.
The only option for them, it seems, when they're done, is to then lay down and roll and make complete mud-balls of themselves. But then they are happy and wearing an inpenetrable mosquito barrier of cool mud, and the mess? No problem,because as long as the weather holds up, you can bet we'll be getting wet again tomorrow!
posted by Alicia T @ 6:02 PM
1 Comments:
At 9:31 PM,
Sage said…
Bathing horses is easier than doin' the dogs. And so much more fun. And I think I like the smell of wet horse and dog.
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