Emma gives grooming lessons

Emma has asked me to pass on some Spring-time grooming tips for her fellow equines.  She hasn't quite gotten the hang of the computer keyboard so I have offered to do the typing for her (I am sure it is only a matter of time). 

There are several  ways to for an equine to deal with this itchy, scratchy time of year...

First, make sure your human has one of these things and knows how to use it properly.  It may take a while to teach your human where all the worst itchy spots are, but the time and effort you put into training them will be worth it.  I know it is slow going, training humans, but if you stay consistent and keep at it, you will find it can be rewarding....

Thankfully, there is always the  Do-it-Yourself method as backup.  I've been giving Tessa some coaching, but she has a way to go yet.  We are just beginning Spring Training though, so I am sure she will progress..."C'mon Tess, get those legs up or you won't make it all the way over"...

It is important to use a little care with this method.  Look what can happen if you aren't paying attention.  Such things can be quite embarrassing.... 

Finally, if your weather becomes unseasonably warm, you may want to experiment with this new grooming method I just discovered.  A nice cool bath is just the thing when it is 80 degrees in March....

Emma gives lessons

I mentioned a while ago that my favorite grooming tool is a vacuum.  And no, nobody is paying me to talk about this thing (although, if the makers of Rapid Groom read this and want to send me some money that would be fine with me:).  It's just that I have bad allergies and asthma and the vacuum makes grooming horses doable rather than a life threatening event.  It also does the most wonderful job of getting them clean and improving their coats.  So, if you are a horse person and you didn't get what you wanted for Christmas, send whatever it was back and get one these. 

 

Last week, Emma helped me introduce Gabe to the vacuum (it does take most horses a little time to get used to it but, it isn't hard).  Gabe did great, especially since he had an expert right there to provide moral support and supervision...

 Emma: "It's no big deal, someone as big as you and with all those spots can handle it.  You can do this with you eyes closed"....

"I'll keep an eye on things and make sure Mom gets it right"...

"Come on, put some muscle into it!"

 "You missed a spot!"....

 "You're not going to forget ME right?  You DO remember that I like vacuuming too, right, RIGHT?"

 "Ermphhh, that's NOT what I had in mind!"