Cleaning Up - Part 1
I decided it was time to give the gelding a thorough washing. He was a complete mess. I put his halter on and headed out to the wash racks, bucket of cleaning supplies in hand. I tied him up to a rack with a knot I could easily undo if the activity went south. I had Anna nearby, helping out a bit. I gently sprayed the hose at him first, and he gave a huff and stared at me. I put water in my hand and rubbed it on his neck. He lowered his head slightly, placing his muzzle in my hand and licking the water. I backed away and then began to spray it, watching his fur grow darker as it became wet. Some of the dirt ran down his body in brown streams, but I knew I would have to scrub him down to really him clean. After I had hosed him down completely, I turned off the water and came closer with a bucket filled with soapy water and sponges. Anna came over and together we worked at the dirt covering his fur.
Our yellow sponges became brown and soon so did our water. We weren't even nearly done, and the gelding was still a complete mess. I suppose our greatest success was him not bucking or growing obstinate at all. That thought made me happy, and my job easier. I decided to pause my diligent cleaning on the body and move on to his mane and tail. The mane wasn't too bad, and I quickly returned it to its shiny black color and had it nicely untangled. The tail, however, was another matter. With Anna working on the tail, I tugged, brushed, and scrubbed at the gelding's tail furiously. In five minutes I hardly got anything done. I wondered how we would ever get this mustang clean enough.
I decided it was time to give the gelding a thorough washing. He was a complete mess. I put his halter on and headed out to the wash racks, bucket of cleaning supplies in hand. I tied him up to a rack with a knot I could easily undo if the activity went south. I had Anna nearby, helping out a bit. I gently sprayed the hose at him first, and he gave a huff and stared at me. I put water in my hand and rubbed it on his neck. He lowered his head slightly, placing his muzzle in my hand and licking the water. I backed away and then began to spray it, watching his fur grow darker as it became wet. Some of the dirt ran down his body in brown streams, but I knew I would have to scrub him down to really him clean. After I had hosed him down completely, I turned off the water and came closer with a bucket filled with soapy water and sponges. Anna came over and together we worked at the dirt covering his fur.
Our yellow sponges became brown and soon so did our water. We weren't even nearly done, and the gelding was still a complete mess. I suppose our greatest success was him not bucking or growing obstinate at all. That thought made me happy, and my job easier. I decided to pause my diligent cleaning on the body and move on to his mane and tail. The mane wasn't too bad, and I quickly returned it to its shiny black color and had it nicely untangled. The tail, however, was another matter. With Anna working on the tail, I tugged, brushed, and scrubbed at the gelding's tail furiously. In five minutes I hardly got anything done. I wondered how we would ever get this mustang clean enough.
