Tis the season for being thankful, so here goes! A rundown of the things that make a groom (or any horse owner!) very happy indeed…
White horses that bypass rolling for grazing
Coffee
Detangled tails
Hind leg straps with working parts
Caffeine
Wool coolers
Velcro that cooperates
Braids that stay in
Homemade cookies
 |
| Mmmm, cookies. |
Great prizes at horse shows
Dirt that stays outside
A good broom
Bridle keepers that stay where you put them
Working ice machines
Wraps that magically get rerolled
Roller buckles
White saddle pads
ADVERTISEMENT
When the haynet fairy mysteriously packs and hangs the haynets
A perfect dandy brush
Cooperative ponies
Dodging sneezes in the nick of time
When horses and the people they own say “thank you” for taking care of them
Kissing that perfect spot behind a horse’s ears
Untangled polo wraps
Waterproof muck boots
A good pitch fork
Coffee
Perfect horse show weather
Time to eat lunch
A perfectly banged tail
Horses that tolerate Halloween costumes
 |
| Some horses enjoy turnout… too much! |
A clean aisle
Equines that enjoy turnout… but not too much
Bottles and lids that don’t leak
A perfectly packed show trunk
ADVERTISEMENT
Free hats!
The perfect hoofpick, that never gets lost
Plenty of carrots and apples
Time with friends and family
Perfectly organized cross ties
Barn dogs and cats that snuggle well
A jacket that doesn’t smell like the barn
When waterproof actually means waterproof
When the extras that you packed for the horse show were necessary in the nick of time
Good horse show food
Sunglasses
Phones that avoid water buckets
Farriers who are on time
Coffee
Hooking up the trailer on the first try
When the horse’s massage therapist has five extra minutes for you
Chronicle blogger Lauren Keeton is head groom at Jan and Amy Ebeling’s The Acres. She also appeared in a story “A Good Groom Is A Horse’s Home Base” in the Sept. 9, 2013 Horse Care issue of the Chronicle.
