WOW!

All I can say is WOW!  Wow, wow, wow wow wow!  What, more details?  Well, for starters, I can brush Siesta's entire body!  I'm talkin' nose to toes!  I untangled her mane and brushed it smooth, and even sprayed it with Laser Sheen for good measure.  Yes, I SPRAYED this beautiful mare and she acted like it had been done before.  I think she actually liked it!  I picked her tail up and brushed it.  I brushed all four legs and tapped on all four hooves.  I brushed her tummy!  I used a shedding blade and got gobs of fuzzy, faded winter hair off.  Her summer coat is dark and shiny, and her mane is so soft and unbelievably beautiful.  I finally took her number tag off, too, and when it came off she put her head in my arms and loved on me while I cooed at her and cried big, wet, happy tears.

Would you like a confession?  I did all of the above from outside the pen.  No cookies or carrots were harmed in tonight's exercise, for the simple reason that I had no intention of grooming Siesta tonight.  I was on my way in to clean her pen, but I stopped to pet her first.  One thing led to another, and before I knew it I had both of my hands in her mane working out the tangles.  I thought it would be interesting to see if I could brush her mane, and I did, with no problem.  Things went from there, and an hour later I had a much cleaner, shinier, and happier horse.  She loved being brushed so much that she turned her body this way and that way so that I could reach every last spot.  She still has green spots on her belly, but they look like they've been there for a while and I think it will take some warm soapy water to get them off.  I didn't get her forelock brushed very well, either, and her tail needs more work, but overall I got her looking pretty good.

When I finally did go in to clean her pen, I asked her to respect my space, and she did.  She approached me in a friendly way and stopped two feet away from me.  I gave her verbal praise, then invited her closer.  She scooted in, and I petted her from her face to her shoulders.  What a sweetheart.  Wow!