Sorry, last thread tonight, just pondering something.
I'm hopefully taking Soda hunting on Saturday this week. May not work out, but my YO is field mastering that day and has asked me if I wanted to come along as the meet is fairly close to the yard.
However, Soda is currently disgustingly dirty, like properly disgusting. I've tried grooming him a lot, but to no avail, he's still varying shades of poo, which is fairly unattractive! His tail is black with mud cos I keep grooming it out but it's all stained and nasty!
My question is: do you think it would be really cruel to bathe him with warm water on Friday?
I know it's really cold and icy atm but I don't mean a full bath, literally just a spot wash. His head and neck needs doing, his legs and his tail. He'd be dried off (as best we can) with towes as soon as we're finished and would have a wicking rug/fleecy rugs to soak up the water and changed regularly until he is dry.
Do you think that will be ok?
He's fully clipped bar his legs so will dry very quickly and he can go on the horse walker whilst he dries so that he is still moving and keeping warm. My main worry is that his legs aren't clipped and are really really fluffy. But they are orange atm and I can't take him looking the way he does. Should I wash tem, bearing in mind they will tak hours to dry, or should I ask my YO to clip them and just take the fur off?
Sorry, seems like a silly question I know, usually I'm not too worried and wil just go ahead, but I don't want the poor lad to get pneumonia!
The other question is should I hack him there?
My problem is he won't be worked Thursday or Friday (not to my knowedge anyway) as they are the days I stay late at school, so unless our extra things aren't on at school I won't be home until 7, too late to hack really and we only have one light on the arena, so too dark to school. He's currently incredibly fit and feeling it. Out hacking he's fine but in his snaffle today we did have one moment when I was there thinking "Where the hell have the brakes gone???!" Lol! I've been offered a lift to the meet and my Mum can box me there, but it is on a normal hacking route for me. I'm wondering whether he'll just explode if I box him there, whereas if I hack him there, we can work some energy off. Only problem is he may then be too tired by the time we get there cos it is about an hour and a half to hack there, meaning less time to get ready, hacking down a fast and busy main road in rush hour and possibly in icy conditions and it may mean I have to cut short the time we spend out. Equally though, he is less likely to have a bucking bronco moment if I hack him there.
Hmm, not sure really. What would you guys be inclined to do? Also bearing in mind I will probably hack home when we've had enough which is probably going to be at least another hour and a bit ride home after hunting. I don't want him to be totally exhausted.
Interested to hear different opinions really. I'm in 2 minds about it.
(Sorry for the numberof ridiculous questions btw. I am incapable of making decisions atm)!
I'm hopefully taking Soda hunting on Saturday this week. May not work out, but my YO is field mastering that day and has asked me if I wanted to come along as the meet is fairly close to the yard.
However, Soda is currently disgustingly dirty, like properly disgusting. I've tried grooming him a lot, but to no avail, he's still varying shades of poo, which is fairly unattractive! His tail is black with mud cos I keep grooming it out but it's all stained and nasty!
My question is: do you think it would be really cruel to bathe him with warm water on Friday?
I know it's really cold and icy atm but I don't mean a full bath, literally just a spot wash. His head and neck needs doing, his legs and his tail. He'd be dried off (as best we can) with towes as soon as we're finished and would have a wicking rug/fleecy rugs to soak up the water and changed regularly until he is dry.
Do you think that will be ok?
He's fully clipped bar his legs so will dry very quickly and he can go on the horse walker whilst he dries so that he is still moving and keeping warm. My main worry is that his legs aren't clipped and are really really fluffy. But they are orange atm and I can't take him looking the way he does. Should I wash tem, bearing in mind they will tak hours to dry, or should I ask my YO to clip them and just take the fur off?
Sorry, seems like a silly question I know, usually I'm not too worried and wil just go ahead, but I don't want the poor lad to get pneumonia!
The other question is should I hack him there?
My problem is he won't be worked Thursday or Friday (not to my knowedge anyway) as they are the days I stay late at school, so unless our extra things aren't on at school I won't be home until 7, too late to hack really and we only have one light on the arena, so too dark to school. He's currently incredibly fit and feeling it. Out hacking he's fine but in his snaffle today we did have one moment when I was there thinking "Where the hell have the brakes gone???!" Lol! I've been offered a lift to the meet and my Mum can box me there, but it is on a normal hacking route for me. I'm wondering whether he'll just explode if I box him there, whereas if I hack him there, we can work some energy off. Only problem is he may then be too tired by the time we get there cos it is about an hour and a half to hack there, meaning less time to get ready, hacking down a fast and busy main road in rush hour and possibly in icy conditions and it may mean I have to cut short the time we spend out. Equally though, he is less likely to have a bucking bronco moment if I hack him there.
Hmm, not sure really. What would you guys be inclined to do? Also bearing in mind I will probably hack home when we've had enough which is probably going to be at least another hour and a bit ride home after hunting. I don't want him to be totally exhausted.
Interested to hear different opinions really. I'm in 2 minds about it.
(Sorry for the numberof ridiculous questions btw. I am incapable of making decisions atm)!
