If you'll recall, last weekend I posted a blog about A Chance For Bliss, the lovely farm my parents and I visited after seeing them on TV. Mom signed up to volunteer, and today was her first day "on the job," so to speak.
I decided to go with her, and I had the best time! Who knew that brushing horses (and a donkey and a couple of goats) would be so lovely? It really was, though. A couple of the horses are a bit shy, but for the most part they're big dolls who love getting brushed.
I started with Odie, an old gentleman (31 years) who farts his way around the pasture but otherwise is content to eat alfalfa and get a little love from a young lady (me). William the goat came up and put his head on my chest, with a little strand of alfalfa hanging out of his lips.
Spike the donkey adored getting combed. At one point, while I was grooming one of the horses, he came up behind me and put his head on my shoulder. Mom was wishing she had the camera.
There's a six-month-old filly who is still a little skittish, but she let Mom and I both groom her--perhaps because she had seen us interacting with her mentor, Tank. Tank is very aptly named. He's a work horse, and he's huge. But he's a gentle giant, and I groomed him with no problems whatsoever (though I was keeping one eye on those hooves. He wouldn't hurt me on purpose, but horses don't always look where they're putting their feet!).
I even got to groom Handsome, the official spokespony. He's the one who had a clubbed foot, but you wouldn't know it watching him scamper around the pasture.
Mom and I both enjoyed being around the horses. While I have a healthy respect for their size and strength, I wasn't nervous around them, and very much enjoyed talking to them and brushing the dust and excess hair from them. They, in turn, seemed to love the attention, and a very calming morning was had by all.
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