My first attempt at the noise I’d heard Hawk make was abysmal, and I swear Ramona gave me the side-eye. The second try was better and she gusted out a breath as she picked up her feet. So we walked side by side, down the fence rail of an empty paddock.
“See, you’ve got it. She’s a sweet girl. We’ll do this for a little bit longer, and then I’ll show you how to groom her. That’s thebest part. That’s when you really get to bond with her.” Tommy waggled his eyebrows which looked ridiculous but I laughed obligingly. “Especially if you get a horse that has a favorite part. Like Shooter, he’s Crew’s gelding. Have you met Crew? He’s the foreman and the second oldest. Anyway, his horse loves the curry comb. Likelovesit. Shooter will stand there all day and let you brush him, and when he sheds, it’s so satisfying…”
I let his ramble wash over me as I walked, Ramona plodding along beside me. Really, my attention was on her. I’d done a good amount of reading in my limited downtime, and I still had more to do, but by all accounts, I really lucked out with her. Or maybe Hawk just knew how to pick them.
Ramona chose that moment to pause, bend down, and chomped on some grass. I looked to Tommy, wondering if I should make her stop, but the kid didn’t seem to care. He stopped too, and I let her graze.
After a minute or two, I realized that Tommy had finally wound down from whatever he’d been babbling about and I felt bad I hadn’t been paying attention. He probably went silent from my lack of engagement. I shot him an apologetic smile.
“I still can’t believe she’s mine,” I said, hoping that explained my inattention.
Tommy grinned, teeth flashing. “Yeah. It’s always special when you find the right horse.” He glanced up then focused back on me. “We should probably head back. We’ll give her a good groom. I’ll show you everything.”
I had to hand it to him. Tommy’s enthusiasm was infectious. I mean, I wanted to groom my own horse, but I didn’t think I’d be looking forward to it. It seemed like a lot of dirt and muck, to be honest. I would do it for her because it needed to be done, and not even be mad about it, but it hadn’t been at the top of my favorites list.
That all changed once we made it back to the barn and Tommy showed me how to clip Ramona into the crossties. He was practically bouncing on his toes, as though it was going to be great, and I definitely caught the excitement.
“Okay, we start with her feet. This is a hoof pick,” he said, holding up a tool that had a wicked looking hook on one side and a brush on the other. “We gotta get all the rocks, dirt, sticks, whatever, out of her hooves. It can cause lameness in a second, right? If Ramona ever acts painful, check her feet first.”
“Sound advice.”
“Here, let me show you one and you can do the rest.” Tommy bent down and touched the bottom of Ramona’s right front foot. She lifted it for him and he cradled it in his hand. “Most horses who have any training are used to this, and they’ll usually pick their feet right up like that. It looks pretty good, so we just clean it up. Make sure you get around the frog.”
I blinked. “The what?”
Tommy pointed to the raised part of her hoof. “Right here. Dirt and stuff likes to get caught around it. Now it’s all clean.” He set her foot down and handed over the tool. “You try.”
Okay, I could do this. Tommy bent down with me so he could see what I was doing. I took hold of her foot like Tommy had, but Ramona didn’t move. I didn’t know if I was supposed to pull or what. I glanced at him.
“Just a bit of pressure and she should…there we go.”
Just like that, I had her foot in my hand. It took a second to maneuver my palm the right way, and it was probably awkward as hell, but my girl didn’t seem to mind. I used the hook to clear some compacted dirt, then flipped it around to brush everything else away.
“Good. Let her go. You don’t want to take any longer than necessary. Horses can balance fine on three feet, but they’re much happier on all four. Next one.” He moved to the rear ofthe horse. “Okay, this is important. You don’t want to stand directly behind the horse, okay? One kick and you’re—” he made a “splat” noise.
I squinted at him. “I’ve heard that. But also I’ve seen you people around here, standing behind horses.”
Tommy’s laugh was bright and airy, and Ramona’s ears swiveled toward him. “True. This is one of those ‘do as we say, not as we do things’. Honestly, if you know your horse well, it’s a different story. But, you know, just don’t, okay?”
The last part was said with a dire earnestness, so I immediately nodded. “Sure.”
I took care of her back feet with ease, though honestly it was still awkward. I’d get better with practice. When I set her last foot down, I realized something. I spun to face Tommy.
“She’s not wearing shoes. Shouldn’t she have shoes on?”
Tommy shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe. Her hooves look good and she’s not lame. But you’d have to ask Hawk. Hawk says some horses need ‘em and some don’t, and if you force one way or the other it’s bad for the horse. He says it’s all about what the horse needs to stay sound.”
Hawk says.Yeah, Tommy definitely thought Hawk walked on water. I knew he was good, of course, and I trusted him. I made a mental note to have Marielle add info about horse shoeing dos and don’ts to my list of reading material, just so I could be prepared.
Hooves done, Tommy took back the hoof pick and pulled out another tool. It had a wooden handle and metal top made of two loops with wicked looking teeth.
“Curry comb. This gets all the loose hair, and dirt and dust off. Plus horses usually like a good scratch. Try this one, but some horses don’t like it. If Ramona doesn’t, we have a different kind here.” He held up a flat, round one that was all plastic teeth on one side and a handle on the other.
Ramona seemed to like it just fine. Apparently, I was too gentle at first, but when Tommy told me to use a little more force, Ramona stretched out her neck and yawned. Which was apparently a good thing. It delighted Tommy at any rate, and when I was working on the top of her shoulders—withers, my mind supplied, and I was pleased I was learning horse anatomy—she turned her head and scratched me back.
“Don’t let her bite you,” Tommy said, but he was laughing so hard he almost didn’t get the words out. I couldn’t help grinning too and gave my girl some extra good scratches.
After the curry comb was a soft brush, and then some coat shine spray that made her gleam. Tommy said her mane and tail were good, but I brushed them anyway, wanting to prolong the experience. I’d seen horses with braids in their manes and tails, and I had no idea how to do that, but I could learn. There had to be tutorials online.
