A Horse's Tale, Chapter 34

A Horse's Tale, Chapter 34, Paint My Hoof's

"Well you ready to start?" Rob says to Steph as he heads out the door. Steph grabs her jacket, and follows him out, "Who do you want to start with?" Rob stops on the edge of the patio, "Well let’s start with the young ones, maybe Spirit, Jonah, 'B', Glory, then Justice, if I survive those we can try a couple of the older ones." Steph follows Rob towards the Lady's Parlour, as they near the gate, Rob looks over his shoulder, "Ok, you run in there and grab one, and hold on tight, once you have subdued the monster, I will wonder in and trim up their hooves. Then I will run away and you can release whom ever." Steph opens the gate, "Boy that sounds like a good plan." She walks to the middle of the pen, looks around, each of the horses is eyeing her 'like what is going on', "Ok, let’s make this easy, Spirit come here." Spirit takes one step toward Steph then stop, and look around at the other horses. "What’s wrong?," Spirit looks at Steph, "I can't come." Steph places her hands on her hips, "and why not?" Spirit looks around at the other horses, "They will think I am weak, and a low life, and not a good horse." Rob yells across the pen, "What about a bell and a pink ribbon on your tail?" Spirit trots up to Steph, she places the rope halter on him, and holds tight, Rob walks up, places his tools down and reaches down Spirits left front leg, Spirit raises his hoof up and Rob starts to work, Clip, Gouge, Rasp, and drops the hoof, and moves to the next leg. He repeats the process on each hoof, he finishes, stands up and pats Spirit on the rump, "See it wasn't that bad." He picks up his tools and carries his tools to the edge of the pen, knowing that Jonah won't just walk up. Steph rubs Spirits nose "Thank you for standing quietly." Spirit nods and as soon as Steph releases the rope halter, Spirit runs off kicking and bucking, as if he has just beating a great adversary. Rob and Steph knowing that Jonah will not want to be caught on the first try head in different directions, Rob to the right, Steph to the left, Steph slowly approaches Jonah, "You are next." Jonah looks around and takes off in the other direction, he turns the corner, and sees Rob and stops, and turns and runs back the other direction. He turns the corner, sees Steph, stops and turns. While all this is going on, 'B' walks up behind Steph, "Can I be next, Can I?" Steph stops, turns around, "What?", 'B' says I want to be next, my hoofs are a mess, they just have to be fixed up." 'B' stands there and raises one front leg off the ground and bends her leg to raise her hoof into the right position. Steph starts to say something then Jonah yells something that Steph misses, Jonah who was in this third run of back and forth between Steph and Rob, turns and runs over to Steph, and says to 'B', "It’s my turn, no butting in line." Jonah raises leg, and bends it to show his hoof as Steph places the rope halter on Jonah, as Rob retrieves his tools. Steph turns to 'B', it was his turn, you just stand there and you will be next."

As Rob returns with his tools, he sees Steph standing between two horses each with one hoof in the air. Rob thinks to himself, 'Wonder how long this will last?' He starts to work on Jonah, Jonahs hooves aren't that bad, but still some gouges and scrape marks. He finishes up Jonah, pats him on the rump, and turns to 'B' who has been standing there for 15 minutes with her hoof up off the ground, Rob walks over shaking his head, as Steph removes the halter from Jonah, who like Spirit runs off bucking and turning and kicking. Steph places the halter on 'B' and Rob begins work. At one point, he places 'B's front leg back on the ground, and looks at both front hooves, "Same scuff marks, and gouges at the edge of the hoof, in fact Spirit and Jonah had the same thing." Steph looks down and sees the marks, "Wonder what is causing that?" Rob resumes work, "I have no idea." Rob finishes up, moves his tools away and starts to slap 'B' on her rump, then remember you don't slap a lady on the rump at least not to often, he walks up and rubs her neck. Steph removes the halter, but unlike the boys, she just stands there, Steph turns to find Glory, and she hears "Pssst, you didn't finish." Both Steph and Rob look at her, Rob has been known to forget a hoof, in his younger days, but nope, he checks four done. Steph asks "What do you mean we didn't finish?" 'B' Looks at both of them, "You need to paint my hoof red, with a few little stars in silver." Steph and Rob look at each other, both say "What?" 'B' nods, "Yes, Red with little stars in silver, when we were out the other night, we meet a show horse, a beautiful mare, ribbons in her main, and long ribbons in her tail, she had her hoofs painted red with silver stars, it was sooo, sooo beautiful, I want that too."

Steph and Rob, look at 'B', then at each other, then back at 'B', Steph starts to say "We don't have.." then Rob buts in "I have some in the truck." Steph looks at Rob "Some what?", Rob looks over, "I have some red hoof protector, and a few press on stars." Steph looks at him, "You aren't really of thinking of doing that?" Rob says, "Well she was very good today, maybe it will pay off in the long run." Steph not sure to nod or not, "Ok, just this one time. 'B' you stand here while Rob fetches the paint and stars." 'B' nods, Steph turns to see where Glory is, she scans the line of horses on the other side of the Parlour, where it seems they have all migrated, "Glory its your turn next." Glory looks up and down the line for some moral support, getting none she walks forward and Steph places the halter on her, both turn as Rob returns with a small can of red hoof protector, and a small brush. He bends down and brushes the dust of 'B's hoof, "You can be moving around til this dries, maybe an hour or so." 'B' nods, Rob paints each of 'B's hooves with the protector and when he said it as red, it is really red, oh well. As he finished painting, he returns to the first hoof, and reaches in his pocket and pulls out a sheet of stars. He places two stars on each hoof, "Now remember don't move, til its dries." Rob Stands up, "Well Glory its your turn." Glory raises her right rear leg up off the ground, she doesn't understand the closest one theory yet. Rob begins work, and finishes her up in record time. Steph removes the halter, Glory runs off, they turn and 'B' is standing still, a bit concerned about the dust that Glory may have stirred up, Steph and Rob gather up everything and head to the gate, Rob asks, "Why did that go so easy?" Steph closes the gate, "I have no idea, let’s get Justice done and take a break."

They head into Justice's pen, Justice a just a few seconds to decide if he was going to run around to stand still, Justice being young could decide, so he just decided to stand still, Steph puts the halter on him, and Rob started to work, again he noticed the same marks on Justices hooves as the others, Rob finishes up, pats Justice on rump, "Justice you did good." Justice nods, "ahh, hmm, Can I get red paint?" Rob rubs his hand down Justice's nose, and grabs Justices lower lip, "Justice, ya know what I am going to do?" Justice nods, "Ok, never mind." Steph takes off the halter, and Justice licks his lower lip, knowing he just missed a good pinch.

Steph and Rob get back to the house, and relax for awhile, then back to the chores. All is finished Steph starts thinking about dinner, Jason knocks on the door, "I think you guys should know but 'B' is standing in the middle of the parlour and won't go eat." Steph and Rob look up, Rob runs to the front door and out on the patio, he yells, " 'B' you and move now." 'B' turns and looks and slowly and carefully walks to an open feeder." Rob walks back inside, "Steph you need to teach the horses to tell time." Steph nods.

As Steph and Rob finish dinner, Rob looks up, "I got it.", Rob jumps up and heads out to the patio, "Ok, Listen up, no more line dancing on concrete."

To Be Continued

Author Samm