Sunday, March 1, 2009

I've heard of barefoot trimming but barefoot grooming?

No, the horse's ass isn't in the foreground of this picture. It's Mommy, bending over on the left, who proudly posted this snapshot with the following description:

"I was out side grooming my 3 girls today and Joseph wanted to help.And he loves playing with the baby so I gave him a brush and a way he went.This will be Josephs first horse he breaks on his own."

ooooooohkay...

So let's see. Joseph there is what? Two? Maybe three? He has apparently not mastered controlling his bladder yet but is outside in a pen with a loose foal, barefoot and grooming it on the ribs with a plastic curry. I don't know about you, but my well broke adult horses have been known to look askance at me if I touch their ribs with a plastic curry. Foal might be resting his hind left or he might be contemplating kicking the annoying plastic-curry-wielding creature at his side.

I guess we could progress this out to the future and worry about a 4 year old breaking a 2 year old or a 5 year old breaking a 3 year old (since this will be "his first horse he breaks on his own"...wonder who is gonna get broke there?), but I'm not sure Joseph is going to make it that long!

Pictures like this make me want to beat the parent in the head with a Pony Club manual. Again, it's not a stuffed toy. It's a 300 lb. unpredictable baby prey animal with sharp little hoofies. It is inches away from turning your child's foot into bloody hamburger, if not knocking him down and doing the same to his face. This isn't cute. This is negligence. If you're a loving parent - and I'm sure you think you are - get him some boots, some jeans, a helmet and a 25 year old pony!