Happy Hooves Day Is Upon Us, Again.

Saturday is upon us and six kids are due anytime now. Make that seven. Never mind, Ty will keep them in check. First, Ty showed them how to muck out, then how to clean the tack. I could tell by some kids faces that they would rather be riding then listening to rules and regulations. That would come later. 
 Now came the time to sort which horses the kids would be dealing with for the day.

Tony with Lady

"This is Lady. Tony, you will share her with Leroy. Just remember she's a bit ticklish under her belly." Tony, was in a quandary as to how to get Lady to pick her feet up for him. Ty showed him how to stand to one side of the horse and touch Lady's leg, the one that was needed, so as she would raise it in readiness for cleaning out dirt and stones or just to inspect it. I had been through the process with Ty earlier that morning, telling him which horse didn't like this or that also showing him which brush to use and for what. He had wrote it down and put the notes in his pocket just in case he had said.
 Ty continued, "Some horses don't like certain parts of them touched, so you have to be gentle with 'em talking to 'em, letting them know you ain't gonna hurt 'em." 

Leroy, Jessica and  one of the twins...Stacey I think?

 "How do you know which parts they don't like touched ?" This came from Jessica, the chubby kid with hair color like Kate's which was tied in two bunches.
 "You'll soon find out" grinned Ty.
"Yeah, when they kick or bite you." came back Leroy, the only black kid who had enrolled.
 "Right, here are the brushes and hoof-picks." Ty looked round at some worried faces, "Don't worry, I'll show you first, you won't get hurt. This is Flint." Ty had a quick look at his notes from his pocket. "He loves getting brushed and will pick his feet up for anyone. He's a softy. Who wants him ?
 A chorus of, Me! Me! Me ! greeted Ty's ears, so he chose the twin girls, Stacey and Larna. Better him then me I thought, not wanting to be the 'evil man' who wouldn't give them the horse they wanted.
 "Who gets Drifter, the pretty Palomino ?" The rest of the kids without assigned horses chimed up.
 "Sorry, he's not being used today. It's his day off and he's feeling a bit under the weather." Ty told them.
"Jessica, Smokie is yours, he's a 'gentleman', you'll be okay with him".
 "Now Pepper is rather tall but loves attention, so you boys, Jimmy and Johnny,(also twins) had better use the mounting block to get to the hard to reach places." Ty signalled to them calling each boy by the other ones name. "Gee, you two look so much alike, I'll get a name badge made out for you to wear".
  "We want one too." sing-sunged the other kids.
 "That's okay, I'm on it." Kate responded. She had been listening on the side lines.
Kate came back with the name badges and handed them out, when, "Whoops! Wrong twin." Kate quickly switched the badges over.
Ty, who's really good at sketching gave them each a pencil, crayons and an A4 paper to draw a picture of their respective horses and then color them in. This would keep them busy for a while.

Kate cooked the hot dogs

Lunch time...We left Kate cooking the hot dogs while me and Ty took the kids over to see Storm and her foal. I had put them in the field on the Holiday Let site. It was a good size with plenty of room for the foal to run-around in, about 3/4 of an acre or a little more according to my 'eye'. The kids loved watching the foal playing and galloping about around it's mom, and wrote their suggestions on a card for a name. Of course I told them how Storm had come with no name and how she got hers, the lucky winner would be told by email or over the phone in around two days time.

Storm and her foal

 "Okay kids back for hot dogs and ice-cream. The kids yelped and whooped all excited.
 Then Kyle, Kate and Ty, brought out the saddles and bridles. Saddles are heavy to pick up let alone swinging them onto the horses backs. At this stage I pointed out, how to do up a saddle.

Too heavy for kids to lift on their own

 "The Cinch keeps the saddle in place so it's important to tighten it up just right for it to stay put. Too loose and the saddle will slip leaving you hanging off the side of your horse or on the floor. Too tight and your horse won't be comfortable, it may even try to buck the saddle off and you in the process. This is because they must be able to fill their 'bellies' up with air to breath." I had serious little faces hanging on my every word. So with happy kids going round and round the manege and twins sharing their horses, till the parents turned up to take them home. Some tears were shed...by the kids not wanting it to end.

Storm's Secret Is Out

The Next day after  the beach party I woke up feeling groggy from too much alcohol...I guess. Groping around in bed I got a well deserved kick off Kate.

You gonna make me a coffee?

"Ouch Kate! You gonna get up and make me a black coffee ?" Kate moaned in protest and snuggled down further under the duvet, "Guess that's a no then." I sighed. After a few more minutes I got out from under the duvet and sat on the edge of the bed. Yawning, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and ploughed my fingers through my unkempt hair.
"Think I'll have a shower first." I yawned again. Seeing as Kate was peering up from the duvet, I added "Unless you need me for anything." I wriggled my eyebrows suggestively.
Kate murmured, "No, go and have your shower and put some clothes on before you frighten your dog." She smiled, which quickly changed into her pulling a face and wrinkling her nose at me.
"What, Life (the name of my dog...or rather bitch), she wouldn't care whether I was dressed or naked, as long as she got fed...um, you want a coffee Kate ?"
"Yes please."
"Well get dressed then" I raised my voice and laughingly threw my dirty underpants at her.
Kate shrieked, sat up and flicked her hair away from her eyes revealing her breasts in the process.
"Wow, you are well formed Kate." I gave her a wide grin as I went for her. 
"Don't Kyle." She shrieked again throwing a pillow at me but missing.
"And just for that," I mock threatened....moving towards her.
Kate quickly retreated back under the duvet.....
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Almost half an hour later I emerged from the bedroom and finally went for a shower and got dressed.
I put a few dog biscuits in Lifes' dog bowl. She wolfed them down. I bent down smiled at her and patted her head, "Um, you might need worming Life." I made coffee and pancakes with syrup and hoped the aroma would stir Kate outta bed. Meantime Life was running around me in circles. "No," I said sternly, "no more biscuits Life. You don't wanta get as fat as Storm do you?"...Storm needed to loose a little weight. I had wormed her some time back, just in case as I didn't know when her last owner had wormed her, or if Storm had ever been wormed. As I'd said before, some mares get benign ovarian tumors that can cause serious aggression problems, both towards horses and people and Storm sure was exhibiting some of these signs. At hearing me mention Storm by name, Life looked at me whined and backed away and kept barking. I hope she hadn't got on the short end of Storms' temper and been bitten.

 Kate appeared in the kitchen and blushed. I liked to make her blush and gave her one of my cocky grins.

"What's the matter with Life ? She seems rather excited about something."

Life wanted us to follow her

Life turned in circles then went to and fro towards the back door.
Kate laughed, "I think she wants us to follow her Kyle"
"Okay. Guess we'd better get it over and done with. Maybe she'll give us a bit of peace."
What a shock...or surprise we got!
In the field with Storm was a foal...a colt foal. It was gray like his mom, but it had a black mane and tail. Okay, so it was a bit scrawny and rather small but I can tell you I was...so relieved.
"Hi little fella," cooed Kate.

A bit scrawny but....

I pulled my cell phone out from my pocket and phoned Joe. "Hi Joe, you'll never believe what I've just found...No you're wrong on both accounts, Storms in front of me with a foal..." I chuckled and continued "No I don't know how I missed it either...Anyway, that explains a lot of things don't it...Storms fine, she's not biting she seems proud to show her foal off to us...Um, Kate's here with me she's smitten with it already...Well you know what women are like with b-a-b-i-e-s." I whispered this last word out. "Yeah, come over and see the foal sometime..." I ended the call.
"What are we going to call him Kyle ?"
"I don't have an inkling. Perhaps we could get some of the kids on Happy Hooves Day to come up with something appropriate ?"