The Marathon Begins

I’m usually finishing up my initial round of spring body clipping around the first of May. This year I didn’t start until around the first of May, April 30th to be exact. We’ve had an up and down spring as far as weather. It’s been in the 80’s and the 50’s, and there has been no consistence as far as temperatures. Daytime temperatures during the 50’s and nighttime temperatures in the 40’s, and sometimes even the 30’s, is hardly body clipping weather, so I kept waiting for it to decide to be – and stay – spring.

That seems to have finally happened this week. This week has brought us daytime temperatures in the 80’s every day. That is body clipping weather. I brought the clippers out on Monday and officially started the 2018 Spring Body Clipping Marathon. Since I like to jump into things with both feet I bathed and body clipped four horses on Monday, and followed that up with three more baths and clips on Tuesday. I couldn’t get that fourth clip in on Tuesday because the dentist was also here. I didn’t do any clipping on Wednesday because the farrier was here for a few hours and I had officially made myself sick from inhaling the dust, dirt, dander and hair of seven horses on Monday and Tuesday.

I was still sick today with a fever and a sore throat, but clipping waits for no one so three more horses were clipped today. If I thought I was sick after clipping seven horses, adding more to the count didn’t do me any favors. After we finished afternoon chores I limped myself to the doctor. I literally was limping a bit because clipping involves a lot of squatting, something my legs have told me I clearly need to do more of after three days of extended squat practice.

One steroid shot and some antibiotics latter I’m waiting for the steroids to deliver their promised symptom relief while I type. It hasn’t happened yet but I remain hopeful. I suffer from the same curse my dad had where pain relieving drugs have negligible effects on me (as does alcohol). On the rare occasion they’ve been offered to me I never bother with opioids since I can’t ever tell I’ve taken one. Oral tranquilizers have zero effect on me, the list goes on. When I have a fever neither acetominophen nor ibuprofen have any effect. It’s a really weird thing, I’m assuming related to my autoimmune issues, that makes illness even more inconvenient.

Tomorrow should bring, you guessed it, even more clipping. I might take a bit of a break over the weekend, especially since it’s supposed to rain on Saturday. Then I will return to my clipping frenzy.

Apollo was happy to graze while having his bath

Apollo in progress

Apollo after

Homer before

Homer after

Norman before

Cuffie in progress

Norman and Cuffie after

Revy and King happily hanging out in the shade, unaware that they were about to be bathed and clipped

King in progress

Revy in progress

King and Revy after

Rip in progress

Rip after

Maisie in progress. It is a shame I forgot an after picture as Maisie is one of the most satisfying clip jobs year after year. Underneath all of the dull, long, dead hair she clips out to a shiny, rich color that is so pretty.