Horse Hair Curls

Pebbles has a shelter in the lean-to of the old hay barn, familiarly called her ‘bedroom.The roof is good, the opening faces south.

The dirt floor is liberally strewn with the hay which she decides not to eat, and the whole is scraped out whenever it needs to be done.

The main barn as well as the ‘stalls’ which were probably used in the past for other livestock are on hard-packed earth.

Above you can see the built up corner ‘room’ which houses the loft stairway and some rough shelves. Grain is stored in a bin with a well weighted lid. Dishes for the barn cats are kept here and a small supply of kibble in a closed container.The interior is dim and

rather cobweb-y.

Pebbles’ grain is served in her large black rubber basin and fresh hay is spread on the raised floor at least once a day. You can see that she is waiting eagerly for the grain basin to be plopped in front of her. Its not an ‘up-town’ apartment, but it has all that a

country horse might need.

Why then, does the silly horse prefer to stand out in nearly every storm of rain or sleet?

I look out after a rainy night to see her standing somewhere in her pasture, coat dark with wet, mane and tail bedraggled. Sometimes she has added to this pitiful picture by rolling in a muddy spot.

Rain slatted down in the hours before dawn on Friday morning.

I could hear it pelting the roof, sluicing along the windowpanes.

J. went to the barn to feed Pebbles and was back a few minutes later handing me the camera.

“Take a look at these, “ he ordered, grinning.

I loaded the photos and joined in the laughter.

About two weeks ago I tried to brush Pebbles. Her coat had dried in whorls and ripples of hair—and nothing would make it lie flat.

I didn’t attempt a beauty session this time.

I am reminded of the ‘poodle cloth’ coats which some ladies wore when i was a child.

I’m also reminded of the ‘spiral perm’ I had about a decade ago.

Wonderful texture.

Perhaps this will be the horse ‘hair-do’ until spring arrives and the curly-Q’s can be brushed out.