After two years, we are still learning things about Rodney. The newest revelation: he does NOT like liniment. It’s ironic because we were trying to be nice.
Hubby did the same PT/lunging session as last weekend [Vewy, Vewy]. He ended with several runs through a triple cavaletti. Rodney bounced through perfectly the first time and then began whacking the poles as he sped up. At his point, you question whether to try for improvement and risk having it get worse or quit while you’re ahead. Well, we decided, it’s not like we can ruin his jumping career at this point. Hubby brought him in slowly and he hopped over all three as neat as you please. Yeah!
Between the humidity and horse stress, Rodney had gotten quite sweaty. We hosed him off. Hubby wanted to reward Rodney for a reasonably good day. After a jumping school, Previous Horse always got a washdown with warm water and liniment. What’s not to like about warm water?
Rodney danced about for the second half of his liniment bath, but he was still proud of himself for negotiating such difficult obstacles. We put it down to ‘tude. Usually we let him go at the wash area/water trough. When it’s obvious the bath is over he wanders off. Not so much today.
To his credit, he lowered his head and paused long enough to give me a chance to take off his halter. Unfortunately I moved too slowly. Whereupon he wheeled off and headed back to the barn at Mach 10, much to the dismay of Arthur who was headed in the same direction & suddenly found 1300 pounds of thundering hooves on his tail.
We retrieved him, bought him back, and hosed off the nasty gunk. Dunno if it’s the smell or the tingle but something about it blows his fuse.
Liniment. Who knew?
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Gratuitous Kitten Cat Pic
Virtual Brush Box 
No cat gets the label ‘barn cat’ without a positve mouse-in-mouth sighting. Sitting at the barn then dining at the kitty bowl does not a barn cat make.