Coming in from the field - CLOSED

[femalefred]

Duke was playing up. That wasn't really a surprise, seeing as he'd been left out in the pasture for the past two days while Ella had been visiting her parents, but the constant skittering was getting a little frustrating as the young woman led her gelding down to the grooming stalls. He was absoloutely filthy. He'd been in the Everglades pasture, and while that particular field didn't flood, he'd still managed to almost entirely coat himself in mud. Ella hadn't been aware that Duke rolled much, but from this evidence he rolled every single second of every single minute that he was out.
"Behave, will you? I need to tie you," she murmured as she attempted to hitch the grey as he danced backwards.
The gelding snorted at this instruction, tossing his head in what seemed to be a deliberate way as his owner began to hitch the leadrope.
"I thought I told you to behave."
Duke huffed quietly at this, almost appearing to be offended by the assumption that he wasn't behaving, but did begin to settle down a little and allow Ella to actually tie him.
"Good boy. Now stay still while I go get your brushes, and we'll get that mud off you. Can't have a filthy horse in the arena when Hope just made me a trainer."

[DJ]

Hope continued on her way down the aisle with the push broom sweeping the dirt towards the indoor. She turned when she saw Duke on the cross ties bobbing his head excitedly. Hope Gave the broom a sharp smack on the ground knocking out the extra dirt before leaning it against the wall. She went over to the grey gelding and smiled a bit at his filthiness. How in the world did you do that? She asked him. Mom's going to have fun trying to clean you. She eyed the few wet patches of mud around his body. She spotted Ella coming back with his brushes and waved.

[femalefred]

Hmm.. another person, eh? Duke stopped skittering to turn and look at the barn owner, nostrils flaring and his eyes widening slightly. He knew who she was, but with his owner returning coming in from the field everything was just that bit more exciting today. Apparently forgetting he was hitched, the gelding stretched his neck out towards Hope and tried to take a step towards her, jerking to a halt with a look of complete surprise and confusion.
It was at that moment that Ella returned from the tack room, grooming kit in hand.
"Oh, hi Hope! How're you?" Ella asked, putting her grooming box on the floor just outside the stall. "How've things been for the past few days?"

[DJ]

Hmm. Not bad. But very busy. I've needed my boyfriend's help to get all of the needed horses worked and chores done, but it hasn't been too bad. I was going to come out today and give Duke a brushing if you hadn't come. He's filthy.
She reached out to place a hand on his outstretched nose and leaned against the wall.
But if you need help I can give a hand and I also grab the horse vacuum. It works well for getting the extra dirt off, plus if you put it on reverse, the air also acts as a blow-dryer to dry off the patches of wet mud before you curry them.
She smirked a gave a thumbs up. Great product, though. He should be okay with it once he gets used to it. It's not very loud and most horses are fine. She nodded. How've you been?

[femalefred]

"Sorry to hear it was so busy! Was it just me that left you in the lurch or did some of the other hands have to have some time off? Let me know who needs working and I'll lunge some once I've done schooling this thing. I can school one or two as well, probably. I don't have to be anywhere else all day and it'd probably be good to ride something other than this beast for once."
The beast himself was still stretching out to sniff at Hope, and when she placed her hand on his nose he huffed gently again. He liked this person, and it was a decent thing for Ella that he did as he'd stopped skittering about and now had all his attention focussed on Hope. He was ignoring his owner, but, all the same, he was standing still for once.
"I don't think I've ever used one of those before," Ella replied, beginning to curry out the dandy brush and glancing again over Duke's mud-covered coat. "He's gotten a lot better about noises, so it should be ok. And would help a lot," she added, grinning. She'd been dreading trying to remove all the mud from the gelding without giving him a bath. Duke actually quite enjoyed baths, but she wanted to school him once he was clean, and by the time he'd be dry there was a lesson in the indoor arena.
"I'm ok. My parents are still a bit shaken up by Uncle Rob dying though. They'll be alright, I think. Tim's still there with them and he's taken 2 weeks off work to look after them."

[DJ]

Aw. I'm sorry to hear that. She frowned. And oh no, it wasn't just you! Don't worry about it, though. We coped. She nodded. Let me go grab that vacuum.
She took her attention away from the equine and set off down the hall. She remembered placing it in a tote into the tack room last time she'd used it. She passed the bunny hutch she'd helped build under the staircase and flipped on the switch to the hayloft. She jogged up the wooden stairs lightly and saw the silver container labeled "Horse Vacuum" in bold permanent marker on the cover. She lifted up the case and traveled back down the stairs to the grooming stall. The gelding's face looked very interested in the package and Hope placed it on the ground and popped the cover off.
Here it is. She told Ella. Let me switch the heads, plug this in, and there. She held up the vacuum and put it under Duke's nose. She watched his reaction before she pulled it away. Ready Duke? She warned him. She flipped the switch on the larger part of the machine that stayed on the ground and let it run for a few moments near the horse. She slowly moved it closer to his shoulder. She placed it gently on him and he quivered a bit like it almost ticked. She moved in in gentle circles allowing it to loosen the dirt and suck it into the long tube that led to the bag. She then moved in in a line down his shoulder in the direction of the hair so it would lay flat again.
Good boy! She exclaimed. He should be fine with it. Want to try? She handed Ella the vacuum and allowed her to clean Duke. You'll just want to groom him when you finish. It does a nice job of removing dirt, but not quite as nice a job of a full grooming. She smiled.

[femalefred]

"Glad it wasn't just me then!" she called after Hope as the young woman trotted off to wherever the vacuum was kept.
Now that this interesting person had gone, Duke turned his attention back to Ella, nickering gently and lazily scraping his front hoof across the floor.
"Stop that. The farrier only came the other week," Ella murmured with mild disapproval, moving up to his head and giving his forehead a rub. He'd even managed to get mud onto his face, and how he'd managed that she'd never know. It was a good thing most of it was dry.
When Hope returned, Duke's attention was caught by the bag she was carrying and his ears flicked towards it in fascination as she brought it closer to him. It was the intrigue that probably stopped him from jumping when the noise started, and Ella genty stroking his nose that kept him still when Hope started vacuuming his coat.
"That thing is amazing. It'll take half the time to do him now," Ella said with a grin as she took the device. "You going to carry on behaving while I do this then, beast?"

[DJ]

Hehe. Hope giggled at the gelding's faces of interest and excitement.
Are you riding later? Hope had the craving to get on one of the better-trained Warmbloods after she'd been fighting all weekend with the younger jumpers all weekend. She'd have preferred to ride Dixie over them all, but she was still recovering from her stiff hip she'd gotten from getting kicked. If you don't mind the company, I'd love to hop on and ride with you in a while.

[femalefred]

Duke seemed to be quite enjoying this. It was like being brushed - which he liked - but slightly different and intriguing. Every now and then he kept turning back to snuffle at - or one one occasion - tentatively lip the vacuum. It was a fascinating thing, it really was.
"Yup. If I wasn't I'd be giving this'un a bath. As it is I think it'd take too long for him to dry before there's a lesson in the indoor arena. I was going to head out to the cross country course once I'd done a bit of schooling if you're up for that?" she asked as she moved from her horse's shoulder down to his belly and flank.

[DJ]

Whatever you'd like. I'm up for anything. You're the one on this beastie. She grinned at Ella.
I'll go get whoever I'm riding... I'll find someone who needs the work. And I also have a lesson this afternoon. If you'd like to watch or help, that'd be fantastic!! But if you're busy, that's fine too. Hope pondered about which horse she'd like to ride...

[femalefred]

Ella grinned. Yup, she would be riding this beastie, and he was lively and spooky enough even when she'd worked him every day, let alone when he'd been without a rider for a few. "I'm hoping that schooling's gonna calm him down a little. Or at least tire him out a bit!"
She was nearly done with the gelding's left side and just needed to do his lower legs - obviously the most filthy part of all - before she could move over to his right side and was as a result now squatting in a rather unattractive position on the floor.
"I've got nothing else to do today other than working with Duke on the water hazard and a few of the fences on the xc course, so I'd be happy to pop along and help out if you need me."

[DJ]

Alrighty. And I'd love the help. Hope smiled. I'm going to go grab one of the new horses. He's not up for lessons yet. I want to see how he goes. I'll be back in a few minutes. She set off again down the cement aisle and out the large side doors toward the paddocks. She stopped at the small corral set up of round pen panels set up. The gelding lifted his head over the top and rested his chin on the gate as he stared at Hope coming toward him. Hello, Music. Hope greeted the horse as she reached up to pet his head. He nickered when he saw her grab his halter and backed away from the gate so she could swing it open. Hope slid the leather halter over his long face and led him through the gate leaving it open behind her and into the barn.
Music kept his head low and walked at an easy pace through the aisle and to the grooming stall. Hope led him into the stall across from Duke and Ella before turning him around and clipping him. The light blue roan waited patiently as Hope went to get his brushes and returned quickly.

[femalefred]

"Ok, see you in a minute," Ella replied, giving Hope a little wave as she went off to collect the new horse. She hadn't spotted one when she'd been collecting Duke in, but she supposed that was because Everglades wasn't one of the smaller paddocks and the new horse was probably going to be kept on his own for a little while.
She'd nearly finished vacuuming Duke's coat when he tensed a little and his ears perked up. A second later Ella heard the sound of hooves, and a second after that she heard the sound of her gelding whinnying piercingly in a welcome to the new horse.
"Hush you, it's not that exciting," she told the beast, grinning and almost giggling at the look of curiosity on his face. This was apparently even more exciting than the vacuum - now sadly switched off and being put back into its bag.
"He's a nice looking thing, Hope. What's his name?"

[DJ]

This is Music. Hope gave the equine a pat on his muscular neck. He's really quiet... I wonder how he'll be during riding, though. Some horses perk up, calm down. We'll see about him.
Hope pulled out his curry and moved it swiftly down his next across his shoulders. I'm so excited to ride him!! She added, keeping her eye on her work. She moved onto the stiff brush after she was finished with the curry. He had a lovely natural shine to his coat.
I can put the vacuum back in a moment. She glanced at Ella while she moved onto the soft brush, which swept a shine across the geldings coat.

[femalefred]

"Well, a quiet horse on the ground is always a mystery when you've not ridden them yet!" Ella said, grinning and moving onto a soft brush herself, all the mud and excess hair removed from Duke's coat. The horse vacuum was definitely worth whatever Hope had paid for it, seeing as a job that would've taken hours had only taken 20 minutes now.
"I can put it back if you tell me where it lives," she offered, grinning again at Hope's excitement. "I just need to drag a comb through this one's mane and tail and then I'll be done. I'm beginning to think I should get him hogged the state he gets his hair into."