WW: I'm sorry, but your horse is not a rideable color

I think he planned this...

How to get really, really, REALLY dirty

Cash here.

Being a white horse is hard. It's easy to get sunburned, and the bugs seem to bother me more than the other horses. So I do my best foil both sunburn and bugs by being as dirty as possible. I thought I'd share my tips and trick with everyone so that they too can be as delightfully mud-covered as I am!

First off, the best time to get dirty is immediately after a bath. Mum doesn't think so, but when you're still damp, the dirt sticks much better and coats more evenly.

Next, it's very important to choose a spot with good dirt. You want it nice loose dirt, with no rocks in it. Little rocks are awfully lumpy, and besides that they don't stick well, even to a wet horse.  You also want to pick a spot near the middle of the field, since you definitely don't want to accidentally roll into a tree or a fence or anything.

In rolling, technique is everything. Flipping over is a must. Let me demonstrate:

 

Perfect rolling spot with loose dirt selected (notice how revoltingly clean I am in this picture). 

 

 

First off, grind the dirt into you neck and face.

 

Get up a bit of momentum...

 

... then flip to the other side.

 

Even though Saga is photobombing this pic, you can see the lovely spots on my belly. Aren't they handsome?

 

Be sure to wiggle around a lot on the other side too. This ensures an even coating.

 

Remember to sit up a bit so you can get dirt rub dirt onto your belly too. Notice in this picture that I haven't really gotten the first side all that well...

 

...so I have to flip back over to do it again.

 

Make sure to cover any spots that you might have missed on the first go. 

 

You might need to grind your mane into the dirt too. Mum especially loves it when I make mud dreadlocks. Those are her absolute favorite!

 

Remember, if you flail, you get more dirt on.

 

Gotta flip back over again to make sure the second side again. Always remember to do both sides evenly!

 

Grind in that last bit of dirt...

 

... and then it's time to get up for the finishing touch...

 

... a good shake! You want to get any loose bits off, 'cause they are kind of tickly.

 

See? It's hard to get dirtier than this (but note in the background that Saga's about to try).

 

Rolling is like peeing - it's contagious!

 

He's got a good mane-grinding technique...

 

But he can't quite get the full flip. Besides that, he's brown. Even if the dirt sticks, it won't be nearly as attractive as it is when it's on me. 

Being white does have its advantages, after all!

White horse? Nope, don't have one.

Just in case you thought that the pictures from last week of Cash covered in mud were some sort of unusual occurrence (or somehow staged), I assure you they are not.

Cash managed to find a lovely spot to roll in after our trail ride this morning. It's an old garden area with loose black dirt. It sticks amazingly well to a wet horse.

It's almost hard to tell which spots are new and which he was born with, eh?

Sigh. Oh well, if you're gonna get dirty, you might as well do a good job and get both sides.

Aaaand the saddle area too. He seemed very pleased with his handiwork.

MC, Fuzzypony, and I had a nice ride this morning. We went and worked down in the retaining pond (minus the pond), just worked on a little trot and canter. I put the boots AND pads on today (yesterday it was just boots), and he felt really good. Nice forward trot, quite sproingy. We did a few canter circles both directions, and while the right lead transition sucked as usual, he picked up the left in only two or three steps. Yay for progress! He still feels sprawly, but I wasn't asking him to do anything more than canter on a loose rein, so it was pretty much what I expected. Afterwards we took the long way home and enjoyed the Texas springtime.

Ubiquitous ear shot.

This afternoon I need to mow the back pasture before it starts raining again (flash flood warning goes into effect tonight... again). The boys have eaten most of the edible bits down to lawnmower level, so I'll whack down the weeds before they have a chance to propagate.

I hope everyone else is making the most of their weekend and getting some riding in!