Rain, rain and more rain!

Don't you love the wet winter days? I don't. But Prince does. You should see him in the rain with no rug on, he gallops around like an arab stallion with mares watching. Its so beautiful, and in the worst of the winter, he just finds the muddest patch in the paddock and rolls in it until he is no longer chocolate, he is grey/black/brown with mud (by the way this is way better then in the summer time, were you only have a thin layer of dust).
  About a week ago i had put Princes rug on the day before (after cleaning it and waterproofing the neck) and then next morning (after it had been raining all night) he decided he would show me what he thought of his rug. He sluntered over to his rolling patch of mud, and dropped down gently and rolled.
    This wasn't a roll-one-side and get up and do the other-side, this was a roll-both-sides-vigurously and then get up. When he stood up the mud (as it was so soggy) ran off his cover in streams. He then shook, splattering me with mud and water. i looked at his filthy neck, head and body, and just howled with laughter.
   Just a warning, don't ever try to pamper your horse in the winter time, it will be wasted. Even with a rug on it still will be wasted.
  So this week has be way to wet to do anything as you can tell by the title. Today however is a beautiful day, unfortantly i have to do job searching for WINZ. but since Victer (Pat and Tony's grandson which lives with them) has a teachers only day today i had to go down to the Kaponga library and since it doesn't open to 1 o'clock i got to sleep in, also i got to (finally!) clean prince's paddock out (and best bit) and i gave Prince a brush.  i also picked his feet out and noticed his right front hoof has grown out faster then the one on the left. along with that he has a bit of thrush in all of his hooves. i'm gonna have to start picking out his feet everyday (since i only do it before riding or when i get a chance to groom him).
  For those of you that don't know thrush is black stuff that gathers around the frog in warm wet conditions. Thrush is a fungal infection. normally to treat that i pick out his feet and use the hoof knife to cut as much off as possible and then use the brush on the hoofpick to sweep any dirt away and then i use honey (just any honey you have in the cupboard) by just plastering as much on as possible. This dries out the thrush and removes any infection.
    once i'm done here in the library, i shall go home and ride Prince around the paddock and work on his jumping skills.. hmm and i think i'll drag the other barrel up from the back paddock and practice barrel racing.. sounds like fun!