Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Sunday, July 20, 2014

Drinking Problem

Soooo simple. Soooo satisfying.
Horses are very much like people.
They have personalities.
There are friends.
And enemies.
They like to play.
Hate to work.
Live to eat.
They even have quirks.
Some have learned to take in a deep breath just as you tighten the saddle cinch.
Then let it out . . . later. Sneaky beggars.
Loose cinches cause accidents.
Just FYI.
I could go on and on about the tricks they play.
And how crafty they can be.
But that is another post.
This story is about Harry.
Harry the Horse.
And drinking.
Now, I should explain that horses, when they drink, don't lap like dogs and other animals.
They dip their lips into the water.
And suck.
Careful to keep their noses out in the air.
So to speak.
But a tired horse, coming back from a long day in the pastures, will try to drink with the bit from the bridle still in its mouth.
This results in . . . leakage. An imperfect seal at each side of the mouth.
Leakage.
Most horses simply ignore it and happily slurp up the water.
Except for Harry.
If Harry had been human, he probably would have been an efficiency expert.
He hated leakage. It was messy. And, for want of a better term, inefficient.
So Harry had come up with his own solution. If one just dipped a little more of one's mouth into the water, one could avoid the whole 'leakage problem'.
Genius.
He would lower his mouth into the trough to a level just above the bit.
Problem solved.
Of course, this meant that one's nose became, at times, perilously near, and even in, the water.
No worries. Just lift your head, take a breath, and lower it again.
Child's play.
Soon Harry discovered that he liked dipping his head into the trough.
If he was really tired, he would dunk it right up to his eyes.
Sometimes further.
And all you would see were a pair of ears, sticking out above the water.
Unusual to be sure.
But immensely entertaining.
It gave a whole new meaning to the terms, 'Here you go. Dig in!'.
'Wow. He's in it to the eyebrows!'.
'He's in over his head'!
Or, best of all, 'Go soak your head!'.
Yep.
Harry.
The perfect entertainment at end of a long, dusty day.

14 comments:

  1. He probably would have enjoyed a full body bath.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those of us unfamiliar may have believed the myth that horses are the "dumb blondes" of farm life. But it seems not.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Horses have always been one of my favorite animals - I'm sorry I don't have one in my life right now :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aw, now you've made me nostalgic for my daughter's riding days. I didn't enjoy the heat/cold/bugs but the horses were always fascinating. What a great story about Harry!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I keep telling my husband that I want another horse like my "Roni" for macaroni when I was a kid. He's terrified of horses bad experience so he just isn't going for it! I guess I will just have to live vicariously through you or come to CANADA!!!! Now that sounds like fun!

    ReplyDelete

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