I apologize for not writing for the last few months! Our barn has been very busy having new foals and getting the breeding season started, etc. I'm sure you all can relate.

We spent all of last week out with the horses, clipping up the foals and trimming their feet for the very first time. Man, what a chore! We learned a lot about all of their personalities. MM Bucks Due for a Miracle ("Cale") did NOT like getting clipped and fought and kicked and jumped and reared the entire time. It took three full-sized adults to hold him steady--and he's a small one too! Towards the end he seemed to realize that no one was going to let go, and he settled down. MM Modern Lady Cleopatra (Cleo) and MM Daddys Calisto Boy ("Cole"), on the other hand, acted like we were grooming them and they stood stalk still the entire time, except to move their lips against my leg in return. They would have crawled into our laps if we let them.

For those of you that are new to clipping books, a few tips we've learned through experience and reading up on it. It's best for your blades if you start out by giving them a bath. It will really kill your blades if clip them dirty. For us, it helps to use a bucket of water to wash them instead of a hose--the sound of the hose can spook them and get them on edge even before you start clipping. To get them used to the clipper's buzzing noise, it helps to turn the clippers on, wait a second, and then hold them against the horses body so they can feel the vibration and know it's not going to hurt them. Also, the legs can be very sensitive to the clippers, so be especially careful when you do them. We also found it best to clip them near their mom's. The mares got a little nervous with us taking their babies out, but if you can keep the foals where their mom's can see them it tends to go better.

I know everyone has different ways of doing things, but I hope maybe some of this was helpful.