Where ’s my other glove? (Late Autumn 2004)

My dear Dad will soak some pony hooves for me during the day. We've got this system. I write the names of the ones who need soaking on the whiteboard in the tack room and if he has time, he puts them in the hoof bath. This time of the year, Dad likes to wear his gloves. Circulation isn't that good in his fingers and the gloves keep his hands warm. The gloves are those leather work gloves and sometimes he needs to take a glove off to open a gate or tie a rope halter.

He'd gone to catch Larkin and he'd taken a glove off to do up Larkin’s halter. Now Larkin is pretty good as he makes his own way to the hoof bath and goes and stands in it waiting for oats. Dad followed Larkin back to the tack room., weighed out the oats, gave them to Larkin and carried on doing this and that. He went to put on his gloves. Oops no glove! The tack room now has it's own phone that can be used as an intercom. This allows Mum to check where Dad is and vice versa. It also allows Mum to check with Dad where Rory is and for Dad to remind Mum that it's time to make a cup to tea. Dad can't find the glove, so he rings Mum. She carries the phone in her pocket, so she doesn't miss any calls.

Mum starts searching inside the house for the glove and Dad starts looking outside the barn and the tack room. The glove is no where to be seen. By now Dad is getting frustrated and has decided he'll have to look later as it's nearly 4pm and the ponies need feeding. With light fading and the search is abandoned. Dad takes Larkin out of the hoof bath, takes off the halter and Larkin makes his way back the Herd. Feeds are made up and Dad loads the trailer. Off down to the paddock with only one glove. He lets Larkin through the gate and wee Thorn is standing not far from the gate. What's that on her back? It's the missing glove!!!

Dad now remembers he put the glove down to tie up the halter and Thorn was standing the other side of him when he put his glove down. A most convenient place to put a glove. Not so far to bend to pick it up. Amazing that it had stayed there, while she was walking about and grazing. Craig has decided that Dad should stop using the Shetties as a "clothes horse". We very glad it wasn't Sisko with the glove as he'd have been going around the Herd saying "Where's my other glove?", singing "I'm Bad, I'm Bad, you know I'm Bad" and grabbing at his crotch.