I have only ever bathed and clipped him one other time (he can be slow to shed and he got overheated). The vet sedated him to do his teeth so we took advantage of his stupor to get it done.
This week we’re in the upper nineties to low 100s, it’s humid as hell, and it’s not cooling much at night. So this AM I steeled myself for a tussle and caught him early before it got too beastly.
I tied him short and got him bathed without mush fuss- he was compliant and stood like a stuffed bear. Then, it was time for clippers. Again, he’s a donkey - not a horse. So, armed with a cup of timothy pellets and a stout halter and lead and post, I tied him short and he ate some pellets while I rubbed him with the clippers (off). He was suspicious but ‘ok’ - so I turned them on and he tried to leave but didn’t fight, he accepted being tied and I took my time, lots of rubbing not clipping. walk away, come back, rub his head, more treats…and I clipped him. Bless his soul, he was shaking - but he stood like a good dude and got lots of praise and treats and breaks and rubs. Got him cleaned up well enough to get the heavy hair off and celebrated his new look with more treats and turned him loose while I picked up…
Normally, he loves to roll at the drop of a hat, and I had two fresh stalls he could go in. Yall, he carefully walked back into the paddock with the horses, had a drink of water and let Archie inspect him, and then methodically positioned himself in front of the barrel fan I set up for their run in area. No rolling. I swear if he’d had a mirror he would have admired his new-do