A Christmas Memory - An Arabian Horse Meets Rosey the Reindeer

Back in the days when I was working as a groom at Feature Farm, Shannon Armstrong decided one Christmas season that they would have a Christmas party complete with stall decorations. Each owner was to deck their Arabian horse's stall with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la! Or whatever other Christmas fashion they saw fit.

This was my first Christmas owning a horse (although I still had a huge contract to pay! lol). I was really excited about the prospects of stall decorating. Being a professional crafter at the time and always a bit on the unconventional side, I had a particular craft item of mine that I was convinced would be perfect to decorate Scandalous's stall.

The day came for the party and we all arrived at the appointed hour with our decorating items. The barn was abuzz with Christmas cheer. With hot cider and hot chocolate, every kind of Christmas cookie under the sun, we partied and made merry as we decorated those stalls.

The barn aisle was such a sight with all of Santa's little helpers happily sharing their Christmas cheer with their Arabian horse buddies! Scurrying to and fro, laughing and giggling and spreading good cheer as they hung garlands and bows and placed baskets of horsey treats near the doors.

Many of the stalls were adorned with some sort of wreath or swag that was hung on the door. There were wreaths and swags of fir boughs and holly and even a couple wreaths cleverly made of carrots decorated with apples.

Scandalous did get one of those wreaths made of the kinds of things horses eat. Nope instead Scandalous got a calico swag with a big soft sculpture reindeer "trophy" hanging right in the center. Rosey the Reindeer, complete with red micro dotted antlers, a hurken set of eyelashes, and heart shaped lips! Rosey was the hit of the barn.....

Well, almost the hit of the barn, evidently Scandalous didn't think much of Rosey the Reindeer living hung on her stall. The mare tolerated the intrusion for a few days. We really had no clue the mare wasn't smitten like the rest of us with Rosey the Reindeer. Until right before Christmas the always opinionated Arabian horse expressed her displeasure by attacking poor Rosey the Reindeer.

I arrived at work one morning to find Shannon most distressed. She'd had to rescue poor Rosey the Reindeer from the floor of the ornery mare's stall. Poor Rosey not only had attained a new aroma, she was injured!!!!

Scandalous had rudely grabbed Rosey the Reindeer with none other than her teeth and pulled that reindeer right through the bars of the stall. Then the Arabian mare had assaulted Rosey the Reindeer no less! She shook that poor Rosey the Reindeer by one soft sculptured antler. Then shook her some more. She shook her and shook her and then tossed her aside into a pile of you know what, poo.........and wet stuff too!!!!

That antler wasn't tough enough to withstand biting and shaking by the mouth of a HORSE!! The poor antler lost it's very top point!! Shredded with stuffing protruding all over the place, Rosey the Reindeer looked sad and mishandled indeed. Shannon was convinced that poor Rosey the Reindeer was ruined!



Being the unconentional crafter I am, I was undaunted and went into doctor elf mode. I trimmed off the shredded part of poor Rosey the Reindeer's wound. Then stuffed back the stuffing right down into the antler. From there I whip stitched the rude opening closed. On top of the stitches, I applied but a band-aid of course. Rosey the Reindeer wasn't ruined. She was just personalized!! Personalized by my horse!!

Many years have passed since this one fateful Christmas. Like most of us, poor Rosey the Reindeer may be showing her age. The holly of her swag has grown a mind of its own and goes every which way. Her left ear wants to sag and her eyelashes droop. Her colors have faded and her lips aren't nearly so appealing or bright. Even her band aid has yellowed with age. But her stitches hold firmly and that's what's important. Right??




Now Scandalous is gone but never forgotten, especially at Christmas time. How could this remarkable mare ever be forgotten? Rosey the Reindeer can still spread good cheer as she's proudly displayed ....my specially personalized gift from my beloved very first Arabian horse!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!

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