I’d already emptied the small basin and placed it in the shed. The basin might come in handy for other things. When Frey had drunk his fill, he started one of his favorite sports — muzzle splashing. That was something he loved to do. If he could splash me with water, that seemed to be a special bonus for him. Of course, before I could back away fast enough, my dress got water splotched. That made the boys roar with laughter. Only Mrs. Penn kept them from rushing forward to get into the fun. I’m sure Frey would have enjoyed that, too.
I figured that my horse probably wasn’t overly hungry, having grazed all day on weeds, but I brought out a flake of hay to give him, so he’d stay in one spot, and I could let Carlo and Frances groom his coat. It needed it badly, and the boys had asked if they could brush him. With Frances, I demonstrated how to use the currycomb on a horse’s lower parts, the ones that he could reach, like Frey’s lower shoulder, chest, and belly. Then I showed Carlo how to brush a horse’s legs, always moving downward in the direction that his hair grew.
I thought about getting the step stool from the basement. That would be helpful for the boys if they wanted to brush Frey often. But Carlo was finished with his task in a couple of minutes, already bored with it. Frances lasted a bit longer, but both boys apparently decided that grooming a horse wasn’t as much fun as it had sounded.
Mrs. Penn had headed inside after the boys stopped their horse grooming. She’d said she was going to start cooking. I think that was part of what I was supposed to be doing, and I felt guilty for basically “playing” with Frey instead of helping her prepare a meal, but I was still watching the boys, so I didn’t argue over it. As long as Mrs. Penn was offering, it was a good deal for everyone.