Cowboy hat horse

One of those horses is a tall, elegant chestnut tobiano. He only has colour on his face, chest and hip area. More notably, he is bald and it doesn't look like he has been roached. At least not from afar. 

This does warrant closer investigation. Normally, roached horses necks have an incline where the mane grows, a difference in texture of the fur.

When you reach the horse's pen he greets you with a warm, cheerful puff of air. 

His two coloured eyes add to his fancy look, so does his elegantly arching neck. You gently pat his nose and wait for a chance to catch a closer look at his neck. When he finally lowers his head a bit, it becomes clear that there simply are no hair roots where they should be. 

He is bald. But not down to his skin- theres silky smooth coat covering his neck. You didn't know this could happen to horses. Is it some sort of condition?

The stallion eyes you, he seems to be waiting for something. Void of any other options, you pet his neck and revel in just how soft his coat is. It's unlike anything you have felt on a horse before.

"Ah, looks like Dino's makin' friends" a man's voice reaches your ears. He seems laid back and friendly and steps next to you. The stallion turns all attention towards the stranger. It's clear they belong together. 

 

"Want to see him wear his hat?" The man turns to you and asks- unprompted- with a glimmer of joy in his brown- no- violet?? eyes. 

You agree- who wouldn't want to. The man with the strange coloured eyes pulls a small cowboy hat from a stash of nearby tack. 

The stallion, Dino, perks up and nickers. It is utterly adorable. This is then intensified when he lowers his head to have the hat put on. He is very cute with it and seems incredibly happy to wear the accessoire. A moment later he graces any bystanders with a happy prance around the pen. 

His moves are floaty and fluid, his build is elegant yet seems to have baroque parts. It could be a baroque painting, if it hadnt been for the metal fencing and the silly little hat that he was so joyfully wearing.

You hear a camera click besides you. The man is taking photos of his horse and you don't doubt that he has folders upon folders already. But as any animal owner knows, they're never enough. And the camera seems to be a rather nice one, indicating the man has at least some interest in photography. 

 

Once Dino has finished his prancy round, he meets the two of you again. The man pulls a few treats from a pocket and offers some to you. "Want to feed him some?"

Of course you do. You take the treats and offer them to the cowboy hat wearing stallion. He gingerly nips them from your flat palm and chews contently. 

You tell the man how pretty his horse is. This causes him to gush about the stallion, just for a bit. 

"Well thank you. He sure is a great horse. You know what breed he's from?"

You don't. You ask. When the man answers, you don't miss a tinge of pride in him.

"He's a Loshenka. They're a gorgeous bunch. It's also why he's bald. Oh- here-" he suddenly stops and rummages in his bag. It seems rather disorganized. There's a few cans of canned coffee in there. 

Bypassing those, he pulls out an envelope and from that he produces a printed photo of the stallion, naturally, wearing his hat. There's more copies in the envelope. The stranger offers it to you with a genuine smile. "Do you want one?"

The man has correctly clocked you as someone who would indeed want a picture of a random, stunning horse you've just about met.

It's a really good picture. The background, the editing too. You are happy to add this picture of Dino to your now growing collection of horse photos. 

 

----

“Next is Bmr Sin Eater- Aaaand he is wearing a little cowboy hat!” the loudspeakers boom, the gleeful note in the announcer's tone is clearly conveyed.

Into the ring canters Dino, the stallion you had met a few hours ago. This is a showjumping class, yet he is wearing the hat. It's likely due to the looser guidelines of this particular show and maybe why this pair is competing here instead of a larger stage. 

They certainly seem cut out for it. Dino had given glimpses of his beautiful set of moves in the pen, but now it's on full display. His coat shines and his muscles play freely beneath it. His motions are fluid yet powerful and you yet again realize that he is really tall. About 18 hands would be your best guess, taller than his rider even. You realize that you know only the name of the horse but not the man on his back.

The two compliment one another and work together like a well oiled machine. It is clear they've been riding together for a long time. More importantly, Dino seems truly glad to be doing this. His expression doesn't show a hint of stress or discomfort- he is focused rather, taking each jump with precision and skill. Their round is over before you know it and the rider happily pets his horse's neck.