Greetings, my friends. Welcome to another installment of life at Mercy Spring Ranch, as seen through the eyes of yours truly, Gimli Black.
I begin this week’s installment with a question from a faithful reader of this blog. They write, “What do you do with such a big tongue in your mouth? Doesn’t it get in your way? Are you playing with your tongue? Is that why you are always smacking your lips?”
Well, aren’t we getting personal with our inquiries! I guess it comes from being a celebrity horse, so I should expect that my fans will want to know every intimate detail of my life. Certainly I’ve had to run the paparazzi off the ranch numerous times, as they are hoping to get the perfect photo of me to sell to the tabloids. Alas, the price of fame is a cost that I must endure.
Since my life is an open paddock, I’ll answer your last question first. What you call “smacking your lips” is my way of talking with the public. You can listen to an audio of it on my Gimli News Flash, Number Three. I received an Oscar for my performance.
Using human speech patterns is beneath a horse of my stature, since the language of a horse is much more eloquent and nuanced. What you describe as “smacks” is music to the ears of the equine community. Since I have learned your language (you’re reading it now!), I hope you will return the courtesy by learning mine.
As for the physical tongue of a horse, it needs to be big enough to cover a large mouth area. It helps to push food all the way to the back of my mouth for swallowing. My tongue also helps to keep my teeth clean. I am not playing with my tongue — I am dislodging bits of food from between my teeth (nature’s toothbrush!). There are more than a dozen different muscles in my tongue to accomplish this task (sadly, humans are limited to only eight).
On a happier note, my musical career got a big boost, thanks to Mo and John. They just purchased me a new Feeder. If you recall from last week’s Gimli Gazette, Number Eleven, I play a mean Feeder as my main percussion instrument. They obviously have been enjoying my music so much at 3am, that they ran out and bought me another one! This new Feeder works even better than the first one. I may not sleep tonight (nor will they!) as the ranch comes alive with the sounds of Gimli! Royalties from the sales of my CDs should start pouring into the ranch soon.
Well, that’s all for this week. The weather is getting warmer, and the smiles on the faces of the children at sessions are getting brighter. I hope to see all of you soon.
Happy Trails,
Gimli May 9, 2022