EU: Help, the horse looks like it came out of the dryer

The author contemplates the innate human drive to undertake tasks without consulting instructions, a phenomenon they liken to their own haphazard approach to gardening.

Recounting a past experience from the late 20th century, the author describes the impulse to "fix" their first pony's appearance. Armed with kitchen scissors, they attempted to trim the horse's mane, a task they initially felt adept at, perhaps due to childhood lessons from a hairdresser mother. The result, however, was far from satisfactory.

The horse was left with a ragged mane, humorously described as looking "out of the dryer" or as if it had "just gotten out of rehab." This mortifying experience, particularly for an 11-year-old, instilled a deep sense of shame and a realization that horse grooming is a meticulous craft requiring patience and specialized tools, not a quick trim with household scissors.

Now, observing their own trimmed bushes, the author sees a similar need for improvement, suggesting a period of "growth" and dedicated study lies ahead, mirroring the lessons learned from the equine grooming mishap.