These are our training sessions for now.
No rope gates
No side passing
Just THIS
Note the decent stop.
Trax does not have the boundless energy that he used to have. I wonder if it is because he is not getting as much alfalfa, or because he doesn't feel the need to runaway as much as he did.
Each time we start out I let him lope the entire arena as fast as he wants to go until I feel him drop down and relax. It is his runners high, he goes to a happy place and when he reaches that mental state, what I ask him to do doesn't seem like so much to him. I don't make him run, I let him run. There is a difference. It might not be what many people would recommend to do, but it works for us, so we will keep doing it.
I hope every has a safe and Happy New Year.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
A New Blog to Follow
I made a new friend this week.
We will call her A.
A is a herd animal. (although a human like us)
I mean that in the best way possible.
A lives in my neighborhood....and she blogs too!
(insert high five here)
Here is a link to her blog
Check it out when you get a chance.
I had the best time at her house yesterday.
We will call her A.
A is a herd animal. (although a human like us)
I mean that in the best way possible.
A lives in my neighborhood....and she blogs too!
(insert high five here)
Here is a link to her blog
Check it out when you get a chance.
I had the best time at her house yesterday.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The worlds most boring video
Clearly I have not been doing enough arena riding. I am sore all over after yesterday.
I spent 2 hours on the tractor working the arena. It is amazing! The only problem is that it is still open on one end which causes Trax to gravitate toward that wide openness in hopes of being done.
I am going to go try to throw up some temporary panels to close it off.
He actually did pretty well. Of course all we did was trot and lope in circles and work on some downward transitions. I am starting at the beginning and taking things slow. I let him lope his brain to a happy place and then we went to work. Our entire goal was "move off the leg, pick up the rein instead of pulling on it" When I thought we had a good handle on things I turned on the camera. I should have checked my disc space. It shut off after just a few minutes and the best stuff did not get recorded. Don't know if I will get out there again today or not.
What was hilarious was at the end of the ride we rode out the gate that is the only piece left of the west end of my arena. I thought it would be good to make him work the gate. He did ok with it but as I was trying to close it he got impatient and pushed it shut with his nose. He was clearly saying, "Get on with it lady, I want to go rest now." He's a funny boy.
Anyway, here is my video. Not exciting, but good for me to watch. I think we could use just a tad more contact to get him flexing a little better. He is getting pretty good a lowering his head at a canter though. Or maybe he is just pulling the reins away from me.
Oh, I almost forgot. At the end of the loping I asked for a stop and he gave me a perfect one. I was quite happy with that so we ended there. Good Boy Trax!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OHGb4N8y0A
I spent 2 hours on the tractor working the arena. It is amazing! The only problem is that it is still open on one end which causes Trax to gravitate toward that wide openness in hopes of being done.
I am going to go try to throw up some temporary panels to close it off.
He actually did pretty well. Of course all we did was trot and lope in circles and work on some downward transitions. I am starting at the beginning and taking things slow. I let him lope his brain to a happy place and then we went to work. Our entire goal was "move off the leg, pick up the rein instead of pulling on it" When I thought we had a good handle on things I turned on the camera. I should have checked my disc space. It shut off after just a few minutes and the best stuff did not get recorded. Don't know if I will get out there again today or not.
What was hilarious was at the end of the ride we rode out the gate that is the only piece left of the west end of my arena. I thought it would be good to make him work the gate. He did ok with it but as I was trying to close it he got impatient and pushed it shut with his nose. He was clearly saying, "Get on with it lady, I want to go rest now." He's a funny boy.
Anyway, here is my video. Not exciting, but good for me to watch. I think we could use just a tad more contact to get him flexing a little better. He is getting pretty good a lowering his head at a canter though. Or maybe he is just pulling the reins away from me.
Oh, I almost forgot. At the end of the loping I asked for a stop and he gave me a perfect one. I was quite happy with that so we ended there. Good Boy Trax!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OHGb4N8y0A
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Easy Boot Trails
So I am taking a break from my "not horse shopping" to get back to real life matters at hand.
I had mentioned the other day that I had tried out the boots on Trax, so I thought I'd do a post on that.
I measured Trax's feet right after his trim as per the instructions on their website. I know they are supposed to be very very snug so I went with the low end of the measurements. I purchased the 4's and one 5. He one front foot that is longer actually fell in the 5 size range.
So came the time to try them on, preferable with out ruining them in case I needed to return them. The left front went on perfectly. I had to hit it pretty hard with the palm of my hand to get it on, which I will not do again. Next time I will use the rubber mallet in TC's shop. I left a nice bruise on the palm of my hand.
On the RF I tried the 5 but it was actually too large. I could easily spin it on his hoof and when I walked him around a few steps I could see it slipping. So I went back to the 4 and it was clearly too small. So I busted out my handy rasp, previously un-used except to make hamburger out of my hands. I was careful this time to keep my hands off the rasp parts, and went to work on that hoof.
I admit to a certain amount of trepidation over this, having never actually done this before, but if you take into consideration that I had nothing to use as a stand and Trax was being less than cooperative (I suspect he was quite tired of having an amateur mess with his feet) I did manage to bring his toe back a little bit.
This is not the best picture at a perfect angle, but you can at least get an idea.
Once I did that I was able to get the 4 sized boot on without hassle. I took him in the round pen, moved him around both directions. The boots seem to be staying in place and he was able to get used to them quite quickly.
Here is his with both boots.
I opted to skip the rears for now, mostly because I would have needed two 4's to complete the back feet, and I only had one. As it turned out he really didn't need them anyway. I was able to move him aross the rock with out issue in just the fronts.
I saddled him up, and we rode in the arena for a bit, doing serpentine's and figure eights. We walked, trot, cantered, around and then I checked again, they seemed to be staying in place quite nicely.
So we headed down the road with Simon and Killian.
When we got the to location where we wanted to grab the firewood I got off and held the ponies whilst the boy did his best monkey boy impression. Actually come to think of it, when he was a youngster his nick name was Monkey Boy, because he was always climbing on stuff, over stuff, through stuff. It was impossible to keep him in a crib if he wanted out. Of course he was just as good at climbing back in if he wanted a nap.
Anyway, as we stood there I noticed that Trax was fidgity on his feet. So I took the boots off for a minute to see if that changed. It didn't. But I did notice that the bulbs of his heals were shiny where the boots were rubbing. I think that they are not quite fitting all the way in. They did twist just a tiny bit also, but not terribly so. I put them back on for a bit, and rode a little more, but after a while it seemed as though he was short stepping just a bit on that RF so I went ahead and pulled them off. Truthfully he did just fine with out them too. Yes there were rocky areas which had him walking a little gingerly, but the rest of the time he was fine.
So my final assessment is that I need to bring the size of his feet down just about 1/8 of an inch and I think that they will both fit better. I think that if I can do that his hooves will fit down inside perfectly. But he also showed me that his feet are getting stronger so I really don't need the boots unless I know I am going in seriously rocky terrain. Since I know that there are some places I want to go ride that are very rocky, I will keep the boots for those times and keep his feet at a size where he can wear them comfortable.
I think this whole endeavor is going to be a really good thing because it is forcing me to learn how to maintain these hooves on my own. This is something I have wanted to be able to do for a long time now, but my lack of confidence has held me back. TC is going to build me a hoof stand so my horses can feel more stable while I am working on them. (ok so that I don't have to try to hold up a 1000 lb animal)
Today is Saturday, I have the entire day to myself so I am going to do something things to get my head back to where it is supposed to be. I am referring to the horses I have in the yard and not the horse I wish I had in the yard.
I think part of my horse shopping is related to watching video's of friends of mine, who are able to ride these soft and easy horses and enjoy their competing. I know they have worked hard to get to where they are, and I have not put in the years that they have. But I find myself wishing I knew what it felt like to ride a horse like that.
It was so slow at work last night, so I took some time and watched some of my own video's of Trax and I. I went from the beginning and watched our progression, and I could see where progress was made. Actually all things considered, it was quite a bit of progress in a very short time. After all it isn't like I have any clue what I am doing. Of course I also know that since we moved here, all progress has been pretty much lost due to the lack of actual "work" we have done. Mostly we just fart around.
There are a lot of clinics and AZRVA events coming up in the next few months and I want to go to at least a couple of them so it is time to get "back in the game" as it were. I had been hoping to get some lessons in with Charlie before hand, but I don't think it is going to happen. Our schedules totally clash and he is also going to be having some medical procedures done soon. So that has me back to working on my own. I may start looking into some other trainers, so to see if there is anyone locally who can work with me.
For now I will just go back to working on the things that Mark taught me, and see if I can't find what I am looking for in Trax.
I had mentioned the other day that I had tried out the boots on Trax, so I thought I'd do a post on that.
I measured Trax's feet right after his trim as per the instructions on their website. I know they are supposed to be very very snug so I went with the low end of the measurements. I purchased the 4's and one 5. He one front foot that is longer actually fell in the 5 size range.
So came the time to try them on, preferable with out ruining them in case I needed to return them. The left front went on perfectly. I had to hit it pretty hard with the palm of my hand to get it on, which I will not do again. Next time I will use the rubber mallet in TC's shop. I left a nice bruise on the palm of my hand.
On the RF I tried the 5 but it was actually too large. I could easily spin it on his hoof and when I walked him around a few steps I could see it slipping. So I went back to the 4 and it was clearly too small. So I busted out my handy rasp, previously un-used except to make hamburger out of my hands. I was careful this time to keep my hands off the rasp parts, and went to work on that hoof.
I admit to a certain amount of trepidation over this, having never actually done this before, but if you take into consideration that I had nothing to use as a stand and Trax was being less than cooperative (I suspect he was quite tired of having an amateur mess with his feet) I did manage to bring his toe back a little bit.
This is not the best picture at a perfect angle, but you can at least get an idea.
Once I did that I was able to get the 4 sized boot on without hassle. I took him in the round pen, moved him around both directions. The boots seem to be staying in place and he was able to get used to them quite quickly.
Here is his with both boots.
I opted to skip the rears for now, mostly because I would have needed two 4's to complete the back feet, and I only had one. As it turned out he really didn't need them anyway. I was able to move him aross the rock with out issue in just the fronts.
I saddled him up, and we rode in the arena for a bit, doing serpentine's and figure eights. We walked, trot, cantered, around and then I checked again, they seemed to be staying in place quite nicely.
So we headed down the road with Simon and Killian.
When we got the to location where we wanted to grab the firewood I got off and held the ponies whilst the boy did his best monkey boy impression. Actually come to think of it, when he was a youngster his nick name was Monkey Boy, because he was always climbing on stuff, over stuff, through stuff. It was impossible to keep him in a crib if he wanted out. Of course he was just as good at climbing back in if he wanted a nap.
Anyway, as we stood there I noticed that Trax was fidgity on his feet. So I took the boots off for a minute to see if that changed. It didn't. But I did notice that the bulbs of his heals were shiny where the boots were rubbing. I think that they are not quite fitting all the way in. They did twist just a tiny bit also, but not terribly so. I put them back on for a bit, and rode a little more, but after a while it seemed as though he was short stepping just a bit on that RF so I went ahead and pulled them off. Truthfully he did just fine with out them too. Yes there were rocky areas which had him walking a little gingerly, but the rest of the time he was fine.
So my final assessment is that I need to bring the size of his feet down just about 1/8 of an inch and I think that they will both fit better. I think that if I can do that his hooves will fit down inside perfectly. But he also showed me that his feet are getting stronger so I really don't need the boots unless I know I am going in seriously rocky terrain. Since I know that there are some places I want to go ride that are very rocky, I will keep the boots for those times and keep his feet at a size where he can wear them comfortable.
I think this whole endeavor is going to be a really good thing because it is forcing me to learn how to maintain these hooves on my own. This is something I have wanted to be able to do for a long time now, but my lack of confidence has held me back. TC is going to build me a hoof stand so my horses can feel more stable while I am working on them. (ok so that I don't have to try to hold up a 1000 lb animal)
Today is Saturday, I have the entire day to myself so I am going to do something things to get my head back to where it is supposed to be. I am referring to the horses I have in the yard and not the horse I wish I had in the yard.
I think part of my horse shopping is related to watching video's of friends of mine, who are able to ride these soft and easy horses and enjoy their competing. I know they have worked hard to get to where they are, and I have not put in the years that they have. But I find myself wishing I knew what it felt like to ride a horse like that.
It was so slow at work last night, so I took some time and watched some of my own video's of Trax and I. I went from the beginning and watched our progression, and I could see where progress was made. Actually all things considered, it was quite a bit of progress in a very short time. After all it isn't like I have any clue what I am doing. Of course I also know that since we moved here, all progress has been pretty much lost due to the lack of actual "work" we have done. Mostly we just fart around.
There are a lot of clinics and AZRVA events coming up in the next few months and I want to go to at least a couple of them so it is time to get "back in the game" as it were. I had been hoping to get some lessons in with Charlie before hand, but I don't think it is going to happen. Our schedules totally clash and he is also going to be having some medical procedures done soon. So that has me back to working on my own. I may start looking into some other trainers, so to see if there is anyone locally who can work with me.
For now I will just go back to working on the things that Mark taught me, and see if I can't find what I am looking for in Trax.
Friday, December 27, 2013
More on NOT Horse Shopping
So lets just say that I should not be left alone for long periods of time. And I am right now...alone.
Since I had searched all the big websites, I decided to just go ahead and cruise through craigslist. It saddens me to see how many ads there are for "I have two horses that need to go....just come get them please".
Then I was also saddened for how many really horrible ads there are. Bad pictures, poorly written ads, ads that are clearly out right lies. You know the routine.
Every once in a while though there was a decent one. Most are also listed on horseclicks or equine now. I don't know if this one was or not. But I kind of like this one too. No video this time, but some decent photos I think.
Again, seems awfully cheap, for a well trained horse, but then perhaps there are people out there who believe in fair prices.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Step Away From the Computer Missy!!!!
I should not be doing this, but I have been.....horse shopping.
Ugh! I know I know!
I'm only 1/4 serious about it, but all I do is make myself crazy wanting ponies I can not have.
But I'd like to share with you all an add I found. I like this horse...I think. I mean he is pretty in the picture, and obviously very well trained (judging from the video) but then there is something about that way he moves that seems odd to me. Now it might be that he is pretty...er...em..rotund, or it could be that he is worn out from his life as a competition horse. The price seems really low for a horse of his training.
$4500 for a horse that I could use in ranch versatility OR ride on the trails???? Must be too good to be true.
Here is the link
http://www.equinenow.com/horse-ad-821460
When I watch the video I see a horse that is soft and easy, responsive and clearly well cared for. I watch his front feet and they have nice heel first landings, which (thanks to Sassy) I am learning is pretty darn important. He actually looks to be quite smooth to ride. But it is his hind end that worries me. Does anyone else see anything odd or am I just seeing a very wide horse with short legs compensate for how he is built?
I saw a couple of others too, but they were either way out of my price range or just not what I am looking for this time around. Or rather what I shouldn't be looking for but am...but wait, no, I'm not looking.
Honest!
I wonder if anyone can guess what Iam would be looking for most in a horse. (I mean besides the obvious health, conformation, good feet and safe to ride)
Ugh! I know I know!
I'm only 1/4 serious about it, but all I do is make myself crazy wanting ponies I can not have.
But I'd like to share with you all an add I found. I like this horse...I think. I mean he is pretty in the picture, and obviously very well trained (judging from the video) but then there is something about that way he moves that seems odd to me. Now it might be that he is pretty...er...em..rotund, or it could be that he is worn out from his life as a competition horse. The price seems really low for a horse of his training.
$4500 for a horse that I could use in ranch versatility OR ride on the trails???? Must be too good to be true.
Here is the link
http://www.equinenow.com/horse-ad-821460
When I watch the video I see a horse that is soft and easy, responsive and clearly well cared for. I watch his front feet and they have nice heel first landings, which (thanks to Sassy) I am learning is pretty darn important. He actually looks to be quite smooth to ride. But it is his hind end that worries me. Does anyone else see anything odd or am I just seeing a very wide horse with short legs compensate for how he is built?
I saw a couple of others too, but they were either way out of my price range or just not what I am looking for this time around. Or rather what I shouldn't be looking for but am...but wait, no, I'm not looking.
Honest!
I wonder if anyone can guess what I
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas to all my dear blogging friends!
It is Christmas morning, I got the turkey on the smoker about 2 hours later than I should have, and the cat keeps trying to tear down my tree. No matter though, it is a beautiful day in the desert. The ponies are in the pasture each with a pile of hay since the grass is pretty much gone right now. They are quite happy.
The dogs all got a little extra in their bowls this morning. We have opened presents already. Didn't take long, as this year was small and private. I got TC a neat little book called The Secret Lives of Dogs, which he seems to be very excited about. Simon got what he has always wanted. A little motorcycle. A "Vintage" 1986 Honda CT110. They are unloading it from the back of the pick up as I type this.
But presents isn't really what Christmas is about. It is about family and friends and they shall all be descending upon us a little later today.
We took a nice ride yesterday which was my Christmas present to myself. The weather was unbelievably nice. I was able to ride in short sleeves.
 |
| Simon is trying not to break his neck while breaking off some dead limbs for his fire pit. |
For now, it is time to get my butt in to cook mode!
Mostly though I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas, and hope you are spending time with loved ones.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Random 5 Friday
I haven't done this in a while, so since Nancy is back with hers, I think I will jump back in as well.
1. I love having a Christmas tree, but don't really enjoy the part of setting it up and trying to decorate it. I also am not good at picking out a tree. Mine are usually dead before I get them home.
2. Sometimes I entertain the idea of looking for another horse, now that Danny is gone. But what would I do with one? I can barely afford the ones I have. Then I think, "well I could get one that isn't a problem horse and maybe have a horse I could compete on. Then Trax could be a trail horse which is what he enjoys." But that is the crazy in me talking. No new horses....for now.
3. I do not miss the snow and the cold of WY. But I do miss sitting next to our pellet stove with a good book when it is cold and snowy outside.
4. When I moved to WY my ex husband taught me how to ski. I'm not big on winter sports but I can stay upright and survive a green diamond (medium) run. Yet once we split up I never went skiing again and did not miss it. Now we live 6 hours from the nearest ski resort, and I suddenly find myself wishing I could go ski. Clearly there is something wrong with me.
5. If I could have any material item I wanted for Christmas it would be this, I think. It is an original pastel by Tillman Goodan done in the 40's.
1. I love having a Christmas tree, but don't really enjoy the part of setting it up and trying to decorate it. I also am not good at picking out a tree. Mine are usually dead before I get them home.
2. Sometimes I entertain the idea of looking for another horse, now that Danny is gone. But what would I do with one? I can barely afford the ones I have. Then I think, "well I could get one that isn't a problem horse and maybe have a horse I could compete on. Then Trax could be a trail horse which is what he enjoys." But that is the crazy in me talking. No new horses....for now.
3. I do not miss the snow and the cold of WY. But I do miss sitting next to our pellet stove with a good book when it is cold and snowy outside.
4. When I moved to WY my ex husband taught me how to ski. I'm not big on winter sports but I can stay upright and survive a green diamond (medium) run. Yet once we split up I never went skiing again and did not miss it. Now we live 6 hours from the nearest ski resort, and I suddenly find myself wishing I could go ski. Clearly there is something wrong with me.
5. If I could have any material item I wanted for Christmas it would be this, I think. It is an original pastel by Tillman Goodan done in the 40's.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
The Trim
Here are pictures of his hooves after the trim.
Well not "Right" after, he had to do a few things first.
Things like....
Escape from the round pen where I put him to chill out while the other horses were being taken care of.
Then he found a nice spot of long grass to graze in.
Then he saw me coming and we played, "Catch me if you can" in the arena, which happens to be missing once side of fence due to some construction we are doing.
Then he extended the game to the driveway. As he headed out towards the road I thought "I'm gonna shoot this horse if he makes an escape through the neighborhood today" But something in Sassy's pen caught his eye, and he went in there first.
Then he had to whinny and cry for his herd because once he realized he couldn't get back to them, then he was lonely.
Silly old paint horse!
 |
| Right Front from the side This is the one that always grows a little more upright |
 |
| Left front from the side I'm kind of not digging the toe on this one. |
 |
| Right Front |
 |
| Left Front |
 |
| Right Rear |
 |
| Left Rear |
Charlie didn't take too much off of him I don't think. I noticed that when walking him across the gravel drive, he didn't seem too tender which was a nice surprise. One thing I notice from the pictures is that it sort of looks like his left front is "toeing in".
Doing the measurements was interesting to say the least, but I got them done. His fronts are a little harder because that long toe throws him off on the size charts. But I decided that I do have a rasp and I think I can make some adjustments so that the boots will fit. When I say it throws him off I mean that width wise that foot is a 4, but length wise it is a 5 but it is only 1/16 of an inch from being a 4 so like I said, I think I can fix that. I'm gonna try anyway.
DD mentioned getting a rubber mallet. I'm pretty sure there is one in TC;s shop. I hope.
One thing I wanted to ask in my last post but forgot, for those of you who use or have used the boots in the past. Do you use them on all four or just the fronts?
We talked about options with Sassy, and one thing that has me a bit discouraged is that while he was working on her it REALLY bothered her to have to stand on her left front. I mean really really. He asked me if she had been injected, which she hasn't, and we discussed that. Not that he was saying I should. He was just curious. He isn't a huge fan of injecting, but says that sometimes it is the right thing to do. I did bring up the subject of heel first landings, and the possibility that by getting her to land heel first we could stop the progression. He is in the "Toe first is the symptom, not the cause" camp. So I didn't even bother asking if he would be willing to help me try a different approach. I have been doing some research looking for farriers around here who are in the other camp, and may be making some calls soon to seek out something different. I had 2 different vets tell me that I needed to try what we did this time, and clearly it isn't working. I mean if I keep her buted she has some relief, and in fact if I move her in a straight line she doesn't limp hardly at all, but the minute you turn her or put her in a round pen she is pretty darn lame.
I did some reading on the Nervectomy that I was told we could try. I won't be doing that. One thing I thought of the other day is that both vets diagnosed her with navicular but both said it was mild. There are horses who are much worse than her who do fine with what has been done to her. So why isn't it working? What else is going on here? So many unanswered questions with this horse. I wonder if I ever will find the answers. I keep saying, I'm going to give up, but something inside me says to just keep trying a little longer. So I do. I understand that I am the steward of my horses and it is up to me to recognize when it is more humane to let them go than to keep pushing on. Perhaps if I didn't keep reading all these stories of navicular horses who are healed, I'd have given up. Maybe I still will give up. I'll bet anyone who has been following this blog is sick and tired of my constant "I just know this time it will work" posts. LOL
I was not going to have Killian done but decided at the last minute to go ahead and get it done while Charlie was there. Killian's feet actually are looking pretty good I think. He is a horse who does great in a shoe so new shoes he got.
Tomorrow I'll go get my boots and hopefully have time to get them on, try them out a little and take some pictures. If not, it will be this weekend for sure.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Jumping In With Both (or would that be all 4) Feet
I have the farrier coming out this week, to do a recheck on Sassy, and to take care of Trax as well. Killian's hooves grow so slowly he is not ready yet. You may recall that I went ahead and put shoes on both the boys, and Sassy has her special shoes as well.
I've decided I don't like it.
Well maybe I should rephrase that.
I have always wanted to go with boots for the boys rather than shoes but needed to get something on their feet and thought, "Well shoes can't hurt them too much right?"
I'm thinking I may have been wrong in that statement. Or atleast wrong when it comes to Trax. Killian actually seems to do really well in shoes. But again, his feet don't grow so who can tell for sure.
Trax on the other hand has hooves that grow like weeds. We put shoes on him, so now there is no natural wear down at all. His feet are looooooong!
Here they are 8 days ago when we went riding.
To me it looks like there is a huge difference.
The other thing that concerns me is that he has 2 different front feet. One grows rounder and the other grows taller. Well they did. They don't now. So I can't help but wonder if having the shoe on that one foot, which is forcing it to grow more up right like the other, is putting pressure on the internal workings of his hoof. I mean his feet grow the way they do for a reason, and he is sound with those mismatched feet. Am I running the risk of ruining that by forcing them to be symmetrical? It wasn't my intention with the shoes, but it is the end result.
The other thing I noticed is that his sole, which was always nice and hard before, is getting soft and chalky. I don't think that is a good thing. In fact I'm positive that it isn't.
I should probably mention that he is not lame in the metal shoes, so that is a good thing, but I am trying to look at the bigger picture here. Trax's feet, even being odd, were always pretty healthy, perhaps a bit dry at times, but over all not in bad shape. He was ouchie on the rocks of the desert which is what prompted the shoes in the first place.
So here is the thing. I've wanted to go to boots for him all along. But I was unsure of what I was doing, which ones to get, blah blah blah. So I wussed out and just threw some shoes on him.
So the farrier is coming out this week. I have made a decision. No more shoes for Trax. I will have him trimmed, measure him that day, and the next day when I get paid, go buy him boots. Luckily the closest boot store is 1/2 a mile away, that way if I get the wrong size...no biggie.
I admit I have no idea what I am doing with these boots, but I won't learn unless I start "getting my hands dirty" so to speak. Once I get things figured out on him, I will move on to the next horse.
So that's it. Jumping in, not necessarily with both eyes closed, because I am trying to be aware of all kinds of things, like if they rub on his legs, or if he can move easily in them, etc. But I do feel like I am taking a giant leap into unknown territory.
Not sure which boots I will go with yet, except that they will be Easy Boots. If anyone has any advice on the different models of Easy Boots, I'd love to hear it.
I've decided I don't like it.
Well maybe I should rephrase that.
I have always wanted to go with boots for the boys rather than shoes but needed to get something on their feet and thought, "Well shoes can't hurt them too much right?"
I'm thinking I may have been wrong in that statement. Or atleast wrong when it comes to Trax. Killian actually seems to do really well in shoes. But again, his feet don't grow so who can tell for sure.
Trax on the other hand has hooves that grow like weeds. We put shoes on him, so now there is no natural wear down at all. His feet are looooooong!
Here they are 8 days ago when we went riding.
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| biggify to see better |
Not the best pictures I know, and I wanted to zoom in on them but for some reason this computer I am doesn't have that option. Damn work computers!
Here is a picture from one of his last trims in WY
To me it looks like there is a huge difference.
The other thing that concerns me is that he has 2 different front feet. One grows rounder and the other grows taller. Well they did. They don't now. So I can't help but wonder if having the shoe on that one foot, which is forcing it to grow more up right like the other, is putting pressure on the internal workings of his hoof. I mean his feet grow the way they do for a reason, and he is sound with those mismatched feet. Am I running the risk of ruining that by forcing them to be symmetrical? It wasn't my intention with the shoes, but it is the end result.
The other thing I noticed is that his sole, which was always nice and hard before, is getting soft and chalky. I don't think that is a good thing. In fact I'm positive that it isn't.
I should probably mention that he is not lame in the metal shoes, so that is a good thing, but I am trying to look at the bigger picture here. Trax's feet, even being odd, were always pretty healthy, perhaps a bit dry at times, but over all not in bad shape. He was ouchie on the rocks of the desert which is what prompted the shoes in the first place.
So here is the thing. I've wanted to go to boots for him all along. But I was unsure of what I was doing, which ones to get, blah blah blah. So I wussed out and just threw some shoes on him.
So the farrier is coming out this week. I have made a decision. No more shoes for Trax. I will have him trimmed, measure him that day, and the next day when I get paid, go buy him boots. Luckily the closest boot store is 1/2 a mile away, that way if I get the wrong size...no biggie.
I admit I have no idea what I am doing with these boots, but I won't learn unless I start "getting my hands dirty" so to speak. Once I get things figured out on him, I will move on to the next horse.
So that's it. Jumping in, not necessarily with both eyes closed, because I am trying to be aware of all kinds of things, like if they rub on his legs, or if he can move easily in them, etc. But I do feel like I am taking a giant leap into unknown territory.
Not sure which boots I will go with yet, except that they will be Easy Boots. If anyone has any advice on the different models of Easy Boots, I'd love to hear it.
Monday, December 16, 2013
I am Pilgrim
I wasn't always, "just a horse", there was a time when I was destined to be a great race horse. Or at least I thought I was. My name on the track was "Deli Chef". I loved racing and put my heart and soul into running as fast as I could. I loved flying like the wind and loved the competition between me and the other horses. I won a few times, placed even more, but sadly, not enough to please my owners and eventually I was retired.
I was sent to auction and purchased by a woman who used me for pleasure riding. It was not a bad life, in fact it was a good life. She loved me and kept me healthy, and in return I did my very best for her. She taught me many new things and I loved perfecting each new trick and move that she taught me.
I would have been happy to stay there for the rest of my life, but I have learned that life is not always kind, and one day, for reasons which I still do not understand, I was sold again.
This owner was also nice, but did not ride me as much. She changed my name to "Under". We still rode sometimes though and I was happy to still have a job. While at this new home I had an unfortunate accident. I cut my foot on some wire. It was a very bad cut which made me limp. I had to go to the vet many times and eventually healed, but now my front hoof grows funny and I have a little limp. It doesn't hurt so badly now, I don't mind putting weight on it, but I will never be able to have a real job again.
This owner kept me for a long time, even with my bad hoof, and did her best by me for as long as she could. But then something happened. She quit coming around so much, and I didn't get very much food. I was hungry all the time and I started to get weak and skinny. I didn't understand why she didn't love me anymore. Then some people came and took me away. They said I was going to the auction again.
I did not like the auction, it was loud and smelly and there were lots of other horses there, and we were all afraid. None of us understood exactly what was happening, only that our owners were done with us, and this was where we had ended up. There was a man there, he bought a lot of horses, and he bought me. I thought that maybe I was going to another home but I was wrong. I was loaded on to a big truck with all the other horses he had bought.
There wasn't really enough room for us all. We kept stepping on each other and bumping in to each other. I heard the other horses whispering about us being on a kill truck. But I didn't really understand what that meant. We did not get any food or water, and we were all very hungry. We were in the truck for a very long time with out a rest. My legs were very tired after a while.
Finally we got to where we were going and I was so happy to get off that truck. We went into a big pen where another man sorted through us. Most of the horses were loaded on to another truck but a few of us did not. I heard the man say that I could not go on because of my color. Something about my color makes me a risk for "mal-i-no-ma", but I do not know what that is. One of the horses that was going on said that I was one of the lucky ones, but I did not feel lucky. All I felt was sad...and hungry.
I was put back on the truck I came on and taken to a place. I didn't really care any more where I went. I did get food at this place, and the people were nice to me there, they took my picture and put it on the in-ter-net. They said they were trying to find me a home. But I didn't care anymore. I had given up. I spent most of my time just standing in the corner alone.
Here is one of the pictures they took of me.
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| source |
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| This is me in the trailer, ready to make my long trip to my forever home. |
I rode in the trailer for a very long time, but I had yummy hay to munch on and they stopped to give me water. Finally we stopped and I was able to get off the trailer. It was a nice place with green grasses to eat. I thought that this was my home, but it was just where I was resting for a bit. It was a "layover" but everyone there made a big fuss over me and I felt like a king!
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| Can you see that I was once a great race horse? |
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| This is me at my layover where everyone was so nice to me. |
My new owner put a warm blanket on me and gave me some hay (it is not my favorite kind of hay, but I am happy to have food so I won't complain) She offered me some odd smelling things to eat. I have never had those before and I would not eat them. Since then I have learned that they are called "carrots" and they are quite delicious!
The next day lots of new people came to see me and it was through all these visits that I learned the story of how I was rescued.
One of my new owners saw my picture on line and posted to a place called "Facebook" on her daughters page. My new owners have lots of friends at this facebook place and pretty soon they were all talking about ME! One of the friends said, "We have to save him!" and so they all got together and made a plan. My new owners are MJ and Jen. But all their friends who helped get me to my new forever home are part of my new family. They have sent me things from all over the country, blankets, and treats, and I even have a pretty new bright green halter! There were a bunch of them, some of them I have not even met yet, but Jen says that I will get to meet them all eventually and say thank you to each and every one of them.
As my new family all stood around me giving me "carrots", they brushed the mud off of me, and made me feel so special. I heard them saying that I was a "Thanksgiving Miracle". I did not know this at the time, but the day they came too get me was a day that humans call "Black Friday" where most people go to places called "stores" and fight with each other to buy things that they don't really need. But my new family made a long drive to rescue me instead.
They said that Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you have in life, and I am very thankful for my new family. They also said that Thanksgiving was started by some people called "Pilgrims" and that a Pilgrim is another word for "One that travels to a holy place" and so from now on they will call me Pilgrim.
Pilgrim!
My name is Pilgrim
(click on link for video)
I have found my heaven on earth.
(authors note: Much of the story of "Under's" life is speculation and imagination, but everything after the kill truck is based on what I know to be true, told to me by Pilgrim's new family, and from what I read on the rescue website where he was listed. His new family has given me creative license to tell his story here and to share with you the story of their Thanksgiving Miracle.)
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| This is me in my new halter and blanket. That is one of my family members Linda. She and her daughter Olivia were my first visitors. |
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| This is me and MJ. She knows all the best places to scratch! |
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| I am very fast! |
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| Did you see how fast I was? |
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| Hello Whisper! |
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| Looking very handsome if I do say so myself. |
They said that Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you have in life, and I am very thankful for my new family. They also said that Thanksgiving was started by some people called "Pilgrims" and that a Pilgrim is another word for "One that travels to a holy place" and so from now on they will call me Pilgrim.
Pilgrim!
My name is Pilgrim
(click on link for video)
I have found my heaven on earth.
(authors note: Much of the story of "Under's" life is speculation and imagination, but everything after the kill truck is based on what I know to be true, told to me by Pilgrim's new family, and from what I read on the rescue website where he was listed. His new family has given me creative license to tell his story here and to share with you the story of their Thanksgiving Miracle.)
Friday, December 13, 2013
National Day of the Horse
In my world, pretty much everyday is "the day of the horse" Even if I don't ride or spend much time with them that day, they consume my thoughts always. I know it is pretty much the same for all horse people.
I always feel sorry for people I meet for the first time. It usually goes like this.
"Hi nice to meet you, my name is Cindy, can I show you pictures of my horse? Wanna know what he did today? Hey wait, where are you going? Come back! But you didn't hear the story yet....!"
But today is National Day of the Horse and there is a Facebook Page dedicated to it.
Here is the link if you have not seen it yet.
Lots of neat stories on there today.
I always feel sorry for people I meet for the first time. It usually goes like this.
"Hi nice to meet you, my name is Cindy, can I show you pictures of my horse? Wanna know what he did today? Hey wait, where are you going? Come back! But you didn't hear the story yet....!"
But today is National Day of the Horse and there is a Facebook Page dedicated to it.
Here is the link if you have not seen it yet.
Lots of neat stories on there today.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Polar Opposites
I have pictures of my two youngest boys that go across my computer screen here at work.
They are like night and day.
You have all seen Simon
Mr. Too Cool For School.
But this is another son- Colton
The Rock Star.
Like I said
Night and Day
Monday, December 9, 2013
Sunday Sillies
"Hey Mom, lets go for a ride."
"Okay lets go"
We saddled the horses, warmed them up....okay well I warmed up Trax while Simon finished tacking up his horse. Trax was feisty but not unruly. Killian was... Killian.
We headed out and down the road at a slow trot. We went through the neighborhood but took a slightly different route than before which actually turned out to be a little quieter than my original route.
Just after we hit the desert I remembered that I had installed a "track my workout" app on my phone so I turned it on and stuck it in my pocket. Besides the goal of getting my horses to "act like broke horses" my main goal is to build up stamina and burn some fat on them. With that in mind, the minute we are on the sand, we kick up to a faster trot and ask them to stay there the whole way out.
We headed out to my favorite water hole (water hole # 2 as it is now called) and goofed around. We went up and down the hill by the water hole, up and down through steep banks of the washes and in and out of trees where we had to lay low on our ponies necks to keep from getting knocked off. We road into the shallow end of the water hole and let our tired mounts have a drink. They splashed around a little but neither one ever drank any.
Then we dismounted and took a break.
After that we headed off again, and made our way back to water hole # 1. Simon named different parts of the desert. "The bone yard" "Sunset Pond" "Stick City"
Then it happened. I saw a tree and I turned around and went back. I never pass up the chance to try a new photo op, and this day was no different. At first Simon's attitude was, "Come one, lets keep riding" But pretty soon he was joining in and we had a blast. Here are a few (okay more than a few) of the pictures we took.
There were so many more, and this doesn't even include the ones on Simon's phone plus the video's
In the end we ended up riding 6.89 miles, which isn't totally accurate, but close enough.
But most of all we just had so much fun!.
On the way back through the neighborhood, we passed to gals on two horses ponying another. One gal's horse started rearing up and acting a fool when he saw us. Mean while, our horses didn't do anything more than prick their ears up. Good ponies. I have to say, for all the little idiosyncrasies my horses have, all in all they are pretty good horses.
"Okay lets go"
We saddled the horses, warmed them up....okay well I warmed up Trax while Simon finished tacking up his horse. Trax was feisty but not unruly. Killian was... Killian.
We headed out and down the road at a slow trot. We went through the neighborhood but took a slightly different route than before which actually turned out to be a little quieter than my original route.
Just after we hit the desert I remembered that I had installed a "track my workout" app on my phone so I turned it on and stuck it in my pocket. Besides the goal of getting my horses to "act like broke horses" my main goal is to build up stamina and burn some fat on them. With that in mind, the minute we are on the sand, we kick up to a faster trot and ask them to stay there the whole way out.
We headed out to my favorite water hole (water hole # 2 as it is now called) and goofed around. We went up and down the hill by the water hole, up and down through steep banks of the washes and in and out of trees where we had to lay low on our ponies necks to keep from getting knocked off. We road into the shallow end of the water hole and let our tired mounts have a drink. They splashed around a little but neither one ever drank any.
Then we dismounted and took a break.
After that we headed off again, and made our way back to water hole # 1. Simon named different parts of the desert. "The bone yard" "Sunset Pond" "Stick City"
Then it happened. I saw a tree and I turned around and went back. I never pass up the chance to try a new photo op, and this day was no different. At first Simon's attitude was, "Come one, lets keep riding" But pretty soon he was joining in and we had a blast. Here are a few (okay more than a few) of the pictures we took.
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| Trax thinks that photo ops are for scratching |
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| "Lady, what are you doing down there?" |
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| This is one of my favorites |
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| I am obsessed with these dead trees |
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| Patient pony |
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| The other patient pony |
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| Now is when the fun starts, Simon is such a ham and I love this set of pics. |
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| Boys always gotta make it about the family jewels. |
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| This one cracks me up. Simon wasn't even posing I took the picture too soon, but look at Killian's expression. Priceless! |
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| This one is good. |
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| This was an accidental shot but I love the clouds |
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| I was so busy taking pics that I forgot about my horse. I finally turned around to check on him. Such a good boy. |
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| Here he is dragging a log. If you biggify you can see the rope. Killian did a great job with this. We followed behind and then along side so Trax could get used to the sound of the log crashing into bushes. |
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| I like this one too. |
In the end we ended up riding 6.89 miles, which isn't totally accurate, but close enough.
But most of all we just had so much fun!.
On the way back through the neighborhood, we passed to gals on two horses ponying another. One gal's horse started rearing up and acting a fool when he saw us. Mean while, our horses didn't do anything more than prick their ears up. Good ponies. I have to say, for all the little idiosyncrasies my horses have, all in all they are pretty good horses.
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