Rain, rain and more rain has been the agenda of the week. We rode on Monday after work in the dark and it was nice to be back on my horse agin after the finger injury. Allie has been very fussy in the mouth, so I think a dentist visit is due.
This Friday I am taking both girls to another hoof clinic. I'm trimming Gracie there but I want her to just behave so I am bringing Allie along to keep her sane. I know, that's cheating, but the whole point of the day is for me to trim, and to be safe doing so. So ner.
In all this rain we have been stabling them at night if it storms and my horse will just NOT eat her dinner. She eats all her hay, and now that their feed buckets are wall mounted she doesn't poo in it anymore but she just doesn't eat it. She is too busy hanging her head over the stable door looking into the black nothingness that is my backyard. She will eat it in the morning once she is turned out no problems. :<
Chakra is good. We told the vet that we won't be treating the cancer and just keeping a close eye on her. Right now, she is healthy and happy. I'm ok too. I feel at peace with my decision and I know that it is the right one for us. Keep sending happy puppy thoughts our way though please!
Like I said, not much to report.
Showing posts with label Hooves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hooves. Show all posts
Monday, 22 August 2011
Friday, 11 February 2011
Feet!
I'm a bit disappointed. I am attending a hoof trimming workshop in March, and I was so exited about taking Allie with me... then when I finally got around to paying, there were no spots left for 'full participants' - people who can bring their horses. I can still attend, just as an 'auditor' only. Boo. It is a basic level course, but I need to attend to be able to go to one of their advanced workshops. There are ones in Canberra and Cowra in April (around my birthday) that I would love to take Allie to, but it's a bit of a hike for one day only! Maybe if I can stay overnight with her at the host's property. Might work out. They almost NEVER run courses in Sydney!
I realised yesterday that I have been trimming horses since I was 12 years old. That is coming up to 15 years this year. Wow.
I was 12 when I had just gotten Pom. We had the farrier out a few times to have his feet trimmed and Pom hated him. He didn't like most men, except for my dad actually. He was mucking up, popping in little rears and trying to get away from the farrier, as he was rough and mean and not polite at all. Then, when Pom pulled his hoof out of the farrier's hand, the farrier lost it and started to beat him with the rasp. I was mortified, and my mother never ever had a farrier out to see Pom again. Instead, she bought me my first rasp, and without any form of knowledge or training, I had at my poor pony's feet. I asked Mum and her friend that owned the other horse in the paddock what to do, and I remember Karen saying "just file them like you would your own nails". So I did. I didn't know what I was doing back then, but I realise now that it was a basic mustang roll. I never touched the bottom of his feet, and I don't even think I set his heels or anything. I did A LOT of road riding back then, and luckily he had amazing feet anyway, so I doubt I did any major damage. He never went lame anyway, and he was as fit as an endurance arab, riding 6+ hours a day during the school holidays. I wish I had taken solar shots of his feet. I have some pics of his feet from the side, but I will need to find and scan them. He had four white feet. Never had a problem with them. :)
I'm starting to realise (it's been a slow process, I know) that I want to do this seriously. I've been thinking of doing a Diploma of Equine Podiotherapy for a couple of years now. I might try to have a crack at it next year maybe? It's almost $5000, 12 months distance study with a bunch of 5-6 day long blocks of visiting the centre in Victoria for practical exams and the such. I would LOVE to do that.
I do worry about the dissections and cadaver trims though. I am going to do a cadaver trim at my course in March and I do hope I can look past the 'this used to be a living breathing horse' to see the amazing way the hoof works. I have been present at dissections of horses before (with my 2 year Diploma of Horse Industry Management course which I was 6 months off finishing when I gave up. Oops..) and I struggled with it. Especially the horse head class. I was near hyperventilating in the next room and it took almost a whole hour for one of my classmates to coax me into the room to at least have a look. Which I did, then I ran away again. I WAS only 18-19 at the time though. Maybe I've matured. I sure hope so!
In other news, Allie and Gracie are slowly coming back in to work. Still no word from the saddler - I would like to hop on next week, and it looks like it may have to be bareback! Wish me luck!
I realised yesterday that I have been trimming horses since I was 12 years old. That is coming up to 15 years this year. Wow.
I was 12 when I had just gotten Pom. We had the farrier out a few times to have his feet trimmed and Pom hated him. He didn't like most men, except for my dad actually. He was mucking up, popping in little rears and trying to get away from the farrier, as he was rough and mean and not polite at all. Then, when Pom pulled his hoof out of the farrier's hand, the farrier lost it and started to beat him with the rasp. I was mortified, and my mother never ever had a farrier out to see Pom again. Instead, she bought me my first rasp, and without any form of knowledge or training, I had at my poor pony's feet. I asked Mum and her friend that owned the other horse in the paddock what to do, and I remember Karen saying "just file them like you would your own nails". So I did. I didn't know what I was doing back then, but I realise now that it was a basic mustang roll. I never touched the bottom of his feet, and I don't even think I set his heels or anything. I did A LOT of road riding back then, and luckily he had amazing feet anyway, so I doubt I did any major damage. He never went lame anyway, and he was as fit as an endurance arab, riding 6+ hours a day during the school holidays. I wish I had taken solar shots of his feet. I have some pics of his feet from the side, but I will need to find and scan them. He had four white feet. Never had a problem with them. :)
I'm starting to realise (it's been a slow process, I know) that I want to do this seriously. I've been thinking of doing a Diploma of Equine Podiotherapy for a couple of years now. I might try to have a crack at it next year maybe? It's almost $5000, 12 months distance study with a bunch of 5-6 day long blocks of visiting the centre in Victoria for practical exams and the such. I would LOVE to do that.
I do worry about the dissections and cadaver trims though. I am going to do a cadaver trim at my course in March and I do hope I can look past the 'this used to be a living breathing horse' to see the amazing way the hoof works. I have been present at dissections of horses before (with my 2 year Diploma of Horse Industry Management course which I was 6 months off finishing when I gave up. Oops..) and I struggled with it. Especially the horse head class. I was near hyperventilating in the next room and it took almost a whole hour for one of my classmates to coax me into the room to at least have a look. Which I did, then I ran away again. I WAS only 18-19 at the time though. Maybe I've matured. I sure hope so!
In other news, Allie and Gracie are slowly coming back in to work. Still no word from the saddler - I would like to hop on next week, and it looks like it may have to be bareback! Wish me luck!
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Horse, this isn't helping...
I trimmed Allie's fronts on Sunday. She was acting very weird. It's only the second time I have trimmed her, as she trimmed herself on the road when they got out and I haven't had to touch them. Funny how the road trimmed them with better balance than I had!
The first time I trimmed her she was generally well behaved until the motorbikes next door (!!) started up (again) when I got to her last hoof, then she just didn't want to stand still with one hoof caught in case she needed to make a quick get away from those monsters... This was about a week after I first got her home. She was very bad about picking up her feet, which I quickly decided had to change! She is a trimmer's horse now!
So back to Sunday. She had about a half centimeter of wall growth so it was time for the rasp to come out. I started with her wounded leg (pics of healing wound to be posted soon, it's looking really good today!) and she was good... for about .3 seconds. Then she decided it was a good time to practice airs above the ground! She was leaping forward as if I was a lion and I had her leg in my mouth. So I persisted, and she persisted, until I decided maybe her bandage was cutting into the back of her knee with it bent? So I took it off, hoping for a better reaction... Nope. Same idiotic leaping forward and arguing about the fact I had her leg between my knees (and even when I was just holding it in my hands!).
So we had words, and she copped it (verbally, I don't think she has been growled at much before) and by the time I got to her other front hoof, she would stop struggling if I just said "AH!". It was more of a training exercise than a trim to be honest, but that is the beauty of trimming your own horses. If you need to, you can put the rasp down and try again another day, without having to pay another $50 for a separate trim! So that was Miss A.
Gracie was trimmed one day last week, can't remember when. She was, surprisingly, an angel! She just stood tied up, and she was being so good that I thought I would reward her (and prolong the good behavior) by giving her a hay net while I trimmed. Angel... couldn't have asked her to be better behaved. She has struggled in the past with how I hold her hind leg to sight the heels (holding it by the crook of the hock and looking down the back of the canon bone from above). She normally hates this and slams her hoof on the ground before I can get a proper look. But the other day, she totally ignored me. I trimmed her sitting on my little milk crate for heaven's sake! That is normally reserved for much older, calmer, safer horses. Naw, our little girl is growing up! I think she behaved because:
a. She has been trying to suck up to me ever since she kicked me and I chased her away the other day, and b. She has been wanting some work again! I think she is totally b.o.r.e.d. being a pasture pet at the moment.
Well, that is all about to change because tomorrow is a public holiday (Australia Day) and I intend on starting them both back on the lunge. I think the regime will go like this:
4 days in one week, 25-35 minute walk on lunge, Gracie with 10 minutes trot, Allie 5 minutes trot. Allie to wear chambon and depending on her sensibility, maybe a couple mils of ace. Gracie can go crazy for all I care, she is clever and knows where her feet are at any given time. Allie is a bit dumb and may well trip over her own galumph feet in her excitement at doing something other than eat.
Week two will consist of 5 more minutes trot each, then we should be sensible and ready enough for saddles and riding again by week 3. Hopefully the saddler will have found me a saddle by then, otherwise it is bareback for me!
How fun.
The first time I trimmed her she was generally well behaved until the motorbikes next door (!!) started up (again) when I got to her last hoof, then she just didn't want to stand still with one hoof caught in case she needed to make a quick get away from those monsters... This was about a week after I first got her home. She was very bad about picking up her feet, which I quickly decided had to change! She is a trimmer's horse now!
So back to Sunday. She had about a half centimeter of wall growth so it was time for the rasp to come out. I started with her wounded leg (pics of healing wound to be posted soon, it's looking really good today!) and she was good... for about .3 seconds. Then she decided it was a good time to practice airs above the ground! She was leaping forward as if I was a lion and I had her leg in my mouth. So I persisted, and she persisted, until I decided maybe her bandage was cutting into the back of her knee with it bent? So I took it off, hoping for a better reaction... Nope. Same idiotic leaping forward and arguing about the fact I had her leg between my knees (and even when I was just holding it in my hands!).
So we had words, and she copped it (verbally, I don't think she has been growled at much before) and by the time I got to her other front hoof, she would stop struggling if I just said "AH!". It was more of a training exercise than a trim to be honest, but that is the beauty of trimming your own horses. If you need to, you can put the rasp down and try again another day, without having to pay another $50 for a separate trim! So that was Miss A.
Gracie was trimmed one day last week, can't remember when. She was, surprisingly, an angel! She just stood tied up, and she was being so good that I thought I would reward her (and prolong the good behavior) by giving her a hay net while I trimmed. Angel... couldn't have asked her to be better behaved. She has struggled in the past with how I hold her hind leg to sight the heels (holding it by the crook of the hock and looking down the back of the canon bone from above). She normally hates this and slams her hoof on the ground before I can get a proper look. But the other day, she totally ignored me. I trimmed her sitting on my little milk crate for heaven's sake! That is normally reserved for much older, calmer, safer horses. Naw, our little girl is growing up! I think she behaved because:
a. She has been trying to suck up to me ever since she kicked me and I chased her away the other day, and b. She has been wanting some work again! I think she is totally b.o.r.e.d. being a pasture pet at the moment.
Well, that is all about to change because tomorrow is a public holiday (Australia Day) and I intend on starting them both back on the lunge. I think the regime will go like this:
4 days in one week, 25-35 minute walk on lunge, Gracie with 10 minutes trot, Allie 5 minutes trot. Allie to wear chambon and depending on her sensibility, maybe a couple mils of ace. Gracie can go crazy for all I care, she is clever and knows where her feet are at any given time. Allie is a bit dumb and may well trip over her own galumph feet in her excitement at doing something other than eat.
Week two will consist of 5 more minutes trot each, then we should be sensible and ready enough for saddles and riding again by week 3. Hopefully the saddler will have found me a saddle by then, otherwise it is bareback for me!
How fun.
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