It's What Day Again?

Spring hits for real here, and things are insane. Please accept my apologies everyone, for not commenting as much as normal on your blogs. I am there reading though!! Hopefully, things will level out soon, and I can take the extra time to comment. Either that, or we will have to wait for the high humidity to set in- since that drives us inside for a while.

We have been hopping along here. The kids have been riding, Cub and his pony training are doing great, and even I have been able to get in on some horse action. Sonny Bunz has had a few works lately, and is doing fantastic working off my seat and legs more. We even have some lateral forward movement happening, some nice backing starting, and he is learning that his very lovely great big butt is more than a forward motor. He now has an idea that he can use it to turn off of too. I am so proud of him! In fact, he is ready to start trail rides.

Only problem is, I am not about to head out on the trails alone on a green horse, where things have been somewhat questionable lately. Ah well- more learning time here on the property is not a bad thing.

Ranchette asked a good question in a comment today. (Sounds like she has been as crazy busy as we have too!) She had been taught to hold the horse for front feet, on the opposite side as the trimmer. In theory, working on opposite sides would work. It's a matter of personal preference for me to have the handler on the same side that I am. Keeping the nose tipped ever so slightly towards the handler allows for quick action to be taken if need be. About the only time I ask someone to be opposite me is when I need to bring a foot forward, or if we have a young horse who just needs someone to stand on the opposite side to steady the horse.

Lately, I have been giving more thought to young stock and having hoof work done on them. You can handle a young horse, teach them to lift the feet, and have a nice set of manners on them before any real work begins. And all of that is FANTASTIC. But owners need to keep a thing or three in mind:
1) This is a growing horse, whose balance changes daily. Just like kids who are constantly growing and changing, young horses get worried about balance. The SECOND they feel insecure, or off balance, they are going to struggle some, which makes them less secure, and more off balance, making them struggle more... you see the pattern there.

2) The next thing is the tools themselves. The knife is not much of a problem usually, unless there is a pocket of thrush to clear out. The nippers might make them uncomfortable, but the rasp does a lot of them in. The vibrations from rasping travel up the leg, and are mighty darn strange for a young horse.

3) Young horses have the attention span the size of a gnat. We try to work as quickly and as smoothly as possible, but there are times when Sprout just has a brain fry moment. Often times, we'll have a young horse "take a walk" in between front and rear hooves, to refocus their tiny minds. (Again- move the feet, control the brain!) We'll do this also with older horses who may have arthritic changes and stiffness issues. Keeps them loosened up and more comfortable, and keeps us from having a cranky horse to deal with.

When you hold your horse for work, keep in mind balanced bodies, happy brains, and vibrations from rasping. Watch your horse's neck muscles to see if they tense, watch eyes and ears, and for swishing tails that show irritation. If you see a problem brewing, let your trimmer know, and redirect that equine mind!