Sonny's Sunday

Sonny's week started "rough" in HIS opinion. The flies had finally died off enough
for him to get a trim. As you can tell in the photo above,
Sonny
Is
Not
Impressed.

However, he did behave quite well.
Look closely-
his hind hoof is resting on top of my boot for work.
This is NOT something I encourage people to do routinely.

BUT
With Sonny's hock issues, if he holds his legs up for a trim,
he gets very cranky because for him it's painful.

I don't know about you, but the idea of fighting with someone
Whose butt is THAT big is really not all that high on my To Do List.

My sweet Cub was kind enough to get these photos for me to share.
Not bad for his first time!

*Here's a tidbit-
I generally trim like this. One hand on the tools, other hand holding the hoof.
Front legs, same dance. I brace the hoof against my leg,
Work one handed.
Why?
Several reasons:
1) It reduces MY pain from a really wrecked body
2) It makes it easier on the beat up bodies we wind up working on
3) It's a lot easier on babies as well.
Easier on everyone all around, resulting in a bit more work for me, but happier horses.
Happier horses = happier ME.

On Thanksgiving Day, after indulging in much of the above (smoked turkey)
and many more dishes,

I felt like this:

Still do to some degree actually.

But since the weather was freaking FANTASTIC, the children were entertained,
I stole some time for my horse and I.

We had been working all week on the ground, and the day I did have time to ride,
It Rained.

BUT.

Wednesday, during the bulk of the food preparation,
A package arrived for me.

Yup, the saddle that Nuzzling Muzzles sent along arrived.
In between rain showers, I dusted off my trusty steed,
and we tried on the saddle.
Much to my delight, it seems to fit quite well!

I had to wait until post indulgence on Thursday to try it out though.

I could make some smart remarks about saddle, butt, looking big, but Dear Husband would have words with me.

So, instead, I'll say how comfortable I was up there!
It took us a few minutes (like 10) to get used to having a saddle on again,
but we both settled into things well.
And we even got in a trot!Of course, I went to get him out the next day for a bit more,
and he was pretty sore up front.

*sigh*

I've given the big guy the past few days off, and we'll start up again tomorrow with some
stretching and walking, to see how he is feeling.
Oh- why was he sore?
Because when I went to catch the doofus,
he came running FULL TILT to the gate,
Slammed on the brakes,
and wrenched his front end around.
As he was turning (or trying to,)
He yanked towards the tree in the paddock, and tripped over an exposed root.
Dork.

For now he seems pretty content to stand around, eat, poop, and look like a big red horse.

Kids. Two legged or four, there is never a dull moment.

Question and Answer Time!

AKPonyGirl- you asked what I thought of the Riders Rasp. I went to the website, looked around, watched the videos there, read the testimonials..... and I have to say it left me with a luke warm feeling. It might work well to smooth off a rough edge, but I can't say more than that, with out actually getting one in my hand. Having small-ish hands, any tool I use MUST have good balance/ be easy to grip. I have been able to learn how to balance a regular rasp (I use SavEdge- have for years,) and I can handle nippers with one hand with no major issue. The handle on the Riders Rasp looks decent, but knowing the size of my hands, and knowing that a lot of women have small hands, I'd have to wonder how it would fit, and how comfortable it would be to use. Having a medium coarse teeth on the tool, you would also be there a while if you are unfamiliar with the amount of pressure to use. However- the same can be said for a regular rasp as well.

Would it be handy to have around for owners? Maybe. If you have an extra $43.95 floating around, $19.99 for replacement parts (that was another question- how long do these last?) Me, being rather "thrifty", I'd rather get a used one to have on hand for free or close to free from my hoof care provider.

Shirley- You asked about splints, and if improper trimming could create an issue. In this particular case, Shirley sent along a photo of the location of the splint, which is quite high on the leg.

First- what IS a splint? When a horse pops a splint, damage is occurring to one of the two slender splint bones that run along the cannon bone. The damage calcifies, and once the calcification has "set", the horse generally has no further issue. Causes vary- stress, improper balance, excessive strain on a young leg, or direct injury are enough to create a problem.

However.

Depending on the location- most are located half way down the cannon (most to the inside, some to the outside of the leg.) A splint low on the leg has a better chance of setting and being no further problem. A splint high on the leg, up closer to the knee, must be maintained a bit more. In this case, the splint is high on the leg, close to the knee. The horse in this case needs to have his heels balanced, and balanced well. By having one heel higher than the other, ( the horse was high to the outside) additional stress is placed on the injury site and can/ will cause aggravation.

Treatments vary. I've seen them blistered, poulticed, fired, and left alone. My preference? Monitor the horse for lameness, and keep the hooves balanced as the leg sets once again. Yet again, time is on our side. Patience will deliver a sounder horse for longer if you can merely monitor the limb and balance of the foot. If the horse is NOT lame, then watch him closely, feel for heat, and check the balance.

Lisa- You asked about hoof moisture, and how to best keep a healthy balance of it in the hoof. Are there any topical solutions?

This is a tough one for me. IF I have to use something, in the past I have slathered on Pine Tar. Otherwise, I do as your hoof care provider does, and provide a run over spot for the horse to stand in to drink.

Health comes from the inside of the hoof. Yes, the outside environment does influence the outer wall. And drier hooves are hard (literally!) as all get out for hoof care providers to work on. (Talk about going through tools in a hurry... geesh.) What I advise for clients during dry spells where feet are hard, is to please stand the horse in a bit of water prior to a visit. It makes it a bit easier on me, my tools, and cleans the hoof nicely as well.

Hoof quality is ultimately delivered from the inside out. If you keep your horse healthy inside, the hooves balanced outside, then 99.9% of the time external treatments are not needed.

It all boils down to balance in one form or another though. If you don't have balanced hooves, you will not have a balanced horse. Period. Might be time to revisit how to check for balance- what do you guys think?

Counting My Blessings

It's pretty easy to do, actually, a Blessing Count.
My sons,
The Horse,
The Dog...
Many other Things..

But most of all,
the one I count to Infinity and Beyond:
My
Husband.

With out Dear Husband,
Well, things would be miserable.
I'd be lost.

So while I count blessings for a multitude of things,
It always comes back time and again
To the Love of my life
(the human one, Sonny. Don't get your tail in a twist.)
My Dear Husband.

I Give Thanks...

The quiet of the house is settling around me. The only noise from my keyboard, and the dog crunching her supper. The TV flickers in the background, the occasional flashes of light a reminder it is on, entertaining no one at the moment. My intention was only to check my mail before crashing to eat a now cold supper, but supper can wait. My inbox was a virtual cornucopia of good tidings from friends far and near, and served as a reminder to share some of my Thankful moments.

For starters, I am thankful for ibuprofen and my joint supplement. With out those, I wouldn't even come close to being able to walk tomorrow.

I'm thankful that my sons- strong and healthy- are now asleep, snug in their beds. Their sweet kisses and hugs, our drowsy prayers said, I'm thankful for those boys more than can be expressed.

Sonny softly snorts into his hay outside my window, and I give thanks for him as well. He is my sanity saver on the tough days, a smile maker all the time, and a warm heart and soul to share time with.

Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog has finished her meal, and is on my feet again under the desk. I'm thankful for her- even if she won't go out after dark and refuses to bark at Bad Guys- because she is The Most Awesome Dog. And she keeps my feet warm as I type.

I give thanks for blogging. What started as an exercise to see if I could carry on any sort of adult conversation has exploded into a world of camaraderie. I give thanks for the many friendships created, the knowledge shared and gained, the smiles, the tears, and the satisfaction of a job well done. I'm thankful as all get out, to all of you out there.

There are many blessings in this life. Too many in fact, to list here. Among them are knowing that the turkey is in the smoker, the trimmings ready for tomorrow, and a job has been done and done well.

And I give thanks to the men and women who make this all possible. May the Lord Above bless and keep you all. I only wish you could all join us tomorrow, cause we have enough food to feed an Army!

One last thought- I am thankful for the hot tub. Now if I only had enough energy left to crawl INTO it....

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all.
~MM

What Do You Do If....

You walk out to the pasture, and see this?

This may not be the best picture, but yes, that is a hoof with a piece of wall sticking up away from the hoof. This is NOT serious, and can easily be managed by you, the Horse Owner.

I had to stop a moment and really think about this. What is the best way for someone who may not have the same tools that I do, to remove this offending flap?

Here are a few options:
1: The wall is generally very flexible at this point, and you may well be able to pick up the hoof, brace it against your leg, and flex it back and forth until it breaks off. Time consuming, but if you have no other option, it will work.

2: Most horse folks I know carry around a small but very sharp pocket knife. You can cut the wall away, or at least score it for easier removal with your hand. **DO NOT** try to hold the hoof between your knees!! Have someone hold the opposite foot in the air, and work while the hoof is on the ground. Why? Two reasons. A) Most horse owners do not know how to hold the leg properly, and they wind up getting hurt should the horse yank their leg back, and B) if you slip with that knife, and it winds up buried in your thigh, you really won't be happy.

3: Pruning shears. Or garden shears, whatever their actual name is. We use them for goat and sheep feet, and they are strong enough to remove a bit of wall like that.

4: Being a food nut, I also keep on hand a strong pair of kitchen shears. As a last resort, I suppose those kitchen shears could cut wall.

What if the worst of it breaks off, and there is a sharp, jagged edge left? And you don't have a rasp to smooth it off with?

A heavy grade sand paper might smooth the sharpest parts off. Or a finer toothed wood file would work in a pinch. The best bet though, is to be prepared ahead of time, and ask your hoof care provider for an old, used rasp. We generally roam around with old ones in the back of the truck, and speaking for Dear Husband and I, we are happy to share. The tool is not worn out to the point of no return- but by the time we are done with them, trying to do several client horses in a row works us harder and takes longer than using a sharp tool would.

We need to look at why remove this offending piece too. First is a safety issue. This particular hoof has the piece pointing away from the opposite leg and hoof. Good for the horse, but it might just reach out and catch on your jeans, startling both you and the horse. Were it pointing the other way, to the inside, there is a chance the opposite leg could get cut.

Second, removal will prevent additional damage. This piece could trap dirt and debris under the flap, pushing the flap further up. It could also introduce bacterium into the hoof through micro-cracks, resulting in damage in time.

Tools to have on hand in a Hoof Kit:
- Ideally, a pair of inexpensive nippers. They have more uses that just taking off bits of wall in situations like this. When used with care, you can also do an emergency shoe pull, preventing more damage to the wall (for which your horse will thank you.)

- An old rasp. Duct tape the pointed end, so that you don't poke your horse by accident. Use the fine side if you have doubts- remember- all you need to do is smooth away sharp edges that will catch more material, creating more breakage.

- A pair of pruning shears, if the nippers are not an option. These may not be quite as versatile as the nippers, but can prevent damage. (And care for your roses!)

- Duct tape. It literally holds the Universe together. When in doubt, clean the area, dry it well, and tape it up. If nothing else, this will keep more dirt etc from getting up in there, creating more of a weak area, and more breakage.

The remaining contents of my first aid kit?
- Large 4 x 4 gauze pads
- Triple antibiotic
- Provodine Scrub
- Q- tips
- Cotton balls
- Expired injectable penicillin (for EXTERNAL USES ONLY)
- Listerene in a spray bottle


What do you guys keep on hand?

Sonny's Sunday

"MOM! MOM! Pay ATTENTION! Something is in the bush!"

This was the scene that greeted me early yesterday morning,
Sonny was convinced that the bird or deer that was in the bush
across the road was Going To Get Him.

With the history here,
I didn't doubt him.
All was well though- kept an eye on things all day,
and we had a peaceful night.
(Until I allegedly booted my Dear Husband out of bed at 4AM.
More on that in a bit...)

It was pretty quiet on the Sonny front this week. I ran slam out of time,
energy,
and oompf.
The sum total of Sonny time was to get smooches, a couple carrots,
and some hiney rubs as I fed, washed the water tank,
and picked his paddock.

I had hoped to ride, but it never seemed to manifest. Oh well...
There will be other days.

Back to Dear Husband...
He buggered up his arm some doing a heavy job this week,
and it's been sore and bruised but healing.
Until last night that is...

Apparently, about 4AM he somehow wound up falling out of bed.
Put that arm down, and whapped it but good on something.
Needless to say, it woke him right up.

I got up a bit before 7 to see the arm with a HUGE bruise, easily the size of my fist
and quite swollen.

Off to the ER he went.

Turns out he has a hairline fracture in the radius, and catching himself/ hitting it while catching himself this morning,
aggravated the h*ll out of the fracture.

He thinks I pushed him.
I think he is too big to push.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

This sign? Hangs at a clients.
I.
Want.
One.

The Filly With One Big Shoe....

These shoes:

Were on these feet.

Now I am willing to bet, there are some folks out there who are waiting for me to administer a Rasp Enema to the iron bender who applied those shoes to those feet, BUT- I can not.

You read that right- I can not bash the guy who put those shoes on.

(Die hard barefooters are having a coronary right about now. Wait- that is assuming any die hard barefooters actually read here.)

There are a few reasons why I am withholding the power of the rasp at this time.

First- this filly allegedly came from a background of little care.
Second- this filly had a trauma to her near side fore
Third- we don't know her hoof care history
Fourth- there is no possible way to know what that poor guy was met with when he stepped from his truck
Fifth- if you are going to critique a shoe job, it needs to be done with in 48 hours of the application of shoes. (Why? Because hooves change quickly. Very. Quickly.)

The hooves on this poor filly did not get this way over night. For all we know, the shoer pulled up in his truck and was presented with a horse that maybe had even more serious over growth than she does now. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt here for one simple reason- he worked the shoes.

He tried to create the best fit he could to the feet he had to work with. Most guys around here wouldn't bother with that- they slap the shoe on, and the hoof is made to fit the shoe. This guy took the time to try and help, by fitting the shoe to the filly.

Was it what we would have done? Chances are no. But again- we don't know what the initial presentation was.

What was I presented with? Look closely at the injured leg and hoof. Now look at the "healthy" leg and hoof. The injured near side hoof capsule shows evidence of pressure bruising above the nails. Is this a horrible thing? Well, in this case it is not great, but that in itself is not a death sentence. (To the best of my knowledge, this filly could be a somewhat comfortable pasture pet for quite a few years to come. That of course, depends on the quality of hoof care she is provided. With an extreme injury like that, one misstep and it is likely she could do an extreme amount of damage, and break the leg.)

I often encourage people to run their hand around the entire outside of the hoof wall, and see what they feel. Is the wall smooth and round? Are there places that "flare" out? Are there flat spots? Soft spots? Hot spots? All things to make note of in the back of your mind.

This filly's near side hoof had several flat planes. The cause? With out truly knowing more history on her life long hoof care, I hesitate to say. It might have been the way she was trimmed. It might have to do with the injury itself, and her way of going. It might have been because of the way she was shod. It might be all three issues contributing.

In a horse with "normal" hooves, I'd cheerily tell you that with in a few physiologically correct trimmings, those planes would return to normal health/ shape. But with this, again- I hesitate to be cheerful. We have an appointment set up with the owners for Sunday morning, so that Dear Husband- who has a very strong therapeutic background- can evaluate the filly. Which means Monday should reveal some new information, as we get a closer and deeper look from the sole.

This is a time-will-tell case in many ways.... so stay tuned....

It's All Good

I got the time to upload some images from the past few days. First, we tortured Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog this morning. (Shades of Mikey.. kinda..)

Next, we have Dear Husband with one of his tiny friends.
And people wonder why I love this job...

The next three are Cub and the Wrecking Crew with two
of the absolute SWEETEST mares on the planet.

Wrecker, above, giving bye kisses to their favorite girl,
Gunny.

Right after I took the above shot, Wrecker sat down in the
hay with Cub, and the two of them just talked to the mares.

Cub spent about twenty minutes sitting in that hay pile,
talking to those two mares. Gunny would pick up her pretty face,
nuzzle Cub,
and go back to eating.

Oh- hey.. Look!
Sanity Salvation
in the form of
Chocolate Chip Cookies!


Below are a couple views of shoes. Anyone see anything somewhat...
Odd?

The Plan For The Day...

Did NOT include the following:
- Change fuse in truck, so brake lights work
- Have every ATM in a ten mile radius be "Out Of Money"
- A loader operator in a RUSH, who buggered up my trailer
- Or freaking FIRE ANTS in the darn bale, which decided to sting the snot out of my hands, legs, and belly. (I'll spare you the belly shot.)

Observe:
Ant sting on left hand. Made whole finger swell up like crazy.

Ant sting on inner thigh. Yeah. LOVELY spot for that huh?

THIS is what the trailer is SUPPOSED to look like.

THIS is what the other side currently looks like.
I.
Am.
Not.
Happy.

Pine tree shots for Jennifer!! See the tiny bit of red in the front? That's a Crepe Myrtle. Between that and the Bradford Pear trees, it's about all the "fall color" we get to enjoy down here.

I have some really cute shots from yesterday's client run to share. All we need is time enough to post them. Bear with me folks!

Sonny's Sun... err Mon... Oh Shoot What Day Is It?

Hey- THAT'S not Sonny up there! How'd that get into this post? Oh-- wait-- I remember! Miss Jen, this is for you. Pine trees. Lots of pine trees. I'll include more random pine tree shots for you this week, to help out with your yearning....

I am operating under the assumption that this is actually Monday, since keeping track of the correct day has become an issue lately. No matter- it can still be "Sonny's Day" no matter what day it is, right?

Now wait just one moment-- THAT'S not Sonny, either!! THAT happens to be the contents (most of them, anyways,) of a goodie box sent all the way from British Columbia! Miss Shirley and her wonderful four legged crew sent us some goodies for being the 50th person to follow her blog. I use the trinket box to store my rings in, the little bucking horse is decorating my entertainment center, and the magnet is firmly planted on my firdge! It serves as a great reminder to go out and crawl up on that rotten horse of mine now and again! There were balloons in the package too, but the kids had a blast with them and they have been gone for a while now. Thank You, Shirley!!

That's better- THERE is Sonny. Look at that would ya- the boy has a wee bit of muscle growing there. Not too shabby! We've been doing at least three days a week of line work, and I try to ride him at least one day. Our rides are still at the ten minute mark, but it's better than nothing. I have doubts though, about how much his hocks can take. The near side hock sustained two serious trauma incidents one year apart, and it shows. That leg buckles under him at least once a day, and last night during our ten minute mosey I could feel a hitch in his git-a-long in that area as he walked out.

All in all? Works for me. He is content puttering around, I am content puttering around, and life is good. He gets cookies, and I get horse kisses anytime I wish. What more could I ask for from Big Red?

Our ride time though has been a blast. We are working (slowly) but diligently on moving off my seat and legs, backing off my seat, and I am pleased to say the boy has WHOA quite well. Blew it a bit yesterday, but I can understand WHY too. The files lately have been horrible- even with the good fly spray they torment him. (What IS it with red horses and flies??!!) Poor guy could not pay attention to me very well, and try to chase off the tormentors with wings, so we called it quits early. Man I hope we have a hard freeze SOON.

Sonny's Kissy Spot.

This week ought to be a good one on the blog, provided I can keep things at Command Central errr... "stable". (Yeah... riiiight.. imagine that would ya!) We have shoes to examine, a great hoof demo to check out, a mule tail, and whatever else comes to light through the days.

Here's to a horse filled week for everyone! Oh and Jen my girl- I promise more pine tree and pine cone pix for you as well!

We Have Winners!!

The drawing for Alison Hart's two fabulous books was a welcome distraction this morning at Command Central, diverting the Little Mens attention from channeling Gremlins- the BAD Gremlins- to do something CONstructive, rather than DEstructive.

We found all the entries, lovingly wrote them on a handy piece of paper, slipped them into this beautiful hat my Dear Husband surprised me with, shook them up and drew....

Isn't that just a COOL looking hat?? I love it!!

Shake, rattle, and roll..... into the hat the names go....

Winner of Bell's Star is our very own...
MIKEY!!!!

And the Winner of "Shadow Horse"....

MIDLIFE MOM!!!

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!!!!!

Your goodies will be in the mail post haste!

Is There A Full Moon Soon?

First, let's take a look at a shoe removal from this morning. Anyone care to take a guess as to issues contained at the end of this rather delicate leg? A bit of background: This is a three year old Paint filly. New to the present owners, who purchased her in order to give her a much better life.


We'll plan on taking an in depth look at this foot in the next couple of days. Another trip will be made in the near future to begin trimming her back to some level of comfort. This is going to be an interesting journey to say the least...

Onto the question posed in the title of today's post. Absolute insanity has struck Command Central yet again, and left me with a spinning head. I was incredibly thankful to my amazing husband for keeping The Children today, while I scooted out early this morning to go pull the shoes off the filly above. I don't think that my eye has stopped twitching in about five days... hmm. Wonder if that is permanent?

Yesterday while out walking around the yard, something drew my eye to the ground. I bent down in order to see a bit more clearly, and discovered a tiny turtle. It was cold, drizzly, and gray out all day yesterday, and I was worried this little fellow would not survive the night. In the house he came, to a little artificial habitat set up on a heating pad. He livened up quite a bit once he warmed up, and I plan on taking him to the edge of the lake and hoping for a good winter. Equestrian does not equal herpetologist in any way.

Since the day was so utterly miserable yesterday, I took comfort in the form of potato and ham chowder. It was the first time I ever made it. Happy to report that it came out darn good, and there is hardly anything left over. Guess that just means I have to make it again soon!As I pulled up to the barn this morning, my eye was drawn by a splash of color. Lots of color. Color that instantly made me take a walk down memory lane, and has left me battling tears or sporting a silly happy grin. There is a young Appaloosa at this barn, that I swear could be my old gelding's twin. I didn't ask if she was for sale, and tried not to look to close at her. (Yeah. Like THAT worked.) When I got home and showed the picture to Dear Husband the very first words out of his mouth were, "Is she for sale?" Yeah, I'll admit it- I broke down in tears and cried all over again at the loss of Jack four years ago.

Will this filly ever be ours? Will Sonny have a spotted pal to admire? I don't have that answer. All I know is this:
Every single horse that I have met in my life has come into my life for a reason. This filly might have a reason as well, which is yet to be revealed. Deep, deep down buried away from the outside world in my heart, a little voice says "Oh YES I want her!" My logical mind however, says be patient. Time will tell. We shall wait and see... wait and see....

Deadline is tonight for anyone who wishes to enter the book giveaway of the two Alison Hart books! Winner announced tomorrow!!

Always Remember, America

Our flag flies at half-staff, to honor those who serve,
those who have served,
and those who have gone on before.
Our prayers have been with the soldiers at Fort Hood,
and their families.

In particular this Veteran's Day,
We Remember two men-
SSG Murphrey,
LT Bradshaw.
Thank you for paying the ultimate price, to keep our great country safe.

We'd like to thank all of our vets-
"Gizmo" Louis
"Grunt" Tim
"ARMT" Stephen
M. Lewis
PFC Wright, and
PFC Wright
"SGT SUGAR" Jenkins
L. Harrell- RET
K. Harrell- RET
R. Moore- RET
"Silent Ghost" E.
"Gunny"
"Goober"

Thank you to Wade's brother, stationed at Fort Hood
Thank you to C-ingspots children, serving in Iraq
Thank you to Maximus' husband, fixing to deploy
Thank you to the old man I saw in the store
Who was a Koren Vet
A Vietnam Vet
and had one leg.
Thank you to the Airborne Ranger,
who shook my Cub's hand.
Thank you to the 3rd ID
The Nightstalkers
The 3-64th Armored.


With out you, our country would just
not
be.

Thank you- for keeping the fight away from home.
And for your vow,
"Not On My Watch".

May God Bless and Keep You All.

Mrs Mom -- III

Never Forget America.
Never.
Forget.