Groomed, worked and rode Newt in the round pen. It has been a while since his feet would stand me riding. He did good today although we did not do much. After a little ride in the round pen, I had him step up to the gate, bent down and untied it, and eased it open. He was perfectly comfortable with the opening of the gate from his back. We rode up to the garden and turned around. I might have ridden out into the Ash pasture but his tender footedness was very obvious when we hit the gravel in the hallway.
Magic walked normal today. He also showed an interest in life. It was very good to see him feeling better. I think it was just his feet. I took his temperature when he was so despondent but it was always normal. I removed the duct tape soak boot and painted the soles with Venice Turpentine (Newt too). I has been some time since I gave him a good grooming and he had some waxy gunk in the base of his mane. I thought he had a scab and a wound under his mane near the crest but it was only a big wad of that wax and a wet spot in the middle. He seems to benefit from grooming the most of any horse I have and he likes it the least. He did not complain much today though.
All horses are walking better today. The only thing I have done is painted the soles with Venice Turpentine. I have used it before without such dramatic improvement. I’m just happy that we are going in the right direction. Magic seems to be walking normal, something he has not done in a long time. I have never heard of any spring hoof sensitivity but the three geldings I am watching so close sure got sore all at the same time with the only catalyst being a normal farrier visit. I’ve used Dale for over 30 years and he has always been good. The ponies and the mares have not shown any tenderness but they are all out on pasture and not observed so close.
Everybody had sore feet this morning. (Newt, Little More, Magic) I got Newt in the round pen and he moved OK. But all of them are very tender footed in the little bit of gravel in the hall of the barn. This situation confuses me. Magic was decidedly worse this morning and this afternoon in the pasture he walked as good as I have seen him in weeks. I did paint their soles with Venice Turpentine this morning. I packed Magic’s off front with a turpentine soaked rag and wrapped it on with duct tape.
I groomed Newt this morning but he did not seem like he wanted to ride. I lunged him just a little at the walk. I could find nothing wrong but I did not ride, just turned him out in the pasture. I later saw him race Little More down the fence line so there is nothing wrong.
Checked Magic’s hoofs. He seems better this morning. I was expecting to have to get the shoes off today but I will wait and see. If the shoes are not the problem then they will protect his tender feet. I saw him walk in the pasture this afternoon and he is better.
I groomed and rode Little More. I have not ridden him in almost a year. He is a lot of horse and I thought I might see if he can be ridden at a walk. I learned a lot from him when I was riding him last year. He had not been groomed in some time and it was nice to get it combed. His mane would probably mat-up if not combed occasionally as it seems to retain the dead hair rather than let it fall out. Little More was restrained. We were in the round pen and the footing is not the best.
Lunged Newt in the bull pen. It is still very wet and I was running short on time so I did not go to the arena. He lunged with control. When I rode I could tell he had lots of energy just wanting to express itself. I thought if it did express itself, it very well might not be in the direction I wanted. So we just did an approximate circle in each direction at a walk. I had intended to do some trotting and then ride the extent of the bull pen. I decided it best to keep control so we went to the round pen. Newt did good in the round pen. Walk and trot different size circles in both directions. The footing was not the best. His feet would slip a little at the trot in the wet places. When he slips or stumbles, it embarrass him, he will shake his head and maybe do a little crow hop. I enjoy riding Newt. Today on the lunge, I was happy with the control and how he was acting. I told him “You are the turn around horse. You da Man!”. He immediately tucked his head and lifted his front end to start a trot. I think he understood my happiness and pride and he reacted with a controlled expression of energy.
Magic has foot problems. Dale put shoes on a week ago Thursday. I had him on bute until Wednesday. Thursday I noticed he seemed somewhat stiff. Today he was keeping weight off the off front by always having it bent with only the toe touching when he stood. Tonight it was no better. He nickered when I walked up to him in the pasture. I guess he is nicked and getting an abscess. This is just like last shoeing just the other foot. Dale says he is very thin walled. He was not lame at all when I first got him. I admired his feet. They are all black with good concave. But we are having bad luck. This is not good. The only option I can see is just to remove his shoes and wait until his feet improve. Each time we shoe him, his behavior deteriorates. His feet are sore and the hammering is intolerable. Continuing down this road will ingrain a bad habit. It seems like it took Newt almost a year to get past the tender-foot stage. Newt is flat footed but has thicker hoof walls. It was pitiful to watch him limp around. One time the infection ruptured on the coronary band, commonly described as “he had a gravel”, and he was better almost immediately. I called Dale and left a message.
Lots of rain. Magic and Little More do not like being out in the rain. It rains all day and all night except for the time when I decide that I can turn them out because it is not raining. At least they do not show so much sensitivity to their lameness. They came trotting up tonight and Little More was trotting directly towards me. I could not tell that his off hip always drops. Magic’s trot showed only a little bob of his head, much improved from Friday and Saturday when he absolutely would not trot at all. Hopefully when it dries out they will all be ready to ride.
Little More and Magic are moving carefully, sore and tender feet. Magic is getting 1 gram of bute morning and night. Little More and Magic stop whenever they come to gravel and have to make a decision whether or not to go on. Newt is noticeably tender-footed but not so bad. I paint the soles of their feet with Venice Turpentine morning and night. The mares are out on pasture and I do not bring them up daily so I have not noticed how they are responding to the foot trimming.
It has rained a lot, 14 inches, for the past week. It seemed like it never stopped. Nice weather today with lots of mud.
Dale Moody, the farrier, came today. He put shoes on Magic and trimmed all the rest. Magic has a stone bruise, off front, and we all had trouble when Dale was putting the shoe on that foot. At one point I plainly saw Magic’s foot, with the shoe on and a nail sticking out, on Dale’s right shoulder blade. Dale was standing up at the time. Dale never quit, nobody got hurt, nobody got mad, and Magic has shoes on now. Tonight I took Magic some oats laced with bute. Hopefully the shoes will take the pressure off the bruise and in a few days he will be running and kicking. All the horses are a little tender-footed after the trim.
A stone bruise is a temporary thing. Magic will get over this. It is somewhat of a comfort to have been through this before. It take a horse quite a while to get acclimated to a new situation, particularly one that is so different from the one they are accustomed to. A barefoot, pasture life in the Ozarks is a lot different that life at the racetrack. I can see a lot of advantages but it does take some getting used to. It seems like Newt limped around for a year before his feet got to where they could take it.
I rode Newt this morning. I walked him to the Oak pasture and arena. On the lunge we went clockwise first and he did all three gaits with control. I thought “Well, patience pays. He is very calm this morning and this is the direction he always acts up. When we went the other way, he showed me that he could buck and kick on the left rein making my discussion of the hard and soft side mere speculation. Lots of energy this morning. It was brisk for a day in April. He kept a keen eye on everything in the pasture, cattle, dogs, and some other things he said I was unaware of. I enjoy a ride when there is plenty of energy. On the trail around the pasture I played it safe and turned around earlier than last time. Honey and York were hunting in the woods and I knew this was not the morning I wanted to face the test where Honey jumps a bear and… . Newt loaded in the trailer easily and calmly this morning.
Sophie and Maggie from New York visited the ponies this afternoon. Laddie and Scottie quickly won their hearts. These girls brought
Scottie, Maggie Lawrence up
their boots, chaps, and helmets. They ride at a barn in New York and are good riders. Sophie is about 12 and Maggie is maybe 8. They came to ride. The ponies really enjoy petting and leading (the ponies lead the kids most of the time) more than riding. Treats are the best. They rode in the round pen, a good safe place. After a while I suggested Sophie ride a larger horse. I was thinking of CeCe but Glory was looking over the fence like she wanted some of the action. Sophie rides a big horse at her barn so I just got Glory. Glory is so pretty that everybody just
Glory, Sophie Lawrence up
loves her. Sophie rode bareback and looked like she was comfortable on a big horse. I got Glory’s saddle and bridle. Sophie could control Glory’s gaits, walk and trot, and get her to start and stop. Sophie rode very good and Glory was on very good behavior. For some reason all the other horses thought this was a good time to come running. Little More was loose and ran around the round pen. Sophie and Glory took it all in stride and had no problems. I enjoyed watching. Maggie kept her mother occupied leading her around the pasture on Laddie the whole time Sophie rode Glory. (It may seem like I am careless letting little girls ride big horses but I did have enough sense to get Maggie and Laddie out of the way.) After we put Glory back in the pasture, Sophie immediately went and got Scottie to ride some more. After a
Little More loves everybody
while, just to give the ponies a break, I suggested that we work the ponies together loose in the round pen. Laddie and Scottie show no reserve when they do this. They like to go fast and fight over who leads. The one in the lead play kicks and the other bites his butt. It was all fun. I finally said the ponies had enough and we put them up. Sophie and Maggie had a big time and so did the ponies. I think Glory enjoyed it too.
Rode Magic today. We rode to the Oak pasture and in the arena. I think he is tender-footed today. He seemed OK Sunday. He has been off a little for about a week. He eats good and grazes constantly in the pasture. I notice the difference when I ride him, not at other times. I have been thinking it is his feet, hoofs with too much growth for the shoes, I took them off, now tender-footed. No obvious lameness but his trot seemed a little irregular. Dale the farrier will be here soon I expect. I need some advice. I rode the trail around the Oak pasture after cutting the arena work short. He loaded in the trailer good today.
