http://s301.photobucket.com/albums/nn41/c20h10n2/Chewie%2008%2029%2008/
And they all live up there. Enjoy, ya'll. In the one conformation (I think it's left) shot, can anybody else see that cute face looking at me? I almost hear him, "Momma, what're you doing?!? Can I go back to munching on the lawn, now??"
Pulse last night was still evident in both fronts. The left was pounding, and the right was weaker. I was a bit shocked by that, but I'll take it.
Lunged briefly in both directions. Sound left, sound straight in-hand. Still a wobble head-bob or three headed right. If I left him lead his head out of the circle, he limped less. Durasole on all frogs, and sent him back out to pasture.
Hurricane Gustav - GET! Scram! ShoO! Get outta the sea, and float back where's you came from! You ain't welcome here! Now, if that red-neck fussing doesn't chase him off, we're screwed... :)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
A Little Good News
Sarah Palin. Andrew Wilkow from Sirius Patriot 144 has been calling for her. I did a little pre-selection research, and figured she'd be good. I wasn't 100% sure John McCain would have the guts to pick somebody that conservative.
He got it right. McCain hit the ball out of the park! Home run that's still floating over the atmosphere. She's Pro-Life, Pro-Drilling, Pro-Gun Rights. She has the state of Alaska under control, with executive experience. Joe Lieberman has his work cut out for him in the VP debate. He'll most certainly shove his foot down his throat at some point, making some regretting remark about her being female, or conservative.
Good Job, Senator McCain. You got this choice correct, and I'm incredibly satisfied. This just might earn you a little extra donation to the campaign. Thank you for finally putting some Conservative Gumption behind your election.
I just heard in McCain's bio speech on Palin she's been in the Union, and her DH is in the Union. Hmm... is that good? Is Union really a Conservative good idea? I thought Conservatives lived anti-Union, not wanting a larger body to spread-wealth over large people groups... hmmm.. will study more
He got it right. McCain hit the ball out of the park! Home run that's still floating over the atmosphere. She's Pro-Life, Pro-Drilling, Pro-Gun Rights. She has the state of Alaska under control, with executive experience. Joe Lieberman has his work cut out for him in the VP debate. He'll most certainly shove his foot down his throat at some point, making some regretting remark about her being female, or conservative.
Good Job, Senator McCain. You got this choice correct, and I'm incredibly satisfied. This just might earn you a little extra donation to the campaign. Thank you for finally putting some Conservative Gumption behind your election.
I just heard in McCain's bio speech on Palin she's been in the Union, and her DH is in the Union. Hmm... is that good? Is Union really a Conservative good idea? I thought Conservatives lived anti-Union, not wanting a larger body to spread-wealth over large people groups... hmmm.. will study more
I Wish I Understood
I wish I was rich enough to pay for all the xrays I could ever dream of to figure out what's going on with Chewie. I've been trying so terribly hard to get credit cards under control, and a huge vet bill based on curiosity just isn't in the plans.
I also wish I understood a heckuva lot more about the whole hoof problem(s). I am a scientist by trade - I study things in an attempt to understand not just how things happen, but why they happen the way they do. I don't settle for "just because I'm a farrier and I'm smarter than you about hooves.. this is how it is... the hoof told me it belongs there".
I'm going to add more Durasole tonight to the thrushy frogs. (That's a whole other debate worth discussing, by the way.) I will check the pulses. I did run my fingers down Romeo's legs to the hooves, and noticed not near the indent that exists on Chewie. Kind of surprising how different they are.
The thrush debate. Mr Don says that thrush is caused by bad hoof balance, not horse's environment. He says thrush is evident by a "crack" line where the heels meet up. I'm not 100% convinced thrush is only balance. My reason? If hoof balance is the cause of thrush, why did he point to a "crack" line on a rear hoof, saying it is thrush, and to treat it? I asked him as he trimmed each rear hoof, "How do they look?", and he thought they were in good condition. Good balance, good size & shape.
I also wish I understood a heckuva lot more about the whole hoof problem(s). I am a scientist by trade - I study things in an attempt to understand not just how things happen, but why they happen the way they do. I don't settle for "just because I'm a farrier and I'm smarter than you about hooves.. this is how it is... the hoof told me it belongs there".
I'm going to add more Durasole tonight to the thrushy frogs. (That's a whole other debate worth discussing, by the way.) I will check the pulses. I did run my fingers down Romeo's legs to the hooves, and noticed not near the indent that exists on Chewie. Kind of surprising how different they are.
The thrush debate. Mr Don says that thrush is caused by bad hoof balance, not horse's environment. He says thrush is evident by a "crack" line where the heels meet up. I'm not 100% convinced thrush is only balance. My reason? If hoof balance is the cause of thrush, why did he point to a "crack" line on a rear hoof, saying it is thrush, and to treat it? I asked him as he trimmed each rear hoof, "How do they look?", and he thought they were in good condition. Good balance, good size & shape.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Holy Hooves
Took Chewie to a new farrier this morning. Mr Don is a "friend of a friend". We spoke on the phone yesterday afternoon. He said a few things I liked - questions about Chewie's diet, weight, riding habits, ground manners, when do the shoes fly off. He said a few things I didn't like - riders cause shoes to fall off, and pastures cause shoes to fall off, but farriers aren't to blame, and it's nearly impossible for a horse to remove a shoe on his own, most horses in the area are overfed, and Chewie is probably fatter than I say he is.
So, I agreed to take Chewie to him today, a little apprehensive about the whole thing. Chewie loaded up like an angel, almost telling me he was okay. The trip was foggy as pea soup, but we made it. Arrived about ten minutes early - I thought I'd be there earlier, but I didn't plan on driving through soup.
Mr Don was very serious, and very firm. He watched Chewie walk just a little before starting. I asked him to explain everything he was doing, and he wasn't so much able to do that. I do wish I'd thought to take pictures before, during, and after. Perhaps ya'll farrier folks that read the blog could've explained more for my little scientist brain to understand. Mr Don set the left shoe on about 1/2" behind his toe, and after hot-setting it, nailed it right in place. I was a little puzzled, but when I asked any question like, "Why are you doing it that way?", he would respond, "Because that's where the foot is telling me it needs to be."
From what I saw, he set the shoe back 1/2", rasped the front down, set the shoes a little wider than the hooves on both (front right inside more than any of the other three side edges). He added a nifty pad to the right front, it was thin around the outside, and had an oval-shaped pad squishy part in the middle. Good thing, because Chewie's sole was soft & tender on that hoof.
Essentially, I did learn a few things. Well, let me rephrase. Mr Don said a few things, and some of them I understood, some of them I need to learn & study more.
1) Chewie's P2 & P3 are separating from the laminae, evidenced by the inner sag just above his hoof. I need to read more .... But, Mr Don said this has been caused by the lack of balance on his hoof, and the bones have been pushed down further & further. We're hoping the trim he did today will begin the rebalancing process, and when the coronary band "sees" the extra shoe, it'll start to stretch out, and the laminae will reattach their little selves to P2 & P3, bringing them back up where they belong.
2) Chewie was quicked three times at his last shoe-ing. Once on right front, twice on left front. I was shocked. Saw it with my own two eyes - the nail holes were inside the hoof wall, set on the sole. OUCH!
3) When the shoes were set, but toes not rasped down, Mr Don asked me to lunge him briefly at trot. Chewie was sound headed left, lame headed right. Right front inside still brought pain. Later, after all four hooves were trimmed, he had me lunge again. Chewie was better... still a bit lame going right, but better. When we got home, I tried again, with a little bit more improvement.
4) Found a pulse above the heel, but above all the ankle bones. Found the right front to have a heavier pulse than the left front. Mr Don asked that I keep checking it, and we're hoping the left front will go away completely (i.e. won't be able to detect it), and the right will decrease a little every day. Right front pulse won't go away for a long time, due to the shape the hoof is in.
I am going to take some pictures this weekend & post them up. Any farrier folks reading the blog, please feel free to email me (address found in the profile), and any advice you can offer, or explanations, I'm all-ears. This is something I've left to somebody else for too long, and it's high-time I start knowing enough to be aware of what questions to ask.
Oh! And, Mr Don is "CLF certified"... whatever that means. Need to study up on that, too.
So, I agreed to take Chewie to him today, a little apprehensive about the whole thing. Chewie loaded up like an angel, almost telling me he was okay. The trip was foggy as pea soup, but we made it. Arrived about ten minutes early - I thought I'd be there earlier, but I didn't plan on driving through soup.
Mr Don was very serious, and very firm. He watched Chewie walk just a little before starting. I asked him to explain everything he was doing, and he wasn't so much able to do that. I do wish I'd thought to take pictures before, during, and after. Perhaps ya'll farrier folks that read the blog could've explained more for my little scientist brain to understand. Mr Don set the left shoe on about 1/2" behind his toe, and after hot-setting it, nailed it right in place. I was a little puzzled, but when I asked any question like, "Why are you doing it that way?", he would respond, "Because that's where the foot is telling me it needs to be."
From what I saw, he set the shoe back 1/2", rasped the front down, set the shoes a little wider than the hooves on both (front right inside more than any of the other three side edges). He added a nifty pad to the right front, it was thin around the outside, and had an oval-shaped pad squishy part in the middle. Good thing, because Chewie's sole was soft & tender on that hoof.
Essentially, I did learn a few things. Well, let me rephrase. Mr Don said a few things, and some of them I understood, some of them I need to learn & study more.
1) Chewie's P2 & P3 are separating from the laminae, evidenced by the inner sag just above his hoof. I need to read more .... But, Mr Don said this has been caused by the lack of balance on his hoof, and the bones have been pushed down further & further. We're hoping the trim he did today will begin the rebalancing process, and when the coronary band "sees" the extra shoe, it'll start to stretch out, and the laminae will reattach their little selves to P2 & P3, bringing them back up where they belong.
2) Chewie was quicked three times at his last shoe-ing. Once on right front, twice on left front. I was shocked. Saw it with my own two eyes - the nail holes were inside the hoof wall, set on the sole. OUCH!
3) When the shoes were set, but toes not rasped down, Mr Don asked me to lunge him briefly at trot. Chewie was sound headed left, lame headed right. Right front inside still brought pain. Later, after all four hooves were trimmed, he had me lunge again. Chewie was better... still a bit lame going right, but better. When we got home, I tried again, with a little bit more improvement.
4) Found a pulse above the heel, but above all the ankle bones. Found the right front to have a heavier pulse than the left front. Mr Don asked that I keep checking it, and we're hoping the left front will go away completely (i.e. won't be able to detect it), and the right will decrease a little every day. Right front pulse won't go away for a long time, due to the shape the hoof is in.
I am going to take some pictures this weekend & post them up. Any farrier folks reading the blog, please feel free to email me (address found in the profile), and any advice you can offer, or explanations, I'm all-ears. This is something I've left to somebody else for too long, and it's high-time I start knowing enough to be aware of what questions to ask.
Oh! And, Mr Don is "CLF certified"... whatever that means. Need to study up on that, too.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Romeo Over Obstacles
Since I was in such a bad horse mood, I grabbed Romeo in the evening (after soaking myself in mosquito repellant), and saddled up.
He knew exactly what his job was, walking up the road & back. Didn't look hard at anything. I said, "whoa", he'd stop on a nickel, and look back at me curious. We wandered back to the house, I sat a little trot, mostly to change up what I thought would be a complicated ride (since I hadn't been on him in weeks). He acted like it was all no big deal. Layed a tarp down on the grass, and he swished across it a number of times, almost as if he enjoyed the noise. Played a little sending game between me and the pasture gate - no problem. He trotted past a few times, then realized walking was much easier. Worked about an hour, without incident. Plenty of cookies to say, "thank you".
A much needed work, but I'm more anxious to get Chewie back online, and in the round pen, to get back to cantering. He's obviously a little anxious himself, as he watched with a sad face while I rode Romeo last night.
He knew exactly what his job was, walking up the road & back. Didn't look hard at anything. I said, "whoa", he'd stop on a nickel, and look back at me curious. We wandered back to the house, I sat a little trot, mostly to change up what I thought would be a complicated ride (since I hadn't been on him in weeks). He acted like it was all no big deal. Layed a tarp down on the grass, and he swished across it a number of times, almost as if he enjoyed the noise. Played a little sending game between me and the pasture gate - no problem. He trotted past a few times, then realized walking was much easier. Worked about an hour, without incident. Plenty of cookies to say, "thank you".
A much needed work, but I'm more anxious to get Chewie back online, and in the round pen, to get back to cantering. He's obviously a little anxious himself, as he watched with a sad face while I rode Romeo last night.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
It's a Bad Mental Horse Day
Mosquitoes have come out in full squad. The horses are aggrevated, and so am I.
I'm also having a bad mental day related to the boys. Both mean a lot to me, but when I go this long without rides, I start wondering what each is worth, can I sell, can I find a more suitable show horse in place of either, should I even be considering selling? Is there anybody that would want either for a reasonable cost? Can I even find something that would fit my style, riding frequency, and not either fall down lame or go bonkers keeping up with me?
This too will pass, I think. It's nearly impossible to go with them in the pasture as long as they've been there, doing nothing under saddle, and not wonder why in the world there are two of them out there that I do nothing with. I want to be riding... They're not pasture ornaments, and that's not what they came here for. They were to be for trail riding, lessons, and pleasure. Grooming mud and walking over tarps is good, but not as often as I've been doing it lately.
I'm bored, and something needs to change, and soon.
I'm also having a bad mental day related to the boys. Both mean a lot to me, but when I go this long without rides, I start wondering what each is worth, can I sell, can I find a more suitable show horse in place of either, should I even be considering selling? Is there anybody that would want either for a reasonable cost? Can I even find something that would fit my style, riding frequency, and not either fall down lame or go bonkers keeping up with me?
This too will pass, I think. It's nearly impossible to go with them in the pasture as long as they've been there, doing nothing under saddle, and not wonder why in the world there are two of them out there that I do nothing with. I want to be riding... They're not pasture ornaments, and that's not what they came here for. They were to be for trail riding, lessons, and pleasure. Grooming mud and walking over tarps is good, but not as often as I've been doing it lately.
I'm bored, and something needs to change, and soon.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Obstacles on the Ground
Can't ride, might as well groom, add a rope halter & long lead, and see what we can tackle. Romeo was up first. He walked over the tarp, trotted over a small barrel, walked in between two trash cans placed close together, sniffed a roll of black belt-like material he always spooks at, trotted over the flower box, all without issue. I was shocked. Put him under saddle & crawl on, he would've looked hard at all but probably the tarp. Instead, he just walked over & around & between it all as if nothing was scary.
Chewie was nearly the same. Anything he tried avoiding wasn't really because it was scary, but more that he didn't want to work. When he stepped on the tarp the first time, it made it's normal swishy noise. He stopped, looked down, sniffed it, sighed, and kept walking. It was incredibly funny. It's almost like his ears said, "Whoo! What's that sound?! Oh! It's underneath me! Well, mustn't be a problem that'll eat me, I'm already standing on it. Oh well.. Keep going."
I want to ride again.. Meanwhile, I would like to find a book on Groundwork that makes it fun & keeps me & the boys connected. Going to search sometime today for somethin'. Ya'll have a nifty good day.
Chewie was nearly the same. Anything he tried avoiding wasn't really because it was scary, but more that he didn't want to work. When he stepped on the tarp the first time, it made it's normal swishy noise. He stopped, looked down, sniffed it, sighed, and kept walking. It was incredibly funny. It's almost like his ears said, "Whoo! What's that sound?! Oh! It's underneath me! Well, mustn't be a problem that'll eat me, I'm already standing on it. Oh well.. Keep going."
I want to ride again.. Meanwhile, I would like to find a book on Groundwork that makes it fun & keeps me & the boys connected. Going to search sometime today for somethin'. Ya'll have a nifty good day.
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