Ich bin der Esel schlagger(in).
Last week I got a haircut. Lobbed off four inches to get rid of split ends and such. Usually I cut it within an inch of not being able to put it up anymore, but I'd like to donate it again next year so just a maintenance trim and next spring I'll do the big lob off. I have been enjoying being able to braid it as I don'5 have to adjust my hair to put a helmet on and I get zero tangles throughout the day.
Kitt trotted in for breakfast for the first time in weeks. Her feet are firming up and I have her in boots when she is turned out and bare in the stall. It seems to be working and I think she can go back into work starting with my less demanding students. Kevin won't be out until Thursday and we should be in good shape by then so I think she should be good staying bare. Apart from the monetary benefits of not paying for shoes I believe in most circumstances the hoof is healthier without shoes. Kitt has dealt with some slughtly contracted heels in the front and she tends to grow a really skinny frog. Her backs, which have been barefoot, don't have an issue with growing a good frog or contracted heels. Right now she has chipped off everything to the nail hole except for the toe where, surprise, there are no holes. Metal doesn't give. It provides protection to the foot and keeps the horse from feeling what is under that area of the foot, but it doesn't flex or absorb concussion at all unlike the natural horn of the foot.
That all said Ruby's feet are looking fantastic with her front shoes. The ringbone had always put a little odd growth on her right foot so at the end of a rotation she would have a split at the quarters, but last year it started really creating a divot in the inside of her right front and it looked like the hoof was essentially collapsing in om itself. The shoes have stabilized it and there is barely a dip and you have to run your fingers on it to feel it. Ruby will probably wear front shoes for the rest of her life, but she did go over 11 years completely barefoot. She is pretty much just sound at the walk riding now, but she will still trot into her stall in the mornings and canter out most nights.
Chris and I were talking about the age of the herd yesterday and Ruby and Charm-N are both on the watch list. They're both perfectly sound walking. Charm-N has a hitch in her get-along going left, but it is better when she is moving properly, which takes effort because Charm-N believes she knows better than her rider/driver.
I do hope the big ladies stick around a while longer, but I keep a close eye on their soundness. They are servicably sound at least.
Pebbles is going on vacation for July as Nelson plans on making some trips. I'm a little bummed, but she'll be back and hopefully we can really get cruising around the neighborhood. She was better this week on some things and we're getting out the gate faster. Maybe she'll miss me and be more eager after the break. I haven't had to use the whip nearly so much. I swear I feel like a donkey-beater sometimes.
Jenny is making progress in her training with four sessions under her belt. Negotiations have begun as I tried to longline her a little last time. Donkeys have their own ideas about things and being less forward redirecting the energy is a little more difficult. The "beatings" have commenced with Jenny, though this last time she stepped over nice and promptly yielding her haunches (shoulders required more work).
Kitt trotted in for breakfast for the first time in weeks. Her feet are firming up and I have her in boots when she is turned out and bare in the stall. It seems to be working and I think she can go back into work starting with my less demanding students. Kevin won't be out until Thursday and we should be in good shape by then so I think she should be good staying bare. Apart from the monetary benefits of not paying for shoes I believe in most circumstances the hoof is healthier without shoes. Kitt has dealt with some slughtly contracted heels in the front and she tends to grow a really skinny frog. Her backs, which have been barefoot, don't have an issue with growing a good frog or contracted heels. Right now she has chipped off everything to the nail hole except for the toe where, surprise, there are no holes. Metal doesn't give. It provides protection to the foot and keeps the horse from feeling what is under that area of the foot, but it doesn't flex or absorb concussion at all unlike the natural horn of the foot.
That all said Ruby's feet are looking fantastic with her front shoes. The ringbone had always put a little odd growth on her right foot so at the end of a rotation she would have a split at the quarters, but last year it started really creating a divot in the inside of her right front and it looked like the hoof was essentially collapsing in om itself. The shoes have stabilized it and there is barely a dip and you have to run your fingers on it to feel it. Ruby will probably wear front shoes for the rest of her life, but she did go over 11 years completely barefoot. She is pretty much just sound at the walk riding now, but she will still trot into her stall in the mornings and canter out most nights.
Chris and I were talking about the age of the herd yesterday and Ruby and Charm-N are both on the watch list. They're both perfectly sound walking. Charm-N has a hitch in her get-along going left, but it is better when she is moving properly, which takes effort because Charm-N believes she knows better than her rider/driver.
I do hope the big ladies stick around a while longer, but I keep a close eye on their soundness. They are servicably sound at least.
Pebbles is going on vacation for July as Nelson plans on making some trips. I'm a little bummed, but she'll be back and hopefully we can really get cruising around the neighborhood. She was better this week on some things and we're getting out the gate faster. Maybe she'll miss me and be more eager after the break. I haven't had to use the whip nearly so much. I swear I feel like a donkey-beater sometimes.
Jenny is making progress in her training with four sessions under her belt. Negotiations have begun as I tried to longline her a little last time. Donkeys have their own ideas about things and being less forward redirecting the energy is a little more difficult. The "beatings" have commenced with Jenny, though this last time she stepped over nice and promptly yielding her haunches (shoulders required more work).