Bruiser "Feeling Good"

Summer Update

Summer semester has just ended and I have a mere two weeks to catch my breath before fall semester begins. The boys have a new home, a very hilly ten acre pasture with a stream that runs through the middle. Other than the 24/7 access to grass (which is nothing new) it is an ideal setup. They have three other herd mates so it is a nice, relatively quiet affair. Currently, I am eagerly awaiting the results of a nutritional analysis of their pasture. I have always wanted to learn more about horse nutriton but have been overwhelmed with all of its complexities. Now there is a new program (FeedXL) that simplies this process. I can't wait to see the results and will now be able to supplement vitamins and minerals on an as needed basis.

I have finally started trimming my boys full time and it has been so rewarding! Learning about hooves has been so much fun and trimming them myself gives me a real sense of accomplishment. If you are interested in trimming, definitely do a lot of research and be aware that it is very addictive! I have to be careful not to be too much of a perfectionist and to just walk away when I have done my best...otherwise I would spend hours on one trim. Currently, I am trying to improve the health of their frogs and am making great progress with Eclipse's toe crack. Unfortunately they both have slight separation so I will be keeping a close eye on them as we go into fall.

So far, the weather this summer has been relatively nice and most weekends I have been fortunate enough to go on trail rides with my client Anita. Her skills as a rider and horsewoman have improved significantly but Calatar has a way of always keeping her on her toes. August will be a little hit and miss as far as riding is concerned but I am looking forward to the nice cool weather that fall will bring.

My thoughts on Barefootedness

I originally posted this on the It's About The Horse forum.

There are some people that believe that shoes have ruined the human foot (if you don't believe me just google it). They say that shoes have made our feet weak (not just the soles but the internal structures) and that the majority of foot problems occur because we wear shoes. In my opinion these people seem to have beliefs that are very similar to those of a so called "barefoot purist." Now I do not believe that these beliefs are completely unjustified. I am sure that my feet are weaker than those of my barefooted ancestors but in my day to day life I seem to do alright with good fitting comfortable shoes.

Now all of that is well and good but with both horses and humans all shoes are not created equal. Someone who walks around in high heels all of the time is going to have a much unhealthier foot than someone who wears tennis shoes. Being young and healthy I could probablly "go barefoot" if I really wanted to and I am sure that over time my feet would strengthen a considerable amount. Heck there are many long distance runners out there that run barefoot and more power to them. My mom on the other hand has a "pathological foot" and going barefoot for her would be a much more painful process. Would it strengthen her feet? Probably. Would she ever go "sound" barefoot? It's doubtful. In that situation is it really fair to make her live in constant discomfort?

I think that most horses raised with proper "stimulation, nutrition, and environment" absolutely do not need shoes. But what about all of the horses who didn't have that? What about the horses that have developed hoof pathologies that are extremely uncomfortable even on soft footing? Are there aspects of shoeing that are inherently damaging to the foot? Probably. But is a well balanced foot with a properly applied shoe any worse than my mom having to wear orthotic shoes?

Luckily, I have horses with healthy enough feet that I can keep them barefoot and they are comfortable. I am also fortunate enough to have boots that fit them well and only have to use them sparingly. If I wasn't this fortunate I honestly don't know what I would do. I know that finding a good farrier is difficult at best. I also know that it would be hard for me to shoe any horse that I owned. However, all things considered it would be impossible for me to leave a horse in pain and barefoot if shoes could make it more comfortable. Would it be like putting a brace on an elbow? Yes. Would I have the potential to damage the foot if I decided to work them with that brace? Absolutely. In the end I think everyone has to weigh the pros and cons and make the decision that they are at peace with.

Keeping Up With The Joneses

Yesterday was a wonderful day to be out with the horses and I took full advantage of it. My friends, Mark and Debbie Jones have a beautiful 26 acre farm that is only four miles from where the boys are boarded. The Joneses are involved with competitive trail riding and a few years ago, Debbie began studying Parelli. I had visited their farm previously, however since then they have developed an extensive playground. I knew it would be fun to ride over there so I took Eclipse and my friend rode her horse Cody. Although it was a little hot along the road, both horses behaved wonderfully and it was a nice ride.

Several months ago I saw an ad for Khanukatchmi, a beautiful young Arabian gelding. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford another horse but I told Debbie about him and it just so happened that she was looking for a new horse to start. She loved the pictures of him and as it turned out, both her existing gelding and Khanukatchmi were grandsons of Khemosabi. She wasn't sure her husband would go for it but luckily she persevered and is now the proud owner of "Khan". When we arrived, Debbie introduced me to Khan and he was even cuter in person. I played with him for a little while and he is quite a handful! Khan is definitely left brain but he has qualities of both an introvert and an extrovert. This guy has a lot of spunk and I am looking forward to seeing him progress.

After playing with Khan, I took Eclipse over to the playground. He really has come such a long way and is so much more confident now. It took a little time but I was so proud of him for going through a scary tarp tunnel and a car wash. He was more skeptical of the teeter totter (especially after it moved) but we ended on a good note. The last obstacle that we worked on was a tire pedestal and the end result was that he was able to put both front feet on and stand calmly. All in all it was a wonderful experience and I am looking forward to visiting the Joneses more often.

Summer Break...Well Sort Of

Well it has been a while since I have posted and unfortunately I haven't been able to do much with the boys. Spring semester was more challenging than I was expecting and so my horse time was limited. Also, Eclipse had a nasty bought of rain rot and that contributed to him losing some weight. Now that summer is here Eclipse is much improved and I am ready to spend more time working with him.

Currently, I am on break and I just returned from a wonderful vacation out west. The highlight of the trip was in Kanab, UT at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I was fortunate enough to stay with one of the trainers and the manager of Horse Haven. It was even better than I expected and has really given me something to work towards; I would love to work out there after graduation. Unfortunately I will be returning to school for summer semester but it is a fairly light load and I hope to have more time to spend with my wonderful horses.

Winter Update

It has been a busy month with the start of spring semester but here is an update of how things are going. Winter in Georgia is definitely my least favorite season; the large amounts of rain that are typical in winter result in even larger amounts of mud. The mud has the obvious disadvantages of really dirty horses and poor footing but it has also resulted in an ongoing war against thrush. Treatment for Cal consists of White Lightning soaks but I have some work to do with Eclipse before I want to attempt attaching a saber tooth bag to his feet. The news is not all bad however and as much as I hate to admit it, winter does have some benefits. The lack of sugar and slower hoof growth has allowed Marian and I to make some headway on their toe cracks. Cal had one on his left hind when I purchased him (over six years ago) and Eclipse had one on his right front when I rescued him (approximately five months ago). Both cracks have improved dramatically over the past several months and I am optimistic that they will grow out completely in the near future.

Despite my crazy schedule and the winter weather, I managed to have my first ride on Eclipse a few weeks ago. Since he is still skeptical of plastic bags, I decided to do the friendly game with it to boost his confidence. Recently, I have incorporated clicker training into the usual desensitization techniques and have seen amazing results. In addition to using basic approach and retreat, I now have Eclipse target the plastic bag and as a result his general opinion of it has completely changed. After the desensitization we did some circling. Eclipse is much more left brain and is even trying to stop behind me now (typical LBI!); this is quite a difference from our first experience where he ran around like a bat out of hell.

When I got Eclipse, he was very RBE in humansville and although he had become much more left brain online, he still showed some RBE tendencies the first few times under saddle. On our first two rides, Eclipse started off very tense but after a few minutes at the passenger lesson, he did a lot of blowing and stretching. I have now ridden Eclipse half a dozen times or so and with each ride I am seeing a more confident horse. He is getting more comfortable with saddling and seems to really enjoy the Myler comfort snaffle. The horse that "needed" to be held for mounting is now doing a wonderful job of standing on his own. Also we recently did our first trail ride and he was an absolute star. There was some slight hesitation at a mud/water crossing but when I gave him the time he needed, he would do anything I asked for (including some jumps!). I am absolutely thrilled with his progress and can't wait to see what his full potential is.