Foot Trimming..Again

Tucker was the victim patient this time. Her feet had not been done for a while due to her weight loss and physical condition. She is now back up to 1023 pounds which is still 100 pounds below her normal weight and was starting to grow hoof again.

 Nippers at work. Sorry for the blurry photo. I don't know why, but it happened.

One foot done and three to go. Fortunately, they only have to be done every 6 to 8 weeks as my back ain't what it used to be.

I consider this chart to be real progress. I almost put her down at the end of December. I'll see if we can enjoy her this summer. At 27 years young, it is unlikely that she will see another winter. As you can see, it is difficult to keep her weight regulated. The others are relatively easy in the cold weather.

This is a very useful and simple tool for keeping track of  a horse or pony weight during the winter when hay isn't cheap!

The top scale is in cm, the next is horse weight in pounds, third is horse (or pony ) weight in kg and the last is number of hands high. For the last, a foot on the D ring keeps it tight on the ground.

Update on Tucker

Underneath this is a BIG hole in the sole, and a DEEP hole. We had to get the vet back out as Tucker  reverted to a three legged horse once again. I tried to clean it out by myself, but she would not let me near it. The vet tried with the same result. After all, she is an 1100 pound horse.

So more sedative and another heavy dose of penicillin!  Once the sedative kicked in, he tried again, and again had difficulty. I grabbed an ear and twitched it hard to get her mind off the foot. Take your thumb and forefinger and grab an ear as hard as you can squeeze at the same time twisting the ear. This reminds you of your old school days, right?  It worked and he cleaned out the abscess again, and opened it up more. 

I will spare you pictures for two reasons. 1: It was a bloody mess with gobs of black stuff. 2: I couldn't hold the camera with one hand and twitch the ear with the other at the same time as dodging the odd hoof heading my way.

Under the duct tape is the hole packed with blue stone ( copper sulphate) and a one foot square of old denim to keep the chemical in and the dirt out.

When the vet was done, I soaked the hoof well with a solution of Epsom salts and water.

This morning she came running to greet me as if nothing was wrong. Due to the waterproof pack I put her back into the field with the other two horses. That's where she wanted to be. Once in with them, she stopped pacing and settled down.

I guess this is another use for duct tape that Red Green hasn't figured out!

Two Down, One to Go

Before

 I'm trying to spread out the farrier work, mainly to ease up on the old back. Biz's hoof's were slightly splayed, a little long in the toe, and in need of a frog clean up.

After

 The after shot shows her still a little long in the toe, but without the "duck foot" appearance.

Before

 The frog was a mess, with the growth growing out, and causing a pocket for crud to catch in and possibly cause bacterial growth. Not good! The nail was about 1/2 inch longer than it should be.

After

A good frog and nail trim shows the hoof the way it should be. Good to go for another 8 weeks, or 100km, whichever comes first.  The nail is still a little long to give some better traction. She can rest up Friday, then maybe a little ride on Saturday would be in order.

In case you are wondering about the striped hoof, it is a characteristic of an Appaloosa.

The Old and The New

Here is my latest acquisition, a replacement hoof knife for the tried and true knife used for the last 4 years on over 90 horses. It shows the amount of wear it takes to keep the knife cutting sharp. There is nothing worse than trying to pare out hardened sole from a horse's hoof with a dull knife. Or one that has no leverage left to dig deep. I figure at approximately 38 cents a horse, the old knife has done yeoman duty.

This week, with the weather being absolutely balmy at about +5C in the daytime, I took the opportunity to do my three horses and also the neighbours three horses. They have a new horse, three years old and, fortunately, halter broke. However her feet were a mess due to lack of attention. Hoof broken out, soles perforated and a bleeding piece torn out of the hind foot.

I had to desensitize her with a rope, then use the rope around the lower pastern to get her to submit to having her feet worked on. It worked out, and no casualties, either horse or farrier.

I still think horses are the most amazing of God's creatures. Submissive and obedient, just as we are called to be.