new trim 12/12/10

I had the grinder out for working on another horse, so I went ahead and did a balance on Taffy. She wasn't crazy about the wind it produces, but accepted it with encouragement. No drama.

remarks on this balance-
Hinds:
tapered hind bars, lateral bars laying over, quarter flares evident
refreshed mustang roll and quarter relief

Fores:
lowered heels to 1/8 inch above live sole, tapered bars (not much needed- I have kept after them with the knife. They are growing quite straight so I think they are equalized)
quarter relief, toe rocker- more on LF. mustang roll- she has been chipping the outer wall on the toes.
Medial heel seems to want to be much shorter than lateral. this appears to produce fetlock varus- turning out from fetlock down. I rolled off lateral toe and quarter (tends to flare) more and more quarter relief on the medial side. the LF continues to grow very vertical medially and flare laterally. I am going to look up higher for the answer... the opposite hind leg seems ok.

Best news- immediately after balance Taffy offered to trot off on the lunge. She has been increasingly energetic since the trim. No soreness, no limping, no imbalanced stances, no hesitation or compensation on pivots--- except for "little feet" compared to her bulkiness, she seems normal =) I want to get her a show halter for christmas... I'm sure she'll settle for a carrot (she adores food).

Fat and sassy

Not getting out much lately- but I did some liberty work with the herd today... Taffy had plenty of impulsion haha. She had fun tearing around the corral and track. Even fluffed her tail up and pranced a bit! Then kicked up her heels. Fun to watch her enjoying pain-free cavorting :)

I worked on her LF a bit- it seems to flare mostly to the lateral side - the medial side remains vertical but rippled. She moved well after the rebalance. (lowered lateral heel and quarters all the way to lateral toe pillar)

comfy on gravel/hard packed dirt roads!

Shortly after sunrise, while the western mountains still glowed desert mauve, Taffy and I headed out for a stroll. She walked carefully over our one inch gravel driveway, and comfortably on the road shoulder, with the occasional bobble over a large rock. Taffy now hunts the good footing. As we sauntered along a dirt/gravel road, she drifted to the softer desert footing. She did move well on the hard packed roads, but preferred the give of the shoulder area. Can't blame her! Other barefoot horses I ride do the same. They know what feels good! We cantered a bit, jogged a bunch, and walked at varying speeds. Aside from the wicked wind, it was a gorgeous morning. The wind is worse tonight, with a chance of rain, so the equines have their slickers on (waterproof breathable turnouts). The run in shelter isn't big enough for all 3 at once, so they wear their shelters ;)

I'm thinking my saddle is too long for her. 26 inch skirts.... she kicks out each time we canter for the first time on a ride... Maybe the skirts are irritating her hips?! Or I just have to keep it from sliding back...

note to self- "clunk" in fetlocks at the walk disappears on soft footing. No jar at any other gait.

Still happy hoofies

I did a vertical run with the fine side of the rasp around Taffy's fore toes today- she was beginning to chip off a couple places. I just hadn't done a proper "mustang" roll recently. She is still comfy and happy. I have been sneaking in bareback mini rides here and there. She's a great balance teacher- keeps me centered 'cause if I get off center she moves in response. I love her lightness. just ask nicely with a whisper of seat, leg or rein and she'll do it! My posture is improving. Her back muscles are amazing- I haven't felt such strength on any other horse I've ridden bareback. Happy mama.

Two rides in 3 days :-)

Taffy happily hopped into M's trailer on Thursday morning. We rode in the southern Cerbat Mts. N of Ft Beale rd. Rabbits, quail and a whole herd of deer punctuated our trek through the desert hills. Taffy was a good girl. We went booted on fronts only, no problems! One slightly scraped hind heel is all- bag balm made it better.

Today we rode from home, and she was feeling so good about 15 minutes in to the ride I cued for a lope. I got a kick out! I felt her bunch under me, and was ready when she threw her hinds up. I made sure she got some extra work for that. Not long after, she wanted to jig, so I halfpassed her at the trot both ways for a while. Then she decided to just walk. The rest of the ride was terrific. Still riding bitless. It works great for trail riding. She never felt tenderfooted at all (rode with front boots).

I think she is picking up some weight over the topline. Ribs still showing through her fuzzy fur- I am feeding more beet pulp with the Integrity adult/senior formula (no molasses!) She is getting psyllium every morning, in case her scrounging habits have contributed to sand in the gut.

irresistible

I had fun with some white face paint... Taffy does not have a star, just a snip... but it looks cute, doesn't it?

More 5 month progress video

Video 5 months+1wk... awesome

I don't think I've mentioned that Taffy has not been medicated prior to any of the videos on this blog. She is still slightly tender when she steps on a piece of gravel on hard footing. (only a couple of my horses haven't done this- the TB! and the Rocky x.- funny, it was the geldings...)
Here we go...

Hot to trot....!

I adjusted Taffy's trim again.... a day later she was eager to kick up her heels and RACE around the perimeter of our property. She didn't take a sore step in 20 minutes of energetic prancing and dancing, bolting and snorting. I love how she is respectful of me on the ground even when she is "Hot". Never pins her ears at me. At one point she was coming toward me, I put up my arms to block her, and she did her best cutting horse impression, bouncing left, right, left, then wheeling around and taking off the opposite direction. She sure loves to play!

Her hooves certainly look awfully short compared to last May... Amazingly, I have only taken off a small amount of flaky sole since the first trim. I just keep the walls and bars down, and tidy the frog as needed... Amazing! Time for new pictures and measurements. Stay tuned!
I still see the toe first thing during a slow walk- but not at a faster walk, and not when she wears boots. Sometimes it's just a small hitch in the fetlock motion.

what a beautiful day

Lovely autumn weather, no nasty wind, just right.... I squeezed in a sunset ride. Decided to try going without the boots.

A little unsteady over the gravel in front of the house, smooth as silk on pavement. Taffy was eager all the way- seemed to really enjoy getting out. I love how she isn't reluctant to leave home. We headed into the wash- deep sandy stretches scattered with stones and small rocks. She picked her way through the rocks nicely, but was steady and energetic- enjoyed a long canter. She was such a good girl and we had a nice time, just about an hour out. I'm not certain if it's my imagination, it's so slight- she seems to hitch on her LF just slightly and only at the walk. It feels almost as if she has a longer leg on that side if that makes sense. It doesn't bother her any- she's not bobbing her head or favoring it at all.

As is my habit, our ride was sprinkled with lateral work and transitions, pivots and backing. I find it helps keep a horse tuned in to me no matter where I'm riding.

As I saw on a T shirt... Life is good... Horses make it better

Chiropractor visits again, thrush fades

I adjusted the trim again a couple days ago- heels were 1/4 inch above sole, so I lowered and beveled those front to back- lower in back, arched the quarters and rolled the toe... same story as last time. I also tidied up her frogs, especially the fores, and added lots of NO Thrush powder. It's working great, even with the mucky footing since all the rains last week. I have done my best to get the NT into her frogs and grooves every day.

Yesterday she had another chiropractic adjustment- much better than first time, and she had a spot out in her neck which released and she was so glad she dropped her head and did the lick and chew "thank you"... She did a bit of teeth clacking before that, but wasn't naughty. Today she is moving comfortably- no toe stabbing- more of a flat landing on the fores. She hadn't been walking that way for a while when the thrush got a toehold (pun intended).

I did get to ride once this past weekend- Poor Taffy got a hoof on the reins, and as I was trying to lift her foot off the reins she lifted her head and bruised her mouth with the bit.. just before I was going to get on... So it was bitless bridle for that ride. We did a bit of canter work- fun! and some flying changes- fun fun fun! She wore front boots.

She isn't rocking back on her haunches to turn now- that seems to come and go.

OOPS The comments disappeared!

Thanks to all who stop by- if you have commented in the past, for some reason (likely my technological ignorance), they all were swallowed into a black cyber hole. I changed some settings so hopefully when you comment now I can actually see them and approve them to show up on the page! I have this page set to not be found by search engines, so only people I have sent the link to will know about it. (Less than 50 people).
I'm eager to read your comments! Hope they work now :)
p.s. I rode Taffy barehoof in the neighborhood yesterday- ouchy on rocks but fine otherwise :) comfy on smooth surfaces and plowed fields. Her central sulci on the fores are widening up and getting shallower and shallower since I started using "no Thrush" most every day. I had to lower the heels and arch the quarters on the fores yesterday before riding- didn't want to crack anything (hinds were chippped and peely after the trail ride&I don't like chips and peels). No more boots for turnout for now. She's happy :) I love how she likes to be scratched and loved on. She's learning to trust me with her udder area too. (if she ever has a foal, she'll have to let them nurse!!-not that that's anytime soon...)

First LOONG Trail ride- 10-11-10

Time for Taffy to show what she can do out in the desert mts. Today we rode 5+ hours at a walk mostly- short canters and lots of jiggy trots when she wasn't with her buddy horses. The Renegades did great- one did come off in the boggy soggy mushy sucking mud at the springs. It was not adjusted right to begin with. It was a hind boot.
She wore all 4 boots for most of the ride- made a huge difference. We wouldn't have made it up the first rocky steep grade without them. She wore the fronts for the entire ride, and I put on the hinds once we got into the rocks.
She did great- crossed the water (jumping over whenever possible), through sandy wash, around cactus and up and down rocky hills. She got a lot more careful where she put her feet by the end of the ride. Nine horses started, two turned back before the springs due to time constraints, and two went on ahead when one balked at the water. So 5 of us straggled down and split up as we neared town. Taffy was glad for some water at the trailer! She wouldn't drink at the spring. She had a nice snack while we were waiting for the balky horse to come through the water. She never did seem tired- just winded going up the steep rocky grade toward the beginning of the ride. I led her the last 100 yards of that. She is definitely learning to trust me :P
Funny thing- of the 9 horses that went- NOT ONE had shoes. This was a challenging trail! 3 horses were booted, the others fully bare. Only one had a sore shoulder at the end. Not one sore hoof.

Not much new here

Life is going on... Taffy is off and on... I started using "No Thrush"- a DRY thrush treatment powder- on her pinchy little frog slits. Already they are more shallow than they were. We have all the right ingredients for soundness now- Performance trim, Low NSC diet, Thrush control, movement- just add TIME and shake well... Not really, more like Ride More!

Taffy loves to go places and see things, and loves to eat. She has picked up some pounds in the last month, doing well on Integrity Feed's adult/senior no molasses twice a day along with her Bermuda hay. She gets a pound of soaked plain alfalfa pellets occasionally.

We had rain! The softer ground agrees with Taffy. We are practicing our arcs and counterarcs- we opened and closed gates 3 times yesterday with no troubles ::):) I gave her a copper mouthed bit yesterday and she was much quieter with it. Still pinching myself that I own such a well bred bundle of personality. Thank you SS.

Mohave County Fair... we did it!

It wasn't all pretty, but Taffy successfully competed barefoot at the 2010 Mohave County Fair Open Horse Show...

English Pleasure... 4th of 5 (oops wrong lead for a stride or two)
English Equitation... 3rd of 5 (oops forgot to button up the shirt), we did get the correct leads :)

Trail- that's a long story... too tired to share it now... we did finish the course and placed 6th, not dead last, but close.

Western Pleasure- 11 horses, we were not in the top 6
Western Equitation- 4th of 8... I think... It was a pattern with two counter lead lopes. first one was fine. Second we had to try and try to get it, but get it we did. Taffy did a really nice fast back at the end.

My goal was to compete barefoot- and not get hurt... We succeeded :)
I did place #1 in Trail with my former horse, and also won the Grand Champion award in Trail. Woo hoo!!!

We weren't last....

I got the results from the Trail class in Chino Valley!!!! We were 3rd :) Not last, as I suspected..... the results showed 5 horses. So we were right in the middle. I got the patterns for this weekend's show today. Wow- counter lead circles in eq and many challenges in trail. LONG outside course. I know Taffy is a good girl at shows,,, but the trail class is out near the carnival... and it is held in the afternoon after the carnival gets going. We'll just take what comes and do our best. I'm hoping the judge will allow the hoof boots since it's an outside course.

It's my old horse's new owner's first show... it will be exciting for her. And me- watching her!! I get to ride Honey in trail again. She'll be a good girl. We'll have fun.

good workout

Took Taffy and my daughter's pony to friend's arena- Pony was a bit bratty- but no wrecks...

Taffy can canter nice and slowly and collected--- I am learning how to collect her. Friend rode her for me to show me how she looked nicely collected and how to drive her hind legs up with leg and then ask for headset- releasing when it's right. She was gorgeous and the jog was lovely. Rode with boots after she picked up a little rock that stuck in the middle of her RF frog. Still riding with shorter shanked curb and leather curb strap- better fit for us for the time being. I love how cute she looks with her head where it belongs- vertical face and even neck--- and draped reins :)

Trim adjustment and mud puddles

Decided to balance the fores yesterday- lowered the lateral heel to match the medial on the LF. lowered and angled the heels on all, to approximate the collateral groove angle. Lowered the quarters to sole- still seeing stress ripples in the quarters on the fores. Refreshed breakover on both fores and happy to see thicker walls across the toes. No obvious separation at the white line on the bottom, just slight toe flare remains on bottom 1/3 of fores.

On our way to my longe area, there was a nice mud puddle courtesy of the drip system on our trees. She walked through several times- still wants to come over on me some to get around it, but is trusting me more. Still comes right up to me for her scratches or hand licks.

Did some experimenting with voice commands on the longe- tone, register, timing. She will have to adjust to my voice but if I can approximate the voice that trained her, it will make things easier in the transition.

I had left her boots off all day Saturday after the ride, and this was Sunday morning after a trim adjustment- she was short striding the RF at the canter. She got the boots back on!!!

Today we plan to practice in our friend's arena again- our last arena workout before Sunday. I now have confidence that Taffy knows what to do in the ring, and settles into her work nicely. Before the Chino Valley show I had not ridden or worked her every day, just a few times a week, and not much loping. So we entered walk trot- and I was pleased with her demeanor and presence. This show will be all 3 gaits. At least her lope is easy to sit! I thought I was all over the place but when I looked at the video (see last week's posts) it didn't appear as bad as it felt- didn't look bad at all, at least to me...

Another comfortable ride

Another pic from our 1st show. This is not the way to do Trail- my hand is way high, too much leg and Taffy is stressed, but I like the Piaffe effect- She really can sit down and engage the HQ!

This morning Taffy had some water training... I took it slow and easy and other than a couple sideways leaps she did great! Even stepped one hind foot in the last time through.... This is fair trail class warm up!

Since her feet were wet, I removed the boots to ride in the wash. She was ouchy over gravel but comfortable on the smooth surfaces- asphalt, smooth dirt, sidewalks... And just fine in the deep gravelly wash. We worked on patience- she really likes to GO when we're out. I started out in the bitless, then bridled her from the saddle with the bit... good girl Taffy!

I changed to a shorter shanked curb bit with a leather curb strap- I am not light enough in the hands for the longer shanked bit with curb chain. I asked her to lower her head and back and pivot and sidepass one step at a time- it's getting better. I tried the leg wiggle cue for headset- I think she knows that. I lightly cued with the reins and waved my legs in and out slightly- she responded nicely. She also gave me lots of nice whoas with me exhaling strongly before saying WHOA. I think she likes advance notice ;)

Now, I am still wondering where her "Relax" button is.... She sometimes gets into a chewy fit of nerves- tries to chew the reins and bit shank... when she wants to go and I say Whoa :) This is when we ride out alone. She doesn't get like this much with a group.

Hooves- RF great, LF lateral outgrowing the medial, heel and quarters- and she needs a breakover adjustment. Hinds are chipping slightly so a new mustang roll is in order. Hind bars are a bit long- beginning to lay over sole. Needs new fore breakover... boots and pads for turnout is still giving the best results. Today was the first completely non-booted outside ride.... Happy mama...

Oh boy Oh boy Happy day! VIDEO!

If you haven't seen the previous post about our first show, there are PICS!!

Took Taffy to a friend's arena again today. Boy was she full of herself! I let her go in the arena for a few minutes and she took off like a shot- I've never seen her take off like that before! Thus far she is in front boots (has been in boots with pads for turnout since the show on Sunday.)... I began working her in draw reins- and snaffle reins- no curb chain on. Ok at walk and trot, but boy she wanted to run at the canter-so I let her out a notch and she did a rodeo bronc impression haha. Once I got her slowed down I dismounted and took her to the round pen. She raced around like she had endless energy! I forget she's only 6 sometimes, and that her hoof pain has kept a lid on her energy for a while. She bobbled, and I suspected rocks in the boots, so I removed them (full of dirt and pebbles). After about 5 minutes of running and extended trots both ways around the pen, she stopped by the gate as if to say OK, I'm settled down now! So she was, and we had a nice workout in the arena- 100% barehoof. No bobbling! The arena was freshly disked, so the footing was nice and deep. Here, see for yourself! (no, she is not on bute or any other pain masker) We are having a conversation about headset- we aren't quite in agreement yet! Now, ride more ride more and get some fat back on her... I don't like to see ribs :(

And here's another one... might make you dizzy....

A fun day- First show together

Sunday the 5th of September- a friend offered to have us join her for a trip to the Yavapai college High Plains Adventure horse show in Chino Valley. I dolled up Taffy and we loaded up at 445 am.

Taffy loaded and traveled like a pro- ate and drank well the entire time. She whinnied twice when we got there and then quieted right down.

We entered showmanship- placed 2nd of 3 (beat by a mini!!)

Halter mares we placed 4th of 6... I know she's not halter material, but just wanted to try for fun.

Our friend rode well in her classes, and placed 1st in both rail classes (no competition but she rode well regardless!).

I didn't want to push Taffy much, so we rode Walk-trot equitation and pleasure. 5th of 5 in eq, and 4th of 6 in pleasure. The judge preferred the english horses over the western and gaited, which were all in together in the walk/trot/jog classes.

I was pleased with her obedience and smoothness. He commented on Taffy's soreness- it was slight, and I couldn't feel it except when she stumbled a little (which the judge saw). So I put on the hoof boots for Trail- the trail judge approved them.

Trail was a trial, we have to practice our finesse and fine tune our communication!!! She wasn't naughty, I just overcued her. We did complete all obstacles without any knocks. We left before results were announced, but I was pleased with our round anyway!

Looking forward to the county fair show Sept. 19- this time walk trot canter... got out the drawreins today to encourage proper headset. Had a good workout this evening-in boots, on a search for a missing model rocket we had launched earlier today (found it!!!). Taffy is strong in the canter- outside. More arena practice needed... She was very forward tonight... the curb chain bounced off one side and she was still a good girl. Gotta add rubber bands to the curb hooks (myler correction D with hooks- Ss tack dot com sells it). Got mine on eBay :)

I'm planning to work her daily now, till Fair. That means 4:30 AM most days! Oh goody.

About the same...

Taffy is still very comfortable in boots, ouchy over the frog/heel on rocks bare. Time to soak again. We practice a little show stuff in a friend's arena the other day. She was great- but I got nervous by the gate and so did she. Sigh. She is finding places to scrape herself- a small hind leg scrape is the latest. I am pleased she rode perfectly in my 2h straight trailer to the friend's house. I am going to try her out on the soft dirt again after soaking and see if she's up to going for a ride to a show this Sunday. A friend has invited me to bring her along.

Today was spa day- got all her whiskers and ears and bridle path clipped. She was a really good girl for all that. Mane shortened :( I like it long but the rubbed out spot now blends into the shortened mane, so it will grow out together... Will band for Sunday if we show. I'm thinking this is a warm up for the Fair show... Will enter novice classes since I'm a novice on such a finely trained horse!

Another tweak

August 26- rain today. Hooves were softer after the rain, so I groomed the bars on all fours, keeping them even with the adjacent sole. Refreshed the quarter arch on the fores, rolled the fore toes to encourage more heel first landing. She still lands flat or slightly toe first. She is still very comfortable in front boots, and mostly comfortable in the corral.

Once this week I rode a little walk and jog in the practice arena- and opened and closed the gate. Taffy was the best ever with the gate. I rode her bitless again. :)

video 10 weeks :-)

Still not as much heel first as I'd like to see, but only a few bobbles. This is hard ground with scattered gravel.

A guarded excitement

Things are looking good.
How good...?
Taffy has been very comfortable in boots with full double pads for weeks. I don't leave them on 24x7 now, it's really hot and the pads don't breathe. I don't want rotten frog/sole etc.
Sunday last, August 15
I soaked her again in the ClO2, All 4 feet. More time on fores. No apparent immediate difference in how she tenderfooted around.
Later that day.....
NO hobbling?!?! without boots!!
keeping the deep thrush (or other hidden greeblies) away is doing wonders. She has been without the boots for turnout almost all week.

Thursday, TWELVE weeks out of shoes.... I had to get out and ride (have only been able to ride a couple times a week, short schools)... We worked on cues- or rather, I went searching for the right buttons. Learning this horse is a challenge for me, as I am not the quietest rider seat and hand wise, and she is ultra light. Current challenge: gate obstacle for trail class. Taffy sidepasses left off a right seat cue, but to push the gate left I have to unweight my right seatbone. So she sidepasses right! I try adding right leg, she gets huffy and bouncy and fusses at me with her lips). What do you WANT? she seems to be asking. I am schooling her in a bitless bridle so I don't mess up her mouth cues. We did get the gate opened and closed, step stop step stop repeat. Tried a push gate and back through also. Once I get into her rhythm, this will be fun. Stopping from a sidepass, pivot/spin, or backing is still a mystery button.

To cool off we took a jaunt around the neighborhood. She was eager to trot, but I asked for a walk. She covers a lot of ground at the walk when out of the arena. I sure love moonlight riding. She is a brave mare, only once blowing her nostrils when we came to a shiny spot on the road where it was recently graded. Must have looked strange to her. She trusted me and walked through though.

And then....
on the way back,
we came upon the neighbor's vacant field
freshly disked.
An invitation
to take off the boots
and see how she moves
on naked feet in arena type footing.
....
.....drum roll>>>>>


Perfect.
:):):):):)
Happy happy!!!


I stayed on her across the hard dirt, only a few bobbles from gravel.
Fine across blacktop
I dismounted and led her across the large gravel in front of our house.
lots of bobbles, but willing movement.
HUGE improvement.
Yipeeeeee!
She got a good rinse off with stiff hairbrush (her fave). and her bucket of yummmm.

(currently Nutrena senior feed-no molasses-4 lb a day divided, free choice bermuda hay, AZ regional mix supplement with flax (horse tech dot com) and bugchek supplement. Fewer itchies, finally.)
Sigh, I'm so tickled she's been comfortable all week. I did roll her toes, arch the quarters, and lower the heels yesterday a few hours before riding. Her feet are now the size of the shoes I pulled- that much de-contraction. Will have to post a measurement pic.

Mark up- first attempt

I attempted to show the geometry of the hoof here. Of the distance between the back of the heels/frog to the breakover (front of P3), 2/3 should lie behind the apex of the frog and 1/3 in front. She still has a little ways to go, as the area marked 1/3 is not half as long as the 2/3 distance (yet!)

The green ring isn't quite in the right place, the best I could do. It helps me find the front of P3, and reveals that the toe is still stretched forward. Some trimmers would do a vertical nipper cut on the red line, and bevel between the green and red. (Red is not quite in the right place either). I am chicken and since I am able to rocker her toe as often as it begins to bear positive pressure, I think we can grow it out just fine without being that agressive. The toe is beveled, it just doesn't show well from this angle.

Sole searching

10 weeks- I wanted to put this photo last, but can't get it to rearrange on this blogger. Heels have come way back, wall is thickening, frog is increasing in health and function, and overall shape is returning to round- still wider on lateral side than medial, but this corresponds to her P3 (coffin bone) on the Xrays from 2008. See earlier post.
From here we let the walls grow up a little, while maintaining the bevel on the walls to the water line- not the white line, as I have been doing. I will continue to groom the bars to keep them passive and off the sole, and rocker the toe for breakover and to grow out the dorsal flare. There's still some bruise staining growing out in the sole- we'll see if that disappears soon.
Yeah- that's my bare foot in the background! I need my own little bit of "hoof" protection as you can see. haha



Days before pulling shoes






















Just after pulling- this is the LF, because I did not get a pic of the RF sole before trimming. It was very similar

Next photo is the First trim ....yeah, it's not quite clean around the frog...lots of white line separation-possibly alfalfa diet related, frog is puny and foot is slightly contracted. Bars still need grooming.


and 4 weeks later- note frog development, white line separation growing out and rearward migration of heels as they regenerate from the inside out. (and I lower them regularly). the WL separation in the quarters is gone on the 10 week photo.












Last pic os of the LEFT front at 10 wks. Getting Round! And the 2/3 to 1/3 ratio is nearly there. I'll try to mark up a photo to show this.

comparisons

10 weeks barefoot-she does not stub her toes, stumble, interfere, or "ka thunk" the fetlock (or DDFT). In boots she is sound to ride.

4 wks

out of shoes

fresh out of shoes- May 27

R fore

just before pulling shoes- May 27

Compare to Title Photo- taken pre-purchase in April 2010- same set of shoes I pulled the end of May.

New boots happy happy!

I have been riding Taffy every chance I get, even twice in a day- early morning and at dusk. She is smoothing out and we are communicating better every ride. With her new boots (size OO) for riding and the O boots with pads for when we arent' riding, life is great! On my to-do list: another Cl O2 soak. She's back to gimping on the hard ground. The videos were of her on yielding footing, where she is the most comfortable. I am going to ride her more in the wash where she is comfortable without the boots.

Western is going great- nice slow walk and jog, beautiful balanced turns and pivots, quiet in the mouth with a medium port sweet iron curb. I figured out that for a nice turn on the haunches (aka horsemanship turn) I should stretch tall in the saddle before I cue her over with the reins and leg, only adding a heel tap if she doesn't keep going. Easier to the right than the left so far. (Left fore is the less comfortable hoof, so it makes sense)

We tried English once so far. My legs are OUT of shape! We borrowed a tongue relief non-leverage bit (Thank you Pepper's Mom!) and Taffy does seem to prefer it to the french link, but still chomps and gapes when I ask for contact. She is used to working off the seat and legs, not a dressage hand... I don't want to change that, just have to figure out how to get a nice headset for hunt seat (if we're going to try English Pleasure haha.) Perhaps one of those Myler tongue relief snaffles with the "hooks" for a curb chain, to add a small amount of leverage. Seems like cheating to me, as a snaffle is designed for lateral flexion without leverage. Perhaps it's a way to get the Western trained horses to look right in English classes. Hmmmph. If ya can't beat 'em join 'em ?!?!? In any case, it is an adventure learning to work with Taffy and try not to UNdo her awesome foundation.

Going to let her hoof wall grow to about 1/8 inch above the sole now, she has a full inch of well connected wall on the fores, from the coronet down. I leveled off the heels to sole a couple days ago, relieved the quarters and rolled the toes back to waterline. Dorsal wall is the place I have to be most aware of, since she slightly flares there more than anywhere else. Avoiding peripheral loading is habitual for me, but I get a little too excited sometimes and take the walls too short. I am pleased with the width of the heels, but the depth at the tip of the frog needs to increase.

Take a peek

Longest Trail Ride yet! 2 hrs!

About 6 am this morning we were joined by Puppet the dressage horse and her lovely owner, Honey and her new owner, and Bella and her girl. Taffy was obedient and only flattened her ears at Bella once. Aside from that it was a smooth ride down the wash and back through the wide open space behind the high school. Taffy went without the boots in the deep sand and gravel in the wash. Once on firmer ground, the boots went back on. She did find a way to get a couple rocks in them, which she let me know about- Ouch mama.... can you help me? Once the boots were emptied she was comfortable again. I did ride without pads in the boots, so it was a bit of an experiment. I think we tired her out, as she walked much slower coming home than going out. Nice Western Pleasure walk haha. Aside from a few short jogs and trots, she walked the whole way and obeyed the bitless bridle nicely (aussie made crossunder style made of 3/8 inch rope).

Since she was tender in boots alone this evening , I double padded her. She stood patiently while I put her tennie-lamas on. She enjoyed her scratches very much. The Bug-chek supplement is on it's way- she did eat the trial pak we got. I know she'll love not having the flies itching her.

Last day of July 2010

I got brave today and took Taffy out for a neighborhood (mounted) jaunt by ourselves. Fore boots installed with full pads. No limping at all. She minded well until home was in sight and friendly whinnies were heard. Then we had to have a few "conversations" about who was in charge of the feet. She got a little bouncy on the front end again, so it was more hindquarter yields. She catches on quick.

On to the black lagoons... in other words, roadside mud puddles. Taffy says WHAT! NO WAY! I prefer to sidepass a mile instead! I dismounted and worked with her from the ground, rewarding the slightest try. Within 20 minutes she was standing IN the puddle instead of jumping OVER it. Such fun. She has so much interest in everything around her-lots of refocusing on me. I discovered that she will back into a puddle quite nicely! And loves her scratches and hand licks and face rubs when she has done a good job.

Earlier I lunged her a bit. Tried some direction changes- great going from right to left, not great the other way. More practice!

I do hope to show her at the county fair in Sept. Hopefully by then we'll have our communication finer tuned and the kinks in our conversations smoothed out. Whenever she does something I don't think I asked for, I have to ask myself what I did that might have cued her. She is SO responsive when she's focused. I rode her in the corral a couple nights ago and we did walk, leg yield, jog, lope both ways, a couple flying lead changes, side pass, turn on forehand. Still looking for turn on haunches/pivot buttons. I thought I had them, but they didn't work. Most of the ride was walk and jog. I love her smooth rocking chair lope. her jog is easy to sit also, if I can just balance well enough to keep her steady!

Time to find a new English bit. The french link snaffle isn't her thing. No tongue relief. She likes a ported bit that doesn't trap her tongue. I'm leaning towards a kimberwick or Myler snaffle.

So nice the weather has cooled enough to enjoy riding!

VIDEOS It's a beautiful thing...

I got home from Colorado today, found a happy Taffy sporting her boots. She spent the past 8 days in boots with full pads.

Time for a break from those boots....

But wait... There's more....

Needless to say, I am thrilled she is this comfortable!

July 20

Taffy continues to need the boots for comfort. I added full pads yesterday on both fores. I try to leave them off half a day at a time so that she won't cook her frogs, it's been 80 for a low and up to 110 for a high for the past week.

I have tweaked the trim a couple times- rasp and knife. Rasp to bevel toe , relieve quarters, and lower heels parallel to collateral grooves. Knife to taper bars towards apex of frog and keep them passive. Also to flake off sole which is shedding. Opened the frog sulcus slightly.(yeah it is spreading on its own!!)

Without boots her RF was more sensitive this week.
I have to remind myself that it took time for her to get to where she was before I bought her, and it will take time to restore her hoof function. The miracle of healing takes time!

7 weeks- still better in boots

Pic is me on Honey on our way to Grand Champion Open Trail 2009 at the county fair. We're doing the water obstacle (most horses refused it)

Yesterday was a fun one. I brought out my stick-n-string and urged the herd (all 3) around the paddock. Honey and Glory know what the stick means, and headed off to the other end of the L shaped paddock. Taffy figured it out after I spanked the ground and made kissing sounds. A few back and forth trots and lopes, and Taffy stops and looks at me, head low. I zig zag towards her, join up style. She hooks on and follows me this way and that. Until she spots the food! Haha. I ask her to whoa, then let her go.

I did ride Taffy a few nights ago, no jigging, no half rearing, just lots of enthusiasm to move out. We walked and trotted and worked on leg yields, side pass, pivots and backing. Getting better, though I still inadvertently cue the lope and trot from the walk. I have to really watch how I breathe, shift my weight, and wiggle my legs! It is fun to ride such a responsive horse. Not for the beginner however. (Now days are 106 plus and nights around 80. With a lighted arena I'd be riding. )

Honey on the other hand, who I owned for 5 yrs but sold in order to buy Taffy, is beginner friendly and quite tolerant. She is one of those who prefers not to move unless you ask her right and politely (wink). She is a champion at Trail- has always been 1st or 2nd in her limited show career. A tribute to her Left brain introvertedness :) (ref. parelli horsenality)

I put the boots back on, with pads under LF frog, this afternoon. Too hot for boots all day. Hobble hobble but still mobile. In boots she licks chews and sighs then waltzes away. (well actually moseys).

Frogs are looking nice- taking the heels down just a tad more the other day sure helped.

X RAYS!!! April 2008- when diagnosed "N"

Here they are. I am open to help on what I'm seeing. I don't have much experience reading radiographs. These are dated April 21, 2008. They are all of the RF. I do not know if the LF was diagnosed "N" or not. Interesting that the RF is the more comfortable of her fores now. I think I am seeing some distal descent of P3, but the sole looks nice and thick under the tip of P3. It appears she had shoes pulled before the Xrays, as nail holes show in one of the views. Peripheral loading-certainly, Long toe, stretched forward- evident, Frogs off the ground- probably. There is some asymmetry- see 3rd and 5th views. I can't remember what those protrusions on the upper sides are. They are uneven. I removed identifying information to protect the privacy of the former owner, who had these done.

Another ride- July 10

It finally dropped to 95 degrees after sunset, so I decided to ride Taffy a bit in the corral. She was respectful and dropped her head low for bridling and un-bridling. We communicated better- using the low port sweet iron curb with plain leather curb strap. Only once did she get flustered and hop up as if to rear. I gave her a verbal NUH UH UH.. and she quit.

Earlier in the day she had turned her rump to me while I was bringing out the mash buckets, and we had a CONversation. This consisting of "Don't you dare "dis" me... and hide your hiney QUICKLY. Then we yo-yo-ed (all with just the fly mask, no halter lead or stick...) She began licking and chewing. I was grateful for her obedience. I have done lots more yo-yo when I have the feed buckets, and requiring her to stand about 5 feet away until I set the bucket down. If she moves forward we back up again. Repeat until she obeys. She is going to be a great long ride horse with the drive she has!

This morning I peeled away some more bar with my new F. Dick hoof knife on her fores. Some sloughing dead sole came too. On her RF the frog was ready to go- shriveled up and separated so off it came. Left the boots off, as she was comfortable.

Mid April

I looked back at some older pics, to help me gain perspective, and decided to add them here.

These were provided by the previous owner, I studied them as I considered purchasing this mare. She was about a month into the shoeing cycle, I believe. The angle of growth changes about and inch down from the coronet on the dorsal wall. Compare to the June 25 pics. I have NOT rasped away outer wall to make it look straight. The current homepage photo was also taken by the former owner, and the lines drawn are where her new foot should grow with performance barefoot trim and lifestyle. Thanks Mike for the mark up.

Hinds Then

I had done a mini trim on these hooves on May 2- They were ragged at that time. I did not shorten the bars much then. The laid over bar on the lateral side of the LH is visible here. Sole under that bar was quite bruised and was a hideout for bacteria. No obvious soreness, fortunately. These were taken May 25.

Hinds- sole of LH

The heel looks awful here. I let it grow for now, so I can remove the excess bar next trim It has worn somewhat better already (as of July 9). Comments on Frog anyone?

Both hinds.

Then... May 24 ish

Due for new shoes......or a trim :)

PICS from June 25

This is the day before I applied the hoofprint ring method of hoof mapping and backed up the toes to the white line. Comments anyone?

note hairline high on medial side- both fores

Videos added to July 25 post...

July 8th....6 weeks out of shoes- amazing progress

Taffy has worn her Renegades 24 hrs a day the last few days, and the last two days without frog pads (not in the plan-just ran out of time). The duct tape I had put over her heels to avoid abrasion (boots are slightly too big so they rub a little), was off too.

I pulled off the boots last night, to check on the feet. Some warmth in the hooves. But significantly less tenderness au naturel! I left the boots off overnight, since the LF had some rubbing on the medial hairline at the heel.

This morning she was still moving without tenderness, no limp!! Landing flat, not heel first, but comfortable, nevertheless. Woo hoo!

Our corral is fairly firm clay type dirt- with various sizes of gravel strewn about (came with the property). All the horses stumble over the larger gravel now and then, when they step on a single chunk. Taffy only slightly did so this morning!

July 3- Morning exercise- WOW

I ponied Taffy out early (front boots still on)- she was 'rarin' to go! There is some stiffness in the L F shoulder, but no head bob or limp at the walk, jog, trot, extended trot, and she even volunteered to canter. What a happy camper, what a happy mama.
I will continue with boots and frog pads 24x7 for now- they make it comfortable for her to move freely- which in turn will foster increased blood flow and development of the digital cushion and lateral cartilages. This week I plan to pony her to the mountains again, perhaps even take her out under saddle. Guess I'll have to get some OO renegades for riding. the Os are really too big.

woo hooo. Thank you God!

Honey was funny in heat- wuffling at Taffy during our ride- as if she was hoping Taff was a boy...First time I've seen her do that. She quit when I took her away from nose to nose- good girl.

Hooray hooray

Taffy has her "tude" back... that means she's feeling better! I put the frog pads under her boots this morning and by this afternoon she was cheerfully trotting away from me and my evil fly spray bottle. Her limp is barely noticeable at the walk- LF, still. RF is steady again. I'm stoked! (Even if she was naughty about the fly spray). There were some nasty biting flies in town today, and I got the spray on just a few hours too late. All 3 in the corral have welts :(
Hopefully they won't get all nasty and make their fur fall out (happened a couple years ago to Honey- her belly and chest lost lots of fur from insect bites)

Might pony Taffy out in the morning... Pete Ramey (hoof rehab dot com) says the pads are magic. Boots are good, but to really see a difference, pad up. Just padding her frogs she is FAR more comfy. I think she'll feel well enough for a good long walk.

VIDEOS @4 weeks-bare vs. booted

Here are the June 25 comparisons- first- barefoot

And now with the boots on

thoughts on progress

I was considering a few things today, as I had Taffy standing in mud to eat her morning snack of beet pulp, sunflower seeds, rice bran, diatomaceous earth, salt, and AZ Regional mix supplement from HorseTech...
1- Taffy stands firmly- no pastern wobble or knee buckling. She shows discomfort in the last half of the stride, and when turning. No more hitch in the pasterns on landing. She does move- but no hurrying, seems relaxed (perhaps just not feeling good enough to be cheerful?)
2- lateral cartilages and digital cushion don't have much room yet. There is evidence in the hoof wall just forward of the heel bulbs that a wider caudal region is growing in. She really doesn't have much there yet.
3- without shoes she's just 14.3 hh. I kinda like getting off closer to the ground. Not so hard getting on either!
4-Taffy's food agression has subsided substantially. Spreading the hay out in many piles seems to help. She's #2 in the herd now. I feed snack buckets in order of herd dominance- wow does that make things easier! Boss mare gets hers first, Taffy next, Glory last (and by herself since she's a slow poke eater).
5- Taffy's forequarter musculature looks different- the hoof balance and chiropractic is showing results all over.
6- I'm going to put the frog pads back on- at least 12 hrs a day.
7- that's a good number to stop on.... I am stewing up an improved plan for the "track" aka "paddock paradise"

5 weeks Almost!

The good- the medial wall on the LF looks much straighter- nearly vertical now.
The bad- Taffy is sore on the RF (this had been her "good" side), when on uneven ground
The best- She's moving better on the LF than she has in 3 wks.

The boots have rubbed some on her heels. I took them off for the night. One size down would be better, I think, so they wouldn't move around. I am hoping she'll grow a larger hoof and end up needing this size! Next time I put them on I will add Gold Bond to help avoid chafing.

She is comfy on soft ground :)

Pix and vids coming soon

Hoofprint ring adjustment

Sunday morning- I still see Taffy tender on LF. I decide to try a little mapping to see if maybe I've overlooked something. Using the hoofprint ring as a guide, I discover the hoof is stretched forward, and if I bring back the toe just about to the white line on both fores, there should be no lever force on the toe wall, and increased comfort. She is barely 3.5 inches. Such teeny tootsies.
RF- I use a vertical nipper cut to take a crescent of wall off the toe. She licks and chews her Thanks. The appearance is pleasing, and the bony column is vertical.
LF-Repeat but a narrower and shorter crescent.

I rasped a slight breakover on both toes with the fine side, but stopped after two or three strokes when I saw red in the white line. UH OH. What have I DONE?! I KNOW better than to mess with toe callus. Taffy does not seem any the worse for it, but I quit and round off the nipper cuts.

Her stride is moved back much now. Feels ok in boots. She will be booted 24 hrs a day for 3 days. I'll be back on Wednesday.

Just had to ride-Saturday evening June 26

Taffy was moving ok in her boots, and I wanted to try out my new CorrecTor on her. I bridled her up in the sweet iron low port curb, and saddled with the CorrecTor. It's a western large, and works better with my 15.5 Circle Y than the other CorrecTor I had. They work great- thecorrector dot net. website is very busy and wordy, but product is terrific.

We did some neck flexes, nice! walk, whoa, repeat... walk around the corral, so far so good. walk near the gate out into the track... uh oh... Taffy begins to hop and half rear. I said go right. She said no- I'm gonna go left and hop and act like I'm gonna rear. I wasn't gonna argue... but being the left brain extrovert she is, I expected her to respond well if we repeated the task until she obeyed. So I hopped off, asked for a hind quarters yield- a FAST one--- and reinforced it with the ends of the reins (just enough to make my point). Remounted, circled back, and approached that area again, asking her to pass the gate without going through. Same thing. I hopped off the off side and repeated my correction- opposite direction. After about 3 vigorous yields, she seemed to get it. I remounted and she was FINE- no fuss, no hop, no head toss or bit chomp, just walked by the gate obediently. We did walk through the gate after that, and down the track. After practicing leg and seat cues for pivot, side pass, back, whoa, we tried a few strides of jog. She favored the left fore, so I quit and our 20 minute stroll around the corral ended. I let her lick my hand as a reward. Just briefly! She licks less now that she has DE and loose salt free choice.
Sigh, it was awfully nice to ride her again (third time I think). I am re-learning my leg cues for her, since some of them are opposite of Honey's. I love how she responds to my seat- it helps me be more aware of what I'm doing. I am hoping I can show her at the county fair in Sept. Not going to get my hopes up too high.

A nice moment

I went out in the late evening last week, in the full moonlight, and discovered Honey and Taffy lying down together, in the soft old manure area on the track. Glory did not join them. She stood watch (or stayed safe?) I startled them, unfortunately. and ruined their nap. It was a pleasant sight to see them there.

Taffy likes to roll in the pea gravel (now I need some sand so she will shine her coat herself :) )

for 2 wks she has not been ridden, ponied, or exercised beyond walking around to eat. That should change in the near future.

PIC-Cl O2 soak at last June 24- 4 wks out of shoes

Last Thursday (the day after my last post), I soaked Honey and Taffy both with Podi- Cl O2 Green Liquid anti microbial (Chlorine Dioxide). I got it from Valley vet dot com. It is the same active ingredient as Oxine and Clean Trax. I used a big tall soaking boot- put out by Clean Trax. Honey took it well, and is moving better on the fores which had been slightly ouchy on uneven ground. I think she had greeblies in the frog sulci.

Taffy was a good girl for the soaking- as long as I stayed with her. If I went around the corner to do something, she moved and the boot fell half off. I did about 15 minutes each fore hoof, then wrapped with plastic to extend the effectiveness of the treatment (another 15 min. or so) as directed on package.

Hooves smelled so clean afterwards, I believe the greeblies are well on their way OUT. We'll soak again if there's any foul odor or frog soreness.

Since the hooves were slightly softened from soaking, I eased off a bit of her bars on the fores, tidied up the frogs a bit more, and refreshed the bevel. She moved off with slight discomfort on the LF, as before, but less. In boots without pads, improved, and with frog pads she only slightly favors the LF. Hinds seem to be tracking straight.