show photos

Fluid mover! Show winner again!

Taffy and I competed in the Walk-trot ages 11 and over (rider) division at an open show this month. We went Reserve High Point on the day. To be honest, there were only two of us in the western classes. I don't know if there were more in the English. However, since we were first under both judges in Horsemanship and Trail, and second in Showmanship at halter, we earned that trophy!! I was so pleased that Taffy moved so fluidly and naturally on her balanced bare hooves. It was appalling to see how many show horses moved so unnaturally on their shod hooves. A few other barefoot horses competed, I was pleased to see. Sadly, seems folks are so used to seeing movement altered by shoeing that naturally fluid movement isn't sought. Ah, well, off my soapbox. I didn't announce that my horse was barefoot, and our performance spoke for itself :)

Taffy takes on South Mountain---bootless

Together with Honey and 6 friends, Taffy negotiated the rocky trails of South Mountain for over three hours, with no bruising, just some slightly sore frogs owing to her having been on soft, damp footing at home for the previous week. Her buddy Honey also tackled the tough terrain with surefooted ease. Ok, a few bobbles when the rocks moved underfoot unexpectedly ;) Both sustained surface chipping on their hooves, self trimming style :) I was proud of them. Taffy is putting on some muscle too. This is a picture taken from Taffy's back. Honey is the red horse directly ahead.

Taffy and Honey have a new pasturemate- his story is here http://4morehappyhooves.blogspot.com/

Still lovin' life

By April 2012 Taffy had her old buddy back full time. Honey and Taffy moved to our new property and both enjoy 24x7 turnout on their own green half acre. Almost. We do have flood irrigation here so they are high and dry in shaded stalls while the home place becomes a lake. They return to freedom as soon as the ground firms up. Thirty-six hours is usually all it takes, and we go out for round pen romps to ease the stress of confinement.

She had a visit from the dentist this spring- and did NOT appreciate it until it was over. Can't say I blame her. She also had a reaction to dewormer paste- Equimax. I didn't get it back into her mouth well enough and it irritated her cheek to the point she could not chew. Now if Taffy isn't eating something is definitely wrong. One packet of dexamethasone helped enough so she was back to herself by the next morning. I suspect her teeth had irritated the inside of her cheeks, facilitating the dewormer's entry into her tissues. My horses keep teaching me things! Our riding has been on the canal trail and into South Mountain. Taffy and I are still working towards better communication, especially at the lope and with flying lead changes. Wow what a difference Bug Chek has made for her- I am not seeing much itching at all this summer. She is not scratching her front legs with furious abandon as she has done every summer she has been with me. Auto-ship from SmartPak ensures we are never without it. Balancing her fore hooves continues to take careful attention- I believe she has slightly sheared heels, which may well be a result of her narrow chested conformation. I continue to seek the answer, though I am able to use collateral groove depth to balance her heels. Two days after each trim I re-balance the heels. Trims every 4 weeks or less prevents flares or bar overgrowth. I feel the hooves for heat often since fertilizing the pasture and the temperature is over 100 every day. I also increased the salt in her feed. The only soreness she has had in a very long time is from thrush in the central sulcus of the frog. NoThrush powder has become my only non-soaking remedy. I'm interested in the other applications this formula's makers are advertising. Seems there's always just one more thing to learn about than hours in a day. Must be that insatiable curiosity God blessed me with.

Return to the Show Ring- 2012

Taffy and I took to the ring once more. Armed with new communication skills thanks to Tylene Houser, trainer, (one lesson)... and 3 days of brief but concentrated schooling with the show bit, off we went to the Scottsdale Saddle Club schooling level horse show. Taffy was excited to be there- trading lots of whinnies, and making friends with anyone who would give her any attention.

In our walk-trot under saddle classes I was more than pleased... I was tickled pink!Taffy earned a blue in Western Pleasure out of 6 horses. We were 2nd in Trail and horsemanship, 3rd in showmanship and 5th in Halter Mares. (no, she's not a halter horse, I just enter so I can get into the ring once to calm my nerves.)

For our efforts, we were awarded the Reserve Champion High Point Walk Trot for the day!! A beautiful rosette ribbon came with that honor. We do have some refining to do, but with such little practice I am thrilled with this result. Taffy is totally comfortable in her bare feet. I was however, saddened to see a beautiful mare in high heeled navicular egg bar shoes with wedge pads. She was obviously well bred and schooled, appeared to not be lame, yet stabbed her front toes on every stride. The dorsal wall of her hoof was vertical on landing in arena footing. Made me want to cry- knowing that her coffin bones were being forced tip first downward with each stride. How long before the horse is put down for sole penetration?! I imagine the horse had already been de-nerved, or was medicated, since she didn't limp. I am just grateful that Taffy will never need to suffer that way. If I didn't say something, no one would guess she had ever had Navicular pain!

New town new life

We moved to the Phoenix AZ area this past summer. Taffy has joined us and lives in an irrigated pasture with 5 other horses. Hoof changes were expected- yep- she grows more wall since the footing is minimally abrasive. The irrigation comes every 2 weeks and provides a period of moisturizing mud that she must cross in order to eat hay (still gets bermuda twice daily). Soles and bars are more pliable as she is not on a dry lot. I have to be more vigilant about thrush overgrowth.

Her asymmetry in the forehooves continued to puzzle me. Then a friend had an equine bodyworker visit for her horse a few weeks ago and she also looked a moment at Taffy. She pinpointed issues in the shoulders and ribs. Her right fore is already more symmetrical since getting a quick adjustment to the shoulder. The heels on that foot now look even when brought down to LSP. Another piece to the puzzle is falling into place. Is it the final one? I am eager to continue learning.

If I forgot to mention it, the 00 renegade boots I initially used for her fore hooves no longer fit. She has decontracted to 0. WOO HOO! She goes well on most surfaces- needs boots only for the rockiest areas. Not one lame step :)

I do have her 1 year anniversary hoof trim photos from May but haven't uploaded yet. Stay tuned.

100% New hoof- Vet impressed :)

Taffy has grown completely new hoof wall- in less than 1 year. I have to keep the bevel (mustang roll) refreshed every 3-4 weeks to avoid chipping and peeling. Slight tenderfooting over large gravel, frog sulci still deeper than I like after all the winter moisture.

Taffy got her spring vaccinations and check up recently- I shared with the vet that she had been treated for navicular pain in the past, and how I had transitioned her with boots, pads, movement, diet, and trim technique. His first impression was that she had little feet (genetic), but that her angles looked good and he said I was doing a good job.

Nice to have some professional encouragement !!!
[IMG]http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll191/onehorsekrazygal/Taffy%20the%20sweet%20mare/P4091006.jpg[/IMG]

Continued success

Not much time to ride, but anytime I saddle up Taffy is ready, no boots needed. I have started free jumping her- she has a great motor!

As for her hooves- routine maintenance is enough, with emphasis on lowering the lateral heel on the fores, as the collateral groove on that side remains deeper thanthe medial. Her coronet has widened, which I believe indicates a downward migration relative to P1 and P2. This is terrific- the bony column is raising up to its healthy level relative to the coronet. The hoof wall will appear shorter- more natural! There is only about half an inch of toe wall left from last May- almost a complete new hoof in less than a year woo hoo!

She does wear off the hind toes more than I like- I need to increase the breakover bevel.

Spring shedding in full swing... Barbecue grill cleaning blocks work great for shedding :)

My favorites of the WP jog

Is this what they mean when they say "flat kneed"? Ok, so I overdid the drape rein a bit... she felt so soft and round I couldn't help it.

progress towards softness- what a delight

Soft as silk

January action

December's pics

Not a bad step in months now. The thrush flares up when it's too wet. No Thrush is working great. Best product for thrush control I've ever used.
Got some nice lope work in last weekend-using the copper jointed mouth curb. It's a forgiving bit for us and she got nice and light by the end of the workout. Such fun!

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.