TCJpart101 Shoes

LOST SHOES:

Trakehners, I don't have to tell you, are amazing: agile, athletic, clever, beautiful, stunning, graceful, persuasive....all those things and more....


....but what they also do that no other breed seems to be able to match in sheer cunning, is get their shoes off.

Thank goodness there's something you can do with the recovered shoes, see previous December Yuletide blogs.

Here, once Steve has pulled up in his van, Tom positions himself in the yard, exactly where Steve shoes him, without any encouragement or persuasion  (I haven't put him here), and waits.  Tom knows exactly what to do, he is a clever boy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Steve tells us that in all his many years as a farrier, shoeing everything from Shetlands to Shires, he has never known a pair who get their shoes off as Tom & Henry do!

 

 

Their white feet are the culprits every time.  This could of course be a coincidence but the evidence to the contrary here at WW is convincing otherwise.

 

The shoes, once Steve has them on his anvil, are always twisted, and it's this he can't fathom.  Tom and Henry are only shod on the front, so they can't be overreaching to get them off, so how do they do it?  answer: they're Trakehners and very, very clever.

 

This is Tom having his shoe put back on.

 

 



...all very neat, Tom is immediately happier.

 

a Happy Holiday Gift

TOM & HENRY GIFTS:

After hours of spraying and re-spraying yesterday, the coloured shoes have come out brilliantly, I have left them overnight to completely dry, and only the few gloss black ones I did for myself remain tacky to the touch.

 

You might need to spot re-touch some areas, where the hook was for example, but once they are dry, rub them over gently with a soft cloth, take them indoors, rally some help and add the finishing touches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemmy was lounging in front of the blazing range and reluctantly offered his help until he realised ribbon was involved, then he couldn't wait to 'help'!

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone who shops on-line and has cats will have a substantial collection of posh ribbons about the house, collect some of these up and you can finish your gifts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have bowed mine at a top nail hole, but you can also span the ribbon from one hole to the opposite one and the shoe can be hung up.

Lemmy was helpful at the bow tying stage, and soon got to grips with all the different ribbons. I have used black ribbons here, because I want a chic look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I have to decide who gets what colour.

 

I'm tempted to keep them all because they are so lovely and personal too since they were once on Tom & more likely Henry, since he looses more shoes than Tom!...

 

...I wonder what colour Paul will choose?

 

Check out what Paul did with his horseshoe on Opulent Scrawls.

a Merry Xmas

...where did Coco get her idea for a logo from I wonder?...





BE CREATIVE:
...and how, with a little time and elbow grease, you can transform some old metal into wonderful Xmas presents:

If, like me, you have a bucket somewhere, full of old and recovered, pulled and rusting shoes, and though you'd never want them back on your horse, you just can't bear to part with them, look no further than a Xmas present solution.


NOTE: Steve has plundered this 'pot' a few times looking for a quick-fix so Henry can have shoes on both feet in an emergency, so having some available is a good idea, so? don't use all the 'best' shoes for this gift soloution.

The idea began when a friend Gorgeous Paul (yes, the same GP who designed the Tom&Henry tops for M&S, and author of Opulent Scrawls: 'how to live life gorgeously'), asked me for one of Tom & Henry's shoes...it got me thinking...because GP wouldn't want an old rusty shoe, with bent nails still in it and caked in Essex mud would he?  definitely not!

Then I asked myself, what could I do to the shoes to make them nice enough for GP to allow them in his abode?

Paint them. So here we go:

First, de-nail the old shoes with pliers, you can knock them from underneath and unless the shoes are very rusty, they should loosen and pop out easily, alternatively have your farrier do it. If, like this single shoe here, they are in there for good, just twist the nails off at the surface (they are quite soft), and grind them flat.

Then get a stiff wire brush and clean the loose surface of decay, mud and rust off, out of the grooves and nail holes, the better you do this job, the better the surface of the finished product will be, and for Paul, it'd have to be perfect.

Then, once they're clean, using a little wire, make a hook, thread it through a nail hole, and hang the shoes up, where they will eventually stay to dry.

Spray a fine coat as instructed on the can, of primer suitable for cars. 2 coats will be fine, allow plenty of time to dry between coats, do it in a well ventilated area, preferably outside. 

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP FROM JOHN:
Wear a mask too, you dont want paint in your lungs, true story.
 

Once the base coat is dry, spray your chosen top colour onto the shoes, remember these gifts are likely to be kept indoors, so do a neat job.  

The sky is the limit since car spray comes in lots of colours, fluorescent and metallic too! Here Lemmy is 'helping' making sure I do a neat job.

I made a 'washing line' in my yard, and hung them there, outdoors, so very well ventilated. wear something old and gloves are a good idea too.

I used metallic colours for mine, since it's so 'on-trend' for this season: gold, silver and bronze.  Plus I did a neon orange one too for fun...looks great too!

 

Add a top coat of lacquer if necessary, 'bobs your uncle', recycle, reuse and redecorate, everyone will love them!








 




If you're feeling very creative you can even over-paint them with a design or someones name, or use a metallic pen if a paintbrush is too tricky, you can get them in any art shop. Thread a ribbon through a nail hole for hanging too.

Once dry, I will wrap them in tissue, and tie it off with a ribbon.

Tuesday's blog will have an update, and there'll be photos to show you how they turned out, I promise you a treat, and a guest appearance too.



Merry Holidays Everyone, safe riding.

John Wayne Quotes:

TCJpart102 Galloping About

TRAKEHNERS AT FULL GALLOP:

Anyone who has watched Trakehners galloping about, has witnessed something very special.

When the boys are feeling fit and playful, or it's windy, or even when they're pretending to be startled by something, off they go pelting around the land.

A regular group of horses would simply move about with chaotic carefree abandon at a speedy rate, scattering about with varying degrees of speed and agility.  Not so with a group, or in my case a small gang of 2 Trakehners.

They move with perfect synchronicity like dancers at the ballet...only much faster.  Perfect co ordination and matched velocity, they gallop side by side until they break apart like the red arrows.

John has taken some brilliant photos of their antics, here are a few.

They are just exquisite aren't they?

Tom and Henry: Trakehners of extreme gorgeousness.