TCJpart73 Mad Moments

TRAKEHNERS PLAYING:
Tom & Henry at play.

Glad I'm not on them and there's a sturdy fence between us...where's my tea?! 

When you watch the videos, hum the theme tune to Black Beauty!

The photos don't do the scene a complete justice:  the smell is damp warm grass and possible rain in the air,  the sound is blackbirds and thundering hooves on soft ground, squealing from Henry, snorting from Tom, skidding and turfs flying.  Also you can hear me begging them to slow down and not come crashing through the fence as well as screams of laughter! A seriously fast sequence full of energy and power.

I had just brushed them, so it all started with some very animated rolling.

John and I had a few days off and just happened to be out at the time, and saw the whole event.

TCJpart72 Feet

FEET...again & wisdom from STEVE:

Tom & Henry have lovely shaped feet, Steve works hard with pure skill and years of experience to ensure their shod feet are an extension of their own-grown feet.  A perfect angle, a lovely round even shape and rasped with ever decreasing fineness of tools for a mirror-finish, their feet are picture perfect and beautiful.

Steve is a third generation farrier, likely born with a rasp in his hand!!  I found him on the Worshipful Company of Farriers website, it can help you find farriers in your area, but always back these contacts up with recommendations if you can.  At least 3 people mentioned Steve to me before I called him, Jenny was one of them!

Tom & Henry took an instant like to Steve, a quiet humble man, comfortable around big horses...he shoes everything from Shires to Shetlands...and anything Steve asks them, they do.

Tom, as you know is inherently distrustful, is so comfortable with Steve he sometimes falls asleep, poor Steve has to hold him up!!!

Once he's done the boys are noticeably happier on their feet, prancing about and moving with such grace...of course they have just spent  the last few days with hoof boots on one foot each, and although they can get on and move about unhampered (and the boots really do a brilliant job), elegant and floaty they are not. 

T&H show-off their new pedicures, without exception they'll hang about in the yard until Steve has driven away (they love Uncle Steve), they go straight out into their fields and frolic about in a look-at-me type of gorgeous fashion typified by the Trakehner....everything they do is simply stunning.

To replace any worn horn due to riding over hard surfaces, and lots of roadwork, although it doesn't need much to wear the horn down in my experience, is what shoes are for.

A well shod horse will have had his way of going assessed by your farrier and Steve hand-makes T&H's shoes every visit so they are a perfect bespoke fit. 


I never tire of watching him and his craft, it's just so skilled and slick.

Of course one day Steve will retire, so I have to consider the possibility of going barefoot, I don't mind about not riding, I don't do much roadwork anyway if I can help it.  Steve will still come I hope about  every 8 weeks once barefoot, but he wont be bent over an anvil just a cup of tea!

Appreciate the experts who tirelessly work for the benefit of your horse, you may not realise the skill that's involved, Steve doesn't give me a blow-by-blow when he's here but I know he works a special shoe to help Henry's dishing.

A few things to remember:  Lessons Learned from Steve:

• he likes clean dry feet, always have a towel handy if you've brought your horse straight in from the field, even now in July....it's very muddy out there.
• he likes a picked-out foot
• he likes me attached to the front end and not getting in his way
• he doesn't like Tom or Henry biting his bum...or rubbing their heads on it either.....in fact bums are out of bounds.
• he likes the kettle on, but always says no to a biscuit!
• he doesn't like treat feeding
• he likes chinos, and always turns-up looking very smart in a shirt and shiny boots, and changes
• he doesn't mind how long the job takes, he does the job right, he is never in a rush
• he doesn't like any topical hoof treatments like moisturiser or hoof-hardener, left on it's own a hoof  should be perfectly capable to adapt to any natural conditions like wet or dry
• he likes the Queen
• he doesn't believe a horse that is fed correctly should need any additional supplement for the feet, he says wild horses have brilliant feet
• he loves putting the world to rights....as does John, they love a good chat
• he gets upset when he sees horses with badly shod feet
• he loves wildlife
• he is always right about the weather and gives Countryfile a run for their money
• he will look at the berries in autumn and tell you whether it's going to be a cold winter
• he wishes more vets would ask for help and call a great farrier to help with feet problems, because some emergency footwork can cause more problems than they fix. My vet (Louisa), thinks Steve is a sweetie!
• he wont eat cake unless home made by our Mum's
• he knows all the poisonous weeds, I always show him plants I don't recognise

The necessity of shoeing means we have experts visit our horses regularly, use this interface wisely, your farrier for example might notice your horse putting on weight and you may not, he might notice, but the trick is to ask and listen.

Our horses rely on us, don't let them down.

TCJpart71 Tricky

 

 










TRUST ISSUES:

Sherlock Holmes said 'horses are dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle'.

...but horses are only a combination of their own need for safety and survival, their personalities and what humans have done to them.

Tom & Henry don't get suspicious with me, and although their need for safety and survival are never far from the surface, no human has ever done anything horrible to them, a few frights yes, but they have overcome these situations and learned there's nothing to fear, and anyone who so much as looks at them funny, NEVER gets invited back!!

Tom is a suspicious horse, he doesn't really like strangers even now he's 9, every vet who comes to see him has to make friends with him first, you can't just storm into Tom's stable and approach him, not that you'd do that, only I can do that, he'll stand in the corner with his bum toward you as a warning that he doesn't like it. Everything with Tom has to be slow, quiet and calm.  Tom will always stand still for me fiddling about with him.  A big horse, he is brilliant in a crisis, and never flaps about.

Henry is far too nosey to be suspicious, he wants to be involved in everything!  Yet to the outside world Henry is the crazy one and Tom the calm one...Henry can be very calm and sensible surprisingly, he doesn't fuss, and when it's needed...and he seems to know and understand when I need to administer important first aid for example...he'll behave accordingly, without fuss and let me get on.

Only this week when both of them had lost a shoe and Steve was on his way, I put hoof boots on them, in the pouring and driving rain.  They both stood completely still, not tied up at all, with their legs rested across my kneeling lap to struggle putting the boots on...it's a 2 handed job don't let anyone tell you otherwise...get help if your horse won't do this for you.

They might get irritated if I'm taking too long to do something:  this morning, it's pouring with rain, but I needed to replace their Naff Off Citronella tags, so getting soaking wet I proceeded into the field where they're grazing, began with Tom he just stood there and I was done in a few minutes...his plaits needed re-doing too...but Henry, he just wasn't interested this morning in standing still.  I did get the job done but he was being impatient with me because he just wanted some peace. I was trailing him around with a half-done plait in my hands. 

When I was finished, I began to wonder whether some people might misinterpret their horses reactions, because they forget how different a horse is to us.

A horse that's 'dangerous' at either end has become this way out of sheer fear and a need to protect itself, lots of time and work will be needed with this horse if he's ever to trust anyone again...and if not handled with sympathy and care and the appropriate amount of time and patience, it could go either way depending on the personality of the horse...Tom wouldn't give anyone a second chance, but Henry might.

...and as for the crafty in the middle part...not sure I agree, unless we're talking food-related!!

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT EDITION

JEWELLERY FOR DAWN & DUSK:

Free with the Naff Off Citronella spray this summer, was a very handy piece of kit.  A Citronella wrist band for me, well us girls never say no to jewellery!

Looks like a gimmick to get you to buy more fly repellent, but Citronella works on the boys, and it works on me too.

I am a beacon to all biting insects from miles around,  always bitten at BBQ's and the area will swell to double it's size...most attractive!

 

So, out poo-picking before and after work, at dawn and dusk (well not really but it sounds good), I get well and truly bitten.   BUT, these little wristbands work very well, and when I'm wearing one I don't get bitten.

So, I recommend them to everyone...and if we ever get any weather suitable for riding...I'll wear one then too. 

Smells nice, and in fact my scent now matches that of Tom & Henry, 'eau du Trakehner' Citronella.

TJCpart70 New Toy

A NEW TOY IN THE YARD:
I like to add new things to Tom & Henry's environment occasionally, and things they can chew, kick around, lick or eat prove very popular.

John has just bought them a 'Rockie', it's a huge and very heavy mineral lick, which now sits by their logs in the yard.

Henry of course made a bee-line whilst a sceptical Tom looked on. Wondering what this new thing was, he wont be interested until he discovers he can eat it!!

...Now Lemmy doesn't get Ultimate Balancer, so a mineral lick might be just the thing!!!

They can lick it, and as Henry demonstrated 2 minutes after it was put there, hoof-it across the yard floor too for a new game!!

So, it's fun already.

They don't need extra minerals of course because  their D&H Ultimate Balancer gives them everything they need, but if they're going to lick or chew something, it seems advantageous if it's good for them too rather than just another sugary treat  or lump of wood...orleadrope...or flyfringe..or grooming brush...the list could be endless...  T&H don't get sugary treats unless it's very well deserved...remember cut out all the sugar where possible.

I wonder if it'll survive all the rain...well it is summer!!!

another...SPECIAL EDITION

HOOF BOOTS:
...and how we can't live without them...

Like many things in the life of outdoorsy types, the weather can and does effect everyday comings and goings.

The immense amount of rain we've had during this spring and summer has meant the grass has grown, the mud has appeared , turned to dust and appeared again, and hooves have needed attention in ever decreasing time frames. 

So it is I find myself in a horse-related-common-predicament most horse owners will appreciate.  A week earlier than usual, T&H's hooves needed attention, they have just outgrown their shoes very fast.  Happily John had foreseen this and booked Steve early.

BUT, Steve had a 'shoe-and-show' at the East of England Show planned so he was coming Sunday instead of Saturday.  Saturday was nice, but Sunday it chucked it down and I had to concede Steve couldn't come.  By then I was forced myself to remove one of Tom's shoes.  I only do this if it's easy and the fear of damage to the horse is high, Steve would not approve of my technique, but I just can't seem to wield those heavy pliers in one hand, so kneeling down I rest their legs across my lap...and use 2 hands! (don't tell Steve).  Both Tom & Henry stand perfectly still, not tied up whilst I do this too, they are very good boys.

So, by Sunday Tom was hobbling about, his foot now sore, so I put a hoof boot on: size 5.  My favourite is the Easy Boot, I'm buying more once I've finished typing!

Then, and it's Tuesday night, of course drama can't happen here without Henry being involved, it just wouldn't be right, Henry has pulled one of his now loose shoes off somewhere, I still can't find it even with Coco's help, so the smaller hoof boot has gone on him too, size: 4.  One minute hobbling about, the next perfectly comfortable and happy. 

Tom and Henry are not put-off or slowed down by the attachment of hoof boots, so they go about their usual routine with them on.  We have mud here, but the height of the Easy boot covers the pastern and happily the mud isn't that deep...if John Craven is right though, it'll rain for another 3 weeks in all likelihood...note to self, stop watching Countryfile!

I recommend these hoof boots, they really allow the boys to get on with life and I don't worry about their feet getting sore...and of course it stops the horn wearing out more before Steve can get here...hopefully Friday...but who knows, it might still be raining.

UPDATE: 13July
I have ordered more Easyboot Hoofboots for Tom & Henry since they are so very handy, and whilst one pair are in the wash (not sure if you're supposed to put them in the washing machine, but I do), the new ones went on them this morning...I love next day delivery...their feet are all happy waiting for Steve to arrive later today.





I have also ordered some more insoles for them, and these I learn can be varied depending on the needs of your horse.  I simply wanted the common comfort ones replaced that came with the boot since my boys aren't suffering from any affliction, they just have missing shoes BUT after speaking to: URBAN HORSE, I learn there a few different types to suit recovering laminitics or those with hoof and sole damage.  In fact, the girls at URBAN HORSE specialise in all things barefoot & bitless, the natural way.  Give them a call they are very helpful.



...also, John found Henry's missing shoe!!!!!