Scout's Right Front Hoof

I'm trapped in another time, dizzy with the demands of opening the festival, but I'm sending out a call for help, readers. What could have happened to Scout's right front hoof? K called me yesterday, in the middle of the show day, and then sent me pictures from her phone:

I can see that there is a bruise above what looks to me like a caved-in wall filled with dry debris. There's no fluid at all. This little red mare has had wonderful, rock-hard feet since the day I got her. I can't see her until tomorrow afternoon, and I'm rattled. (Her next trim is set for the 19th.)

The Thing of Relief (Love the Taste of It)

On Thursday, Saxony had her second trim from our barefoot specialist. I'd waited eight weeks because Scout, along with my friend K's little Arab, Gambler, had been trimmed by M just five weeks ago and we're working to get them in sync for regular trims. Soon we'll all be together at one barn and M can settle into a routine with us.

Saxony daydreams during the trimming. I think that's because M is a farrier who easily inspires trust and relaxation in the horses. The first time she worked on them, she made an interesting comment while she was trimming Scout. "The horse needs to be with me," she said, at a moment when Scout was wheedling for carrots. I instantly knew what she meant, and it occurred to me that I'd never heard a farrier say that before. All three horses learned to stay with M during their first trims, and they settled right back into that place the other day. Saxony likes to keep her muzzle close to M's cheek, softly resting there.

One thing that I'd noticed since M's first visit was how well all three of the horses seemed to wear their trims and how neatly their hooves were growing out. There's been absurd weather during the interval. The horses have been standing in deep mud, frozen mud, water, hail, snow; they've had very few dry days, almost none of them consecutive. M was pleased with the new growth. She pointed out how Saxony's hooves are already beginning to find their own way to what they need/want to be. I'm looking forward to seeing how they respond to regular riding.

I feel such relief to have found M and to have recognized that she's a wonderful choice for the horses. I think I will be riding this year like I've never ridden before, and I feel good about supporting that by giving Saxony and Scout the best care I can. It just makes me feel really good. Not to mention that someone's beautiful eyes are clear, normal and healthy and her six-inch bridle path has almost grown out. I don't know how else to say it: The future tugs and I'm not resisting anymore.

 

See the tiny lock hanging next to the lead rope snap? I put it there when the barn owner asked me to mark Saxony's halter. That lock is very old, solid as steel, and keyed right to my heart, I love her so.

Taking Care of Them

Why does it feel so good to take care of animals?

Saxony's oogy, goopy eyes turned out to a fairly minor thing. The very German vet who examined her yesterday taught me quite a bit about the anatomy of the horse's eye in general and then took me step by step through Saxony's exam. I like veterinarians who offer a running commentary as though you are keenly interested, because I always am. I sometimes feel like a pest when I am badgering vets to explain everything to me, and this vet just spooled out the story without prompting. I felt like a first-year resident going on rounds.

Saxony's eyes are in excellent health: clear and well-shaped, no abrasions, no signs of cataracts, no conjunctivitis. The vet ran a dye test, applying the dye like eye drops, looking for  blockage of the tear ducts or nasal canals (bingo, Kate and RR). Saxony's favorite part of the exam came when she had to eat a handful of grain from a bucket set on the floor, head down so the dye could drain to her nostrils. The green dye eventually appeared in her right nostril, but it was a no-show in the left. Since she's having her wolf teeth extracted on Monday, we elected to have her regular vet flush her nasal canals then instead of sedating her twice in three days. For now, I'm applying a steroidal antibiotic twice a day. It's difficult because her silly long eye lashes get in the way when I'm trying to pull down her lower lid, but I'll figure it out.

Today, the wonderful barefoot specialist who trimmed Saxony came to trim Scout and Gambler (my friend K's horse.) Another horse-care provider happy to narrate as she worked. She offered observations about both horses' feet in a clear, concise way, all the while trimming them beautifully. Her assessment of Scout's back hooves brought a new angle (no pun intended) to how I understand her ways of moving. Little Gambler, already perfect in mind and spirit, won praise for the natural balance born into his feet. I really enjoyed watching the trims and found it hard not to imagine there was a spring in their step when I led them out of the barn.

So, why does it feel so good to take care of them? I think a big part of it, for me, lies in having to learn about them well enough to understand what they need. Responding to their needs means a lot to me. I love to be able to do that. That's the silver lining I've found in vet bills, to be able to think of them as tuition paid toward my continuing-education credits. It's a sound investment in their future and mine, isn't it?

And... Exhale

Saxony's feet were done today. I'd been looking for a farrier since mid-January, fretting this way and that over all the conflicting information: shoes/no shoes, barefoot/natural hoof care, ad nauseum. For everyone that came recommended, there was an opposing negative opinion. I can get so overwhelmed sifting through all the commentary that it becomes intimidating in an odd sort of way. But one thing remained imprinted in my mind through all of it, that the joint crookedness in Saxony's front pasterns not be exacerbated by poor trimming and therefore cause her pain and lameness.

Front Feet Before

June, over at Chloe, The Pony Who Wouldn't, sent me links to lists of barefoot specialists, and that's where I found the one who worked on Saxony's feet today. I like what she did.

Front Feet After

I asked many questions while I watched her trimming. She did the hooves in pairs, first the front, then the rear, first roughing them in and then refining their shape. Saxony was easy and patient.

Hind Feet Before

I don't know whether it's an optical illusion caused by the color difference, but it seemed to me that Saxony's hooves had grown longer on the left side than on the right since her last trim. 

Right Rear After

I became so caught up in listening to the farrier that I'd forget to take pictures. I just grabbed these hind-hoof shots one at a time. This is a lovely, clean trim, I think.

Left Rear After

I've been given some coaching on what to watch for over the next few weeks and a recommendation to have her trimmed again in six weeks, sooner if I see changes that need some attention.
 

Really, I just became too worried about Saxony's feet, letting it spiral into something it's not. She simply has some mild unevenness in her pastern joints, not navicular disease, not laminitis. Almost lost in my relief at having her trimmed today was remembering to take the time to appreciate the sweetness that is so abundant in my kindhearted mare. She was only patient and friendly, even though she might have greatly preferred to be right where her friend DC was:

Oh, horses. Can human beings ever get so comfortable?