The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 11

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - (very out of date) Who's Who *pics*

This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread TEN

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[AnAmericanMother]

I can see how the building didn't start life as a barn. I wonder if they could assemble another section at right angles to that one, next to the arena, then you could have a larger arena where the two meet (like the overhang for equipment storage). I wonder what the length of the maximum bearing span is, and if you could reinforce it with girders . . . ?

Maybe when they get some $$ from the boarders!

Seriously, it looks like a really good setup, and with the bargain on the building hopefully they'll be doing well very soon.

[tuffydoodle]

Tuffy is stepping on his shoes and pulling them off, they are all twisted when I find them. My shoer did tell me something interesting, when the horses feet are wet, they expand, then when dry they contract. It loosens the nails and the shoes come off fairly easily. It's suddenly happening to me, too and it's been very wet here. Could be the explanation.

[Duchess47]

I'd bring some hay of whatever he's eating now and gradually wean him onto pasture. Coastal bermuda is a hay grass and I don't believe it has the protein or sugar content of say, tall green rye or something. He still shouldn't go out on it 24/7 right away though, he needs to work up to it. Once you get him changed over though, it's possible depending on the size of the pasture that he won't need additional food (grain) unless he's doing some heavy work. 'Course you might want to keep him off the pasture and have someone cut and bale it for you and sell what you don't use.

Regarding a companion, I wouldn't worry about getting one - he will be fine and if he has a companion and bonds to it/her/him then you may have problems riding him out away from whatever his friend is.

[2Jedismom]

Good morning!

The wind sure is sweepin' down the plain this morning, eh? Kinda seems like the Spring winds, but surely it's too early for them!!?

Yesterday wasn't too bad though, was it...not too cold and the drizzle was a relief to my dry skin!!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Thanks for posting these pictures.

So what did the horse forum farriers have to say about the new shoe job?

Did they think his heels were still underrun?

Why is it that farriers are so hard to talk to:)?

I talked to Debbie about her farrier, and sifting thru Debbiespeak:), (she always has the best of everything and everything else is crap, no matter what) I'm not sure her farrier will work for me unless he listens to me. Since he is not a friend of mine I won't have trouble telling him what I want. I told her how every time Harley pulls a shoe off he breaks some hoof wall off, which makes it hard to get a shoe back on firmly.

She said her farrier doesn't put a big clinch on the nails, so if a horse steps on one, or gets in mud the shoe pulls off very easy...That just won't work for what I do. I can see if you have a horse you're keeping stalled most of the time and only riding in the arena for short periods that could work, but for the stuff I ride thru and the amount of time I hope to ride, I don't know if a shoe would stay on if there wasn't a good clinch on the nails....But that is something I can talk to him about maybe even before he comes out. Might save us both time.

Looking at Bays feet, the only thing I would comment on, and all farriers seem to do it, is why did he trim the top of the frog off? The frog should touch the ground, if I even understand how the horses foot works. I've understood that the frog is what pumps the blood to the foot with each step...I've told Chris several times not to trim my horses frogs. I think if irratates him:). He "says" he only trims off what is shedding off naturally, but I've seen Harley's frog trimmed way below the sole line, and IMO and understanding that's too short.

Anyway, I'm still mulling over what to do. I'm halfway hoping he pulls a shoe again, now, then I can call him and cancel and have a new guy out without feeling bad, altho I don't really feel bad now. I just want to test to see if another farrier could do better with him.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

From what I read, pastured horses get the gradual transition because they eat the new grass as it comes up and get used to it that way.

Exactly:) what I was trying to say:)

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I had heard that about the hoof expanding and contracting depending on the moisture around. But since I've had this horse we've gone thru these periods of wet, dry. I don't remember having this much trouble with his feet. But that could be what the problem is. We have had horrible sucking mud all last week...but loosing 2 in the space of 2 weeks since they were just put on seems odd to me.

Good luck with the glue on's, let me know how it works.

Becky

[tuffydoodle]

I've used the glue-ons before, they don't come off. Tuffy was just more comfortable with pads, that's why I didn't continue using glue-ons. He's pulling his shoes off so much, though, that I think I'm going to try the glue ons one more time.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good morning:)

Very windy and cold, with chances of snow here today:(....

Have I mentioned I hate winter:)

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

OHHH, OK. So, you can't use pads with glue on's? Could you use those pour in pads?

So you don't think it will cause a problem of some sort if he has the glue on's and steps on the back of one of the front ones and it's doesn't come off?

Becky

[tuffydoodle]

No, you can't use the pads with glue-ons, not even the pour in stuff. Those glue ons are taller than regular shoes, though. Really gets their soles off the ground.

I don't think it would be a problem if the horse steps on the backs of them. It won't pull off hoof wall, I know that. Here's their website:
http://www.soundhorse.com/

[HairOfTheDog]

Did they think his heels were still underrun?

Why is it that farriers are so hard to talk to:)?

Yes, and I don't know :~)

But, I decided as long as Bay appears to feel pretty good on them, I'm reluctant to change. OK - so they aren't ideal and I wish they were, but for all I know, if they were ideal he wouldn't feel any better.

If something happens that I can't use Mark, I'll contact the NB people.

On the frog... He cleans it up, yes, but it is supposed to be part of the weight bearing... on the fronts, I can understand why he trims it, it never wears off. And with the pad and the packing under it, it probably does touch the ground. I think they just like to clean it up so it looks better, doesn't have those flaps hangin' off it.

Let me know what happens with yours :~\

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

The only reason I asked if they said his heels are still under run is I'm still trying to learn what things are suppose to look like. I "think" the heels are suppose to come straight down from the blubs??? I know what you mean about not wanting to change something that seems to be working even if it might not be 100% correct. At Bay's age I'd leave well enough alone. If he was a youngster, I may try to work on getting closer to correct, altho I don't think he looks that far off, if what I think they should be is correct:\ Anymore I don't know what is right and what isn't.

I do believe the NB theory's make a lot of sense. It was just after I saw Harley's foot shod with the NB shoe, I thought the squared toe was a bit radical. But it may have been it was just so different then what I was use too. I do still shoe with rim shoes for the beveled edge, and Chris does square the toes, just not so much as the NB shoe requires.

It's so muddy here and I really don't have a place to stand Harley to get pictures of his feet right now, or I would.

Becky

[MissTargets]

Good Morning.

Very nasty here, with a winter storm warning.

Snow, freezing rain...ugh!

[MissTargets]

Have I mentioned I hate winter:)

1. I don't have to mow the yard.

2. There are no bugs.

3. I get a lot more done inside.

4. That's about all!...lol

[HairOfTheDog]

What I decided is that Bay's been shod by this same guy for probably 16 years. Although he did make a change after the Navicular talk... They were longer, I think they're pretty much the shape they're going to be with this farrier. If I told him to change it, he'd probably just mess up something else... he does what he knows.

On the NB shape, I would have thought they looked funny if I hadn't seen Cyn's foot. She has square toes. But Bay doesn't. Years of shoeing or conformation, who knows.

And what was it you said about wind and snow coming? Phooey... I guess your winter isn't over eh?

[CindyDawg]

I saw that. Hopefully Spring is right around the corner. The weather has been so strange lately. I left to go to my Dad's on Friday. I was complaining that the AC wasn't working in the car. He is about 4 hours north of me. I caught some bad mist and fog. The next day it was 41 at his house and my husband said we were having bad storms at home. My lesson is canceled because the stables are flooded. My students can't decide if they want heat or cold on. No wonder people are sick all over around here.

[CindyDawg]

What a nosy ghost:')

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, there is that, But:

I like mowing, and I don't like inside work and being able to be outside doing things justifies not doing the inside work:) The no bugs is good tho.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

ROTFL - I had to look a minute to get that... :~D