Today that paint mare was in turn-out, and she was whinnying up a storm.
Yesterday I found that Solomon's left front was falling apart. I called the farrier, who answered (miracle) and said she could come out the next day at noon (big miracle) and she showed up just like she said (major miracle!!!)
Here is a crappy "before" pic of the jacked up foot:
I like her a lot. She was very careful and attentive. She said his feet were very very thrushy. She ended up taking off at least an inch of hoof and dead frog. "Don't you use the purple stuff again," she said, "it weakens the hoof, which just ends up making more places for the thrush to go. Go to the dollar store and get athlete's foot cream and triple antibiotic, and get the off-brands because they're cheaper and do the same thing. The thrush will be gone in days!"
Solomon's feet are still not perfect of course. It will take a lot of time to really fix them up. She is taking advantage of the fact that he is on stall rest and not being ridden, and is doing a bit more intense of a trim, but hopefully not enough to make him sore. She said that he might be sore for the next day though, because his front right was seriously off-balance, being longer on one side than the other, and it will be a bit of an adjustment. Getting all of his feet on the same diagonal will take time, but progress was made. The bar had broken on his left front. Eek. But it looks good now.
Solomon was antsy during the trimming, but the farrier said he was being a very good boy considering the fact that he was on stall rest. The other day a mare tried to kill her, flat out kill her. She was on stall rest and going nuts because of it. She was rearing and striking like crazy. That's the second horse I've heard of that has attacked because they were on stall rest. Many people have told horror stories of their normally well0behaved horses going nuts because they didn't get to go out and run around at all.
Solly was just bored. He tossed his head for a while, and took his foot away a couple of times, but otherwise was good. Even though I had just given him fly spray, he was covered with flies but did not stomp or even swish his tail. The farrier said that if this was how he acted on stall rest, then I got a great horse. He licked me, and then he licked her ear, heh. She was very patient with him. We found that letting him watch and holting him in hand instead of putting him in the cross-ties made him a lot clamer and easier to deal with. We got some dramatic sighs, and by the time she got to his back feet, he mostly just rested his muzzle on my chest and gave me forlorn looks.
After the trim the farrier said he was walking a lot better. Using his heels correctly. She really liked him, and kept saying that he was a pretty horse. After putting him back in his stall I came upon her and another boarder discussing him. They like his conformation, and the farrier said she thought he was certainly bred on purpose. She said he looked like he would make a great hunter/jumper. She and the boarder especially liked his butt. It's a nice, muscly rump. Even when he was skinny as hell, his rump had muscle.
The farrier commented on the fact that he'd been hurt very badly a few times in the past. And how sweet and trusting he was now despite whatever he went through. He is a sweet boy. Even though he DID nose me in the boob again today right before I left. Heh.
He got a brand new lead rope today. He broke his old one way back at the old barn because I went around the corner with a bucket of grain and he did not approve of this, oh no. I'd been just tying the rope in a knot around the bull snap, which of course isn't terribly safe, so today he got a bright red one to match his bright red halter. I like it better- it has a nice swen-on bit under the snap that holds it together much more securely than a piece of metal, and the end is finished as well.
The BO was not there today, so the lady who does turn-outs and stuff was doing things instead. She caught me taking a wheelbarrow towards a pile of dirt and gravel. Asked me what I was doing. Uhm, getting something to fill in the pee-puddle in Solly's paddock. Boy did I get snapped at! Stupid PMS making me want to cry. That lady isn't really mean I'm sure, she's just blunt, and I'm too sensitive. Heh. But she was right, the dirt part would jsut make more mud. I'm just frustrated with not being able to control that, and iwth the fact that Solly always has filthy feet right now that get thrushy. Heh.
But then on the way back to my car, my facorite stable-hand stopped me. I'd told him the other day that Solomon's paddock needed something done in the back because it was just staying muddy and his feet were suffering. He told me today that there was a guy re-rocking everything, and he had to finish 4 more paddocks in the fancy barn area, but then after that Solomon's was on the top of the list. Oh good. That will help a lot. They re-rock every year before winter. Usually the paddocks getting muddy in the back aren't that big of an issue because this time of the year most of the horses are out at pasture 24-7. But soon his gravel area will be a lot drier.
So. On top of getting the neosporin/creme thrush treatment, which someone else also told me was the most amazing thing they'd found, (I still haven't found the cow-creme someone suggested at any local tack place,) the farrier suggested soaking Sol's feet in a 2% lysol/98% water solution. Since he'll let me soak him, why not? She says it really helps also, and doesn't kill the feet like bleach does. Much gentler.
As you can see, he immediately went into the mud as soon as I put him back in his stall. Hence my running around with a wheelbarrow. But they look much better, yes? It will still take time, but it's a big start. You should have seen all the stuff she cut off of him! I wanted to get an after pic of the underside, but it was already muddy again. Buh. I hope that re-rocking happens REALLY soon.
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