To ride dressage is to dance with your horse, equal partners in the delicate and sometimes difficult work of creating harmony and beauty.

Friday, May 28, 2010

No foot, no horse

Russell got new shoes on his front feet yesterday; his right one grows wonky if we don't keep it supported. Our farrier has done some inventive things to keep his feet optimal, and yesterday was no exception. But Russell's feet weren't nearly the adventure that Ollie's were; he's been digging holes in his graveled paddock to the point that his soles are thin and one has an abscess. So Troy had to build two custom shoes for Ollie; one with a hospital plate so the abscess can be treated but also protected from the gravel, and the other, with a regular pad to protect the foot, to match the first in thickness. As I was watching the craftsman work, I thought "I should be taking pictures!" Fortunately I had my camera with me; below are some of the results I liked:






If I spent as much on my own feet as we do on the horses, I'd be another Imelda Marcos!

3 comments:

Country Girl said...

This is great! You've portrayed it wonderfully.

Shula said...

Great pictures! I like the ones of the oven.

I am glad Muppet can go barefoot for now. He has worn shoes once when he had a split and I don't rule them out if we event but it does make for a nicer bill every 5 weeks :)

Theresa said...

Great pictures. So nice to see a craftsman at work. A good farrier is worth their weight in gold!