Tippy Toes

We've had a very wet June, so wet there isn't enough dry time to put down weed killer. It's so wet that some of ny favorite parks have a bumper crop of mushrooms. We managed to get a ride in today, got caught in a 15 minute storm and ended the ride in sunshine. The flies and mosquitoes were on holiday; luckily the human and horse repellents seemed to be working.

Both horses are barefoot and doing quite well until now. Our horses have the option to be in their stalls but like all horses they love the open space of the field. This means, however, that they've been standing on wet ground the past few weeks. I've noticed them being a little "ouchy" on trail and preferring the grass at the side of the trail.

Back when I had my quarter horse, just before I was about to sell him he looked gimpy in one of his legs. After a vet exam and x-rays, the conclusion was that he was foot sore and that a hoof hardener and a few days in the stall would do the trick (he was shod). So that was an expensive lesson.

I've pulled out the hoof hardener and the horses are going to have to put up with more stall time until it dries out a bit. They have their favorite country station on, so all should go well while their hooves become better balanced.

Happy Trails, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net