Wednesday, September 27, 2017

My Left Foot

                                                               

Blue and Nikita...I know he's a little chunky but we're working on slimming down


Summer is officially over, although you certainly can’t tell by the weather we’ve been having.  It feels like August with high 80’s and some 90 degree days with the added bonus of high humidity. I’m waiting for autumn to kick in with some cooler temps.  In the meantime I’ll update on what’s been happening around the farm this summer.

Blue hasn’t been doing as well as I would like.  It all started when the farrier couldn’t make it for an extended period of time to shoe him. His toes got longer than they normally would. He was lame and favoring his left front because he had developed a painful abscess so we pulled his front shoes.  When the farrier did come we suggested he leave the shoes off all around and just trim him.  We put him in boots to help cushion his foot.  Eventually, the abscess blew out but was quickly followed by another abscess in the same spot.  The hoof cracked and broke off in pieces from the abscesses so there was no way his hoof could hold a shoe anyway. 
This is Blue's hoof initially

"How about a treat, my foot hurts ya know"

Some improvement

For a while he was on limited turnout wearing boots.  He got to wander around up by the barn, with access to his stall with hay and a fan plus a small paddock to graze and the lawn around the barn to explore but he was missing his friends. 

" Hey guys I'm over here"

When his foot seemed to not be bothering him too much we let him reunite with his buddies wearing his boots, which he promptly lost.  Luckily, we had another set so he wore those for a while until he lost them too.  I did search for them but couldn’t find them. Every time I spotted something black lying in the grass I’d drive over to it only to have my hopes dashed discovering it was a pile of manure.  So somewhere on forty acres are two sets of boots waiting to be found!  Blue loved his boots, some mornings he would refuse to leave his stall until his boots were put on. You’d think he would have taken better care of them. 
Blue showing off his new "kicks"


I had to buy another pair and this pair stayed on for the duration.  He’s not wearing boots and he’s not lame anymore, his hoof and sole are hardening and growing although he’s still walking slowly.  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before but Blue is sort of a big woosie when it comes to injuries.
This is where we are as of now, so much better but a ways to go yet


Needless to say I haven’t been able to ride all summer and that’s okay because I don’t get along with heat and humidity very well.  Blue should be able to be ridden for a limited time at the walk when he’s ready. So fingers crossed we will be able to enjoy some cool autumn weather in the saddle soon.

Quote for Today

Give a horse what he needs and he will give you his heart in return.

30 comments:

  1. For whatever reason, we've seen a LOT of abscesses in horses this past summer. And some of them have been unusually difficult to treat and the horse to recover. My horses haven't suffered from any, but we've had other issues to deal with. And like you, we've not ridden all summer long. Too darned hot! Our weather has cooled, we even had a week of very cool temps and lots of rain. Those rains were needed and help get some of the forest fires slowed down, didn't put them out, but gave the firefighters a chance at containment. So, this week has been just about perfect. But cooler and more showers expected Friday through early next week. We're on vacation the first week of October, heading to the beach where it's likely to be very cool and rainy. I don't even care. I just want some down time away from work.
    I do hope that Blue recovers completely and you get a chance to ride a little bit before winter. I'm like you, looking forward to cozying up in a warm sweater by a nice fire. I'm not ready for monsoon season, but love the brisk coolness of fall and all that entails. :) Good to hear from you.

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    1. Thanks, he seems a little better everyday. Have a great time at the beach!

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  2. Wow. Thanks for the before and after photos. He's looking much better. You're a good horse mama. That was funny about his boots. I bet he'd love to show you where they are. I hope you do get some beautiful autumn rides in.

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    1. Well unless he points me to the boots I'll never find them or his fly masks either! It took a good hour to systematically go up and down those pastures and sheds and still no luck.

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  3. So glad he is getting better and thank goodness hoof grows out pretty fast for horses who get good nutrition and care! Maybe the double abscess was something brewing for awhile and just needed to blow out to heal. I hope you and I both get some riding time in soon! Today was 90, tomorrow is said to be 90, then we hop down to 70 and I spied a low of 48 in the next week's forecast - oh how wonderful that will feel!! Healing thoughts to Blue.

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    1. Thanks for the good thoughts. He has been getting the supplement Farriers Formula with his vitamin E, joint supplement, multivitamin etc. I don't know if it's helping but I figured it couldn't make it worse.

      It was around 85 today but a break tomorrow at 77 and then 60's on Friday. I can't wait I've had enough heat and humidity to last me for this year.

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  4. It hurts just to look at their injured feet, altho not as much as it must be to walk on them! Glad Blue is surrounded by TLC & on the mend. There are so many foot supplements on the market, and everyone swears by a different brand/mix. One thing that is the same with all, consistency is key.

    It seems our weather frequently mirrors yours. We got a break from the heat and had a first "normal" Fall day just today! Hope you enjoy the cooler weather & Blue is sound enough for a whirl or two before the snow flies.

    So nice to hear what is going on, on your side of the fence :)

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    1. I agree that there are lots of supplements to choose from. I have no idea if they work or not but I figure it's worth a shot only because it can't hurt and it might help.

      I'm happy to report that it's much cooler and breezy today for a change yeah!

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  6. Blue reminds me of a kid coming home without a boot (that kid might have been me :) ). I'm glad he's on the mend!

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    1. Well Blue is the kid who came home without four boots and two fly masks!

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  7. That was quite a blow out! Glad he's on the mend. Sorry about the boots. Someone will find them when they hit them with the mower ;-).

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    1. Ha! You're probably right about the mower. The pastures have been mowed twice since the disappearance so the boots are probably in shreds.

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  8. Abscesses are the worst! Glad he's feeling better now. Apollo likes to lose flymasks, so I feel your pain on the lost boots!

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    1. I'm sure they'll turn up sooner or later...or at least I hope so.

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  9. I hope you do get to ride in the fall - it's my most favourite time of year to ride (crisp, colourful, & bug-free).

    When we first moved here, Slipper's horse somehow "lost" a $250 flysheet. To this day, most of it is missing. Where it went, I cannot fathom.

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    1. Fall is the best time of year to ride! I find horses are the masters of losing things and it's up to us to play hide and seek with the lost items!

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  10. Do you have coyotes? I've found my horses' fly masks and toys in neighbors' yards and out in the desert because of them. I'm glad Blue's hoof is healing. Abscesses are a pain for everyone.

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    1. We do have coyotes so that's a possibility. We also have foxes that come into the barn and steal brushes and whatnot, that I've found in the riding arena and paddocks.

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  11. Gah - sorry to hear riding time was limited to due feet issues. Abscesses can be so frustrating, esp while waiting for them to pop! Glad he is on the mend now tho.

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    1. Thanks Cathryn. I'm happy he's doing much better now too.

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  12. Just so you know, I have missed your posts! This heat has been slowing me down and I'm glad it has finally cooled off. Blue needs to catch a break now and stay sound so you can ride him one of these days.

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    1. Hi Lori,
      I'm all for catching a break,thanks! Love that we finally had a cool day too.

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  13. Yaay, you're back!! Missed you :) Oh dear, poor Blue, hope he's well and truly on the mend. Those boots look cute, shame he kept losing them! Hope the others are well too, and the doggies.
    Summer's been pretty hit and miss over here, a case of 'blink and miss it' but we did have some nice days.
    Fingers crossed, you get some riding in soon along with more comfortable temperatures.

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  14. Thanks Joy. Good to hear from you. I'll have to stop by, haven't been to visit in a while. The internet at the farm ihas very poor service.

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  15. Val's had some major chunks come out of his feet this summer too. I've been on interim farrier duty every cycle so far. Re the lost boots - maybe tag them with some neon orange spray paint that might be easier to find out in the hinterlands?

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    1. I thought about some neon orange paint after the fact. Next time I'll know better, they may turn up yet...

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  16. I feel you with the abscesses this summer!! Gen had a rough summer himself.

    Sorry that you lost all those boots! I have a feeling that Blue was just having too much fun (rolling, trotting, itching, who knows) and couldn't help himself ;)

    Glad things are looking up!!

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    1. Sorry to hear Gen had hoof issues too. Guess it just comes around once in a while. If the boots weren't so expensive I wouldn't mind losing them so much. Maybe they'll turn up one day.

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