I’m Still Alive

Some of you have written to ask where I’ve been, and if Zephyr and I are ok.  We are, but we are going through a rough patch this year.  I’m in the middle of a divorce, and there are some complications that have made life extremely stressful. 

Zephyr has pretty much been hanging out in the field since my last post… sometimes with various neighbors’ horses for company, and sometimes alone.  He probably wishes I would come spend time with him, but I just can’t.  I’ve lost my riding mojo, for one, and I also can’t stand to be home much. 

I’m not sure what I will do with him this winter… if anyone knows a REALLY responsible and REALLY experienced horse owner in the Bangor area who might like a free lease, please let me know.  I don’t know whether that’s the route I’ll take or not, but it might be a possibility if I found the right person.  He can and should be ridden all winter, and of course there would be no farrier expenses as he is barefoot and I would continue to trim his feet.

Enough of that.  Let’s see some pretty pictures.  :-)

July 2009:

After one of our very rare rides this summer (July 2010):

OH, I did go for a nice long ride in April 2010, over in Dixmont, with my friend Melissa (a fellow MMESAR (Mid-Maine Equestrian Search and Rescue) member).  Here are the pictures from that:

Rocky road, and happy bare feet!

 

This is what you see a lot of in Dixmont, Maine.  Though I believe we actually rode in 2-3 towns by the time we were done.  I think she was getting me back for the ride I took her on at my house!

 

We stopped at the convenience store a mile or two from Melissa’s house, and I went inside for snacks.  Zephyr stood like a ROCK for her, and didn’t even move when I came back and fed treats first to Peek-a-Boo and then to him.

Peek moved, not him… note that his feet are still in the same place:

That tongue is just a-goin… “Hey Mom, bring ME those snacks!!”

But he still just stood there, didn’t come mug me for them.

On the way home from the store, we had to race a storm.

I like the shadow in this picture:

 

This isn’t Zephyr.  This is the moose we saw on our way back from a MMESAR training session in somewhat-northern Maine.

This was taken in early March 2010, in Zephyr’s paddock at home.

This was taken in March 2009 but I love it so I’m posting it again.

Check out this over-stride at the trot!!

This is Zephyr and the Peek-A-Bus sharing Peek’s trailer on the way to the beach in April 2010.  Their noses were even; their butts were not.  (Look at the floor, not the butts.)  Many laughs were shared over this one.  Now that I see this picture, I remember that I have a TON of other pictures from this trip, so I’ll post them as their own entry.

Can you find the poneh?

Here’s the poneh:

More awesome laying-down shots, from the field down the road this time:

“I’m not worried.  The black horses are standing watch.”

Shortly before twilight, on a different day after the cows moved home.  I was able to walk right up to him and cuddle for a while… I sure do love that……

He has a small grass paddock at home.  It’s fairly narrow and goes back to the tree-line in the background.

Anyone want a Myler Combo Bit?  Low-port mouthpiece, rawhide nose, biothane chin strap, 3-ring shank.  Retails new for $130, used 3x.  I’d like to get $100, but make me an offer!!

A rare late-May ride:

The new EZ-Fit Saddle and Thinline saddle pad left PERFECT sweat marks!

One heck of a shiny boy, on vacation at Melissa’s house while I house-sat in June 2010.

Running in October 2010, at the field down the road:

Bouncing back to June 2009, here he is in the field down the road from home.  I love the rays of sunshine in the camera lens.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now.  Just know that I’m doing ok, and so is Zephyr.  We’d love it if y’all would write from time to time… I’ll read your notes to him.  ;-)

Second Day of Spring

Zephyr and I traveled to Hampden today to ride with some new friends.  It was very low-key, a walking-only ride of only a couple miles, but still fun to get out and meet some new people.  The new EZ-Fit Saddle was comfortable, I think I have the seat and the stirrups set right now.

Afterwards, Howie (the host) took some pictures of Zephyr and I riding in his outdoor arena.  Here they are:

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Second Test Ride in EZ-Fit Saddle

On Saturday, I tacked Zephyr up in the demo treeless EZ-Fit saddle that I have on loan from Wendy Jordan (email me for contact info) for our second and probably last demo ride.  I already knew that the foam panels don’t have enough angle (you can see this in the picture below), but I needed a few good long trots so I could tell whether it would be comfortable for me.  Our other ride was in fairly deep snow and I’d gotten tossed all over the place!

It was sunny and maybe in the high 20s when I headed out.  Zephyr has a full winter coat, as you can see! I wore my long flannel-lined nylon duster, thinking I’d need it to block the wind.  I left him barefoot, as I knew we’d be riding along a paved road the whole way to my friend’s house, and I figured if anything it would give him a good pedicure!

This size Medium saddle (15-17” adjustable) fits nicely on top of the ThinLine barrel-shaped wool pad.  The size Large saddle is 2” longer from front to back, so it would be a closer fit, but would still work.

The adjustable V-rigging makes it so I can put the cinch exactly in each horse’s girth groove.  Zephyr is wearing this cinch a bit farther back than the girth was placed on the Barefoot saddles, partially because those saddles are designed to fit so much farther forward, which makes the girth sit more forward.

My endurance breastplate works with this saddle, without any adjustments.  I don’t think it has a crupper ring but I don’t see the need with this saddle... it has so much more structure than the Barefoot I had before, and didn’t seem to budge during either of our rides.

Everyone who has seen the pictures of my last ride commented that the stirrups are very far back.  Yes, yes they are!  I hate chair seated saddles with a passion.  On my last ride, I thought maybe they were an inch too far back, but this time I decided they were just right. 

In the picture below, taken when I stopped at Gary's house to drop off my duster because I was too hot, you can see my position at a halt.  I will confess that at the time I felt as if my heels were down, but they’re not... and frankly I don’t care.  I know that they go down when I post the trot, and that’s all that really matters to me as far as security in the saddle.  You may also think my knee is too bent in this picture (stirrups too short), and it’s possible that you are right.  It FELT right, and when I take my foot out of the stirrup the tread is at my ankle as it should be, but next time I will probably try it a hole longer just to see.  I do have to keep them somewhat short just because of the way Zephyr trots, I have to stay off his back a millisecond longer than you need on other horses.

In this same picture, you can see that the cinch has not budged from the place I put it.  This saddle felt very stable to me, even though I did need to tighten the cinch at this stop.  Lateral stability was good even with a loose cinch, though I probably couldn’t have mounted from the ground without tightening it.  If it weren’t for the fact that I already own a perfectly good ThinLine dressage girth, I might consider getting the western rigging (in leather, not nylon as shown here).

After our brief stop to drop off my coat, we continued on.  Zephyr trotted willingly for probably 2-2.5 miles out of the 3 that it took us to get to Alysha’s house.  His gait was smooth and even, and very relaxed with a low head and nicely rounded spine.  My posture was better than it ever was in the Barefoot, no matter how refreshed I was!  I was able to keep my shoulders back so much better, posting was effortless, and it was much easier to keep my heels down.

I headed over towards Lysh’s house partially so she could take a closer look at this saddle with the funny-looking buckles, and partially because when I’m road riding I need a destination to keep me going!  I don’t like riding the road because of the cars and other things to spook at, and Zephyr doesn’t like it because it’s boring (except for when there are things to spook at).  For me to be willing to ride the roads when he’s getting fresh from so little exercise is a real testament to how secure I feel in this deep-seated saddle!

A great example was when we got to the bridge about 1/8 of a mile from Lysh’s house.  There was a car parked there, and the driver was standing down below the bridge on the ice, cutting a minnow trap hole with a chainsaw.  Now, Zephyr is fine with chainsaws, and he’s fine with fishermen, but this was the first time he’d seen this particular combination.  Every second or two I would urge him forward a step or two, which he did willingly, then he would stop and look some more.   When it got to the point before the bridge where the road was narrow enough that it would be unsafe if he spooked, we sat patiently and waited for the man to shut it off.  As soon as he did, and we chatted for a moment to be polite, Zephyr was happy to trot off.

When we got to Lysh’s house, I dismounted so she could sit in the saddle.  She said it was very comfortable for her to sit in, but both of us could see that she would have needed the bigger size if she was going to post a trot.

As you can see in the above photo, the saddle still hasn’t budged, and neither has the cinch.  It is a very stable saddle!  As I remounted and trotted away, I asked Lysh to judge our form.  She said we both looked great, so now I know that it doesn’t just FEEL like I have good equitation (posture, form) in this saddle, I DO have it, and he IS moving well in it even despite the panels not fitting his back well.

Speaking of moving well, he did great with bare feet on the pavement and gravel/sand roadside, with the exception of one particular road that was re-done last summer with some pretty big rocks mixed in.  On that road he preferred pavement to roadside, but on all the others, roadside was just fine.  His feet are really toughening up!

On the way home I stopped back at Gary’s house to collect my coat, and of course I had to go in for a beer, so Zephyr got stripped and tossed in with his buddies Rocky and Peyton for a little playtime.  He thought that was awesome, and so did Gary’s kids and their friends... he was an instant hit with them!  When it was time to go, it was almost dark, so I experimented with tacking up as quickly as I could.  Some setups go fast, some don’t, and this one was FAST, even with the western rigging.  As I rode away through the field and up the hill, I urged him into a hand-gallop to show off a little for the kids... it was fun, and I still felt very secure despite his huge lunging movements because of the deep snow!

My ONLY reservation about this saddle is that the suede seat has a bit of a bump at the top of the twist (right under my crotch) but that’s not a deal killer, I’m going to see if I can use some thin foam underneath the seat to flatten it out... or maybe Eli (the saddle maker) will have something he can do about that.

I’m sold.  I’m ordering my own EZ-Fit this week.  They will build it with sharper angles to the foam panels, to fit Zephyr’s A-framed back, and the brochure says they will also send a Port Lewis Impression Pad with it so I can make sure my weight is being distributed across his back well enough.  There’s a 2-week satisfaction guarantee so what do I have to lose?

When I talk to Wendy, I need to ask her if she has this saddle scheduled for another demo right after mine.  If not, Gary may be interested in taking it on demo.  He’s been looking for a saddle with a larger seat and more seat padding, and when he sat in this one last week, he said that might be the one!

Demoing the EZ-Fit Treeless Saddle

My friend Gary and I hauled over to the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands yesterday for a nice long ride, thinking that the trails would be hard-packed from the snowmobiles. 

Gary rode his horse Rocky over from his house a half-mile away, because I wasn’t sure my rig would make it up his driveway.  Rocky, Gary’s 6yo foundation QH gelding, hasn’t been on a slant-load trailer since Gary bought him, and we don’t know his history before that.  But he hopped right on, saddled and all, even with the left half of the trailer closed up for the tack compartment.  Zephyr, as always, loaded right up too.  After I drove over the frozen-in wheel chocks we were on our way!  Gary told me later that it was the first time he had ever been a passenger in a truck that was hauling a trailer and driven by a woman.  In fact, while I was in the house getting a bottle of water, he almost got behind the wheel by accident!  I got a big laugh out of that.

The Wildlands is only about 10 minutes from my house, and when we arrived there were no other vehicles.  I jockeyed the trailer around until the back end was on snow instead of ice, so that the horses could unload safely.  Next time maybe I’ll bring a bucket of sand just in case.

Rocky didn’t feel that comfortable about stepping down out of the trailer, but with just a bit of coaxing, he did it.  Boy oh boy was he shaking, though!  That had to be the first time he’s backed out of a step-up trailer.

It took me a few moments to get Zephyr saddled with the demo EZ-Fit treeless saddle.  First the cinch was too far back, then the saddle was too far forward!  It’s a far different type of saddle from the old Barefoot Cheyenne that I’m used to.  This is a picture from after my very short test ride on Saturday.  It’s possible that it was too far forward in this picture.

 

These funny-looking buckles hold the seat down.  It’s a treeless saddle, and the whole seat lifts up (forward) and another piece lifts up (backwards) revealing the straps for the stirrups and the front girth loop.  I think I have the stirrups an inch or so too far back right now.  It puts me in very good posture for walking, but makes trotting awkward and after a while makes my hips sore.

I finally got the tack all set and we turned to the next hurdle… would there be a path around the gate that was sufficiently wide for the horses?  It turned out that there was just enough room if we put the stirrups over the saddles and led them through.  Rocky was hesitant at first but it didn’t take too long before he followed Zephyr through. 

The next hurdle was getting on my darn horse!  I don’t know why, but he seemed at least a hand taller than usual.  I could have led him over to the gate but I needed to know whether I could mount from the ground in a pinch.  Gary got a video of a later attempt, which he has threatened to post online, but this first time I needed him to hold down the other stirrup just in case so his hands were busy.

Off we rode, at a raging walk.  The snow was just firm enough that it would hold their weight for a millisecond and then give way.  The horses were fighting to be in the XC-ski tracks instead of the snowshoe tracks, but I didn’t want to let them because horse prints ruin XC-ski tracks.  After about a mile we met up with the snowmobile trail, which was marginally better.

Shortly after, we met up with a lone snowmobiler.  He was very nice; he stopped and shut off his engine.  It turned out that Gary knew him.  They chatted for a few minutes, so I took advantage of a better opportunity to get a shot of Gary and Rocky.  Rocky’s not actually “over at the knee”, he’s just standing awkwardly here.

The corresponding picture of me isn’t very good because Gary was shooting into the light.  (He also needs lessons on taking pictures of horses/riders – always get the whole horse, who cares about the rider!!).  This shot makes the saddle look huge, but keep in mind that the actual back of the saddle’s seat is about 2” in front of the flap that overhangs and is fastened by buckles.  The seat size is pretty good for me, I have just enough room in front of my thighs that I don’t hit the pommel when I post.

We trotted short distances a few times, which was amusing.  NORMALLY I’m a balanced rider, and although my heels do seem to always come up, I post properly and efficiently, and from my hip joint rather than from my knee.  Not this time, oh no.  I sounded just like my friend Kathy… every time we trotted, I’d just start giggling.  The more I bounced around, the more I giggled.  Every time, I eventually resorted to holding onto the pommel with one hand.  Side note… Zephyr has recently remembered a long-ago forgotten lesson to slow down or stop when his rider leans weight onto his withers with their hand. 

I stopped at one point and dismounted to straighten the saddle pad.  I don’t know what was different, but when I went to climb back on, my horse had grown to about 7’ tall!!  It was then that Gary took the aforementioned blackmail video.  He said he thinks people who don’t know the story will probably assume that I’m drunk.  I think I told him to shut his pie hole and ride.

We got in a short canter or two along this stretch.  Surprisingly, the canter was pretty good!  On my short Saturday ride I had a hard time riding the canter, but this time it was much easier.  Maybe it was because the saddle was farther back.

As we made our left-hand turn to go up the hill and see the view, the snow got deeper and deeper.  Rocky started to really have a hard time catching his breath.  We took several breaks as we went up, but eventually we got off to rest them.  I was pleasantly surprised at Zephyr’s fitness level, he was working hard but it never took him long to catch his breath.  (Yay!)  It took Rocky a few more minutes before he was ok, so we decided to see whether it helped to just walk in front of them.  Our weight wasn’t really enough to break through the snowmobile path, but having our weight gone was enough to help the horses. 

We still hadn’t made it to the top, though, when Rocky decided he’d had enough.  We took his cue and turned around.  He did much better downhill, so Gary was able to re-mount.  I took this picture because I was amused at how low the stirrup was in comparison to Gary.  He’s about 6’5” and I’ve never asked his inseam but I’m guessing he must wear about a 36-38”… the stirrup in this picture is about 6” below his knee!  He could literally just step into it!  Mine wasn’t quite that low, but I did manage to mount with less of a spectacle this time.

Here’s the view we saw once we turned around to head back down the hill.  Not too shabby, especially since it wasn’t even from the top.

Once we got back to the main trail, Rocky was doing so much better that we decided it would be ok to try one more off-shoot trail, this one a gentle downhill with tracks from only one snowmobile.  Both horses did great on that footing, but we didn’t dare trot or canter because we knew Rocky was tired.

As we reached the point where the snowmobile trail turns left and we go straight, four snowmobiles came from in front of us.  In my opinion they went by too fast, but then I’m picky.  Both horses behaved well.  Right afterwards, another 4-5 sleds came zipping up from behind us.  Man I hate that high-pitched whine, it sets me on edge!!  Again though, both horses did well.

We were back at the gate in no time.  Rocky had an easier time getting around the gate, I think he may have even led.  This time Zephyr went on the trailer first, and Rocky got the more difficult 2nd berth.  I say more difficult because the escape door is in front of the first stall, so Gary… 6’5” Gary… had to lead him on and then duck under the divider into Zephyr’s stall, then turn around (crouched over) and climb out the door underneath the breast bar.  I had a good laugh over that, but when we got to Gary’s house I was nice.  I volunteered to do the reverse operation.  Rocky wasn’t as confident with me at his head, he really wanted to jump back into the trailer, but in just a couple seconds he was out.  He’s a good boy!

In summary… I really like this saddle!  I LOVE the Y-girthing system and the deep, secure seat.  I don’t want the suede seat, it’s a little too grippy and the leather they use on the outside edges of the seat (and the seat itself when it’s not suede) is grippy enough on its own.  I do think I want the 4” tall pommel instead of the 5” I tried, this one got in the way a little on the hills.  I think the 5” cantle will be fine.  I like the english stirrup leathers, but want twice as many holes so they’re more adjustable.  I need to find out whether the angle of the foam panels can be made more narrow.  This one is just too flat and I don’t think it’s laying its full width against him.  I also want the dressage billets on the Y-girthing; this western system is too imprecise.

I will try to take some detailed pictures of the saddle’s construction sometime this week, as I know there are others out there who, like me, were dying for more visuals.

Tips from an Amateur Hoof Trimmer

A few weeks ago I received a set of Grips and a set of studded Gloves to test in snow and ice here in the frozen Northeast.  Since that first successful test, we've had an odd combination of near-50's rainy weather and near-0° windstorms!  Not only that, I sold my saddle and don't have another one yet.  Zephyr is so full of energy right now that I don't dare ride bareback... he bucked me off on our last ride WITH a saddle!

So today, since I have nothing to add regarding hoof boots, I would like to speak to the "I don't have the facilities / time / equipment / skills to trim my own horse's hooves" argument.  Hogwash!  I'm an amateur, for sure, but I'm holding my own with minimal equipment, and without any facilities, time, or formal instruction.  (I do admit it's a lot easier with only one horse!)

For equipment, I just use a $10 rasp, a $25 hoof knife I was given by an old farrier (as his blessing to do my own trims), a round chainsaw file to sharpen the knife, and a basic $25 iron hoof stand... nothing else.  Anytime my back starts to hurt I stand up and stretch, and maybe walk Zephyr around for a moment. 

I live in Maine, as you may have gathered, where there is snow on the ground for half the year.  I do not have a barn to trim hooves in, I'm SUPPOSED to have half of the garage for a grooming / tack / feed room but for the last year it's been out of service because my husband was rewiring / insulating / sheetrocking / painting it in preparation for using his half as a workshop.  Instead I tie to the trailer.

This summer/fall, it was fine, I was trimming about once a week so it only took about 20-30 minutes to do a thorough job.  I could fit it in after work, or even before a weekend ride.  But this time of year is harder.  During the week I get home at 6pm, which right now is about 1.5 hours after dark, so hoof trimming waits until the weekend.  If a particular weekend is too cold, too snowy, too rainy, or too windy, hoof trimming doesn't get done.  That's OK, it can wait, I'm not riding in those conditions anyway!

Keep in mind that last summer I was re-learning to trim, and I accidentally allowed quite a bit of excess length and some hoof wall flares to develop.  My goal is, over time, to shorten Zephyr's hooves overall and to eliminate those flares.  So my methods are specific to that, but you may find some helpful tips too, who knows.  I just do what works for my body and my horse, in my facilities (such as they are), and with my tools.

After cleaning out the hoof with a hoof pick and brush, and using the hoof knife to clean out the seat of corn, I start by putting the hoof on the hoof stand and "trimming from the top", or making a vertical cut in the hoof wall.  Until recently I was going all the way to the white line with this, but now that the flares are under control I'm starting to be less drastic and only go to the water line.  If you're confused what I mean, go here, click on "Do Trim", and scroll down to "Back up the Toe".  I've stolen a picture from that site to show what it looks like from the bottom, when half done.  The dark brown line is the "white line", which in this case has stretched and attracted dirt, and the cream-colored line to the outside of that is the "water line". 



Once I've finished the Trimming from the Top part, I start working from the bottom.  I don't tend to put the hoof between my legs (the classic farrier stance) because it feels awkward... I hold each front hoof with the inside hand, and rasp with the outside hand. 

I rasp the quarters before I do the heels; it makes doing the heels easier because there's less surface area to rasp.  I rasp the heels one side at a time, doing my best to avoid rasping toe callous or sole.  The best way to do this, I've found, is to rasp each heel individually with the rasp pointing from the middle of the heel to the outside of the hoof.

Many times, with front hooves, I will kneel on one knee, and place the hoof upside down on the other knee while I work on the heel.  For hind feet, I recently discovered that it works great to hold the hoof in the inside hand, turn the rasp handle-end away, grap the point/handle in my hand, and use my forearm to press the rasp against the hoof.  This gives great leverage and keeps the rasp level against the hoof.

Of course to check the balance I need to stand up and sight along the sole.  (Did you know the best way to check heel balance is to sight along the sole and compare the distance from the hairline to the heel?  As much as I've read about hoof trimming in the last few years, I had forgotten that tip until a farrier I recently had check my work reminded me of it.)  

Then I finish the hoof with a strong "mustang roll" all the way around to discourage cracking and flares.

I do one hoof at a time until it looks finished, then go back and double check them all in the same order so any differences between the first hoof and the last hoof become more obvious.

I can't wait until I have use of the garage again... for now, all of my tack and supplies are still in the trailer, which is about 200' from the house, parked alongside a very icy paved driveway.  So before I trim Zephyr's hooves, I have to liberally sand the driveway between the paddock gate and the area I'll be working.  Even so, the hoof stand tends to scoot away if Zephyr puts much weight on his leg.

I did finally manage to trim Zephyr's hooves last weekend, at about the 4-week mark, but unfortunately my camera wasn't available.  It was interesting to work with that much growth.  His bars and heels were quite long compared to when I've been trimming every week, which made it very easy to see the medial-lateral imbalance that he tends to develop.  I was super careful to get that as balanced as I could, and was gratified that he was standing more under himself and with his legs more straight than before the trim.

I was thrilled with the lack of hoof flares, both on the sides of all four hooves (the white lines had stretched quite a bit), and on the fronts of his front hooves.  The side flares are just about gone, the white line is tight and dirt free!  The toe flares are almost gone, the white line has always been tight and dirt free but there was a scoop to the toe that is now very minimal and I was able to almost entirely eliminate it by rasping the bottom inch of the outsides of the hoof walls.  I do wish the frogs on his front feet were in better shape, but I doubt he'll ever have the flat/hard frogs of a Western horse.  It's just too wet here.

Again, I am an amateur who only has to learn how to trim one particular horse, and only needs to be effective in trimming style... there are no owners looking at me and thinking "I've never seen a farrier stand that way to trim a horse".  I have horrible conditions to trim in, hardly any time to do it, basic/cheap equipment.  My saving grace is a willingness to admit when I'm in over my head, and to ask any and all farriers for input.  Occasionally I find one that I decide has less business trimming a horse than *I* do, but most of the time I find that the feedback is positive with just a few improvements or pointers.

If I can do it, I bet you can too.

First Test of Studded Hoof Boots

We got our first snow a couple of weeks ago, and another storm a few days later followed by rain, so we've got about 4" of snow laying on the ground... some of which covers ice but you can't tell until you hit it!  I thought yesterday's sunny 34° weather would make a perfect day to test the set of studded Easyboot Gloves that arrived last week.





I had to tie to the telephone pole in my driveway because there was so much ice around my trailer that even I didn't want to go there without my YakTrax on my boots!  I wanted him to have his studded boots on before we went up to the trailer to tack up.

It's been pretty cold lately and our garage / grooming area is still out of service due to a remodel, so I haven't trimmed Zephyr's hooves in about 3 weeks.  For that matter, I haven't really looked very hard at them either so I wasn't sure what I'd find when it came time to see if I could get the boots on.

Luckily, his hooves looked great!  The quarters had been badly stretched at the end of the summer, but all autumn I've been working on bringing them tight again.  They've responded a lot faster than the toe flare has, but even that is looking a lot better.



I was in a hurry to boot up and get on the trail because my husband was waiting until I left to to use the chainsaw on a deadfall tree that had fallen next to the trailer... so I don't have as many pictures as I'd like.  The photo above his Zephyr's right-front hoof.  Here's that same hoof in a size 2 boot without any trimming:



I'm pleased at the amount of spread in the V ... that toe flare is really getting under control!  His hoof wall is in contact with the boot all the way down the front of the boot, unlike it has been recently.

In fact, I'm pleased to say that all four boots went on without any trimming... and that's with the same sizes that I've been using since the end of the summer  (larger than he started with).  The difference is that the toe flares seem to be getting under control!  I will be interested to see whether he needs to move down a size when I next trim him.



From the first moment he stepped onto the ice, Zephyr felt very secure in his boots... just like me in my YakTrax!  (This photo was hard to take without a helper.)



My husband needed me to leave so he could start cutting up the tree that had fallen next to the trailer.  The sunshine had deserted us and twilight would be on us sooner than we wanted!  



So, as quickly as I could, I tacked up and headed down the driveway.  Zephyr's walk felt bouncy underneath me, and I began to think safety might be a priority today.  I had planned to ride down the side of the road, but the horse-eating black garbage bag over our neighbor's rhodedendron sent him scrambling backwards so I headed up a short trail that leads from our driveway to the neighbor's dead-end road.  

It's about .8 miles long, and goes up a steady but not very steep hill the whole way, so it makes a good place to just do laps in the wintertime.  My husband jokes with me about it... "walk up, walk down, trot up, walk down, canter up, walk down, trot up, walk down, walk up, walk down."  Hey, it's a good workout, we don't have to go far from home, and we can quit anytime we get cold or bored.  It's easier to face a ride at 10°F when you know you're not locked in for hours of agony!

Anyway, when I turned onto the road I was pleased to find that it hadn't been plowed.  It's a much nicer place to ride when it's not plowed!  And for the first time I didn't even have to worry about hidden patches of ice, because Zephyr was wearing his new studded boots.

He felt GREAT and sprung into a trot within the first few yards.  His trot got prancier and prancier until he slipped comfortably into a beautiful left-lead canter.  YEAH, I thought!  He NEVER volunteers a left-lead canter, so this new Barefoot Atlanta saddle I have on loan must be comfortable for him, and the boots must feel good too.  

He cantered on the left lead almost all the way up the next hill, and I could feel him starting to get faster and faster.  I was just leaning back to slow him down, when I felt him take three giant leaps like a bunny rabbit.  On the third leap he threw in a joyous little buck, which because he was on the rare left lead I wasn't ready for, and off I went.

As I somersaulted gracefully through the air, I consciously kept a firm grip with my left hand on the rein and also rolled to the left to avoid being stepped on.  When I looked up, he was standing over me, looking down as if to say "well it's not MY fault you couldn't stay on".

It took a few minutes to stop my legs from shaking, no matter how often I fall off it always makes me shaky.  I took advantage of being on the ground to check the boot gaiters.  They were still about as tight as I could get them while still fastening straight across.  That is to say, they weren't very tight at all and there was some snow packed down inside but I know from experience that as they get broken in I'll be able to fasten them tighter.

Then I led him over to a stump, tightened the girth for good measure, and climbed back on.  We walked up to the top, walked back down, trotted up the hill, walked back down, and then trotted most of the way before cantering to the top.  I made sure to keep him slow and in control this time!

When we returned and I pulled off the boots, I was pleased to find that there were no rubs anywhere, not from snow/ice getting inside the gaiter and not from the boot being too tight in the heel.  Again, I'll be interested to see if he drops a size after his next trim.

All in all, despite the fall, it was a successful first test of our studded boots.  I never had to worry about ice hidden under the snow, and he was perfectly safe on the ice-covered pavement in my driveway. 

From now on, unsafe footing is NOT an excuse for me to stay on the couch instead of riding!

Yours truly,
The Boot Maine-iac

Weed, Boots, and Nips

On Sunday November 22, I was scheduled to ride at the Wildlands with my friends Kerry, Gary, and Kathy.  Kathy was going to borrow Gary’s Quarter-pony, Peyton, again.  They first met two weeks ago on an impromptu neighborhood ride, and got along very well!  Peyton blew away all our expectations and earned the nickname “The Trail Assassin” with his steady demeanor and easy gaits.

At the last minute, Gary had to back out, but Peyton was still available to borrow.  Since her trailer was smaller and easier to maneuver in unfamiliar driveways, Kerry headed over to pick him up.  I parked my rig in the entrance of the driveway and walked up the hill.

Peyton saw the trailer in the driveway and did his version of whistling over his shoulder and walking away.  It took Gary about 10 minutes and several cups of grain to coax him into being caught!  Peyton even threw in a little freakout as he left his stall, just for good measure.  As he walked through the barnyard to the trailer, he and his barn-mate Rocky called to each other forlornly.  It was at that point that I realized he hadn’t been taken off the property without Rocky for the last year, and had never been trailered anywhere to ride!  “Hmm, maybe we should rethink this”, I thought to myself.  But I didn’t say anything because Kathy was really looking forward to the ride, and Gary is always calling me a sissy.  Or is it my horse that he calls a sissy?  I don’t know anymore.

Kerry’s warmblood-size straight-load trailer, with another horse already inside, looked pretty inviting to ME but apparently not to Peyton.  Gary started to lead him on and Peyton had two feet on the ramp before freaking out and running backwards.  I got close enough to just touch his hip and he stepped forward, but after a few minutes it was clear that a little more persuasion was needed.  Nobody had a dressage whip handy so I walked to the edge of the driveway and picked myself a dead Goldenrod weed, nice and thick and stiff at the bottom of the stem, and fluffy at the top.  It was amazing, as soon as I waved that weed behind him, Peyton stepped right up into the trailer!  I didn’t even have to touch him.  I made sure to fasten the butt bar before Gary tied him, and stashed the weed under the manger in case we needed it later.

Arriving at the small parking lot at the north gate of the Wildlands, we jockeyed the trailers into position (no easy task) and unloaded Peyton first.  As he backed out, his wide load belly got caught on the butt bar that was hanging down next to the divider and he ran straight out backwards before calming down and standing quietly.  With that experience fresh in our minds we decided Kathy should tie to the gate instead of the trailer!  She just draped the lead rope over the metal and he fell asleep like an old cow pony while she brushed him.  What a good boy.  This picture was taken after Kathy woke him up by walking near him with the saddle.  I’d make a comment about his weight, but as you’ll see, our endurance athletes are looking a bit ... fluffy ... themselves!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kerry and I were both using new treeless saddles for the first time.  She had just bought a Freeform EnduroX, and I had just received a loaner Barefoot Atlanta.  I’ve been using a 2006 model of Barefoot Cheyenne, and the new models have built-in panels that help disperse the weight.

Here’s JB in his Freeform EnduroX and his original Easyboots... he got his shoes pulled for the winter on Friday and has been a bit sore on gravel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s Zephyr in his Barefoot Atlanta.  I don’t have a pad to fit it yet, so I’m using the one from my Cheyenne.  You can see how differently it’s shaped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s Zephyr all ready to go, with Easyboot Gloves on his front feet.  He doesn’t really need them at the Wildlands, but I wanted to use them anyway so I could see how they did with 2+ weeks of hoof growth.  As it turned out, they didn’t stay on long enough to really tell... but that wasn’t through any fault of theirs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it came time to mount up, I approached Peyton to check his cinch, and he freaked out and ran backwards.  I grabbed one of the reins and he stopped, blowing hard.  When I threw the rein over his neck he freaked out again.  I have no idea why Peyton is so twitchy around me, but now that I know he is, I know I need to go over there and work on it!  I could see Kerry was starting to think this was going to be a disastrous outing so I reassured her that it was just me, that Kathy and Peyton knew each other and got along really well.  Kerry was visibly relieved to hear that we probably wouldn’t have to scrape Kathy off the ground with a spatula.

Before we mounted up, Kathy told us she was practicing for someday going on a Foxhunt, so she had purchased a fancy steel flask and loaded it up with creamed sherry.  She took pity on us not having flasks of our own, and provided us with a variety of little nips of various liqueurs like Buttershots and Lemon Drops.  It was the first time Kerry or I had done shots while we rode!  More on that later.

In the first half mile of our ride, JB slung his right front Easyboot off TWICE.  That was all it took for Kerry to take me up on my offer to loan her Zephyr’s Gloves.  (And frankly, that was all it took to start us drinking.)  We were pretty sure the Gloves would fit, since Zephyr wears the same size Easyboots as JB does.  Unfortunately we couldn’t get JB’s left front Easyboot off, so that one stayed on and Kerry put one of Zephyr’s Gloves on the right front.  I packed the other Glove away in my saddle bag, strapped the Easyboot onto the top of my jacket behind my saddle, and continued on with Zephyr barefoot.  He was just as happy as he could be.  I can remember back when he couldn’t walk over there without wincing at each step!  That was only a few months ago!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course we took it easy on the nips... every now and then one of us would yell CHEERS and we’d take a sip, chased with water, and of course none of us had more than a shot total over the course of the ride.  It was great fun, but I suppose you had to be there.  For one thing, all these disclaimers are taking the fun right out of the joke. 

One of the funniest things about it was that I didn’t have my Fuzzy Logic riding pants on, so I had no thigh pocket to stow my nips bottle in.  I didn’t have my jacket on either, and hadn’t put my pommel pack on my saddle yet.  Instead, I stuck the bottle down the waistband of my pants... which soon meant that I carried it in the fold of my thigh, inside my pants.  That sounds awkward, but I didn’t really feel it there at all, and it ended up being better than where Kathy stowed her flask! 

After a while Kerry and I switched horses so we could try out each others’ saddles.  We couldn’t do any more than walk, though, because we didn’t want to bother changing stirrup lengths.  Go ahead, call us lazy.  Anyway, you can see JB in his mismatched Easyboots, and Kerry in her Fuzzy Logics pants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s Kathy on Peyton, who is barefoot and flatfooted, and still rocked it in the Wildlands without pain.  As far as I can tell he has never worn shoes.  Oh, and I believe if you look closely you can see part of Kathy’s flask in her left hand!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some gorgeous scenery on Mountain View Road!  The horses ain’t bad neither, even if Zephyr does look like he’s about to pee. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, somewhere along this road, Kathy dropped her flask, which she had been storing in the back pocket of her jeans.  If she’d only told me that’s where she had it, I’d have told her it was a bad idea!  All that trotting and cantering was bound to jostle it out!  I’d have shared my nips with her but by that time it was all gonesies.

Barefoot buddies (left) and the view Kathy saw most of the afternoon (right):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the end of the ride, we all agreed that Peyton ... “The Trail Assassin” ... is worth his weight in gold.  (That’s a lot of gold.)  He never spooked at anything, went through everything he was asked to, is incredibly comfortable to ride, and somehow managed to squeeze his belly between all the trees on the skinniest trail we were on (Hillside Trail) without banging Kathy’s knees.  We still don’t know how he did that, it’s a mystery.

Here are the three amigos.  Lord only knows what the horses were discussing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see in the picture above, eventually JB did step himself out of the left front Easyboot, at which point Kerry borrowed my other Glove and continued on.

When we got back to the trailers, Kerry told me she was DONE with the original style of Easyboots and wanted to order a pair of Easyboot Gloves from me.  No problemo, and, having used the original Easyboots myself a few years ago, no surprise either.  (I can’t tell you how EASY the Gloves are!  And the only thing I’ve managed to do in order to make one come off is to lose a screw out of the gaiter and, 10 miles later, canter up a rocky hill.  It stayed on while trotting, just not cantering.)

The sweat marks under my loaner saddle looked pretty good, but he didn’t really get a sweat going under there.  I’d have taken a picture but we were losing daylight and it wouldn’t have come out that well.  I think another good hard ride is necessary, with a lot of trotting, before I’ll know whether the VPS panels in the saddle are doing a good job dispersing my weight.

Kerry was in a hurry to get home, so we decided to see whether Peyton would get on my trailer, which is a 2-horse slant load with a rear tack, which makes the opening very narrow.  Surprisingly, we didn’t even need The Weed to help encourage him, and even more surprisingly, his belly fit!  I decided to worry about whether he would unload once I got him home.  He actually did fine once I crawled in there and stood at his head while he backed out... he didn’t even bang his belly on the side!

After we got Peyton tucked away, Gary told me that after we left, he walked inside to find his two young daughters, aged 5 and 7, bawling their eyes out so hard that nobody could get a word in edgewise.  Apparently they were CONVINCED that he had sold Peyton, or sent him “to the big farm” where all the cows go when they get big.  Once he was able to get them to listen, he told them Peyton had just gone for a ride, and they stopped crying and went to play.  Apparently they’re not scarred for life, and for that we are all grateful.

All that fresh air knocked me right out; I was asleep in front of the TV by 8.

Good times... good times...

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