Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:27 pm Post subject: March 2009
So! Morris is in training to become a horse that can cope and perhaps do a fun ride or many this year.
On Saturday Helen and I were out for about 3 1/2 hours with Morris and Rooster, both barefoot and blasting over everything. We must have done abour 12- 15 miles mostly road and forest track with a very short stretch of treacherously slippy sheep nibbled muddy grass. Lots of hill work and puffing from Morris. Rooster had his tail in the air as usual.
Sunday Morris rolled out again for a hack probably about 8 miles, this time with Helen on Uncle Carly. We trailered to a lovely place on the Clywdian Hills. Morris wasn't quite so enthusiastic but still managed to do a couple of really long hills and have the energy to canter some of them. Had a spot of bother coping with both sheep and walkers and looked like this for a moment but managed to keep his cool so he caught up with a racing Carly. Earlier a person rustling in the back of a car meant the need to charge off up a stony track just in case the tigers were coming . Uncle Carly whizzed past him ignoring the stones and determined not to let a young wipper snapper get in front.
A very successful weekend with lovely weather, lovely views and lovely boys.
Helen's comment of the month "Well Carly went over everything today and ...... at speed"
Turned cold up here again - it's 2C outside and windy. Lots of greening up happening.
Trimmed all 4 on Sunday. Noticeable that they are growing much more hoof now as the spring is coming in. Even the two not on grass are growing more. All frogs seem to be shedding and I'm just leaving them to get on with it as they are all relatively clean. Polly the cob has feet so hard that I need a wee rest between doing them!
Bramble's feet are looking great and he seems to be quite comfortable in them. Now the snow and slippery roads are gone we can get him back out in his gig and start building his fitness up. In a few weeks it will be a year since his bad lami attack. However we will have to clip him cos he's a wee wooly mammoth at the moment!
Link seems to be improving - he's not showing any real signs of pain apart from the odd step in trot. Still daily tubbing and he seems to really like the warmth of the water - just using ACV. No sign of egress yet.
My friend's little black cob is doing just great and his feet have now grown out all of the ravelled stuff from his shoes coming off. He's turning out to be largely self trimming so it's just a tidy up job. Since going on the seaweed his coat has glossed up and his mane is growing in beautifully.
Hey spring is on the way!! Until last night, a tad cold!
Medraar, Abu and Saqr all now started off their training.
Medraar, due to new hardcore this winter has no heel problems this year, as usual stomping over everything and better with hills and bikes this year!
Abu, well I just don't know how this little man stys so fit, went out on Saturday and thought I would ride in rope halter as a treat, never, never again. In the past 12 years this is the one occassion I thought we may die! first 4 miles fab, then coming down a nice quiet lane he decides to go for it, broke out of trot bucked and off he went, I though the steep hill would stop him, but no, this was a challange and he got his second wind, 2 miles later and thank god no oncoming traffic and friend was out on a youngster up the road and acted as a block after seeing a white flash travelling at speed towards her! A very naughty Abu!
Saqr, 5 year old going really well despite having sore wolf teeth we are using the hackamore until he has his treatment later in the month. He has the most strange looking feet, but better than they were but they are as tough as old boots, I call him Robo cop as he just goes forward all day long.
Max, the big baby, 3 this year just starting his education with Amanda. Lunged in tack at the weekend and then she popped on board, he was an angel so will have a summer of very light hacking as he will be too big to leave until 4 year old , he stands at 16.3 as a 3 year old.
Bonanza, 2 year old enjoying life as a colt and terrorising the others!!
Took Link out this morning for his first hack since he went lame - sunny, but a bitterly cold wind up here which went through all the layers! On the whole he was OK and strode out quite happily in his great ground covering walk, but one or two (that's all) ouchy steps on the way back to the field - may just have been stones.
So - good progress I guess. He's landing nicely on his fronts, but watching very closely this morning - there is a slight difference in the gait but I'm just not sure exactly how to describe it - just like the landing on that foot is less smooth an action than the other foot.
Little QH mare went jumpies on Saturday. First time over water tray for her and her Mum. Should I be worried? They refused twice but when I said 'pretend you are coming to kill me' they cleared it no problem...
Then 9 mile hack over Downs. Apart from being somewhat shattered they both seemed fine. Mare getting better at stony bits.
Well, as documented I took the boots off a few weeks ago, and hearing of our situation Flintshire County Council kindly re-surfaced one of the quiet lanes I use . Top draw FCC !! well, OK they didnt do for me but talk about good timing. My favourite lane all nice and new tarmaced - and boy does Jake stride out on this route Beautiful heel first landing on this, and floaty-lite trot. .
first time we saw it I was chunnering to jake all the way " yee ha Jakey how about this tarmac eh boy !!" - thank goodness only the sheep heard us
Interesting local BHS newsletter came round recently saying that horseowners could write to FCC and object to new tarmac surface which slippy for shod horses. - thank goodness no-one did !
Jazz hunted for three hours on Saturday cantering up tracks made up of broken bricks. He needed a bit of a trim when he set out, but not by the time he finished, his heels were perfect Saved me a job!!
Zip keeps popping up high heels and I keep taking them down. He is totally rock crunching whether they are high or low.
Little Butkins is developing the sweetest little Shetland feet you ever saw. In a two inch foot - a wide ground-bearing frog and a lovely toe-bevel. He's the only Shetland I have ever seen walk like a tart and overtrack by four inches. I still think he may have a dressage career ahead of him _________________ smartiesdiary.blogspot.com
Spoke with our vet this morning about Link. Reasonably happy.
He made a point of saying to exercise caution with our lads - over the last two weeks he has seen "unprecedented numbers" of laminitis cases. He said that he's never had so many in such a short period.
Hi Bruce - good to hear that Link is improving. Did the vet have a view on why the extra lamintis cases?
Both girls shedding sole. QH losing one hind sole in one large chunk - in my head I know its ok, but my heart is in my mouth a bit.
Any tips on finding white line when it merges completely with hoof wall and sole of exactly the same colour? I'm not completely batty - I can find a bit near the quarters but then it disappears as it goes forward to the toe. Just two feet of QH. No problem with Arab who has dark feet with a clear distinction between hoof wall and sole.
QH apart from having rather flat feet which are in transition, has no other real problems and has increased her stride length enormously, so I guess she is feeling ok.
He said it was just with having had tha really cold snap and then sunshine and warmer weather - the grass really flushed within a few days - the dangerous kind of flush that you don't really notice until it's too late!
He also commented that horses that have not lost enough weight over winter and are coming into spring more heavy seem to be at greatest risk.
He also said that last year was bad and seemed like a record year for both laminitis and grass sickness for some reason - this year has been "unprecedented" for laminitis.
Everything growing up here inthe milder weather. Good rich dairy and cattle land in our area, not so great for horses though! I'd love some horrible dry scrubby heathery stony ground with a stream running through it!!!
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for a moment but managed to keep his cool so he caught up with a racing Carly. Earlier a person rustling in the back of a car meant the need to charge off up a stony track just in case the tigers were coming 
. Uncle Carly whizzed past him ignoring the stones and determined not to let a young wipper snapper get in front.
"Well Carly went over everything today and ...... at speed"
. Top draw FCC !! well, OK they didnt do for me but talk about good timing. My favourite lane all nice and new tarmaced - and boy does Jake stride out on this route Beautiful heel first landing on this, and floaty-lite trot. 
.
