Autumn Gets A New Pair Of Shoes



     Autumn has been motoring around pretty well despite her stifle injury she sustained last July(read about it at When You Get Bedside Manner).  I have been monitoring her exercise, watching for the slightest hint of lameness, discomfort, joint swelling, creaking or stiffness that would signal to me that I need to back off.  So far, she has not had any bouts of lameness, thank goodness!  After her last hoof trimming my farrier, Adam Jorgensen, and I noticed that her non-injured hoof was starting to change shape.  The medial (inside) wall of her hoof was beginning to spread out and flare while the lateral (outside) wall hoof was wearing down much quicker.  Adam felt that shoes maybe in order to prevent devastating ware on her back feet and suggested that I talk to one of the veterinarians about it.

 

Autumn's left hoof showing a flare on the medial wall of the hoof while the lateral side is wearing down and looking more straight up and down.

 

     A few days later I had the veterinarian up at the ranch.  She watched Autumn as I walked and trotted her up and down the dirt road.  Sure enough, she said that Autumn was reaching under herself more, bringing her good leg more underneath her, most likely taking some of the pressure off of her injured leg.  I told the doctor that in the saddle I could feel Autumn's stride moving me in a more diagonal direction.  The doctor agreed that we should give shoes a try.  The doctor and Adam decided what type of shoeing would be most appropriate and an appointment was scheduled for Autumn's first shoeing .

 

     I took off the morning of the appointment and my husband joined me as well.  To get Autumn all set up I stuffed a hay bag full of her non-diet hay, grass alfalfa hay mix aka giant Belgian horse pacifier, and put wraps on her back legs to keep her furry feathers out of the way for the shoeing.  Adam said he was up late the night before making her shoes from scratch from a steel bar. 

The bar on the left is what Adam forged into the shoe on the right. 







First, Adam trimmed and rasped  her hooves.

   

Autumn enjoying her snack in her totally trendy hot pink zebra print hay bag that she ending up decimating by the end of her pedicure.

Next, Adam sized out the shoe with her trimmed hoof, to see how he needed to adjust it to fit her foot.

 

He then placed the shoes in the forge to soften them up to begin making his adjustments.

 

 

The fine tuning begins!

  

 

 

 

 

Adding Nail Holes

 

 

 

With the shoe, once again, hot out of the forge and in the desired shape to fit Autumn's hoof, Adam then briefly placed the hot shoe on her hoof the sear the path where the shoe would ultimately lie.  The purpose is to create a smooth interface surface between the hoof and the shoe and to seal the cut horn tubules making them less likely to get too dry or too wet due to the environment.  It also kills any fungi or bacteria that could cause hoof problems.

 

Autumn is getting hot to trot!

 

Autumn, didn't even stop from inadvertently ripping her hay bag apart as her back feet hissed and smoked.  Adam was pretty pleased with her.  He said that most horses that get hot shoes for the first time usually have their eyes bugging out of their head.

 

The shoe is ready to be nailed in place

 

Tapping in the nails.

 Clenching down the nails.

TA-DA!!!!  Autumn's first pair of shoes!

I just love this picture of her little...I mean giant... feathery heels.

 

    Autumn stood for Adam the whole time like a polite young lady. When she walked off for the first time she picked up her feet all funny like a little girl toddling in her mother's heels.  She figured it out after a bit.  I have to admit that I was a little worried that she may be a bit sore after her first shoeing but she was fine.  In fact, the following day I rode her on the beach and the day after that I worked her with the cows.  That funny diagonal motion I had been feeling when I rode her was gone.  Instead, she felt more balanced and smooth.  She had happy ears throughout each ride and that just made me real happy.

 

Those are some happy horse ears!

I like to thank Adam for doing a great job!  If anyone would like to contact Adam you can visit him at Jorgensen Forge and Farrier.  Thank you to Casey, my husband, for taking all of the great photos in this week's blog!

 

2013 HERO Ride for Life

  Autumn and I are participating in  The HERO Ride For Life horseback fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.  The ride takes place on Saturday, May 4^th at the Ferndale Fairgrounds.  The goal of the HERO Ride For Life is to raise money that will aid in finding a cure for cancer and to help fund support services for those afflicted with cancer.  Autumn and I would like to ask for your help of meeting our goal of raising $1,000 for this great cause.  For everyone that makes a donation, in any amount (even if it’s only a dollar), we will proudly carry, in honor, the name(s) of those that you love that are surviving or have had cancer (yourself included) or someone that you have lost to cancer. 
Please mail in your tax deductible donation by May 1^st.  Please make your check payable to the American Cancer Society.  Be sure to include the name(s) of those that you would like Autumn & I to dedicate our ride to.  Please send your donation in as soon as you can so we will have it in time for the ride. 
Thanks for helping us support a great cause!
Margaret & Autumn
Margaret Hague
P.O. Box 1356
Blue Lake, CA 95525

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Copyright (c) 2013 Jacksonhillhorseygirl.com  April 24, 2013