Shoe On Tuck Off

But on the Mend

Scott came late this morning to shoe Tucker. He carved a chunk out of his toe and told me to pack it with epson salts and Betadine. He will be back at the end of the week to do the other Boys and check on him again.

Mic, the little border collie puppy is adorable!! And old Jack has really been revitalized by the kid. They are so cute together. I will post some more pics tomorrow. I do love border collies, but their endless energy wears me out. When Jack was young, he would play "fetch" the whole time Scott was here to shoe three horses. I can see why these dogs are so valuable to the shepherds. I love watching them work the sheep. My friends have a flock of sheep at their house just for training herding dogs. (Not much real sheep herding around here so they compete on special flocks.) It was so much fun watching the dogs work. Honestly, it is absolutely beautiful to see a good herding dog doing his job. Totally awesome.

It appears Tuck's trouble did start in the toe. I don't know if Scott had come sooner if it could have been carved out and treated or if it was already to far gone by the time Tucker became lame. Scott did tell me to call him first if I did have a hoof problem, but I don't know if that would have made a difference in this case. Regardless, Tucker is in good hands now.

He is, though, not 100% sound. He trots sound to the left (the injured hoof is the right front) but going to the right, he is very slightly off. I let him graze on the lawn for the afternoon as his limited turnout. Tomorrow I will put him out with his buddies for a short afternoon if he still looks sound. If not, he will have to stay in.

Because I'd had a chiropractic adjustment after Scott left, I opted out of riding. (It was my neck again.) Instead, I decided to lunge Chance and just catch Toby at least three times. The idea is to catch him and not do anything with him so he doesn't think running off the always the best option.

Chance was lovely on the line. The more I work with him, the more I like him. He really does have nice gaits and carries himself well. He is quite and impressive little horse...who by average horse standards is really not so little at a bit over 15.2 h. I think is will make, should I decide to do it, a really nice dressage horse--perhaps the best I've had. Three solid gaits make the difference here. Toby has three solid gaits but is not physically balanced enough--his neck is set level. Tucker has good balance, a super canter and walk, but a more limited, flatter trot. That will improve, but it will require training rather than capitalize on his natural ability. Chance has an "elevated" front end, a nice neck, good haunches, and those three good gaits. I am really getting enthusiastic about his potential.

Toby was caught as planned, cuddled and carroted. I am sure he is quite pleased with himself.