Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 125th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 125th LESSON

It was too hot (near 90 degrees, 66% humidity) to work Flossie for more than a half hour
today. There were no clouds to hide beneath so I didn't want to take her into the
center of the paddock. It would have been inhumane. So I worked her for fifteen minutes in
one direction on the track, walked her once around the track, then worked her for fifteen
minutes around the track in the opposite direction. I stayed on her to cool her out, which
took another half hour.

I washed her down with a bottle of water and soaked her to the bone. It was so hot, that by
the time we reached the yard after walking around the track, her back was already dry. She
loved the cool cloth on her face! Her feet are looking good, too, but I'm running out
of hoof dressing. I'll have to make a point to pick some more up later this week.

There were so many new things to notice on Des' property when we initially pulled up.
First of all, BamBam's gone. Des said the trainer came for him on Saturday and it took
an hour and a half to load him on the trailer. He had to lead Bambi on, first, before
he'd go anywhere near it. He didn't bite, kick, or strike out. The worst he did
was freeze.

During my ride, I could hear Bambi calling for BamBam now and then. Even Flossie got in on
it once and called out while keeping an eye out for the little guy as we came around a
corner.

Blaze is back. He's still a stud, but that's about all about him that's still
the same. He's shed out of his chestnut coat and is now a bay with three stockings.
He's a lot taller, too, now that he's a yearling. I don't think he's as
tall as Bambam, though. I have no idea if he remembered me or not, but he remembered he
likes carrots!

Every time Blaze came out of his shed to see me, he was constantly looking over his shoulder
at the huge machines that are now digging up the ground just on the other side of his
paddock. They are monstrous, noisy, and unfamiliar intruders. I'm sure he'll get
used to them, though. All the other horses have seemed to.

Des said people were setting fireworks off the other night and the horses were spinning
around and freaking out. Gary was there to keep an eye on them, and they all came out of it
okay, but I can just imagine the scare they must have felt at the time with all the noise
and commotion going on around them.

Besides Blaze, Gary has another gelding on Des' property now. He put a shed up for him
in the little paddock where I used to ride Flossie when I first started working her. He
shares that paddock with Paddle Pop King, his other gelding, who also has a shed now too.
He stands in the corner next to the wall and since the shed is made of metal, every time he
stamps the flies off his front leg, his shoe clanks against the wall and keeps Des up at
night.

I took a couple of photos of Blaze so you can see just how much he's changed. I'll
have to upload them onto my computer along with a 'before' picture, so you can
compare the way he looks today with the way he looked when I saw him last.

It's so nice to have dry weather back again, but this summer heat gets unbearable.
I'm well and truly looking forward to April when autumn comes around again.