Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 194th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 194th LESSON

Pat finished all the paddocks he was working on and was finally able to bring his horses
down to Des’ and now Flossie has a new friend. Pat has a Shetland pony which he’s penned
in an area next to the fence that runs along the railroad track and Flossie has adopted
this tiny little animal for her own. She will not go anywhere; she hangs right outside
his pen. When I arrived to ride her today, she ambled away from the pony and over to the
gate to greet me. (The pen is only a few steps from the gate). It was nice not having
to go out into the paddock to round her up for a change.

Gary put some cracker dust down on the track where it’s the muddiest, just as you come to
the first bend near the rail road track, leaving the yard going left, a bit down from
where the pony is penned. Now, even though it’s still wet in that area, the traction is
great, even at a canter. I can walk through it, too, without getting my boots muddy.

Just as I led Flossie out of the yard, Billy left the track with his horses, so I had the
entire place to myself! I walked Flossie in hand around that first muddy bend in the
track, and over towards the road. It wasn’t muddy there at all, which was nice to see.

I found a great place to mount that doesn’t rely on truck tires in the muddy ground,
either. As the track comes around the second bend, going left, just as it reaches the
road, the bank is naturally higher on the outside of the turn than it is on the main part
of the track, so I stood on this higher area to mount, and wouldn’t you know, just as I
got myself settled into the saddle, the bulldozers arrived to work on the road. What
terrible luck. However, as it turned out, Flossie didn’t bat an eye.

Once I was in the saddle, she never balked with me today at all. It’s as if she had
remembered the wailing out she got last week and didn’t want any part of it today. She
trotted right past the machines, even cantered past them, in both directions. She was
feeling full of the devil today and wanted to sprout wings and fly around that track with
a vengeance, so I let her go for the first fifteen minutes. She just held that bit and
chugged along like a steam engine. Sometimes I like to pretend I’m a jockey on the
racetrack, trying to keep my mare ahead of the rest. After she worked hard in both
directions, I cooled her out for the next fifteen minutes.

I walked her around the dam, took her to the circle in the corner and had her walk around
it a few times in both directions, even though the bulldozer was right next to us and the
men who were working on the road were yelling to each other, and banging on the machine,
“Stop! That’s far enough!” Usually people have the ability to unnerve Flossie, but not
today. We stopped to watch them for a while, as a matter-of-fact, right there next to
the road! Someone had mowed Des’ paddock, but for some reason they skipped that corner,
unfortunately, or I would have worked Flossie there at a trot and a canter since she was
being so obedient.

After she had cooled out, I worked her lightly in the arena, doing some pacing, trotting,
and even some slow cantering. We did figure eights, circles, and just some work along
the ‘wall’.

I forgot to take a bottle of hot water for Flossie’s sweaty back, so I made sure she was
totally dry before I took her saddle off. Then I rubbed on her with a towel where the
saddle goes, and then threw another, larger towel over her after that. I kept the towel
in place while I cooled her out in hand around the track. None of this was necessary,
but I like to do it, anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Pat told me Des wasn’t feeling well yesterday, but he seems to be doing okay today. I
didn’t see him, so I can’t say. He had his curtains drawn on both his front windows,
which was unusual. Pat also told me that he’s going to trim Flossie’s hooves for me
either today or tomorrow. I asked him what he charges for that and he just shook his
head and said not to worry. I asked him what he thought of the grooves on her front
hooves and he said it wasn’t serious. I told him that I’ve been using wood putty and
super glue on them to keep the grooves from getting any bigger.

Speaking of the grooves, I had to touch-up one hoof with a bit more putty, but the other
was okay so I left it the way it was. The hooves are growing again so I didn’t bother to
use dressing on them today.

Billy came down a second time to put a roof over the stall where he keeps one of his
horses because rain is back in the forecast for the rest of the week. It’s starting to
spit now this very moment even as we speak.