New Gaiters

My old Easy Boot Bares with brand spanking new gaiters installed!

Red was wearing these boots on his hind hooves when he lost them in a deep section of mud last year on a trail ride.  Both gaiters ripped off the boots - one completely & one partially.  I was able to find one boot immediately (this would be SO much easier if they were some other color than black!) but couldn't find the 2nd.  Some weeks later, a friend rode that trail again & found the boot - I think she said it was sitting on a rock so someone must have found it & set it out (did they know what it was?).  Yea!  

I have been debating about how to proceed with my boot collection all winter.  Red has been in boots for the past few years, as I haven't been competing him very much (or at all last year).  Rhio has been in steel shoes for ride season (April through November typically) and barefoot in the winter. His feet don't measure for any of the Easy Boot styles very well - they are too wide / too round - and when I have tried using Red's boots on him in the past, they have caused him to start interfering (banging his legs with the opposite leg).  Last year he lost a shoe in front & wore a single Easy Boot Epic as a "spare tire" for one conditioning ride and we had no interfering.  So this spring, I started using the Epics on both fronts and got a few gravel road rides done that way with no apparent issues!  Also, due to his mid-winter coronary band injury & subsequent hoof defect that is starting to grow out, my farrier & I are not hopeful about being able to maintain him in shoes this year.  

Easy Care, the boot company, offers a trade-in program, where you can send in up to 2 old boots to get 50% off up to 2 new boots, but you have to change styles of boot.  For example, if I had sent in these Bares instead of purchasing new gaiters for them, I would have to order a different style - such as the Gloves.  I have been very interested in trying the Gloves, so I had planned to do this.  Then, Rhio managed to step on the gaiter of one of the Epics while I was tacking him up & rip it off the boot.  It was completely my fault, and conveniently it was the Epic with the broken clasp, too.  But now I was down to 1 functional boot!  So, I sent in that broken Epic and an old Old Mac boot I still had and ordered a pair of Gloves that should fit both horses' hind hooves.  And I ordered the new gaiters for the Bares, which I hope will work for both horses' front hooves.  Of course, this leaves me with just 1 full set of boots and 2 horses - although I can only ride one of them at a time, so hopefully this will be ok to start.

What was left of the old gaiters

Required supplies: boot, new gaiter, screwdriver, and toothpicks

The new gaiters came with detailed & easy to follow instructions, although they forgot a step.

Step 1: pick caked mud out of screw heads with toothpicks!

Boot with old piece of gaiter attached - all three visible screws have to be taken out

New gaiter attached at top screw - it now needs to be tucked down into place & secured by the 2 lower screws.

Done!

Both boots done!  Now to break in those new stiff gaiters...

Back view of new gaiters

Big & Bold

Are we done yet?

Today we were going to ride with Becca & Kaos, and since Rhio had a good workout yesterday, Red was up.  I drove the 1 mile over to his barn because I'm using the same saddle on both horses currently, so have to take it back & forth between barns.  I wonder if I could figure out some way to carry my saddle on my bike, because I feel a little silly driving 1 mile down the road and, heck, I could use the extra exercise.  

I tacked up and decided to head through the woods back to the other barn to meet Becca, as there was a lot of traffic on the road.  Red was afraid of the dump truck parked with its bed raised in dump position, and leery of the something that was hung over the grain auger & flapping a bit in the breeze - all while I was leading him around the barn to the car just to get Kelso & my GPS.  Oh, so it's going to be one of those days!  

 

Heading down the access route to the back trails - Dave is currently prepping this area to plant peas this year, which I think means the cows won't be pastured in here until the end of the season.  This is great, because it also means the gates will be open & it'll be easier to ride through - the gates are electrified wire with handles and a bit difficult to manage with a horse, plus I prefer not to ride through the herd of cows.  You can see Kelso trotting on ahead.

Big Rig and his buddy (I'm not sure if it's a steer or a young bull) - look at how massive he is!  Red was definitely looking askance at these guys as we went past; they're not usually so close to the fence.

We met Becca & Kaos, and came back through the trails to cross over the road & ride around those trails & the gravel pits.  Red was all fired up, which was slightly unfortunate because Becca has been having some trouble with Kaos misbehaving, and was hoping Red would be a positive influence.  I'm not sure he was, but we did have a good ride.  I wished I'd had his running martingale on him today, as he was ready to run.  Kaos seems to lose it when the speed goes up, so I was trying to keep him to a reasonable trot - and wasn't all that successful!  

Becca & Kaos leading the way

Red was big & bold when he was leading, hardly spooking at all today.  He is so much better with a buddy along.  He did want to go too fast pretty much the entire time, so we put Kaos in front so she didn't feel like she had to rush to keep up.  We did the trail - gravel pit loop twice and headed home along the road.  

Red picked up a 4 foot long weed somewhere along the way.  That thing stuck with us a long time!  We could hear it dragging along the ground, but it didn't seem to bother him & was too low in his tail for Becca to reach it from her saddle, so we just left it.  

Overall today we did 9 miles in about 2 hours - not a very fast pace, but a very nice ride.  We saw only a single Canada goose in the gravel pit, much less wildlife than I usually encounter.  Red was very fresh & full of himself but rateable and not too spooky.  And he felt sound, without the "offness" that seemed to be there on our last long ride.  He's had 2 doses of Adequan so far and 1 acupuncture treatment, so he needs another acupuncture in the next day or so and another dose of Adequan next week.  

Go Ponies!

Watching Kristi & Cody down by the water & wondering why we had to climb the hill 4x today but they only did it 3x!

I'm not sure Kristi really knew what she was getting into when we scheduled a ride for today!  I still don't have boots (waiting impatiently!), so we are stuck with the local trails & gravel pit.  I can get a decent (7 1/2 mile) ride out of it if we go around a few times.  We walked the little bit of gravel road down to the shoulder of the paved road, then set off at a nice, smart 8 mph trot.  We turned in at the old gravel pit just north of the county gravel pit, and wound our way around the 4-wheeler trail between the ponds and up across the ridge, then popped out into the county pit to continue down to our little mound / training hill.  There was only 1 bald eagle in residence today, and he left in a bit of a hurry when we showed up.  We went up & down our little training hill a few times, then headed off into the woods south of the pit along someone's deer hunting trails.  This is a good spot to canter, so away we went!  Kristi & Cody had no trouble staying right on our tail, and Rhio thought that meant we needed to go faster, so we argued a little bit about that.  The trail ends at a dead end with a very tall deer stand just back in the woods, so we turn around and head back the way we came.  We have to slow down for two sections - one that is a bit muddy and one that is full of holes - but otherwise I typically move out pretty well on these trails.  Cody was breathing pretty hard when we got back to the gravel pit access road, so he & Kristi worked on some active recovery while Rhio & I did the hill one more time.

Kristi & Cody surveying the landscape

We headed back into the trails for round two, then headed across the road to Dave & Carol's place, setting the horses there on fire and having a nice chat with Dave & Jack (the Border Collie) while Rhio & Cody munched on their greening lawn.  We headed out back to the trails that connect to our barn's trails, passing between the pasture containing the bulls/steers (2400# "Big Rig" who loves to have his head scratched stands out from all the rest) and the one containing the cows & new calves (so cute!).  We had a lot of fuzzy black faces staring at us as we passed!  Once onto the trails, we did a little looping up & down the hills and then headed home.  Once we got close to our home field, we could hear shooting (or something that sounded an awful lot like shooting) but didn't see or identify the source.  There weren't any bullets whizzing past, so I guess we were ok.  Cody was full of energy still on the homeward trip, although once returned to his pasture, he took a big snooze standing in the sun.

Kristi & Cody back in the woods - dressage horse, you say?  Not if you're riding with me!

I was happy to note that Rhio's sweat pattern was perfectly symmetrical and complete - no dry spots by the withers.  This was the second ride where I used thicker foam inserts in his Skito pad (3/4" instead of 1/2") and I think it's working.  Also, his foot is holding up great, although it's starting to look pretty ugly.  

Ok, kinda gross because the sweat brings all the dirt & grunge in his coat to the surface - but the point is that this is a beautiful sweat pattern!  

It's quite the crack/defect that's developing as Rhio's hoof grows out.  It looks wet because I just cleaned it & applied a sealant (in an attempt to make sure nothing gets down in under his healthy hoof horn & sets up an infection/abscess.) 

Look Mom!  Green grass!

Double the Fun

Me & Carter ready to ride!

The kids are home from school this week for spring break, so we took them on a trail ride today.  Carter didn't want to ride the pony because "he's too slow," so Rhio was gracious enough to carry us double. I used the bareback pad and we felt nice & secure.  I think Rhio's withers were a bit high for Carter's comfort, but he didn't want to sit behind me because then he couldn't see as well.  We chatted mostly about sharks & the Titanic, two of Carter's abiding passions.  

Abigail taking Cricket for a spin around the outdoor arena after we got back

Carter learned to lean back a little for going down hills, and lean forward a little for going up hills.  Abigail learned to ask her horse to back up, and we practiced backing up with the horses in sync.  I think she'd love to be a drill team rider!

It wasn't much of a physical challenge today, but I was extremely proud of Rhio's poise carrying the two of us - something we've never done before

A Quick One

Surveying the gravel pit from on top of the mound that is our mini-hill

I had only a little time before Easter dinner, but took Red out for a quick ride.  We did the trails across the road, about a mile in length but with mostly good firm footing that I like to canter.  He is barefoot while I wait for my new boots to come, so we are somewhat restricted on where we can ride. There is a sandy section in the middle that we have to walk because some creature (a badger maybe?) digs huge holes and I REALLY don't want a horse to step in one.  There is also an old metal can that requires a long look or two every time we pass it.  Today, the frogs were so loud that Red had to stop & identify the noise before he would continue past the little pond.  

The trail across the road

We popped out of the trail onto the access road to the gravel pit and took a quick swing down into the pit, disturbing a large number of bald eagles.  We saw the pair of sand hill cranes (they've been back about a week now) in the field on the way home, and ended our 3 mile, 30 minute ride happy.

Kelso resting in the car after running with us

Red's friend Rusty was waiting for us at the gate

Red telling Rusty all about our little adventure

The One Day I Forget My Camera...

Rhio & I did a quick 6 miles down Arnold Rd to the county gravel pit, up & down the gravel pit mound, and around the trails to the south of the pit - all of which we did twice - then home via the trails out back.  It's a nice little loop.  Rhio was happy to move out and we spent a lot of time in our favorite gait - the canter.  I don't like to canter on the road too much due to the excessive concussion - for Rhio's feet & legs, and also for me on the rare occasion that I land on it unexpectedly!  The trails were in good shape except for a few soggy spots.

I didn't bring my camera, however, as I was expecting a short ride.  On our first trip up the gravel pit mound, we crested the top to see a big mature bald eagle sitting on top of the neighboring mound, probably about 50 feet away.  She was just sitting there, completely unconcerned about us.  She would look around, then down at her feet (or something she had in her talons?  I couldn't tell.)  Rhio & I sat there for several minutes just enjoying our proximity to such a big, beautiful bird.

Rhio also got his first hosing off of the season after our ride, removing at least a little of the grunge from the winter.  We had a sunny gorgeous 60+ degree day with a warm south wind, so I figured getting him wet wasn't a bad plan.  He doesn't particularly care for hosing, but he's pretty good about it.  Luckily we have warm water in our hose.  Of course, seeing my lovely gray horse shining white is already a distant memory, as he immediately dropped & rolled in the dirt as soon as he got back to his pasture.  Before & after photos would have been appropriate.

Scary Monsters

Yesterday I went out to catch Red and found him snoozing comfortably in the sunshine with his buddy Rusty watching over him.  He wasn’t in too big a hurry to get up, and we spent a little time saying hello while he munched the carrot I brought him.  Carrots are absolutely his very favorite treat.  On our walk in to the barn, he stopped to pee a small amount.  This has become a fairly regular habit for him – I’m not sure if he really has to pee, or he’s anticipating a long ride, or it’s just a stall tactic to delay the inevitable being tied in the barn & then work.  Really, though, he definitely enjoys his work!  Another habit of his is to poop pretty much as soon as I tie him to start grooming.  This happens every time, unless I actually want a manure sample for a parasite test!  

When I tied him, he could not stand still and even whinnied for his buddies a few times.  “Uh oh!” I thought to myself, this is going to be a “fun” ride.  It was very windy, and that typically makes my spooky boy Red even more spooky than usual.  I think the wind provides two challenges: 1) he can’t hear as well to locate sounds & get early warnings of things approaching (like traffic) and 2) objects in the environment are very mobile and the movement startles him.  Even on windy days, though, he usually stands very quietly when tied.  After two passes up & down the barn aisle to retrieve various  things from the car, I discovered why Red was so jumpy in the barn.  There were scary monsters living in the stall across the passage from him!  Scary monsters that say “baa!” Carol picked up a few lambs yesterday to raise for meat, and they’re in the stall next door.  They’re little enough that I couldn’t see them when I walked past, and they hadn’t made any noise, so I was surprised to discover them.  Apparently Red didn’t even want to come in the barn for dinner last night because of them.  

I struggled a bit to get the Easy Boot Epic on his right front, which for some reason has gotten much wider since last fall.  His left front foot has always been less round and therefore narrower than his right front, and so the boot went on that foot relatively well.  It is still a tight fit, even in these broken in boots, and I use a rubber mallet to bang them into place.  I still don’t have a 2^nd set of boots for hinds (although I have a “fit kit” in route from Easy Care so I will be able to pre-fit the Easy Boot Gloves before I order them), so he had to go barefoot back there.  Red’s feet are tougher than Rhio’s and he doesn’t usually complain about the loose, sharp gravel on the road like Rhio does, so barefoot behind isn’t usually too much of an issue for him.  In fact, I have done individual loops and several entire limited distance rides entirely barefoot with Red, depending on the course.  He really just needs the hoof protection for all our conditioning miles, the majority of which occur on the gravel roads.

We’re finally ready to ride, and head out down the driveway sans Kelso.  Kelso no longer chooses to come on rides down the road, although I force him to sometimes when he really needs the exercise.  Today, I declined to torture my dog because we did a long hike yesterday, and let him stay in my car to wait.  I don’t know whether he gets out of the car to play with the farm dogs or wander around while I’m gone, but he’s always laying in the back when I return.  I leave the back open for him and make sure my interior dome lights are off so as not to drain the battery.  He is happier being left in the car than being left at home. 

I was pleasantly surprised as we started out that Red seemed calm & steady – not at all what I was anticipating.  The wind was at our backs for most of the first half of the ride, and although we were startled by a few vehicles that we didn’t hear coming and by a pair of ducks that flew up out of the creek, Red was his normal self.  Normal for Red includes shying from puddles, wet gravel, deep tire marks, cracks, culverts, remnant snowbanks, and the like and we travel down the road in a “drunken” line.  He was also particularly fond today of gazing down driveways and drifting into them as he did so. 

All was well until we started running into more scary monsters, albeit inanimate scary monsters this time.  The first was an abandoned shopping cart.  How it made its way to a quiet gravel road 10 miles from the nearest store with shopping carts is beyond me.  It won a concerned stare as we trotted past, but went better than I expected.

The second scary monster was by far the scariest and actually required me to dismount and lead Red over to it and then past.  Someone has dumped a twin mattress & box spring right at the corner of Church & Pioneer roads, where we make the turn to start up the “sheep hill.”  Red was quite sure this scary monster was going to eat us, and put all senses on high alert despite my assurances that we were not about to be devoured. 

The last scary monster (of course, we had to pass them all again on our way home, so it wasn’t really the last) was a pile of cut & split wood right beside the road.  From the sawdust in the road, it was clear that the tree had been down across the road and someone cleared it.  This scary monster was on the minimum maintenance road portion of Church Road and was very near our turn-around spot. Red loves to turn for home, and always give me a big, bold trot when we do so.  Amazingly, his fear of scary monsters also quite diminishes on the way home, and we were able to trot past both the pile of wood and the shopping cart, although we still walked as far away as possible and stared intently at the mattress & box spring. 

I didn’t spend nearly as much time growling at him to “Knock it off!” when he gets goofy & spooky as I had expected, my helmet stayed on my head despite the wind’s very strong effort to remove it, and we got a nice, slow 8 mile ride under our belts, so I was pleased with the day.  I wasn’t so pleased, however, with the tiny, nearly imperceptible “offness” I could feel in his gait.  Red has had some soundness issues in the past with his neck (something I acupuncture him for on an ongoing basis) and a hock, so I am hyper-vigilant about anything that seems not quite right.  Red got an acupuncture treatment when we got home, and I hope to ride him again Wednesday to assess how he’s feeling.