Posted By purdylady on June 8, 2010
I’ve been up to my elbows in work with trimming horses, training horses, and building more fence all the time. Just when you think you really couldn’t take on any more horses…here come a few more.
I’ve been trimming at least 5 days a week, both mornings and evenings. Scott’s been working 3rd shift at his job and I take Scotty to preschool in the morning and take the two girls to trim with me while Scott’s asleep. I still have new clients calling because they’ve heard I do the barefoot trim from someone else I’m already trimming for. I’ve been working a few hard cases recently that have made me really think about how I do my trim and ask more questions from my Yahoo groups. Four founder cases and now a recently diagnosed navicular syndrome mare. Each horse has its own idiocracies that make treating each one a little different from the other but two constants remain…diet has to be carefully monitored and the trim has to be consistent.
One horse I trim had x-rays done at the vet clinic I frequently consult with. I was able to obtain the slides to study how I could help Tag. The clinic said his pasterns look like someone who has pushed down socks. I wish I could have seen x-rays of this horse before I started trimming him because he actually looks better now than he did a year ago. All four views are of the same hoof. I honestly can’t tell from which angle other than the dorsal palmer view is from. I know one is the dorsal view, one lateral, and one from the heel…but his leg is so messed up its hard tell. And this is actually more aligned than when I first met Tag. He has been lame for a while to the point his owner does not ride him. He is a Dutch Warmblood and less than 10 years old. Beautiful horse though and I’m told that some day if I keep trimming him in the same manner that he may straighten out enough to be sound again some day. I have hope.
Then Scott’s been training more horses. A few of my trim clients have some horses that are needing some refresher or to be started saddle training. Stetson went home about a month ago and we’ve already started on a three year old filly named Breezy. She took to training really well and Scott was up and riding her a few days after we started her. Then it rained a whole bunch and we had to stop the training for about three weeks…but we’ve started riding her again and she’s doing great. She goes up and down our road without incident. I think her owner will be very pleased in a month or so.
Then we just brought home Trick. He is an 11 year old OTTB that needs to be through the Montgomery boot camp. He hasn’t been ridden in a year because he has problems with people being able to mount him. He was trained for racing but never raced. They said he didn’t have the heart. So he was retrained for pleasure. He has a dominant personality and is pretty pushy about getting his way. So he’ll have to be desensitized and then worked to get his respect. I’m hoping we can get through to him and stop his defiant behavior…Scott was already able to half-mount him after working with him for 30 minutes over at Michelle’s place. I have no doubt Scott will be able to get him to accept a rider.
Then I have seven more horses waiting in the wings for training. A 3 year old filly some time this month, a three year old gelding in July, two geldings by the end of summer, Scott grandpa’s filly, another 3 year old filly next spring, and another gelding next spring. We’d love to have to have an indoor arena built so we can train even when the weather’s bad. I’d just like a covering over my 100-ft round pen…Just something to keep it from getting muddy. But I have researched how much money I’d be spending and I cringe at the thought. ah…maybe we’ll win the lottery some day!
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Posted By purdylady on March 24, 2010
We’ve been having a lot of fun so far this year…in between snow storms that is…. This past weekend Lisa and Randy came with their horses so we could do some riding during Spring Break. We rode Friday the 19th around the section with 10 people on six horses. 
Then when we got back we ate lunch real quick and then rode in the round pen for the rest of the afternoon. Lisa asked me to work with Stetson so I could show Randy how far he’s come. Stetson was a good boy and remembered all the things we had done from several months ago. I laid him down in less then 30 seconds because he was already willing to submit to that. He gets lots of positive attention for doing good things and no reaction at all for negative behavior. He really does like people but his emotions get the best of him and he reacts so violently that he bucks. After working for only a short time with him I put the saddle on and tried to ask him to lunge but he just stood there with his hind leg cocked waiting for the next step. I told Scott to go ahead and half-mount. Stetson did great and stood there and allowed Scott to get in the stirrup. I’m hoping over the next month to be riding him and then see where it goes from there.
Then right around that same time at 4:30 or so the wind came up and a huge cold front came in bringing rain that turned to snow! It had been 66 degrees and sunny before that time. So we put all the horses away and got inside before that all happened. Only in Kansas can the weather change so quickly. The kids were wearing shorts and later that evening…winter coats!
That day I also got the chance to play with Rain again… not in the rain…but our new mare Rain. I’ve been able to ride her twice now and really really like her! I have decided to not breed her this year and ride her instead. I am hoping she will make a good 4-H horse for the kids if we put some more hours on her. She had not been ridden very much since she had 90 days at the trainer so she is pretty green. But for not been ridden in three years she is actually pretty nice. The first time she did chew the bit and throw her head some but nothing that would make me want to get off of her. Saturday I rode her in a walk or trot around the pen for about 30 minutes and then Scott rode her after me and loped her around for quite a bit. She was pretty sweaty after all of this but was raring to go for more. I like her since she is pretty level headed but also has a lot of energy and willingness to listen.
And Monday I started breeding mares…I have chosen to breed Panda, Bossy and Seneca to Slinky. I am starting with Panda because she was showing heat first and then in a few weeks I will move on to the next mare. I want to stagger the due dates so I won’t have to watch more than one mare at a time. This is my intention…whether it happens this way or not we’ll find out next year! I plan to get the mares checked at 21 days to see if they are in foal and also to see if twins happened. (I hope not!)
I also trimmed Panda’s hooves yesterday. She did pretty good…for her! After the first hoof I did end up laying her down like usual. She is much calmer just laying down and letting me trim than asking her to stand in a panic state on three legs. She does seem a lot more comfortable these days hence the reason to go ahead with breeding her. She hasn’t had any 3-legged lame days in a long time but occasionally she seems a bit slow. When we put hay out she will run and buck around with the other mares instead of just standing there in pain like she used to. I would like to eventually work with her and maybe train her to ride…we’ll see.
And the lineup for horse starting is to finish up with Stetson by the end of April. He may or may not stay depending on how much further we get with him. Then Breezy, a 3-year old buckskin filly, will be coming April 24th. Then I plan to start Angel. I would like to start Herfie but she just doesn’t seem mature enough yet. I also plan to start some ground work with Bruiser since he needs to be kept in check with his possibility as a stallion. I won’t even consider using him as a stallion unless he is broke and has proven he can mind his manners. I would like to show him some. We’ll see…
So busy, busy, busy as usual! And lots of horses to trim. I am trimming around 100 horses a month now not including my own. Business is good and I love my clients.
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Posted By purdylady on January 29, 2010
Well I was tired of people telling me my links didn’t work on my Montgomery Equine website so I went for a whole new look! Its made in Flash and is entirely different than before. Not as much text on there but I will be tweaking it more and more as I get used to the programming. Pretty cool huh?
And it is snowing out! UGH! Not near as much as predicted thank goodness but a day spent inside nonetheless. I finished the painting part of the rec room last night so maybe tomorrow I can do the wall paper and get closer to finishing this project I’ve been dreaming about finishing for the last four years! Then I can get on to the next rooms in the house…the kids’ room! They need a do-over something fierce!
Oh and I was able to trim Bossy the other day. She kind of panicked standing tied up to the little tree in their pasture so I ended up putting her in the round pen on a loose lead to finish what I had started. Julie was over so she held Bossy while I finished up her hinds. Before Julie came over I lounged her a little bit and saw that she has a very nice slow lope. Then I said “Whoa!” and she immediately stopped, I walked over and then turned away from her and she followed right behind me. Someone has definitely worked with her! I see no reason why I wouldn’t be able to break her to ride. I think she would be an awesome horse to ride. She will most likely be the first one I will start out of the two older ones. We will see how Rain rides after all this weather clears.
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Posted By purdylady on January 19, 2010
The afternoon started out pretty sunny and a warm 50 degrees. (Finally!!) I went out and Seneca again was the first to meet me. I decided to not take the mares out of their big pen and just decided to individually tie them to the single tree that is out there while I trim them. Seneca was very good for trimming. A bit overgrown in the heel with long toes but nothing that wasn’t easily remedied in one trim. I got done with her and immediately she went over and rolled a few times. That tells me that she is now comfortable and likes how she feels now after the trim. Then I haltered Rain and brought her over to the trimming tree. She was a little more anxious since now she was away from the other two mares. And my daughters were running around in the tall grass around their pen. I started off on the first fore and then got a phone call from a boarder that was on her way out with a friend. So I decided to just trim Rain’s second fore and call it a day. The clouds had rolled in and it got chilly in a matter of 30 minutes. After I let Rain go, she went over to Seneca and both of them started running and bucking. I’m happy the trim made them feel better! And I’m also relieved that they are so easy to trim. That helps! Some time this week I’ll be finishing up Rain and then on to do Bossy. I have all the rest my horses to get caught up on soon too so that’s the plan!
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Posted By purdylady on January 19, 2010
I went out Sunday to introduce myself to the mares and see if they would be hard to catch. Michelle said that the two older mares are kind of stand offish and might be a little harder to catch. I really wasn’t too worried about it and figured it would just take some time for them to get to know me. So Sunday I went out with my brushes to see what would happen. Well right away Seneca starts walking right over with Bossy behind her. Then Rain stops eating her hay and decided this looks like something she should be a part of also. I started brushing Seneca right away and all three just stood there all around me smelling. The older mares were not afraid at all.When it was Bossy’s turn she just stood there and let me comb the tangles out of her mane and brush the dirt off from the day before when they rolled in the round pen after they arrived. Rain was totally feeling left out and was pushing her way between the two older mares and Seneca laid her ears back like…hey its not your turn yet!
I’m so pleased with the mares. They are so gentle and really not all that spooky at all. Bossy and Seneca both lifted their hooves just by touching their fetlocks. So I figured they would be pretty easy to trim. They are both needing it right now so I will work on that on Monday.
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Posted By purdylady on January 19, 2010
I got my three new mares today! I love them! I can’t wait to get to know them better.
The first one is CR Rain Runner. She has Pinto papers also and has points in APHA and Pinto both. I’m really excited about her since she is also broke to ride. She has an injury on her hind leg (degloving) but she will still be able to be ridden if it is wrapped to protect it. It is healed but is just unsightly. She is a Seek An Impression daughter out of ML Lady Fleet. Look that one up and you’ll see why I like her!
Then these two mares are half sisters by different stallions. The one with the wide blaze is Boston Maiden and she is a Boston Mac granddaughter and has Cherokee Maiden on the female tail line one generation back. Then the other mare with the paw prints is Seneca Maiden and she is a RW Heaven Bound daughter out of Wee Maiden also. She is homozygous for tobiano .
I am planning on breeding these three mares along with Panda, my Tru Bruiser daughter (black and white with the blue eyes), to Slinky for four foals next year. So we will have lots of mares to webcam next year!
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Posted By purdylady on January 7, 2010
Well it is now 9 degrees with a predicted low of -3 tonight. BRR! Scott and I went out and broke ice and put hay in pens that needed it this afternoon. The watering situation is one that has no other options than what we’re currently doing. I go out every other day and fill up the tanks to the top, take all the ice out of them so that they don’t freeze faster and then the horses can drink what they need before it freezes again that night. Then the next day I go out with a sledge hammer and shovel to break ice and shovel out the chunks so that the water doesn’t freeze so fast. The horses are drinking a lot of the water but I can’t possibly go out every hour and break ice for them. So hopefully this cold snap will end soon…this is getting really old!
Tonight I left Trixie’s stall door open because we just put a new brome bale in the run for her. I don’t break strings on the bale so it will keep its shape and not be blown apart by the wind. We put it on its side down and have found that it stays together longer that way. But tonight since the bale is brand new and the hay is still very tight on the bale…there is no way I’m going to spend any more time fighting the cold trying to get hay off of it to put in the stall. They both still have access to the barn to get out of the wind and the barn is actually blocking the wind from the north…so I’m really not too concerned about them being outside. They spend most of the day outside anyway and neither one of them is acting cold. The heat lamp is still on and I’ve seen the filly run into the stall several times. They will be just fine.
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Posted By purdylady on January 4, 2010
Here’s how the highs and lows are predicted to be for the rest of the week…
Tonight a low of 14 and clear, Tuesday the high 26 with freezing drizzle and a low of 20. Wednesday a high of 30 with snow likely and a low of 4….then Thursday a high of 7 with flurries and a low of -5. Friday isn’t much better with a high of 8 and a low of -3. These are actual temperatures in Fahrenheit…not Celsius. Saturday its supposed to warm up to a balmy 19 and clear. No more snow at least. So a couple horses will be blanketed that are outside. One is Ginger since she was shivering a bit when it was snowing the other day and the other is Lady D. That is just plain cold! I will most likely keep Trixie and the filly inside those days since frostbitten ears comes to mind. The wind is supposed to be pretty fierce on Wednesday and Thursday.
I’m just praying that our pipes don’t freeze and the electricity stays on. If that goes out then we are going to be in a world of hurt. Right now I can still get water to all 19 head. I have to thaw out the spigot off the well by using a salamander propane heater so that’s all good… and I’ve been keeping my watering hose in the house so I don’t have to worry about it freezing and breaking. Cindy came out and helped break ice with me today for everyone…but that only lasts a few hours until it freezes back over. I’m glad I’m not feeding grain to anyone and they are only on brome grass hay or else I’d be afraid of colic. Grain can collect in the intestines if the horses don’t drink enough. This way without feeding grain and sticking to just pure fiber I have less chance of impaction.
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Posted By purdylady on January 2, 2010
I read this ad on Craigslist in my area and was totally appauled by what I saw. How can this person say they are a barefoot trimmer? I’ll post the ad without any contact details and then discuss why I am wanting to discourage people from seeking the services of this trimmer.
The ad is as follows:
We currently have openings for new Barefoot Trimming clients. Method used is taught by Pete Ramey. We trim horses hooves to take them back to the way nature intended for them to be as they didn’t have access to shoes of farriers in the wild. If you would like to schedule an appointment for trimming or would like to hear more about this method feel free to call. Cost is $30.00 per horse. (xxx) xxx-xxxx Several years of experinece. References available… Below Left is picture of severely foundered hoof, horse was lame. After first trim Below Right horse is running around like nothing wrong. TRUE!!!
Ok, yes the picture to the left is a hoof greatly in need of a good trim. The horse has probably not been trimmed in over a year and the sole depth is very thick. The frog also cannot touch the ground and is very recessed up within the foot.
However, the picture that shows how this hoof was trimmed should be given an A for effort but the back part of the hoof is where the problem lies. Why were the heels not lowered and the bars removed to allow the coffin bone to be ground parallel…anyone that follows how Pete Ramey trims should know this. The back of the hoof should have a heel that is 1 1/8″ down from the heel hairline and it is clear that the heel was not even touched. What angers me about people who claim to be barefoot trimmers are giving those who are a bad name. They do not understand the philosophy of the trim nor will they ever be able to help a horse like this. Taking away only the solar part of the hoof forward of the apex of the frog is a recipe for disaster. The heel will remain high and the coffin bone will begin to tip downward causing a mechanical founder.
I had to post something about this…since this same person has been posting similar ads on Craigslist for a long time. I have had new clients ask me when they first call me if I am the one who lives near such and such town. I know exactly who they are talking about. I have to tell them that I am not and that I really am only one of two barefoot trim practitioners in this area. The one who advertises on Craigslist is not one of them. She would not have to advertise at all if she honestly knew what she was doing and people spread her name around because of the job she does…not because she knows how to trim the “Pete Ramey way”. What about trimming in the way that is practical and makes sense to you? I trim in the way that I understand the hoof needs to function. I learned not only from reading what Pete Ramey wrote but also Jaime Jackson, Keith Seeley, Cheryl Henderson, Kim Cassidy, and many many other barefoot proponents as well as over five years of experience on over 275 different horses.
I don’t know…I feel like asking this person if they want to learn how to trim I would be glad to teach them. I have trimmed hooves that look like this and have turned them into normal looking hooves in about six months time.
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Posted By purdylady on December 30, 2009
I have a link to watch the actual birth of Trixie’s new foal…no I haven’t got a name for her yet… Scotty said to name is Flash which I think is very appropriate since she speeds across the stall most of the day.
http://www.horsesnsuch.com/Trixiesbirth.wmv
Just wait for the video to download on your computer and then watch. There is 30 minutes to it. Sorry its so dark in there but at only 20 degrees the little camera is having a hard time with it being so cold. And yes I was in the way a bit but I was only helping to delivery the foal… Trixie really didn’t lay down in the best spot.
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