Well, he's not an emperor, and he doesn't wear clothes (well, a fly sheet), but he does have new shoes! The farrier came out 2 weeks ago (5-15-09), and tried his best to get a shoe on Jay. There just wasn't enough wall left to nail to, and he quicked Jay trying. So Jay ended up being left barefoot that day, and my farrier and vet got together and decided to try a glue-on shoe. It had to be ordered, and came in last week and was put on my lame pony last Thursday (5-21-09). He put an aluminum shoe on the other front foot. It was an even more expensive proposition because Jay had to stay overnight at my vet's so that the glue could set! I unfortunately don't have a set up that I can keep Jay out of mud for 12 hours right now, since it is even muddy right outside of the stalls. The good news is that Jay jogged out sound when I picked him up the next day!
The bad news is that Jay was lame again by Sunday, on the foot with the glue-on shoe. I called the farrier again on Tuesday as Jay was approaching "abcess lame" (3 on a scale of 5) and he came back out yesterday. Jay was a little better, though, and the heat that had been in both heels was just in the medial heel. He was about a 2 out of 5 lame. We decided to leave everything alone and watch Jay. Today he is a little better yet, only 1 out of 5 lame.
This is the lateral side, and if you look closely you can see hoof wall missing at the clip. Medial is worse!
Gabby had some good points in response to my last post. Jay has not been consistently pulling the same shoe, so I am hoping that this issue is not due to some other lameness issue. When we can get enough wall to nail to again, the thought is to go with aluminum shoes on the front, and when I add back shoes again to put trailers on them. My current farrier doesn't hot shoe, but I wish he did so we could really square the back toes and put proper trailers on. If Jay continues having problems I may end up going with another farrier anyway. I like the way my current farrier and vet work together, and he used to work for her and still shoes her horses, and he is just great to work with, but he is not the most experienced farrier out there.
The left side is lateral:
I went without Jay to try to work out my saddle issues, and I really hope I have made the right decision! I was really wanting to get separate dressage and jumping saddles, especially after reading the good article Gabby posted in response to my May 5th post. In it Jim Wofford states: "Before I tell you how to find out if your jumping saddle fits you, let me make this point: If you are currently using an "all-purpose" saddle for all three phases of eventing, continue using it, but budget for a new saddle. If you are serious about improving your riding and the way your horse goes--which, of course, means improving your position--you are soon going to need at least two saddles: one designed for dressage and one for jumping. Why? Because what makes a saddle good for one discipline makes it wrong for another."
I TOTALLY understand and agree with this concept. The only way I was going to be able to afford to do this was to get Wintec or Collegiate saddles, but I went in quite determined to do this. The bad news is that none of them felt quite right, and the fit wasn't very good for me on any of them. Then Dennis pulled out a Bates Caprilli All Purpose, and it actually felt really good. The point was made that although it might be best to have separate dressage and jumping saddles, if they don't fit right then that is going to work against me, and would probably neutralize any benefit to having a discipline specific saddle. I have been using all purpose saddles for years, and they have been functional for me. I don't aspire to compete at high levels, but I do absolutely want to ride to the best of my ability. After weighing the pros and cons back and forth, I decided to go with the Bates. I just hope I have made the right decision, and that it rides as good as it felt in the store! The saddle was available in black, so we ordered that one and I am scheduled to take Jay back for final adjustments and to pick it up June 5th. Two of my other saddles have sold on eBay, so I guess it is good timing in a way that all of this is going on while Jay can't be ridden anyway. I sprained my ankle last week, too, so when it rains it pours! (If Jay comes sound, though, I have been toying with the idea of getting on him bareback...even though he is still "feeling his oats"...or beet pulp and spring grass as the case may be! I have decided to stop his beet pulp for now.)
4 comments:
Yikes, what a mess. I hope the new shoes work out for him. If you don't want to go all-out bareback, you can always do some work without stirrups?
Sorry to hear about your ankle, and all the shoe difficulty! I hope Jay comes sound soon and that the new shoes do the trick. Glad you found a saddle you're comfortable with; can't wait to hear how it works out on the horse!
I hate to hear you're having so many problems with his feet. I would consider a new farrier...if he is consistently pulling shoes and its not getting fixed. Of course, breaking in a new farrier sucks, too!
Good luck with all that AND your new saddle. I have a Bates CC saddle that I love (very comfy and balanced), but doesn't fit Skate perfectly. Its going to have to do for a while, though, b/c I can't afford 2 new saddles!
Gabby, part of the problem is the lack of good farriers in my area. My farrier was even recommending that I try someone else (he is young and doesn't have a lot of experience...doesn't even shoe full time as he works another full time job, too), but he said he didn't know anyone good to recommend. He shoes my vet's horses and she recommended him. I know two really good farriers work with your vet, but I doubt they would travel this far. I have thought about calling DCLAH to see if they could recommend someone who would come to me. Hauling somewhere is always an option, I just hate to have to do that all the time.
I also got to really thinking about things and looking back through my notes, and the right front is being pulled more frequently... Also, I forgot to note that Jay does wear bell boots all the time.
Andrea, I am completely saddle-less until the new one is ready June 5th. I would definitely go for no stirrups if I didn't have a saddle and needed to do that for my ankle, though...I have even ridden the day after having surgery as a child! The doctor wasn't too happy about that! I was on crutches but found a way to ride, LOL.
Gabby, I am glad to hear that you like your Bates. I hope the AP is as good! I SO wanted separate saddles, but the budget is just SO tight. I bet Dennis could adjust your Bates to fit Skate, though. He likes the Bates, too, so that helps, LOL. (Don't ever get a Kieffer!)
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