Horse. Hoof. And Rider.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

This past Wednesday after work the weather was good enough to go over and see Lilly. I had a saddle I wanted to try on her. Bill had found it on Craig's list and its owner was kind enough to let me try it on Lilly before buying it. It's a barrel racing saddle because I have a big fantasy about being a barrel racer.


The saddle was made by Blue Ridge and you see it here. But that night, it was Lilly's right front foot that got all the attention. It just isn't sound yet. She is still gimpy, not so much on the grass, but definitely on the road. Here I am thinking, Oooooh deeear. I thought it'd be better by now.


Brandon was taking all these pictures. When he has the camera, he will take 50 pictures of the exact same thing. Good thing we don't have to use film anymore! He would be a major film-waster. In any case, I am looking at Lilly, and talking to Bill (who is off to the right), and Brandon is snapping picture after picture.


Bill and I are going over all the reasons about why Lilly's foot is sore. We are remembering her terrible abscess and then the other one that came right after it. We are gauging her hoof re-growth and the synthetic hoof. We are talking about how wet the pasture has been. We note that this foot is sore with or without her Renegade shoes. Is she sore more in the toe? Or the heel? We are trying to figure it all out. Because of course to have a horse with a bum foot is not a good thing at all. Why we are talking about it, Brandon is clicking away and Lilly cannot stop yawning.


There is so much to remember. Here it looks like I am showing Bill how a person walks without a gimp.


And then Bill says, no this is how a person walks with no gimp. This is not what we were doing at all. But the pictures tell that story. They are so silly, these pictures. All I can tell you is that the video is much sillier. Too silly to post actually, even though all of Lilly's yawns are adorable.


Anyway, here's the saddle again. It looked gooood on her. But it seemed too small. By that I mean, it seemed like it might be pinching her. I don't really know how these kinds of saddles are supposed to fit. But the last thing I need is a horse with a sore foot and a sore back!


I took my brumby down into the ring to see how her feet seemed in the deep, soft sand. I do know this: the saddle fit my bum perfectly. From my point of view alone, I really liked it.


The dogs were bored by the lack of any real cowboy activity. Look, Sally has given up on us completely. Surrender.


Here I am thinking: Is this what this whole summer is going to be like? Ominous and with a chance of rain?


If my brumby thought the saddle was too tight, she didn't act like it.


But there I go again, fretting about her foot. Or that one foot anyway....


Just what can be done to make it get better? What is going on inside that hoof capsule?


Did someone say say navicular? Do not even joke about navicular. We don't really think this is what is going on. Still, the word alone sends a chill down my spine.


There I go, walking Lilly back down to the BP which will keep her feet overall much drier, and she can be left alone to get better. We call this leaving her in the care of Dr.Grass. Out in the pasture, she can concentrate on nothing but being a horse, nibbling grass and being with other horses. You would be surprised how restorative such a simple plan can be. But don't think I won't miss her. Riding just isn't as much fun without her.
~
This weekend, I rode Glitter on the trail. My next post will be about our ride together. Until then, happy trails!

5 comments:

Frizzle said...

HHhhhhmmm. Wish you knew what was going on in that naughty hoof! Hopefully it will be healed by the lovely Mother Nature and you won't have to call the $$$$ vet.
The only thing I can help with is the hoof wetness issue -- Keratex Hoof Gel is the BEST for keeping hooves in good condition during wet times (and dry times!).
Good luck, Brumby!!

juliette said...

I am sorry to hear about sweet Lilly's foot. The Big Pasture will fix her right up. I want a big pasture too. I am glad you have Glitter to ride while Lilly gets better.
Brandon and his picture taking is funny. At least he goes and takes pictures of you. Brian and Maizie are great photographers but I can't get them to come to the barn with me! They take a million photos of the same thing too!

Michelle said...

Awww....I hope you and Lily get that stuff figured out soon. It sucks to have a horse you can't ride - especially if you have a fun new saddle to try!

lmel said...

Love all the pictures,especially the dogs slabbed out in the dirt! Hope Lilly's foot improves. Lucky you, Brandon takes pictures for you. I keep asking John to take some of me for the blog.

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

I especially like your brumby's face in the picture where you mention the n-word... say what?!

Glad you have Glitter while Lilly heals in the Big Pasture :)

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