Pookey Bear is on the mend.
His visit to the doctor/farrier last week went very well, and Joe just sanded off a bit of hoof here and there, working mostly on his long toes. Then, when his appointment was over, he was able to walk barefoot on the concrete, and he has been walking sound ever since!
We even got the go-ahead to practice a little bit of showmanship just for fun, and to start the process of weaning him out of his Soft Ride boots while he is in the comfort of his deeply-bedded stall. That process is going very well; he is up to about an hour a day completely barefoot with no ill effects. I also have increased his 'turnout' time in the round pen, but I am battling the grass, so he still must wear his muzzle.
Why is it that grass will grow everywhere you don't want it to grow, but it refuses to grow where you want it?
At any rate, we are thrilled with his progress, and have been celebrating each small milestone along the way!
Now, for some photos. The first is Pookey today, in all of his sleekness. The second shot was taken exactly one year ago, just a few weeks prior to his founder. Note the dapples, the apple rump, the cresty neck, and the 250 extra pounds he was carrying!
For all of you 4-Hers, 4-H parents, and other competitive adults: take a shot at guessing his body condition scores, before and after.
The official answer will appear in our next post.
The judge?
Pookey's banker, Dr. Allen.
The prize?
A week's supply of beet pulp!
May 2011
May 2010
Been reading through your blog tonight about dealing with laminitic horse issues. Found you looking for if anyone else soaked Ontario Dehy hay cubes. I'm working through similar issues with one of my horses. Appreciate your entries and just wanted to say thanks for sharing the path to a healthy horse.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm more than a year late with my response, but yes, I LOVE the ODTB hay cubes!
ReplyDeleteI get the ones that are mineral balanced to themselves (the lavendar label, in my area) and soak them for 30 minutes to an hour in warm water. That seems to soften most of them up enough that they crumble nicely. The ones that don't soften I fish out and whack with a hammer!
Hope your horse is doing well!