Beyond Ludicrous...

..the mere idea that somehow an owner can be trained to trim her horse's feet. DIY Brain Surgery. That's what a popular horsey blogger calls it.

My barefoot trimmer came out today for her 3 month checkup to inspect my work. I was excited and nervous, but optimistic she was gonna be positive about what I've done. A little doubt was in my head. What if she says, "AAGGH what have you done to his feet?!"

First I had my laptop there to show he the pics she took in Oct. I wanted to be sure she remembered him after so long! I gave her a cup of mint tea with honey so she wouldn't freeze - it was hailing outside the barn.

Then she took a good look at all of his feet and said, "Good work!" : ) In fact, she didn't have to trim his feet! She said the heels look balanced, the soles are tough and unscratchable, the quarter cracks are gone, the bars weren't too high, the white line is tight, and the toes are good.

Baasha gently pushed his forehead into her chest, and she rubbed it with her gardening-gloved hand. He really likes her. It's the only English voice he's heard in 4 months besides mine. (She speaks to me in English, but to him in German.) She complimented him that he picks up a foot for her as she moves around him, before she even asks. He was being especially lovey today, he kept politely touching us with his head. He knows he's not supposed to rub his head on people, so he'd just hesitantly press his face against us, whoever was in reach.

She got down on the ground and lay on her stomach directly in front of Baasha, so she could see his feet at ground level. He nuzzled her hair. "Hey, you're not supposed to lay on the ground there, cuz something very scary could happen and I might need to run over you!" She said, "This is the only perspective that will let you really see the wall growth. You need to get down to hoof level or set a camera directly in front of his hooves." So I lay down too. I saw it - the inside walls tend to grow longer, so she told me to watch that, and do a stronger mustang roll on the insides.

Then she showed me some knife skills, cuz I don't have them yet: ) She also showed me how to use my new knife sharpener.

All in all, she spent about 15 minutes working on his feet - mostly trimming bits of frog. She took about two swipes of the rasp to each inside wall where they grow unevenly. Then we just talked and talked about natural horsecare. I am so happy that I'm getting this! Also, I'd like to thank the barefoot trimmer bloggers who've helped me by studying the photos I've mailed them and offering advice, that helped.