Farrier Friday....................

It seems like I'm stacking my Friday's up here lately. With last week being something of a Freak Friday followed by this week's own special brand of hectic, I hope this isn't some kind of pattern I'm setting here. If so I think I'll need to take a vacation soon.

The day started off at 7:30 at the gym with Richard. While I'm grateful for the later starting time than what was our usual 5:00 am start, I'm not that sure I'm excited to be back working out at the gym. I do remember I seemed to feel better when I was working out on a regular basis but this on again off again schedule of late has left me nothing but tired and sore. Guess that means I need to get back to making the gym a regular part of my routine.

After and hour at the gym and a quick hop, skip and jump through Safeway for Richard's daily yogurt (YUCK!) I hoped to have time for a quick change of clothes, a quicker breakfast and a brief stint cleaning out the horse trailer before the farrier arrived. But the farrier was late and I was lucky to get the first two tasks accomplished. Cleaning out the trainer so it was ready for Richard to pick up a load of horses got passed off to Lindsay (as if poor Lindsay needs another chore).

But having the farrier arrive early on trim day is actually a good thing. With a barnful of horses to trim and most of them youngsters it helps to have things not be rushed. The horses pick up that kind of feeling pretty quickly and it doesn't make for a fun day.

I never know what to expect from the young horses. It seems like each visit with the farrier elicits a different response in the very young. Despite lots of time running a rasp over their hooves to "teach" them, nothing prepares them for those nippers. You just never know how they're going to react.

Today we started off with the yearlings. I should know better and leave the real youngsters for the last this time of the year. By the time I get done wrestling with them I've broken out in a sweat and the layers of winter clothing begin to come off. Then as we get into the "more broke" horses the chill sets in and I never do get warmed back up. I should clearly be doing the sweat producers at the end so I can finish up warm instead of frozen solid.

I thought that by this time Scarlet had enough experience with the farrier that we could do her trim in the aisle like the big horses. Scarlet made it clear early on in the process she's not quite ready for that one yet. We headed back to her stall where I could use the corner to keep her in one place long enough to get her hind feet trimmed. Poor Scarlet is pretty sure those nippers are going to nip more than her toes............

Richard and Jessica arrived at this point to pick up a trailer load of horses to work. Since the yearlings were already trimmed, they loaded them both up and also took Legs who wasn't on the list. There was a little chit chat about who would go next since Richard expected he'd be done before me. I, on the other had, expected to be done first. The race was on.........

Surprise also had her first attempt at the barn aisle trim. Aside from striking at me to make sure I realized she hadn't been in THAT barn before, Surprise did surprisingly well.

Trouble was trouble. There was no doubt about that. He wanted to be out running free instead of standing still getting his toes trimmed. I still have to marvel at how good his legs look from the way he started off in this world. You'd just never know he was born with legs that went every which way but the way they should. That and I noticed he's growing again. This time leaving Surprise in the dust.

Gypcy surprised the farrier and I both and actually acted like a big horse for the first time. She's always been a bit on the skittish side but today she stood like a rock and her eye stayed nice and soft.

The two year old colts are always their own little challenge. Today was no exception. Although Andy was mostly naughty over just one leg instead of all four.............so I guess that's an improvement. And Patriot must have decided to show Andy up. He's was actually pretty solid for a not quite two.

By the time it was all said and done we'd finished sixteen trims. I won't scare you to death with the totals of that bill but suffice it to say I'm really appreciating my new farrier and his thinking that getting through that many trims in only three hours deserves a discount.

Once the farrier was paid and the next appointments all scheduled, I called Richard to see where he was at with his schedule. While he'd finished with my first load, he wanted to work Reflection before he brought them back so I actually had time for lunch for the first time in a week.

When Richard brought the horses back, I took off coolers, leg wraps and fixed lunches for those that needed them while Richard went off to grab a quick lunch himself. Then I loaded up the next batch of victims and headed off to Richard's just in time for a big ugly storm to blow through. I was soaked before I ever got the first horse into Richard's barn.

I have to say by the time we finished with those three horses it was already 5 o'clock and I was too cold and exhausted for another load. I didn't even ask Richard what he thought about it. I just called an end to the day. Went home and took a nap. I sure hope tomorrow is a bit slower. Maybe I'll skip the gym..............


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