Measuring and ordering our "dancing shoes"...

So, due to the vicious rains we had on Sunday night (tornado warnings, 60 mph straight line winds, hail, etc...yeah, storms were BRUTAL Sunday night!), MM rescheduled her shoer to come do her horses. 

Which means my schedule to have Strider sized for his shoes ALSO got pushed to Wednesday.

Which was fine with me.  I had things to do around the house Monday (though beyond grocery shopping, don't ask me WHAT I did, because I think I pretty much managed to get a whole lotta nada done!).

And, fetching my horse out of a mud pit at the barn didn't exactly appeal to me.

So, on Wednesday after work I shot out to the barn, both to watch MM's shoer do her horses and to get measured.

Educational experience.  I honestly had never watched a shoe being put on a horse.  And MM's shoer is very patient (not that MM's horses are naughty) and fast and efficient. 

I had the foresight to print out the Ground Control measurement brochure, so we were able to measure according to that, and the shoer says 0's all around. 

I finally swallowed my nerves and asked him what it would cost.  $100 all around since I'm supplying the shoes.  Well then, so in mid-stream I changed my plan from just shoeing fronts to go ahead and do it all the way around.  The extra insurance on the backs won't hurt me.  And, might benefit us long-run.  So, 4 new shoes. 

So, almost as soon as I got to work on Thursday, I was on the Ground Control website (www.plastichorseshoes.com) and ordered 6. 

I have no idea if that was smart or not.  My thinking goes like this:
I'll be using the first 4 all brand new.  I'll carry the spares in my trailer in case something happens when I'm at ride camp.  Invariably I'm sure that if I lose one at a ride, I can find someone to reapply a shoe for me. 

And, if after an initial set and re-set, the fronts shoes will probably be worthless, so they'll get tossed.  But, the rears -might- last longer.  If I can get a set and 2 re-sets out of them, then, in THEORY that means that the 6 shoes I've ordered will last me through the end of May.

Which means I've now jinxed myself.

Now I'm neurotically watching the USPS site to track my new shoes!!!

Three day weekends are never enough...

Sometimes even a three day weekend isn't long enough to get everything done that you wish you could get done.

Saturday was spent taking my broken-down car up north to Joe's mechanic to have it diagnosed, and ultimately repaired (I'm slated to pick it up tomorrow).  Then it was dinking around the house getting small projects and various things done.

I untangled the electric fencing I had brought home from H's when we initially set up the fence so that we'd have some extra to use.  Loaded up the truck with tack I was going to need to go riding the next day and all the other various "sundries" I'd need.

Took Austin's car for a good wash and a vacuum to get pictures. 

Let me just say, it's kind of therapeutic in an odd way to take a car to one of those self-wash places with the sprayer and wash a car.  Now, why that is, I simply can't say, and yet, I was enjoying myself so much that I was loathe to leave as the light started to fade. 

Sunday morning I slept in until about 7:30, got rolling and was on the road by 8 am to go grab my trailer and load up Socks and Strider to take to H's. 

The plan was to work on the fence for another 2 hours and then run to Granger to go ride for a few hours.

Rare moment when the mystical Strider-beast stood still.

What do you know, SUCCESS!!!

I got to H's around 10ish where we drove in 2 more T-Posts (it really IS easier with the tractor.  Not sure about faster, but easier, most definitely!) and strung more rope.  Puzzled out where to hang the charger and where to put the gate. 

And then called it a day.  Grabbed the horses and ran to the lake.

Not sure if this photo really conveys how windy it was and causing waves on the lake.  Trust me, it was windy!

Where we had a fantastic, albeit windy, ride.

Video of Strider and I going

FYI; my friend H shot this from the back of her TWH Jolie.  As you can see, Strider doesn't exactly go in a straight line and he HATES to lead.  And my hand waving is just to encourage him to keep going.

For the most part, except for a few times we had to stop for H to adjust and tighten up her cinch, we rode for about 2.5 hours.

And I made a conscious and deliberate choice to NOT turn on Endomondo.  The minute I turn it on, I start driving and pushing hard for that 5-6 mph minimum.  I stop having fun and focus on the stats.  That isn't my goal this year.

I had utterly and COMPLETELY lost all track of 'fun' while riding when I was hard-core focused on conditioning and moving Strider up the distance.  It was ALL about getting on and getting my minimums met.  Days AND time/mileage.  And if I fell short, I pushed harder next time. 

I had lost track of how to have fun at my sport of choice.  And Strider was starting to show signs of being sour while conditioning.  Boredom.  Not enjoying our time together. 

Look, I know that there will be times when my horse and I "hate" one another.  Differences of opinion abound when you have two different brains, never mind two different SPECIES with different ideas about what the team should be doing.  I'm okay with that.

But when the entire ride feels like my horse is just bored and sick and tired of doing the same thing over and over and riding the same trail over and over, I might just be pushing too hard and being unfair.

Hell, when -I'm- bored and sick and tired of doing the same thing over and over and riding the same trail over and over, maybe I need to step back and find the fun again.

So, while H and I rode, I refused to turn on Endomondo.  I know she wanted to know how far we went, and I made a best guess based on time out, speed we were going and factoring in stops.  My best guess is in 2.5 hours we went 8-10 miles.  She thinks 10-12. 

Ultimately though, I still can't bring myself to care how far I went.  I got on my horse and we boogied down the trail.  He was eager and ready to go.  Bunny bucks and all.  Even at the end of the ride as we came back to the trailer.

And I had fun.  He had fun. 

Heck, there are even loose cows at the lake, and I let him chase a few.  That was a BLAST for him!  The minute I turned him on a cow, those ears slicked back against his head and he went after that cow.  Little bit of guidance and he was turning for it.  It was so much fun!

I think in our off-season, I might let him go try penning for fun. 

Overall, it was a great ride.  Sun didn't really come out, yet it was warm (in FEBRUARY!), but with the wind, it wasn't too bad.

We just knew we were riding to beat the storms that were SUPPOSED to hit during the day.  But not a single drop of rain all day on us.

So, after loading up just Strider (Socks is now living in semi-retirement again with H for a while), I had to run and get bulbs for "my" pet lizards.  Let me tell you how UNPLEASANT it is to haul a truck and loaded trailer into a shopping centers and through traffic. 

However, after two stops (when am I going to learn to STOP going to Petco when the lizards need something?  Petco NEVER has what I need for the lizards!), I got both bulbs from PetSmart and then headed for the barn.

Dropped Strider, but opted to take trailer home.  After MM told me about some meth heads showing up at the barn looking to "buy horses; the big ones!", I figured, better to take my trailer home until I can get a ball lock for it.  I don't have much, but if someone steals my trailer, they've stolen thousands of dollars worth of "stuff" (not my saddle, I next to never leave my saddle in there!) and my trailer!! 

Plus, H let me borrow her husband's power washer, so the plan is to power wash the roof of my trailer and then get some Kool Seal and repaint the top of the trailer.  I also need to clean out my tack compartment.  It's still a disaster from River Run when I just chucked everything inside and left.

So, dropped Strider and still had MORE stops.  My saddle pad is a disaster.  I've washed it once in my machine at home and once by hand with Euclan, but it never really seemed to "fluff" back up again and always felt a little "crunchy".  And someone once suggested taking it to the car wash and power washing it with just water.

So that's exactly what I did with it and my cinch.

Didn't notice a huge difference on my cinch, but that saddle pad went from this dingy brown to ivory.  And it's soft and fluffy again!!  Suffice to say, it's a genuine incentive for me to get my own power washer for the house.  Good for cars AND tack!  Well, maybe not so much, but still...I was incredibly impressed.

Sadly, got a little oil on the top part, so that's annoying.  I'll take it to a different car wash next time, but seriously!  It looks great.  I then took it home, tossed it in my machine again and set it out to dry yesterday and when I grabbed it last night, well, it's not as good as new, but I'm happy!!  Ultimately I'd like to grab another saddle pad or two to have as back ups for multi-day rides.  But that's down the road.  You know, that mystical "someday".

Overall, while it was a long day, it was a good day.  A fine day!

One of my favorite views in the whole entire world.

Marking time and rambling away...

This weekend I have plans.  Lots of plans.  BIGLY plans, even.

Saturday will be wrapped up in doing "car things".  My daily driver has been broken down since the end of December, so I've been gimping through by commuting with Joe, using Austin's car and driving the big ol' diesel truck.  Into downtown Austin.  And parking it in a parking garage.  Let me express to you just how much FUN -that- has been.  Nothing says "I can't wait to drive!" like trying to get your crew cab long bed into a tight parking spot!!  And change lanes.  And just generally try to get around. 

Frustrating.  So, suffice to say, I'm eagerly awaiting Sparky's return to my daily drive.  Plus, I can leave all of my tack in Sparky, whereas now, my tack just kind of floats from car to car, and I can never find what I need when I'm at the barn.  Nothing says "rage inducing" like being unable to find your hoof pick.  ANY of them.  I mean, I only have 3 (which I know isn't many, but I've had my pink Oster since I first got the horses...so we're talking 11 years now).

Anyway.

So Saturday will be vehicular junk.  Also potentially shifting Kaylee out of the master bedroom into Josh's room.  I would really prefer to get it painted before we move her in there, but Joe's insistent she get moved.  I dunno, I may still take the time on Saturday to go look at paint and buy the things we'll need to paint her room.  It's going to be tedious as currently those walls are a very dark green, and I'm planning on going for a lighter color in there. 

Sunday, if all goes according to plan, will be Socks' relocation date.  We'll finish the fence at H's.  And, if we can get it done fast enough, we'll haul over to Granger for a ride. 

And for Monday, since I don't have to go to work, my plan is to go out mid to late afternoon and ride and ride and ride.  MM's shoer is due out at 5 and I have a call in with him to figure out what size shoes I need to get ordered.  My trimmer said I should ask him as he'll know how much toe he'll be taking off and such so that will help me better gauge what size shoe I'll need.

And then, I schedule his shoe appointment. 

So, assuming I can get the stars to align for him, we'll set the date on March 4th as "Shoe Day". 

Tuesday of next week I'll get them ordered, which gives them ALMOST 2 weeks to arrive from Boerne (which is outside of San Antonio, so not that far from here).  Debating on ordering 3 pair just to have them in hand (and save on shipping).

Up next to research is pour ins for the, at least 1, rides.  So many questions about that too!!

Okay, okay...I admit it.  I'm ALMOST excited for the horse I'll have after shoes.  To see where we stand.  To be able to ride places I've never ridden before because I haven't had proper foot protection. 

Also, as a side note, my trimmer and I were talking about shoeing Strider, and I mentioned to her that I was excited about the places I can now go that I couldn't before.  And she said that she felt Dakini had the type of amazing foot that I could perhaps drop shoes on her if I knew I was going to, say, Big Bend or Palo Duro (both bucket list trail ride locations), and have them pulled afterwards, and she'd be back to normal in 2 or 3 trim cycles; nail holes gone and everything. 

I will say that little mare has some of the most amazing feet.  And, as my trimmer mentioned, "After fighting and struggling with Strider's feet for so long, isn't it nice to have one that's so low maintenance?"

Why yes.  Yes it is.

Heck, after 6 weeks (and 3 days) when my trimmer came out to do Dakini and Socks, she didn't even need to nip them at all; and I mean BOTH Dakini AND Socks!  Just rasp them a little bit.  So, while Socks is hanging at H's, I think I'll attempt to get out there and do it myself for 1 cycle, and then haul him to my trimmer's and have her do him (or send her pictures and see what she thinks).  I -NEED- to start doing that to Dakini's feet as well.  They didn't much change or lose much after this trim, so those Scoot Boots (once they get here, and I cannot WAIT for them to arrive!!!) should fit beautifully!! I'm not sure about balance on Dakini.  My trimmer said Socks is very good about keeping himself naturally balanced, but he does have a propensity for flares.

However, once I get the Scoot Boots in, I will do a thorough review on them.  Hoping that I'll have them for that first weekend of March!  Just so I can get them on her and go riding!!  Well, sooner would be ideal, but allowing for 2 weeks (and some change).  Shipping from Australia IS slow, which I will say is one draw back to these boots!  Unlike Renegades where you can have them in a matter of days, if you order direct from the manufacturer for Scoot Boots, make sure to allow for some time.

But, for ease of putting them on, so far Scoot Boots win HANDS DOWN!!!  3 straps per foot and you are DONE!!  Sure, while Renegades have 2 straps (pastern and toe), you have to futz with cables.  Don't pull the cables too tight, but don't leave them too loose either.  There needs to be SOME wiggle room, but not too much!!!  And don't tighten that pastern strap too tight either. 

I don't have time for that when I'm on an endurance ride.  I simply do NOT like dismounting unless it's necessary, or I just HAVE to stretch my legs.  So anytime I have to get off for a boot failure just irritates me to no end.

So, now we wait for our shoes and our boots.  And see what kind of horses we have for our next ride.

Current plan?

Shanghai Trails.  Strider is back on deck to attempt a back to back.  So far the only successful back to back we've had was High Roller 2016; back to back LDs.  While we attempted the 50/25 combo at Racing Stripes, we did all of the miles...and if it hadn't been for that pesky rock some time in the last 10 miles (or maybe it was sore soles?  My guess is sore soles now), we'd have done it.  As of yet, we are unsuccessful.  So Shanghai will be our attempt.

Unless he tells me he's too tired (he's never really told me that, except the first part of our first season together). 

So, Dakini (and her Scoots!) will be tagging along as insurance.

March 25th and 26th.  Strider and I will make our return to the trails we first did together as a team.

He and I have come a long ways together.  He's changed from casual trail horse to an official endurance horse.

I can't wait to have the side by side pictures.

Just as a point of reference, here we are at our first ride:

March 28, 2015

And here we are at Racing Stripes (Shanghai wasn't held last year due to the conflict with Easter weekend) on day 1 (our second 50 attempt).

April 10, 2016

Different horse, right?!

I do so love that boy!

Moving towards shoes...

So, baby steps forward to getting our shoes on.

MM's shoer called me back late last week, and said he felt comfortable doing the Ground Controls.  He looked at them online, thought they were neat, and said sure thing, let's try it. 

However, since Strider is a little bit of a dancer for trims, and this process involves NAILS in his FEET, I didn't want the shoer to quick him or get a nail placed wrong.  So I made sure to mention that this is his first time EVER to be shod.  So, he suggested I get some Demosedan. 

And then phase two started.

I'd called a few vets looking to get it in order to take the edge off.  No one was calling me back.  Or, I needed to haul him in to them so that they could give him a check up before they'd give it to me.  I finally had a lightbulb moment and realized "Why not just call the original vet who JUST saw him and see if he'll sell me a tube?!"

DING DING DING DING!!!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!  It will be at the barn next week.

Now, I'm getting serious about figuring out what size of shoes I need to get ordered.  And sitting down with my calendar to figure out how to shuffle in shoeing around/with my spring ride schedule and get them pulled off near/around the start of summer so he can run bare naked foot.

That part is turning into the trickiest part for me.  But, after staring at the calender and realizing that I may have to do a reset at 5 weeks at least once, I finally found a schedule that doesn't have me right on the last few days of a 6 week cycle, and has them removed the week or so after our last ride.  AND will give me a little bit of time prior to our first ride in them to really let him try them out and see how we do.

So, will talk to my trimmer tomorrow when she comes out to do the other two and get ideas about what size he needs, and then order him his shoes.

Turquoise.  :)  Because, if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it with some color on our feet!!

Black and clear are too hard to find if they come off.  I don't really do pink.  But that turquoise!  That's NICE!

I'm actually a -little- bit excited about getting it done.  Mostly because I'm ready to get back to REALLY riding my horse.

I wanted to ride on Sunday, and I specifically wanted to ride Strider.  I turn up at the barn with the grandiose plan of riding on the Pecan Grove side where the trails are softer and there's minimal rocks.

Except the moment I opened the door, I heard them.  Again.  The dirt bikes/ATVs.  Just lovely.

With Strider, I cannot ride him on the horse side of the property due to the hard pack trails and rocks.  And, while I thought about bringing the truck, I didn't because my riding time was limited due to Joe needing to work and someone coming to the house at 1pm. 

Well then, guess we're going round and round in the arena.  Which he hates.  Which I get bored with because I'm not exactly sure how to best utilize my time in an arena.  So, we spent about 10 minutes refreshing the "Come Pick Me Up" cue.  And then we rode.  We did basic laps to begin with while he worked many of the bunny bucks out.  We made sure that he didn't keep trying to duck out through the gate by doing lots of figure 8's at that end of the arena.  We focused on going from "A" to "B" in a (mostly) straight line.  We worked on the halt from a walk and a gait.  We worked on backing up.  Where he turned into a turd.  That front end popped up.  So then we did about 3-5 minutes of "Gait forward and whoa and back up."  Lather, rinse, repeat.  We worked on half-halts.  For a solid hour we worked in the arena.

The truth be told, I feel like the front end coming up was just annoyance at being trapped in the arena.  The bunny bucks are normal for him.  Annoying, yes.  Not dangerous, and he's done them for years at this point, so I'm pretty sure it's become neurological for him.  Or just his form of self-expression.  Whatever.  Do I find it annoying?  So much yes.  I hate getting popped out of the tack like that.  But, until I can either send him off to a trainer to evaluate what the heck is going on, or have a trainer come to him to figure it out, I just ride them out.  No big deal. 

And, after we finished our (little over an hour) of arena work, we went back to the mounting block and verified we could "Come Pick Me Up".  Then I just started walking around and asking him for it.

The reality is he frustrates and annoys me.  He has so much natural talent.  And when the footing is soft, he has more speed (seriously, in the arena I could feel him stretching out some, so once those shoes on, I bet he really IS a powerhouse).  And I know I'm the weak link in our relationship.  And yet, I am always reminded just how much fun he really is.  Sure, I have to ride each step.  I can't really "zone" out with him.  But there's something about him that just...resonates with me.  And I am eager to see what kind of "new to me" horse I have once we have the Ground Controls on!

Little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Well, so after much fear, consternation, concern, anxiety...okay, I'm not pulling out the thesaurus, but you get the idea, I finally called MM's (my friend at the barn who has the 100 miler) shoer and left him a voicemail.  Haven't heard back yet, which has me a little anxious. 

Granted, I always feel like when I either have to talk to someone on the phone OR when I leave a voicemail, I dump too much information and all in a rush so no one understands what I need or want.  Social anxiety, I have it, yo. 

Basically I told him that MM gave me his number, and that I didn't want to do steel shoes if I could avoid them, I wanted to do the Ground Control shoes, and was curious if he'd be comfortable installing a front pair on my Paso Fino.  Or if I could just pick his brain to come up with some ideas.

I'll give him until the end of the week, then I'm going to have to call another shoer.  My trimmer is due out next week on Wednesday, so I need to know if he should be trimmed with the other two, or if I need to leave him alone so that they have all the foot they'll need to hammer into.

And here is where I'll say shoes is so new to me.  I happened to run into my trimmer at the barn as she was wrapping up another horse, and I'd mentioned to her my plan was to have her trim him up at the appointment next week and then have shoes put on him a few weeks after that.  But, as she mentioned, I need to ask the shoer if that would work.  They might need all that hoof to put the shoes on with.

See!  Things that didn't even occur to me for $1,000 Alex!!  *sigh*

I am at peace with this now that I've finally made a phone call.

I'll probably be more at peace with it once we do our first ride with shoes on.  And then even more at peace when we get our next endurance ride under our belt with a solid completion.

Baby steps.  Always baby steps.

In other news, after having forgotten to get my endurance form signed at the ride, realizing that I was fixing to run up against the deadline, I sent a frantic email to the ride manager, apologized profusely, and begged to work something out so she could/would sign my form so that I wouldn't lose those 50 miles worth of points.  SO grateful that the RM signed it and sent it back to me so I can drop it in the mail 2 days before the postmark deadline!!  WHEW!!

However, it is proof that our breed association needs a more modern way of handling things.  Because, quite frankly, on ride weekends, it's always hectic.  Especially for the RM and/or the ride secretary.  And I hate bothering them when I know they've got a bunch of balls in the air that they're juggling and things they're focusing on.

So, hopefully I can get that in front of the rules committee this year and get that changed.  Honestly, if I have to mail in a copy of my vet card, seems like that is sufficient proof that I DID the ride AND completed it. 

Just sayin'.

My ride photos also came in last night.  Cannot wait to get them framed and up in the office at work. 

Sometimes when I need a brief escape from the boredom of the office, I can look up and to my left, and there Strider and I are, vetting in.  At the start of our first 50.  Mid-way through our first 50.  And he and I with the 100 mile Paso and his rider crossing the 50 finish line.  And I smile.  Because it was a good day.  A fine day.

And now I can add our second year to it.

Now what, Socks?

So, I have my answers about Strider.  Let me again express my sheer RELIEF about that.

I have ScootBoots on their way to outfit Dakini all the way around.  Let me express my relief about THAT too.

Now, what about Socks?

For the time being, Socks is going to go to my friend H's house to just hang out to relieve a minor financial burden that comes with, well, horses.  I can use the little bit of extra money I'll save to use towards shoeing Strider.

Once again Endurance teaches me that plans can change in a moment.  The season I thought was over with Strider is really just cranking up.  Dakini will now be able to truly focus on moving up the distances if I so desire. 

And, now it looks like I'm NOT chasing my 250LD patch this season as I thought I would be doing.

Instead, I can continue to do as I have enjoyed in the past.  Ride my 50's on Day 1 and then do my LD on Day 2.  So far, this formula makes me happy and I find it enjoyable.  It gives me the perfect mix of endurance distance where I'm hyper-focused on time and trail and goals on Day 1, and then Day 2, I can relax just a little bit and get on down the trail.

I'll earn that 250 mile patch soon enough.  And now with horses who have protected feet, it MAY go faster.

But, I'll be a little honest.

I do kind of regret not getting to experience any of this with Socks.  He is such a plucky fellow.  Always game for whatever nonsense I subject him to.  And, sure, he threw 'tude at me on Sunday.  I know that it's nothing regular riding won't fix if I'd just do it. 

But, I barely have enough time to keep 2 legged up and running.  And sure, I could get super serious and leg up all 3, but I can't transport all 3. 

So, my farrier will come next week, do his feet one last time before he goes to H's house, and then I'll run him up.  Where he can get fat and sassy and kind of do the "semi-retired" bit.  He'll enjoy it, and, soon enough, he can return home where I can get back to it once again.

ScootBootin' Riding...

So, as I previously mentioned, I had an appointment Sunday for the ScootBoot fitter to swing by the barn and fit Socks and Dakini. 

I am so pleased I -FINALLY- got a fitter out to REALLY verify the size and talk it over with me.  She also made some good suggestions for some supplements and such.  And we talked some about the shoes I'm considering for Strider (more in another post about them), and she feels that the choice I'm making for the shoes I -WANT- to use will be the best choice I can make to get him through the season, cushion and stimulate that frog and not totally lose sight of the hope of making him a barefoot horse again. 

She also said that with some relief, I might be surprised at how much horse I have and how strong he'll be.  Well, that'll be....fun. 

Anyway, if just so it's written down somewhere so I can find it quickly:
Dakini up front wears 00s.  There will be a little bit of twist, but the fitter felt that with the trail gaiter that any sort of "play" will be taken up by them and they will fit and work perfectly.  Watching the boots go on her feet WITHOUT any of the straps in place, I am inclined to agree with her.

Dakini on the rear wears 000s. 

This girl has DAINTY ballerina slippers!

So, I swapped the pair my "Bishes" got me for my birthday to use on Strider and opted for a pair that will fit Dakini.  And then, I ordered a pair for her other feet.

So that when the order comes in, Dakini will have all 4 feet covered and protected.

Not going to lie, I'm kind of doing an internal happy dance that with these boots, I can go ride ANYWHERE I want to go and not worry about booting issues!

Now, we're going to try them out first at Rusty's to make sure we don't have issues, but I'm feeling very confident about these boots. 

Now, Socks.

On the front he wears a size 2 and on the rears, he wears a 0.

So, at least now I know! 

And I'm actually so very VERY excited to know that going forward, for my two primary riding horses, I will be doing everything I can to protect their feet and keep them going forward and happy and sound.

It is amazing how just having answers and a plan can take you from the dark depths of despair to, while not the highest mountain peak (because shoes=money and boots=money), at least I'm higher up than I was before.  And things aren't so grim.

So, after the fitting, I decided to pull Socks out for a ride. I could have sworn he was begging to get out and stretch his legs. 

Got him all tacked up and ready to go.

Now, mind you, there is a "Texas Off Road Championship Series" (dirt bikes, etc) on the shady side of the property FAR away from the horse pens.  So, I can't ride over there.  The bikes are loud and scary and revving and going.  And, well, I like living!!!

So, I was stuck riding the hillier side of the property by the horse pens.

Going out, Socks was a freight train at a trot. 

Then wanted to turn to the pens.  When told "No", he lept slightly off the ground, all four feet, with a squeal of complaint and tried it again.  And got told "No" again, where he repeated his antics.

Suffice to say, I won that battle, but ultimately, I feel like I lost the war.

He could hear Strider calling, so he'd call.  He kept trying to weasel back.  Duck out of water puddles without going through (he's always HATED getting his delicate tootsies moist!).  So, we got to the first big hill, I made him go through the water and walk up the hill.  He thought we were done.  Nope, turn around, go back down, do it again.

Repeat.  I believe we did about 8 hill sets, and the last two, he was cantering up instead of trotting.  But, I won't lie, my arms were getting sore and my fingers were aching and burning.  So, I finally called it enough on that hill and we kept on going. 

PRETTY sure my horse can piaffe.  He sure can lose his mind and flip out over a stick touching his belly and try to bolt.  Jackwagon.

We get to the long hill after I make him go through a small portion of "creek" a few times (dude, get used to getting those feet wet!) and we make another 4 sets before my arms just scream agony.

Sum total, only about 35 minutes in the saddle, but it was nice to remember what a little saint Dakini can be.  And it was a reminder that I can't just expect good and steady Socks to ALWAYS be the exact same horse I've put away.  Half tempted to get back out there soon and do it all again.

Except my saddle needs a good cleaning, as does the pad and girth.  And probably my sheepskin fleece cover.

Overall, Sunday was a good day.  Irritating moments, but nothing bad.

I kept the horse between myself and the ground.  It was a good day.

X-Rays Are In...

I promised that once I got the X-rays I would share them. 

Here they are.

As noted, on his right front, we have 8.5mm and on the left front we have 7.8mm.  Just barely over half of what the vet thinks is ideal.

Yes, those toes are long.  In my farrier's and my defense, he was trimmed on 1/1/17 so you're looking at about 4.5 weeks of growth.  It very much needs to be pushed back.  And, once I get the shoer out *gulp*, that is what we will be doing.

Right Front.

Left Front.

I also just want to add here; isn't modern technology a marvel?  That we now have the ability to bring an X-Ray machine to a HORSE BARN to x-ray whatever we need done, and to THEN be able to view it INSTANTLY there AT the barn is a marvel to me.  And one I am so grateful for!!

Thank you to Dr. Moore and Moore Equine for becoming the newest part of #TeamStrider, #TeamDakini, #TeamSocks and #PasoPower.  :)

So, now that I know Strider, at least currently, isn't a hoof boot candidate, I have a Scoot Boot fitter coming to the barn on Sunday at 12:30 to measure Dakini and Socks for boots.  Dakini doesn't grow super fast, but Socks grows fairly evenly.  But not badly.  So, guess we'll see what the fitter thinks as we'll be at 5 weeks post-trim then.

Also means I need to toss my pair of Scoot Boots into the vehicle so I can swap them.

Now to decide what color of straps to run Dakini in!  :)

Answers...

Well, I'm kind of at a loss about what to write and how to write it as I'm still, on a gut level, processing everything.

For the record, if you own more than one horse, I think you're required to have at LEAST one who is an utter and complete JERKFACE while the other (or others) are angels.  Welcome to my herd dynamics.

Socks.  Saint for the blood draw and vaccinations.

Dakini.  Saint for the blood draw (even as the first vet tech missed the vein and was wriggling the needle around trying to find it, Dakini only moved over 1 step and then she had to get stabbed again by the second person who hit the vein) and for vaccinations.

And then...there's Strider. 

The vet noticed as we brought him over towards the barn and trailer area just how tender he was on the rocks.  So, we couldn't get a good trot out there, so we put him on the grass area and he had his tech trot him out and back.  He said he didn't really see anything.  So, then we tried to lunge him.  Good luck.  Strider was full of beans, piss and vinegar and wouldn't keep to a consistent gait.

So, the vet brought out his hoof testers and checked his legs and said he just wasn't thinking suspensory.  But, after hearing about the 2 rides where we came up lame at, he agreed that perhaps it was percussive.  He suggested X-rays of each front leg, which we did (I will post them once I get them).

And I FINALLY got my answers.

The vet said that for endurance horses, he likes a sole depth of (either) 13 or 14.  Strider was at 7.8 on one foot and at 8.something on the other.  Or, as the vet put it, "He just sheds it faster than he can grow it."

And all of a sudden SO MUCH history snapped into focus.  Why he can appear ouchy when the ground in their pen is dry clumpy-clods.  Why rocks have ALWAYS been the bane of his existance. 

Also, for my own edification, I asked the vet if he thought Strider had ever bowed either of his front tendons.  Sounds insane, but I've heard it from 2 different people that they thought he had bowed.  Which I always thought was nuts, because WHEN would he have done it AND managed to heal without SOMEONE noticing?  Vet said if he had, he healed up cold and tight.  But he honestly felt he'd never bowed.

So, now on to the processing section.

So, YAY, no 6 months of healing a suspensory injury.  No fear about bringing him back sound for LDs and 50s or maybe more.

But, we're talking shoes.  Shoes and pads for rocky rides.  No pads for conditioning and pulling shoes in the off-season.  Add more biotin (it can't hurt) to help with sole growth.  Push the toe back for break-over.  Re-evaluate in 8 months with more x-rays to see if we have more sole growth and maybe go back to barefoot (I will probably wait a year to re-evaluate with x-rays).

Understand, my rational mind UNDERSTANDS and AGREES that we MUST do whatever we possibly can to make him comfortable.

It's my emotional heart and gut that is struggling with this.  I have managed to keep him barefoot for 11 years.  I feel like I've lost the battle with him.  And it's a bitter pill to swallow.  Because I know the pitfalls of shoes.  And I know it can cause troubles. 

And, it now makes my recreational sport hobby even more pricey.  I don't want an "okay" shoer to do my horse.  So, I turned to the other endurance rider at my barn and asked her about her shoer.  She's on a 100 mile horse.  And, she demands and expects the best from people who interact with her horses.  $120 for a set of front onlys.  Pads are an additional $30.  I haven't talked to him yet myself, but she says she believes he'll be comfortable dealing with a gaited horse.

I always feel like I bring an extra "curveball" to this game of endurance.  I'm not just on a horse, but a gaited horse.  Which, really, isn't that big of a deal.  But some people treat gaited horses like they're some kind of oddity.  They're really not.  I mean, conditioning-wise, how I do it is a little different than the Arabian riders.  I'm not as fast as they are.  But that's probably as much my fault as it is anything else (I just can't ride 5 days a week!).

So, while I've had some loving input on fighting against the shoes, and I'm not exactly in a race to get them put on (I think I'll have them set at the beginning of March), just to give myself time to research and look into all the different types, this is probably the road I'm heading down with him.  I'm going to give him whatever supplements I can to help him grow sole.  I'm going to Durasole him while shod and unpadded.  I need to figure out how to keep under the pad free from thrush and fungus. 

It's just an entirely new aspect of horse keeping I've never dealt with, so it's intimidating to me, and kind of scary.

For the next few weeks, we'll just ride in the arena where the footing is about as soft as it can be.  There are SOME rocks in there, and I can potentially even ride him on the soft side of the property where the footing is good and he's gone beautifully for me before.  Right now it's about conditioning him back into shape.  He wasn't as fit as I wanted him to be for River Run.  I own that as my own failure.

But, I've looked at the calendar, and ASSUMING I can get 6 weeks from a pair of shoes, I can set a new set, reset, and depending on wear, either do another reset or a new set and finish off the season and pull them for the summer.  Knowing the rides (now!) like I do (and pulling one from memory), it will be unpadded, padded, unpadded.  I'm going to hit the 6 week mark for the very last ride, BUT, it's at the same location as Armadillo Run, so it's barefoot friendly in the first place, so, if he happens to lose a shoe, I can pull the other, or toss a boot on there and finish it.  I believe.  We'll see.  I may run the LD instead of a 50 as that's Memorial Day weekend, so HOT.  And, it's a 2 day!!!  So, I'm excited and happy.

And then we'll just pull them after the ride and leave him bare naked all summer long with trims.

Honestly, I'm still adjusting on a gut level.  I keep trying to see the positives (my horse will be SOUND once I do this).  And there are LOTS of endurance horses running in steel.  Hell, Tivio (the 100 mile Paso Fino) runs in steel.  So, we'll be in good company there.  And, as my friend at the barn pointed out, look at the success rates of the Decade Teams and how many run in steel. 

But mostly, I simply MUST do what is best for my horse.  Unerringly and unflinchingly I MUST do right for him.

*deep breath*

So, here we go.