[jen judkins]

Jim, I would love to see a photo of your scoot. Any chance you would post a photo?

[jen judkins]

@Robert MoonShadow 7242 wrote:

Here’s one I did today;
The sight of a 1-eyed man wearing ankle weights to help shed some extra “winter poundage” as he weaves a pea net/trellis out of haybale twine. .

ooooooooo I’m always looking for ways to reuse that baling twine, great idea!

@OldKat 7339 wrote:

Azaleas are almost done blooming;

I can’t wait…those are by far my favorites. I have the late blooming oranges and yellows…it will be awhile yet.

[jen judkins]

I used to think that a bigger bit was a poor substitute for good horsemanship, as I think CIW was inferring in his post. And in many instances, I still believe that to be true. A bit is simply a tool and its fair and effective use is dependant on the hands holding the reins.

That said, there are a few ‘patterns’ horses learn, that are unacceptable to me. One of those is running off, whether it is in a cart or undersaddle. If it takes a bigger bit to interupt that pattern, so be it. The longer a horse does the wrong thing the harder it will be to fix the problem.

A bigger bit may be necessary in some cases to interupt a pattern, and I believe used judiciously can help replace unwanted behavior with good patterns. You can always go back to a snaffle or a milder setting when things are going well. I think the problem lies in always depending on a bit for control, when simply using some psychology in your training will produce long lasting habits regardless of bitting.

I drive Peanut in a single link liverpool. Last fall I used it entirely on the snaffle ring (we were out driving 5 days a week). This spring, he is alittle fresh, so I set the reins down abit so I can get his attention when I need to. Its not that I plan to use more bit for control, but its important to me that I can interupt unwanted bahavior as soon as it first developes. The horse is not wrong to experiment with his behavior, but if they do not meet resistance when they do the wrong thing, you are heading into a pattern that could be trouble later on.

So I guess I agree with both CIW and Jason on this point.

[jen judkins]

Ed, I agree with Larry. Alot of this is just play and socialization. If no one is losing hair or skin, I wouldn’t worry about it. You can learn alot for this type of behavior in regard to how horses move and motivate each other. Take advantage of that.

I have horses that have lived together for years play rough like this very frequently. I think of it as play time and a sign that they are happy and their bellies are full enough they have time for it.

[jen judkins]

aww man, Robert…its a shame you can’t see Bivol’s video! It is my favorite! And Carl has a point about packing wood out on your ass…I mean donkey:eek:. Next time you are at the library, check it out! Promise me!

[jen judkins]

Kristan, I don’t do much frog trimming either…BUT it does help to center and trim the frog to the point where you can use it as a landmark for your coffin bone. It looks as though you have trimmed the apex (which is the most helpful in regard to landmarks), but I would extend that trim all the way back to heels. Especially if you have a twist in the foot. Otherwise, you could be uneven in your trim as the collateral grooves are difficult to see.

Another point I thought of after I posted is that your horse could be sore to palpation due to simple bruising. Drafts have a tendancy for these big frogs and it is hard sometimes to know how much frog to leave on the ground. In lighter horses, its not such a big deal, but on a barefoot draft, you could have too much load on the back half of the frog. I know what you mean by ‘smearing’;). But this might also be another sign that there is too much frog on the ground. Trim it back to a normal appearance and in a position where the heels will share the load.

Wish I lived closer….I love looking at feet

[jen judkins]

Well, George, that’s definately a belgian style foot:D! Looks to me like he is bulked up too much in the frog so you are getting some separation in the central sulcus, which is a terrific location for thrush and other microbes to play house. The rest of the hoof looks very healthy. I would trim (or have your farrior trim) down the excess frog abit at its base so that it is level with the heels. This will alleviate some of the pressure on the area and is better in general for overall balance. I really like cleantrax for these deep crevises but its a pain to apply. White lightening is also a great product, but you will have to get it down in the crack, then perhaps a layer of desitin to keep the mud out. Of courrse photos are sometimes misleading, so take my comments with a grain depending on what you are seeing.

Are you bringing them in at night? You might consider standing him in shavings for part of the day or night to dry the area out.

Good Luck.

[jen judkins]

@Carl Russell 7131 wrote:

I will be back to post more substance later, Carl

And perhaps you have thought more about your chainsaw safety and logging course:p?

[jen judkins]

My favorite ‘magical moment’ in spring comes as the snow melts, revealing the grey brown earth below and then after a few sunny days, little specks of green emerge, giving the groud a beautiful heathered appearance.

At that point, my horses walk away from their hay and stare out over the emerging pasture…waiting.

Today, I saw a bit of this in the sun exposed areas..beautiful!

[jen judkins]

Hal, Check out this link… http://www.myhorse.com/health/feeds/prebiotics_and_probiotics_explained.aspx#top

[jen judkins]

@Biological Woodsman 7076 wrote:

Usually when we stop to get fuel or food we park on the downhill side of the parking lot so the steam that runs out of the trailer doesn’t go across the parking lot
particularly if it is on the path to the store entrance….

Now that is some good advice!:eek:

[jen judkins]

That trip should be a cinch for healthy horses. I’ve done plenty of long distance hauls, some of them several days long and it always amazes me when the horses get back on the trailer the next morning after an overnight rest stop.

In general I won’t give my horses any grain for 12 hours prior to travel. I generally give them probiotics or prebiotics (or both) for a few days before hand as well as during the travel and for a few days after, as it is definately stressful for them.

I typically stop every 3 -4 hours for 30 minutes or so. I don’t unload, but I offer water and refresh hay. Most of my horses won’t drink strange tasting water while on the trailer, so I bring water from home. Anyway, the stop allows them to relax and rest. This schedule generally coincides with meals or gas stops, so it doesn’t add much to the trip.

I generally stop at night somewhere to unload and get some sleep, but I have lots of friends who drive straight through to florida with 2 drivers over 3 days without unloading without any problems at all. I’ve driven over 1000 miles in a stretch, during a multiple day trip and repeated that over 2-3 days, so I think you will find your planned trip very easy.

I think it is always wise however to be prepared for an un-expected stop along the way. So do your homework, and pick out large animal vets and horse friendly B&Bs along the way, in case you run into a colicy horse or an injury and need to unload or get help.

Where are you moving to and from?

I’m assuming that your horses do not have any ‘trailer issues’ to start with.

[jen judkins]

@Ira 7073 wrote:

Doug,
What you are describing (fear of hitching) is a pulling horse that has been “tuned up” one to many times. QUOTE]

Ira, What does this mean, exactly….’tuned up’?

[jen judkins]

Carl makes a very good point about the aluminum trailers and their ability to tolerate rough terrain. I have an aluminum Hawk 3 horse slant gooseneck with very small LQ. Its nice and I love it, but the frame is warping abit from driving over frost heaves and rough roads. I don’t know if there is something that can be done to prevent that…still looking into it, but it is something to consider.

[jen judkins]

I am not in favor of this bill. But it appears that there has been some ‘inflamatory exaggeration’ of its ramifications, So I simply wanted to balance the pendulum abit.

I agree with the ‘slippery slope’ approach. Once an idea takes hold, its effect can be much more widespread or invasive than origninally thought. So it pays to pay attention…to the details, good or bad.

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