Hoof photos & notes of an off-the-track thoroughbred, over 25 years old, transitioning from a lifetime of being shod, to barefoot.
Hold on.... That was boring...... Let's try that again.......
Here it is! ....the nail biting thriller you have been waiting for!!!!! ...An unraveling story that has it all!!....... A nut case in VT - an ancient, noble horse - evil shoes - mysterious wise men emerging from the ether - magic feet - Olympic level crutches - conspiracy theories and scheming chipmunks..... ...And you thought all the good stories had been told...
This is the photo diary of one ancient horse and one crazy horse "owner", who wade through the trials and triumphs of transitioning from a lifetime of being shod to barefoot. If you are trying to decide on barefoot for your horse or you are going through the barefoot transition right now, this blog was intended to help you. Not because I am an expert, I am in fact, the farthest thing from it. But I hope this helps you because I am documenting the successes and failures of a bumbling fool, trying to do the best for the horse. And bumbling fools can be very informative, or at least help you feel like you are not alone.
On this site you will find all the pictures and notes documenting the trimming of one horse. Please remember, these are my successes and failures, and can be purely accidental. I am not experienced, nor do I have the wisdom of having seen many feet. These are my notes, for better or worse. When something works (or doesn't), that doesn't mean I know how I caused it (or if I caused it) - even if I do have what seems to be a reasonable explanation. My interpretations, intentions, plans and techniques are the product of: "Well my best guess is....". I had no one to confer with. Please respect that and refer to as many other wiser sources as you can, to help you on whatever quest you are on.
Also included on this site, is a links page to sources I found helpful and not so helpful. I include both, since I believe it is important to see both sides of the "coin", so to speak.
I hope this site helps you in some way....
Cast of Characters:
...the Nut-case in Vermont.....
An "owner" of one, ornery Thoroughbred, who lives in Southern Vermont.
....the noble, ancient horse......
A gelded, off the track Thoroughbred, who thinks he's all that and sprinkles on top (just ask him) and should already be dead, given his age.....
...the evil shoes.....
I'll let you come to your own conclusions on that one....
...the mysterious wise men emerging out of the ether.......
There are many who I consider to be in this category. I have included links to them through out this site, so you too, can find them in the ether.
...the magic feet.....
They turn mushroom into stone that carves itself!
Olympic Crutches.....
Horses this old should have crutches, but the horse in question refuses to give up his fancy-pants, in hope of going to the Olympics (for the babes, of course! ...look out Brentina, he favors chestnuts....)
Conspiracy Theories......
You are on your own on this...... a little mystery never hurt anyone.....
Scheming Chipmunks.......
As my brother tells me, squirrels have taken the stock market down three times to date. What do you think their smarter, cuter relatives are up to?