In which our farrier comes early because he's a Morning Person

I love my farrier, but he is a Morning Person.

He showed up this morning at 7:30, half an hour early.  Yawn. 

 The mares are not Morning Horses!

 I've kept notes for all the horses' feet for at least 8 years.  The form includes the date of each appointment, foot angles before/after, and notes about what Ron sees when he watches them walk before he starts work and what he sees when he trims them--extra growth on the inside or outside, excess wear on a foot that might indicate soreness on the opposite side, or evidence of stress or old abcesses.

Sometimes we see something in a foot that doesn't make sense, but when we go back through the old records, we discover that a horse was lame or stiff earlier in the year, and the evidence shows up months later in the hoof tissue.

I also include information about what kind of work each horse has done since the last farrier appointment--lessons, trail work, rides, etc.  and the type of terrain they've been on during that time.

Fiddle's foot (above) after trimming.  She shows the typical flat-footed conformation of a Swamp-dwelling horse.  

 It's important for me to keep notes about the sort of work she's been doing;  I know that Fiddle has been doing a lot of miles on very rocky terrain, and her shoes showed the impact of that work: she lost two shoes this time, (very unusual) and the nailheads on her remaining shoes were practically gone, although they are only 6 weeks old.

In other words, she wore the nails out, and trotted right out of her shoes!

I hope I'll find the missing shoes some day, because, although the shoes were worn out, I can re-use the pads.   We use Shocktamer  pads on the front; I'm not convinced that they actually reduce concussion significantly, but the pads last a lot longer than normal pads, so it's money well-spent.

 Fiddle:  not a Morning Horse.

Also:  Me.  Not a Morning Person.

Yawn.

I'm off to pack the trailer for camp now....ummmm, maybe I'll have another cup of tea first.