Barefoot Works!

Our horses are barefoot. They've always been barefoot. Unless there was a medical reason to do otherwise, I would never even consider putting shoes on our horses. I don't have a lot of knowledge about hoof anatomy or farrier science. But I DO know that horses were not meant to wear shoes. Their feet cannot expand and contract with each step when they are wearing shoes. There are a whole host of problems that result from shoeing horses.....ringbone and navicular to name just two. Wild mustangs never suffer from those conditions. Wild horses are barefoot.

A horse in the wild may travel 20 to 25 miles a day in search of food and water. Their feet wear naturally. We trim our horses hooves to mimic the natural wear they do not get, since they are confined to small pastures and probably don't travel 25 miles in a month!

If you are interested in finding out more about hoof care, please check out anything written by Pete Ramey. Here is a link to his website Hoof Rehab

We were blessed to find farriers who not only are experts in trimming barefoot horses, but who also practice "intuitive trimming". They watch for feedback from the horse during the entire time they are trimming the hooves. 

Karina and Kirk of Barefoot Works! are "Natural Hoof Care Practitioners" located in Parker, Colorado. They have been trimming our horses since November of 2012 and I could not be more pleased with the changes I'm seeing in the horses.

If you are in the Denver area and would like to get in touch with Karina and Kirk, please visit their website at:

Free Boot Farm

What they do that is different from all other farriers I've ever seen is they pay attention to the horse's body language while they are trimming. Horses know what feels right and what doesn't and they make it very clear to you if you take the time to watch them.

I was so surprised to see my horses giving feedback to Kirk and Karina. After they've done some trimming and filing, they allow the horse to put weight on the foot. I watched my horses weight that foot, shift the weight off, then weight it again. They were testing how it felt after the trim. If it wasn't right, they would cock that leg and even lift that foot up again to signal there was more to be done. If they liked what they felt, they would lick and chew. Often, they would lift up the foot they wanted worked on next. 

My Appaloosa cross Kipp was always a challenge when it was time to trim his hooves. Those of you who knew Kipp from his time at The Horse Shelter in Cerrillos, New Mexico can attest to his attitude about hoof trimming.  He was very resistant to anyone messing with his feet. He didn't trust farriers. (Please read to the end of this post for important information on The Horse Shelter.)

Over the past two years, I've worked to help him understand what he needs to do when the farrier comes. We've made tremendous progress, but the real magic happened once Karina and Kirk started trimming him. It took two trims for him to realize that these farriers weren't like all the others. He relaxed and now even allows use of a hoof jack and a power grinder. Why? I think it's because he knows he can communicate with the farrier and has some control over what's happening.

In this video below, Karina talks a bit about intuitive trimming and shows how Kipp is responding to the changes she's making to his hoof to get it shaped and balanced correctly. (The video file was too large to embed it in this post. Therefore, please click on the link to the video's location on YouTube.)

Trimming Kipp's right hind hoof

Previously, Kipp's biggest objection during trimming was the rasp. He did not like how that felt. Interestingly, he's fine with the power grinder. Karina uses the grinder because it allows for more precision.

The second video is more of Karina working with Kipp. 

Karina trims Kipp's right front hoof

I'm very proud of my horse. He has come so far since the days when he would rear up and kick at the farrier. Most of the credit goes to him for trying so hard to do what is asked. He is the best horse you could ask for!

Our Quarter Horse paint Jesse, suffers from chronic pain and stiffness from a broken pelvis that didn't heal correctly. Years of improperly trimmed hooves (heels to high and toes too long) caused rotation of his coffin bones to the point of mechanical founder. You could simply look at Jesse and see that he wasn't happy. His eyes were dull and he walked very, very stiffly. Everything about him telegraphed that he wasn't feeling good. 

The combination of corrective trimming by Karina and Kirk and acupuncture from the veterinarian has made such a huge difference that it's hard to believe he's the same horse. Yes, he still walks somewhat stiffly and still drags his back feet. He probably always will because he doesn't have full range of motion in his hips. Now that his hooves are being rehabilitated, he's lively, more engaged and is challenging his position in the herd with the goal of moving up in the ranks. 

This is Karina trimming Jesse.

All three of our horses stand quietly and patiently for their trimming and filing. And all three of them visibly 'test' each hoof after the trim then tell us how they feel about it. 

Intuitive hoof trimming works. I see the horses communicating with the farrier. How blessed we are to have farriers who actually listen!

Does your farrier listen to what your horse is telling him? 

OK...about The Horse Shelter....

My horse Kipp was adopted from The Horse Shelter in Cerrillos, New Mexico. Please click on the link above to go to their site and read about the amazing things they are doing. 

If you are looking to acquire a horse, please go to a rescue organization near you and see the horses they have available for adoption. 

Consider volunteering your time at a horse rescue. I did, and it was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Trust me, you will receive far more than what you give. 

And remember,

Forget the cowboy. Just save a horse!

In the Dark

Spring in Colorado is a fickle thing. Yesterday, we enjoyed a beautiful, warm sunny day. Temperatures nearly reached 70 degrees. But oh what a difference a day brings. Today we are hunkered down indoors while a blizzard howls outside. Yup, April 9th and we have a blizzard. The current temperature is 12 degrees. It's been dropping steadily since yesterday at about 6:00 PM.

In the middle of the night I was startled awake when our electricity went out. I can't explain why the absence of power startled me awake, but it did. The first thought that crossed my mind was, "How am I going to make my morning coffee?"  We have an electric stove, so I can't even heat water up for instant coffee. Oh the humanity!  The thought process of an admitted caffeine addict can be illogical. More practical thoughts quickly raced in.

Our water source is a private well. The pump for it is electric. No power, no water. I do have some drinking water stored up, (See my post from last fall about water storage), but how would we flush toilets? There's not enough water stored for that. Crap! Literally.

Then I lay there wondering how we'd keep warm. We have a gas fireplace, but it's not very efficient. It's more for looks than utility. Better than nothing, I suppose.

Next I tried to remember where we stored the battery-powered lanterns. I know where the candles and batteries are, but not the lanterns.

How would I call work to let them know I wouldn't be in to the office? Our land line phone doesn't have long distance and we have no cell phone signal at the house. Where did we put the propane camp stove? How many propane tanks do we have? Are they full? Without electricity to run the stock tank heater, it'll ice over. Gotta remember to break the ice so the horses have water.

With all of this turning over in my mind, there was no way I would fall asleep again. G.W. was sleeping peacefully through all of this. I envy his ability to sleep through anything and everything!

Then the power came back on!

Like a shot I was up and out of bed. I turned on the spigot in the bathtub to fill it with water for flushing toilets. I rummaged around in the garage and found one of our three lanterns. I also loaded up a box with candles, matches, and batteries and brought that up to the living room. Next was making coffee. Whew! At least I'd have my caffeine.

No sooner had I settled in with a cup of coffee when, to quote the Pat Travers' song, "Boom, boom, out go the lights." Again. But this time, I didn't experience that knot of apprehension in my stomach, since I was slightly more prepared.  Less than an hour later, the electricity was restored and has been OK since. 

But the experience got me thinking about some serious shortcomings in our plan for self sufficiency.

The snow's been coming down all day.

The iris and columbine were just beginning to come up in the garden. Now they're buried in snow.

Flocks of birds come to the corral to eat seeds from the hay.

Hard to believe that 24 hours ago it was almost 70 degrees. 

Barn cat Elizabeth wonders what's up with the crazy weather!

All Cooped Up

Our ranch came with this chicken coop. I doubt it's the original one from 1879, but wouldn't be at all surprised to find out it's been here for 50 years. All things considered, it's in fairly decent shape.

Getting it ready for a flock of laying hens is my next big project. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright said, "Regard it just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral." In honor of Mr. Wright,  I thought about calling the coop "Taliesin", but didn't want to jinx it. The roof has a few holes in it, so maybe "Falling Water" is more appropriate?

Although it needs some repairs, it won't take huge amounts of work to get it ready for a flock of chickens. 

All of this chicken wire needs replacing. It's wrapped around the exterior of the coop. It's what keeps predators from digging their way into the coop. In the first photo, you can see where someone used big rocks to try to fill in some holes.  

The door needs replaced.  

So does the window cover. 

Yes, that's particle board you're seeing. It's covering the entire south side exterior. That's got to come off and be replaced with something more appropriate for exposure to the elements.

The coop is huge with a 12' x 12' interior. It's at least 10' high at the peak of the roof.  Those are nest boxes on the right and perches at the back.

These drip craters on the floor are evidence of the holes in the roof. 

The nest boxes and roost/perch are in good shape. The whole interior needs a good cleaning, but seems to be serviceable.  All the dried chicken poop will go into my garden.

Amazingly, the coop has been upgraded with electricity. (Both lights and outlets)...The outlets will come in handy for heat lamps during the winter.

And there's a frost-free spigot just outside.

The enclosed run is 10' x 12'.

The run needs new chicken wire, too, but is otherwise in good shape.

The fenced, uncovered run is 21' x 24'. 

I'd close the chickens in the coop at night to keep them safe, but could let them out into the two runs in the day. I wonder how much danger hawks would pose if the birds are in the open run?

I'll use boards from this old pig pen to make repairs to the exterior of the coop. I don't want to use brand new boards on the exterior. It wouldn't look right.

We're going to tear out the pig pen anyway. It's falling apart and not suitable for housing pigs (or any other animal). Once it's gone and the ground cleared of any debris, we'll use that space for a round pen for the horses. There's a light pole and water spigot there, so it's a great location for a round pen.

While I was taking all of the photos and making my notes for repairs, Kipp was supervising. He's the self-appointed ranch overseer. The other two were eating breakfast, but Kipp left his to come see what I was up to.

In the next installment of "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..." I'll share with you the start of my adventures in cleaning out the old barn. There are piles of stuff covered with plastic in there. Probably all junk, but you never know!  

I did find this....Creative Computing from 1981.

Here We Grow!

Instead of going to a greenhouse and buying vegetable and herb plants for the garden, I decided to try my hand at starting my own seedlings. How hard can it be, right? 

My choice for plants when ever possible is heirloom varieties. With heirloom plants, you can save the seeds and get the exact same kind of plant the following year. Seeds from hybrid plants will not produce the same thing the following year. You can't patent a seed, so developers figured out that hybridizing them is the next best thing. The science and marketing behind hybrid plants is an interesting subject. It's also a very complex one. One that I will delve into in a later post.

Until I get that post written, I'll leave you with this little teaser.....Remember your biology lesson about Gregor Mendel's peas? 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Seed Savers Exchange caught my eye while I was searching online for companies that sell heirloom seeds. They are a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving heirloom varieties of plants.  You can find some very unusual, intriguing and sometimes rare things at Seed Savers.

If you're into gardening, Seed Saver's catalog and website offer some serious eye candy! 

Here's what I got from them for the 2013 garden.

They threw in a bonus seed pack too...leeks. 

A couple of years ago, I fell for marginally clever marketing by a garden supply company and ordered special grow lights and three flats of pots for starting seeds. 

Here are my lights...T5 grow lights.

And the flats...I have three of them although there are only two in the photo.

If I were to do it all over again, I'd just buy some regular flourescent lamps and use plastic cups for the seedlings. Guaranteed they'd work just as well and cost a lot less. Ah, well...we live, we learn.

In looking at the seed packets and the recommendations for when to start them indoors, I should have been doing this two weeks ago. Better late then never? 

I scrounged two saw horses and some scrap lumber from the garage to make the table. G.W., if you're looking for the sawhorses, I have them. Thank you!

After I got the lamps and flats of pots set up on the table, I realized I had a disaster in the making. This is our resident cat, Piper. She believes she is a puma trapped in a domestic cat's body.

Piper has made it her life's goal to disprove the whole, "Curiosity killed the cat" thing. She gets into everything. A table full of tender seedlings wouldn't stand a chance. I had to build a puma-proof barrier to protect my seedlings. 

I cut up a couple of large boxes left over from when we moved here and fashioned a wall around the lights and pots.  It was then that I had the flash of genius. Why not make a grow tent of sorts using the cardboard and some aluminum foil?

The foil will reflect the light and (hopefully) make the plants grow faster. I have to make up two weeks of lost growing time somehow!

Here are the walls.

It's hard see in the photo, but there's a cover and a front piece to complete the grow tent. All I need is a timer for the lamps. Seedlings need about 18 hours of light each day. Using a timer keeps things simple.

And now I wait. With a little luck, I should see some seedlings in about a week.  Gardening is an excellent teacher of the virtues of deferred gratification!