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!

Snow, More Snow, Then a Blizzard

Hello Loyal Readers! I know I've been absent the last few weeks but only because there's not a whole lot happening at the ranch. We've just been hunkered down due to several snow storms.

Yesterday, we had a blizzard that was pretty intense. It began very early Sunday morning and just kept on going all day and into the night.

At one in the afternoon, we dressed in layers and went out to check on the horses. They were all frisky, bucking and farting even with the howling winds and near-white-out conditions. The snow was already piling up in drifts under the barn porch. That's a 100-gallon stock tank, to give you some idea of the scale.

It was also starting to drift around the deck stairs.

My truck...

At five in the evening, we went out to feed the Boys their dinner. They were shivering a little, so we dried them off and put their blankets on for the night. 

Butts to the wind....

The drifting at the barn was getting interesting.

It was still snowing hard and the wind made it seem as if it was coming in sideways. Our footprints drifted over within 30 minutes.

Don't ya just love my "Elmer Fudd" hat? Silly as it looks, this hat, which is a "Stormy Kromer" is easily the best winter hat I've owned. It's insulated wool with flaps that fold down to keep your ears warm.  Here's a link to their website...Stormy Kromer. I do not get anything from the company for giving them a shout-out or if you click on the link. I'm doing it because I'm impressed with their product and wanted to tell you about it.

Taking a little break...The big pines blocked the worst of the wind, so it was comparatively pleasant there on the bench.

I should also give a shout-out to the good people at Duluth Trading Company. I'm wearing their coat, insulated bibs, and neck gaiter. Under the coat I've got on their long sleeve waffle Henley shirt topped layered with their heavy cotton button shirt and a Shoreline fleece jacket. I didn't plan on wearing all Duluth clothes...but they are what I grab when I have work to do.  Oh, Duluth also sells the Stormy Kromer hat. I just didn't get mine from them.

I know! I know! I sound like a commercial. I am NOT getting paid or compensated in any way. What can I say? I like Duluth's work clothes!

By this morning, it was all over. We got at least 15 inches of snow. It was up to G.W.'s knees.

The valley is beautiful after a snowfall!

The snow drifted dramatically at our antique barn.

The deer were out this morning. Belly deep in snow...

While I was watching the two deer above, I didn't realize that another was watching me. She was only ten feet away, peeking at me through the arbor. I turned and there she was!  It was the highlight of my morning!

Deer tracks in the snow...

Snowy ridge.

Frosty Branches

Pines

G.W.'s truck looks misshapen because of the way the snow stuck to it.

Drift on the house roof.

Winters in the Rockies are hard and not for the faint-of-heart. At it's worst, it can kill you if you are unprepared or don't take the weather seriously. Plus,everything is more difficult in the snow. 

But I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

Improvements to the Hay Nets

We've been using the hay net slow feeders for about a month now and it's been a success. We did make some modifications/improvements to them and feel we have a durable, easy-to-use version now.

G.W. thought that running some rebar through the back portion of the net would provide some structure and a means to secure the net to the fence. He was right, of course. He used pipe clamps to fasten the net to the fence. The zip ties were OK, but got brittle in cold temperatures.

The horses were flipping the nets over the fence until we began tying them to the middle rail of the fence. Tying it in the middle of the back of the net and tying tightly minimizes the chances that a horse would somehow get a foot caught.

The chains and snap hooks work beautifully. They had been slipping around and getting hung up on the net and chicken wire until we used some zip ties to secure the chain to the fence rail. We may use more pipe clamps instead of the zip ties. 

I scavenged scraps of stall mats from around the barn and put them under two of the nets. They help prevent the hay that filters out of the nets from getting trampled into the ground and wasted. I'm not sure yet if it's effective enough to warrant purchasing more rubber mats for the other two nets.

The hay that just came in is really nice and long. When the horses pull it through the net, it works like Kleenex in a box by pulling the next few strands up.

We had our last three tons of hay delivered last week. There's hay everywhere! 

Here's G.W. and another of our billboard hay covers.

And here's Carson demonstrating a hay net. 

Carson's coat, even his shaggy winter one, has started to dapple. I think it's from a supplement we give them called Omega Horseshine. Omega Horseshine does a lot of things for our boys, but the main reason we give it to them is to prevent sand colic. 

Horses who are fed on sandy ground run the risk of a dangerous accumulation of sand in their digestive tract. There are a number of sand colic prevention supplements on the market. These products usually contain psyllium, which forms a gel that picks up and moves the sand out of the digestive tract. Omega Horseshine contains ground flax seed, which works much like the psyllium does. Flax also contains essential fatty acids that are usually missing from a hay diet. 

Before I wrap this up, I wanted to  share just one more photo of the horses...

Two Tons

It's getting very hard to find quality hay. The drought has caused prices to skyrocket, too. I'm seeing a lot of people selling crappy hay at jaw-dropping prices. 

Our horses get straight Timothy grass hay. It's more expensive than some other varieties, but they like it and seem to be doing very well on it. Over the course of a year, they will eat a total of ten tons of hay. 

In late August, I had five tons of the small, 50-pound bales of hay brought in and stacked in the barn.

That's 200 bales and it filled my hay room. 

Today, I had another two tons brought in. This time, I went with the 1,000 pound bales. They're on pallets and will be covered with tarps for protection from weather and the deer.

The supplier gets these big bales in by the semi-truck load from Alberta, Canada. It's very nice hay and very popular with local horse owners. Customers are limited to four bales per shipment so that everyone gets at least some of the hay they need. I'm on the list for another four bales when the next shipment comes in. 

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

UPDATE: To allay the fears and concerns some have expressed as well as to caution those who are unaware:

You must proceed with caution when feeding horses grass clippings. Big piles of fresh grass clippings can do great harm to horses in some situations. Please do your homework before you feed grass clippings to a horse.

My horses are on pasture. The grass clippings I am giving them are from a portion of the same field they are pastured on. The clippings are from late-season grass and are dead and dried...very much like hay. It's the same thing they are grazing on, just from the other side of the fence.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

OK, I'm technically not making hay, since I'm not drying and baling. But I got this idea for how to use the grass that I'm mowing on the approximately acre and a half that's not fenced paddock. It's a lot of grass that could be put to good use!

I got a sweeper to tow behind our lawn tractor. Besides gathering up all the cut grass for either animal feed or compost, I can use it to sweep up leaves in the fall. I'm sure as heck not going to rake all that!

When the box said "some assembly required", they didn't go into enough detail. It's not designed to be assembled by a small woman without a lot of upper body strength.

Here's the parts inventory...

That rolled up black thing on the right is the hopper bag. This is what the directions said it looked like.

The reality of it is that it was so tightly rolled that it wouldn't stay unrolled. I had to crawl into it and use my entire body to hold it open enough to get the frame inside. Good thing there's no video of that! I'm not a contortionist so I'm sure it was a sight to see!

Three hours later, I had the darned thing together. It was sheer stubbornness that made it possible.

I took two turns around the one part of the field that hadn't been mowed yet and the sweeper bag was full!

So into the dry lot I went and dumped it out. There's a lot of grass there!

And the horses love it!

Doing this won't save on my hay bill. There's not nearly enough to make a difference. However, it's making use of cut grass that otherwise would be wasted. Plus, I get to pretend I'm a real rancher while I'm out there on my lawn tractor!

Oh, just a little tip...don't wear a fleece jacket when you're mowing. You'll never, ever, ever get the cuttings out of the fleece. Ever!