Freedom got new glue on shoes today. He always yawns a lot when the farrier comes; I think the stretches feel good. Today, though, he needed a little help to get relaxed. In the process, he did a great rendition of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”. Of course, he could have just been reacting to the cost of the shoes.
When I arrived at the barn he went absolutely nuts while waiting his turn. He ran back and forth next to the gate. He bucked. He reared. He called for Zelda (who was obviously being tortured while we trimmed her toes). He was a sweaty mess by the time she was done.
So, when it was his turn, he had a little cocktail with his breakfast. Yup. Better living through chemistry.

For glue on shoes to set properly, your horse has to behave and stand very still when they are being applied and when the glue sets. As you might recall, Freedom completely destroyed the wall of his right hoof when he managed to get a glue on off right before his reset. For the past eight weeks I’ve been boosting his hoof growing capacity with a good hoof supplement and trying to keep the hoof from chipping and breaking too much. I know he’ll feel better now that the hoof is padded and protected.

He stood very nicely for the process and even got a bit cuddly.
Interesting!! Raven yawns when he’s being trimmed and shod, too!
I think the stretches that are part of the process give them releases. Dandy, the old guy in the barn, yawns continuously. He’s so stiff that I think just picking up his feet and stretching out his legs is like PT.