My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Six weeks ago, Freedom blew an abscess out the heel bulb on his right front. Last Thursday, it came back with a vengeance. I had been thrilled that the horses and the barn came through Hurricane Sandy in good shape and when I rode him on Wednesday he felt great. On Thursday morning, the woman […]
Read MoreThis fall I feel like we’ve had more than our share of setbacks. I’m hoping that we’ve turned the corner (fingers crossed). Fall is my favorite season to ride and the time when hunting is at its finest. There’s little better than hunting through the fall foliage in New England. It all started with the […]
Read MoreOn Saturday morning I arrived at the barn with my trailer ready to hunt. I’d been away for work for a few days and was really looking forward to a gallop through Concord. Unfortunately, it was not to be. It appeared that Freedom had abscessed on his right front; it burst out the coronary band […]
Read MoreAs readers of my blog know, Freedom has been barefoot for the past two years. For hunting and riding on rocky trails, hoof boots have provided the necessary cushioning. Last week, though, something went wrong. I had booted Freedom up for a trail ride and he came out feeling great. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. After […]
Read MoreHere’s a product that I wish I’d known about when I was transitioning Freedom to barefoot. They look like they would really help. It also sounds like a handy product to keep in your barn and trailer for those “oops” moments when you lose a shoe at the most inconvenient of times — which is […]
Read MoreWhen I started eventing, back in the 80s, I can remember that when we came home from an event we always poulticed and wrapped our horses’ legs and fed them a bran mash for dinner. Then they were tucked into their stalls for the night. These days, when I come back from a hunt (which […]
Read MoreThis winter has been rough on Freedom’s feet. He’s gotten several bruises and blown a couple of abscesses. The culprit? The hard ground. Most winters we’d have a soft layer of snow on the ground. This winter? We’ve alternated between mud and frozen. The mud softens up his feet and the hard ridges in the […]
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