Well! Today was the day! And I do mean THE day. It was the day for Freedom's first Manicure and Pedi. Well....A horse version of course. The farrier was there to trim and paint her hooves. So...
I was not so happy about the weather because it was raining heavy and the wind was ready to blow us to the other side of the country practically...Making it very cold and wet. But, once we got on the bus to the stables, I accidently hurt dad's hand because I was so EXCITED! I mean, why wouldn't I be so excited?
FREEDOM WAS GETTING HER HOOVES TRIMMED AND I WAS THE ONE WHO HAD THE MONEY AND PAID FOR IT MYSELF! MY PARENTS DID NOT ASSIST IN PAYING THE FARRIER WHICH MAKES ME SO PROUD! I was like...*floats in dreamland briefly*
Anyway....I let dad take off Freedom's blanket and BIG MISTAKE! He went AROUND, BEHIND HER and didn't take off one of the leg straps which got caught on her leg and Freedom freaked out, rushing forward on the crossties. She gave a half rear on those cross ties which scared the bejesus out of me.
So, I went a head and switched the tom thumb bit off the head stall and put on the other large snaffle bit from the other bridle onto that one and put the headstall and bit on over her halter so I could teach Freedom how to turn. She EXCELLED at that. Next came lunging!
Today, Freedom for some strange reason freaked out with the whip, which was highly unusual since with me, before-she was fine with it. But yes, she did lunge mostly alright, even though she didn't obey my commands. Today as well, Freedom seemed to want to lean on me, and stick very very close to me. I told her whoa, and No. She really must learn about personal space.
Anyhoo...A girl came so I took Freedom to the crossties where right on time did the Farrier come! Right on the dot. So, I gave them the money in advance and we went to do her hooves. I told them NOT to hit her at all because she is pregnant-AND a recovering rescue horse. She couldn't be on the cross ties-so I had her on the lunging line again but Freedom pitched a mini fit with her front hooves. When I moved, Freedom jerked her leg back and stomped firmly on the ground. I became determined to pet and pat and baby Freedom as much as I could while dad did the same on the other side of her. It worked.
Until.
"Have you picked up her back legs yet?" The farrier asked.
"Yeah, and I got kicked on the leg for it." I replied.
He grinned.
Bro...You do not know who you're messing with. Freedom's a one woman army. You better be nice or else. Because I will kick your butt or Freedom will. Today...Freedom kicked butt. More specifically...The Farrier's butt.
So, the farrier (the poor farrier) tried to reach down to get Freedom's hoof when...She kicked him, barely missing hitting anything. He looked back like...'Whoa!'
"She's fast!" He said, chuckling.
So he brushed his hand on her hip and she kicked him again. He tried to touch her hip a few more times and each time he tried to, Freedom kicked him on the spot.
Well...That's one way to tell the Farrier, HANDS OFF.
Time and time again, Freedom wouldn't let him touch her back hooves at all. So, he got a lead line from the tack room and used it as a rope to catch her hoof on and lift her leg so he could trim it. Bad, bad, very very BAD idea. Freedom kept kicking worse, which threw the rope from his hand.
Bless the farrier's heart.
He inched over very very slowly with his foot, trying to drag the line over with his boot far enough away from her leg. The farrier was quick to tie the rope around her leg before she objected-but Freedom didn't mind the rope around her leg. Just didn't like picking her hoof up. At all.
It took me, dad, the farrier's assistant and the farrier himself to hold her still long enough for a minute's worth here and there to trim her hooves. But even then, Freedom was very nervous and moved around alot. We moved kinda like this:
Began at where the cross ties were, her facing the barn door pleasantly.
Kept moving down...Down...
OH! We're suddenly against the right side of the barn. --->
No,...Maybe not...Now back down again...
We moved forward again.
<----Now to the left side!
Crud...Freedom decided to give her butt to the barn door!
<-----Back to the left side!
Dad was holding her chest with one hand and the hip they were working on with the other, gripping onto her hard. I was holding onto her neck in a hug, petting her and holding the line in the other. The farrier's assistant was holding onto the rope for dear life as the farrier trimmed her hoof in about forty seconds flat.
Freedom has guts though. She stood perfectly balanced on three legs and still kicked with the one leg that was up in the air.
"You've got to admit-she's got the guts and the glory!" I laughed, and they did too.
"I've never had a horse do this before." The farrier laughed. "Never had a horse stand so still and perfect on three legs and still try to kick me with the other one available!"
I was flabbergasted, At least we knew Freedom really knew where her boundaries were.
When they were done with her hooves, both rested against the barn walls, obviously tuckered out! I stood there with a very unhappy Freedom who was still pinning her ears back like..."Touch me again...." Oh, I was kind of between a rock (the farriers) and a hard place (Freedom)!
"Are guys done with her?"
The farrier waved his hand at us. "Yeah, we're done."
"What about the oil on her back hooves?"
He looked at me like...'No.' "She doesn't need oil on them."
Well....Okay.
So, I took Freedom to have fun in the arena by herself, giving her a flake of hay after working on pointing and going with her. Only to notice...The girl and the farrier were both watching Freedom! Even after kicking the farrier, Freedom was still popular. Amazing. My girl. The popular lady. Well, what do ya know?
Freedom's ribs are starting to show again, and her coat has lost it's luster which makes me very very angry and makes me wonder if the people at the barn are feeding her the supplements. When she was on it, Freedom's coat was very bright, shiny and silky. Now, it's not as silky and it's becoming dull. I'm seriously thinking of buying my own hay and feed from now on. She's getting WAY too thin too fast.
On a side note: Duncan's eye is getting worse. I saw and so did my dad saw pus, or what looked like white and yellowish discharge coming from his eye where they stitched it at. The skin around it looks very dark and infected, almost as if it's beginning to rot in my opinion...But then again, I'm not a vet. I'm an amateur.
So, summary of today! Freedom learned the touch N go from the farrier, and made it obvious that she does not like to be manhandled. (The irony there!) And that Duncan is very sick, and I'm wondering if they are even giving him an ointment, or some antibiotics of some kind...
I was not so happy about the weather because it was raining heavy and the wind was ready to blow us to the other side of the country practically...Making it very cold and wet. But, once we got on the bus to the stables, I accidently hurt dad's hand because I was so EXCITED! I mean, why wouldn't I be so excited?
FREEDOM WAS GETTING HER HOOVES TRIMMED AND I WAS THE ONE WHO HAD THE MONEY AND PAID FOR IT MYSELF! MY PARENTS DID NOT ASSIST IN PAYING THE FARRIER WHICH MAKES ME SO PROUD! I was like...*floats in dreamland briefly*
Anyway....I let dad take off Freedom's blanket and BIG MISTAKE! He went AROUND, BEHIND HER and didn't take off one of the leg straps which got caught on her leg and Freedom freaked out, rushing forward on the crossties. She gave a half rear on those cross ties which scared the bejesus out of me.
So, I went a head and switched the tom thumb bit off the head stall and put on the other large snaffle bit from the other bridle onto that one and put the headstall and bit on over her halter so I could teach Freedom how to turn. She EXCELLED at that. Next came lunging!
Today, Freedom for some strange reason freaked out with the whip, which was highly unusual since with me, before-she was fine with it. But yes, she did lunge mostly alright, even though she didn't obey my commands. Today as well, Freedom seemed to want to lean on me, and stick very very close to me. I told her whoa, and No. She really must learn about personal space.
Anyhoo...A girl came so I took Freedom to the crossties where right on time did the Farrier come! Right on the dot. So, I gave them the money in advance and we went to do her hooves. I told them NOT to hit her at all because she is pregnant-AND a recovering rescue horse. She couldn't be on the cross ties-so I had her on the lunging line again but Freedom pitched a mini fit with her front hooves. When I moved, Freedom jerked her leg back and stomped firmly on the ground. I became determined to pet and pat and baby Freedom as much as I could while dad did the same on the other side of her. It worked.
Until.
"Have you picked up her back legs yet?" The farrier asked.
"Yeah, and I got kicked on the leg for it." I replied.
He grinned.
Bro...You do not know who you're messing with. Freedom's a one woman army. You better be nice or else. Because I will kick your butt or Freedom will. Today...Freedom kicked butt. More specifically...The Farrier's butt.
So, the farrier (the poor farrier) tried to reach down to get Freedom's hoof when...She kicked him, barely missing hitting anything. He looked back like...'Whoa!'
"She's fast!" He said, chuckling.
So he brushed his hand on her hip and she kicked him again. He tried to touch her hip a few more times and each time he tried to, Freedom kicked him on the spot.
Well...That's one way to tell the Farrier, HANDS OFF.
Time and time again, Freedom wouldn't let him touch her back hooves at all. So, he got a lead line from the tack room and used it as a rope to catch her hoof on and lift her leg so he could trim it. Bad, bad, very very BAD idea. Freedom kept kicking worse, which threw the rope from his hand.
Bless the farrier's heart.
He inched over very very slowly with his foot, trying to drag the line over with his boot far enough away from her leg. The farrier was quick to tie the rope around her leg before she objected-but Freedom didn't mind the rope around her leg. Just didn't like picking her hoof up. At all.
It took me, dad, the farrier's assistant and the farrier himself to hold her still long enough for a minute's worth here and there to trim her hooves. But even then, Freedom was very nervous and moved around alot. We moved kinda like this:
Began at where the cross ties were, her facing the barn door pleasantly.
Kept moving down...Down...
OH! We're suddenly against the right side of the barn. --->
No,...Maybe not...Now back down again...
We moved forward again.
<----Now to the left side!
Crud...Freedom decided to give her butt to the barn door!
<-----Back to the left side!
Dad was holding her chest with one hand and the hip they were working on with the other, gripping onto her hard. I was holding onto her neck in a hug, petting her and holding the line in the other. The farrier's assistant was holding onto the rope for dear life as the farrier trimmed her hoof in about forty seconds flat.
Freedom has guts though. She stood perfectly balanced on three legs and still kicked with the one leg that was up in the air.
"You've got to admit-she's got the guts and the glory!" I laughed, and they did too.
"I've never had a horse do this before." The farrier laughed. "Never had a horse stand so still and perfect on three legs and still try to kick me with the other one available!"
I was flabbergasted, At least we knew Freedom really knew where her boundaries were.
When they were done with her hooves, both rested against the barn walls, obviously tuckered out! I stood there with a very unhappy Freedom who was still pinning her ears back like..."Touch me again...." Oh, I was kind of between a rock (the farriers) and a hard place (Freedom)!
"Are guys done with her?"
The farrier waved his hand at us. "Yeah, we're done."
"What about the oil on her back hooves?"
He looked at me like...'No.' "She doesn't need oil on them."
Well....Okay.
So, I took Freedom to have fun in the arena by herself, giving her a flake of hay after working on pointing and going with her. Only to notice...The girl and the farrier were both watching Freedom! Even after kicking the farrier, Freedom was still popular. Amazing. My girl. The popular lady. Well, what do ya know?
Freedom's ribs are starting to show again, and her coat has lost it's luster which makes me very very angry and makes me wonder if the people at the barn are feeding her the supplements. When she was on it, Freedom's coat was very bright, shiny and silky. Now, it's not as silky and it's becoming dull. I'm seriously thinking of buying my own hay and feed from now on. She's getting WAY too thin too fast.
On a side note: Duncan's eye is getting worse. I saw and so did my dad saw pus, or what looked like white and yellowish discharge coming from his eye where they stitched it at. The skin around it looks very dark and infected, almost as if it's beginning to rot in my opinion...But then again, I'm not a vet. I'm an amateur.
So, summary of today! Freedom learned the touch N go from the farrier, and made it obvious that she does not like to be manhandled. (The irony there!) And that Duncan is very sick, and I'm wondering if they are even giving him an ointment, or some antibiotics of some kind...
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