Long barn day and the farrier visit

Now that we are up to date, today was just a long barn day full of stuff to get done and today was my day off so doing finally happened LOL

First on the list was shavings. My mares don't stay in much so I like to just buy shavings in bulk from a local landscaping business. $13 a Bobcat bucket load and I buy two buckets and have it loaded into the bed of my truck. The fun part is getting it out! Okay, so it's not fun, but it's cheap and I usually only need to do it about once a year at the rate my mares go through shavings! Luckily my boyfriend, Eli, was off today too, so I conscripted his help for the day. I've been trying to get shavings for my mares stalls for awhile but the landscaper has had limited winter hours and it's been either snowing, raining, or freezing rain just about constantly it feels like. Then anytime I have time, the landscaper is closed! All the planets aligned today though and I got my shavings :)

At the barn I had to strip the stall Seamus is going to be using. It had old straw in it and was rather musty. I don't want him chowing down on that while he's still in the constantly hungry stage. Plus I hate to clean straw stalls, shavings are so much easier and cheaper for me. I got to that while Eli started shoveling shavings into muck tubs to drag to the girls' stalls. Fun stuff... okay, again not so much but with two people it makes it go quicker and so all the ponies had freshly bedded stalls.

After a short break where I got Seamus' stall ready for him and straightened up around the barn, the farrier got there for Seamus' first trim with him. Chris is a talented farrier and he'd done wonders with another rescue horse several years ago, an ex-Big Lick Tennessee Walker named Buddy. I've used Chris' services ever since and happily recommend him to anyone who wants a good and caring farrier in the area. Chris pulled the one shoe that was left and cleaned up the chips a bit. Didn't take anything off because there is nothing to take, Seamus currently sports the typical track feet and has no foot to speak of. Chris will encourage growth over time by using a modified barefoot trim. He keeps my mare, Belle, sound for even pretty rough trail riding using his methods. We will not put shoes on any of my horses unless it is necessary and I like it that way. Chris agrees with me that Seamus is a really nice horse despite his current condition. Sometimes it's hard to look at the damaged animal and see what is inside- on the outside he is all skin, bone, muscle, and sinew. It is rough and covered in rainrot and bites and a dull, staring coat. On the inside he is still beautiful and a playful attitude is starting to shine through now that someone is paying attention to him. I can't wait for the outside to mirror the inside *sigh* I think I am going to keep that last shoe and do something with it but I haven't decided what, yet, but it is a sort of symbol of change for Seamus. The last reminder of an old life, it just doesn't seem fit to throw it away.

Seamus is a little stocked up on that left hind, no idea if it's an injury from racing or something he's done since being put out to pasture. Going to get the vet in soon to look him over and draw a Coggins. Meanwhile I am going to pick up some MSM to start him on, it's one of those things that can't hurt and may help him get to feeling better faster.

And guess what, after the shavings and farrier, the day wasn't done yet! There was still hay to pick-up and put away so it was off to Giles in G-town to buy 15 bales and truck it to the barn but with me to unload and Eli to stack it didn't take long. Eli checked the mares water and threw their hay for the night while I fiddled with Seamus some more. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and his donated blanket from a COTHer won't be here for a few days so I fit Belle's light rainsheet on him so he can wear it in the rain for now, we've got to dry out the rainrot. It's about 2 sizes too small so his bony butt sticks out the back, I should have taken a picture LOL Then I tucked him back into his borrowed stable blanket, added yet another bucket of water for the night (making it three since he drank so much his first night in) and gave him dinner and more hay and left for the night. Mary will be there in the morning to feed him ,change him into the rainsheet, turn him out with the girls, and throw them all hay for the day.