Hoofies

My favorite blog on the subject of hooves has to be Fran Jurga's. She doesn't specialize in barefoot hoofies, Easybooted hoofies, or mule hoofies, but somehow she always has something interesting to say! I am not a Hoofcare and Lameness Journal subscriber, but somehow she makes me wish I were. 

My own hoofies have been maintained at home these many months, since scheduling issues and cost stood in the way of my professional trims. It's hard to find someone to come out here to the boondocks, and as long as my hooves were functionally unchanging (that is, getting a little longer between trims but remaining geometrically normal) FarmWife felt OK about trimming me herself—a little snip here, a little snip there, and a little rasping and my front hooves were good as new. 

With my rocky neighborhood trails and course paddock footing, my hind hooves self-maintained before this hock injury. There was often not enough to trim after 8 or 10 weeks regrowth, and they usually looked great.

This week, FarmWife decided I was a little long in the toe and that I really did need action taken—and quickly! Here's what she did (foolish, foolish FarmWife):

1) She made an overture to her favorite mule-specializing, barefoot trimmer, Ali, even though Ali lives Faaaaaar away. She suggested to Ali that someday she might like to have me trimmed. 

2) She promptly trimmed me herself, which was not butchery but which was certainly not equal to the work of a professional.

3) She got a prompt call from Ali, and an offer to fit me in right away, to which she had to reply that I needed a couple of weeks to grow a little more length. FarmWife's trim, you see, left me with rather little for Ali to work with. 

Oh, FarmWife. You impetuous human. You could have had this done right, and today! 

As it stands, we will go to Ali next time. FarmWife promises.

FB