More Hooves

At the moment, it feels like we're both on a treadmill.  Between working the horses, fund-raising for IGDB (I even chipped in and did a bit on Saturday), house tidying, decorating for Christmas, Christmas shopping and getting our dogs out for a walk every day, we're both kept going non-stop.  Anne also went to Dublin and back on Saturday to see Polly performing at Vicar St - her biggest gig to date!  This week, we're going to hear Tansy & her classmates doing their first college showcase performance.  Being a glutton for punishment, I'm going both nights whereas Anne is just going on Tuesday.

Anne is leaving next Sunday!  She seems remarkably calm, I have to say.  My Christmas guests will be staying in her house, which works out rather nicely for all concerned, but it has meant that she has to leave the house in a condition which someone else can move into, so that's extra tidying for her to do.

I've been waiting for a chance to get photos of the horses' feet again but we've all been coming and going at different times.  Today we were all finally in the yard together and despite the foul weather, I was determined not to miss the opportunity.  There's a couple of things going on that we're not sure of, but Anja is due back soon.  Flurry's front heels are spongey and a small bit smelly - maybe this is from all the horrible wet mud they are standing in?  I'm spraying with Silversol every day, but it's slow to improve.

Flurry's very large frog on his left hind has indeed become less pronounced.  I'm putting the earlier photo here as well for comparison, although unfortunately I didn't take it from the same angle today.

Day 32

Day 1

Both of GiGi's front feet have sandcracks - she's had these since Anne bought her seven years ago.  But we are now noticing that the area of the coronet band directly above the cracks is pitted - it looks a bit like a lunar landscape in miniature.  Anja mentioned that chronic cracks like these are caused by infection - is this sponginess an outward sign of infection in the coronet?

The frog on GiGi's left hind is pretty nasty, with a couple of deep cracks.  It smelled a bit thrushy for a while so she sprayed it every day with Silversol, which cleared up the smelliness.  Will she be prone to thrush in this foot for as long as those cracks are still present?

We're posting the rest of the feet pictures below.  It seems (to our inexperienced eyes) that Flurry's have grown fairly well - his nail holes are nearly gone - whereas GiGi's have changed very little.  Slower growth because she is older, perhaps?
It'll be good for us to have this photo journal of their hooves' adjustment to barefoot life and it's turning out to be a good way to correspond with both of our hoof-care ladies!

GiGi
Front Left:

Front Right:

Left Hind:

Right Hind :

Flurry

Front Right :

Left Hind :

Right Hind :