My Barefoot Horse: A New Tool

Back in December, I told my husband that I could use a new rasp for Christmas.  I waited a week or so expecting him to ask me where to purchase the kind that I like (the ladies rasp on the left in the photo), but when he didn't ask, I just figured he had already bought too many presents.  He is really good at picking out surprises, so I rarely ask for specific items.  Then the holiday rolled around and there was a rasp-shaped gift under the Christmas tree.  Hmmmm.  When I opened the gift I was delighted to find a dual-handled rasp with nifty orange covers on the ends.  My husband found it on Amazon.  I should have guessed!

So now I own "rasps" and I have started to specialize my use of them.  The new large rasp is good for taking down excess hoof wall and using two hands.  That baby is sharp and I can work pretty quickly, moving from one foot to the next.  The shorter Ladies' rasp is still the best for working the bevel.  I need a rasp that is light and maneuverable for that job.  Those magnets on the Hoof Jack come in mighty handy when you have multiple tools.  I am also used to the Hoof Jack now.  It took a while, but I finally have the same feel and control that I had when I rested Harley's foot on my knee and he seems more agreeable about keeping his foot in the cradle.  I tend not to bother with the pedestal attachment unless there is noticeable flare to take off from the top.

Believe it or not, this is five weeks of growth.  I could never get away with this in the summer.  He can grow this much hoof in two weeks (Right front).

Right hind

Even the bars haven't done much since the last trim.  I got really lucky and it was almost sixty degrees on trim day (Left front).

Left hind

Right front: I actually trimmed some cruddy frog on this foot.  That is a very rare event for me.

Right hind

Left front: Pretty, pretty heels

Left hind

Left hind: This was the only sign of separation on any of his feet.  His quarters would have been separated like crazy if I waited five weeks in the summer and he would have had lots of flare.

What a good boy

Blanket Weather

It's that time of year: Harley's full water bucket with a thick layer of ice.

The cold finally set in this week.  I say "finally" because we have been having a very mild winter down here in southern New Jersey.  Last year's winter was unseasonably warm and this year has been the same, maybe even a little warmer.  Last weekend, I had two glorious days with my horse in the high 50's.  The thermometer in my new Subaru (a feature which I really appreciate) even read 60 degrees at one point on Sunday.  Wow!  I trimmed Harley's feet last Saturday and had to remove my coat and insulated vest, because I was starting to sweat.  On Sunday we had a great ride, Harley barely coughed, and he even worked up a little sweat under his girth.  There was not a cloud in the sky and it was a glorious blue.

(By the way, he is eating the Cough-Free and I think it is helping!  Yay!)

By Monday, the temperatures had started to drop with some wind and by Tuesday there was a dusting of snow and Harley's water bucket needed some special attention from the butt of a shovel.  Believe it or not, this is the very first time this winter that his water bucket has frozen and we are at the end of January.  I know that other parts of New Jersey have been colder with some snow, but since I live pretty close to the coast, the ocean buffers our weather (unless it is a hurricane).  Sometimes this protects us from snow storms and extremely low temperatures.  A couple years ago, however, we did have several feet of snow, so there are no guarantees.

Harley has a thick coat and he did not seem cold, but this blanket should help him keep his weight, which is looking lovely this winter.  Hay cubes help, too.  :)

Doesn't he look cozy?  I have smiled to myself more than once this week, just feeling happy that my horse is bundled up in a blanket.  That may sound silly to those who blanket as common practice, but this is only the second winter that Harley has worn a blanket.  My vet recommended waiting until the temps were below twenty since he is not clipped.

The temperatures were scheduled to plummet for the remainder of the week, so I finally took out Harley's freshly cleaned (thanks to a local service) and repaired blanket (it had a little tear) and placed it on his back for the first time since last winter.  I am really glad that I did, because the night temperatures dove down into the low teens and did not rise above 25 during the day.  On Thursday, I was driving to work and my car told me that it was 7 degrees Fahrenheit.  I started to wonder if my car's thermometer is calibrated properly, because that is insane.

By Friday, we had some more snow.  Thankfully, it was just enough to be pretty and not enough to be much trouble.  We took my new snow-worthy vehicle out for a hair appointment after work, but it was more ceremonial than necessary as the snow barely creeped past an inch of accumulation.  Saturday morning was beautiful, even to someone who does not like snow.

Bunny tracks below our front steps

And the bunny: Can you see the tip of his ear?

Not A Truck Yet

I have always had it in my horse-centric mind that I would own a truck when I grow up.  "Normal" women and girls do not usually dream of owning a truck, but horse girls do.  Having a truck is crucial if you own a farm and horses.  I have owned a handful of cars in my life, but none of them have been trucks.  My tried and true car for the last decade has been a 2001 Honda Civic coupe, which is a far cry from a farm vehicle.  Despite this, I loved that car and planned to drive it until it would no longer run (Did I mention that I also loved high MPG and not having a car payment?).  Unfortunately, the old girl was getting on in years and it became clear that we were in need of a larger vehicle.  Maybe now was the time for my truck?!  I had secretly hoped that my next car would be just that...

...however, I am a practical gal and I consulted my checklist before going to test-drive trucks.

Do I own a horse?
YES (Horray!)

Do I own a horse trailer?
no

Do I own a farm?
no

Do I haul feed, hay, or other large items for my beloved pet?
no

Do I need to drive in inclement weather to tend to my horse throughout the year?
sometimes

Do I need to haul stuff home for home repairs or projects?
YES, but we have a van that already does the trick.

Sigh.

Hmmm.  It appears that I do not really need a truck yet.  Trucks are pretty reasonably priced compared to cars, but if part of your reason for purchasing a new car is to upgrade from two doors to four, then you must buy an extended cab in your truck and that starts to become pricey.

Double-sigh.

Also, trucks have atrocious gas mileage.  Besides always having wanted a truck, I have also always been an environmentally conscious gal and I cannot stand the difference between the MPG of my civic and the MPG of a truck sans trailer.  Add the trailer and, of course, things get a whole lot worse.  I know this, because every time that I haul my horse somewhere (which isn't often) I have to pay someone else.  It adds up quick and makes me kind of sick.  I can get just about 40 MPG on the highway in my Civic (What a good car she was!).  Of course, the only way I could have brought Harley along was if I held his leadline out the window and let him run beside the car.  I am pretty sure that would be ill-advised.

My husband always comes through in these types of dilemmas.  He did some (extensive) research and found a car that, although not a truck, seems to fit the bill.

Four doors with plenty of cabin space.
A raised frame and all-wheel drive.
Decent gas mileage and the best for this type of car.
Not an SUV (I strongly dislike SUV's, especially their gas mileage and the false sense of security they seem to give their drivers.  Those things can roll.).
A driver's seat that raises up high enough for me to see out the windshield!  Double-win!  (This is a consistent problem for me.  The Civic was one of the few cars that fit me.)
Plus, all-weather mats all around and an all-weather tray in the trunk (because I make a huge mess).

And the best part?  The car comes in ORANGE!
Tangerine Orange Pearl to be exact.
My civic was "metallic mustard" (called Inca Pearl by Honda), which was loved by me and despised by many.  I think that I kind of liked it more, because so many crinkled their nose at it.  I guess that says something about me as a person.  I will leave that open to interpretation.  ;)

So without further ado, I present to you my new not-a-truck, the Subaru Crosstrek:

If it decides to snow this winter, I will no longer be prevented from visiting my horse.  In the past I had a hard time driving out of the neighborhood, because Civic's are not exactly ice-worthy and our neighborhood was not being plowed when we first moved into our house.  Once the plowing situation was taken care of, I still had trouble with the back roads leading to the farm and even more trouble with the long driveway to the barn.  My car did not have ground clearance, so any bumps or snow drifts were a serious threat.  I would rather stay home then have to make an embarrassing call requesting the tractor come pull out my vehicle.  Those days are gone, because my new crossover vehicle has excellent ground clearance and all-wheel drive.

Maybe one day a truck will be a practical vehicle for me, but, until then, I am very happy with the alternative.  It is fun and easy to drive and I no longer have to steer around big (and little) dips and divots in the driveway to my horse.  I have heard and read that Subaru owners are very satisfied customers and keep their cars for a long, long time.

I do want to make sure that Mother Nature knows that despite my new wheels, no snow is still fine with me.  ;)

My previous car.  I like color in my horses and my cars!

I love my new car, but Harley is still my favorite ride.