My Barefoot Horse: Fits Like A Glove

The classic black shoe goes with buckskin very nicely.

The Easyboot Glove size 1.5

Harley's new boots arrived at the beginning of last week.  I knew that his feet needed a trim, so I had to wait until I had time to do his feet to try on the boots.  After a fresh trim on Saturday, the boots fit snugly, but were easy to install.  I tapped his toe against the ground a couple times to push the boot farther onto his foot.  Then I lunged him at walk and trot for a few minutes to see how he moved in them.  He walked and trotted very willingly and the boots were on his feet even better after that short bout of exercise.   I saddled up and decided to give them an official first ride.

Tested and approved.  We walked, we trotted, we cantered and the Gloves stayed put.

The boots were a success!  Harley moved like he wasn't wearing anything on his feet.  He did, however, let me know that he was aware of his new accessories, because he reached down and chewed on the gaiter a couple times.  I think with practice he could learn to pull the velcro tabs, so I will try not to allow him to investigate them. 

I must admit that I was a little apprehensive when I first started riding.  I wasn't sure what would happen if the boots fell off mid-stride.  Cantering and a ground-covering trot were the most nerve-wracking tests for me.  Both of these gaits were fine, but I was definitely a little nervous when Harley decided to open up and strut his stuff in trot.  His shoulders lifted and he floated along with no problem at all.  The only time that I even noticed he was wearing boots was in the walk and trot warm up.  Occasionally, I heard his hind toe hit the bottom of the boot on his front foot.  Due to his somewhat long back, he has never been one to overreach, but he does track-up nicely.  I think the little extra height created by the treads in the boots was making the difference.  The intermittent, soft knocking sound only happened in the beginning of the ride, so maybe he learned how to compensate for the treads after a few minutes.  Once he has warmed up, Harley carries himself better, too, which gives his front end more time to stay out of his hind end's way.

I am excited to give these boots a try on the trail.  I do not see myself letting Harley gallop in them, but I rarely allow Harley to gallop anyway.  There are very few places flat enough and long enough for him to do that around here.  Besides, I think that he had plenty of galloping time in his yahoo days.  I am enjoying the rocking horse canter that he now offers on the trial and this is much healthier for both of us.

I also purchased thin, comfort pads and power straps, but I have not installed either of them yet.  The boots are so snug that I am not even sure if his foot and the pads will fit in the boots together.  All of the other riders at the barn who use the boots also use the pads, but I do not think that Harley needs them.  He is used to walking around without anything on his feet.  Why would he need pads?  What do you think?

Dear Mother Nature,

I totally appreciate your awesomeness.  I saw what you did during the Derecho Storm this summer.  I remember what you threatened before Hurricane Irene in August 2011.  I now own a generator, but I would really prefer to not have to use it.  You dropped a bunch of snow on northern New Jersey last year just before Halloween.  That was not an amusing trick and I do not want to be the victim of your attempt at weather-based comedy this year.  Dangerous weather is serious busy for us life forms.

I would like to ride my horse, try on his new boots, go to work, hand out candy on Halloween, and have a generally boring week, thank you very much.  May I remind you that I live in New Jersey?  I like it boring around here.  Since my state is so small, maybe you could just cut us some slack and skip right over us.  I do not think anyone will notice.  We hardly made the news during the Derecho when a third of the state lost power.  I promise not to tell that you gave us a break.

Respectfully yours,
Val

Imperfect Photo

My husband came with me to the barn yesterday, armed with the camera.  The weather was gorgeous and the farm decidedly empty and peaceful.

Happy day!

Unfortunately, perfect conditions do not guarantee that your horse with allergies will have a clear day.  Harley's cough was bothering him yesterday, despite my long-term efforts to mitigate his hyper-immune response.  I had to cut the ride and the photo shoot short.  This makes me sad for many reasons, especially when he trots off like he wants to work even though he is not feeling 100%.  I like to celebrate the good stuff that we are doing on this blog, because there are some days that we are stuck in the starting gate.  I did have some time in the saddle, so I should not complain.  Thank goodness I am not really interested in showing, because how could I sign up for a show when I cannot predict if he will be coughing that day?

Since we had an imperfect day, I decided to share an imperfect photo. 

Does this count as expressive?

I believe this was our first walk to canter transition in this direction.  Obviously, there is a lot to be improved here.  I know that we are capable of a much better transition.  What we lack in finesse, we make up for in effort.  That is Harley's "game face" by the way.  I still think it is cute.

Prior to this transition, I did not engage Harley's walk enough to place his outside hind under his center of gravity, allowing him to lift his front end smoothly into canter.  The walk to canter transition requires coordination, suppleness, and strength.  I enjoy practicing the transitions that skip a gait for just that reason.  Although Harley was not quite in the position to perform an elegant, controlled transition, he still went for it.  This is his nature.  He used brute force to make the transition happen, which required that he also flip his head and neck up.  He was compensating for not having his weight over his outside hind (my fault).  I admire the roundness of his back behind the saddle and those flexing muscles.  They don't call them quarter horses for nothing!

I have been working on keeping my seat more firmly closed in the transitions, so I am happy that I have accomplished that in this "imperfect" snapshot and that my inside foot is forward, encouraging the left lead.  I would like to see my hands side by side, but I am glad that I have not surrendered my elbows.  It is possible that Harley was expecting me to give up my position, so that he could throw his neck forward into the gait.  I wanted up in the canter, which he can do.  A clear picture is important even if this one isn't exactly pretty. 

Training is a process with many imperfect photos along the way.

Rebalancing for the second stride

What a difference one stride can make!