The ripples in her hooves show when Meadow's diet was too rich. The prominent ripple that has now traveled halfway down from the top of the foot may be from when our trip began. Which would mean that anything above that is our "new" post-departure hoof.
The first ripple from the ground in the left-hand photo above is the deep one that was visible in the center of the foot when we started the trip (see our 10/2/13 post entitled "Meadow's Feet"). It has finally grown out, and was shaved off during this trim (right-hand photo).
The white cream in the cleft of the heel (right) is a mixture of Neosporin and athlete's foot cream, to knock out a little "thrush" that was brewing in the crevice. In our experience, fungal creams do get the job done but, when used in excess, can easily kill live tissue. Dead tissue, of course, is what fungus grows on to begin with. Athletes foot cream, as an anti-fungal, is somewhat gentler but still shouldn't be used longer than necessary. The Neosporin won't kill tissue and can be kept in multiple days. Remember - as we discovered with Meadow - two weeks standing around on soft ground, and that infamous thrush crops up again.
And now the front right hoof, pre and post-trim:
Pre and post-trimmed, hind left:
Her hind feet have been wearing very straight across the toes. We have read that this can be caused by the sandy soil in this area, but Meadow is scheduled for a visit with a holistic equine chiropractor/acupuncturist, just to ensure that this is not due to any stiffness in her back end. The pony also just jogged 600 miles. Either way she deserves a tune-up.
And the final before/after shots; hind right:
"How have you been protecting these excellent extremities?...", you may ask (and maybe with a Daphy Duck lisp for emphasis). Why, the boots, of course!
When necessary, Meadow sports a full set of Easyboot 'Gloves' for shoes. The front pair is holding up well, but Meadow's strange wearing pattern on her hind boots have worn them through at the toe. Our helpful host J back in Fort Walton did some dandy repairs on them with the help of some JB Weld and an aluminum baking pan. The aluminum was annihilated while crossing the 3-mile bridge into Pensacola, but the JB Weld held, so we have painted a triple coat on to see if that buys us some more boot life.
Her hind feet have been wearing very straight across the toes. We have read that this can be caused by the sandy soil in this area, but Meadow is scheduled for a visit with a holistic equine chiropractor/acupuncturist, just to ensure that this is not due to any stiffness in her back end. The pony also just jogged 600 miles. Either way she deserves a tune-up.
And the final before/after shots; hind right:
"How have you been protecting these excellent extremities?...", you may ask (and maybe with a Daphy Duck lisp for emphasis). Why, the boots, of course!
When necessary, Meadow sports a full set of Easyboot 'Gloves' for shoes. The front pair is holding up well, but Meadow's strange wearing pattern on her hind boots have worn them through at the toe. Our helpful host J back in Fort Walton did some dandy repairs on them with the help of some JB Weld and an aluminum baking pan. The aluminum was annihilated while crossing the 3-mile bridge into Pensacola, but the JB Weld held, so we have painted a triple coat on to see if that buys us some more boot life.
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| Hind boot fix; pony + rubber, aluminum and JB Weld vs. pavement |
- FCF
Olive sleeps on her side, making slight running or woofing motions in her sleep; no doubt chasing a bunny in her dreams.
Meadow has been known to do the same on occasion, nickering a little in her sleep. Probably fields of molasses carrots.
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