The long anticipated hoof trimming day arrived yesterday. We had to cancel the weekend before due to extreme icy conditions so that gave me an additional week to work with Pebbles on her feet. I chose to do the three boys first so that if things did go poorly I wasn't left with a cranky farrier :-). I shouldn't say that though as my farrier is truly a great guy and we go way back. When the situation calls for it he is extremely patient. What I didn't expect was that all of the ice off the roof was slowly melting and that huge sheets would slide down and crash to the ground. The boys got very wide eyed when it would happen but they are seasoned pros so no one panicked. When I pulled Pebbles into the isle way she was very willing and picked up her foot with no issues. As Alex was mid trim on that first foot a sheet of ice fell off and Pebbles pulled back hard and yanked her foot away. Her eyes were totally bugged out and we went from standing by the hoof stand to all the way back in her stall area in about 1 second flat, lol. However she recovered quickly and we continued on with her trim with very little incidents after that. So Pebbles has a fresh new trim and yet another milestone has been passed. She always impresses me with how sensible she is and how quickly she progresses. Such a nice little mare who just needed someone to treat her right and give her a chance.
In 3 months time she is hardly recognizable as the same horse. I often think about how her life has changed and what might have been her fate if not for Southern Maryland Equine Miracles pulling her from that TN pen. She was not the type of horse that was presenting herself in such a way that would make her likely to get saved. It's such a shame to think that her life and that of her foal might have been lost. I don't consider myself a trainer in any sense of the word. I am however a lifelong learner and always looking for what a horse can teach me. Pebbles has added to my education ,as I have added to hers, and that is the gift that loving horses gives.
This is so beautifully said. She had changed so much from the fearful little Mare. She has learned to trust humans and show her true, beautiful personality.
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