Thinking Out of the Box and Into The Basement

Tonight  I wanted to file Starlight’s hooves before our ride.  They were getting a little raggedy and her back toes were too long.

Starlight investigates a log in this strange new place.

So I tied her to a post by our basement door and went to work.  It was difficult, because the flies were driving her crazy and she needed to be on all four feet to fight them off.  The fly spray I used repeatedly was not helping. 

I worked through three feet, but she was becoming increasingly irritated and I was getting shorter intervals of work before I had to let go of her hoof so she could to attend to the flies.  I didn’t fight her, as she normally holds her hoof up quietly for me as I work, so I knew the fly bites must be really painful. 

I hate those leg-biting flies myself.  Horn flies, I believe they’re called.

The central air coming on caused a bit of concern.

By the last, hind foot, we were both frustrated.  I had to trim it, since the others were all done, but neither of us could put up with these conditions.  

Then I had an idea: The basement was cool and just on the other side of that door.  And there were no flies in there.

So, in we went.   She was a little tentative in there, but I went right to work on that last hoof (evened up the other hind one too, since now I could work on it without her pulling it away).  She relaxed enough to scratch her muzzle on a log she found in there, one that is destined for the stove this winter.

I probably should have tacked her up in the basement, too, but she was farting a lot and I knew what was next, so we hustled back out, tacked up and went for a fast ride up the hill.

Starlight jumped an obstacle while I was on her tonight, for the first time.  Two, actually -- fallen logs that she normally steps over.  We approached them at speed, so she jumped them.  It was a very sweet and easy jump for her, giving me confidence that we won’t have to choose to go around all the fences we encounter when we venture out on a hunter pace this fall.

It was a nice ride, after a somewhat unorthodox hoof trimming session.

My husband says he reads my blogs.  I’ll find out after this one if he does.  I have a feeling I might hear something about the horse in the house.