178. Bonding...

Yesterday evening i couldn't wait to see Spice because i had been away on holiday for three days so hadn't seen her for what felt like an eternity! I absolutely hate leaving her and for the first two nights of my holidays had two nightmares about her being injured or hurt. Anyway, upon my arrival at the yard i was very pleased to see this wasn't the case and that actually she looked exactly the same as the day i left her. :)

After giving her her hoof supplement i lunged her and then took her out for an hours walk (barefoot) to help condition her hooves. Barefoot wise she is doing brilliantly at the minute - every week that goes by i see a marked improvement. Her hind hooves not only have concavity but now have a really tight white line which in my opinion aswell as being the correct shape are the two most important things to change during a transition. Her front hooves have stopped chipping and are also beginning to get concavity. I love her being barefoot because i know she now has the right amount of shock absorption 60-80%! more than a shod horse to keep her limbs free from injury and lameness. I no longer worry about her hooves as i did in the first 3-4 months and watching her trot and canter with ease and no sign of stiffness or lameness is great. I can't wait to see how much her hooves improve in the next few months (as the general feeling is that it takes a full 9-12 months for a horse to fully complete its barefoot transition) so i'm guessing i will still see improvements for at least another 5 months. :)

I love taking Spice out for walks and i think Spice really likes it too which is great. I feel i bond with her so much more when i am at her level and i think because we are on an equal footing she doesn't feel any sense of being alone.

Saying that I make sure i stand at her girth area and put my arm around her back and lean on her while she walks so i am in a similar position to what i would be if i were riding her as that way she is leading by my directions and cues rather than simply following me. She was a complete angel in every way yesterday doing everything i asked without any hesitation. If i could just manage to de-spook her against tractors and motorbikes i don't think i'd have any complaints hopefully i will figure out a way to do this soon but until i do i have at least one ride i can do where i know the chances of meeting either are very slim. :)

Happy Days