First Trim!

Danny was a bit suspicious when our farrier, Dale Collis, began to trim Mouse's hooves. I was holding Mouse so I had Steve walk Danny around so that he always had a good view but was also under control and not in Dale's way. Danny didn't understand and he thoroughly examined Dale's tools. When Danny's turn came around, Steve was holding him by the halter and they were having a difficult time getting him to stand still and not move away. I let Mouse off of her halter and left her with some food...always a good distraction for her because if she has food she doesn't care if the world is exploding around her. I held Danny with an arm around his chest and a hand on his rear. We had some movement after that but not as much. Dale asked if I'd been picking up his feet since he was born. I apologized and said, no. He told me that he wasn't criticizing me, he just thought I had been because Danny was behaving better than most foals during their first trim. He said that it must be because we have handled Danny since he was first born and that attention showed in a well behaved little colt. Still, when Dale finished with Danny, Danny was finished with him. He left quickly and totally ignored the offer of treat or petting. He did however go straight to Mama to nurse so maybe that was what his speedy exit was all about. I think I always expect too much out of him because he is a baby after all and every experience is a new one for him. So, it is better if I listen to someone with Dale's experience when he tells me that Danny was the easiest first trim he's ever had!....He also said that Danny is beautiful but then that is a given;-)

And thank God for Dale, the best farrier in the ENTIRE WORLD in my opinion. The other two boys in our horse family were not so agreeable. Riley was hurt by a halter last year and he still hasn't gotten over it. In fact, he is getting steadily worse. I should be working with him every single day because I haven't been able to get a halter on him since Dale's last visit six weeks ago. When Dale arrived, I'd been chasing Riley around the round pen for a good twenty minutes and had already used ever trick in my thin book but with no success. Dale however is also an excellent horseman as well as farrier. He got the halter on and calmed sweet Riley down and then did equally well keeping the usually excitable Django calm during his entire trim. Brandy and Mouse were their usual well behaved selves which makes up a bit for the boys' bad manners. I hope that Danny, who was watching with his head stuck through the gate, didn't pick up any bad habits or manners from the other two boys. It was funny because as I was packing up to leave, I wondered why the other two boys weren't bothering me like Brandy was. I looked around and there they both were, standing at the fence and "examining" Danny as if they were trying to see what Dale had done to him, haha.

I'll put up at least one 7 week photo up later....when I finally get the time to dust my camera off;-)