Bob got his hooves trimmed today. Our trimmer is from Aloha, so a bit of a drive for her, but I guess she has a number of clients down this way. She was about an hour late, and was very apologetic that she had neglected to get my cell number to call and tell me that her previous client was taking longer. It worked out just fine, though, as Bob was pretty skittish. I groomed him and took him into the arena and turned him loose. He was demonstrating some herd-bound behavior and had way more energy than I really wanted him to have for the trimmer, so we just stayed there until she arrived. By that time, he was much calmer.
The trimmer knows her horse feet. She asked good questions about Bob and how we intended to use him, and she listened well to my answers. She also did a nice job explaining what she was doing, why she was doing it, and what the theory was behind it. Bob’s feet have a ways to go, but we made darned good progress today. And as a bonus, he was good for the trimmer, too.
As an added distraction, another boarder came back in from a ride around the fields. She looked dazed and out of it, and asked me (from the saddle) to please find Jenn, which I did. It turns out that her mare was a little hotter than she had bargained on (she hadn’t been ridden in a while)—even after longeing her. While at a canter, the horse decided to make an abrupt change of direction and threw her. She managed to get back on her horse and ride back in, but she conked her head hard enough to see stars and probably broke a rib or two. Jenn helped her off her horse, and I untacked the horse, brushed her, and turned her out. Jenn and I managed to talk the woman out of driving home, as she was still a bit goofy. Her husband came to get her and then discovered that their battery was dead, as if they didn’t have enough to deal with. We got them jump started and off they went. All of this was going on during Bob’s trim, so a lot of the trimmer’s education efforts went in one ear and out the other because I was either not there or too distracted.
After Bob’s pedicure, I called a stable that Mary had mentioned to me to see about them boarding Emma for her foaling. The woman was very nice, so I stopped by there on my way back to Salem. The place was okay, with an indoor and outdoor arena and well-lit stalls. The stable proper smelled healthy. On the negative side:
- the facility was pretty beat up and seemed to be slowly sliding into more disrepair by the year
- the indoor arena was dark and kind of musty
- the outdoor arena had broken fence boards
- turnout space was not that great
- there was no bathroom—not even a porta-potty—which would make camping out for a foaling not so much fun
Their rates started at $150 for partial care and went up to $300 for full care. It really made me appreciate Abiding Acres.
I am still waiting for the pads and shims for Kim’s saddle, as well as stirrups, a breast collar, and saddle pad, and a couple of other bits and pieces. I am trying to get the eBay seller to give me a partial refund as the saddle was advertised as “new” and “almost brand new” but was not. The seller has so far had some difficulty both with keeping her word and with getting her story straight, so I don’t think I am going to get anywhere—especially as eBay’s Buyer Protection Plan appears to be a seller protection plan. Grr.
