Birthdays and Pony Hooves

So how did I get to be 56 all of a sudden? Where has all the time gone to and why has it gone so fast? I swear to God that someone has worked out how to condense time so that when a person gets to 50, the 365 days in a year are squashed into something like 180 days. I got together with Adrian 16 years ago when I was 40. In another 16 years (it will feel like 8 or so won't it?) i shall be 72 years old. That is a very scarey thought let me tell you. In fact I don't want to think about it so I won't.

Adrian is not a happy man. One of our loan ponies has come back today, he only went out this spring and the loanees have had to bring him back as they lost the grazing. On first glance he looks ok, perhaps a bit on the chunky side but for him, not bad at all. Till you get to his hooves.

Now this particular pony does suffer a lot from laminitis, it's quite common really, lots of animals get it and for a variety of reasons; rich grass is one of the most common causes actually.

But it is definitely a controllable condition through diet and correct management. When the pony went out, we were assured that they would keep an eye on him and that he would be ok, they had had experience of laminitis, no worries.

Clearly they hadn't considered the farriers knowledge of how to manage hooves that are affected. The pony's front hooves have been dubbed (chopped) back so far that on one the farrier has gone back to toe callus, there is little of the hoof wall at all and the poor animal is not able to walk on hard surfaces without suffering discomfort. He will be alright on soft ground but not on concrete or gravel, anything like that.

It will grow back and eventually the pony will recover and be sound again but it shouldn't have come to that. There is no reson why he had to be trimmed as far as that, it doesn't relieve the laminitis.

My husband is livid and has taken photos of the hooves. The pony cannot go out again probably till next spring and then we will have to consider whether or not he is best to stay here where at least we can keep him trimmed in accordance with the laminitis. He is a good pony, loves children and if managed properly, would be loved to bits. I think he was in this last home, in fact I am sure he was but it would appear that the farrier didn't know some aspects of his job very well.

Rant over.