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04/13/2002: "The Party’s Over"

That’s the title of the email Brenda Vincent sent me to know Indy’s “gelding party” went well and Indy was up and looking for food :o). As I said, I know this is a VERY routine procedure, but I’m just a total worrier. Brenda wrote me last evening that Ron was trotting Indy every day to keep him from getting any more sore than necessary. She said Indy was handling the trotting doing better than Ron. I can relate to THAT LOL!

The same day Indy was gelded, Ami was ripping and running in the paddock and threw her other shoe. I’m not sure if the two events were related or not… Anyway, she had thrown the other one a few days earlier, and Matt was waiting to get more sole pack before he replaced it. So now, he could replace both of them. Sigh.

He came the next day, and put them back on. It really IS amazing how well the glue on shoes stay put. Thank God for that. We would be sunk with out these glue on things. I just can’t imagine Ami allowing shoes to be nailed on - even when her feet are NOT tender.

She never was crazy about having her feet handled, and the first two shoers that I had here were not as patient with her as they should have been. After all, she was only a yearling!! Not only did these guys mess up DJ’s trim, they made Ami’s attitude even harder for me to overcome. She was doing SO much better with Matt. Then she foundered, and we weren’t even at square one - we were in negative territory. No one blamed her, but we are just now getting her back where even trimming isn’t a battle. Matt would have put shoes on her front feet a long time ago if he’d thought he could get it done.

But, she was having SO much trouble with her feet breaking and abscessing this past summer, we knew we had to do SOMETHING. She was so sore, even getting the glue ons on her was a battle the first time. It’s not a problem now that she can comfortably stand one front while the other is being worked on. Plus, Matt is SO patient with her. I swear, that man is worth his weight in gold - and he’s not a small guy LOL!

However, in trimming her back feet, he found that she had a severe bruise on her right hind. She must have done something during that Tear she was on when she threw her shoe. He rolled the toe to ease breakover on that foot, but yesterday she came up almost three legged lame. That foot is REALLY tender. I’m not surprised, as severe as that bruise is, but DANG! Poor Ami - if it’s not one thing, it’s another.

Yeah, and you guys GELDED Indy!!!

Ami, PLEASE! Now, where was I…? Oh, yeah. We gave her some Bute this morning, so hopefully that will help. I’ll probably give her some more this afternoon. I’ve started keeping her in the small paddock overnight. I may have to restrict her even more now that the grass is starting to grow in earnest.

That TOO!

Ami, you want to be sound when Indy gets here don’t you? You want to be able to run and play with him, right??

Well sure! But…

But nothing, Hon. You KNOW what the spring grass does to your feet just as well as I do. I won’t restrict you any more than is absolutely necessary, and, I might add, I hate it just as much as you do, believe me.

AW, MOM!

Sigh. I think this is where I came in…