Rasp in Hand, I Stride Boldly Forth..*Gulp*

And by that I mean I've been reading blogs, articles, whole websites, until my eyes hurt. Watching and photographing my trimmer (good hoof photos are impossible, btw), saving diagrams, asking questions. Then I pull Blaze, make a few timid swipes at his front hooves (he is SO unimpressed), and retreat back to the house to study some more. I've done that 3 or 4 times now in the last two weeks. It all makes so much sense when I'm reading and watching it but putting it into practice without guidance on hand is difficult. Still, I *am* learning and grasping more things, and I know it will just take time and experience.
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This morning there was cloud cover. Hallelujah! I'm an outdoorsy type and all but shoot, I'm a redhead, and sun exposure-wise it's feeling like a  loooonngg summer at this point. Cloud cover and cool air makes me want to run around my pasture and buck! Or, pull all the horses, groom them, and rasp their damn feet already!

 I am shameless, and asked my husband's friend to take a few pictures of me working on Sheza's feet. Hey, it's another First with my Filly. First time I ever worked on "trimming" her hooves! She was GREAT, by the way. Absolutely none of the shenanigans she usually tries with D. More than me being a horse whisperer I think she was just plain boggled that *I* was rasping at her hooves. It kept her paralyzed with confusion just long enough to have a go at all 4 hooves, and I finished just as she started getting impatient.

 Hoof shavings fly and Georgia dog supervises

 Maizie goat kept a sharp eye on things. Funny thing is I had no idea she was there! I was so focused on the hoof and not falling over..

 Sheza tried to be a snot about her de-wormer but I paralyzed her with a lip tickle and Ninja-plungered that apple goodness down her gullet before she realized what happened. She chomped thoughtfully. Desire has had practice taking electrolyte syringes in the last few months and actually took her de-wormer quite politely, she who took me off my feet the first time I tried it with her.

 I took Desire's braids out finally and she turned into Rasta Mamma!

Sheza and I laughed and laughed at her. But this afternoon I looked out to see her cleaning up scraps in the filly pasture...hmmm..escape artist eh. I went out to rearrange things and she didn't want to lead back just by her flowing locks. She even pretended she was too wild for that lovey dovey joined up nonsense, but I poked her in the hip and she grudgingly followed me back to her pasture.

Sheza walks at my shoulder and walk, trot, and stops with me, at liberty in her pasture. Maybe someday we will be very good at vetting trot outs :-)

Oh yeah, working on the hooves: I sweated like a beast and my back hurt, and my hands now permanently stink from using gloves that previously were worn to apply Thrush medicine. Yuck. But awesome.

Joey is SOUND and galloping the fence line making snarky faces at Blaze today. 4 days out from the nail and the antibiotics continue.