labelwench

Horses, like people, have times of the day when they are active and times when they prefer to rest, 'loafing' as horsemen refer to such. Mid-afternoon, local time, is often when most horses are at their most relaxed, and it was to that effect that I decided it was timely to trim the hooves of Madelaine, as future weight gain will make standing on three legs more awkward for her.

The weather was a spring squall this night passed and early morning, and I had tucked her into the 10 x 14 barn to give her respite, and she was looking quite comfortable when I had brought her morning feed to her and mucked out.

Stepping in to the space with the big mare, I gently reached out for her off-fore hoof. She went to oblige, then changed her mind and walked past me. I gave her a moment to settle before asking again, and received the same result. This was not like Madelaine.

I stepped back a pace to observe.

There were several small whorls in her fine red coat, along her ribs and flank, the hair pressed out of it's normal lay by the mare nipping at herself. This is not uncommon, as the foal can exert quite a kick, despite the cushioning that grows upon it's developing hooves as protection for the womb of the mare. What effect these nips may send to the nervous system of the foal, I cannot say, but they do demonstrate the discomfort of the mare. As I watched, I observed a staccato rhythm playing out on her right flank.

Her breathing was a bit fast and heavy and I watched closely, concerned that she might be in the early stages of premature labor. There was no sign that her water had broken, and I have foaled out a few mares. After watching her for several minutes, she blew out a sigh and then reached out to touch my hand that was holding the nippers, rasp and hoof pick.

This time, when I asked for a hoof, she stood and gave it readily. Not certain if the foal would co-operate for long, I elected just to clean out the foot and use the rasp, though it meant more work for me. I would trim the pair by increments, rather than leave the mare unbalanced if I were forced to abort this task. She was not overly long in the hoof wall, and I could take a bit more over several days. As more of a horse's weight is borne on it's forehand, the front feet are more awkward for the horse, although more people are nervous of the hind end.

We managed to finish the trim of the hinds and I shall rasp her fronts at least once more. She was slightly out of balance on the outside of the right front and the inside of the left hind, and this disparity has been corrected for the present. As she generally wears her feet remarkably evenly, by dint of good bone alignment, I would attribute the uneven growth and wear to the weight and placement of the foal.