Saturday, April 13, 2013

No hoof, No Horse!

As you may know, my sisters and I grew up at a riding school and our dad always tried to impart his words of wisdom to us. One thing he used to say is," No hoof, no horse!" That shows you how important the horse's hooves (his feet). Our dad was never eager to buy a horse with small feet and narrow heels. He told us that hooves built in such a manner were prone to problems , like contracted heels (heels too close together). This condition often required corrective shoeing because of lameness. Our dad preferred horses with nice, round feet because he believed that type of foot would be an indication of soundness. If I remember correctly, he used to call a horse with round feet "platter-footed."
You may also know what the frog does for a horse, if you read my blog titled, "Does every frog jump around?" You might have read about how to care for a horse's hoof. But I didn't mention that you should be sure to apply a good hoof dressing to  your horse's hooves. This will encourage healthy hoof growth. You would start applying the hoof conditioner close at the top of the hoof, which is called the "coronary band," because this is where the hoof growth begins.
Now you know a little more about how to keep your horse happy and healthy.

6 comments:

  1. I am scared of horses.I rode one once and she was sweet and steady, but just being so far off the ground gave me heart palpitations! They are beautiful and majestic and best appreciated from afar by me.

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  2. Many people have a fear of horses, Elizabeth. The fear can be overcome if you really want to be involved with horses. You would need a patient and understanding teacher. When I was teaching, we helped people to overcome their fears successfully. It can be done. I'm glad that your experience with the horse was a positive one. It's important to learn to ride on calm, reliable horses.

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  3. I am a little afraid of horses only because I have never been taught how to handle them and of course I haven't ridden much. I do think they are beautiful and if I had time, I'd really learn to ride and care for them.

    Thank you for sharing this little gem about horses and about your life and parents.

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  4. Fesimon, if you had a patient teacher, I'm sure you could overcome your fear. It's most important to have a good teacher and a calm, reliable horse. I hope you are able to learn to ride sometime. You may even decide to start by learning to care for horses. I'll bet that would boost your confidence. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed my blog about caring for horses' hooves. I'd love to know about your progress if you start riding.

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  5. I love horses even though I never rode much growing up. But I loved to draw horses when I was young, they are so beautiful. I really appreciate that you write childrens books about horses and that your sister illustrates them, too.

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  6. Thank you so much, Becky. My sister and I love working together and we specialize in books with positive messages for children. She is so talented. Anyone who can draw horses is quite gifted, I think. My sister's illustrations really bring our stories to life.

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