Sometimes I marvel at the things I have used over the years for the sake of my horse.
I have used bailing twine to rig a bridle and a stirrup and I've fashioned a hay net from bailing twice. I buy infant diapers to suck out potential abscesses or infections on hooves. I've used duct tape to do everything from fix tack to hold together my horse. I use Lysol to control bacterial infections, also.
On Sunday, Buttercup came up with a loose shoe on her front left. Not at all surprising when you figure in the crazy super wet-super dry weather we've been having in coastal North Carolina.
To make matters worse, my phone drowned in a few droplets of rain last Monday, successfully eliminating my entire phone book from my life. Of course, these numbers were no where else but my Blackberry.
I got in touch with my instructor through her husband's Facebook and was able to get the number to my farrier. When I called him Sunday, the phone was off. Same thing Monday and Tuesday. I started freaking out.
Bud, normally a good-natured pony, turns into a gremlin when stalled for more than 6 hours at a time. No furby. Just a gremlin. She gets pushing, she won't stand still, she overreacts to everything. Bottomline: she drives me crazy. And it isn't like I can exercise her to let her release her frustration when she's having hoof issues.
So, my incentive to reach my farrier was strong, not only to protect my horse's healing hoof, but to protect my sanity.
After leaving probably five voicemails over three days and calling about 20 times, I realized my farrier's voicemail message was completely different. It was automated. Not his normal "You've reached ..."
I asked my instructor for the number again. This time, I got a completely different number! I called it, and my wonderful farrier picked up on the second ring.
"Hello."
"Will?"
"Hey."
"Will, I've been calling you and leaving messages. Did you change your phone number or something?"
"Nope, same number."
"Are you sure? Because that means I just left a ton of messages on some strange person's cell phone about my horse's loose shoe."
"Nope, this is my only number."
Ugh. I feel stupid. Anyway, I have an appointment tomorrow to drive out to his place to get the shoe tacked back on.
For right now, I have decided to take Bud out of stall rest for the above reasons. I fashioned a hoof boot out of an old, ripped bellboot (we have a ton of those) and duct tape to help keep her shoe on.
I got the idea because just duct taping her hoof, it always comes off because she has no heel to attach the duct tape to. So, it's like trying to keep on high heels that only cover your big toe: it just won't work.
I should have gotten pics of it, but the bell boot had its ring intact, which I placed around the pastern. It was missing about half of the bell-part. So I positioned the rubber bell part at the heel. I duct taped the toe and the shoe to the hoof very well and then attached everything to the ripped up bellboot to make a very fancy (duct tape is silver, so fancy) hoofboot.
It should last until this afternoon, when I'll make another one. I plan on actually ordering a hoofboot now after this!
So, what are some the crazy things you've fashioned out of diapers, bailing twine or duct tape?
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