Feet (aren't) on the Ground

My Ideal Series Paint had wonky legs but I certainly wasn't expecting to see similar issues on the BreyerFest models that are being shown to collectors.

It was most noticeable on Brahms.

Look how Brahms' leg is curling up and under him.

Here's another view of it.

I pulled out a few of my Big Bens to compare to Brahms.

Molokai, the 1999 BreyerFest Celebration Horse, has a nice straight hind leg even after 23 years of standing on my shelves.

As does Sgt.Pepper, a BreyerFest special run in 2003.

There are a couple of other BreyerFest offerings that look like they have the same issue with a leg curling.

So, what is going on? Is this heat warping from having been sitting in a container box too long, waiting for the ship to be unloaded? Or is it something else?

As I looked at the other BreyerFest models, along with some regular run offerings, it looks to me like the bottoms of the feet of some models are not flat but are rounded instead. (Which will make them tippy.)

Elbe, another of this years BreyerFest models, has rounded hoof bottoms.

Compare Elbe to Chardonnay whose hooves appear to be nice and flat in Breyer's promo photos.

A quick check of models currently in Breyer's regular run line show similar variations in hoof bottoms. Some have flat bottomed hooves while others appear more rounded. That would not be heat; that would be something happening at the factory in China.

I'm curious to see what the actual models look like when they are in collectors' hands in July. 

Winter Visits

Winter visits with Abby tend to be less frequent and short in duration due to the cold and snow. The horses winter in the old barn so I either have to hike through the snow and ice across a couple pastures to get to them or drive down an access lane/drive that is infrequently used and does not get plowed. You have to back up to get back onto the road, an added challenge.

But even if I don't get out, I know Tim or his son-in-law, Brandon, did, and that Abby was checked, has fresh water and access to hay day and night, and a warm barn she can choose to go in and out of. I love that she is able to live where she can come and go as she pleases.

 She has her BFF, Diablo, to hang out with.

And she grows a long coat that protects her when she chooses to be out. (I rarely blanket a horse and only in extreme cold and if the horse shows signs of being uncomfortable.)

 There is a lot of wildlife out where she is - here is a Cooper's Hawk up in a tree by the fence line.

 I keep Abby barefoot, too. Tim  trims her as needed, and her feet are in wonderful shape. (A far cry from four years ago when she was rescued and her hooves were slippered!) I check them carefully in the winter as the frozen ground can be hard on horses' feet, but Abby is an Appaloosa, a breed known for its hardiness and scrappiness. (Er, and just possibly its sassiness. Indiana Horse Rescue dubbed her Sassy.)

Hokey soaking up some rays from the weak winter sun.

All in all, it's a pretty idyllic place for a horse to live, and that is all I want for her.

Tim's Insight on Hooves

After seeing some truly disturbing and heart-wrenching photos of Abby's hooves pre-rescue, I emailed Tim to ask about how the rescuers had handled her hoof problem - from the photos, it seems they decided to take a lot off all at once, with the consequence being that she was in pain from the remedy. You can see her in later pictures standing holding her leg in front of herself, a definite "pain pose" for a horse whose feet are hurting.

I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps they could've tried a less painful method for her.

Below is Tim's response. I especially love his last sentence.

Lynn
For some reason I was unable to see the photos.  However, I can tell you that I do not have a lot of experience working with severely damaged hooves.  I mostly just have practical training trimming feet on healthy horses.  I do remember the photos of abby’s and her feet and they were bad.  The decision to make a drastic rather than an incremental fix was probably made as much for convenience as for health.  Getting the hoof out of its neglected state immediately was probably paramount.  I am not sure that it was wrong or right – but it definitely was an improvement over what it was.
Unfortunately neglecting feet can cause long term damage to the hoof growing point as well as indirect damage to ligaments and tendons.  While Abby may never be 100%, I do not see her hurting excessively.  Your eye is better than mine, however.  Sometimes a good farrier can adjust things as well.
It it was me, I would just up her daily carrot allotment :).

Tim

Slippered Hooves

This morning I was going through Abby's papers and setting up a file for her receipts, papers, etc. As I read through the information that Indiana Horse Rescue gave me, they said she had come in with "slippered hooves." Not a term I am familiar with, although I recognized it when I saw the photos.

Here is what slippered hooves look like (they are not hers but images I pulled off the internet.)

Poor Abby! No wonder she still limps at a trot nearly a year later! I imagine the stress that those hooves put on her bones, ligaments, and soft tissues are what has caused the limp.

When I got her, she had been undergoing corrective trimming (it takes a while to fix something like this - hooves are growing tissue so you cannot just cut them off) but still had a flare. The flare is gone now, but the limp remains. I hope it disappears with time, but my guess is that it is permanent. 

Time will tell.