Erg, I can tell what day it is

[altivo]

Farrier this morning. All three horses were pretty good, though Archie was a bit uncooperative. Tess no longer has a chipped foot, but she needs hoof moisturizer again and it isn't even winter yet. Gloomy weather today means still no photos of the hay mountain in the barn, but tomorrow should take care of that since I'll be home in the afternoon and it's supposed to be sunny.

Feel as if I might be coming down with the cold Gary had last week. This is after I decided I had dodged that bullet. Oh well.

Janet got the Ghost Writers display all hung up today and it looks good. No photos because it needs to be taken at night when there's less glare from the windows. Possibly by Friday.

Big revelation (to me anyway) of this display research was the discovery that a whole flock of children's series books from the 30s and 40s (and earlier) were the product of a single syndication, the brainchild of Edward Stratemeyer (1865-1930). Their pseudonyms were many, including Laura Lee Hope (The Bobbsey Twins,) Franklin W. Dixon (The Hardy Boys,) Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew,) Victor Appleton (Tom Swift,) Victor Appleton II (Tom Swift Jr.) and more. Stratemeyer began hiring other authors to write books for his series prior to 1910, and one of the first hires was Harold Garis (who wrote the Uncle Wiggily series of books under his own name in addition to producing books for Stratemeyer.) The Stratemeyer Syndicate, as it became known, was left in the hands of Stratemeyer's daughters upon the founder's death and continues to this day producing and revising all those series books.

We've backed away from the 80 degree temperatures during the days and are back to 60s daytime and 40s at night. Definitely feels and looks like October now.

Comments

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

Hoof moisturiser?

[altivo]

Hooves are complicated toenails. They dry out and contract under bad conditions and especially if exposed to alkaline dust or soil. Even so, they keep growing from within, which leads to splitting and cracking. Equines evolved for semi-arid landscapes, with sand and rocks that help to wear the hooves down naturally. Under domestication, they need help with that as a rule, which is why we trim and smooth their hooves at intervals, or often apply metal shoes to reduce the excessive wear caused by pavements or dry ground.

Moisturizing treatments can be as simple as getting them to stand in water or mud or as complicated as packing the hoof with medications and applying a rubber boot over it. Tess has been doing well this year just by being out in the morning dew a lot, but the dry conditions of the last six weeks or so have taken a toll and she is getting cracks and chips again. The next step up in treatment is regular applications of a product you would brush onto the outside of the hoof. Most of these are oil based and formulated to be absorbed that way. I've used Hooflex(tm) which is an old standby, but the farrier recommends Rainmaker(tm) so I'll give that one a try.

The boys have "better" hooves and have never exhibited this problem. Some horses are more prone to it than others. Thoroughbreds seem especially likely to have these issues.

We have naturally alkaline soil here (clay loam over limestone and gravel) which doesn't help. The boys' pen has been filled with crushed stone a couple of times to stabilize a very mucky area, and I think that helps. Tess would be better if she could be on grass all the time but that causes digestive problems for her so the hours have to be limited. Her pen has the natural soil and, I suspect, was treated frequently with lime in the past to reduce odors. That probably aggravates her problem. Unfortunately, I can't afford to resurface it, and she doesn't get along with the boys so I can't turn her out with them.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

Ah. I had no idea there were actual products available for such hoof complaints. I've suffered a cracked nail before, and it was not good :(

she doesn't get along with the boys

They probably don't leave her alone *winks* :D

[altivo]

Heh. Both boys are gelded and they're 19 years old now so I don't think it's entirely a sexual thing. They are curious about her, and Asher in particular seems to want to make friends in a more generic sense, but she will have nothing of it and has kicked him repeatedly when I tried. Admittedly it has been a few years since the last attempt and everyone may have mellowed out more but I'm not inclined to risk the trauma again.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I find that really interesting, do they tend to be more playful? Is there a big age gap?

[altivo]

Tess is 16, the boys are 18. In human years, they are all middle aged. The difference is insignificant.

The boys are much more playful, yes. Like puppies or kittens at times. Tess lacks a sense of humor, I think.

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

That's very interesting about the Stratemeyer syndicate. I knew that several authors wrote as Carolyn Keene, say, but I didn't know there was basically one person behind so many pseudonyms.

Hope you're wrong about the cold and it passes you by. Looking forward to the photos you mentioned.

[altivo]

So far the cold is still just threatening.

Yes, I'm thinking we should do a special display about Stratemeyer. His ideas are ultimately behind hundreds of kid books.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Hehe Hoof moisturiser :D

[altivo]

*spikes your head fur with Hooflex*

Looks pretty amusing.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Punk is in man :)