Hoofies, now with extra meme

[altivo]

Tess has a cracked hoof. It looks really bad, and needs something done I'm sure. We took photos of it last night and e-mailed them to our farrier, who works a night shift at his day job (I've always wanted to say that) so he could estimate the urgency. She's not lame at all, but it really looks as if she ought to be. John's wife Linda looked at the e-mail and told him over the phone that he'd better stop to see us on his way home this morning, so much to our surprise, he showed up at 7:45 just as Gary was headed off to a performance. I hurried out to the arena and John already was sending Tess around and around the pen to check for pain. No sign of that. He examined the hoof and agrees that she needs to be trimmed ASAP and probably will need shoes on her front feet to support the hoof until it grows out properly. We'll be keeping her indoors in a small area until Monday, when he can come back with his proper tools. This could be expensive, but fortunately I have the cash reserves right now if needed.

In a less serious vein, here's a meme I stole from Graystonethusky on LJ:

Your dating personality profile: Liberal - Politics matters to you, and you aren't afraid to share your left-leaning views. You would never be caught voting for a conservative candidate. Big-Hearted - You are a kind and caring person. Your warmth is inviting, and your heart is a wellspring of love. Intellectual - You consider your mind amongst your assets. Learning is not a chore but a constant search after wisdom and knowledge. You value education and rationality.

Your Top Ten Traits 1. Liberal 2. Big-Hearted 3. Intellectual 4. Practical 5. Sensual 6. Wealthy/Ambitious 7. Adventurous 8. Shy 9. Romantic 10. Funny

Your date match profile: Liberal - You need a person who has liberal opinions and beliefs. You are engaged by political discussions and would find a liberal viewpoint refreshing in a date. Practical - You are drawn to people who are sensible and smart. Flashy, materialistic people turn you off. You appreciate the simpler side of living. Shy - You are put off by people who are open books. You are drawn to someone who is a bit more mysterious. You want to draw him out of his shell and get to know what he is all about.

Your Top Ten Match Traits 1. Liberal 2. Practical 3. Shy 4. Intellectual 5. Funny 6. Big-Hearted 7. Adventurous 8. Romantic 9. Sensual 10. Traditional

Take the Dating Profile Quiz at Would I Date You

Comments

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

*fails at refraining from commentary about dating a horse ...*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, Gary is probably either a bear or a canine of some kind but he had no objections I think.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

I didn't even realize he was furry, or is that your furspective on him?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

He is furry, in a literal sense, but no, he's not a furry. That's just my analysis. I think he'd agree, though.

He could be a furry, actually. He likes a lot of furry things, like animated films with animals (Balto? Brother Bear? Over the Hedge? Bolt? Definitely.) or for that matter, films and books with real animal characters. He would resist the label, though, for fear that it included other obligatory elements that he "didn't understand."

[cozycabbage.livejournal.com]

So, just why are Tess's hooves so prone to drying out? Is it just some sort of genetic condition that you have to deal with?

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

I don't go to cons or anysuch anymore. I'm not sure what this closeted anthrophobia is all about, really. I've been on a lot of roleplaying sites that let you roleplay as anthropomorphic characters but just the notion of being described as "furry-friendly" sends their gods/wizards into hysterical denials.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

What's his comment on your fursuit?

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Are cracks unusual? I mean she doesn't walk on hard ground so I'd have thought it's odd to crack a hoof.

Hmm I fit into most of those catagories except the shy bit.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

He's impressed with the creativity and art involved. I don't think it bothers him even when I'm working on it with stuff strewn all over, since he has similar hobbies. After 27 years, he knows me well enough that I'm sure he wouldn't believe the people who think it's all about orgies and fetishes. (Even if it were, he used to be deeply involved in the leather and BDSM world before I met him.)

The phobias of your wizards and gods are stupid and based entirely on the idiocy of sensational media that have depicted furry fandom as a sexual perversion. With or without furry, I've certainly noticed a tendency toward huge drama and ridiculous factions and bitter fighting over those places. It's all big egos and tiny minds.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's partly genetics, yes. And partly living conditions, particularly in the winter. Horses are amazingly adaptable, but their natural habitat is probably more consistent year round than what we have here. Her disposition against the boys keeps her from sharing their yard, so when winter makes it difficult for her to get out to the big pasture, she spends most of her time in an indoor pen by herself. This is good in that it has encouraged her to socialize with people rather than focusing on other horses, but bad in that she's on a dry surface all winter. I can't wet the floor down when it's freezing weather because then she'd be standing on ice.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The cracks are caused by growth. We've had her on a feed supplement to encourage better hoof growth for almost two years now. In the last six months, it has really started to show and I've even cut the amount I add to her food by half.

Normally we trim hooves every six weeks. Right now they have been growing so fast that the new growth has caused the dryer, old hoof at the bottom to split. That's normal. But the new growth is still soft enough that the split spread up into it, apparently. Putting a rigid shoe on is one way to hold the hoof together so it can't split any farther. Other, more modern options include actually gluing the hoof back together with epoxy or filling the crack with some sort of material. They also have little clips, sort of like staples, that can be used. John will have to decide which method to use when he examines her more closely. The object is to keep the crack from reaching any live flesh, which would make the condition much more serious.

As for the meme thing, yes, I expect we do have a lot in common, aside from my being twice your age. ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I'd play all that music you wouldn't like and indulge in bad foods that wouldn't have graced your home for many a year :)

Plus I'd probably get into your wool.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

There's wool to spare at the moment, though you'd get really stinky from lying around in it. I'm accustomed to keeping the finished yarn out of reach of kitty cats.

I suspect the food wouldn't be an issue. You'd be too busy eating all the good stuff we make here.

The music, maybe. Taking a transmission apart on the dining room table would definitely cause problems. ;p

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Hope Tessie's paffer feels better.

[rustitobuck.livejournal.com]

Wow, 27 years....

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Alas, poor Tess! I hope she'll heal up properly again soon (although it's a good thing that she's apparently not in pain, at least).

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yep. Nothing to be proud of, I'm sure, but something to be happy about, definitely. The actual anniversary is at the end of June.

I make a point of mentioning it now and then because of the people who think that same sex relationships are doomed and can never last.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

So far it doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, which is good news. If John decides on one of his regular treatments, we'll be padding the bottom of it with disposable diapers for a while, so she really will have a paffer.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

This one looks as if it could take all summer. But it's not hurting her yet, so with any luck John will get it stabilized in time.

It may put a crimp in any summer riding plans for me, though. I'm hefty enough that she shouldn't carry my weight on top of her own with a hoof problem.

[ducktapeddonkey.livejournal.com]

Poor Tess. Recurring hoof problems can't be much fun for a horse. Hope it clears up soon.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid this will take months to clear. Fortunately we've probably caught it in time so actually She doesn't even know there's a problem. Doesn't seem to be hurting her at all, meaning I have to be careful not to let her do anything to aggravate it.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

And why not, I say! Horses deserve fluffy slippers too! Equal fluffy slipper rights for horsies!