Last year I noticed that Ozzys huge hooves were starting to chip and crack a bit in the summer. I spoke to my amazing farrier, Dean Sinclair (yes the instructor for Olds College) about possibly him needing, sigh.... shoes. Ozzy up till then had been barefoot and has incrediable feet for a draft horse. Which typically have horrid hooves. I was cringing at the thought of shoeing a horse that had such healthy feet, but no hoof no horse! So we watched him carefully last year, and hoped that with the change of stabling to a more wet location that we wouldn't need shoes.
His now home (and forever till Brianne kicks us out) is also dry, so over the past few months we have been watching his feet and deciding to hold off till the last possible time. Today was the day. Dean had been prepared that we would have to have him shod at some point this year, so he had shoes made up in advance.
Ozzy has always been good with the farrier, and I have been very diligent that he be a horse that is okay with having his hooves handled. Again most drafts this is an area that is neglected. I had prepared him over the past couple of weeks by banging on his hoof wall when I picked his feet, so that he wouldn't panic when the nails are put in.
The day didn't start well as it was raining outside, and Ozzy was out - melting in his mind in the rain! So we brought him in, and boy was he CRANKY! Ears back, nasty eyes, just a very miserable character. He had been apparently cranky since it started to rain.
Dean and his apprentice start working on his feet, trimming away, and everything is fine. Except that he continues to have his cranky face on... which is totally laughable. I mean its a little rain, not even a downpour, not a storm, just a bit of steady rain, for maybe 4 hours. I was prepared for him to be a bit skittish with the banging and such with his feet. I wasn't even thinking hot shoeing - which is what is was going to be. As Dean put the hot shoe on his hoof, and the smoke rose up around us as well as the smell of burning hoof I thought, OH CRAP! This is probably not going to go well.... but my boy again proved you put something in front of him and he just takes it like a trooper. Barely a flinch through out the process! He is truly a horse with more heart then I've ever seen before.
Dean and his students have always been incrediable with us as well! Most farrier cringe when they hear "draft" but Dean has always been there for us. He's always on time, (even when I forget - I was a bad client once!) he's quick, he does an INCREDIABLE job, and I'm not having to re-mortgage my house for my farrier care.
I don't know if he's taking on new clients, but I know I am such a lucky horse owner. I am surrounded by people that are just superior in their field. My coach is wonderful, and I just totally trust her and her judgement, my vet - well I'm pretty sure I have the best in BC, and my farrier.... again, I am so spoiled. And then we have Oz - which I don't think I could find another in this world! How could we not succeed in what ever we choose to do with this kind of team!
Pictures to come tomorrow of Oz and his new shoes! The show pictures from Topline should be coming up tomorrow as well.