Thistleblooms Rambles

[Baymule]

I had a farrier like that at our old town. He put up with Joe leaning on him, spent lots of time correcting my donkey's curled up hooves (we felt sorry for him and bought him) and was always kind and gentle. I always tipped him. He said I was his only customer that paid him more than he asked. He was worth it. Then I got lucky and got a great farrier here too!

 

[thistlebloom]

Jim is priceless.He's so kind and patient with all of them.
Huckleberry my little mule is crippled, someone broke or dislocated his shoulder before I got him, when he was 4 and he can't stand on his bad front leg to have the other trimmed. We run a hammock under his belly and lift him with the engine hoist so he can be trimmed. I used to have a different farrier who was not patient. He came one day when I wasn't home because he had postponed on me a few times and we were having a hard time finding a day that worked for both of us.
I don't know what took place but Huck was definitely very lame in his bad shoulder after that. Couldn't prove anything but that farrier was not welcome back. That was almost 3 years ago and little Huck has never been the same.

Here's Huck in his sling

 

[Bruce]

They aren't getting paid to train your horse.

Perhaps not but I would guess that if a farrier wants work, they have to work with the animals "provided". Best to be patient and teach them (and their owners) how to get their feet done properly without a fuss.

 

[thistlebloom]

Getting work doesn't seem to be a problem for farriers here. But some people just won't work with their horses, and they expect a farrier to show up, catch them and work on them without their help.
I've never expected my farrier to catch my horse and work on it without me holding it. I want to hear their feedback on what if anything might be going on with their feet and I want my horses to be easy to work with. That's my responsibility to put the time in to train them to be that way.
Now, I do put the time into Syringa, but she's not a store bought horse and came with her own issues. I can pick up her feet all day long and pull them forward and backward and tap them and any other weird thing that could happen when my farrier is working on them. But she trusts me. It's a different deal for her having a stranger walk up and pick up a foot. That's her escape mechanism and she just took a long time to give that fear of being trapped up.
I still say it's not a farriers job to train a horse. It's a dangerous enough occupation without having to put up with somebody's spoiled pet.

 

[Bruce]

Oh I agree it isn't their job to train them solo and that an owner has to be 100% invested in the process. But if *I* were to get a horse that wasn't easy to work on, the farrier would need to train both of us. I guess there are people who think "you are the professional, I'll be back when you are done" but I can't imagine being such a person and yeah, I'd refuse to work on their animals after the first time.

 

[thistlebloom]

We are on the same page then, lol.

 

[thistlebloom]

Pictures of the past few days around here....

I decided the snow should come off the garden shed.

Before... During..... After...


The garden. Snoring.






Had some company, following my snowshoe tracks...

Today, I let Luke out to frolic. Huck was keeping Syringa company in her pen for a few hours. That never makes Luke happy. He's very possessive of his little mule. He won't go far from wherever Huckleberry is, so I don't worry about him taking off.

Our dog eating cat Finnigan daring Larka to pass.

Larkas narrow escape!

 

[promiseacres]

Fun in the snow! It's 5° here today but just had rain yesterdsy, a few flurries. Wish it would snow if it's going to be so cold.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @thistlebloom,

You certainly have a beautiful place! I imagine you feel quite lucky!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Baymule]

I am always present when the farrier comes and I hold them for him. We are totally in agreement!