The continuing truck saga...has about wrapped up. She got her legal status today as everything came together finally (paperwork was ....very late getting to me) to get her licensed. I'll admit to literally holding my breath at the DMV sweating what is it going to take $$$ wise for this big whopping truck to get registration and plates. Turned out it wasn't too bad! The dealership had mailed me a check to make up for their getting the paperwork to us late, and that covered about a third of the cost, and she's good to go until next August! So at least step#1 is complete. I again have a truck. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 4 wheel drive, super duty, she's a beast ☺
The horse trailer is next up. I was thinking of downsizing to a bumper pull. But if I sold the big old gray, thinking I'd still be out quite a bit more money to get the next one. The steel trailer is an ugly old dude, but it is mostly rust free, it rolls, and it is debt free. So I'm leaning to a check up for it, and see if the gooseneck is adjusted how is it going to ride (meaning how level is it going to be). The bed of this truck is higher than the old one by several inches. The gooseneck has to adjust if I'm going to have the side rail clearance I need for tight turns (trust me my backing up leads to some interesting trailer positions at times). It is what it is people. So crossing fingers I can make it work out.
For Journey the plan is to get her out of her danged shoes and follow a barefoot rehab protocol. Toughening her soles, hand walking over hard surfaces, and addressing getting her toe brought back on the fronts. I like shoes, but Journey's hooves don't. Her heels start migrating forward and the toes with it. Now that competition is out the window for us, I don't see a reason not to transition to bare, and just throw boots on the front if I know I'm confronting rocks. Lord knows I have enough of them. Right at the moment they are all too small which shows me I don't like where her hooves have gone.
The winter founder thing really nailed her. I still don't know how or why it happened. Nothing is different today than the day it happened except there is not a six inch snow pack on the ground. Diet is the same. Grass hay, grass pellets, vitamin/mineral, water. Every day. Journey has a hay belly on her but I would not consider her obese. I rarely give treats, and if I do it is a single horse cookie, or a bit of carrot. The result is a pair of deep event lines like chisel marks below the coronet band. So we have to grow out a new structurally sound hoof and hope that whatever it is does not repeat come winter. Read about winter founder, it is not a happy place to find yourself.
So I have lined up a new vet. Have not had him out yet, but have an account set up in case I need one. Hate it that the other one turned out to be so .... what ever she is. I liked her, never late paying her. But she wanted me to blindly accept whatever her recommendation, and I believe in considering the options before I make rash decisions. I have to operate that way if I'm going to keep horses. Willing to do a lot for my animals if I believe it will actually help them. An example would be that if there are three medications that are going to effectively treat my animal, all things being equal I'm going to select the most cost effective one. If tests are to be run, lets figure out "what" we think we are testing for and move that direction. I'm going to ask those kinds of questions. I ask those same questions for my own healthcare. Movin' on.
Hoping that CMO can still be in my future at least a little bit. I enjoy it a lot, it is so much lower stress, and Journey seems to like it much better. Someone else is hosting a CMO in my area this FALL and maybe Journey will be trail worthy by then. Only have to have her conditioned for 15 miles at a nice intermittent trot. If they hooves say yes, and we can start my July, should be no problem. We'll see how it goes.
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