Had a visit from new donkey farrier, Koren, yesterday. Francesca volunteered to go first and was a sweetheart. Hey, this is going to be a piece of cake. Gabby was next and, acted out as the beligerent youngster, testing the rules. Koren was firm but patient and, without too much resistance, all four hooves were done. Then it was sweet Luigi's turn. This is the Luigi who was by Koren's side watching to make sure she took care of Fran and Gabs correctly. At one point during Gabby's turn he was slowly, ever so slowly backing up into Koren's side (apparently if he goes slowly he's invisible). Well, sweet social Luigi was the biggest pill. Koren held firm and said, yes I AM trimming this hoof and held on tight while I manned the halter. Round we went, with the two girls peeking at us from a few yards away.
FINALLY, all 12 hooves were trimmed and smoothed and to sooth any frayed nerves, hay was served to all. Dudley, the vigilant moocher, snacked on hoof pieces.
Glad all hooves were trimmed in the end! And no one was hurt! What is with the backing slowly into things. My Max does that too.
ReplyDeleteGreat post... I can see the action from here! ;) Glad all turned out well in the end. And hopefully Dudley didn't regret his snacks later...
ReplyDeleteYuck! Dudley ate the shavings? Hope that doesn't make him sick, dogs are such funny creatures! Great post!
ReplyDeleteMy rottweilers always snack on their hooves... er, I mean toenails too. *giggles*
ReplyDeleteOh yes, in the canine world, fresh hoof trimmings are a gourmet treat. Our dogs love them :)
ReplyDeleteI loved your description of this whole farrier affair. It's always interesting, for sure! My Gracie is an angel when it comes to matters such as this. Ruby, on the other hand, will do everything in her powers to make the task as difficult as possible. Kicking, leaning into us, hopping, etc. I should add that the last trimming, Ruby girl did better.
Great post! -Tammy