Fancy Dancy Shoes

Jim got "Big Boy" shoes last night :-D I got the number of a farrier who does some other horses at my barn weeks ago and I had called him a few times, we just kept seeming to play phone tag, so I ended up sticking with Jimmy's original farrier, Trent. Now as we all recall, Jimmy left Trent's shoes on for 6 days and when I called to ask about it I was told to "let him grow for 8 or so weeks and see where we are...just be patient" Hmm...Patience is NOT my forte.

So I studied Jim's feet these last four weeks and tried to be "patient" but the walls started to crumble...the soles got softer....and soon as I know it, there just wasn't any hoof left. So I called Tim Lesko. He called me back immediately and talked to me about my options for 10 minutes on the phone. 10 points, Team Tim. Also: He's through McHenry every Monday or Tuesday, and said if I had any questions or problems, he wouldn't mind stopping out to check on Jimmy's feet. Okay, okay, this is sounding too good to be true.... So I ask "What are your rates?" *gulp* Surprisingly, it wasn't bad at all and since I've seen his trim jobs and liked his vocabulary on the phone, I was willing to spring for him.

BOY am I glad I did!!! John has been telling me "He needs pads, he has no hoof. He needs pads. PUT PADS ON HIM IF YOU CAN" and I have been trying to take the easy way out. What did we learn last April from taking the easy way out for months? OH YEAH. That when you pay the money for diagnostic work, it comes back with stuff you should've fixed months ago. Ooops.

Tim told me what John had been telling me - VERBATIM. Soft sole, too sensitive, would definitely benefit from pads. Tim ALSO told me that Jimmy has no wall, his hoof is crumbling out from under him, and just from TOUCHING his toes with his fingers, he can tell that "this horse is so lame, I don't even have to put a tester on him."

Jimmy was terrified of Tim. He had fancy tools, a truck/trailer that made a lot of noise (propane to heat up the shoes) and most of all....he put a FAN BEHIND JIMMY'S BUTT. I thought that'd be the end-all right there. Jimmy's eyeballs just about popped all the way out of his head the entire hour+ that Tim was there. But, I'm extremely pleased with the workmanship, and John is too (I sent him a pic).
Jimmy has his feet packed with Hawthorne Sole Pack, a super-duty (and stylish!) orange rubber pad, and steel shoes put on the fronts. His hinds just got a trim.

Tim also let me know the things I can do to help Jimmy out - like putting him on biotin (Farrier's Friend or Horseshoer's Secret is what he suggested) and sealing his feet with something EVERY FEW DAYS to keep them nice and strong and hard when it's wet and moisturize them when it's dry.

The limestone area is currently under construction, so Thursday when it's ready, Jimmy will start to go back outside. Meanwhile, it's storming anyway, so he's stuck inside. Tough toots, Jim. His attitude is monumentally better already just from being inside a few days. I can't wait until he's better - I know it will be soon!!