HAPPY HOOVES!

I hope you can pick up your pony's feet. I don't mind Amanda picking my feet up. I was well trained and I trust her and know she's not going to jab me with the hoof pick or drop my foot down on the ground with a clunk. I like to have my hooves picked out every day and before and after I get ridden. A stone can get caught in my hoof and cause me a nasty bruise.

In the summer months when the weather is warm my feet grow quickly and I like to have them trimmed about every 6 weeks. If my feet get too long it forces me to stand and walk at an uncomfortable angle which puts strain on my legs and tendons. If you notice that your pony doesn't like moving forward and is grumpy or stumbling a lot make sure you check his feet.

I also love hoof dressing to keep my feet moist so they don't chip and crack. After my hoof has been picked and brushed out and is clean and dry Amanda takes a brush and spreads the dressing all over the bottom of my hoof, massages it into the bulb on the back of my hoof and then after she has placed my foot back on the ground she rubs some into my coronary band (the top border of my hoof just below the hair) and on the outside. She doesn't worry if the dust sticks to it because she knows it's good for my feet.

A NICE CLEAN STALL

I love a nice clean stall with lots of soft bedding. It feels so good to lie down for a good snooze after a day of working and playing hard. It especially helps me in the winter if it's cold. If I have to lay down or a cold floor it makes my muscles sore and it's hard for me to stay warm no matter how much I shiver. If I'm cold and shivering I need a lot more food too. Sometimes with my thick winter coat you can't tell I'm losing weight. Make sure you push your fingers into my long coat often to feel my sides and withers to make sure I'm getting enough food.

To clean my stall you'll want a wheel barrow or large muck bucket with handles, a pitch fork, stall picker (a plastic fork for sifting bedding), scoop shovel and broom.

1. Pick up all of the soiled bedding and manure and throw it in your wheel barrow or bucket. For straw, the pitchfork works best. For shavings the stall picker works best. Put the good bedding to the side so you can see all of the wet and soiled spots. Make sure you dig deep enough to remove all of the wet bedding.

2. If the stall floor is very wet and your pony is outside you might want to let it dry a bit before putting new bedding down.

3. Replace the bedding you removed with fresh. Use enough for your pony to be comfortable. Put a little extra in the corners and along the walls so if your pony rolls he will be less likely to get stuck half way over. Not a very comfortable place to be!

4. Use the broom to sweep and tidy the aisle. Make sure to put all of your tools back where they belong. They should be hung carefully with the tine facing the wall and up and out of the way.

COOLING OUT

If I've worked very hard and am sweaty and hot I need to be properly cooled out or I could get very sick. Here's hoe to do it:

1. Keep me walking by leading or riding me. It feels good to me to get my saddle off so I can dry underneath where the pad was. So - if you ride me for most of the cooling period why not walk me for the last part to get my back dry.

2. Even though I may want to don't let me gulp down cold water. You may let me take a couple of swallows every few minutes as you're walking me. Have a bucket of not too cold water nearby and every every other time we walk by you can let me have a little. If I gulp a lot of water while I'm still hot I could get very ill. I could get colic (bad stomach cramps) or my hooves could founder which would cripple me.

3. If the weather is cold or cool and windy you may put a cooling sheet on me I am walking but don't put it on me in hot weather. I'm already hot and it could make me hotter. Also if you put a heavy winter blanket on me while I am still wet it will get wet and clammy and could give me a chill. Wait until I'm completely dry to blanket me.

4. If I am muddy and wet after a summer ride I really love a sponge bath of lukewarm water. You can use the sweat scraper to get a lot of the water off but be sure to get me walking again right away until I'm totally cool.

5. I am cooled down yet? Check for these things:

• Is my breathing normal or am I huffing and puffing?
• Feel my chest. Is it hot?
• Am I still wet anywhere?
• Are any of my veins standing out more than normal?

6. If everything is back to normal then I'm already to go back to my stall or pasture!

I LOVE BRUSHING!

Boy do I love a good brushing. They say it's so healthy for me it's worth a pound of grain ! Here's what you need to give me a good grooming from head to hoof:

• A Hoof Pick: A simple metal one with a not too sharp point is just fine. Don't ever use anything else like a screwdriver or knife. It my slip and give me a nasty poke or cut.
• A Hoof Brush: A small stiff brush that you use to clean the last bits of dirt out of my feat. You can buy hoof picks that have a brush on the end. Sometimes they're a little more awkward to handle but the fact that you don't have to reach over for another tool is pretty nice.
• A Dandy Brush ( it's a stiff brush made with fiber or nylon bristles): This is good for removing heavy dirt.
• A Body Brush : The body brush is a softer brush with short bristles
• Curry Comb: Use a rubber or plastic one on me. The metal ones are sharp and can hurt my skin. You may use a metal one called a shedding comb very gently to help me lose my winter coat in the spring if you'd like. It's also good for cleaning the body brush by running the bristles across it. I especially like the new round soft rubber curry combs with little rubber fingers. They give me a nice massage and the dirt and hair drops right out them with a little bang against a nearby fence post or stable wall.
• Sponges: Have a couple of nice clean sponges for gently cleaning my tender spots, like my lips, eyes and nose. You'll want a big sponge too for when I get to have a really nice bath. Make sure my sponges are always clean and don't use harsh soaps or detergents they will burn my skin and make me itch. A little of my horse shampoo will do the trick.
• Mane Comb: Most of the time you should just carefully pick out my mane with your fingers. If you want to use a comb use a plastic one and comb gently. Only use a metal comb if you are trying to thin my mane. It will break a lot of my hairs off.
• Towel: A towel is good for removing stains and giving me a nice final rub down after grooming. This will give my coat a nice polish.
• Water Brush: This can be a plastic scrub brush to use for wetting my main and tail and scrubbing stains. But please be gentle!

Now that you have what you need for my grooming let's get started !

• First give me a good massage with the cuurry comb to bring the dirt to the surface. Use it on my large body parts but not on my bony areas like my legs and joints ort will hurt. You can see if I like it or not by the ways I try to tell you. If it feels good I'll be happy and relaxed with my ears forward or flicking back and forth to listen to you. I might even rest my weight on one hind leg. If you're rubbing to hard or so light it tickles I'll probably switch my tail and lay my ears back.
• Next take the dandy brush and brush with flicking motions in the directions of the hair to get the dirt off my coat. Again, be careful with the stiff brush on my bony parts so you don't hurt me.
• After a good brushing with the dandy brush I'm ready for the bodybrush. it's a nice soft brush which feels good to me and spreads the oils around my coat to keep it heahy and shiny. Make sure you are brushing the direction of my hair and with a firm enough motion so you don't tickle me. If you tickle me I might think your're a fly and try to kick or bite at the spot.
• Check if I'm clean by ruubbing a few hairs backwartds with your fingers on my rump. If I'm still dirty you need to do more currying and brushing.
• When I'm all clean give me a nice rubdown with a clean towel. Don't forget to pick out my mane and tail with your fingers to remove any dirt or tangles. Using a metal comb will break the hairs. You may use a large tooth plastic comb if you're very careful and start at the bottom and work your way up.
• Use the sponges and some luke warm warm water to gently wipe around my eyes and nostrils. If you have a very small soft face brush you may brush my face andcheeks carefully. Never use a stiff brush around my face.
• Finally use the hoof pick to carefully clean any dirt or rocks from the bottom of my feet. Always use a hoof pick. Any other sharp objects might jab and injure me. After using the hoof pick give the bottom of my feet a good brushing with the hoof brush. This is a good time to rub a hoof moisturizers into the soles of my feet. Make sure you get in the cracks and up around the bulb on the back of my hoof. After gently putting down my hoof rub some moisturrizer into the coronary band (the line just under the hair) and on the outer hoof wall.This will help keep my feet from getting dry and cracked. RETURN TO TOP

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