Pedicure day!

Magic’s hooves look the healthiest the farrier had ever seen them, which is so gratifying. His #laminitis isn’t just being managed by our diet and exercise regime, he’s actually recovering from that disease that killed our other #horse in 2020 (and two others that lived on this property years before that). It’s workinnnng!

https://myshetland.co.uk/winter-or-summer-track/

Not sure what to do for the best. Where to put the Shetland ponies.

#myshetland #shetlandponies #shetland #tracks #laminitis

The old horse responded beautifully when I treated his #laminitis recently. It was great to see him go from barely able to move to running around with the donkeys again.

But he relapsed over the weekend. It’s common. Once your equine’s had laminitis they’re more likely to get it again. Still, with care they can go for long periods of being totally pain free. Sometimes it’s just a short period. It’s ok. Take whatever nature gives you and your #horse.

Back to icing his feet.

And he’s improving.

The hot throbbing pulse from the laminitis has abated, which is a good sign. Keeping up with icing Magic’s lower legs twice a day for the rest of the week to give him the best chance of recovery. The common advice about icing for just three days is bad according to the experts we know here and at Colorado State University.

We lost one #horse to #laminitis in 2020. It was indescribably grim and we really don’t want that to happen again. #horses

This is a composite open-toe shoe paired with soft DIM cushion which I used for a laminitis case. Correct shaping/finishing of the shoe and correct placement of the shoe & cushion are absolutely crucial with almost no margin for error, and have to be done according to x-rays. Laminitic horses really do suffer, the treatment is costly and takes lots of effort (and there is no guarantee a horse will survive it, btw!), so it is always a good idea to do everything possible to prevent a horse from becoming laminitic! Also keep in mind, what we see in the hooves of laminitic horses are symptoms of either poisoning or metabolic crisis. The hooves are not the cause/origin of this ailment! #hoof #hoofcare #farrier #horseshoe #laminitis #horse #Hufpflege #Huf #Hufrehe #Hufbeschlag
Tiddles’ Results

I am leaving this here and not writing much (my back is twinging). Just under two weeks ago, Tiddles’ resting insulin level was reported by the labs at over 300 (off the charts, apparently) w…

My Shetland

Some timely reassurance for any wee ones who might be concerned about the #health of Santa's #reindeer tonight.

I am comforted to know of the global #veterinary #support #network in place. 🥰

#Veterinarian #Elves #Logistics #Christmas #Laminitis #Carrots #Canada #Australia #NewZealand #Texas, #Illinois #Florida #Netherlands #UK

🍬 Lyra ate too many sugar cubes over the weekend and now has a week of #physicalTherapy #PT for short-term #laminitis 🙃
Why must we fall in #love? 🍬
Last post tonight.
I don’t have the typical big-flat-rectangle #garden. Beds do a great job with most plants, but I want to grow some sprawlers too - winter squash, summer squash, maybe a melon? So I’m thinking of spots where I can enrich the soil. I put some purple blobs in this photo to indicate places that might work.
The soil on my property, under the lawns, is not very fertile. It rains a lot here so the minerals get washed out of the soil. It’s generally fine silty stuff, but I know there’s a nasty clay bed a foot underground over by the strawberries. The whole area is very compacted and a lot of the green lawn is actually a scum of moss on hard pan.
I want to fix the soil. I want to fix *all* my soil, have it nourish all kinds of life here! And this is the next task: fixing some soil for sprawling summer plants.
I worked massive amounts of compost into the strawberry patch, and it’s coming along. I think I’ll just do the same for the purple marked spots - dig a big ass hole for the adult root system. Fill it with something like five parts original soil, five parts rough compost, and two parts perlite. Then I’ll leave them alone until warm-soil summer.
If the chickens are too destructive, I’ll cover the spots with a little chunk of chicken wire. I’d like to do the same with some spots for sunflowers and marigolds. For some reason I’ve grown an entire flat of marigolds.
It’s very chaotic. My adhd brain loves it. My autistic brain is delighted with this giant puzzle: how to #Regenerate my land by using my animals and working with the environment.
The meadow is in similar bad shape. The two lower spots have lush grass, but the two ridges have terrible, washed-out soil that barely supports scrubs and weeds. I want to regenerate that soil to make a proper meadow for my equines, even though their grazing will be very limited. They’ve both developed insulin resistance and they’ll only be able to graze at certain hours on certain days. Happy to post more about #laminitis if y’all want to hear.
The meadow needs a lot of organics to start with. I’m using a lot of my excess compost to cover a sort of hugelkultur terrace I’m making in the back, and after that ugliness is masked I’m going to spread excess compost in the meadow. Not sure what kind of grass and browse i want out there, and not sure how to make it happen, even on a little one acre meadow. I’ll figure it out as I go!