December 24, 2012

Feathers and Winter

Running my hands down my horse's legs has always been a part of my routine.  I'm also really good at the visual run-down - feeding 50 head in the mornings before college will do that to you - but I'm finding that to be a completely invaluable tool with a drafty, hairy pony in the winter that triggers lots of false alarms.  Draft people must have their hands on their horses legs constantly.  Consider:

After a quick visual run-down, I thought I saw the beginnings of a splint.  In this photo, I was looking even with the grey of his hind hoof on the foreleg.  Running my hands down it proved that it was just an excess of coarse hair that got ruffled, making it look like a splint.
His feathers curl around the back of his leg, and when he's cold they're ruffled to where they can look like they are hiding a bowed tendon...

...but rearranging the feathers and running my hands down his legs proved that they were cold and tight, as always.
Finally, here's a gratuitous cute icy pony muzzle photo:

Like it or not, winter is here for the first time in two years, time to adjust and make the most of it!


  1. Shy's legs and feather is the same! I always check her legs, too. Cute muzzle photo!

  2. I feel your pain! And don't get me started on the tiny clods of mud which hide right down at skin level, pretending to be scabs!

  3. I think I'd have to clip that all right off before I took him to a show! Are you planning on leaving it on, is it traditional for his breed?

  4. Enjoy your holidays and stay safe!

  5. Haha next time I think hues legs are hairy ill remember the little cob :)