Puttering Around – Heel Scalping, House Renovating, and Life Changes

Last night, my trailer sold. I put a relative minimum of effort into advertising, listed it at a really good price, and answered 2-3 emails a day for the last 3 weeks. Last night, a young woman about my age came over, and saw all its virtues and its vices clearly. She was nice and cheerful and has a young Thoroughbred mare that she’s starting to event. It will be her first trailer.

I am really, really sad, because for a long time that was mine, my ticket to the world beyond, a thing that I loved and slaved over and angsted over and took pride in. But: it is going to exactly the right kind of home, and I realize it is ridiculous to be sentimental about “the right home” for a piece of farm machinery, but I am much happier with this than I would be if it had gone to be someone’s utility trailer or left to rust out on the hill.

The money will go into Tristan’s emergency fund and to start a seed fund for a new trailer, someday. I might take some of it and install a gooseneck hitch on my truck, as I have the possibility of borrowing a gooseneck rig should I want to haul out places.

Not much else exciting to report. Tristan scalped his RH sometime last week, and you’d think that a horse would only be so idiotic/athletic/talented to do such a thing once – but you’d be wrong.

He kept opening it again and again. Each time I went out it would be pouring more blood and covered in a thick layer of shavings dust, no matter what I did to cover it up: Corona, Swat, Alushield.

Hannah was up this weekend and I put her to work mercilessly both in my house and at the barn and after a lot of back and forth as we stared at his foot and marveled that he was still knocking it (seriously, HOW?), I suggested Wonder Dust. It’s not my favorite, but a thorough re-read of the label did say that a) it was ok to use on open cuts and b) it would work as a styric, aka a blood-clotter.

We were both deeply ambivalent, having mostly used it as a preventative for proud flesh, but I squirted some on, covered it in AluShield, and crossed fingers.

Aaaaaand…it worked! The next evening I went out and wiped off a clean, non-bloody heel that was showing evidence of healing around the edges. I think we’re in for the long haul, as it is both circular and large, and neither of those things suggests quick healing, but it’s at least on the mend now.

I haven’t yet put him back on the longe to test soundness – I’ve been so busy with everything, I have no time to really ride anyway – but I will probably do that tonight or tomorrow.

We’ve also turned the corner with his white line & thrush problems, and his hooves are firming up and growing cleanly again. We’re having some communication issues with the new farrier, which I’m not thrilled about, so I’ve been using a rasp to back his toes off a bit and help him out so he doesn’t stretch the white line further.

We had a good weekend of dog-tiring and drinking and eating delicious things and working on the house. Huge, huge progress on lots of projects in the last few days, and today is a holiday for me so I’m going to plow ahead on a few more.