The good news: Mathilda is getting stronger.
The bad news: so is her willfulness.
The blacksmith was here on Tuesday. Just because she could hold her own weight didn’t mean she wanted to. She was on her worst behavior for shoeing since her injury. We finally had a kerfuffle that sent the people running for cover and convinced the mare to fly straight for the remaining feet.
As he left, my blacksmith warned me to be careful working with her. He is not a worrisome sort. Perhaps I should listen to him. New barn rule: No one picks up Mathilda’s feet unless the other person is there. That means picking out, painting unguents on the sole, or putting on booties.
It’s one of those low-risk, high-outcome situations. It’s very unlikely that anything would happen. However, if it were to go bad, it’s likely to go bad suddenly and in unexpected directions. Even before she got wobbly, she had proven her lack of natural grace. Granted that just my opinion, but I’m the one she landed on [Helmet Evangelism]. I’m not worried. Just establishing good habits.
Do you have any barn-specific safety rules?
Virtual Brush Box 