Volunteering at a Clinic & Cody Hits the Trail

Last Saturday, Guinness & Smokey "volunteered" as practice horses Gene Ovnicek's Natural Balance Hoofcare clinic held at Canterbury Farm.

They both handled the experience very well. Smokey stood like a champ without being held or tied while three ladies doted on his feet.

Guinness wasn't quite as patient! I held him and kept him distracted while three other folks focused on his hooves - which Gene pronounced "great feet"!

They wound up standing a total of about 3 hours - and Guinness only got cranky the last 15 minutes or so. We got through it and I think that it was a great learning experience for him. Nothing hurt him and he had to exercise some patience in an unusual environment.

Last Monday, Cody and I went for a ride on the New River Trail at Foster Falls with some friends and my son (on his bike). It was a gorgeous day and we spent about 4 hours moseying down the trail and back.

On the way back, we took Cody & Gandalf down to the river to cool off. Neither horse has ever seen so much water. They barged right in and began to splash. Gandalf acted as though he wanted to roll, so we took the tack off of both horses.

Neither one rolled, so when we got bored we tacked back up and walked back toward the trail. Suddenly, Gandalf dropped to his knees and then rolled completely over - crushing his owner's new thermos and denting her helmet. Fortunately, she was using a "soft saddle" and it wasn't harmed. Cody also dropped and started to roll but I caught him before he smashed my saddle! Silly boys.

We walked back to the parking area and ate lunch. Cody discovered that his new favorite treat is peanut butter & honey on whole wheat bread. ;-)

We loaded back onto Gandalf's trailer and headed home.

All in all, Cody was very alert but didn't spook or balk at all on the trail. He started out stiff on his front legs due to his ringbone, but seemed to warm up over time. He never seemed to be sore. We all had a great time and hope to do it again soon!