The Repurposed Horse

Desensitization to the farrier shed is fun. I mean, doesn't that eye just look thrilled? Our pasture-boarded ponies all eat out of feed bags, so I borrowed one and forced  allowed Leo to eat his dinner in the farrier shed the other night. Mom. Mom. Moooom. LOOK. He was hyper-focused on this corner for some reason.  The forge is over there (the silver box), which is a main source of burnt smell during shoeing, so that may have been part of his apprehension.  Also the door being open, maybe? OMG MOM!!!! He would then turn back to stare at me with his crazy  totally chill giant bug eyes. Out..outside? We then ventured back outside, very carefully... Antelope much? And headed back to the barn to finish dinner.  Maybe not the most successful of ventures - he never really seemed to relax, and was too anxious to eat in a time-effective manner, but it definitely led to some fantastic photos of my pony's exceptionally expressive face. ...

So. Cute.  Sherlock is a 2004 model TB something.  He's not tattooed and not papered, so I guess we can call him grade, but rumor has it he's some sort of cross. His earlier days were spent as a fox hunter.  He's approximately 16.2 hh, absolutely adorable, and owned by an equally adorable 9 year old girl.  He spends most of his time being a saintly 2 ft packer, but his little girl's mom is always wanting him to do more.  We've been working him up to potentially show at 2'6 in a couple of the late fall shows, and in April I took him cross country schooling. please don't judge my eq too much in the following photos, I am fully aware that it leaves much to be desired!!! Scope much? As far as we know, he's never evented.  He's a pretty steady eddie most of the time, but he definitely has a 'go' button!  I'm super excited to see how he does at his (and my) first jumper show next Sunday! He's a bit awkward and uncoord...

Leo has had his feet done once since arriving at the barn. I was out of town, but from what I've heard, he is NOT a farrier favorite.  Which honestly isn't too surprising, considering the fact that he may have legitimately tried to injure my vet when she was out to give him vaccinations.  So, because his feet are due for shoes in a couple weeks, we spent some quality time in the farrier shed today.  The unsuspecting victim The destination. Truly, a terrifying place. And it SMELLS funny.  Straight bribery.  Leo is obsessed with these things.    Slow entry - letting him smell ALL of the THINGS and take his time. Looking around.  ARE YOU SURE IT'S SAFE IN HERE?! - Leo Such Saddlebred.  Much Giraffe.  aka the wild beast caught in crossties. Note scraggly mane Treats, you say?  For me???? Giraffe at rest.  NOTICE his mane.   Not done by any means, but better! Overall, it was pretty succ...