Fairview Haven is dedicated to horses to rebuild & recover, allowing them to regain fluidity & motion
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Year round Boarding opening for small pony - Shetland size or 2 minis that can stall together when needed.
Small grass pasture with shelter, stall in barn when needed. Hay, water, 24/7 turn out - only stalled when weather dictates.
Heated tack room, bathroom for humans. Indoor arena, outdoor arena, wooded trails all at your disposal. No dry lot available.
PM for more details- serious inquiries only. I won’t respond to price please messages
Sooooo ....... I did a thing - another thing.....
Hank’s 1st field trip!! Nadia was a great steady companion for him!!
22 months of consistent trims
This guy has some crazy anatomy to take into consideration
1 year of consistent 4-5 week trims. History of navicular bone issues per radiographs and years of metal shoes. Owner is lightly riding on regular basis for the first time.
Other changes: changed boarding facilities where horse lives out 24/7 with a herd - not stalled at night. Diet consists of mainly hay & grass - supplements as needed.
Huge changes for this horse & owner.
Friends
Forage
Freedom
11 months transformation- lots of positive changes. I’m excited to see what the next year will do for this guy.
Please help me help you…..
If I trim for you I’m asking for some help. Flies and other bugs are a real thing this year; I’m not looking forward to August. Please clean your horses legs and hooves from mud, fly spray and if needed put a fan out - not for me; for the bugs. 🐛. I simply can not trim if they are pulling their feet to kick at flies & bugs. Towels or horsetail fly wisps also work well.
If I spend more time trimming than usual for that horse because of bugs, mud, non fly sprayed horses I will be charging for extra time on top of trim price.
Apple blossoms = happy ponies
6 months since shoe removal. Hoof capsule has made great changes. Horse has remained sound, not requiring boots & is ridden several times a week.
All of this!!!🙌🙌🙌 I don’t feel the need to reword what Kendra Skorstad has said. She is spot on with every ounce. If I trim your horse and struggle with them holding their feet - this post applies to you.
Let’s work out what the horse needs to make it easier. And then let’s think about how that will apply to the rest of horses life. Things in general might become easier!!
This topic rolls around my head all the time. The more horses I get under, the more I understand equine behavior and their body, the more I am convinced I don’t need to be stronger. Hear me out.
I am 5’6” and 125 lbs. I am a strong and fit person, with limits. Like most people, we all have limits to what our bodies can handle. Working with a 1000 lbs animal, has understandable limits. I have heard more than once, that the horse just needs “a strong man” to get under them and not have it be awful. That a man can “just hang on”. Just because that man can bear down and hold on, doesn’t mean it was any better for the horse than me being slung around. It just makes the human at the end of the lead feel better not seeing me slung around or struggle.
But here is the thing I know. Besides a handful of horses, very very few intentionally want to make it hard to hold a leg up. If they are struggling to stand well for the farrier, it almost always comes down to a few things. The following is said assuming that the farrier is truly a horse person and knows how to help your horse have a positive experience and adjust their approach when necessary.
1. Pain or fear of pain or altered sensation or awareness
2. A reduction in stability and appropriate loading patterns
3. Lack of understanding
4. Lack of emotional agility
As I primarily work with performance horses, I most commonly see 1 and 2. Yet, no performance problems are noted and an obvious head nodding lameness isn’t always present.
It’s tough because I know about how the body and nervous system works and equine behavior more than most farriers, more than a lot of horse people. I understand gait patterns and muscle development. I can feel your horse’s body every time I pick up a hoof. I have picked up 100s of 1000s of hooves (no joke, I did the math, it’s well over 150,000 hooves). Every single one of them is attached to a leg, attached to a horse. I have felt the bodies of so so many horses in every stage of life, from pasture puffs to Olympic level dressage horses and in many different compensation patterns, with all sorts of aches and pains from arthritis and other diseases. I know what a healthy body has the potential to feel like when I pick up a leg. I know what is possible for hoof care when the body is functioning well. I also know the possibilities of what a body will feel like that is struggling with nerve compression in the shoulders, hock arthritis, kissing spine, DSLD, Etc.
If a horse can’t relax, shift its weight, engage it’s core, lift a leg and keep it there, there is work to do to help the horse. Inherently, horses want to stay vertical and eyes level with the horizon to protect their spine, it is imperative to their survival. If they aren’t doing this, there is work to do to help the horse.
I know it can be an uncomfortable topic, especially when nothing seems wrong otherwise with the horse. It’s easier to blame the other human than take a look at the horse in front of us and truly listen.
I can also acknowledge that my approach isn’t right for every horse. I am not saying every visit with every horse needs to be perfect. But I know horses. I know what they feel like and I understand what they are telling us. If I don’t know, I will be the first to say it. I know the potential that exists in every interaction when we listen.
I don’t need to be stronger. I don’t need to hang on. I don’t need to be a man. We need to listen to what the horse is telling us. They don’t tend to be disingenuous with what they are saying. I will always seek to find a way to make hoof care easier and more relaxing for the horse and if I can’t find a way, we really need to look deeper at the horse and see what answers we can find.
Can we stop misinterpreting their behavior and take a deeper look?
Can we stop trying to out muscle and strong arm?
Can we collaborate more for the horse?
Can we start to recognize the subtle changes?
Can we get softer and listen?
Warm pony = snuggly kitty
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Trailer loading practice on a rainy day. 9 horses in total - I’m proud to say there were no issues. Some Self loaded, some needed guidance. Everyone walked in and out in relaxation!!
The red’s waiting for the swimming pool and Cabarona Boy to bring them warm weather snacks.
Best toy ever - large dog rope. These 2 go all day like this.
Ace & Hank playing with dog rope - something they can’t break immediately
8 months and the feet are getting stronger and healthy!!
Warm & Sunny games
Mare play time. Bea keeps the thoroughbreds in line
Mare play
Gelding play time after a good roll to dry off.
All Star Soccer Player
This guy came out of shoes 7 months ago. Lots of healthy internal changes in feet. He has been fortunate to not need therapy boots so far……
Top photos are 2 weeks post shoe removal - May 8. Bottom pictures are 3 trims into barefoot. Look how the caudal foot is expanding and depth starting to develop. This guy has been sound and not using any boots.
Top photos are 2 weeks post shoe removal - May 8. Bottom pictures are 3 trims into barefoot. Look how the caudal foot is expanding and depth starting to develop. This guy has been sound and not using any boots.
Spicy Ponies
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