Foot update

Sounds like Daisy's red/pink spots on her hinds (and overall hoof condition) are from neglect - rather than laminitis! YAY!!

that means that with lots of TLC her hooves should get back into the condition that they should be.
Good news :)

More 'other' donk pics!!

A walking we will go....

Started Daisy on her walking last night. I need to do it everyday for her to get back in shape. Its a great opportunity to work on ground work too. Walked down the road & back, she was really good, especially since this was the first time that I took her out by myself & had to work the gate by myself ( I usually have someone to tag along). She did have a few 'donkey' moments. Mostly when the grass was on 'my' side & she wanted to bowl me over to get to it. That didn't happen though LOL. I think she's finding that I'm just as determined as her sometimes.

She's on a strict diet right now, I actually weigh her hay rations so that she gets the right/same amount every day. She has plenty of fresh clean water & I just replaced her mineral block. I could not find the other one, so she must have actually licked it/ate it! there for awhile it didn't seem like she used it at all.

Then we walked around the pasture for about 5-10 minutes. Working on 'whoa' and 'back up'. She still doesn't quite understand back up, but by the last time I asked her - the wait time for her reaction was significantly shorter. So she's getting it.

After that she was tied & got every hoof picked out & then a liberal application of 'hoofmaker', which is like a lotion for her hooves. Hopefully we'll see an improvement on the moisture front on the feets. :)

I think maybe next time we go out, I'll take the quickpod & snap some pics.

My trimmer said that she'll look amazing once she looses those fat pads & sheds out. I can't wait. although she might still have some fat left after shedding - my trimmer estimated that it could take 9 months or so to get her back in shape. You have to remember that for the last two years she didn't get to move much!

Hoof Trimming, Session 1

Daisy got trimmed this last Saturday. Overall she did a fantastic job. She only had a little tiff with the trimmer one time, and he was just cleaning her foot, not trimming yet!! LOL.

They did abrasive trimming on her, which is basically like an angle grinder. She was so good about all the noise, she didn't move at all.

her back feet are weird, they showed pink spots very quickly, he had hardly started on them. So we decided to stop & get some more advice on it & just wait for the next trim. She also has some flaring on the back feet, but really only on the inside, which is just weird. We're waiting to find out if maybe she foundered at one time, or is it just because she hadn't been trimmed since last fall. Also you have to add in that in her previous living situation she couldn't move much. Not good for foot health.

I'm hoping its the latter. I'm starting to take her on walks to work down her fat pads, my trimmer said that she does have significant fat pads & it might take 9 months or so to get them worked off. So walks it is, maybe some driving, or obstacle courses around the pasture.

She will definitely need multiple trimmings before her feet are right. She also moves well & doesn't indicate that she's in pain at all, and she doesn't lay down frequently.
They also said her hooves were fairly dry, so i need moisturize them a bit. I hosed her feet down that day, then went and picked up some 'hoofmaker' creme.

Here are some 'after pics'

Hooves, before

Straps almost fixed

Shortened & rebraided

daisy's new bridle

well the sides turned out way too long. I might try to re-braid them. the snap over the poll really helps alot!

I also ran out of green paracord - I was using the colors that I had on hand.

daisy'

Lol

Other saddle donkeys.........

Here are some good examples of some saddle donkeys.

Wearing a Saddle!!

 
 
 
 

Daisy's saddle came from my neighbor, who was very gracious & let me use it. I think its neat that my neighbor bought it over 20 years ago & its still in great shape. It's a Caruso Y Rossi saddle and was made in Argentina.

Wearing a saddle pad

Rigged this up last weekend, just so Daisy could get used to the feeling of a girth on her. It wasn't very tight, jut snug enough so the saddle pad didn't fall off.

I finally went out & got on Daisy. She did really well. she kept wanting to walk & since I haven't ridden bareback in a LONG time i kept asking her to stand still. LOL. She did stop a couple times & got rewarded. It was really neat finally getting to ride her. Kept it nice & short since we need to work up her muscles to carry a rider.

riding in a halter didn't really work, since when I pull back it pulls more on her neck than her face. I'm def going to make her a bridle that has a snap over the poll so it'll accommodate her ears.

so here it is, nothing spectacular, but my first time on her!!

Daisy wears a bridle!! YAY!

I went out & bridled Daisy. She was really accepting of the bit, took me awhile to get the headstall on her due to her ears. I'm seriously considering making her a custom bridle with a snap on the top. I think they call them 'ears friendly' bridles.

the bridle I used is 'horse size' but theres extra holes to make it smaller, with a copper mouth 5" D ring snaffle. She was really able to get a hold of that bit & chew on it a bit. I just let her carry it around a bit. Didn't ask her to do anything with it.

some videos of what you can do with donkeys!!

This is Njika, and she's a great example of how donkeys can be excellent mounts :)

back feet cleaning!

Last night I actually got to clean Daisy's back feet. Before I was just picking them up, but I finally got to clean them! which means I had to ask her to extend her foot further back, whereas when I was I was picking them up I was holding them more forward. She was very good, and I got them cleaned out pretty well.

another huge step for Daisy & I'm feeling confident that she'll do fine on her trim next weekend. :)

Rolling

If you're wondering what the Downy bottle is - it's a home made toy for her, she loves to grab it & shake it around ( it has a couple rocks in it). Theres another one on the ground that she grabs & scrapes on the ground. And a jolly ball :)

BTW, Daisy does lay down to sleep at night. I always wondered if she did, I've went out to her pen a couple time late at night & sure enough, she's laying down.

Lying down 6.19.09

Daisy's pen expansion!

We made Daisy's pen twice as big!

the flies have been driving Daisy nuts yesterday & today ( the heat maybe??), oh heck they're driving us nuts too! we had to put fly strips INSIDE the house. horrible huh?

So i ran outta fly spray, that stuff didn't work anyways, wont be buying that kind again. Bought a concentrate that will make a couple gallons, alot cheaper than the quart sized stuff. I mixed it up & sprayed her down nice & good.

I killed a HUGE fly on the patio - I'm sure those monsters have been out there harassing her too. I picked up an Arab sized fly mask, a bale of grass hay & the flyspray. The arab size mask was HUGE! I had to take it back. I damn near measured every mask smaller than that in the store. Oh the joy of trying to get fly masks back into their boxes. I bought two more & returned the arab sized one. I got two pony sized masks - each in a different brand. the cheaper brand fit her the best. As you can see it's not a perfect fit, but anything to keep those flies off of her face.

She actually rubbed a raw spot under her eyes becuase they were bothering her so much. So i knew i had to get a mask on her ASAP. I wiped her eyes with a damp cloth to clean them up a bit. And put her mask on. I think she could really care less. LOL

She has cool 'shades' now that keep the flies off of her, keeps the sun out a bit & keeps dirt & other crud out.

Foot work

I've been making progress with Daisy's feet. Monday I picked up her rear feet for the first time! It was so awesome. After the first one my heart was beating so fast from the excitement that I had to calm myself down so I could pick up the other one. She was so willing, she suprised me, she didn't do her normal 'jerk' reaction where she tries to pick up her foot really quickly. It was just nice & soft. I held it for maybe ten seconds or so then let her have it back. Then it was hugs, kisses, and praise galore!!

I picked them Tuesday too, and held them a little bit longer. She was still good about it.

this is such a huge hurdle for us!! Its amazing after you start working with those feet the rear end starts to be less intimidating!! I even called a gal up in GV to come and trim her feet on the 27th. I'm definitely going to be taking a lot of pictures. I want to get good before & afters of her feet. Her heels have grown out quite a bit & look very strange. It will be nice to get her on a regular trimming schedule. From what her last owner told me she hasn't been trimmed since last fall!! She definitely needs it.

I've won a girth for her on Ebay. I really hope it fits, it should, if I measured correctly ( yes I did put the saddle on, then measured :) ). I also ordered a crupper, since I know that is a must with my wither-less donkey.

so hopefully that will mean lots of pics of Daisy all tacked up. Planning on using the saddle as a training tool too for ground driving.

I might even try to the bridle on her this weekend. I really haven't made a decision if I'm going to use a bit on her or not. I guess I'll have to wait & see how she deals with it. My other option is a rope halter that has rings on the cheeks so it's like a side-pull.

DONT EAT THE TREES!!

I know it probably is pointless, but if I'm out there i get after Daisy
trying to eat my little trees. My BF happened to catch a pic! LOL

how's my donkey body language???

oh ya, check out the outfit, muck boots with shorts. ya I'm cool

fun times.