This newsletter
is a personal letter from me to you, a fellow horse owner and enthusiast.
My goal is to answer some of your questions and send you interesting stories and
helpful tips for your horse care, training, and riding.
I always
figure that the best holiday gift I can give you is to spend my time answering
as many Ask-Cherry questions as possible. I'll choose some for this newsletter
that I think will be of interest to more than just the writer. And I will personally
answer as many others as I can between now and Christmas. Have a warm and happy
holiday season!
How long can I wait
before trimming a yearling's hooves? Hello Cherry, I
have a one year old filly, who is really quite a joy to have around the yard.
She has had very little work, but she is still very friendly. However, she has
never had her feet worked on. My question is this, will it hurt her if I do not
trim her hooves until I can get her trained to let me lift her feet? Or should
I try and hurry this lesson along? I work with her for about 30 minutes a day,
but as I say, she is a year old, and not had much work done. I have only had her
for about 1 month, so I am not sure if I need to be worried or not.
Thanks,
Spring Dear
Spring, It is past time for your filly to have her hooves trimmed. Most
foals require some rasping of their hooves for balance while they are still nursing
and then should have regular farrier care every 6-8 weeks from weaning on. Make
the leg and hoof handling lessons your priority with this filly. Refer to the
ground training and hoof care articles posted on the Horse
Information Roundup as well as the articles and photos related to Sherlock
posted there too and read How
to Think Like a Horse. I've also asked my husband, Richard Klimesh to
answer your question from a farrier's viewpoint. 
Dear
Spring, Without seeing your filly, it is impossible to say whether she will
be harmed by not having her hooves trimmed. In order for a horse to have the best
chance of developing sound legs, it is important that their hooves be kept balanced
from the time they begin walking. Some young horses, especially those that get
plenty of exercise on dry ground, might maintain balanced hooves on their own.
But most horses need some trimming or rasping in order to keep their feet balanced. It
would be best if you hired a professional farrier to come out and look at your
filly's feet as soon as possible. Even if your filly is not ready to have her
hooves trimmed, the farrier can tell you if you need to be concerned about the
condition of her hooves. He might also give you some pointers on getting the most
out of your leg handling training sessions.  Richard
Klimesh, AFJ CJF #605
How
can I make my horse last forever??!!Dear Cherry, I've
recently purchased a 12 year old gelding who I just love and want him to last
forever. I'm so worried that something I do will cause him to die early. I've
read that you have older horses and wonder if you can give me some tips. Thanks
so much, Brianna Hi Brianna, I have 3 seniors (and more
on the way!): Zinger, a 30 year old QH mare still in work Sassy, a
29 year old QH mare retired from many years of riding and many foals. Zipper,
a 20 year old gelding still in work (in his prime?!) I've raised all of
these horses from birth or weaning and here is my list of horse care and horsekeeping
tips for longevity. Read more about these topics in the articles on the Horse
Information Roundup or in my books: 2. Feed low
amount of grain 3. Feed high
quality hay. 4. Feed at ground
level on clean rubber mats; use psyllium monthly. 7. Deworm 6 times
a year. 8. Monitor pasture grazing
carefully.
Best
Regards,
Where can I
learn about raising a foal? Hello Cherry, I
have just bought a 6 month old QH. This is my first baby horse. Do you have any
books or articles about training a foal? Thank you
Kayla
Hi Kayla, Here is the best way to find what you want on our website:
On the home page, www.horsekeeping.com at the bottom of the left column,
click on "Site Map". On the left side a purple menu will appear.
Choose the topic you are interested in. In this case, click on "Foal
Training" and you will see another box open to the right with book and video
titles and a link to articles on the subject. Click on the item you want to check
out further and you will be taken to the page that has the articles or the books
or videos you want.
What are complete
feed wafers?Dear Cherry, In the October Horsekeeping
Newsletter you refer to complete feed wafers. What are they and where do I find
them? Kathleen Hi Kathleen, Complete feed
wafers are processed and compressed hay, grain, and supplements. Pellets are the
small versions; wafers are a larger version and can be round or flat - about 1/2-1
inch thick and about 1-2 inches long. They are the shape and size of a horse treat.
I add a handful of these to the grain ration of eager eaters to slow them down
because they have to chew rather than gulp. Most feed companies manufacture a
product like this.
Read
all of the articles on horse training and care at Cherry
Hill's Horse Information Roundup.
From now until Christmas 2004, receive free books with orders
over $75 (amounts refer to merchandise total, not including shipping). Free
books are automatically added to your package, no additional shipping will be
charged. Combine orders from all categories to qualify for
free books - books, videos, tack, collectibles, and sculptures.
We will be adding new items to the collectible page every week from now until
Christmas - old books make fantastic Christmas gifts.
 Orders
from $75 to $99 receive your choice of Tack
Care and Cleaning or Buying
and Selling a Horse. Indicate your choice in the comment section of your order.
If you don't indicate, we will choose for you.
Orders
between $100 and $149 receive BOTH Tack Care and Cleaning AND Buying and Selling
a Horse.
Orders
between $150 and $199 receive your choice of From
the Center of the Ring OR Horse
for Sale. Indicate your choice in the comment section of your order. If you
don't indicate, we will choose for you.
Orders
of $200 to $250 receive free BOTH From the Center of the Ring AND Horse for Sale.
All
orders over $250 receive all 4 books free:
Tack Care and Cleaning
Buying and Selling a Horse
From
the Center of the Ring
Horse for Sale.
That's
it for this month.
Warm holiday greetings to you and your families and horses!
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