Of Bare Feet, Bounce Castles, and Keratex

Wizard’s wintertime barefoot transition timeline:

Friday, 12/18/09: Shoes removed. Ground was frozen and Wizard was footsore. I felt awful that I did not pull them sooner when the ground was softer. Keratex Hoof Hardener applied when possible.

Saturday, 12/19/09: In a fortunate (for Wizard!) turn of events, we got well over a foot of snow. The snow seemed to make his feet more comfortable, as well as cushion him as his feet got used to being bare again (he was barefoot for a few years before I started riding him but he has very thin soles). I walked him in the indoor arena for a few minutes and he was sore but willing to walk a little bit.

Monday, 12/21/09: After being stalled during the big snowstorm, Wizard was perfectly comfortable on the snow and romped and played.

By Wednesday, 12/23/09, Wizard was more comfortable on hard and soft footing. The combination of the Keratex and the soft support of the snow seemed to help things along.

I shot these little videos on Saturday, 12/26/09. Seeing Wizard comfortably romp in the indoor arena reminded me of my nieces playing in their inflatable bounce castle on Christmas Day. Foot crisis averted!