Shannon and I were were gone most of last week at a horse show in South Jordan. It's a different kind of show since it's held on a grass polo field. That means that the horses need special shoes with special holes that we screw special studs into. The studs keep them from slipping on the sometimes damp grass. Putting in studs involves a lot of leaning over, holding a hoof, studs, wrenches, wire brushes to clean out those little holes and tape to plug the holes when you take the studs out. Multitasking at it's best!
Sometimes you have to take a deep breath before you begin:
In the meantime, your horse is wanting to partake of the All-He-Can-Eat buffet of grass spread before him, so it's a 2 person job. One to hold the horse's head and one to so all the work. If you are unlucky, your horse wants to lean on you while you put the studs in. Rocko is too smart to try that one.
I'm lucky because Shannon takes full responsibility for stud insertions and I only had to do it once, where she wasn't there. She is very speedy about the whole process- much quicker than I am. Plus, her back is 22 years younger than mine. Sometimes by the end of the show horses figure out that it's much easier to rest their hoof on the ground and let their riders go at it from there:
The best feeling is taking those studs out for the last time, knowing that you won't have to break your back again- at least until the next grass show in August!
That's a lot of work!
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