Horse Boots for a draft?

Those of you who have read this blog for a while know of Rachaels feet.  They are just weak,  and I have to have her in shoes to do any real work or rides.  Even the last trail ride I went on was too much for her to handle barefoot.  Shoes are great, but they are very expensive, and I'm not sure the holes from the nails is really helping.

There have been countless times in the past few years, where I'll get a spur of the moment request for a horse ride, or a wagon ride, or something of that sort that I will have to decline because I am not able to get shoes on Rachael in time.  When this happens, I always find myself thinking:  "I wish I had some boots for her that I could just slip on when I want to, but then take off to put her back out into the pasture.  I've done some reasearch before and found Easyboots (http://www.easycareinc.com/) and hoofwings (http://www.hoofwings.com/).  I am typically the type of person who wants to see a new product before I gamble on it.  I found that the easyboots come mostly in normal horse sizes, and the hoofwings are completely custom and pricey.  I've never been convinced enough to take the plunge though and buy them.

I got asked to give some wagon rides to some kids for their Prom on April 13th.  Once again, I don't have shoes on Rachael, so I was going to have to get my shoer out here and pay for that.  Once again my thoughts were turned to how nice it would be to have boots. 

I am a member of a "draftndrive" yahoo group.  There are some amazing teamsters in this group, and I've learned a lot from them.  I presented the boot question to them, and got some great feetback.  One of the other members (Karen Garriot of The Princess Carriage in Arkansas) told me that she uses Easyboots on her drafts that she drives with.  She even has a video to show  how easy it is to put on the easyboots (Link Here).  She also has a blog entry on this topic HERE.  This encouraged me, so I did some more looking.  I did some measuring, and figureing, and here's what I found.

Rachael where's a size 7 shoe on her fronts.  Her front hooves are 7 3/4" wide.  I looked at the Easyboots, and found 3 types that could work.  The plain Easyboot, the Easyboot Epic, and the Easyboot Boa.  Of those, the plain Easyboot and Easyboot Epic had 7 3/4" as their Max size.  The boa was the biggest.  I liked the way the boot worked, and decided that I was going to gamble and buy a pair of size 8 Easyboot Boa's.

Yesterday they arrived.  The pic below is what they look like.  I got a pair of boots, removable gators for each (to help keep sand/mud/water out of the boots for those type of situations), a mesh carrying bag, and the instructions.  I was thrilled, and very impressed with the quality of the boots.

Boa Easyboots, Gaiters, and Mesh carry bag.

I had a rather busy day, so it was dark when I went out to try them on Rachael.  I was surprised at how easy it was to slip them on.  They were easy to tighten, and Rachael didn't have a problem at all standing in them.  I then walked her around for 15 minutes to see how they did.  She had no problems, and those shoes stayed put right where they were supposed to, although, it did look kind of silly to see a horse with tennis shoes on.  :)  I'm sure that will grow on me though.

Woo Hoo!  It looks like I may have found a way to save myself money, AND make myself and Rachael available for spur of the moment horse rides.  I'm going to try to hitch up this weekend and work Rachael in the shoes.  If they do as well on the road as they did just walking around last night, then this will be a great thing for me.  I'll get some pictures of her in them so you can see them better.

Taking the wheels off my International Harvestor #9 mower

Y'all might remember that I acquired an IH #9 mower last year.  I haven't really touched it in 6 months (Blog Entry Here).  I tried a few times since then to pull the wheels off, but to no avail.  I only had a gear puller, and the wheels were just big enough that when I started to get it tight, one of the 3 arms would pop off.  This lead to it sitting for quite a while.

Yesterday I was at the local hardware store, and I asked them if they had anything like that.  The clerk informed me that they didn't, but then added "You could probably rent one from O'Reilly's."  Why had I never thought of this.  Brilliant.  I went right over to O'Reilly's Auto Parts, and rented a big puller.

According to my Lynn Miller Book (The Horsedrawn Mower Book), it said to never apply heat.  Just use a puller and apply lots of penetrating oil.  He states that eventually, it will give way (cited his worst case of taking 3 days of constant pressure and penetrating oil).  I got the new puller on it, and cranked it tight.  To my surprise, none of the arms popped off.  It got real tight in a hurry.  I had been applying PB Blaster generously to it, and decided to leave it tight with pressure, and do a few jobs around the house.

One trick I should state that I did, was to use a nut between the puller and the axle.  The puller has a fine point on it, and the axle center also has a bump on it.  I put a nut between them to keep the puller centered on the axle as I tightened it.  And it did get tight!!  The nut smashed completely flat because of all the pressure being put on it.

I tightened bit by bit, and the axle seemed determined to stay frozen in place like it has been for who knows how long.  Then, as I gave it a turn, a small *POP* sounded, and to my surprise, I could see that there was a line now between the axle and the hub.  IT MOVED!  WOO HOO!

Puller and a breaker bar with 19mm socket.

If you look close (click on the picture) you'll see a bit of a gap between the wheel and the body of the mower.  It's slowly coming off.

It was NOT easy going after that.  This hub was hanging on for all it was worth.  It took another 15 minutes of hard turns before the hub was finally freed from the axle.  I was so excited.  Hurray!  I finally removed the wheel.  When the hub popped off, I saw why the wheel wasn't clicking like it was supposed to.  Grease had hardened and had frozen the tines in place.  They had then glued themselves to the wheel.  One wheel down ... one to go.

The bare axle.  A sight I was glad to see.

Here's the inside view of the hub and tines.  Two tines were stuck to the wheel.

Here's the wheel.  A very gunked up surface.

Now, usually once you have success doing something once, it's a walk in the park next time ... right?  WRONG!!!  The second wheel was a PAIN IN THE ASS!!!  (yes ... that's 3 exclamation points)

It all started off good.  But as the new nut smashed itself into the axle, it moved towards the key that was protruding a bit.  As it got tighter, it slid more and more, till the threads were grinding on the wheel key.  It was Very difficult to turn.  I'm going to section this second wheel into 2 categories ... What I Should Have Done, and What I did.

WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE:

I should have lined things up right, and applied lots of pressure and lots of PB Blaster.  When it got so hard to turn the breaker bar that I couldn't turn it anymore, I should have stopped, and allowed time for the PB Blaster to get in there and do it's job.  I should have waited it out a bit more, and been patient.

WHAT I DID:

With one wheel off, my mind was set that wheel #2 was coming off too.  When I couldn't turn the pry bar anymore, I held the prybar still, and used my foot and hand to rotate the wheel.  This kept tightening the puller, but it was very hard to do.  I did this over and over.  Then I noticed something bad.  the puller's center threaded piece was bending under such extreme pressure.  it was slipping to the side.  It was getting dark, and I was not happy.

I pulled the puller off, only to find that the nut between the puller and the axle had been smashed into none existence.  This then flattened the center threaded part of the puller into a completely flat surface.  Also, the center bar had a slight bend to it now.  I took it into the garage, tightened it into the vice. and put a ratchet on it.  I applied grease to the threads, and began to loosen it, and tighten it.  This was hard work, but it bent the rod back straight (well, straight enough).  I went out and tried to put it on the wheel again, but the flat surface on the puller would not stay centered on the axle.  Back into the garage and the vice, and I used a grinder to put a point on it.  I then got another nut that was sized right, and tried again.

It was dark by this time, and my brain decided that there was probably a better way to turn the wheel where I didn't have to hand onto it.  I got an old piece of pipe and stuck it on the ratchet handle.  I then started turning the wheel with the center threaded part of the puller centered on the axle.  it got tight, and tighter, and tighter.  I noticed the nut was being smashed to smithereens again, but this time the puller stayed centered.  I got excited, thinking that I was making headway, but still no movement of the wheel.  Things got so tight that I thought that the puller itself was going to explode somehow.  I kept turning the wheel though (which was much easier than moving the breaker bar)

You can see the pipe on a ratchet and the puller on straight.

Another view of the setup that got it to pop

Then ... it happened.  a big *POP* and the hub moved.  WOO HOO!  Oh man was I excited to hear that.  From there, I just kept turning the wheel.  It would get tighter, and tighter, and then ... *pop* ... it would give a little more.  It did that over and over until the hub was freed.  It was another 15 minutes of turning from the first pop till the hub was freed.  I was so glad to have the second wheel off.

On the second hub, one of the springs had broken completely in half.  As with the other side, the tines were stuck in place with 50 year old grease.  

These wheels were seriously stuck on this mower.  I'm very glad to have them off.  Now I can clean the surfaces all up, and get it back together.  Maybe there's a chance I could use it this year.  :)

Hooray!  Wheels are both off!!

Here's the wheels.  Now I can get them cleaned up and painted.

Here are the hubs and tines.  Gotta get these all cleaned up as well.

Now that this is done, hopefully I'll start working on this more frequently.  There is definitely a grin on this face.  :)



IH #9 Mower Page

Working Buck

The weather here has been FABULOUS!  60s with sunshine.  I'm in heaven.  Today was so nice that I was inspired to leave work early and spend some time working Buck.

If you recall, Buck is not trained to saddle or hitch yet.  He's 3 1/2, so its high time he learned.  I have finally realized that if I want to get out and enjoy some trail rides with my saddle club, I need to get Buck in shape so that I can ride him.

*DISCLAIMER*  - I am not someone who is good at breaking horses for saddle.  I have limited experience in working a horse that is hitch trained into saddle, but I've never started from scratch right into the saddle before.  The money I was going to use to send Buck to a professional, was gobbled up by a driveway project that is underway.  I decided that I'd do what I can.  I am crossing my fingers and hoping that I don't screw Buck up by trying this on my own.

Buck is an easy horse to catch.  He seems to like human interaction, so getting him in halter and ready to work is not a problem at all.  This is a great thing.  I tied Buck to a tree near the house, and started brushing and cleaning him.  It's shedding season right now, so I spent a lot of time just watching each stroke of the brush take off a layer of hair.  Buck seemed to love the attention, and was leaning his neck into each stroke.

Once cleaned up I did a few flexing exercises with him.  I basically had him flexing his neck on both sides and bringing his head to his shoulder.  He did well, and he seemed to switch into training mode right away.

After he did well there, I brought out the saddle.  Buck didn't seem to care about it.  I let him sniff the saddle blanket and he didn't care as I started rubbing down his neck with it.  I worked it into position on his back and he cocked a foot and was licking his lips.  I was very happy with this.  The saddle was a non-event as well.  He just stood there and let me throw it on his back.  It was nice!!  I left the girth very loose, and I rubbed it all over his belly as I attached it to see if he had any objections to that feeling.  No problems.

Saddle on.  Woo Hoo.

Once he was standing easy  I decided to tighten it up some.  Buck is my smallest horse, and so I had to get a hole punch and add some new holes to each of the straps.  The saddle I use is an Australian saddle, so it has 2 straps on each side of the saddle that must be adjusted.  I tightened it all up, then took buck on a nice stroll around the place so he could get used to feeling the saddle with a tight girth while he walks.  No problems from him here.

Buck didn't mind the saddle with a tight girth at all.

After this, I took turns on each side rocking the saddle side to side, and putting weight on the saddle, and stirrups.  We had to do this a bit while I corrected Buck and made him stand still when I did it.  His instinct was to move away from the weight.  With a good amount of praise, he soon figured out what I wanted and did it.

At this point, I decided it was time to introduce the bit.  I had a normal horse sized bridle I wanted to use for Buck, but I have learned that, just like his mother, even though he is 16 hands, he has a HUGE head.  I ended up having to use my big nylon bridle for him.  I put it on and he tonged it like crazy.  I then adjusted the sides so that I had a wrinkle or two on the sides of his mouth and he stopped tonguing it.  He just stood there.  I left him tied with it for 10 minutes or so, and he just stood there.  I was impressed.

Here he is with the bridle on.

Now is when the real work started.  I hooked up my 15 foot long lead rope, grabbed my carrot stick (training stick) and we went out in the open.  I started some basic desensitizing stuff, and he was loosey goosey.  Didn't get excited about anything.  I started to lunge him.

Buck has been lunged a tiny bit, so he kind of understands what I'm asking, but I learned a few things today using the carrot stick.  Buck was VERY sensitive to my position of that stick.  He wasn't scared of it, but the closer it was to him, the faster he ran away from it.  It took me a bit to realize this, and to keep the stick back so he'd stay relaxed and just do what I was asking.  I struggled at first with him always wanting to stop in the same position, but we worked through that.  Every time I lunge a horse at my house that doesn't know how, I think of how awesome it must be to have a round pen.  Sometimes my arm gets worn out from all the pressure I have to keep on to keep the horse moving in a circle around me.

Buck stood very well after all that lunging.

It was now that I worked on the saddle again.  I shook it, and put weight in the stirrups on either side till Buck stopped worrying about it.  Then, I did it.  I got up on him.  He was OK with it.  His ears were back and he was very unsure about why I was on his back, but once he heard me reassuring him, and rubbing his neck, he calmed right back down.  I sat on him for a while, making sure that he was OK with it. 

I tell ya, when sitting on him, I just wanted to grab those reigns and head off on a ride.  I had to keep reminding myself that at this point, Buck does not know what the lines are for, and that a ride like that may do more harm to him and me than good.  :)  After I sat on him a bit, I started to get on and off on either side of him.  At first he was a little hesitant.  In fact, the next time I hopped in the saddle he started pacing side to side before I could get my feet in the stirrups.  It's amazing how you can be scared, but project a completely calm and reassuring voice to the horse.  I got on and off both sides a dozen or so times.  (my legs feel it!)

After that, I decided to see how he feels the bit.  I untied him and walked out into the open.  with the slightest pressure on the left side of the bit, he will flex his head all the way to his shoulder.  NICE!  I wish that was true for the right side.  When I applied pressure to the right side only, he threw his head back and got all nervous.  I worked little by little, releasing pressure as soon as he moved it a little and following that with praise.  It worked a bit, but I couldn't get him to ever give all of his head to me on the right side.  (it was at this point that I was very glad I didn't just try to ride ol Buck off into the sunset)  :)

Mr. Buck!  Very pleased with him.

I ended our training on this note.  He was happy to get the bridle and saddle removed, and once again loved the brushing of his neck.

I tell ya ... I'm not as confident and brave as I used to be a few years back.  Funny how the more you are around horses the more you realize and respect their power.  2 years ago, I would have had no fear of Buck at all and tried riding him the first day.  I'm a little more conscious now of the power these horses have.  I have no problem taking it slow.  I just hope I'm doing things right and am not going to mess Buck up somehow.

Great day!  So happy I took the day off and spent it with Buck.  He's going to be an awesome saddle horse!!!