Ziggy and I had a lovely long hack today with lots of cantering including one super fast canter up the sandy Golden Mile - probably only a quarter mile TBH but it's nice to pretend I am riding a Quarter Horse for a bit.
On the road home I thought he felt a bit uneven and wondered if he had tweaked a muscle cantering, but when I gave him a bit more rein he seemed to even out again so I didn't worry. We walked and trotted home on the road and then went into the field and I hopped off and found he had lost a boot!
Well you can imagine how I felt. Embarrassed - stupid - worried- cross! They cost £70 each!
I took him down to the shelter and checked the unbooted foot, which fortunately was not the foot that had the abscess last year. It was absolutely fine and so was he. I turned him out and went and got the dogs and off we went back to Farley Heath to look for Ziggy's boot.
To my amazement we found it, tucked neatly onto a grass verge by a helpful pedestrian. I wouldn't have seen it on the path, it was so muddy - the boot as well as the path - and I think it was mud that pulled it off. We lost it only 2 minutes before the lane, so he didn't have far to go uneven - and no stones, which is a blessing.
The boot itself seems undamaged. It came off at walk but perhaps the fast work had loosened it. It is an Easyboot Trail: he has an Easyboot Glove on the other foot. I knew I preferred the Glove because it seemed more secure, and now I know I was right!
On the road home I thought he felt a bit uneven and wondered if he had tweaked a muscle cantering, but when I gave him a bit more rein he seemed to even out again so I didn't worry. We walked and trotted home on the road and then went into the field and I hopped off and found he had lost a boot!
Well you can imagine how I felt. Embarrassed - stupid - worried- cross! They cost £70 each!
I took him down to the shelter and checked the unbooted foot, which fortunately was not the foot that had the abscess last year. It was absolutely fine and so was he. I turned him out and went and got the dogs and off we went back to Farley Heath to look for Ziggy's boot.
To my amazement we found it, tucked neatly onto a grass verge by a helpful pedestrian. I wouldn't have seen it on the path, it was so muddy - the boot as well as the path - and I think it was mud that pulled it off. We lost it only 2 minutes before the lane, so he didn't have far to go uneven - and no stones, which is a blessing.
The boot itself seems undamaged. It came off at walk but perhaps the fast work had loosened it. It is an Easyboot Trail: he has an Easyboot Glove on the other foot. I knew I preferred the Glove because it seemed more secure, and now I know I was right!