Hoofin' It

This past October, Speedy hooked his hoof on something, tearing the hoof capsule away from the coronary band in the process. I've shared quite a few updates along the way (click here, here, here, here, and here). 

Just after Thanksgiving, my vet gave Speedy the all clear. While the injury site has long been healed, the hoof still needs to grow out. Right now, the undamaged portion of the hoof below the crack is not connected to the new growth that has appeared over the past three months.

For now, the hoof is pretty stable, and Speedy is working on it just fine. As it continues to grow out, I'll need to keep my eye on it, especially after the next two trims. As the damaged portion reaches the ground, it might begin to chip away, leaving Speedy with an unsupported hoof.

I don't think that is going to happen though. For now, he and I are back to work. Just this week we started dipping our toes back into the Second Level pool. We've worked on the shoulder in and rein back, and done a bit of collected canter. I haven't quite asked for a walk to canter yet, but he offered to try on Tuesday.

As long as the hoof holds, we should be ready for a show in March. I've sure missed riding him!