end of an era

Alternate Title #1: Wrong side of the tracks

Alternate Title #2: Charlie is a hot mess, but we still love him!

morning glory!

For real tho, brace yo'self for yet another 24pic dump about not a whole heckuva lot going on lol...

intermission michael

Basically 4 random chapters to this story ----- none of which really make for a complete meal, so feel free to browse and snack as you like LOL...

1) Wound updates

2) Grooming updates

3) Farriery updates

4) Riding updates

spoiler alert: current status

Just to throw a bone, tho, let's start with the end: the latest shot of Charlie all cleaned up, plus a few new additional dings and dents. Homeboy lost his first shoe in more than 2yrs, womp. Managed to add a little slice to his RH coronet band in the melee whoops (hard to see in the pic but it's there).

i know y'all are tired of this view. i promise i am too!

Ok. Back onto chronological order: Wound updates! I got really paranoid on the 12th bc I smelled infection, but I actually think it was just the little skin flap from Episode #2 rotting off (thus that quarter-sized circular wound) and not anything brewing within the wounds themselves.

everyone goes through an ugly stage, ok? 

It got a little ugly for a day, but I kinda just let it sit. I'm the type of person who likes to pick at things... but I'm trying to limit my scrubs of this wound to only every few days.

this is the face of a horse who knows what that step ladder means

Meanwhile. Chapter 2: Grooming Updates. In Emma's world, lame horses can be ugly horses too, thank you very much. And thus we take this opportunity to lay waste to Charlie's beautiful mane yet again. 

my masterpiece 

Legit took about 5min doing the actual snippage..... then went back over the whole length of it again with thinning shears, focusing mostly on the ends to fade out the obvious blunt cut-ness. 

you're still beautiful tho, sir <3

The results kinda speak for themselves, ya know? Like, yep, somebody cut that mane with scissors. But in a couple weeks it'll be way less obvious -- and the mane will be a nice length. Good 'nuff for me!

intermission snake, found on the mean streets of Baltimore City, was literally the size of an earthworm! lifted it off the sidewalk with a dried maple leaf so that it might avoid getting stepped on and hopefully live a long snake life!

Oof ok, let's keep moving. Chapter 3 --- farriery updates!

just so happy to be sitting here again tho -- and i think he is too!

Charlie's hind shoes suffer the most bc he's so lazy behind, he's always resting them right up on top of each other, chipping off wall and bending the nail clinchers....

Sir! Ugh! (also peep that little coronet slice on his RH)

Plus he doesn't have pads on his hind shoes... so those feet always start showing the wear and tear of summer sooner than his fronts. And I knew they were looking kinda not great.... but hoped he'd make it to his appointment tomorrow. 

luckily didn't do much damage

Alas, twasn't to be.... AND the goon managed to lose a fly boot in whatever shenanigans took place too.... UGH!

charlie would have followed these two pretty mares to the ends of the earth LOL

We'll get back to that tho.... Bc at this point, I'm so bored and tired of Charlie's absurdity that even that bare back foot wasn't gonna keep me from sitting on him!! 

Thus: Chapter 4: Riding Updates!! Woot Woot!

we are lucky to have many pathways around the farm that aren't paved or gravel

Obviously Charlie's still pretty sore with all those healing wounds on his hock (esp since I figured out one of those big lines in the rats nest is actually from the second incident -- so only a couple days old instead of a couple weeks). 

doing his civic duty cleaning up arena grass

So we aren't working at all. Just walking. And only really bc he wants too -- this horse is actually kinda happy doing laps right now, which goes to show just how bored he is too!

loki pony practicing his bridleless! 

And mostly we've been having fun in the ring bc we've just been out riding with groups of friends. Charlie has ALWAYS loved hangin out in the middle of the ring while horses go about their work around him. He's a social creature, ya know? So we are enjoying it. 

He feels good too -- honestly if it weren't for the lost shoe I might have even tested some trot or canter. Soon!

most recent scrub, including of that summer sore on the far right (finger for scale)

So ya know. Things are what they are. So a quick flashback to Chapter 1 -- Wound Updates. Things looked good yesterday. Might be a couple more weeks for the newer wounds (considering that skin flap hole and the cut in the middle top are only a few days old) but I feel confident.

lord knows this wrap probably blew apart within 15min of being turned ou...

And quickly back to Chapter 3 -- Farriery Updates; I never really know what to do for Charlie's lost shoes. But generally prefer to let him keep to his normal turn out unless it's a front foot and he's really sore. 

magic cushion! 

I opted to throw a bandage on too, mostly for shits and giggles bc I'm a notoriously terrible wrapper. 

voila? 

But, eh, I figure even if he only wears this for a couple hours, it's still a couple hours with the magic cushion. So whatever. He'll get shod tomorrow!

look at that lush pasture tho!

Ok. So I lied a little bit earlier --- there are actually 5 Chapters, with this bonus post script of "Scavenger Hunting!" wherein I hiked alllllll the way out to Charlie's big summer pasture in search of the various shoo fly boots that have been sacrificed in his recent "incidents." 

gotcha!

He doesn't lose boots very often, so I always assume they're lost in whatever drama accounted for his other dings and dents. Like the lost shoe. The neon pink shoo fly boot was easy to find -- and I was sure the actual shoe would be nearby, which it was! 

lol wrong side of the tracks, bootie! 

Ditto the other second boot he recently lost -- after his most recent fence encounter. The barn owner said he made it through the barrier fence between two pastures, so I figured I'd just have to walk the fence line to find it. Bingo -- there it was! 

So. All missing pieces are accounted for; the horse continues healing; and hey, at least I get to sit on him in the meantime! Could be worse, I suppose! Could be 30 more pictures LOL....

Hope you all had a good weekend too :)