While being boarded here at Meadowsweet Ranch, Bud’s owner decided to relinquish him during the summer of 2002. Bud had been seen by a vet-chiropractor earlier that year who had felt he was a “train wreck”. The owner could not afford further treatment, so Bud was pretty much left as is. At the time the owner decided she could no longer care for him at all, he was dead lame and in desperate need of a trim, if nothing else.

So, the farrier that had normally taken care of Bud was called to come out and do what he could. Bud was cared for in his normal routine, a trim with pads and shoes. (Bud was also on 20 isoxoprin a day.) There seemed to be immediate relief. Bud was moving better, but it didn’t take long before he started moving noticeably slower and slower to a point where he didn’t even want to walk from his stall to the paddock.

Our first thought was that he needed more exercise and movement other than his all day turn out, so we started using him for beginner riders at a walk with a little trotting on the lunge-line. He seemed to move better after 15 minutes or so, but never without showing lameness.

Next the vet-chiropractor was called out to look at Bud again and she began trying to align what was out of alignment. After a few visits she said that she felt Bud would progress much quicker if we would change how his feet were being trimmed. She gave me couple of books to read by Dr. Strausser. I discussed this type of trim with my western medicine vet and was told not to have anything to do with it. So, one vet said the horse needs this and the other said I’d be sorry if I tried it. What to do? I think the world of both of these professionals. Sleepless nights followed along with days of watching Bud seem unhappy and hurting.

Finally I decided to try the trim the vet-chiropractor was recommending. Now enters United Horseman Hoof Groom. She pulled Bud’s shoes and pads and I couldn’t believe what was under those pads. The soles of his hooves were crumbling away and the frogs were so deteriorated it looked as if there weren’t any frogs at all.

Yes, Bud was sore with the pulling of the shoes and the hoof-groom took great care to inform me as to what was going to happen, but how trimming his hooves consistently and keeping him exercised/moving would eventually bring about healthy hooves. The vet-chiropractor also continued to work on Bud.

In May of 2003, Molly came to Meadowsweet as sort of a “working student”. She wanted to learn all about horses and how to ride. I decided to let Bud be a project for her. He was great on the lunge-line with beginning riders and I knew he’d love the additional consistent attention. His feet were starting to do better; now he was only sore the first few days after a trim and he was totally off the isoxoprin.

Late in 2003 we began planning the ranch trips for 2004. The first would be a June trip to Spur of the Moment Ranch in northern Wisconsin. Molly wanted to know if she and Bud would be able to go. “Sure”, I said, “if you’ll put the time into conditioning him.”

In January 2004 I gave Molly a conditioning schedule and she went to work. She started out with short trail rides mostly at a walk using Old Mac hoof boots when necessary, but also taking Bud out barefoot on trail as much as possible so that his hoofs would start conditioning. By the time of the trip, Bud and Molly were riding up to 10-mile trail rides that included walk, trot and canter work.

We did a few off-site one-day trail riding trips to other locations and Bud and Molly both had successful and enjoyable rides.

In June 2004 Bud and Molly took part in the ranch trip. In four days of riding Bud and Molly covered over 45 miles with the rest of the group. Bud never took a lame step and was eager to continue each day.

For someone that doesn’t watch horses move all the time, it would have seemed that Bud was just fine. However, I still felt there was something that just wasn’t quite right, so upon another recommendation Bud went through several sessions of neuro-musculature retraining. Each visit Bud showed additional improvement and then SUCCESS!!

In July 2005, Molly and Bud joined a group of eight other riders on a trip to Winding River Resort, in Colorado. Molly and Bud covered approximately 50 miles of trails in Rocky Mountain National Park with us and quite a number of those miles were totally barefoot! We all brought our hoof boots with, but they were not needed most of the time.

In July 2006, Molly and Bud joined a group of six of us on a trip to Smokerise Ranch in Ohio. There Molly and Bud worked together during a Team Sorting Competition, did some cattle driving and even went for a swim together.

Bud and Molly have also competed in a couple local shows together. Molly’s dedication to Bud, to her riding and her ability to incorporate the skills she is learning from her riding instructors are paying off. Molly rides Bud in a Bitless Bridle, so he’s not only shoeless, but he’s bitless and tie down free. Bud’s topline is improving, he has muscled up and most important, Bud has a much happier look in his eyes.

It is so much fun to watch a horse that used to spend most of his time standing still in his paddock, now playing with his herd mates, often instigating the mischief, willingly cantering around in the paddock, rearing, bucking and kicking up his heals.

I truly believe that not one single component of all that was done could have brought Bud to this point. It took all the components and expertise of the professionals who worked on Bud (as well as the daily/regular maintenance work that is done) and most of all, the dedication of his best friend, Molly.