Throughout the year our horses’ hooves continue to grow and  need to be trimmed periodically - just like your fingernails. This is usually no big deal in the summer when we gather the herd and bring the horses up to the barn almost every day. 

Winter is another story. At this time of year, the horses are spread out over a large pasture, down near Hinnman Reservoir, on the Taussig Ranch – about 7 miles from Latigo. You can see the reservoir and this pasture from up on Kasdorf. Although the horses congregate around the hay that is scattered for them as feed, most think they are free and are not easily caught. This can be frustrating for our wonderful farrier Dee. 

Dee started working with our horses over 30 years ago. She is great; we sincerely appreciate her diligence, patience, and professional competence. But taking care of over 70 horses is more than even this fine woman can handle by herself. So… a few days back, she asked if we could help gather the herd into a small corral that sits in one corner of the winter pasture. Dee arranged for a couple of other farriers to come in order to get as many trimmed as they could in one day.

At the appointed time on the appointed day, Randy, Lisa, Spencer and Hannah headed down to join Dee and “make it happen”. Thankfully, it was a beautiful morning: the sky was clear, the wind was down, and the sun shone on our heads. The warm days had cleared the pasture of snow, and we were able to walk around easily. We worked on foot rather than try to catch and saddle. Without too much ado, we hazed the horses into the corral, and the farriers set to work. They trimmed hooves on 28 horses that day. It was a good day.