Hi Lois. Oh I'm sorry -- there goes that written word thing again -- I did not
mean to imply that your horse wasn't well-groomed! When you said "old farmer",
I assumed that his farm horses were probably cared for like most work animals
--
health issues taken care of, *beauty* things not so much. Keeping the
chestnuts
clean is very often something that only show-horse owners worry about. I was
also trying to explain why a non-horse-person may have never noticed the
chestnuts on a horse. I hope I didn't offend you. It sounds to me that Lady
was better cared-for than my own horses are.
Yes -- the chestnut/cork is one of the original three toes. The second is at
the base of the fetlock, just above the pastern (and it grows just like a
chestnut does and needs to be removed occasionally) and the third is the hoof
itself. Some families of horses have evolved to the point where they have a
chestnut *area*, but don't grow one. I have two of those out in the barn -- I
never have to do anything with their chestnuts. But I have another mare in the
barn who grows her chestnuts like crazy -- an inch a month is not uncommon.
And
they don't peel off like normal -- they are firmly attached and she has a fit
if
you try to remove them. It must hurt. I have heard that you can make a horse
like this bleed if you insist on peeling them off. I smear vaseline on them
once a day for about a week, and then I can remove them easily. But she's very
unhappy about the whole thing.
Oh -- and I've read that that's an old Indian trick -- when trying to
catch/calm
a wild/spooked horse -- rubbing a chestnut from their own horse all over their
hands. Horses are very sensitive to the smell of them, and will calm down and
allow themselves to be handled. :-)
MA
P.S. Lois -- can I ask where you live? I've never heard the term *cork*!
________________________________
From: "zzekel...@aol.com" <zzekel...@aol.com>
To: silver-list@eskimo.com
Sent: Sun, February 5, 2012 7:03:05 AM
Subject: Re: CS>CS Old horseman's cure for boils
In a message dated 2/5/2012 7:29:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
marmar...@bellsouth.net writes:
a well-groomed horse has virtually invisible chestnuts because a conscientious
>owner/ groomer keeps them flat and clean.
>MA
>
I never heard the "old toe " was called a chestnut. Must be a colloquialism. I
did know it was called a toe from reading the history of the horse. {They were
supposed to have been the size of a rabbit} All the farmers around here called
them corks.. Any pony or horse I owned was well groomed. Brushed before and
after riding & every morning & night {when we milked the cows.} also did a
foot
check too but we never messed with their corks. :-)
Actually didn't take the whole thing just trimmed a bit off the outside of
each one, It didn't hurt the horse she just wondered what the heck we were
doing. I still remember the pain from the boils & thanked Lady with an extra
carrot or apple several times..
I never heard of calming a horse that way. I always put my hands under their
eyes & talked to them if they got excited...Lois
