Some consistent trial and patience gave Miss Dixie the courage to face a new challenge ...
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him 2Samuel 23:31
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 Dixie, having one shoe removed, is quite curious about what will happen to the next! Oh - and she smells other horses on those chaps! As with all our animals, natural care and feeding is our goal; so for Dixie we have been learning more about the movement to model our domestic horse hooves after the wild mustangs, as well as keeping the horses in the type of movement they've been designed for. Words like "Mustang Roll" (referring to the hooves) and "Paddock Paradise" (referring to the best horse environment) make so much sense - as other words new to us years ago: "Multi-species Grazing" and "Hugelkultur".
We learned while a local farrier worked on a friends' horse, getting to ask questions while we watched him shape new horse shoes with his traveling forge and anvil. (Praise the Lord for these AWESOME learning opportunities!) We also studied the hooves of horses we were working with (Aren't these toes too long? What are these ridges?), we've watched documentaries on wild Mustangs, videos of hoof trimming styles and have seen there are many different approaches to the perceived 'perfect' hoof. What serves the horse best, as we have come to understand, is the model of those living most like they were designed (His way is perfect); therefore we sought a hoof trimmer that could help us enable Dixie's hoof healing, building her hoof strength, traction and movement, which = soundness.  We've continued to enjoy many weeks of groundwork, riding, care of other horses and study with Hannah, our horse & spinning friend Sharon, and lots and lots of research. We've studied different horse breeds and rode several on our own, while Hannah spent many hours helping us see and understand body typing & soundness. She encouraged us in the pursuit of our own horse and although we never thought our property could properly support horses, after learning more about equine natural living environments and their needs, we began to realize with some work and redesign, our homestead can be a very hospitable environment for our own riding companion.
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