The Sillies

We had a visit from the farrier, yesterday. 

I am always so very proud of my herd when the farrier comes.

Everyone stands straight and lifts their hooves when asked.

No shenanigans...

Well, almost no shenanigans...

At least the silliness doesn't interfere with the farrier's work!

In case you were wondering... carrot treats elicit these funny little tongue tricks.

It took about and hour and a half, and all hooves were trimmed up properly for another 8 weeks.

Ollie, feeling a little too "put together", promptly rolled in as much dust and dirt as he could find in the barn.

Silly little tub-o-lard!

I can hardly wait for summer's arrival so that the entire herd can be bathed.  They will be gorgeous.... for about 3 minutes.   Seriously.

Horses finished, we moved on to the donkeys, who also stood nicely for their pedicures.... although I am sure they would have preferred to have a little pink polish on their hooves in the end- oh, and a facial and massage as well!

We are in the midst of a thaw, however, the nights have been cold enough that what thaws during the day, freezes again at night.  This has turned the dry lot into a veritable skating rink.  All that ice makes it difficult for the horses to get around.  Difficult, but still easier than it is for us two-legged creatures!

To make life a bit easier for the equines, I opened the gate to the front pasture and let everyone have the run of the field.  Slushy snow is a much easier footing than ice.  Everyone enjoyed the freedom and ran with wild abandon, kicking up hooves, bucking, and playing tackle.  It was truly a joy to behold.

I opened up the donkey's front gate as well, but they stood inside watching the fun and braying at the top of their lungs.  I am sure they were exclaiming how unfair it was that I didn't shovel a path out through the front pasture for them.

A few minutes passed and finally the allure of the front pasture was more than they could stand.  Gingerly, they tiptoed out into the snow and joined the rest of the herd.

"There you go, girls, I knew you could do it!"

While the farrier was working on the donkeys, I noticed something nasty looking on Chloe's rear right leg.  I was hoping it was just a bit of something "yucky" stuck to her fur.

Sadly, upon inspection, I realized it was another sarcoid tumor.

This makes me very unhappy.  I thought I had finally gotten my worry list under control!

I texted Dr. Becky and she stopped by later in the day to look at Chloe's leg.  Unfortunately, more surgery is on the horizon for Chloe.  It seems like sarcoid tumors are going to be a way of life for my sweet donkey girl.

We've reached another week's end.  I am going to try to "tweak" the cinnamon roll recipe this weekend and bake some with chocolate filling rather than cinnamon.  I'll let you know how that goes on Monday... but I am quite optimistic!!  I hope my family doesn't ever tire of goodies.