Jenny and Jig

Category: Uncategorized

  • Present day

    Well, I’ve finally finished posting the drafts I had waiting in the wings until I was comfortable enough to post them, which has been over the span of two years! All in good time I suppose. So that brings us to the present day, September 2, 2026. Things on the farm haven’t actually changed that much, only my perspective. Jig is still not able to be ridden due to laminitis, but I came to terms with that since our last ride I described in my previous post. I am comfortable with the fact that he is a pasture pet and he still brings me a lot of joy (and frustration!)

    In an ideal world, I would love for him to be a companion horse to a horse that I can ride, but I can’t get another one just yet. Thankfully he has his goat friends (or enemies) and the neighbor horses to visit with, as I know horses do best with other horses. I have also thought about possibly boarding him somewhere so that he can be in a herd, but I’m not sure if that will make sense financially yet.

    I don’t think I ever posted about the time I got him x rays, forgive me if I’m repeating myself, but they showed that he has 4 mm of rotation of the coffin bone in his right foot which does confirm an episode of previous founder. The vet said with proper shoeing and diet it should improve. His left foot has barely any rotation. He gets sore after the farrier comes or if he steps on rocky ground, so I got him some therapy boots from Chewy. They help a lot. There are times he is limping without them. I also do not give him alfalfa anymore. He only has orchard grass hay and sometimes a senior stable mix with some sweet feed if he needs to take medicine. Hot tip, applesauce also covers up medicine really well. Overall the goal is a low starch and low sugar diet. I did give him powdered aspirin mixed in the feed recently when he had a limping episode. The farrier said it was probably a stone bruise. He is doing much better now, but mainly from the boots, I don’t think the aspirin did very much. With the boots he will even run around and kick out, so I know they help him a lot!

    For now, we will just keep going slow and steady along the very rocky path of horse ownership that I often feel so lucky to be a part of as often as I feel frustrated by it.

  • Almost Spring 2025

    *I wrote this in 2025 and never published, so the perspective is from 2025.)

    Spring is this Thursday and it’s so rainy here in the Bay Area. I was hoping to take the kids out to look for four leaf clovers on this lovely St. Patrick’s day but it looks like it will have to be tomorrow. Jig is wearing his neon green though! This weather was just too yucky not to blanket him, but thankfully he seems to appreciate it.

    Last week the horseshoe guy came to trim and shoe Jig. It was the first time without our beloved farrier and Jig was a little grumpy but he adjusted and stood well. Horseshoe guy did a great job and further explained what was going on with Jig’s hoof. He showed me where the dishing is on the right foot and the dried blood you could see deep in the hoof after he trimmed. He said it was healing well and should be hopefully back to normal in a few trims. He thinks it shows that he possibly foundered 6 months ago and that it didn’t look nearly as bad as some horses, in fact one of the better. So that gives me hope! He said light work was still good.

    I have still been lunging him to the right because he seems to enjoy it and just a little to the left to see how he feels on that foot. I noticed it isn’t bothering him as much, especially if I sent him on a longer line and not such a tight circle.

    Since my in laws are here and my husband took them with the kids for a Costco run over the weekend, I took the time to groom Jig and warm him up and try for a short ride in the pasture. I put up a net to make a makeshift round pen. I say round but that area is actually square. He tried to walk off when I tried to mount from the left, but stayed still from the right, like usual. Once I got on he immediately tried to walk me into the fence and tried to toss his head near the netting and refused to be steered either with neck reining, direct rein, and leg cues. I took it as a sign he wasn’t up for it and got off. I truly don’t know if it’s the foot, saddle fit, age, or behavior, but he definitely still doesn’t seem to enjoy being ridden. Many will tell me I need to “get after him”but I don’t really have the skill or bravery to do that right now. Any advice is welcome!

  • The Hoof

    Jig gets regular hoof trimmings from the beloved farrier I got him from every 6-8 weeks. I say beloved because she always gives helpful advice when I ask and she is very knowledgeable about horses. Best of all, she actually cares and does her best to help someone like me with less knowledge and experience. She is a barefoot trimmer and he was barefoot when he got to her and barefoot for the past 9 months with me. She did some research and found out he used to be in shoes and hadn’t been ridden or shod for about 5 years. That explains a lot about his riding behavior!

    Photo of Jig and I for fun! He wanted to be included in my daughter’s birthday photo shoot and I got some pics with him him while we were at it!

    So, with the previous trim the farrier noticed something funky about his right foot. She wasn’t sure what was causing it but it wasn’t growing right. She got some advice on it and trimmed it differently to see if that helped. He is usually very sore after a trim and that time was no different. Fast forward to his next trim and the farrier brought her horse shoe guy along to give him front shoes. She had gotten advice that it may make Jig more comfortable so we decided to go for it.

    As he was being shod, the shoe guy said the funky foot looked like a mare he had that had foundered before. Then he and the farrier started talking about the things they have seen with this hoof and it looked like a previous case of founder, maybe a year ago. Jig had been at the farrier’s pasture at the time eating fresh spring grass. She thinks that might have caused it or maybe it was in his previous home. It seemed to have healed for the most part they thought and nothing too bad. They suggested I change his hay to teff or grass hay and cut down on the grain in the cause of him being metabolic and preventing founder again. They also felt he is overweight for his age. This was a surprise to me because he looks so good, but I err on the side of taking their advice so we will try the new diet and see how it goes.

    While they were at my house they asked to see me lunge him after the shoes were put on. He did great to the right, but not to the left. He never wants to go to the left in general. They said it’s because of the funky foot being sore. So, no more sending him left for now and they said I could still ride him around a bit. Since he seems to really not want to be ridden, I think I will stop attempting for now and see if the changes help his hoof. He enjoys short hand walks around the pasture, so we will do that for exercise for now.

    I felt confused and concerned, and to be honest, I didn’t really understand what happened to him as I have heard founder is a pretty terrible and debilitating problem for horses. I was worried about making changes when I thought he looks great. However, the sore foot showed there was a problem so I went forward with the changes.

    Being a horse owner has been so full of ups and downs and so very many opinions. Some things experts will tell you absolutely to do another will tell you absolutely not. Who do you listen to? It can be so frustrating. All in all, I love this horse and want to do what’s best for him. Let’s hope the farrier and the shoe guy lead us in the right direction!

  • Behavior

    Let’s talk about Jig’s behavior. I absolutely have formed a bond with this horse and know that he trusts me so much more than when we started. When we started he ripped down the fence after I had tied him (silly me didn’t know not to do that yet) and tried to use fly spray. Everyone was fine, except for the fence, water pipes, and my poor husband who had to fix it all over a few weeks. I had gotten advice to put a metal loop on the barn to tie him instead and he ripped that right off the barn. Fast forward to today, and I rarely ever tie him or need to, and have learned quick release knots thankfully. I also learned to spray him while holding the lead rope and move with him rather than tie him for scary things. (Thank you, farrier!)

    Jig loves to walk with me and will even do it at liberty sometimes. Turn when I turn, stop when I stop, and follow me around. He winnies and comes to me when I come outside to feed him. He will even stand and watch as I play with the kids or follow me to put the chickens in and stare into the coop. He loves to be walked around the pasture on the lead rope as well.

    Let’s get to what Jig hates, or either has pain to do, I’m not sure. He does not have a good attitude to lunging. He bucks, takes off, backs his ears and comes toward me, or keeps trying to stop. At times he will walk calmly. If I use my lunge whip as a long hand, not to hit him, it helps. When I saddle him up, he seems happy. He does not seem happy when I put his bridle on. The dentist seemed to think it had something to do with his bad teeth. I got him a new loping hackamore to help that and sometimes just use a halter because he doesn’t mind his halter. He doesn’t seem to like the mechanical hackamore he came to me with. He tries to take his head away, whereas with the halter he puts his nose right in.

    When I try to mount from the left side, he tries to walk away. When I mount from the right, he stays put. He tries to start walking as soon as I get on and tosses his head and spins when I try to turn him or stop. If I start riding near the barn he spins and tosses and tries to push me into the gate. If we start at the back he cooperates for about 15 minutes and then tries to force his way back to the barn and will spin and toss his head if I try to turn or stop him. If he manages to get back to the barn I’m unable to turn him back without the spins, which scare me quite a bit. I understand these behaviors should be stopped but I think my skill level isn’t there to stop him and I’m not sure what to do. The last time I rode him he stopped short and jumped to the left and I almost fell off. I haven’t felt comfortable since.

    For the record, he behaves the same way with my husband or the farrier who has also tried to ride him. My expert level neighbor who has several horses doesn’t even want to try riding him and doesn’t trust him. If you remember from a previous post, the original vet that saw him suggested his trainer. I called that trainer a few weeks into May 2024 after I got him. He came by, said Jig needed to be reminded and we set up a plan for him to come back. He flaked on me 9 or more times. The vet also would not answer the phone or messages. It was very frustrating and perplexing. The few times the trainer showed up I learned a few things. One being how to lunge him, and just a few other basic horsemanship tips. He also tried to ride him a little bareback but it was just a tiny bit. He said he thought he was lame and that’s the reason for his grumpy attitude and the vet would come with him.

    Needless to say the vet never came with him. The trainer came one last time on the date we had set for the vet to come with him and did a little lunging and talking. He also brought a lady with him that he said was there to help him with his finances. After that he never showed up or answered messages again. Maybe they thought my horse wasn’t good for their finances?!

    I was still worried about that lameness comment so I found another vet through a horse loving lady I know. My expert neighbor’s vet didn’t answer my calls. The new vet came and said he seemed fine. All was well.

    So, at that time I thought the problem was largely my skill level and perhaps something pain related with Jig, or maybe he is ready to be retired and enjoy being a pasture pet. Maybe we aren’t a good match as far as riding goes. Perhaps he would do better in a round pen instead of trying to ride in the pasture. It’s a tough call for me to make but I’ve come to terms for the most part with being ok with whichever way it goes. Maybe with the new plan for feeding and horseshoes will help. Maybe it won’t. On the positive side, I have learned a lot about horse ownership and I have enjoyed the process of learning and getting to spend time with what I feel is one of the coolest creatures on the planet.

  • How it all started

    I decided to start this blog to write out my journey with my horse, Jig, and any other barnyard and life musings.

    Jig is a 24 year old paint horse gelding. He is my first horse to own. I got him from a farrier we use for our goats, who got him from one of her clients that was getting rid of all of her horses after her husband had passed. Besides the husband riding him, the only information our farrier had was that he had been a barrel racing horse previously with a woman who had owned him. That sure explains his fiery spirit.

    He came with papers, and it showed a farm he had been born on in California as the original owner. It doesn’t seem to exist anymore. When I showed my horse owning neighbor the papers, she didn’t think they were his because of the coloring. It showed a tobiano foal from a gray mare. If you see him now, you would think he is just a gray quarter horse. However, I have read that paints can lose their coloring over time, and become “ghost paints.” I have noticed when I give him a bathe that I can see the tobiano marking outlines. So, I’m going with ghost paint!

    How Jig came into my life is when our lovely farrier said she had the perfect horse for us when I mentioned I was thinking of getting one. I went to her place with my young daughter to see him and “test ride.” We followed her to go out and catch him with a bucket of grain. He came running. At first I was taken aback at how tall he was. It was quite intimidating. I measured him later and he is around 16 hands. Big boy!

    She groomed and saddled him and rode him first. Then it was my turn, and although I was nervous, I was so happy to be riding again. I thought about it for about a week after we went home and really couldn’t say no. I will say, my husband had doubts due to his age, any my talented horsewoman neighbor said “she’s just looking for somewhere for him to die.” Oof! I just couldn’t escape the feeling that we needed each other. Me much more so than him, probably! After all, he was enjoying munching on grass in a huge pasture with a knowledgeable farrier taking care of him! I am a mom of two though, and I really wanted a project for me. That’s a story for another time though.

    So, Jig arrived in April for me as an early birthday present. I was home with my daughter waiting on the porch for the trailer to arrive. It was quite a scene. My dear farrier coming down the road with her big truck and trailer, popped her cowboy hat topped head out the window and asked if it was ok to park in front of my neighbor’s house. She pulled up and I had to tell my neighbor I didn’t quite take her advice! She said, “Nope, you sure didn’t, but you’ll have fun though!” I was glad she didn’t disapprove too much because I think she’s very cool. There was a lot of neighing coming out of the trailer. Both from Jig and the horse the farrier brought along as a buddy, and all 7 of my neighbor’s horses excitedly greeting them.

    When she brought him out of the trailer he had a slight limp and gash on his back leg. It was covered in a red colored medicine which made it look worse. The farrier said he had cut it on the fence that morning. Not a great start for sure. She walked him in through the gate and it was a very exciting yet nerve wracking moment. I definitely had thoughts of “what have I done?!” floating through my head. He was quite nervous, loud, and fidgety as she tied him and I was unsure of what I had gotten myself into. She reminded me that it was a new place for him and would take him time to settle in. After we got all of his belongings together (he came with a mechanical hackamore and grooming bag) we let him into the pasture. He immediately started eating grass and the farrier and I went to sign papers and I gave her the check. We said goodbye and see you in 6 weeks for a hoof trim, and my three year old daughter and I sat together to watch him and I took in a deep breath. I have a horse! Little me would be so proud.