Heck, Who Needs to Hire a Farrier?

Aside from learning to ride Mickey the zany Thoroughbred, I've also been getting good lessons on farrier skills.  I'm doing pretty well, I think, because it's been over six months since I've had a professional farrier out and Mickey's feet are looking great!  I'm lucky (and she is, too) that she has good, strong hooves and I don't have to put shoes on her.  I'm not quite sure I'd be doing so well at that!  Plus, I prefer to keep her barefoot as it's natural and better for horse's feet.  I keep her trimmed and filed and the work is very rewarding.  It's one thing to ride my own horse, but I find the pleasure and reward double as I'm learning to care for her in many other respects.  I've only been stepped on once, and I learned quickly where to keep and not keep my own feet!  I only hopped around, rolled around the dirt crying for a short while before I was back at it.  I find learning all the related horse skills very important and it helps keep me self sufficient and helps financially as well.  My goal is to be able to perform complete care of her so when living in a more rural environment, I won't have to depend on others to care for my animals.  It's a lot of work, but the satisfaction is worth every moment of time.