A very important part of horse and donkey care is their hooves. I knew this when I got them, but didn’t realize how difficult it can be with a mini-horse that’s not tame and a mini-donkey that doesn’t like vets since he was treated for his bear attack. Our vet recommended that she be there when the farrier came so she could sedate them. Easier said than done.

Using some quite barbaric looking tools to get them to hold still while they were given the sedation shots was awful. Dominic, as strong as he is and as stubborn as he is, was quite the challenge but we got it done. I dreaded it after the first time and rightly so, the second time was no better.

Thankfully our vet told us about a product that is gel that you put under their tongue to sedate them that she has used with great success. So I thought I’d give it try to for the third trimming. I was a bit nervous without her being there, but she had faith that I could do it and I did! It worked like a charm. I also used a different farrier because the woman I used initially seemed nervous and just wanted to get it done. This farrier was a father/son team; they were so nice and did a great job. The gel was easy to use, sedated them just enough and they came out of it nicely. Now I don’t have to dread the hoof trims and neither do the babies!