Live and Learn....or not

Live and learn seems like almost an oxymoron when you think about it...maybe more appropriate would "learn or die" or perhaps "Live long enough to forget"

In any case, my life has been work. My fun has been work. Shit, I will likely work until I die, but somehow it is unlikely I will ever learn.

But, perhaps I can impart a bit of wisdom on some of the whippersnappers that are coming up, or not.

One of these youngsters stopped at my work to ask if I would be willing to help them learn about trimming hooves, or as it is sometimes called, "farriering" or more accurately called, "flaming stupidity." You see, these youngsters had found out that i not only had cattle, but draft horses, regular horses and for a time, miniature donkeys. I have posted about how proud I am of my ass before and I have also posted about trimming my ass as well. In fact trimming my ass was my first post here on SW way back yonder.

https://similarworlds.com/self/easily-amused/92626-As-I-was-trimming-my-ass-and-I-should-clarify-Yes

In any case, these youngsters wanted a lesson in stupidity and not only figured I was the best person to teach the lesson, but also seemed to be well on their way already as they had purchased two miniature donkeys without having the slightest clue of what they were getting into. They had brought them home in the back of their minivan...appropriate for mini donkeys I guess, but I am not sure I would want to out to dinner in their van any more.

When I stopped out to their place after digging out my knife and file and my leather apron ( @Degbeme - yes it matches the chaps and is also assless, although I have never worn the chaps while trimming my ass) I saw that they were indeed following in my footsteps by bringing home to animals that both had a sever case of laminitis or founder.

I can honestly say that my case was worse and the poor animal had hooves that looked like elf shoes and made me want to drive nails through the feet of the fellow that I got him from. These were bad enough though that both animals were severely lame.

This was not exactly the best situation to give a lesson, however, needs must and I pressed forward. I had brought my electric grinder with a heavy sanding disc and it was a good thing that I did. There was a lot of hoof to remove before I could even begin to think about shaping and stance. The frogs were pussy and packed with shit and smelled. I was able to cut a fair amount of dead material out of the two hind hooves and got them worked back into a semblance of hoof shape and told the kids (youngsters, not goats - as it turns out, I am the goat...an old goat) that we would work on the front hooves in a day or two because the animals were going to be very sore and it was better for them to only have two sore hooves even if the other ones were deformed and painful in their own right.

The unfortunate part for me...and this is the "I never learn" part....I have to go back in a couple days and do the front hooves and then probably at least one more trim before the hooves will be in decent enough shape for the youngsters to try their hand at trimming their own asses....

Shit....I thought I was done with this foolishness.

I guess I will likely die before I learn. At least I don't have to feed them.