GETTING ACTIVE WITH THIS THING

[rhaen]

I said I'd be active here, so I really ought to hold myself to it. So, here's part of a short story I'm writing! In the interests of transparency and full disclosure, it is not nearly done and I haven't really edited it yet. This is just raw brainspew for now. I figure by postin' WIPs and finished stuff here, I could get feedback and tips on my writing (yes from all three of you).

One of the things that's intrigued me since I started furry was the day to day life of anthropomorphic beings. One of the sillier things I thought about was what exactly horse anthros would do about their hooves. Humans have nails to clip, horses have hooves that need tending to. In our world, we have farriers. In the world of anthro horses, well, they have Ravshan. He's ostensibly a farrier for his fellow equine, and the kind Cossack has been taking care of hooves since the Great October Revolution. The story's setting and time frame is intentionally fuzzy, meant to reflect the early 20th century in a sleepy town, somewhere. I also ran into a block with where to go from, plot wise.

Let it be known that Rhaen DOES NOT LIKE first person. Not one bit. However, it seemed relevant for our purposes here. Also let it be known that I know fuck all about tending to horse's hooves. My description of Ravshan's work is basically my preconception about how hooves are tended to. I'm sure altivo will wretch and writhe at my exposition of hoof-care, and he'd be quite justified. Anyway, read on and enjoy the rough draft.


Two-bits

I awoke to the sticky heat of the summer's mid-morning, the sheets wrapped 'round my hooves. My lips were dry, and I wiped dried drool from my chin as I sat up, blinking to clear the fog from my head. Today was the day of the interview, scheduled for this evening. It was the dream job, and I intended to look my best. I showered slowly, making sure to scrub the dust and chaff from my stiff fur, ignoring my mane but for now. As I dressed, my shoddy and dry hooves scraped the fabric of my pants: I'd need to see the farrier today. Mental note filed away, I dressed casually and ate my brunch- sweetened oats, malted barley. My city is small enough that one could enjoy but a brief walk into town, leg's reach from just about anything a Houynymn could need, including my tailor and farrier. The latter would be my first stop, and hastening across the dusty street, I opened the heavy oak door.

The farrier emerged from the back, offering a whicker and kind smile as I stepped in. Ravshan was a tall, quite stocky Shire from the eastern worlds with knurled, calloused hands used to their work. "Rhaen, it's been far too long." That it had, embarassingly so. "It happens. The usual, yeah?" I changed the subject, plopping heavily into a firm oak chair. The leather upholstery squeaked as I settled in, cradling my Clydesdale hooves into low stirrups. Ravshan knealt beside my left hoof, wasting little time as he drew tools from a leather apron. Ravshan knows that I'm not one for small talk, and he worked silently as he began by scraping dirt, mud and cartilage from the frog of my hoof. The scraping is.. hard to describe. It's certainly not pleasant, but of adult age there is little pain. Having dug the packed dirt from my left, Ravshan moved to my right, similarly prying free the debris.

He slid his picks and hooks back into his apron, removing coarse and fine files to tend to the hoof itself. Starting with the coarse file, he drew the blade over the edges of my split and overgrown toe, grinding the dead tissue free. This is my least favorite part, as each stroke of the file grates every nerve in my body. "This has to be done, you know. You go far too long without seeing me, Rhaen." "You just like to see me squirm, Ravshan. Did you see that Aristide has those new home models? They're electrical, and they have hoof buffer-" Ravshad snorted and sat back, tightening his fists in a mock show of aggression. "You are trying to put me out of business then, I see? And what happens when your fancy machine gives out, what then?" My ears lowered in embarassment, and I shut my trap. He resumed his work, and after what seemed to take far too long, he was detailing the hooves with his fine file. The rough, sharp cartilage was all but gone, replaced by crisp, smart edges.

My feathering is long and thick, and he gently brushed aside the long hairs, tucking them into the stirrup. Ravshan drew a tin of polish and a well-used rag, dabbing the tacky polish onto my hooves before rubbing it into the dark enamel. The smelly, oily stuff brings out the natural shine of our hooves, offering a layer of protection. His work finished, the Shire stood and clapped me on the back, allowing me to stand. I avoided the mounds of dust, dirt and tissue as I stood, clomping unsteadily to the counter. Ravshan is an expert at keeping one's hoove's level, but they're always a bit slippery thanks to the polish. I paid Ravshan his flat fee, tipping against his custom. I nudged the heavy door open with my shoulder, heading into the midsummer's heat.


There's that! Again I must offer the caveats of this being horribly unfinished and something I banged out in an afternoon, but hope to continue. I'd like to have a series of short stories that act as biopics into the every day life an anthropomorphic being!

Comments

[argos]

Not bad overall, but you're right about some of the details being shaky.

The frog would need cleaning, yes. Though if you bathe regularly, as I'm sure you do, the only dirt there would be what was picked up on the street after leaving home. The frog itself is made of soft keratin, much like the cuticle of human nails. It's just thicker and firmer. After neglect, it needs trimming with a sharp knife. This doesn't hurt, as there are no nerves in it.

The hoof itself is made of hard keratin, or horn. This is like very thick toenails. If it has grown long, you trim it to shape first with a nipper, like a big fingernail clipper. Then as you described, a rasp or file is used to smooth and round it.

I don't use polish, but you certainly might do so for something like a job interview, so that makes sense.

I liked the imagery based on a shoeshine parlor. One thing to consider though is that hooves need to be examined from the bottom as well as from the top. Frog trimming in particular would be done from behind you, with your heel raised. For hoof work, the "stirrup" is actually a padded support you'd settle the front of your pastern into, while facing away from the farrier. I imagine a sort of padded rail, like a bar top, in front of you that you could lean against while placing first one and then the other foot into the brace.

The smoothing and polishing would be much as you picture it, probably by placing the hoof onto a support just as a human places a shoe on top of the flat top of the shoeshine box or bench. You might be seated for that, or standing at the same bar but leaning back against it casually.

Nice work otherwise.

[rhaen]

Ah! Hoorah, this is all very excellent. I'm ashamed to say that I'll cop to knowing very little about farrier work and not really doing my research. I suck.

Thank you for your input and guidance though! The farrier's vocabulary helps a lot too. You know, with regards to posterior plantar hoof examination, I bet Houyhnhnms would have a rig mirror a massage chair, or a kneeling desk chair- http://www.comfortchannel.com/images/Kneeling_chair_A.jpg Although, it'd have a support of some kind up-front for the equine to lean on!

I imagine Ravshan's kneel-chairs to be furnished with faded, tired old leather riveted into sturdy hardwoods, probably of some ludicrous shade of red. :D

[altivo]

Well, perhaps not leather. After all, his more sensitive clients may not take to the idea, even if it does come from mere cows. ;p

Wool melton or a similar heavy fiber-based fabric would serve well and hold up for a long time. Cheap places that don't want to have to reupholster once in a while would probably use vinyl.

Farrier terminology would be fun to use, and I suggest you look up a summary and consider which words would work without being too confusing to the reader who knows nothing. (Or that you could casually explain without being too obvious.)

The support stand is something our farrier uses all the time. He carries it in his truck. It is height-adjustable, and has pockets on the side for tools. The top is interchangeable. For holding rear feet sole-up, he uses a saddle shaped padded top as Argos described. He holds the rear hooves in his hands for smoothing the hoof itself.

Front hooves he holds by hand for doing the soles, but swaps the top of the stand for one with a little metal plate to rest the bottom of the hoof on while trimming and smoothing the edge and upper face.

Hoof care would be part of essential grooming for bipedal equines, and though they could trim and polish the upper hoof easily enough themselves, assistance would be needed for the sole and frog, just as you've described it here. For problem conditions, such as corns or thrush, a more highly trained practitioner equivalent to a podiatrist might be called in.

[altivo]

Argos has it covered.

The writing mechanics are good though. This reads well, and I look forward to seeing more from you.

[rhaen]

Thanks a lot, 'Tivo. c: I might also throw up on here a sample of writing that I did years ago where plot took a backseat (hell, plot wasn't even in the car at the time) to imagery, just for shits and giggles.