Grey Horse Matters

Consistency

2012-02-27T11:25:00.000-05:00

"Blue"

Recently I was having a discussion with someone concerning being consistent in the training of your horse. The conversation raised some thought provoking questions such as:

Is it okay to not be consistent? Let’s face it, winter is not the best time where riding regularly is concerned. So, is it okay to only ride when weather permits, or would it be better to simply give the horse time off and start training/riding again when we can give their training our full attention? Is it fair to the horse to drag him out and tack him up once or twice a week or month? Most horses really don’t maintain a good level of fitness during wintertime’s letup of activity. So, is it reasonable to expect our horses to be ready to go whenever we have the time or inclination to ride?

Or should we ride whenever we get the chance? We’re all horse people who like to ride and some of us will ride no matter what Mother Nature throws at us. I used to be like that. There was always a reason why I braved the cold, snow, wind, rain or whatever. I had horses that needed training and horses that went to shows almost every week. Now, not so much, so I’m a little more lax with my training schedule. The various herd members all need different degrees of training for different reasons--some more goal oriented, some more fitness related--and in our opinion that’s not going to happen with a few random days of work here and there. We think they all need consistency to progress.

I’ve decided that if I do ride Blue, who is getting chubbier by the day and is basically unfit for anything strenuous, I’m just going to walk him and work on his steering and relaxation exercises. Dusty is not fit either and not ready to be ridden so when she does exercise we’re just doing hand walking and light longeing for now. I take full responsibility for my horses being unfit; the weather this winter has been nicer than it’s been for years, but the truth is I had no motivation this year. I don’t know if anyone else has ever dealt with the “I don’t feel like its,” but I caught that lazy virus this winter. I’m sure it will be cured with some Spring sunshine, flowers blooming and green grass. For now I’m concentrating on getting myself fit for riding again with eating better and exercising more.

In closing, how do you feel about the consistency question?

Until next time

Quote for Today
It is the best of lessons if the horse gets a season of repose whenever he has behaved to his rider's satisfaction.
- Xenophon - The Art of Horsemanship

Well, Isn’t That Special

2012-02-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

The other day when I was switching the word verification for comments to off I made a really huge mistake that can’t be corrected. Computer genius that I am, I managed to delete every single comment on all my posts since I started this blog in 2007. This was no easy feat and it took me quite some time, as there were roughly about 9,000 comments. Even though it was time consuming, I bravely forged ahead. Why did you do that, you might ask? Suffering slightly from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), I usually go through my accounts and delete unnecessary e-mails once a week or so.

I thought I might let you all in on how I did this so you don’t make the same mistake. After I turned off the word verification that was making us all question our eyesight, I went to the comment moderation page. There are tabs for "Spam," "Awaiting Moderation" and a "Published" button. I had a few spammers that I deleted, a comment or two that I published and then I hit the "Published" tab. Up popped all the comments ever left and in my infinite wisdom I figured since they were already published on my blog posts I might as well delete them and clear up some disk space. Seems reasonable right?

That’s the story of how I deleted every single comment since 2007. I know I’m not the least bit computer literate but I think blogger should have stated somewhere that if you delete your published comments in this tab they also disappear from your blog where idiots like me can understand what will happen when we do things like this. I also think there should be a way to recover the deleted items. They could go into a trash bin or recycle bin where they can be retrieved. Not Blogger; once they’re deleted they’re gone and there’s no way of retrieving them. Unless you have them in g-mail, which I didn’t because of my previous mentioned OCD.

I’ll miss my comments because there were many good discussions in the comment section. There were also some good ideas and solutions to problems and how others coped with certain situations. So there you have it, I can officially go down as computer illiterate and not fit to be near electronics.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Nothing is foolproof to a properly motivated fool.

All I Need To Know...

2012-02-21T14:28:00.001-05:00

" Grady"

Thought this was funny and accurate. It seems someone captured my herd's wisdom perfectly!

All I need to know in life I leaned from my horses - Vol. 1

When in doubt, run far, far away.
You can never have too many treats.
Passing gas in public is nothing to be ashamed of.
New shoes are an absolute necessity every 6 weeks.
Ignore cues; they're just another prompt to do more work.
Everyone loves a good, wet, slobbery kiss.
Never run when you can trot.
Never trot when you can walk.
And never walk when you can stand still.
Heaven is eating at least 10 hours a day...and then sleeping the rest.

All I need to know in life I learned from my horses - Vol. 2

Eat plenty of roughage.
Great legs and a nice rear will get you anywhere in life. Big, brown eyes help too.
When you want your way, stomp hard on the nearest foot.
In times of crises, take a poop.
Act dumb when faced with a task you don't want to do.
Follow the herd, that way you can't be singled out to take the blame.
A swift kick in the butt will get anyone's attention.
Love those who love you back, especially if they have something good to eat.
Leather and chains can make anyone look studly.
Happiness is a warm, fuzzy blanket and someone to share it with.

Until next time

Quote for Today

When in doubt, ask a horse.

The Most Frustrating Mare

2012-02-17T10:52:00.001-05:00

There’s almost nothing going on around the farm right now. The weather isn’t really cold but it’s on and off rain every other day. This makes the pastures muddy and sloshy. The horses are a muddy mess every day, which leads me to wonder why would they really want to roll in the mud. Rolling in mud isn’t exactly a spa treatment and can’t feel that good. It makes me not want to clean anybody up for a ride either. The mud is so caked on some of these equines that I have to take a shedding blade to them just to budge it. The other night when I went to take Mellon’s halter off it was so encrusted with mud I had to get a hoof pick to clear out the snap. Of course, since I was working over my head the dirt promptly went right in my eye.

This time of year seems so frustrating to me. At times I’d rather have snow instead of rain; at least it’s cleaner. It also makes me wonder why Dusty has suddenly reverted back to her old behavior of refusing to come in at night. In the seasons of spring, summer and autumn, I get it; there’s still grass out in the pastures to be eaten. It’s warmer and it’s nice to stay out at night and play “let’s make believe we’re really wild horses.” There may be a blade or two of grass coming up somewhere now, but I don’t think it’s enough to warrant this current behavior.

Our recent nights have been cold, down near the single digits then up into the 30 degree mark like a roller coaster. We bring them in at dusk and as soon as two or three horses are safely in the barn Her Majesty might decide to lead a conga line back to the pastures. No amount of calling will stop her progress. Or she stays in the catch pen just out of reach until the last horse is brought in and I personally think she expects one of her employees to bring dinner to her. Which isn’t an option. When she finally realizes she’s not getting fed she will come to the gate and allow herself to be brought in. Dusty is a very frustrating mare and she does try my patience.

There’s no rhyme or reason to her behavior that I can come up with but I can only hope her leg is feeling so good she wants to do more. I’m sort of insisting she come in and rest at night. So far she’s only threatened to stay out all night then relents and comes in, even if it’s after dark. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of fun to go back out around eight o’clock to see if the princess is ready to grant permission to be brought in. The last time she wasn’t up after dark we sent Mellon (the Terminator) out after her and told him to bring her home, which he did. She’s a free spirit, but Mellon’s the boss whether she likes it or not, and she will listen to him or it’s her very ample butt that’s going to get a kick.

We’ve tried many different scenarios to try and fix this behavior and they work… for a day to two. The most effective one was when we left her in the side paddock by herself for the entire day. Next day she was the first one to the gate. So I know she can figure out when she’s doing the wrong thing; problem is she simply doesn’t care. For now it’s a test of wills between her and us. Eventually we will win, but that’s not to say she’s still not the most maddening horse we’ve ever dealt with.

Until next time

Quote for Today

How do you catch a loose horse?

Make a noise like a carrot.

- British Cavalry joke -

Old Lady Fun

2012-02-15T07:53:00.001-05:00

I recently received this in an e-mail and thought it was cute. Hope you enjoy it.

GREEN-BAG

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day or didn't call it "green."

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then; we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then; we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.

Remember: Don't make old people mad!

We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to tick us off.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. -Mark Twain-

Valentine Horse

2012-02-12T19:42:00.000-05:00

For Valentine’s Day I thought it might be fun to do a post on one of the horses. My pick is Donnie. I love all the horses in the herd, but Donnie holds a special place in my heart. I’ve posted a little about some of Donnie’s struggles with emotional and physical stress over the years, and through all of it he has remained as sweet and loving no matter his fears.

When we first brought Donnie home, he had lots of new situations to get used to: staying in a stall, accepting halters, blankets, grooming, hoof trimming, saddling and riding. It was clear he’d had some rough handling before he came to us, and it took a while, but we finally earned his trust; today he’s a pro with most of these situations. But not long after we began working with him under saddle, he had an unexplained meltdown when a dog lunged at him in the indoor of the farm we were at, and hasn’t been able to be girthed and ridden normally since.

We still haven’t been able to ride him as my daughter did when we first met him. The truth is, we’ve never really pushed the issue. Once Donnie’s problems began, riding him again never really became a top priority, though we have continued to work with him in other ways, just to keep a trusting working relationship with him going.

But after all of these years, with patience and trust, his physical and emotional problems have subsided, and now it’s a matter of getting his memories to take a backseat so maybe he can have the confidence to carry a rider without bucking. He’s slowly getting used to a girth around his belly and accepting it without a meltdown. He’s even let my daughter get on and ride a few times without getting worried. We don’t have any grand plans for him, but we want Donnie to know he can trust us no matter what, and that he’s got nothing to fear. We’re working on it slowly and he’s coming along.

Donnie tries so hard and never wants to cause any displeasure. Just last night Dusty didn’t want to come in and was intent on leading an exodus back to the pastures. Donnie thought about following her, but when I called him he turned and looked at me, he fought a battle with himself whether to follow the herd or to listen to me and come in. He came in even though it was probably against his instincts. This is one more reason why I love this horse. I don’t know of any other horse that tries so hard to please, but he does.

He’s also a people-horse. He’s the first one to nicker a greeting when we walk into the barn because he’s genuinely happy to see us. If either of us is having a bad day or doesn’t feel well, Donnie will know and you can tell he cares and wants to make it better. His eyes and face are very expressive; it’s always easy to know what Donnie is thinking. He’s a horse that craves human interaction, who will gently take you by the sleeve and pull you over to the front of his stall when he wants some attention. Every night you can count on Donnie for the best horse hugs, too. One only needs to stand in front of him and hug his neck and he will hug you back.

Donnie is one of the sweetest, gentlest horses I’ve ever known. Somehow, through all his trials and tribulations, his disposition has remained kind and caring.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Donnie. You are truly the horse of my heart.

Until next time

Quote for Today

In the steady gaze of the horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love and loyalty, strength and courage. It is the window that reveals to us how willing is his spirit, how generous his heart.

Horse Instincts

2012-02-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

After an incident that happened yesterday, I started wondering about how horses may or may not have instinctive or telepathic thoughts/feelings. The horses were turned out at their normal time and they all proceeded to the backfields for browner pastures. Nothing is green yet, but they are ever hopeful of finding a blade here and there. I had planned to work Donnie, Sami and Dusty on the longe, and maybe ride Blue if time permitted. The weather has been cold, so until it warmed up, I busied myself in the house with neglected duties.

Nearing noon, I put on my coat and opened the side door. Big surprise, no one had come up for lunch hay yet, except for Blue. He was busily snacking on a hay net hanging from the hay tree in the middle of the paddock. As I stood there watching him from the door very quietly, he turned and looked at me. I casually thought to myself that, since no one had shown up yet, maybe I would go catch Blue and longe him instead of Donnie. He took another bite or two of his hay, took another look at me, suddenly dropped his head as if trying to shrink, then slunk off at an extreme extended walk until he disappeared behind the shed and out of my line of vision. In a few seconds he resurfaced and exited the catch pen with a gorgeous extended trot and didn’t stop until he was well into the third paddock. Which led me to believe that he could read my mind and decided working wasn’t on his schedule for the day. He effectively took himself off the menu, knowing I wouldn’t come all the way to the back and get him.

There have been other instances where horses have seemed to know what was going to happen and either accepted it or acted out. I believe that horses have an innate instinct or ability, if you will, to recognize good horse people or what I consider evil horse handlers. Case in point: many years ago we boarded at a barn whose owner’s son was an alarmingly nasty twenty-something that abused his horses outright for all to see. To say he was cruel would be an understatement.

We had taken on an OTTB who basically had a broken leg with a cast on it. Once he was healed and ready to find a new home my daughter took him to a schooling show on the barn’s property. He was normally the sweetest, most mild-mannered horse in the world and after some rehab time and reschooling ended up with a nice home in a respected riding school, so not a scary monster by any means. Anyway, she was in the saddle waiting by the fence to go in, and this creep was standing next to “Critter” with his friend, expounding on all the wonders that were himself, when Critter unexpectedly unhinged his jaws and turned on him and was basically going to bite his head off. If it weren’t for his friend pulling him away, I believe he would have been a “headless horseman.” I never knew whether it was my daughter’s intense dislike for this person that triggered Critter’s response to him or if perhaps he simply had an evil aura surrounding his person that made the horse react out of self-preservation. Maybe horses talk amongst themselves at night and the word spread. Whatever the cause, I believe he would have done him bodily harm.

Another incident that happened at this barn: I was riding Lifeguard (the best horse ever) in the indoor down the long side. When “ Evil Abuser” calmly walked in with his horse, Lifeguard, who was across the indoor from this kid, panicked just at the sight of him and spun around toward the rail and cinderblock wall of the indoor just to be going in the other direction from him. Now Lifeguard was no pushover, but this kid’s evil persona must have infected him as it did the rest of the horses on the farm. There were more unusual happenings but these are the two that affected us and that I can attest to.

So my thoughts were sort of circling the drain and I’ve come up with my own theory. I do truly believe that horses have an instinct about their surroundings and the people that inhabit them. If they didn’t they couldn’t have survived through the millennia. I’m still not sure if they are telepathic or if they are simply reacting to what they perceive as a risk. Namely me, standing quietly at the door looking at Blue. How did he know he was going to be worked? Was it because I came out and he was the only one around? Smart deduction, I’d say. Or could he actually read my mind?

Blue happens to be one of the cleverest and craftiest horses in the herd. At night at bring in time, he won’t come up to the gate until he catches your eye. He has to make actual eye contact and sort of gives you the “you got my back, right?” look. This way he makes sure you both arrive at the gate at the same time and Nate or Mellon won’t corner him there and chase him. Blue won’t be chased, so you both have to be on board and in sync. If not he’ll wait his turn and come in third. But he’d much rather come in first, so it helps him to know you’re on his team.

I find horses fascinating creatures of habit, some with surprisingly complex thought and planning processes, and of course also creatures of finely honed instinct. Then again, is it pure instinct or is it perhaps more? I fear we’ll never know. They will travel on through their lives and ours amazing us with their behavior and keep us guessing.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Don't look at a horse as an animal; look as if the horse is a real person. Because a horse can tell the difference.

Friday Fun

2012-02-03T09:31:00.002-05:00

How to clean a toilet

This was simply too much of a time saver not to share it with you .

1. Put both lids of the toilet up

And add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds.

Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush the toilet three or four times.

This provides a 'power-wash' and rinse'.

6. Have someone open the front door of your home.

Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift the lid.

8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely,

The Dog

Until next time

Patience Is A Virtue

2012-01-29T17:05:00.000-05:00


"Thanks for that swell grooming job mom"

I’ve heard that Patience is a Virtue. By nature I’m not a very patient person but having dealt with horses for so many years I’ve had to put my natural - get things done personality - on the back burner so to speak. This has become even more apparent now regarding my therapeutic work with Dusty.

We’ve been grooming and hand walking in the arena for about a half an hour at a time. The part that’s going against my natural instinct is I really want to saddle her up and ride her at the walk. She looks fine, her leg is healed according to the vet and she seems to want to do more too. The vet gave permission to ride her at the walk for about forty-five minutes in straight lines with resting times until she’s built her muscle and stamina back.

Circling around in my brain are the yeas and nays of the situation. The conundrum is: I simply don’t feel right getting on her back when I consider her back and legs not strong enough to hold a rider yet. I’m apprehensive about reinjuring her suspensories if she’s not one hundred percent. Still, I’m having conversations with myself about riding her. If the vet gave the thumbs up maybe I should listen to him and get on her to walk her. Would it build her up quicker I wonder?

I’m going to give her more time to get in shape because I feel it’s the right thing for her. As much as I want to saddle up I’ve got to curb my enthusiasm and do what’s right in my mind to make her stronger and give her more time to heal completely. Patience is one of the non-existent personality traits I’m working on and hope to conquer. Sure is hard though.

Until next time

Quote for Today

To many, the words love, hope and dreams are synonymous with horses.

Liebster Award

2012-01-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

I’ve received an award from:

Dancing Horses and Jessica at Hopeful Jumpers who have up and coming blogs you might want to check out.

And I’d like to thank them for thinking of me. I’m honored. The Liebster Award has been making its way around the blogosphere so I’m not entirely sure who has already received it. There are so many interesting and deserving blogs that it’s hard to pick just five. So instead of choosing five blogs I’m passing the torch to you. Please feel free to take this award and pass it on to your five favorite blogs that you feel fit the criteria below:

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on our blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award.
3. Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs!

Until next time

Do Horses Live In The Moment

2012-01-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

"Grady"

Most people believe that horses live in the moment. To a certain extent I feel this is a true statement. One only has to watch them interacting with each other, grazing, waiting for their feed or going with the program they’re used to each day to believe they do. However, I’m of the opinion that this is a somewhat misleading statement. I’m thinking they live in the moment but they never forget what has happened in the past. The events of their previous years shape them into the horses they are today just as our childhood shaped us into the adults we’ve become.

Case in point today is Grady. The other day he sustained an injury to his face below his eye. We don’t know how he did this but he came in bleeding with a decent sized cut. When my daughter went to treat it with medication he was terrified. She stood by his shoulder with her back to his chest and reached for his nose to hold his head. My daughter is a very calm and gentle person and there was no need for him to have a reaction that backed him into a corner with his head up and fearful eyes rolling in his head. Obviously, Grady was panicked by his rough treatment by persons in his past.

To remedy this situation she simply stood there quietly and spoke to him until he came over with enough trust to let her treat his injury. We know Grady was on the show circuit and ridden incorrectly. By that I mean he was yanked into an unnatural frame and pounded into the ground. He’s still dealing with leg and mental issues but he’s getting much better with proper training and respectful handling.

So the point of my disjointed thinking process is: yes, I believe horses do live in the moment but they remember things that don’t pertain to the moment they are currently experiencing. Which makes them thinking creatures and not simply livestock as uninformed horse people have told me over the years.

The question remains, are we being presumptuous and doing them a disservice to assign them personality traits that we know nothing about? How do we know whether a horse is thinking or not thinking while they’re grazing or living day to day with their herd? Without the ability to think/remember past experiences or using their instincts for survival I don’t think they would still be around after all these millions of years.

Until next time

Quote for Today

There is one respect in which beasts show real wisdom... their quiet, placid enjoyment of the present moment.   - Schopenhauer

Did I Just See That!

2012-01-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

I’m afraid I did and it was a rat! Now don’t get me wrong, I am an animal lover, but I don’t like rats or mice for that matter. You might as well add snakes to the list; everything else I can deal with. There’s no reason we should have any infestation in our barn. We don’t keep any feed in there. It’s all out in the feed shed and locked down tight. Not even a mouse can get into it. Our barn is cleaned everyday. The tack room door remains shut when we’re not using it. We have a small refrigerator for the carrots and treats. There’s absolutely no reason to have a rat running around in the barn unless they like hay and I’m pretty sure they don’t.

Here’s the odd part. I’ve never seen an animal do this but I’m seeing it now. We keep the blankets in the wash stall in the winter. It was brought to my attention by a helper that there was a pile of manure hidden behind the blankets. Okay, that’s different. So we moved the blankets and cleaned up the manure. Obviously, some sort of animal was moving it there and eating the grain out of the poop…ewwww!

We had few clues and weren’t really sure what kind of animal was visiting at first. It could be one of the foxes or a raccoon. The horse’s stalls looked like a mix master had been in there all night. Guess they don’t like their sleep being disturbed. Next clue I had came when I was in the tack room cleaning my saddle. I swore I heard something behind one of the tack trunks, a sort of scratching noise. On further investigation there proved to be nothing there, no droppings or anything like that. Still a puzzle that needed to be solved and I wasn’t giving up the hunt. I felt like Elmer Fudd hunting wabbits.

After the blankets were removed and the hiding place exposed there was no more manure mounds in the wash stall. However, there was a trail of manure from Nate’s stall to the cat door. The previous owner had a cat and holes were cut into the walls with removable doors for the cat to come and go at its leisure. We slid the door over the cat door on the tack room side to prevent any critters from setting up shop in there. Yeah, we’re clever like that.

Our unwanted visitor continued to take Nate’s manure and leave a trail, like Hansel and Gretel with breadcrumbs, across the aisle and into the cat door hole. Hmm, which led us to believe it wasn’t one of the foxes or a raccoon but a critter that was nesting in the wall above the cat door. Nice.

One night at bring-in time, I flipped the aisle lights on and then the stall lights and lo and behold there he goes. From Donnie’s stall across the aisle into the hole in the wall, fast little s.o.b. and very huge. At one boarding barn we used to call them B.F.R’s--you’ll have to use your imagination here. So after a confirmed sighting I got some special pellets and hope he eats them and leaves. In the meantime, I’ll be walking gingerly and in ready to run mode if need be. I know some might think this is mean but I can’t have a rat in the barn. It’s disrupting the horses and making them nervous. Except for Nate; I think he’s found a new friend. Of course, rats prefer his manure to all others, so he probably thinks he’s special and his manure is the sweetest and smells the best.

We’ve thought about switching Mellon and Nate into each other’s stalls for a while to see what happens. In his younger years, at a boarding barn overrun with rats, Mellon would stomp them when they came into his stall. My daughter would have to shovel them out of there every morning. Mellon the Terminator wouldn’t put up with them in his stall for any reason.

I hope you don’t have this problem but if you do how do you handle getting rid of them?

Until next time

Quote for Today

Stay outside and you’ll be fine.

Come inside and your _ _ _ is mine. (fill in the blank)

Norman

2012-01-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

"Norman"

Recently, I’ve been thinking about a horse we used to have and wondering what his life is like now or if he’s still alive. I have no idea why Norman has popped into my head for the past week but maybe it’s time his story was told.

We were boarding at a facility and the owner got this adorable black cob/draft horse in with a horrible injury to his back leg. The skin was literally sliced to the point of hanging slightly off the leg with crusted blood and oozing. I have no idea what the deal was between the barn owner and the dealer, but Norman was there on trial as a potential schoolie or something for a month or so and needless to say we fell in love with him. How could we not? He might not have been the most handsomest horse but he was surely the sweetest, friendliest little guy I’ve ever known. My husband remarked once that he looked prehistoric... poor Norman.

The slimy little owner of the farm hit upon a new scam to try to get his clients to buy his new school horses. Apparently he thought he would get in sad cases like Norm on trial and then start a “Save Norman... or else” fund. Everyone would donate money to try to keep Norm from going to auction and the killers. And people did donate, only they didn’t come up with quite enough money, so when the truck showed up to take Norm away, it was too late. When the dreaded kill truck showed up, Norman was loaded onto it to be taken to auction. I received a frantic call from my daughter that Norman was leaving for the kill pens and could I come down with the money to buy him. Now, at the time I didn’t have any extra money lying around to spend on a horse. My daughter, who was a teenager at the time, had been saving money for a trip and I was to bring that money for Norman’s purchase. The driver was in a hurry and the barn was forty-five minutes from my house, so I had to hustle. He wasn’t going to wait around for long with the promise from a kid that mom was on her way with the money. In the end, Norman was led from the truck and put back in the barn. Now we had to figure out how to pay board on him, vet bills etc. My daughter went to work for the barn as a mucker, groomer and in general helped out for a reduction in board. So it worked out for Norman. With diligent care, Norman recovered from his injuries (thought there was some nasty proud flesh) and was a happy, thankful horse and a pleasure to be around. (The slimy barn owner, btw, kept all the money that had been donated to the “Save Norman” fund for himself.)

Even though he was definitely a driving horse in his prior life, I did have a ride on him one day. It was easy to see why he made the perfect cart-pulling horse; his trot was atrocious and the most uncomfortable I’ve ever had the displeasure to ride. No matter. He was a wonderful horse and we all loved him.

Circumstances being what they are in life, we eventually left that barn and took Norman along and he became everybody’s darling at the next barn, too. To say he was a character would be an understatement. One day he ate the button off my daughter’s coat looking for treats. He saw no need for having his sheath cleaned, when he had already mastered the technique of laying on his stomach and rubbing back and forth on his hoof to relieve his discomfort. It seemed to work for him. Norman also had the cutest handlebar mustachio and was very kissable. During the time we spent at this barn there was a beginner rider and he took a liking to Norman. The picture below is of him and Norman on a beach ride. Doesn’t he look majestic with the surf behind him? Unfortunately, this rider wasn’t ready to buy a horse and Norman came along with us when we moved to yet another barn.

As always, Norman was a hit with all but there was one girl in particular who absolutely fell in love with him. She would spend hours grooming him and bringing him giant jars of peppermint candy. We thought it was wonderful that she had so much fun riding him--she was the only person in the world who thought his trot was comfortable. Eventually, we sold him to her for a dollar and they became a great pair because they were so right for each other.

The only sort of sad part to Norman’s story is: one day when we came to the barn he wasn’t there. In his place was a letter to us that she had to leave quickly and couldn’t get in touch with us in time to let us know. Seems she was moving to New Hampshire to be with her father. So Norman was gone and we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. I’m sure since her father had a barn on the property he was well-loved and taken care of, but I would have liked to give him a hug and kiss goodbye one last time.

I’m sort of hoping she sees this and lets us know what happened with her and Norman. It’s hard not knowing how the horses we care for wind up. It’s one of the reasons I could never be a breeder and seller of horses. Wherever Norman is I’m sure he’s still the happy, sweet and friendly guy we all loved and cared about.

Until next time

Quote for Today

A horse is an angel without wings

This Weekend’s Routine

2012-01-08T23:30:00.000-05:00

"Donnie"

We’ve had a really nice weekend weather-wise, which is unheard of this time of year around here. It’s been in the 40’s and 50’s and makes you really want to get out and do something with the horses. I’m hoping this continues so we can work consistently with the horses, eliminating the time it would take to get them in shape when the spring season rolls around. If we can continue to work with them, spring should see horses fit and sassy and ready to go. That said, we’ll most likely have a blizzard soon because I'm sure I just jinxed myself.

Dusty and I have had two days of walking in the indoor. Fifteen minutes in each direction. She seems a little confused by it but she’s not opposed to some treats to ease her mind. Dusty has a tendency to walk very fast and get ahead of me on the lead. She doesn’t know where she’s going, but she’s making good time. We’re working on her walking at my shoulder during our sessions. Smart girl, she’s catching on quickly. You may wonder why I’ve never worked on this before and the answer would be: I did. When I first got her as a green five year old she marched forward the same way and we would do lots of stops and circling and she finally got the message. I guess over the years this unwanted behavior slowly crept back and I never noticed or it didn’t bother me enough to work on it. I’m guilty of always being in a hurry and walking fast to get where I’m going too, so maybe she picked up on that. Whatever the reason, we’re back to working on her pace while we therapy walk. Dusty is a horse that has to have a reason or a purpose for any behavior so learning to walk like a lady instead of a longshoreman is the reason I’m giving her for our morning walks together.

Donnie started back into longeing on Saturday and did well with his walk and trot to the left. When we changed sides and I sent him out to walk he spooked at something and started cantering and didn’t want to come back immediately. He’s never dangerous, he just gets nervous. I feel the best thing to do in a situation like this is stop moving my feet and hands and give him soft calm voice cues until he stops. If I show that I’m not upset and remain calm he will, in turn, have the confidence in me to guide him and not let the monsters in the woods eat him. My attitude helped him to trust that I knew he would be okay and he stopped after a few laps. We then took a nice walk around the arena with lots of petting and telling him what a good smart boy he is. Sunday we did a simple revisiting of his basic clicker training to give him confidence in himself and turned him out for the day. I like to give my horses jobs they can excel in. Next time we’ll longe again. Instead of drilling the same thing every day, I feel it’s beneficial to break up learning activities into different routines.

Saturday was also Blue’s turn for a light ride. It took me forever to groom him; he’s the dirtiest horse in the barn. He’s got to work on this and he’s a genius at filthy. His eyes were running and he coughed a bit so we just walked for about twenty minutes and I got off. Of course, I didn’t realize until I mounted and couldn’t reach the stirrup that I had put the wrong saddle on him. It was my daughter’s saddle for Nate. Still unaware of my mistake I said to her “were you riding in my saddle?” Well, when she could catch her breath from being in hysterics she told me it wasn’t my saddle. She wasn’t going to tell me if I didn’t notice. How did this happen? Easy the saddle was on my rack and I just grabbed it. Blue was the third horse to work that day and I wasn’t paying attention. Another senior moment…

Sunday Blue and I did the same clicker refresher course. When I brought him in from the paddock he was dragging his feet and I could tell he really didn’t have it in him to work. His allergies are still bothering him and I can’t blame him for not wanting to trot around with me on his back. We’ll wait until he’s feeling better for a ride.

Until next time

Quote for Today

A stubborn horse walks behind you, an impatient horse walks in front of you, but a noble companion walks beside you.

Dusty’s Final Treatment

2012-01-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

"Glad that's over with, how about a treat"

Our vet was here this morning and Dusty had her third and final shock wave treatment. She’s out in the side paddock by herself today so she can recuperate without being annoyed by the boys. She doesn’t mind; she’s got a hay net all to herself. The paddock where the boys are congregating to keep an eye on her is frozen into hoof cups of mud. I felt that putting her there to navigate the moon craters wouldn’t be helpful after her treatment.

The diagnosis is good. The vet palpated her suspensories and with just two treatments he seems to think that she’s doing really well. After this treatment she should be good to go. Color me surprised that this worked in such a short time. I remarked that I should have done it months ago, but he said that it wouldn’t have worked then. Apparently, a fresh injury doesn’t respond to shock wave therapy, it’s better to wait until the injury has calmed down, and seems best suited to chronic conditions rather than acute ones.

He suggested starting her back slow, but she’s ready to start back! He said we could begin right away under tack, but I’m going to begin in hand. I’ll be hand walking her for ten minutes and increasing each day gradually. Once she’s used to being in a routine again we’ll start to add a little walking under tack. When the time is right and she has built up her muscle and endurance through regular walking, she can do a little trot interspersed with walking but nothing too strenuous—about five minutes per session to begin with. And we’ll just have to take it from there. Her progression in getting back to her old self is going to take as long as it takes; we’re in no hurry. There’s no way I’m going to risk a re-injury of those suspensories.

Dusty’s laminitis is also doing really well and growing out perfectly. I owe my farrier and our vet a big thank you for working together to make her well. When all is said and done and her hoof grows out the coffin bone rotation should be a thing of the past. Fingers crossed.

So right about now I’m feeling really good about this diagnosis. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to be ridden again. And that would have been okay too, but this is so much better for her.

I’ll keep you posted on her progress. I’m going to give her the weekend to heal a little from her last treatment and we’ll start her exercises soon after that.

Until next time
Quote for Today
I love my horse from hoof to head
From head to hoof and tail and mane
I love my horse as I have said
From head to hoof and back again
- James Whitcomb Riley

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Seems it’s that time of year again. Out with the old and in with the new. I’m not much for making the obligatory resolutions about losing weight, exercising more, eating healthful foods etc. because truthfully I never keep them. This year I thought it might be better to set goals for the horses and myself. It’s something that might actually work.

"Dusty"

When Dusty is well and able to be ridden again, we’ll start slowly with groundwork and either some light longeing or long lining until she’s in shape again and able to support a rider. Then we’ll have a refresher course of all she’s learned. Hopefully, this will be followed by new exercises and lots of trail rides.

"Blue"

With Blue I think the main goal is to get him in shape; he’s a little on the chubby side right now and needs to muscle up a bit. So we’ll be taking short hacks to start the New Year. Blue needs work that interests him so we’ll do a different exercise each time. We’ll aim for less structured conditioning rides of walking/trotting in the field (weather permitting) or indoor, interspersed with occasional cavelletti patterns and more advanced dressage moves here and there for variety. Blue knows quite a lot already but he’s no schoolmaster by a long shot. His whole career he’s mainly done hunter/jumper and he loves to jump. We’re not up to that yet or should I say I’m not up to that yet and don’t know if I really want to jump anything substantial anymore. I’ve given myself permission to not jump if I don’t feel the need. I’m thinking in reality Blue may be in for dressage training if he’s agreeable to switching disciplines. We’ll take it slow and see what happens. I’m a fan of taking one day at a time and working with what my horse gives me that day. Or to be honest what I feel like doing on any given day. Doesn’t sound very organized, does it? But the main goal is to ride and teach him there are many enjoyable exercises he can learn and that working isn’t all bad.

"Donnie"

The biggest goal I have this year is to have Donnie in consistent work and hopefully he will gain confidence in himself. We’ll do lots of longeing, long-lining and interacting with him on the ground. By the end of the year or perhaps sooner I’m hoping Donnie will feel comfortable enough to let us tighten his girth and even get on him. He’s had major problems with this for years but now that his EPSM has finally been diagnosed and treated we’re hoping he’ll be confident enough to hold a rider again. Anyone who’s familiar with Donnie’s problems from other posts will know this goal will be a major achievement for Donnie and for us.

I’ll keep you posted on how everything is progressing with the horses.

I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Healthy New Year with lots of good rides.

Until next time

Quote for Today

To make a perfect horseman, three things are requisite. First, to know how and when to help your horse. Secondly, how and when to correct him. And thirdly, how and when to praise him and to make much of him.
- Thomas Blundeville

It’s Working!

2011-12-26T08:55:00.000-05:00

"That was lots of fun, where's my treat"

Dusty had her second shock wave treatment last Wednesday. The vet was very happy with how well she is doing. He palpated her injury site and felt that the inside suspensory was much tighter and she seems more comfortable in general. The outside suspensory branch is still on the mend. So it seems the treatments are working. Dusty is due for her last treatment in two weeks and then we’ll see where she is.

A sort of fun story attached to this treatment. Grady was in his stall to be looked at for a different problem. His stall is near the cross ties where Dusty was tied. He was a perfect gentleman while she was examined, but the minute she received her sedative and he realized she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, he took the opportunity to bite her on the butt. All she could do was put one of her ears back. But this mare doesn’t put up with any nonsense and Grady knows it; Dusty has a long memory and he will pay for his indiscretion. It may not be right away but she will get him for biting her butt. Poor Grady he’ll never know what hit him.

I’m hopeful that these treatments will speed her healing and she will be ready to resume her lessons by springtime. Personally, I think she misses working and learning new things. She’s one of the few horses I’ve met that enjoys working.

If only her work ethic would rub off on the rest of the herd…

Until next time

Quote for Today

Life is good; a horse makes it better!

Dear Santa

2011-12-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa,

Hi, it’s me Sami—you know, the handsome, athletic Arabian. I’m a little bit late with this letter but I know you will get it because… well, you’re Santa. For Christmas I would like some new shoes with lifts in them to make me taller. I’m eight years old now and I thought I would grow bigger in the three years since I came to the barn. I been trying to eat as much as I can but I’m still only 14.2 hands and I guess this is it for me. But I really need to be bigger so the horses that live here will start takin me seriouslee. They still don’t realize that I should be leader of the pack and won’t listen to me. But with shoes and lifts they would be really scared of me cuz I would be bigger.

Dusty never pays no attention to me either. She always squeals and strikes at me when I try to talk to her. Okay, maybe I might get too close, but that’s no reason to be so rude. I think she shouldn’t get anything for Christmas cause she’s so mean.

And Grady should get a frozen lump of manure in his stocking cuz he’s such a bully to me. He’s the one who always wants to play, but I can’t help it if he’s the one who ends up with all the bloody cuts and bruises on him and I don’t have any on me at the end of the day. He’s always getting me in trouble! Grady is really sneaky like that.

Mellon is kind of cool and smart and I can see why he’s in charge. We’re a lot alike and he’s my friend so, since he’s gettin old I think you should bring him a heated bed for his stall to keep him warm and comfy when he lays down to rest.

Blue is a jerk! He chayses me off the hay nets or the best grass all the time. Who does he think he is anyway? He’s not the boss of me! I’ll eat where I want to. Blue should get a rotten carrot in his stocking, that wil show him.

Nate is okay but he’s so big I’m fraid he’s going to knock me over sometimes when we play halter-tag. Plus, he’s got kind of an unfair advantage, being so big. It’s a good thing I’m so fast! But he’s mostly hangin round with Dusty, so we only play once in a while. You could bring Nate some nice treats cuz he’s okay.

Donnie is okay too. He doesn’t play much but he’s not mean to me—not most of the time, anyway. He’s prabobly the nicest horse here and we could be friends when I get bigger and do some fun stuff then. I guess you could bring Donnie some good treats too, whatever he askes for.

So Santa if you could help me out with the lifts for my shoes that would be all I need for this Christmas.

Your best pal,
Sami

p.s. - I guess you could throw in some carrots and stud muffins if you got any extra.

p.p.s – well, I feel kinda bad. I guess if you are bringing some treats for me, maybe you could bring some for the rest of the horses too, even Grady and Dusty and Blue. But just because it’s Christmas!

The Herd and I wish you all a very

Merry Christmas!