Do Horses Live In The Moment

"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!

 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

"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

"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

"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!

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!

"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!