Grey Horse Matters

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!

Dusty’s Shock Wave Treatment

2011-12-06T23:07:00.000-05:00

" Was that really necessary "

Our vet was here this morning to administer Dusty’s shock wave treatment. I did ask a few questions and now understand a little better how it works. He actually had a brochure from the company whose machine he was using. If you’re interested in this sort of treatment for one of your horses the company is www.PulseVet.com. The technical term: VersaTron, Non-Invasive Regenerative Extracorporeal Shock Wave technology (ESWT).

The following is directly from the brochure addressing frequently asked questions. I’m only taking a sampling otherwise this would be too long.

VersaTron (ESWT) What is it?

ESWT is a non-invasive, high-intensity pressure wave regenerative medicine treatment. It helps the body in relieving pain, speeding healing and improving quality of healing.

“Shock Wave” is a physics term to describe a rapid increase in pressure, such as the energy from an explosion or thunder resulting from lightening. “Shock wave” does not refer to electrical shock.

VersaTron ESWT is a much higher energy and can penetrate to deeper areas than many other types of energy modalities.

How does it work?

ESWT provides a high energy, focused, pressure wave that causes a biological response in treated tissue, which will stimulate and accelerate the healing process. The pressure wave acts as a mechanical force at the cellular level causing various biological reactions including the release of proteins associated with decreased inflammation and increased blood vessel formation. ESWT has also been demonstrated to recruit stem cells, and positively regulate inflammatory proteins associated with osteoarthritis.

There is much more in the brochure about the different uses this treatment is helpful with such as: tendon and ligament injuries, wound healing, bone healing and degenerative joint disease. It can be used with other treatments, so it might be worth asking your vet. Anticipated results can be seen with 1-3 treatments. It is important to note that it takes time for the biological responses to take place and healing is seen over a period of time, not immediately. If it works I’m willing to wait.

In the following pictures you can see that Dusty’s legs are shaved; that was from the ultrasound. They disinfected the area to be treated, and then put gel on it and did the shock wave treatment. I can say that it’s pretty loud and sounds almost like a controlled banging or hammering. She was sedated for this and didn’t mind it a bit she was resting her head on my shoulder and was half asleep through the whole procedure. When she was done she was led to her stall where she stayed for an hour or so and then she was allowed to go out with the boys for the afternoon. Mellon was pacing the fence the whole time and calling for her. I thought it was nice of the boys to stay in the catch pen all morning and wait for her—everyone except Blue, of course. He was down in the second paddock doing his own thing as usual. Probably glad it wasn’t him!

Dusty has two more treatments, two weeks apart. Fingers crossed that this will heal her last stubborn suspensory branches and she’ll be feeling much better soon. I’m guessing she’s feeling slightly betrayed today. I kept her in and gave her quite a thorough grooming today with lots of treats. Once the vet arrived I’m sure I got the stink eye. Sorry, little girl, but it’s for your own good. How many times have you heard that from your mother and really hated it!

Until next time

Quote for Today

The horse through all its trials has preserved the sweetness of paradise in its blood.

- Johannes Jensen

Dusty’s Vet Visit

2011-12-03T12:22:00.000-05:00

" This is getting old, I'm fine...really!"

The vet was here yesterday to reevaluate Dusty. It’s been three months since her last ultrasound and it was time to see where she is in her recovery from laminitis/founder and the tearing of her four suspensory branches in both hind legs.

Dusty jogged out fine and then it was inside for the ultrasound. Our vet came to the conclusion that her laminitis is growing out beautifully, so no need for x-rays right now. Our farrier is doing a wonderful job helping her be comfortable and more mechanically correct. With his help, she’s got hooves that are now healthy and growing out at a better angle with the aim of de-rotating her coffin bone and making this last founder a thing of the past. Now we can begin to focus more on management and prevention of another episode.

The ultrasound pictures showed a marked improvement in three suspensory branches and one that still has some healing to do. Basically, her right hind is fine and the one outside branch on her left hind is slow to heal with lots of little holes still present. He suggested three shock wave treatments a few weeks apart and feels confident that this will help her to heal more quickly by stimulating repair in the affected area. I’m going to go ahead and do this. She’ll have her first treatment on Tuesday. He didn’t seem to think the PRP (platelet therapy) would work for her because there are too many tiny holes to have to inject and it might not work anyway because the injury is old now and that particular therapy works best when done within a week or two of the injuries start.

Another reason I like this therapy is because it can be done right here in the barn and not stress her out by being moved to a clinic. She’ll continue to get her laser light therapy treatments at night and her medications: (Isoxuprine, for improved circulation in her feet); and her supplements: Ligand, that is based on Dr. Kellon’s DSLD protocol to help heal her suspensories. She also gets her normal supplements which are: ½ multivitamin; joint supplement (Smart Flex Resilience) which has ingredients which is supposed to help and repair joints, tendons and ligaments (we don’t know if it necessarily works but as long as it can’t hurt, why not); additional magnesium in the form of Smart Calm Ultra -- she doesn’t need it for calming, but it has a lot of magnesium; Vitamin E – Uckele’s Vitamin E 5000 which is the best vitamin E supplement out there in our opinion; and a hoof supplement, Smart Pak’s Smart Hoof (we like the copper and zinc content in particular.)

I’ll let everyone know how the shockwave treatment goes on Tuesday and how Dusty reacts to it. Fingers crossed that this will help her on the road to a speedier recovery for those suspensory injuries.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Gypsy gold does not chink and glitter. It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark.
- Saying of the Gladdagh Gypsies of Galway

Weekend Update

2011-11-27T11:02:00.000-05:00

I had planned to try and ride the day after Thanksgiving, but sometimes all good intentions go astray. The entire herd decided that the weather was way too nice to make an appearance for dinner and come into the barn for the night. Personally, I think Blue had something to do with their decision. I don’t know whether he has a Ouija board or ESP, but somehow he knew he was going to be ridden so he must have talked them out of coming in. We left the barn lights on until seven p.m. but when they were a no-show, we put the feed tubs away and closed down for the night. They know the rules: be home by seven for dinner or you don’t eat.

Saturday morning they showed up for breakfast around eight and we brought the feed tubs into the catch pen. I waited until Blue had finished his tub and brought him in. After a thorough grooming to get the ground-in mud off and a de-burring session we were ready. The time had come; it was exactly four weeks since we parted company and I landed on the ground.

I feel it is important to get back on as soon as you are able after a mishap concerning riding. If not for your own mindset, then for the horse’s thought process. How can we know what the horse has been thinking about since he lost a rider? Each horse has a different personality and handles situations differently. I’ve been off a few different horses and each one treated the situation in their own way. Erik would come over to see if I was okay, Dusty would just stand there and give me a disdainful look and Blue galloped a few laps around the ring as I was laying on the ground [and then stood staring from across the arena with a look of alarm.] This may be the first time anyone has ever actually fallen off of Blue and I think he didn’t know what to do. So I think it was important for me to get back on and show him we’re still a team and everything is all right.

We went down to the arena and introduced him to the new built-in mounting block in the corner… he couldn’t care less. The geese were screeching as usual in the pond outside the windows. I mounted and we went for a leisurely walk around the arena on the buckle. Then walked a pattern over some cavelletti followed by two trot circles in either direction. Blue seemed fine, if a little lazy due to his being tired from wandering all night. I can just picture them all out there having a poker game, smoking cigars and Dusty bringing them their drinks. He got lots of treats and lots of praise, so hopefully all is well in Blue Land. As an example of Blue’s mentality, yesterday he was the only one all the way in the back pasture grazing with not a care in the world. The rest of the herd was in a totally different pasture all huddled together grazing. Go figure, he’s a horse of a different nature who never ceases to mystify me.

To wrap it up, we had a quiet short session that we will build on as we both get back into shape after four weeks of unused muscles—both in our bodies and in our heads. Oh, and they stayed out again partying last night, the weather has been in the unheard of sixties and I can’t blame them; I’d be out under the night sky with a billion stars surrounding me too.

Until next time

Quote for Today

When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.
- Sir Winston Churchill

Have You Ever Been This Tired?

2011-11-25T10:02:00.000-05:00

Until next time

Quote for Today
Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out. ~Anton Chekhov

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T09:22:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway ---
Thanksgiving comes again!

Quote for Today

John Greenleaf Whittier

No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope or fear;
But, grateful, take the good I find,
The best of now and here.

About Riding Again

2011-11-20T14:02:00.000-05:00

Blue modeling his "helicopter" ears

I was hoping that this weekend I would be able to ride again. Unfortunately, although I’m much better, I’m still sore. Seems the muscle and soft tissue injury isn’t healing as quickly as I thought it would. The day after Thanksgiving we have a tradition of either going on a trail ride, weather permitting or riding in the arena. So that’s what I’m shooting for.

Some people have asked me if I’m fearful of getting back in the saddle again. The answer is- not really. This isn’t my first time off a horse and realistically it won’t be my last. Although with some wishful thinking I could hope for it not to ever happen again. It’s important to me to remember that it wasn’t Blue’s fault I came off. When Blue spooked he was simply being a horse and horses have the flight gene when something startles them. I feel when a horse spooks it’s my job to try and stay on somehow and help to calm them down. This particular time I wasn’t being as diligent as I used to be with my horse Erik who was an epic spooker. He was a horse who could never be trusted completely and also had the fastest spook in the East. With Dusty I was somewhat cautious just because she is so green. Blue has on rare occasions spooked with a small jump sideways and one time he actually bucked about half a foot off the ground. Not a big deal really. The spook that has caused me so much trouble came out of nowhere and I never expected it from him. Just goes to show you every horse has a great startle reflex in there somewhere.

Unlike most horse people I won’t get back on a horse unless I feel one hundred percent able to handle any situation that may come up. That’s one of the reasons I took a few months of rehab after my knee replacement to climb aboard Dusty who I hadn’t ridden for a good many years. If I don’t feel that my legs and seat are properly connected to the horse and saddle I try not to take unnecessary chances. Not to say that I didn’t use to get right back on after a fall because I did, it was just the way things were done way back when. Now I’ve found that it takes a longer time to heal at my age and I pretty much just proved that to myself recently. So even though I could ride with the proper medication I’d prefer to wait until I’m totally healed. Don’t know whether that makes me a wuss or a lesser horse person, but those are my feelings on getting back on after an injury.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
- Confucious

Burr Central

2011-11-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

This is how we spent our morning. De-burring manes and tails is time consuming and not a whole lot of fun but it's one of those jobs that needs to be done. I just wish I knew where they were picking these burrs up so I could mow them down. The entire herd was well-behaved and let us show sheen their burrs and remove them.

Blue surprised me today by being very friendly and cuddly. He let me kiss his nose and put his cheek on my cheek and just stood there quietly for a moment or two. Normally he's not quite that sensitive a guy. Dusty was also being very cute, until she bopped me on top of the head with the underside of her jaw. Not on purpose, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe she's trying to knock some sense into me, but I think she was really looking for a treat.

" Blue "

" Donnie"

" Sami "


" Dusty "

Until next time

Quote for Today
You never get the pleasure of owning a horse, you only have the pleasure of being its slave.

The Latest News

2011-11-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of my blogging friends in the equine community for your kind and caring comments. I’m not surprised that people who love and care for horses also care for other equine enthusiasts even though most of us have never met in person. My injuries are healing but are still sore. I’m guessing it’s an age related thing, the older you get the slower bruises heal. Just a fact of life but I’ll deal with it. Thank you again your kindness touched me and makes the healing process easier.

Falling into the category of more bad luck this past Monday continued to bring unwanted injuries to our family. My daughter Jacquie was in a very serious auto accident on her way to work. She is okay and is at home recuperating with some very colorful and painful bruises from head to toe. The front of her car was involved and the car is now totaled. I’m very thankful for seat belts and air bags, without them I’m not so sure she would have survived the crash. It’s every parent’s nightmare to get the call saying, “There’s been an accident.” She was very lucky and we’re grateful that she’s going to be fine.

It could be a while before I’m back to blogging but I will try to visit you all and keep up to date by visiting when I can.

Until next time

Quote for Today

In bad luck hold out: in good luck, hold in

German Proverb