Herd News

'Sami'

Herd News

It’s about time for the latest news on our herd. Recently, we integrated the entire herd, making it easier in the mornings to turn them out. Walking the geldings down the road to the back paddock in the ice/snow/freezing temperatures is not anyone’s idea of a good time in the morning darkness. As to how they all are getting along, well…

' Dusty & Sweetie'

Dusty and Sweetie, our two mares, seem to have taken a dislike to one another, to the point of totally ignoring the other’s existence. Dusty is a tomboy and loves to be out with the boys, especially Mellon. I believe this is because they are both evil geniuses who have finally found their respective equals. Mellon has claimed both mares as his own and now has a little harem. Sweetie seems not to take much notice of this fact, although she is smart enough to know if someone picks on her, (mainly Blue) she will trot over to Mellon for protection. Yes, I said trot and I’ve seen her break into a canter on occasion. Surprisingly, she is not lame at all. We had a chiropractor check her out and she said her back was just fine and the only thing troubling her is her legs, but nothing critical-just the old bowed tendon and the usual aches and pains that come with old age.

'Mellon & Dusty'

A lovesick Donnie, who Dusty will not give the time of day, follows her everywhere until Mellon chases him off. Blue has undergone a personality transformation from “Mr. Cool” to “Mr. Grumpy,” and has been harassing Sweetie and Sami. I would venture a guess it’s because there are now two horses lower than he is on the herd totem pole and he is feeling a little drunk with power at the moment. Nate has taken to hanging out with Sweetie. They are both chestnuts, and I’m not sure whether he thinks she’s his long lost mama or if he just feels sorry for her; Nate has always been a sweetheart and kind to everyone, particularly the “weaker” horses. Donnie is also very kind, tries to ward off any trouble, and is always there to cheer up his friends or share a pile of hay with them, including the two new herd members. Studley, whose official barn name is Sami is enjoying having new friends and has become the ultimate instigator of trouble with his irritating behavior, Sami is apparently making up for all the lost time he spent locked in a stall at his previous home; now he gallops around, rears and plays halter tag with everyone, practically without let-up. Even Mellon plays with him, which boggles the mind, since we’ve never really seen Mellon play with anyone--not in years. However, his annoying behavior has gotten him a kick here and there, luckily nothing too serious…yet. “Mr. Grumpy” (Blue) is the executor of most of the kicks. Despite his antics, Sami seems to be a good influence on the herd, as he is not only giving them some much-needed exercise but also reigniting their playfulness and keeping them young. Overall, they are getting along pretty well for such a random assortment of horses.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Kissed by sunlight, embraced by open fields, the horse is the center of all beautiful things.

Another Update on the Arabians

Another Update on the Arabian Horses

There are so many new developments with the rescued Arabians; I do not know where to start. I will bring you up to date on Studley first. We still have not found out his name for sure but the rescue organizer is looking into it for us. She thinks his name is Farouk and he is 5 or 6 years old. Once we get a confirmation on his name, we will stop calling him Studley.

The dentist was to the barn about a week ago and Studley had his teeth floated, during the examination it was discovered that he had two canines that had never erupted properly due to a ligament growing across them which they were unable to break through and which was causing irritation. The ligament was trimmed away, with the pressure removed and his canines exposed, he must be feeling better already.

Since the first farrier visit did not exactly go well, our farrier came out again this Monday. We have worked with him on picking up his feet for a few weeks, so he and my daughter were able to get him trimmed. He’s got two diagonal feet (right front/left hind) which are clubbed as of now, but with the proper trimming he may grow out of it. It may be because he was in an unlevel stall his whole life and had to compensate standing on the uneven surfaces for so long, and his feet grew accordingly. If that is not the case, we will know eventually.

Studley seems to have a problem being out by himself, and is prone to run the fence after a few minutes if his people leave the area. His mom is across the driveway where he can see her (although she ignores him), and Dusty and Mellon are in the paddock next to that. He isn’t alone, yet he can’t seem to settle down and just enjoy grazing. I would guess it is due to the fact that he has been stall-bound his whole life. I’m sure once he is integrated with the rest of the herd he will feel more secure and learn to appreciate being out in a big pasture.

Studley has a very sweet personality and loves hugs, kisses, and attention. He is very sensible and trusting. On the plus side, he now halters pretty well and leads like a pro. He’s had a few baths that were a little upsetting but as long as we take it slow, even if he doesn’t like a new procedure, he will think it over and generally accept it. Obviously, he is going to need a lot of training with kindness and consistency - and it’s going to take a while. I do like this little horse a lot - he’s just a trusting sweet little guy who needs a lot of love and interaction.

Until next time

Quote for Today

What the colt learns in youth he continues in old age.
- French Proverb

Below are some pictures of Studley. An update on the mare will follow shortly.

Arabian Horses Update

Arabian Horses Update

This past Thursday, our vet and his assistants arrived at the barn bright and early. The first thing on the agenda was the stallion’s castration. I have never seen this done up close and personal, and must report the operation was interesting and successful. The little stallion was anesthetized and laid down on fluffy shavings in his stall, a towel was put over his eyes and the area to be worked on was numbed. The procedure did not take long, and he came through with flying colors. As of today (Saturday), he’s in good spirits and just as sweet as ever. The vet says we can expect to see a change in his stallion behavior over the course of a month, and I am happy to report he has stopped screaming all the time. I’m sure the neighbors are pleased with this new development, too. Now the only time he has something important to say is when his food arrives. He still wants a lot of attention and hugs and scratches.

Here are some pictures from Thursday

&

Sunday's First Day Outside Pictures

Hey, who's the guy with the bag?


Why is everyone looking at me?

And why am I so tired?

If I remember correctly, this is grass !

The mare is doing fine too. Her legs and feet were x-rayed and it seems that she has a very slight rotation in her coffin bone on her right front, most likely due to the trauma of her feet being so neglected. Luckily, it’s not too dramatic and shouldn’t affect her recovery. She has a bowed tendon on her left front due, most likely, to the state of her overgrown feet adding additional stress to the tendon. My daughter will be using her knowledge of tendon injuries and physical therapy to help with the mare’s rehabilitation, starting with cold therapy and progressing to laser therapy. The good news is that her knees, ankles and pasterns all still have ample joint spaces and, other than needing a few more groceries, the mare is not in bad shape for her age. She had a blood panel taken to check for liver and kidney damage and various other health issues.

A Styrofoam pad was duct taped to the bottom of her worst foot to ease her discomfort when walking and provides support to the frog and rotated coffin bone, and it will make it more comfortable for her until her new boots arrive. Our vet recommended “Soft-Ride” boots to take the place of the Styrofoam during her recovery; they will help support her frog and give her damaged feet some relief.

So, we are making progress, although slowly. It’s necessary at this point to take it one-step at a time, but we’re in no hurry.

Pictures of the mare:

It's a little hot and buggy, but it's nice to be outside again !

Until next time

Quote for Today

If you only see the beauty of their markings and limbs then their true beauty is hidden from you.

Rescued Arabian Horses - continued...

Rescued Arabians – continued…

The Little Stallion

Our other rescued horse, an incredibly sweet little Arabian stallion, is either 4 or 5 years old. We will not know for sure until someone locates his papers. We don’t even know his name. He is a dark bay standing about 15 hands, and appears to be in good condition. His feet, although long and showing signs of white line disease, are in much better shape than his mom’s were; between the small amount of turnout he has had, his habit of pawing when he’s agitated and mild seedy toe, he’s had more of a chance to wear his feet down. It is readily apparent that he has not been handled much. For one thing, he does not lead. Previously, in order to turn him out, they would simply open the door to his stall, stand back and let him blast off down the aisle/chute into a metal pen; this was “turnout” for a few minutes a day. I have no idea how they got him back inside. We heard that the woman who owned these horses used whips for everything, cracking them on the ground to get the horses moving. As a result, the horses do not seem to like loud or sudden noises.

When we decided to take this charming little fellow, the next step was to go into his stall and halter him. It was a double stall with a dirt floor maybe a foot below the aisle. Inside the stall, there were some huge rocks and half the stall was dug out with holes a foot deep, leaving plateaus and canyons to navigate. In addition to this, they hadn’t been cleaned in some time, and the thin rubber mats that once covered the floor had been pulled up and were lying folded on top of the bedding. Needless to say, catching him was difficult in this terrain. The stallion, being unused to the halter, and not wanting to traumatize him (or fall on her face,) it took my daughter about an hour to patiently get him to accept the halter. The next step, getting the lead rope on, took another half an hour.

The trailer episode: he had never been on a trailer, and since he also doesn’t lead, we weren’t really sure how we’d get him on. Leading and following treats into the trailer had limited success; we managed to convince him to get all of his feet on the ramp at once, but then he just parked himself there and refused to move. When all else failed, we tried cracking the whip behind him, but that too was unsuccessful. Finally, a longe line stretched between me and the girl behind his rear worked. We secured the butt bar quickly, put the ramp up, and off we went for our 3-hour ride home. I must say I was impressed by how well he behaved in the trailer for his first time.

On arrival home, he refused to back out of the trailer. He was stuck. The mare off-loaded without a problem and only then did he consent to back off. Leading him in was an adventure, and then he refused to go into his stall. Since he won’t be lead, my daughter decided to “longe” him into the stall by getting behind his shoulder and driving him forward through the door. Unconventional, yes, but it worked.

Stallions are notoriously vocal and, much to the delight of our neighbors, this little guy is no exception; he may be small but he is loud, and has a lot to say for himself. However, as for other stereotypical stallion behaviors, he really has none. He doesn’t nip, show aggression, etc. We were also happy to find that, even after his rough handling, he’s not the least bit head shy, and actually enjoys having his ears rubbed. Really, he’s kind of a puppy dog. So far he has stood quietly to be groomed in his stall, which is lucky, since I doubt that he ties. He loves any kind of attention and likes to rest his head on your shoulder and rub his muzzle on your cheek or in your hair the same way his mom does (his sweetness must have come from her.) He will take a carrot gently but so far no treats (he doesn’t know what they are… yet.)

The farrier examined his feet for a trim, but he would have none of it. Not surprisingly, it seems he has not had his feet handled much. I was happy to see how fleet of foot our farrier is; obviously he has dealt with this before. Since we like our farrier so much, we thought it best to wait until he settles in for a while and get him used to having his feet handled before trying a trim again. The vet will be out Thursday to examine the mare, and the little guy will be gelded. We weighed the pros and cons and have decided that, even though he is a sweet and very well behaved stallion, it will be best for him - and us - to geld him. We have no intention of breeding, and we are not set up to do so. Being a sociable horse, he seems lonely and is very interested in the other horses, so we think it will be good for him to eventually be integrated into the rest of the gelding herd where he can make some new friends.

He was turned out in the arena for a while tonight, but went absolutely crazy running and screaming. His mom came out to hand-graze a bit next to the arena and that seemed to quiet him down. As I said, he does not lead, and this is a bit of a problem, but luckily the arena is right out the back door of the barn and my daughter managed to get him back and forth from the arena without any major incidents. He is a real handful. We are hoping with some consistent handling he will learn the routine.

Here are some pictures of him the day he arrived; there will be more news and updates as I have the time to update his training and condition:

This little guy is adorable and he's very sweet, like his mama



He's dying to get outside and kick up his heels a little



Just look at that face



It's not easy getting good photos, he's right in your pocket

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.

Rescued Arabian Horses

The mare loves looking out of her window on her new world

Rescued Arabians

This past Thursday I received an e-mail from my friend Victoria over at Teachings of the Horse. It seems she belongs to a trail riding association and had received an e-mail about Arabian horses in need of immediate rescue. The horses in need of help were a 25-year-old mare and two stallions (her colts). Their ages were 4-5 and 5-6 respectively. The woman who owns them is suffering from incurable cancer and was taken to a hospice earlier in the week; she is no longer able to care for them and the decision was made to put them down if a home could not be found by the end of the week.

I contacted my daughter and asked her if she would be willing to rescue the horses and take them to our farm. I needed her to agree because she is the trainer/manager and would have to find the time to rehabilitate the mare and work with the younger stallions. No one is sure whether they have ever had any training whatsoever. Even older, trained stallions can be a handful, so young untrained ones would be a major undertaking, to say the least. Naturally, she said yes; when have we ever not taken in a horse in need?

After arrangements were made, and the trailer was hooked up and ready to roll, we left six o’clock Saturday morning for the three-hour drive to pick them up. Upon arriving at their barn, which had seen better days, we were told by the girl supervising the rescues that, if we could take one stallion, she had a reputable breeding farm close by that would take the other stallion. This was a relief, as we really had only one stall available and the other stallion would have had to live outside in a run-in shed. The decision was made to take the mare and one stallion and let the other go to the breeding farm. I am happy to say we got first pick, but it was a hard decision. They were both incredibly sweet, very handsome and, after seeing them both walk/trot around in a quick turnout situation and getting some sketchy background information, we thought the younger one would fit in better with our herd dynamics in the future.

The older stallion was not accustomed to being in a herd situation and was more comfortable being alone; he did not get along with other horses and so, although he was very sweet and more settled, we thought the younger boy a better choice for us. He had been turned out with a companion gelding and was very distressed about losing his best friend (who had been adopted that morning) and we thought his sociable, friendly nature made him more likely to be happy among our herd.

There will be more on the stallion in the next post, but for now, I want to tell you about the mare.

The 25-year-old mare was being housed in the indoor arena with a mini horse as her companion, who was also adopted out that morning. Considering the condition of the barn and her neglected condition, it is my feeling that she had not seen the light of day in at least a year. Her feet were severely overgrown, looking like they had been neglected for at least a year, and her body was covered in sores and rain rot scabs. She looked miserable. The only thing I am grateful for is that none of these horses were starved for food - only affection. She was so sweet and so happy to have some attention; she was actually hugging us and nuzzling us when we went over to meet her. I have never in all my years with horses come in contact with a horse as sweet and loving as this mare. We both fell in love with her at first sight.

As we started walking out of the arena to see the stallions, she called and called to us, though she couldn’t follow us to the door due to the state of her feet. It was heartbreaking. I truly think she was asking for help.

When the time came to load them, she was the first one on the trailer, and if her feet would have allowed, I think she would have run up the ramp to escape this place.. But, ever a classy lady, she just walked onto the trailer with no fuss and proceeded to munch the hay from the net.

Below are some of the pictures of her from this weekend. Pictures of the stallion will follow in another post:

This is the arena where she lived

Here she is in her new stall

This is the condition of her front feet

Our farrier came out early Sunday morning to help her

He did a great job, we've got a long way to go but it's a start

The mare is thanking her new friend, she's a real sweetheart

Our vet will be paying a visit on Thursday so there will be more information on her condition and that of her son after then.

Until next time

Quote for Today

"If all the beasts were gone, man would die from loneliness for whatever happens to the beast, happens to the man"

Chief Seattle