Star & Melody's Shenanigans

We've completed the bute pills regime for Star now.  She's doing much better now but still ouchy in the spot at the end of her ribs.  Might have a cracked rib in there, but there's really nothing we can do for that.  The swelling has gone down to almost nothing now so the vet doesn't think we need to do another blood test, but if the swelling reoccurs definitely need to have him come out again.  She was feeling so good the other day that she was bucking and leaping around in her turn out withe Melody!  I can't even tell you how happy I was to see her acting that way!!

Speaking of Melody...I was bringing Star to her turnout and left Melody in her pen in the barn by herself.  She didn't care for that at all!  She got to bucking and leaping in her pen while Star and I were walking away.  That stuff never phases Star...she had one thing on her mind and that was her turn out!  I went back to get Melody and she met me at the gate.  She tried to be patient while I put her halter on.  I could see it in her eye that she was anxiously waiting to get past the gate.  As I opened the gate she pushed past me and got the end of the lead rope and jerked around.  Naughty, naughty.  I don't tolerate bad gate manners - too many accidents happen at gates (or anywhere with a naughty horse)!  We did a few more passes in and out of the gate until she walked through like a good girl.  Then we were on our way to the turn out.  Star was standing at the gate waiting for us.  Melody was practically dragging me all the way to the turn out, so I decided we would do more leading work.  We would walk away from the gate/turnout, then circle back.  Every time we would turn away she would whip her hips around and face me like she was saying "Umm, you missed the gate lady!" and then pull on the lead all the way back to the gate again.  We did this for a while...I'm not sure how long it took but I know my hands were cold by the time she "calmed down".  I decided we were at a place I was comfortable with ending so we headed back to the gate.  We were almost to the gate when she reared up and started bucking and jumping with all fours off the ground.  She never came at me or tried to strike me so I waited for her to finish.  Then we were off to the round pen for some work.

Once she got her bucks and kicks out, she actually worked really well.  On a side note: Our December weather here has been unseasonably warm with temps in the 40's most days so the footing in the round pen was fine for working.  I was very pleased at how well she listened and had retained what work we had done in the fall.  To be honest, I haven't done much since we had the major snow storm in November.  To end our work session, we worked on her bending.  She still has issues with that so we will keep working on that.  Then she was finally out with Star and happy about that!  They played together for a few minutes and then got the serious business of finding blades of grass that could be eaten.

That's all for now!



Quote for the day:
"It is a fine seasoning for joy to think of those we love."

-Moliere

News

The vet called Friday afternoon with the news.  Her white blood cell count was good but her red blood cell count was low signaling that she is anemic.  The vet said that he wasn't too worried about it.  He would come back in a month or so and take another blood sample to make sure the red blood cell count didn't drop anymore.  In the meantime, we were to "worm her real good" to make sure it wasn't because of worms.  I have the horses on a regular worming schedule but I re-wormed them all again on Saturday, just to be on the safe side.

Star has been feeling great since we started her on the Bute pills.  We were worried she wouldn't eat her grain with the bitter tasting Bute pills in it, but she cleans up her grain dish - every last bit!  The swelling is still there but has gone down and she's been trotting around in her turn out.  I have her with Melody in her turnout and I think I'm gonna leave it that way this winter.  We seem to have peace within each grouping, so why mess with it?

Gunner's swelling has gone down a little.  The vet said he should be back to normal within a week so I'm keeping an eye on it to make sure it does.

I've been doing more groundwork exercises with Melody whenever I lead her in or out of the turnout.  She's been introduced to the tarp.  I first had her walk on it - no big deal.  She sniffed it a little and then walked on and stood with no problem.  The next time she walked right onto it, no questions asked.  The next time, instead of walking on it, I rubbed her with it.  She was alert at first and then got bored.  I repeated all the tarp stuff with her for about a week and then moved onto laying it across her, over her head, neck, back and butt.  She did some dancing but nothing major.  Those lessons were repeated over the following week until she was bored with that too.  It doesn't take much for her to be ok with what we work on.  She's very trusting and has a good head on her.  She came in from turnout the other day with a mystery cut on her face.  I have NO IDEA where that could've come from.  It's healed up nicely now, though.  Being a light colored palomino Melody is absolutely filthy, and you can see every spec of dirt on her!  I can't stand it!!  Zoe is a buckskin and her cream color gets really light in the winter too but she keeps herself clean, but not Melody!  I think she finds the smelliest, muddiest spots in her turnout and rolls, and naps there!!  I'm looking forward to the warmer weather already so I can get her clean again!  Yuck!  I should try to snap a picture just so you can see how nasty her creamy coat is!  Oh well, nothing I can do about it.  We brush her the best we can but it doesn't get the deep down stuff...

With all that's been going on, not much progress with Zoe lately.  She's been itching for work so I did lunge her the other day.  She was happy about that!  We are going back to working on leadership exercises to help build a better working relationship before the riding happens again.  Not that it's a bad relationship but more that we haven't been working together for a while now and I want to start off with a trusting relationship.  Make sense?

Well, that's all for now!




Quote for the day:
"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything."

-Thomas Carlyle

The Vet

Since the cold weather set in, I started to separate the boys from the girls.  Tyson wasn't letting anyone in the lean-to so that meant Star ALWAYS ended up out in the weather.  She's gonna be 20 years old next year and I don't need her getting stuck outside in the bad weather we are having so I moved the boys to stalls at night and a different turn out during the day.

Before, the girls got along really well.  All three could stand the in the large lean-to comfortably with no issues.  Well, there's issues now!  Zoe decided she was queen and wouldn't let ANYONE into the lean-to.  So I moved her to the stall at night and brought her back out with Star and Melody during the day.  This was going great - or so I thought!

It started when I noticed that Star was losing weight.  I ended up working with hubby around the barn one day last week and that's when I realized that Star wasn't moving around in her turnout.  She would stand in a corner, appearing to be scared to move.  That's when I saw Zoe start blasting Star with both back feet right into Star's side!!!  Star had nowhere to go so she stood there and took it.  WTH?!  I was UPSET to say the least!  I took Zoe out and put her out with the boys.  That was enough of that!  If she can't play nice with Star then she will have to go out with Tyson, who is head honcho and will keep her in line!  Once Zoe was out, Star let out a big sigh.  She immediately walked over to the water and drank for what seemed like forever! 

The next day, I went to check on her.  Her spirits were up but I noticed she wasn't acting quite like herself.  Star isn't a cuddly horse (unless you have treats).  She's very sweet but isn't the one who will hang her head on your shoulder or nuzzle your hair.  That day, all she wanted to do was rest her head on my shoulder and kept nuzzling me on my neck.  In all the years I've owned her, she's NEVER done that.  I looked her over carefully and didn't see anything physically wrong with her.  So I chalked it up to her "thanking" me for taking Zoe away.

The next night (hubby did chores for me in the morning because I was running late to work) I went to check on her again and this time there were HUGE lumps on her right side and a long swollen area beneath her belly.  She was tender to the touch but let me touch her.  I called the vet and he called me back right away and told me it could be an allergic reaction and to give her a treatment (with the heaves medication).  I did as I was told, hoping that the vet was right.  The reason we were wondering about allergies was because I had just switched her to a pelleted grain (no dust) so I immediately stopped feeding that grain to her.  I gave her 3 treatments as instructed by the vet and kept an eye on her.  I thought I had seen a change for the better one night...

But the next day, she was worse.  She wouldn't even let me touch her on that side anymore!  I was immediately concerned and called the vet.  He said he would come over first thing the next morning.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be there for the vet appointment so hubby was there instead.  That was today...he agreed with us that these lumps were probably from getting beat up by Zoe and she might even have a cracked rib.  He gave us Bute pills that we are to put in her grain (2 daily) to help with the pain.  Hubby pointed out her weight loss and the vet said the stress of being out with Zoe would cause her to lose weight, and then hubby pointed out the swollen area beneath her belly.  The vet wasn't sure what the cause for that would be so he took a blood sample.  He said he would get the results this afternoon and call us.  If it's a tumor, he should be able to remove it fairly easily.  But we will just have to wait and see.

While he was there, we had him clean Gunner's sheath.  I wasn't sure if he had ever had that done before so the vet took care of that.  He said Gunner was very dirty and also agreed that it appeared he had never been cleaned before.  Or if he had, it had been a LONG time since the last time.  Tyson was done a few months ago so we didn't have him done again.  It would be nice if we could get them all on the same schedule next year so we don't have to pay for so many farm calls!  I guess that's something I will have to work on next year!

Needless to say, our vet bill is gonna be a big one!  With this business with Star, our cows getting preg-checked, Gunner's sheath, and puppy check-ups...it should be a good size bill next month.  But, I would do it all over again - LOVE these animals!

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

-Leo Tolstoy

Moving Foward

My last post talked about saddle fitting on Zoe.  I can honestly say that I haven't ridden Zoe even once since that post.  I feel ashamed and guilty for letting her 'sit' in the pasture.  My life has been so full (imagine that!!) that my progress with Zoe has come to a complete stop.  My work with Melody hasn't been consistent and yet she still amazes me with how well she retains her lessons.  I rode Star a handful of times and middle daughter rode Gunner a handful of times (his back was sore).  I'm so let down with how the end of summer and fall have gone as I had BIG plans.  Have the horses been well cared for?  Yes, but I haven't spent the time with them that I feel I should.  The guilt is overwhelming...but I can't dwell on that, right?  I'm moving forward with a new plan...

I know I may have to do lessons with Zoe that we have already done but I'm ok with that.  I've found an indoor arena that I can haul to this winter that's really close to home (and SUPER nice) so I can continue our work together through the winter. We will be doing a lot of leadership exercises, trust and body work before I throw a leg over her.  She's gonna stand in cross ties (she's never been cross tied before) and stand like a rock when I put the saddle pad and saddle on her among other things.  We are going to have all this stuff DOWN!  I've put up with her dancing around the saddle and her tying issues long enough!  It's time for her to behave and act her age!! ;-)

Melody will be coming along as well, along with Gunner, if middle daughter can make it out to ride with us.  Melody will learn to be lunged (already knows how to round pen) and get better with her verbal commands.  We will keep working on shoulder and hip yields, giving at the poll, and flexing to both sides (she's not very good at her right side).  Her back feet still seem to be a problem with letting us hold them for any length of time so we will continue to work on that as well.

Gunner will need some time in the saddle as well.  The last time middle daughter rode him, he bucked her off when she asked him to canter.  I have no idea what that was all about!  I was so proud of her for picking herself up and getting back on!  She landed hard and it really shook her up.  No serious injuries, just a little stab at her pride I think.  Afterwards, I checked to see if his back was sore again but his back was fine.  I checked other spots that might be sore but he seemed fine in those places too.  The saddle fit is good so maybe middle daughter did something that triggered the bucking fit or else he learned before that if he bucked he got out of doing it.  Either way, I'm gonna have to get on and figure it out.

In other farm news, we replanted the front horse pasture.  It was getting full of weeds and the ground was so compacted from years of horses walking on it that the grass couldn't get a good root system going again, hence the weeds.  We had the soil tested to see what the ground was lacking and was able to pick up a fertilizer to help the ground produce the best horse pasture grass mix it could.  We have to keep the horses off it for one full growing season (all of 2015) so the root system can really take hold.  We were told to hay it so it will help the grasses to come in nice and thick.  We are really excited to see the fruits of our labor!  Oh, and while we were at it, we tore down all the old cow fencing that was up around this pasture.  We are putting up electric instead - always hated that fencing!

Not only did we replant the horse pasture, but we built a new horse catch pen.  While all of this replanting was going on, we had them in a cow pen.  It was fine but it was a reminder that without the horse pasture in the front, we were going to be short on turn outs this winter!  So we took another weekend and built a safe catch/turnout pen for the horses with a shelter.  This is where Star and her buddy (undecided on who) will spend the winter nights while the others are in their stalls.  Speaking of stalls, we built insulated water bucket holders for the stalls.  I'm excited to put these things to use this winter!  Last winter was awful with trying to keep the water fresh and unfrozen.  (Hubby doesn't like to use the heated water buckets because he had a bad experience with them once and now refuses to use them....)  We also built two extras for outside in the shelter for Star and her buddy.  I'll try to take a picture of them so you can see what we built...I will let you know how they work too!

Another farm project completed is my new tack room/office in the barn.  It's wonderful - and much bigger than my old tack room!  In order to complete the new tack room, we also built new saddle racks.  This time I have enough saddle racks for ALL of my saddles.  I used to always be 1 rack short so it was kept in the house, which is fine except it's a pain to haul a big western saddle out of the house whenever you want to ride.  So my brand new Billy Cook saddle still has very little use...  The new feed room is going right next to the new tack room but we haven't finished it yet.  Just have to put the floor in and then it will be complete.

In addition to all of that, we also built a new lean-to for the cows (it's HUGE) and are working on another one.  We added beef cows to our regime of animals this summer so more and larger shelters were needed.  I guess you could say we've been busy!

One more announcement...we added a new member to our family!

Meet Lola!  She's a red tri Australian Shepherd and we love her to pieces!  Couldn't be happier with our choice!  She and Riggin (black tri Australian Shepherd) have become good friends!  She will follow him anywhere and learns from him all the time, which is why we bought her now instead of waiting.  Riggin is probably the BEST dog we've ever had the privilege of owning and is getting up there in age.  We wanted him to pass along his knowledge to the next pup so now was the best time.

So that's a snapshot of what's been going on with me lately.  Not to mention the fact that I have 5 children, two of which are on student council this year, one is in high school and just had her first homecoming...My life is full, but that's exactly how I like it!

That's all for now!



Quote for the day:
"Never mistake activity for achievement."

-John Wooden

A Few Random Things

I just thought I would quick share what's been going on with the horses lately:

Melody has been getting round penned three days a week.  She picked up on it pretty quick.  I think she enjoys the work and I enjoy watching her move - what a beauty!

Zoe gave me a great ride last weekend but that's not without a little drama beforehand.  The last few times I've thrown the saddle up on her she's acted like she's never seen the saddle before and FREAKS out.  I did the slow, let her sniff the saddle approach.  I tried the deliberate, don't make it a big deal approach.  Freaks out the same both ways and didn't improve at all.  This has got me thinking about why?  She's muscled up quite a bit now (and gained weight) so I'm wondering if this is her way of telling me that the saddle is too small.  Hopefully tonight I will be able to get the saddle I've been using on her and take a close look.  If that saddle appears to be too small, I will try my other saddle.  I hope I can figure this out soon.  I don't want to ride her in a saddle that's too small...

Star has been doing great!  She hasn't coughed since the medication regime was finished.  She's been staying sound as well so I hope to take her out more often but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day since I work a full time job, have other horses, and have 5 children.  It's a balancing act for sure!

Gunner has had time off.  He's been bucking lately and actually bucked middle daughter off.  She's fine but I would like to get his back checked to make sure it's not bothering him.  I guess it also wouldn't hurt to check the fit of the saddle as well...

Tyson, well Tyson is lame.  He's just not getting any better.  He's another one that the vet is going to come out and take a look at.  I think there's scar tissue in his foot from when he got caught in some wire that's causing his continued lameness.  We'll see what the vet has to say...  But he's in great shape despite his lameness - he plays out in the pasture all the time so he actually has good muscling.  He's such a goof!  He looks great though!!!

I never think to have a camera with me to take some updated pictures - I will try to get better about that!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

A Quick Ride

I took Star out this past weekend.  It was our first ride since her diagnosis.  I had been putting it off for a couple weeks because I didn't want to instigate another big coughing incident. 

It was Friday night.  Middle daughter had already ridden Gunner, who bucked when asked for canter.  His back didn't show any signs of being sore so I'm thinking he's just being a stinker.  I will probably have to get on and see if he tries it with me.  Might also be something middle daughter is doing...  Anyways, back to the story...I had put dinner in the oven so I had an hour until it was done.  I thought to hell with it and got Star out.  She seemed happy that I had chosen her. 

Got her all saddled up and off we went.  She was SLOW as we were leaving the farm but soon she picked up her walk a bit.  My plan was to go visit one of our hay fields that was close by to see if it was ready to be cut.  Like I said, it wasn't far so if she had another coughing fit it wouldn't take long to get home. 

We walked on a loose rein and really enjoyed our quick ride (about 20 minutes).  I never asked her to go faster than the walk and she was fine with that.  Usually she is aching to go faster but not that day - very content to stay at a walk.

We made it to the hay field took a look around and then turned back for home.  Not a single cough the entire ride !  To say I was happy would be an understatement!  The smile on my face didn't come off until my head hit the pillow that night!

In talking with my mother-in-law, she told me that her aunt had a horse with heaves and he came in the barn every night, which I was instructed not to do for Star, and wet down his hay for every feeding.  He would have a coughing incident about once a year and she would treat him with the same medication that I gave Star.  She rode him on trails long after his diagnosis when he was 15ish and he lived to be close to 30 years old!  The key is early detection so I'm feeling very optimistic about Star's diagnosis.

Well, that's all for now!  Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."

-William Penn

Allergic Reaction

I bought a new brand of fly spray, Pyranha.  Has anyone else used this before?  It works awesome...at least it works awesome on Star, Tyson and Melody!  I sprayed each of the horses down and the next day when I went out to do it again, Zoe and Gunner had big patches of puffy fur where I had sprayed them with the fly spray!

I brushed both of them down hoping that maybe it was fluffy fur but nope, the hair stayed and I could feel that the skin was puffy or slightly swollen underneath.  I felt awful!  I guess I will use the rest of this fly spray on the other horses and buy a different kind for the other two until then.

Chalk this one up as another first for me!  Can't say I've ever had a horse have an allergic reaction to fly spray.  Pyranha must be some potent stuff!  I'm actually a little dissapointed because this stuff really worked on the other horses...

Anyone else's horse have an allergic reaction to fly spray??

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Only the educated are free."

-Epictetus

A Patient Farrier

As I've mentioned several times, the farrier came out last week Thursday.  I brought him Zoe first, then Star, then Tyson and then Gunner.  I saved Melody for last because I knew it wasn't going to be easy (Melody Update).

He started with her front foot on her right side.  Of course she did perfect.  He went for her back foot and that's when it hit the fan.  She flew over sideways as soon as he picked her foot up (which she picked up willingly when he asked her) and held it there for more than a split second.  Around and around she went.  I had positioned myself so that she could only go one way and that way the farrier could keep up.  He did great! 

When she stopped, he made quick work of trimming that foot.  He went around to the other side and I warned him this side has always been harder for her.  He didn't think it would be much worse than the side he just did and boy was he wrong!  When he went to pick up her back left foot she kinda kicked out trying to take it back from him.  He asked for an extra lead rope to work with that back foot so he wouldn't get kicked.  He picked her foot up using the lead rope and held it there while she danced around trying to take it back.  Once she finally gave her foot, he released it.  Then he asked for her foot without the lead rope and she did more dancing and when she gave in, he quickly trimmed that foot.

He moved on to her front foot on the left side and she did fine with that.

The thing I really appreciate about our farrier is that he never, not even one time, got upset.  He just stayed with her and was very patient with her.  If he would've gotten upset and got after her about her behavior, the next time he came out or any time we tried to work with her feet she could relate it as a bad experience and could become awful. We will just have to keep working with her and her feet so that the next time the farrier comes out it will go better!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"No person was ever honored for what he received.  Honor has been the reward for what he gave."

-Calvin Coolidge

Sore Gunner

Gunner got the day off on Thursday because the farrier came out.  So Friday we decided to get a ride in during the afternoon because we didn't want to try to ride while people would be starting to shoot off fireworks.

Going back, Wednesday we tried Gunner in the hackmore and he did AWESOME!  So quiet and relaxed!  I have a phone call in for brother-in-law about Gunner's teeth, though.  I would like to know when the last time he had them done just so I can or cannot rule out his teeth as the culprit with the bit.  Don't get me wrong, I will still be scheduling an appointment for his teeth and we will probably continue to ride in the hackmore but I would like to keep him on a better schedule.

Anyways, middle daughter was grooming Gunner before the ride and when she ran the brush over his back he dropped his back out under the pressure.  He's been doing something similar to this ever since we turned him out with Zoe but this time he seemed more tense.  My gut says that Zoe got a hold of him...  Anyways, we decided to try him out and all was going well until middle daughter asked him to canter.  He jumped up in the front end more exaggerated than usual but picked up the correct lead and went around the pen once before she asked him to trot.

She changed directions and when she asked for the canter he gave out a small buck.  Middle daughter stayed in the saddle and didn't really know what happened.  I told her riding was done and to cool him down.  I'm guessing he was too sore.  Poor guy!

Since the ride was cut short, we decided to pamper the little guy and gave him a good shampoo bath.  He has one white sock on his back foot and when we were done it was glowing!  He looked like a million bucks!  Middle daughter took him out to the yard to let him eat while he dried off and he behaved so nicely for her.  What a great little horse he's turned out to be!  I'm hoping that we will be able to keep him for her to ride for 4H...

Anyways, he's gonna get some time off for his back to heal.  If I don't see much progress in a week or so, I'll have to call the chiro and see about getting his back adjusted.  I've never used an equine chiro before...it will be a learning experience for both of us!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion."

-Arnold H. Glasow

Such a Stinker!

I'm talking about Zoe in the title!  Ever since I put her back in work, she's been playing hard to get.  She's only done this once before and it was after my brother-in-law thought he would "help" me with Zoe.

She first started this last week when I tried to put her fly mask on.  And then after that the chase began!  Hubby was trying to convince me to stop and just to let her be but after 5 minutes of not letting me anywhere near her it became a thing of principle!

I opened the gate to the pen next to the horse pasture and started sorting her friends out one by one.  We got down to Zoe and Gunner.  All of a sudden Zoe likes Gunner - as long as he keeps her from getting caught!  Gunner was happy to comply with all of her requests.  Hubby came out to help and was able to get Gunner out of the way and after two more weak attempts to get away, Zoe stood for me.  I simply haltered her and then put her fly mask on and let her go.

The next few times I went to catch her she would play hard to get but gave in after only a couple attempts.  Thursday, when the farrier was there, she was up first.  She pulled the same game as the first time I tried the fly mask!  I ran her into the pen next to the horse pasture and once in there she gave up.

Since then, she hasn't given me any trouble.  I've made an effort at only haltering her and leading her around without any real work involved and then giving a treat before letting her go.  That seems to have done the trick!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."

-Coco Chanel

Melody Update

We've been thoroughly enjoying Melody!  She's such a sweet heart and takes every lesson in stride.  She's been doing so well with leading and picking up her feet that last night when we (hubby and I) were cleaning out her feet we were surprised when she wouldn't give her back feet.  Like at all.  As soon as she picked a back foot up she would lean all the way back and almost fall over!  She did this with both of her back feet.  Only once did she pick up her back foot nicely out of the multiple times trying.  And we couldn't duplicate it.  I thought maybe she was lacking confidence in her ability to stand with only three feet so we put her next to a fence where a pole was for extra support.  At first it worked but it quickly went back to her putting all of her weight on her back feet. 

Apparently the feet lessons need to be repeated.  This happens with young ones...testing out what they can and can't get away with.  Which, did I mention that she started biting again?  She got be good on my shoulder but I told her that was not acceptable in no uncertain terms.  She hasn't tried biting me since.  Anyways, back to her feet.  Because we weren't making any progress we thought maybe we would get her mind off it and give her a new lesson to think about - round penning.

When I first took her off the lead she immediately was more interested in her friends across the driveway.  There was no interest in moving...lol  I got bigger and more intense with my request for her to move out which she finally obliged while charging after the dog.  Dang dog...I didn't see him come in with me and I don't allow him in the round pen with me while working horses.  The horses usually try to run him down and I don't want him or me to get hurt in the process.  I got the dang dog out and got back to work.  She actually was getting the hang of it rather quickly.  Changing directions was a bit sticky but we got through it and called it a day.  She was perfectly calm and had no issues with me hooking her back up to the lead (Zoe always got nervous in her younger years, but she's quite a bit more high strung than Melody is).

Farrier is coming out tonight so we'll see how she does with her back feet...could be interesting!!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"We didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time."

-Vince Lombardi

Teeth?

Middle daughter has been riding Gunner everyday now and things have been getting gradually worse.  The first few times middle daughter rode him it was in a halter and lead rope inside the round pen.  It was going very well but he figured out that he could get away with more because she wasn't very strong.  So we decided to put the bridle on.  We used a snaffle because I wasn't sure what he was ridden in so that was a safe place to start.  The first time the bit was in his mouth he was rolling it around with his tongue and shaking his head.  That behavior started to decrease with each ride but then on this past Sunday night he began to bend his head around and touch her toe every time she asked him to go forward, he would constantly pull the reins down, and play with the bit in his mouth again.  Middle daughter was frustrated to tears.  I thought maybe it was something she was/wasn't doing so I hopped on.  Side note: Don't ride in a saddle that's too small for you...it's not comfortable at all!  I'm not a miracle worker by any means but I wanted to see if he would do the same thing with me...he tried and I was able to get him to move out straight but he continued to try to either do tight circles or just bend his head around.  Anyways, while moving around at a walk he continued to try to pull the reins out of my hands (I was riding on a loose rein, by the way) and still played with the bit basically the entire time.

While I was riding, hubby called his brother to find out what Gunner's deal was with bits.  Brother in law said he used a tom thumb when he would ride him.  I'm not convinced that is what the problem is. 

I rode Gunner for a short time with barely any progress.  Middle daughter got back on and the ride wasn't any better for her.  We called it quits because no progress was being made.

I have a hackmore that I might try on him but my hunch is his teeth need to be done.  Hubby forgot to ask his brother about Gunner's teeth but it definitely won't hurt to have them checked.  Zoe and Melody are due for their teeth to be done so I think I will have Gunner's done at the same time.  I'm thinking we'll use the hackmore until I can get them all in.

If not his teeth and the hackmore doesn't seem to do the trick, we'll be back to the drawing board...


Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.'

-David Frost

Ups and Downs

Star completed her medication regime and now I'm waiting for the weather to cooperate to ride her again.  I'm guessing our trail riding days are over and we will have to stay in the front yard for riding - we need to avoid dust as much as possible to avoid an episode.

I rode Zoe everyday this past weekend.  We had one of the best rides we've ever had on Saturday - so relaxed, responsive and willing!  On Sunday when I took her out again I half expected to pick up where we left off on Saturday but I was wrong!!  She was feeling sassy for sure!  She's no longer in heat so I'm not sure what her deal was, it's a mare thing I guess.  She started off by shying away from both the saddle pad and the saddle when I was tacking her up.  She acted like a young horse who has never seen a saddle before, crazy mare!  Then when I took her halter off to put the bridle on, she tried to walk away...seriously.  What was her deal??  I decided to round pen her first and I'm glad I did!  She jumped into the air and did a big buck and then settled down to work.  She must have been feeling pretty good that day!  As I was mounting up she started to walk away so I immediately halted her but at the same time my foot was slipping into the stirrup on the other side and she let out a half buck.  Thankfully, I already had a hold on her and that was all she was able to do.  I have a feeling she did that out of protest of being stopped but feeling my foot on the other side possibly bumping her.  She's the type of horse that lets you know if she thinks you are being unfair or too harsh.

We got to work at a walk, a VERY fast walk.  She was itching to go faster but I wanted it to be when I asked her not when she decided.  This night she was even more connected to me than usual because we were at the point where I would think trot and she would pick it right up.  But whenever I began to think about slowing down she would SLAM on her breaks.  Gotta love the rope horse instinct!

We both got a good workout going before we got back to the point we were the night before; collected, relaxed, willing and listening.  Once there, I called it quits and I think she was ready to quite also.  Overall it was a good weekend of riding but had a rough patch or two!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains."

-Josephine Baker

Saddle Time

With the weather cooperating, we've had a lot of time for riding.  And when I say we, I mean middle daughter and I.  What horse is middle daughter riding?  Betcha couldn't guess...ok maybe you can.  Gunner!  My brother-in-law's horse that he left here is turning out to be a great kids horse!  Who knew?!  He's been so relaxed and listens so good for middle daughter.  I'm thrilled!!

I've been having mostly good rides on Zoe.  She's in heat right now so she's VERY distracted.  When she tunes into me rather than the boys in the pasture across the driveway, she does great but when she's wanting to talk to them, she's awful.  She just needs more time in the saddle! 

Last night I took her out for a ride and she was raring to go!!  Go talk to the boys that is!  I tied her to the patience tree while I got all of her tack out and when I returned she was all sweaty...from standing there...it as only 75 degrees and she was in the shade...and there was a nice breeze!  Talk about being juiced!!!  I decided it would be a good idea to do some lunging before getting on and I'm glad I did because she was itching to run and buck.  Once I sent her out, she got frisky!  I let her get it out of her system before asking her to focus and start warming up/working.  It really didn't take too long before she was paying attention again and once she was relaxed we switched directions.  It took even less time going the other direction.

I mounted and immediately she wanted to trot.  But I slowed her down and kept her at a walk (a very fast walk, but a walk nonetheless).  Every little thing was a distraction on this particular night - every. single. thing.  We had to do lots of figure eights and weaving to keep focused.  I guess you could say we worked on steering almost the entire ride!

We had a small group of bikers (on their bicycles, not motorcycles!) stop and watch me ride.  A little background...I ride in our large front yard and we live on a rural road with lots of hills - people love to ride their bikes on our road.  Of course Zoe thought that every time we went by she had to stop and look at them. Ugh.  That got old!  Finally they realized they were being a distraction so they slowly walked their bikes past.  Zoe kept a close eye on them the entire time.  Once they were out of site, we did some nice circles in both directions and I thought we should call it quits.  So we started the cool down walk but she thought that meant we were going to visit the boys.  We had a short discussion about how she needed to still listen to me even though we were cooling down (and on a loose rein).  She decided to listen to me.  Good girl.

I sprayed her down and turned her loose.  She ran and played with Star and Melody for a little bit and then settled down to eating.

Tonight there will be no riding - we are off to the fair for some elephant ears and fresh squeezed lemonade!  Should be fun (and never cheap)!!

I will have an update on Star after the weekend - until next time!!!




Quote for the day:
"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way."

-Booker T. Washington

Heaves

Look at that wild mane!  It was windy...

Last Sunday I took Star out for a trail ride.  We didn't get too far along when the coughing started.  At first I didn't think too much of it.  A cough here and there isn't that big of a deal, right?  We started trotting and then the coughing was constant...WTH??  We turned around and headed home.  Staying at a walk seemed to keep the coughing at bay, even though a cough here and there would come out.  We were maybe 15 minutes out when the coughing started so we only had about 15 minutes to get back.  My mind was going 100 mph about what was going on with her the whole way home.  We had been out on the same trail the weekend before and she was FINE!!  Allergies??  Respiratory infection??

When I got home hubby was surprised to see me back so soon.  I told him what was going on while I untacked her in the yard.  He was holding Star when he pointed out that Star had a small stream of blood coming out of her nose! 

I got my phone out and started googling nosebleeds in horses.  That didn't help calm my nerves! 

I brought her to the water and she took a few big drinks and then I put her in her stall with a fan blowing.  I was hoping that she was coughing because she was thirsty and hot...  I put her back out with the other horses after only an hour in her stall.  She was happy to be back out with her friends!

Over the next day or so we kept a close eye on her.  She would still cough here and there so we decided to call the vet.  The vet told us it could be one of the following three things:  1. Allergies; 2. Heaves; 3. Upper respiratory infection.  Honestly, I was hoping for the infection so we could give her some antibiotics and move on.  But since I wasn't 100% sure on that I made an appointment for the vet to come out and take a look at her.  That was today.

The results?  Heaves (as you probably guess by the title of this blog post!).  The vet said that because we caught it so early that she will probably live a happy horsey life for several more years.  We have her on some medication for a few days and then I'm supposed to take her out for a ride to see how she does. Oh, and she isn't allowed in the barn at all for any reason whatsoever.  I guess I better buy a nice heavy blanket for those cold winter nights!  She's now on 24/7 turn out and thankfully has a nice lean-to for protection from the elements.  We also need to wet her hay down before every feeding to be sure there isn't any dust in it so she doesn't get another flare up.  The fewer the flare ups the better!

This is my first experience with heaves and will be a learning process for me.  If anyone reading this has any knowledge or experience they would be willing to share I sure would appreciate it!!

That's all for now...until next time!



Quote for the day:
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

-Benjamin Franklin

Hello!

Just a quick picture of Zoe and me!  We are doing great and loving the beautiful weather we are finally getting!  It was official bath day for ALL horses last weekend and they all were very well behaved.  Melody didn't have any freak outs and enjoyed the scrubbing - she's so dang cute!

I have more updates but have to get outside and get some riding done before our friends come over...they brought our bull, Bo, home from Oklahoma...

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."

-Helen Keller

Another Great Ride

Zoe and I had another great ride!  We started off on the patience tree but she was good to go almost immediately so I tacked her up and lunged her.  She was tuned in and ready to rock!  I mounted up with some assistance from Hubby and he led us around for a few steps and then we were on our own.  Side note:  Zoe has never been ridden in wide open spaces before and our arena was being used as a holding pen for some cows and calves so we were in our HUGE front yard.  I wasn't sure how she would handle it so that's why hubby came in to help for a minute, I guess for our my piece of mind!  Anyways, we worked on steering and her neck reining, which was awesome!  Last fall we left off working on neck reining and she was starting to get it, but this ride she was almost right on every time!  I didn't have to correct her much while walking so I asked for a trot.  At first her head flew up and she almost jumped out of her skin!  So I asked her again and this time she trotted right away.  She tried to rush and wasn't listening to me for direction and would suddenly stop.  I just kept on going, keeping her trotting  until she settled into a nice working trot.  We did some direction changes, figure eights, circles and such.  Her neck reining wasn't as good at the trot as it was at the walk but we will work on that.  We didn't work on canter because if her steering isn't good at the trot then it won't be any better at a faster gait!  We ended the ride once I had a good figure eight without breaking the trot.  She was a good girl!

I also had a good ride on Star the other day.  It was my first ride on her and she was feeling pretty good!  I was having a bad day and needed a break from it all so I got Star out and we went for a short trail ride.  She was very alert and pulled on me just about the whole time.  We had to do some stopping and backing, and circling before she calmed down and I could ride with a relaxed rein.  She has a tendency to lift her head to avoid contact when she wants to go faster and I hadn't seen that in a while but it resurfaced on this ride!!  Anyways, by the time we got home she had her head where it should be and I had a loose rein.  It was a beautiful day out and we both enjoyed ourselves very much!  Star loves going on trail rides - just hates crossing ditches and going through water (she will, just takes a few tries)!!

Well, that's all for now!  More updates soon!

Until next time!




Quote for the day:
"When one teaches, two learn."

-Robert Half

Zoe's First "Ride"

Sorry that I've been absent again - been busy so I have a lot to write about....just need to make the time I guess!

Melody and Zoe

Zoe's first "ride" of the year was a couple weeks ago.  I took her out with the intent of just saddling up and lunging to see where we were at.  She was definitely "up" when I took her out!  A little background, I had just taken Star out for middle daughter to ride and while she was riding, Zoe was FREAKING out in the pasture - running back and forth calling frantically for Star.  Star didn't care AT ALL.  Anyways, so middle daughter was in the back yard with Star letting her eat some grass when I went to get Zoe out.  I brought her into the barn and she acted like she had no idea of where we were and didn't respect me or my space at all.  That was unacceptable!  I sent her in some circles with a long lead rope I had used to bring her out of the pasture.  She was very reactive.  I decided to tie her and go get the lunge line when she figured it was time to leave the barn.  She flew backwards and almost ripped the pole right out of the ground!  After that little episode I realized she needed some time at the "patience tree".  I don't know if I wrote about Zoe's bad habit of pulling back while being tied but she's broke plenty of lead ropes and loosened up her fair share of my tying poles.  Now I used a rope halter with an attached lead so there aren't any metal parts that she can break.  We have GOT to get this tying issue under control!!!

When I tied her to the tree she got to pawing and calling for Star.  Again, Star never responded.  So at that point she started swinging herself around to try and get a better view of Star.  I just sat and watched her.  She continued this behavior for 15 - 20 minutes with a couple pulling battles mixed in there.  Finally she relaxed and was standing nice so I took that opportunity get her saddled and ready to go.  She had another mini pulling battle when the saddle went on so I asked hubby for his assistance.  I got her all saddled and we lunged her, going through all of her commands.  She seemed pretty confident so hubby and I decided to have him lunge her with me on her.  It went great!  She was still VERY responsive and seemed to be remembering where we left off.  We had some great trot work in both directions so we called it a day. 

She was happy to be reunited Star at the end of the work out but was more eager to eat than socialize!!  Meanwhile, Melody was content to have the pasture to herself for once.  Our work with her is just beginning- more on that later!

Until Next Time!!


Quote for the day:
"If you can dream it, you can do it."

-Walt Disney

Saddle Time

I'm trying to get caught up on my blogging since my absence so bear with me as I get everyone up to speed...

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better and we were able to take Star out for a ride!  Actually, I didn't ride...middle daughter did!  She was "so bored" and I needed a break from the work so I got Star out, got her all groomed (which Star LOVED more than usual because she's shedding her winter hair), saddled and lead her out to the front yard.  I decided to leave her on the lunge line because this was her first ride this year and she might want to run and middle daughter hasn't been in the saddle much throughout the winter and she would also need a tune up.

Star was a perfectly behaved lady!  She ignored all the calling horses (Zoe and Tyson) and the running horses (Melody to be exact) and did exactly as she was supposed to without getting feisty.  I LOVE THAT MARE!!!  Having a horse around that I can trust and just be able to ride without any worries is so valuable to me!  Middle daughter did great too!  She needed a few times around to get the feel back but she was posting very nicely when we called it a day.  No cantering as the trot work for middle daughter isn't where it should be in order to canter.  In my opinion, if you can't do it at a slower gait, you can't do it in a faster gait so get it right while moving slower...

Star's trot was slow and collected for middle daughter.  When I say slow, it's not really slow compared to other horses.  It's just that Star has a fast trot when she's going at her free will - which is awful to ride!  Since I started to ride her many years ago, I worked with Star on  a slower trot that is a lot more comfortable to ride so it was nice to see middle daughter able to achieve that nice trot on both of their first rides.

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"Food for the body is not enough.  There must be food for the soul."

-Dorothy Day

First Bath

We've been having some beautiful weather here but I have a strict "no bathing until it reaches 70 degrees" policy.  Some do it when it's cooler than that but I don't have heated water so it has to be warm enough to dry them with the horses getting chilled.  So this past weekend we finally had our chance!  It was a beautiful 75 and sunny so little Miss Melody got to learn how to take a bath like a good girl.

Hubby helped me with the bath.  I held her and he sprayed her.  He started at her front feet and slowly worked his way up her legs.  She stood there, didn't move.  He moved up to her shoulder and onto her neck.  Again she just stood there.  Her eyes were started to get a little big but she didn't budge.  When hubby moved the water to her back she dropped her back so low that I thought she would scoot forward but she didn't.  She only took a small step to the side.  I was expecting a huge fight from her but at that point she wasn't too worried.  Licking her lips and chewing the whole time!

Hubby moved on to spraying her butt and that's when she started dancing.  She wasn't pushy towards me at all - only danced from side to side.  So I would lead her forward and bring her back to the hose.  (On a side note, we don't have a wash stall.  We just bring the hose outside of the barn and spray where ever it's convenient.  Someday I will have a proper wash stall but it's not high on the priority list right now.)  Then it was time for the other side.  I might as well say "see above" for how it went.  I was beginning to think that this was all it was going to be - which wasn't bad at all!  We raised a colt several years ago that tried to kill hubby during his first bath so I always have that in the back of my mind during the "first bath" experience.  I will never forget that colt!  Anyways, just as we were about to call it quits, Melody wasn't amused anymore and decided it was time to leave.  She reared up and started falling backwards, twisting the lead rope around her neck in the process somehow.  Hubby jumped in helped me get her lead rope from around her neck.  At that point he took her and lead her around to get her nerves settled.  This time we switched roles and I was the sprayer.  We started over at her front feet and moved the same was as before, but this time with breaks when she was being a good girl.  We were able to get her sprayed down all over without another freak out so we called it a day with that.  We didn't really "wash" her but got done what we had set out to do, and that was get her used to being sprayed.  We will try again next time we have a 70+ day.

Overall, I think she did amazing!  Her intelligence and trust in us is very evident when we try new things.  She's gonna be a great little mare!

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"Question everything.  Learn something.  Answer nothing."

-Euripides

New Color

As you can see on the background of this blog, Zoe is a dappled bucksin.  A nice creamy color.

This is her now.  She has a smutty or dirty bucksin look to her as she's shedding out her winter fuzzies (notice the beard!! lol).  She always does this but it's still fun to watch!  Her dapples are coming through now on her belly so she looks really cool, I think!  I couldn't get a decent picture of the rest of her because she wanted to be right next to me.  Silly mare!

That's all for now!



Until next time...



Quote for the day:
"In youth we learn; in age we understand."

-Marie von Ebner-Eschenback

Gunner

Gunner is still at our house.  No word on when or if he will be going to Arizona or anywhere else...but for your viewing pleasure, here he is:

That's all for now!


Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."

-Galileo Galilei

Melody's Turn!

Melody's biggest hang up right now is mud puddles so we tried to cross a puddle that was by the barn door leading to the turn out where Star was.  Her first time through she jumped it and bumped into me.  So we turned around and went back into the barn.  She spooked on the way in because one of our rodeo bulls was next to the gate by the barn and he spooked.  At this point she was getting frisky.

We headed back out across the puddle...she RAN through the puddle, right past me and when she got the end of the lead it brought her to a sudden stop.  I turned her to go back inside and she gave me a half rear and tried to go the opposite direction.  I held my ground and was able to keep her feet moving by zig zag walking in the direction of the barn.  We went back into the barn and it was no big deal this time.  Then back out of the barn like she'd never had an issue at all.  The only time we have gate issues is when there is a puddle so I really don't think gates are her issue...just puddles.

I figured that was good for today and let her go out with Star...meanwhile Zoe has been calling and screaming for Star the entire time (I had put her in her stall).  So when I went to get Zoe back out I could see she was seriously stressed about being away from Star.  She was covered in sweat (not from when I worked her because I had her dried out before I put her away) and had paced by the stall door to the point that the shavings had been pushed back.

I put her halter on (which she dove into) and lead her out.  She was a very good girl so I let her be with her friends.  I guess she has become buddy sour over the winter so we will have to work on that.  Might have to pasture her by herself like we did before when we were training.  I do that because if she gets insecure in her training or work, I want her to look to me for security and not rely on her buddies waiting for her.  Make sense to anyone?

Well that's all for now!

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

-Thomas A. Edison

My Perfect Angel

Star was a dream!  After the disastrous time with Zoe, I thought with all the calling Star was doing for Zoe that she was going to be a pain too but she was amazing!  She moved out at a beautiful flowing trot, head in at shoulder height, stretching her back out.  Her canter was nice so I didn't make her do it too much - she is old ya know!  We did some nice W/T/C transitions up and down, in both directions and called it a day.  Zoe was calling, more like SCREAMING to her the ENTIRE time, my kids were jumping on the trampoline (which is fairly close to the round pen where we were working), Tyson and Gunner were making noises at her (their pasture is across the driveway from the round pen) and she acted like nothing was going on around her at all.

I gave her some big pets and loves and told her what a good girl she was but all she really cared about is the green grass...so I let her eat some of the yard...don't tell Hubby. ;-)

I took her to the turn out after a few minutes of grass (can't over do it!) and let her go.  She absolutely loves to roll so the first thing she did was find a spot to roll.  She rolled in several different spots!

Melody was all done with her breakfast so I took her out.... 


Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"All of our sweetest hours fly fastest."

-Virgil

Naughty, Naughty

After feeding the other morning, I went to visit with Zoe in her stall.  I brushed her a lot (she's shedding) and when I was done she was wanting something more.  She stopped eating and just looked at me (not typical).  So I grabbed her halter and thought I would take her to the round pen and do 5 minutes of work.  Maybe she was bored.  On our way out, Star started to call for her.  She got worried.  As we entered the round pen Tyson called to her and she called back.  Ahhh, maybe she was in heat?  Didn't matter to me, she is usually very good despite her heat cycles.  We started round penning and man did she want to run!  I only asked her to trot and she got to running!  I slowed her down (with my voice commands) but I could see she was aching to go faster so I gave her the command.  I didn't ask for it long because we've been out of work for so long and I didn't want her to get sore.  We did a little more work and then I caught her up again.  She seemed relaxed; licking her lips, head dropped.  She wasn't breathing hard or sweaty, obviously in better shape than what I thought after being out of work for a long winter! 

We walked out of the round pen and then she perked up again.  Star was STILL calling and it was very worrisome to Zoe.  She likes to be talked to so I started to talk to her and decided to go for a walk around the property, checking some fences along the way.  She was interested but very distracted by Star calling to her.  At one point she was so distracted that she bumped into me so I sent her out on a lunge circle (I had a long lead rope) and she shaped up.  So I thought we would call it quits at that point and turn her out.  We headed back through the barn, where Star was still calling, and back out to the turn out.  As I unhooked the lead Zoe spun around and ran past me almost knocking me over!  The barn was completely open, nothing to keep her from running out into the driveway, yard or street!  A slight panic attack occurred on my part, and then I realized that she only ran to be by Star.  So I quickly shut the front barn door so she couldn't run out there and possibly get hurt or hurt someone.  When I went to get her she bolted and ran out the back of the barn.  To the arena.  I took that as a hint that she needed to be worked more...

I got the lunge and lunge whip and headed out the arena, shutting gates behind me.  This naughty mare wasn't going to blow by me anymore - except she did but this time she wasn't going anywhere!  I put the whip down and then she decided to see what I was going to do.  I caught her and could see she was "up".  We got right to work on the lunge line, W/T/C transitions up and down.  Star was still calling.  Zoe was focused on me at this point but was still obviously worried about Star.  We changed directions and did the same W/T/C transition work.  She was offering some great trot work, canter was messy.  She kept cross cantering, where her front would be on the right lead but her back legs would be on the opposite lead.  If I urge her to go faster, she will fix herself.  When we got some good transitions and lead work done, I called it a day.  This time she was breathing heavy and had sweat on her neck, but she was licking her lips and her eye was soft again.  I cooled her down and put her away. 

I figured if Zoe was this naughty that Star might need some time in the round pen or on the lunge too...



Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones."

-Jules Verne

Another Visitor...

My brother-in-law came and picked up his two horses this past Saturday morning.  To say I was excited would've been an understatement.  We just don't have the room.  But...and this is a big BUT...he had to leave another one of his horses behind and guess what?  We are the lucky ones who get to keep him!  I'm being very sarcastic.  To be really honest and fair, I do like my brother-in-law's horses.  They are good boys and are very respectful so they aren't too much trouble.  But they are living in my only horse specific pasture with lean-to.  My horses have a small turnout they can stretch their legs in but I would prefer the pasture because it's bigger and if the weather isn't cooperating then they have a shelter. 

The new horse, Gunner, is a gelding so we took Tyson away from the girls and buddied (is that a word?) the two boys together.  Tyson is definitely the boss and rarely let's Gunner in the lean-to.  Anyways, the other day the boys were running around and I was keeping a very watchful eye on Mr. Tyson to see if he was showing any signs of lameness.  Sure enough, he was short striding his canter.  His trot looked good with little to no head bobbing so that's an improvement but I guess he's still lame.  Shoot!

I don't have any pictures of Gunner because I keep forgetting either my phone or camera when I go outside.  I will try to get one soon! 

The weather is finally starting to shape up and the farm is getting messy.  I have a love/hate relationship with spring...


Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Love is so short, forgetting is so long."

-Pablo Neruda

Little Updates

Since my last post, Melody casted herself one more time (the next day) but hasn't since.  Hopefully that means she figured that out now...Other than that, Melody has been a good girl.  She's so dang cute!  I can't wait until spring when she sheds out and we can see what color she's going to be.  I mean, we know she's a palomino but how dark/light will she be?  I've found that she enjoys ear scratches - she will stop eating for an ear scratch!

The other day I let the horses out and Tyson was feeling great!  He was running, leaping, bucking, kicking and rearing!  He hasn't done that in over a year because he was lame (injuries).  I was thinking that Tyson was going to be lame for the rest of his life so seeing him acting like he was a yearling was very encouraging, to say the least.  He didn't show an ounce of pain while he was playing and wasn't sore when I brought him in or let him out the next day.  Is it possible he's finally healed???  Time will tell!

Zoe has been such a good girl.  I've been having my children lead her in and out of her stall and her ground manners have been impeccable!  Better than Star's, in fact.  Last year at this time she was pulling and pushing when being handled but not now!  She's been lowering her head for my kids to halter her too - just a peach!  I can't wait to start riding again when the weather finally breaks, I have good feeling about her!  The farrier always makes comments about how nice she is too (great legs, feet and attitude).  I know I've said this before but she's a sensitive and tuned in horse, just a great mare and I love her dearly! 

Star has been a good girl too, like always.  Her only fault is when it comes to food.  When she knows there's food in her stall she will try to pull through you to get her food making it difficult for my kids to lead her into her stall.  That angers me to no end so I have to lead her in myself to keep her in line.  She doesn't try to push past me because she knows I don't put up with that but she does with the kids.  Grrr...

Brother-in-law's horses are being good boys too.  They don't have stalls (we only have 4) so they live outside with a large 3 1/2 sided lean-to for shelter.  We keep bedding in there so they can lay down and stay warm.  I don't think they are used to that but they certainly enjoy it!  They are in need of a trim soon so hopefully we can get that scheduled before they leave on March 13.  The vet came out yesterday to do their health papers for traveling.  They have a long ways to go and will be stopping every 6 - 8 hours to stretch and get a little exercise/food/water (if they aren't eating or drinking in the trailer) so that will make the trip a long one.  The trailer they will be in is a Sundowner 3 horse slant gooseneck with living quarters.  Brother-in-law has a beautiful trailer that is well maintained and the horses are accustomed to trailering so hopefully the trip will go smoothly.  The horses haven't been bad while they were here but I will be glad to have 2 less mouths to feed!  Hay prices aren't cheap these days...

Well that about sums it up for now.  This weekend is the Michigan State Horse Expo.  I plan on attending on Saturday.  I haven't been able to get there in several years so I'm really looking forward to it!

Until next time!



Quote for the day:
"Our attitude towards others determines their attitudes towards us."

-Earl Nightingale

Better Picture?

Sisco and Dash

I got a little better picture of my brother-in-law's horses...as you can see, they were on their way to me so they could shove their noses in my face.  They are good boys!

Until next time!




Quote for the day:
"Choose your love, love your choice."

-Thomas S. Monson

Cast

We came out to the barn to do some work when we found Melody cast in her stall.  She was laying on her side right next to her stall wall, unable to get up.  She wasn't moving.

Hubby grabbed a hose (it was the first thing within reach at the moment) and wrapped it around her back feet and rolled her over, then let go of the hose and within a minute, she stood up.  She was calm but you could see a little scared.  Hubby went to put her halter on and she shied away.  He was patient and was able to get the halter on within a minute or two.

She wasn't done eating her hay but I thought it would be a good idea to turn her out anyways.  Usually when I turn her out, she can hardly stand waiting for me to let her go so she can run and play.  This time she just stood there.  I went to get what was left of her hay out of her stall and when I came back she had walked away.  I left her hay and made sure she had water.

I checked back on her a few minutes later and she had made her way over to the hay and was eating again.  She had me a little worried at first, but she was back to herself, thank goodness!

So now we are wondering if she's going to be a chronic caster (is that a real term?) or was this a one time deal?  Anyone out there have any experience with this?  I have to admit...this was our first horse to ever cast itself...  Any input would be appreciated!

Until next time!




Quote for the day:
"Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing."

-Oscar Wilde

New Arrivals

Last week my brother-in-law called from Arizona (his new home state as of December).  His friend agreed to take two of his horses for a few months until he could come back for the horses (probably in March).  The two horses that his friend ended up with was Sisco, Zoe's sire now a gelding (don't even get me started on that subject), and Dash, Zoe's only foal...a stallion.  Brother-in-law's friend agreed to take them but they would be turned out with his Longhorn cattle.  That was fine because both horses got along and have been exposed to cattle a lot (roping).  After a week of being with the cattle, Dash started beating up the cattle so the friend had to stall the two horses.  Then this past Sunday, the "friend" decided he was going on vacation and called brother-in-law to tell him that no one was going to be around to feed/water his horses so he better get some one to pick them up or come out twice a day to take care of them.  We got a call from brother-in-law on Tuesday night, informing us of the situation.  Seriously, the horses hadn't been fed or watered since Sunday night.  Hubby and I were NOT happy - with anyone in the situation!!  How could people let these horses be without food or water since Sunday night and then call us on Tuesday night (10 pm) to beg for help!!!  Why did all the parties involved wait that long to get this figured out?  This put us in a tight spot.  We don't have enough hay to feed anymore mouths through the rest of the winter nor do we have the room!  But we couldn't knowingly let those horses sit in stalls without food or water! 

Hubby's parents came over and helped us dig out our trailer and then stayed with the kids while we drove 1 hour away to pick up the horses.  Thankfully, the driveway was plowed so we didn't have to park in the road.  We got the horses out of their stalls, expecting to have our hands full but they were very calm, lethargic maybe.  We didn't expect to have any trouble loading them in the trailer because brother-in-law travels with his horses a lot but they apparently didn't like our trailer.  The interior lights weren't working so it was dark and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it.  Eventually we were able to get them both on the trailer, just took some extra encouragement.  We went back to the barn and took the last two bales of hay (brother-in-law supplied the hay so it was his) and were on our way.  I'm glad we went that night not only because those horses were hungry and thirsty but also because we got several inches of snow that night and the roads were all country roads that rarely saw a plow.  That trip would've been so much worse if we would've waiting until the next day.

So the boys are in the front horse pasture now.  They have a nice lean-to but we don't have anymore stalls.  We put fresh water and hay out for them that night and went to bed.  It was now 2am.  We were tired and both had to work in the morning.

The boys have settled in nicely and definitely have perked up.  I tried to take pictures of them but they both kept putting their noses in my face.  This is the best picture I could get of them.  

Let's just say the brother-in-law owes us big time!

Sisco is the bucksin (actually a dunskin) and Dash is the Perlino (white)

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."

-Ernest Hemmingway

It's been a while...

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I haven't been able to do any riding because with 3 feet of snow and temperatures in the single digits, I can't ride outside or get the trailer out to go anywhere!  So my riding/training with Zoe is at a stand still, unfortunately.

Nothing new to report with Tyson.  He lost a little weight with the frigid temperatures but the weight is already back on.  Ever since his major injury he's been a 'hard keeper' not to mention accident prone.  I think he gets bored so he gets into trouble...he's a character, let me tell ya!!

Star is sweet as always.  She's handling the winter very gracefully and enjoying her warm stall at night.  Have I ever mentioned how she starts her Harley at feeding time?  If not, keep reading...if so you can skip to the next paragraph...  Star makes noise, a nicker maybe, that sounds just like a Harley motorcycle starting up!  She kinda growls or grumbles with an eagerness to it.  Hard to explain but it makes me smile every time she does it!  The only time she does it is at feeding time - so stinkin' cute!

Melody has been the one that gets the most training done lately.  She had her first trim with the farrier so we had worked on picking all of her feet before hand.  She amazed me again with how quickly she caught on!  Hubby helped me with this task because he's so strong!  I didn't want to have her be able to take her foot away from me so Hubby helped out with her back feet.  She fought him BIG time the first time he picked her back foot up.  The second time wasn't near the struggle as the first and the third time she just picked it up and stood relaxed, like she's been doing this for years!  We went to the other side and the struggle for the other hind was 'half-assed' and then she just stood there like she was supposed to.  She picks her front feet up fine - has been since the second day we had her home!  When the farrier came, she did fine with her front feet and only fought her back foot a little, just to see what she could get away with, I think.  She did her other back foot just fine - no fight whatsoever!  We will keep working on leading and her feet but other than that, I don't like to baby the babies.  In my experience, foals who have been babied end up pushy and spoiled.  I want her to be respectful and attentive to my every move, not uninterested.  I know everyone has their own views on this but that's ok.  I just know what has worked for me and what hasn't.  I take her out and work with her on stuff about once a month or so, like yesterday I had to work on walking calmly through gates.  She developed a want to run through gates so that she can get to playing so that was a lesson needed right away.  But her next lesson with something new won't be for a couple weeks since we did the feet thing.  Does that make sense?  I address the issues right away that show themselves but teach her new things every 4 - 6 weeks and refresh the stuff already learned.  I hope that makes sense...

Until next time!


Quote for the day:
"Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get."

-Mark Twain