I think we're friends...

This morning I was able to catch Golden Butterfly a bit quicker and without having to ask her to trot. I used a super soft rope halter, and I think she appreciated it. I think I am starting to see her eyes soften a little, but again, it is probably just her stomach talking. She nickers whenever I come out to the barn, as she knows I'll bring her another small meal of grain.

We took Golden Butterfly for a walk in the field to let her graze on some grass to get her body used to the grass. I guess it's not much different than hay at this point, but just in case, we are going to make it a gradual change. It will be at least a week or two before she has enough strength to go out in the field with the other horses. I may let her out for a few hours with Love at some point, though. Love is so gentle - I've never seen her be aggressive at anyone/any other horse. Sweetie did a good job with Crystal, too. But we all know Rocky will nip at a new horse at least. Well, at feeding time for sure. And little Arthur - he cracks me up. Some Napoleon complex he has. His run is right next to Golden's and he will charge at the fence and rear at her. She's got his number now, though, and knows he can't get to her so she just stands there and continues with whatever she is doing.

So, back to the field - I had 2 helpers at the end of my lead rope as we walked from the barn about halfway to the pond. Both kiddos enjoyed helping, but I still have to keep a close eye on them. The kids went back to the barn to play, and I led Golden back as well. I put her on the crossties, and groomed her. She seemed to like the attention, and calm as I gently touched her nose. I doctored her ears a little - I didn't get as far as I had hoped, but it is a beginning. I decided to try to pick her feet as well. She did give me the fronts relatively easy, but did not want to hold them up for long. She allowed me to pick up the back but wanted to put them down immediately. I gave her several treats which she enjoyed and put her back in her paddock.

I wonder how much she knows - with a few horses in the past, picking up their feet and being good about it has been a clear indicator that they were trained at some point to be ridden. Sounds crazy, but generally, if they pick up their feet for you well, it means they were cared for enough to be worked with and ridden. Right now, I'm not convinced one way or the other. I suspect she knows something with the way she walks onto the trailer so easy, but she is not yet comfortable with me picking up her feet for long. We will continue and see how we progress - she's only been here for a few days!

In other news, I learned that the sheriff's office had to cut her halter off of her face because it was on so tight. We often see that with young horses who have grown into their halters, but with an older horse - I don't know whether someone just put it on that tightly, or if honestly had been that long (if she is 12) since it had been taken off - those nylon halters seem to last forever. More things to wonder about, and be thankful that she is safe now.

"Golden Butterfly"

We welcomed a new foster horse to our barn yesterday. Here is a photo of this poor mare:



My 5yo daughter named her "Golden Butterfly" and we do hope she will make a transformation over the next few months. She is missing part of an ear and has a scars all around her poll and on her face. I hate to think about what she has been through, but even more so I am amazed that she still seems willing to allow me around her.



Yesterday when we picked her up from a temporary foster home, she was a bit irritated at first that she had not been served her dinner and took a few moments to catch. But once caught, she led well and walked willingly into the trailer where I had a full haynet waiting for her. She seems well traveled - or was at one time well trained. I don't know what happened to her, but I hope she will come around and learn she is safe again.

The cutest thing was my daughter sitting on the fence talking to her telling her she was safe now and that no one would hurt her again. She also introduced her to all the other horses and told them to be nice to Golden Butterfly.

Tonight I wanted to halter her and let her graze on some grass. I went into her paddock with the halter over my shoulder, and at first she did not want me to get close to her. I would approach and retreat when she would step away, and we played that game for a while, but we didn't seem to be making much progress - I still was not interesting enough for her. I recalled how we had caught her yesterday, and asked her to move out (trot) or work if she would not let me catch her - and it only took twice around before she decided it was easier to stand still and be caught than work.

She gave in, I easily put the halter on her, led her around, and then took the halter right back off to make sure the experience was a good one.

More soon.

Love at the Expo

Here is a photo of Me with Love at the Expo

We competed in the Rescue Horse Training Challenge, and won first place in the experienced foster home category! We were within one point of the other contestants, so it was very close! Her best scores I'm sure were based upon improvement and conditioning. I'm so proud of her!

Moving Forward!

Love had a day off yesterday with kids swim lessons in the morning and getting a load of hay last night (just for Arthur - he is particular!) This morning when I fed, I also still had to stack the 30 bales of hay, which meant restacking some of the 200 bales we bought a few weeks ago. It was very humid this morning, so when I was done with the hay and dripping with sweat, I needed to cool off before coming back out to play with Love. Of course, she watched everything I did and was waiting patiently for me and you could tell she just wanted to play and didn't want me to go yet. But I scratched her withers and told her to take her morning nap and I would be out in a bit.

When I got back out to the barn, she was waiting at her stall door with shavings in her mane from her nap, and nickered to tell me she was ready! She loved her grooming - and has started grooming my "withers" in return - it's hard to decide how much of that is okay, and how much I should stop to make sure she doesn't get any bad manners. Right now, it is part of our connection, so I only stop her if she gets over zealous about it. :)

Today was the first day that Love stood perfectly still about putting the saddle on and tightening the girth! No steps backwards at all! Yay!

I made the mistake of putting molasses on the bit before I had taken her halter off/down around her neck - and while I was trying to do that with the bridle over my arm, she started putting whatever part of the bridle she could find into her mouth! Thank goodness I was quick, and she grabbed right onto the bit when I offered it to her. I've never used the molasses trick before, but man, I will always start a new horse that way from here on out. She just loves it!

Love still chews on the bit pretty constantly. There is no anxiety associated with it - I'm not sure if she's trying to eat it or what. I may need to play with a few bits to see if this one is too "thick" (it is rubber) or that the give in the rubber is too much (she thinks she can eat it) and she would prefer the taste of steel. I get a sense it is a little of both.

I have not put any reins on the bridle yet - I am waiting for her to stop chewing the bit before I do that - so I have a rope halter on over the bridle. She is a little stubborn about leading out of the barn the opposite end of where I let them out. But once out of the barn, she leads well.

We went to the ring after our groundwork which is improving. She stops when I stop - but I need to decide if I want her to do that behind me, or at my side. Today she stopped right next to my shoulder and loved a few pats on her forehead. In the ring, we tightened the girth, pulled the stirrups down and I lead her over to the mounting block. She stopped well, but then took a step away from the block. Hmmm.. I thought. After moving her back, I tossed the rope over the saddle and bounced up an down a few times before mounting up and sitting in the saddle. She stood perfectly still and did not take a step for about a minute before I wiggled back and forth and dismounted! I was so proud!

So I got back into the saddle a second time, and this time I wanted to see if she understood anything about cues to move forward. I gently squeezed my legs, and she took a step back. I tried turning her head to the side, and she took a step back. I kept gently squeezing, and each time she went backwards. I made sure I didn't have any pressure on the lead, but still she took a small step backwards, and then nibbled on the grass in the ring. So I decided to sit there and wait for her to take a step either forwards or sideways (generally forwards) and when she did, I praised her and told her what a good girl she was! I then asked again with my legs and her head turned to the left, and when she moved the right direction I immediately released all cues and praised her again. I got several steps forwards/turning and then decided we'd better try it to the right. So I moved the lead across her head to the right side, and asked again with my leg cues - and as a green horse would do, she thought I meant to the left again... but we got her nose turned to the right and she stepped right and I praised her. We did this a few more times with forward movement, and then I sat up and said, "whoa!" and wiggled back and forth and dismounted. What a good girl!

So today we took our first few steps forward! :) I sit here and think to myself about the way I am going about this and wonder if I should be doing more longing to teach her voice commands for walk, trot, and canter. I'm sure I will start including more of that here soon, but right now, she is just so calm and relaxed about everything, I really don't want to get her excited thinking she needs to move fast. A lot of what she is allowing me to do is based upon 1) her personality and 2) the bond we have created - she really trusts me and knows I won't hurt her, so is willing to let me do these things. I wonder if she is part Arab with the way that she wants to connect with me so much... No matter, I accept and am really enjoying her affections and helping her learn so much!

I sat on her! :)

Over the past few days, I have continued to saddle Love after nearly every meal. We go out and practice leading, turning, moving her haunches away, halts, and backing. I finally put the rubber snaffle on the cob bridle and it fits just right - and I was delighted with a "trick" someone mentioned recently - I put just a drop of molasses on the bit, and Love smelled it, and she put the bit right in her mouth herself! That was SO much easier than her lifting her head up as high as she could (pointing her nose up, too) while I opened her mouth with my thumb in the side! So we have kept doing that - and every time she puts her head right into the headstall and brings the bit right into her mouth. She is still chewing on it pretty constantly, but she is not anxious about it. It's just something new and she's getting used to it still.

I have been flapping the saddle flaps around and took the stirrups down (I'm riding english) and her reaction to all that has quickly become little to none. It really surprised her the first few times I did that - her body quivered each time the flap came down on her side, but we've kept doing it and now she understands it's not going to hurt her. She still turns her head around to see what I'm doing all the time, but she isn't anxious anymore (it's only been 4 days!). I keep doing the "tail test" to see whether her tail is clamped down or not, and I have continued to find it relaxed.

Yesterday, I took her into the ring (after leading her around in the field) and put some pressure on each stirrup to see how she would respond - she turned her head to look at me, but was not concerned about it at all. So I led her up to the mounting block, and climbed up there. I put my hands at her withers & on the cantle of the saddle and bounced up and down a few times. She stayed calm, so I took a chance and pushed myself up on to my belly on the saddle - I didn't want to sit on her quite yet. Love turned towards my feet and mouthed my foot, then turned to look at my head/body hanging on the other side. She took one step back to steady herself, but otherwise was not worried, so I stayed that way for 20 seconds or so before getting down and doing it again.

This morning, I fed the horses and then came in to the house for a bit to let the horses digest a bit. When I got back to the barn, Love was laying down in her stall. I had come there to work with her, and was thinking about trying to sit on her, but I didn't think it would be polite to force her to get up to work - it's part of her routine to take a nap in her stall after breakfast. I waited a few minutes, and then opened her stall door and went in - and I sat down on her hay while she napped a few minutes, and rubbed her forehead a little. She is so sweet. After a few more minutes, she got up on her own, and I stepped out of her stall towards the grooming area, and she followed me (like she has been doing for the last month or so to be groomed before turnout) without a halter. I did go ahead and put the halter on since it was work time, and when she would move her feet, I would gently remind her to go back to where she was by putting my hand on her chest and gently pushing back. She really understands that well. She got carrots for being so good. And then molasses on her bit again! :)

We did our normal ground routine in the field and went into the ring. I tightened the girth a hole. She didn't move her feet for that but still turns to look at me. We went over to the mounting block and I flapped the saddle flaps, pulled down the stirrups and gently tossed the doubled lead over her back/saddle to continue desensitizing. She seemed relaxed about everything - tail check was good, so I put my foot in the stirrup and leaned over her back. She took a step for balance, and then stood well, so I brought my other leg over and sat up in the saddle! :) Yay! She stood well and then I said "whoa" and wiggled in the saddle and then dismounted. I can't remember who taught me to do that as a signal for dismounting, but it seems to work well. I got on her again and she stepped back once and stood well again - and I took a picture of her while riding! (Ok, not the smartest, but she was being really good!) I dismounted again, and then got up on her again, and this time she stood perfectly, and I hugged her neck and rubbed her all over wherever I could reach, and finally gave a super good scratching to her withers. That was so good she was stretching out her upper lip so far and wanted to turn around and scratch me back. :) I said "whoa," wiggled back and forth in the saddle, dismounted and gave her lots more scratches and a bath before turnout.

Love has become so affectionate - well, she always has been, but even moreso now that I am working with her so much. She always looks at me with these big eyes, "Come play with me! Scratch me!" and willingly tries whatever I ask of her. I wouldn't normally get on a green horse quite so quickly, but she has continued to show me that she was ready and willing to try.

I connected with Love the first day I saw her at a dental clinic in April, but have tried to not get too attached because I have not been sure whether she would work out for Sammie. But working with Love every day, I find myself in the midst of a wonderful connection with this horse, and she has firmly planted her hoofprint in my heart. I don't know what the future will bring, but I do love this little mare more than I'm willing to admit to myself sometimes...

Finding a bridle that fits...

Love's new schedule is now to be groomed and worked with for 15-20 minutes before turning her out after meals - that's twice a day! Yesterday, when I put a bit in her mouth, I used a cob size bridle with a 5 1/4" snaffle that was obviously too long. The bridle didn't quite fit, either - it was about an inch or two too long. I searched through my tack "collection" that I have been gathering over the last 25+ years. I found a nice rubber snaffle - about 5" long, and I dismantled Arthur's pony size bridle and put the bit on there to give it a try. I let the cheek pieces all the way down, and it should have been almost the right size - it was - but just a little too snug. So now I will put the bit back on the cob bridle, and punch a hole or two. :)

This morning, I used a nice soft rope halter on Love, without any "hardware" that would jingle under her chin. I chose to ground tie her in the aisle instead of cross tie so that I could see her reaction to the saddle a little more closely. She backed a step or two when I put the girth on her, but was more relaxed than yesterday. She is still very curious and sniffs the tack before I put it on her. We continued with the groundwork exercises we did last night. Leading, stopping, backing. I am pleased to say that she is a tiny bit better about stopping when I stop - there were a couple of times that I was actually really impressed by. I am trying to teach her to back with me when I march backwards (stomping my feet a bit as a cue) - and although she was a little easier to move backwards (still with gentle pressure on the lead and her chest), she hasn't quite figured it out yet.

I'm still thinking about what kind of tricks I can teach her to show off her talents. I taught Sweetie to take a bow using carrots a long time ago - maybe that is a good place to start. Something cute & funny to win the judge's hearts. :)

The Competition Begins!

Love and I are competing in the 2nd Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge at the 4th annual Bluebonnet Horse Expo on October 16, 2010. Love has been my foster horse since late April, but the competition officially starts tomorrow! I have 3 months to teach her as much as I can about being a good horse and learning how to be ridden.

My first job was to evaluate her fully on what she knows as of today. Tonight, I saddled her for the first time at my place, and she was tolerant and curious of the saddle, but the way she moved away from the girth and kept turning around to look at the saddle tells me she has not really been ridden. (This was consistent with what I saw at Nan's the day we brought her home - she let us put the saddle on, but seemed like she didn't understand what it was.) Flapping the saddle flaps around today also seemed to take her by surprise, although with rhythm, she began to calm and stand still while I made some noise there. I also put a bridle with a bit on her to see what she thought of it - and the first attempt was difficult - she pointed her nose straight up and backed away from the bit. The second attempt I was successful, and put the bit in her mouth, but she constantly mouthed it as though she had never had a bit in her mouth before. Pretty quickly it was clear that she had not been ridden before.

We worked on yielding her hind quarters, trying to keep her front feet in the same general area, and the same on yielding her front end. We also worked on leading (and with the saddle, she seemed somewhat hesitant at times which I had not experienced with her before). We also walked and halted, and I asked her to back with me. When she would encroach my space, I would attack the ground with the end of the lead rope to get her attention. She is not as responsive to that method as Arwen was, but she does at least finally come to a halt.

So, I have my work cut out for me, and I am ready to get serious! I hope to be riding her by the end of the challenge. It's just a matter of routine, repetition and consistency. Oh, and a little moxie to get in the saddle for the first time. :) But that can wait. We have some ground work to do first in order to be safe. But Love does have such a sweet personality, that I hope she will be a quick study!

Size does matter!

My hubby and I were having a discussion about Love last night. She is such a sweet mare, but still has the exuberance of youth when it comes to her playfulness. I love it that she is so happy to see you that she will trot (or even canter) up to you in the field. She always stops when she gets to you, and loves attention. But she is not yet careful about where she puts her feet. The older horses have learned to watch out for the munchkins, and stand very still around them. But Love gets into a good scratch, starts leaning into you (which is totally fine for me) and all of a sudden steps widely across without checking what might be there first. The more I groom her, the less I see of this (thank goodness!)

Last week we went for a family walk and on the way back Love followed the kids and wanted to be petted. I started scratching her neck and she loved it, but Love proceeded to step widely towards me and the kids - and I had to guard the kids and move them away just to be careful. (I'm always there with them just in case). I think the "kid" sense - or "hoof" sense is something horses get with age.

Heaven knows that Sweetie (now 23!) stepped on my toes a multitude of times in her younger years - I still have clear memories of 20 years ago when she smashed my foot a few times in the cross ties. I always thought she did it on purpose back then, but it was just her being 3 and distracted (combined with too much time in a stall which I didn't recognize as an issue back in the day - I have learned so much since then!) Man, come to think of it, no wonder she was so restless in the cross ties - she had been up in the stall too much and full of 3yo TB energy. I can't blame her a bit.

Back to "hoof" sense. I really do think horses become more aware of it with age. At the same time, I also think some horses have it naturally. Penny sure did. Maybe some of it comes with being a mother to a foal. I also remember Charlie when Goose was first born. Goose was sleeping in the grass and Charlie saw me coming (still not sure about her new owners) and woke him up by rubbing her giant 10" hoof on his body. I thought for sure she would squash him, but she knew just how gentle to be and he jumped right up. Mother horses don't step on their foals. So how do you teach a horse to be more aware of her hooves and my kids feet? Let her step on mine and say "ouch?" (No, I wouldn't really do that, just wondering.) When I groom her and she moves around I say the horse woman "Aaa aa!" sound. (How else do you describe that?). It just has been a while since I taught standing - I know the next step is that every time she moves, I need to put her gently back where she started. I appreciate how much she loves being groomed and enjoy her happiness, but I also need to remember that I am training her and its my job to remind her to stand still.

So why the title of the blog about size? Well, as my hubby and I were talking about Love - my perspective was how sweet and affectionate she is, and he reminded me that it's just her size that makes it seem not so scary. Love is about 14hh. It wasn't long ago that we had Goose here on our property - at least 17hh, 3/4 draft. He was a giant. And he was just as "friendly" as Love, but when a horse that big comes running up to you (and the kids) in the field and doesn't have "hoof" sense yet because he is only 3, it is downright SCARY. I recognized his affection and friendliness, but around young kids it was just plain unsafe, which is why we sold him. I don't regret it, and I know that with more training he would someday become a safer mount. I just couldn't go through his youth constantly worrying about the "what if's" around the kids.

So, Love is 4-5yo (per my new favorite vet). The first vet that saw her thought about 8, but I trust this one more (not to mention, I agree with her :) ). Love really is on the young side for a youth's mount, but I can see her potential! I have entered the Rescue Horse Training Challenge with her, so I hope I can teach her a bunch by the Bluebonnet Horse Expo - have her learn her "hoof" sense and how to be ridden, etc. Because if we aren't ready to adopt her then, I have no doubt some lucky person will adopt her in a heartbeat! She is so gorgeous, and has such a wonderful personality! I want a horse with that kind of loving personality for my kids, but I also need them to be safe. Her sweetness reminds me of Penny so much, it is sometimes hard to be objective about it all. :)

Working with "Love," my new foster horse

Love has been with us for about 2 weeks now, and I have spent a lot of time grooming her, tending to her scars & sarcoids, but had not really worked with her in the ring yet, so I decided today was a good day.

Love has come across as a very sweet mare, who loves attention & grooming, and nickers whenever you come to the barn. She stands well for doctoring and fly spray, but was a little concerned about having her feet trimmed the first time, although she relaxed into it.

We went into the ring and began playing modified "games." The first is the "friendly" game - rubbing them all over with the longe whip, which she stood well for and didn't mind at all. Then you ask them to move away from pressure - both backwards, and yielding hindquarters & the forehand which she did well. Then you ask them to do the same things using rhythm with the stick, which Love understood laterally very well, but did not get the idea of going backwards. With everything, you start with the lightest touch, and increase pressure until they give, at which time you release immediately so they understand what you're asking. What I found is that if I want Love to go backwards, I have to ask her by gently pulling the lead to her chest. No amount of arm waving/dancing the jig in front of her would get her to move her feet backwards. She just wasn't reactive to it. She did lift her head, but that's about it.

So we practiced walking and staying with me - i.e., stopping when I stop, and backing when I back. She is improving stopping when I stop (I have worked several sessions on that so she would be safer around Sammie), but I had to ask her to back by gently pulling on the lead towards her chest again. I was able to make the ask lighter by the end, but no amount of high stepping or chicken wing waving caused her to back.

It was about then that I confirmed to myself that she had not yet ever "chewed" and "mouthed" like she got something since we started. And my question is - why would a horse never do that? Not even if you stop and wait for a minute or two - her lips never moved other than to attempt to grab a blade of grass. Is that from when she was a foal? She came in with 2 other mares that look very similar, and I think she is the youngest ...

We went on to asking her to longe. We started to the left and she was still quiet and nonreactive, and walked nicely to the left. So when we started to the right I was quite surprised when I finally got her to move (which she didn't want to at first - she acted like she didn't know what I was asking and kept following me). When she finally "got it" - she bolted almost right at me - within inches of my body and let out a big buck right as she went by me. She galloped around and finally came back to the walk and stopped. Well that certainly wouldn't do. I asked with the exact same cues on each side, and for some reason, going to the right always started the same way for several times. We stopped and started (and changed directions) quite a few times. She was always quiet to the left, and to the right she started off bolting right past me. We kept repeating, staying relaxed, until she finally gave me more room, and by the end of the session, we did start off with a nice walk without cutting the corner to come right at me. I hoped that I would see a nice licking/chewing response at that point, but still, nothing. Not even as I groomed her and turned her out.

You always wonder what the rescue horses have been through before they come to you. My biggest question is -why does she not have the licking/chewing response? It is the "signal" that all natural horsemen look for, and I did not see it once. It makes it hard to judge when she "gets" something. Any thoughts?

God's Plan Revealed

I wrote about 2 months ago that God stepped in when I went to pick up a horse from a seizure that I hoped would make a good pony for my daughter. I didn't know then what his plan was - as the pony turned out to be quite unruly, and instead I ended up taking home Crystal, who would be perfect for my daughter if only she were about half as tall. :)

Today, a mom & daughter came to visit Crystal - they are already a foster home for the rescue, and actually were there the day I picked Crystal up to trailer the unruly ponies to a different rescue. They have been waiting for a long time for the right horse to come through the rescue to adopt, and hoped that Crystal would fit with their family. Crystal was everything they hoped for - the right size, the right temperament, and as I had guessed, already had the right training for what they wanted to do. As her daughter trotted Crystal around the ring and Crystal was so good for her, I found tears in my eyes. Not because I would miss Crystal, although I certainly will. But because the match was so perfect - for both Crystal and her new family. This is my reward, and why I am a foster mom for a rescue. And Praise God for stepping in and guiding my hand, and making this match possible.

Hard working Mother's Day!

One of my favorite parts of Mother's day and my Birthday is the opportunity to spend time with the horses (or whatever I want) guilt-free. This morning I was sent out to the barn early by my husband to go ride. :) After feeding, I got Rocky out of his stall and trimmed his back feet (I did his fronts earlier this week). He is a big boy (1300 lbs or so) and it is hard on my back when he is silly, so I will do fronts separately to spare my muscles. After his toes were beautified, we went for a ride in the ring. I longed him first at the walk and trot, which gave him energy for when I mounted up. We had a very nice trot with lots of circles & changes of direction. He remembered that we cantered last time, but I did not feel like pushing it today - I really was there just to enjoy the ride. (Rocky enjoyed the carrots!) We also practiced backing (which he is getting much better at with the smallest of cues!) and turns on the forehand. He does the first half of the turn very well (with his front feet in one spot) but then wiggles a bit for the second half of the turn. Something for us to work on. He sure loves his carrots!

Next, I groomed Crystal - who absolutely loved all the scratches everywhere. I had not ridden her in a few weeks, so instead we went into the ring to longe - and she did beautifully at the walk and trot! She is going to make someone such a nice horse! Crystal had more energy (I think mostly due to her being healthier) and kept the trot going on the longe better than she has to date.

Love was my next project - her toes were starting to break up and against my better judgment, I decided to trim her as well. Thankfully, she is much lighter than Rocky so her gymnastics don't bother my back much. I looked on her health record and it said that she was good for her first 2 trims, but the last one she was pretty silly about. I don't have more info than that, but I wanted to make sure it was a good experience. As soon as I picked up her LF, she started leaning and then wanted to hop around while I held the foot for no particular reason that I know of. We went slow, stayed calm, and she did quite a bit of "hopping," but we got the foot done. She was much better about bringing her foot forward to be rasped. The RF was similar, but she relaxed after not as much hopping, and we got it done quickly. The rears she lifted up super high at first and hopped again, but the second time she settled in nicely to let me rasp her foot. I will work on trimming the backs later - she seemed pretty worried about it, but we did beautify the edges on both of them to help with the brittle breaking typical of a horse that has had poor nutrition for some time. Love appreciated the carrots after each hoof was done, and especially all the grooming afterwards. I put some more cream on her hock scar and Crest on her sarcoids, and at that point I was worn out and it was time for lunch. :) But I feel great - I accomplished so much and was able to ride, too! Yay! Happy Mothers Day to all those wonderful moms out there!

I got to ride with my hubby! :)

Tonight, for the first time in at least 2 years, Harlan and I got to ride together! He rode Charlie and I rode Rocky, and we both had a great ride in the ring! Harlan rode Charlie on Sunday for the first time in a year - and she was so wonderful, Harlan said all he could think about for the next few days was riding his horse! :) WOW! I feel that way all the time, but it was some of the most beautiful words I have ever heard to hear Harlan say them! :)

I walked, trotted, practiced cirles, backing, and then cantered for the first time in a year on Rocky! He did his normal buck of annoyance here and there, but we made it about half way around the ring. Yay! But I confess, although I've been thinking about getting back into the canter, I'm not sure if I would have done it if Harlan hadn't been there suggesting it - asking how Rocky does at the canter since he is so good at the trot.

Ahhhh. It feels so good to ride! Now I need to get back on Crystal to get her adopted! :)

Arthur update

I thought I'd give an update on Arthur. He continues to become more comfortable and seems very stable to me at this time. I had been feeding him beet pulp with a handful of grain, and then I cut the grain and started adding the Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes (ODTBC) and now he has decided he doesn't want the beet pulp any more. He just sifts out all the cubes and leaves the beet pulp behind. He was still eating it when I put his evening supplements (salt, magnesium, vit E) in it, but now he is leaving even that beet pulp behind. So, I guess we're just a ODTBC pony now. He also gets as much coastal as he will eat, but it is still last year's cutting, which, although good for a cushings pony, is not very appetizing to Arthur. The latest batch has been a little tastier, thank goodness. I hope he starts eating more hay, but at the same time, I recognize his teeth are pretty minimal at this point, and I think he likes his soaked hay cubes best right now. So, we are doing everything we can for this little pony that we all love so much. He is the most expensive horse in the barn by far right now. :)

Arthur on Pergolide

I thought I'd try to journal Arthur's progress as a Cushing's horse. He did beautifully out in the pasture this winter, but as the spring grass came in and I started keeping him off of the grass, he started to get laminitic/ouchy feet. I may have left him out on the pasture a few days too long, but keeping him off the grass was not doing the trick, and it had worked well last year. He has a 48' x 36' paddock attached to the stall that is all dirt. He also was not wanting to eat as much hay as he used to - I ran out of my winter supply, and the quality of hay the feed store had was just pitiful. I have since found a better supply of hay that he likes, and also adjusted his feed to include supplemental salt, magnesium, and vitamin E. I also have started driving to get Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes that are specifically formulated to be a balanced, complete hay cube, designed for Cushings/IR horses. Arthur loves them, but I have to adjust everything slowly. But the biggest change I have made is to finally put Arthur on Pergolide. It seemed we were able to control everything with diet last year, but the diet was not working this spring, so I finally made the commitment to keep him on Pergolide for the rest of his life. He has been on the Pergolide for a whole week now, and is doing SO much better. He is finally comfortable on his feet again - moving around so much more. Although he seems a little "dopey" after his evening dosage, overall he seems much brighter and more energetic. I guess I am learning that you really have to focus on the whole picture when it comes to Cushings - both the diet and the medication, good trims, etc. When one part is off, you end up with an uncomfortable pony. I am relieved to say that Arthur is again comfortable, bright, and eating well, and I love that little pony so much.

Beautiful Crystal

I gave Crystal a bath today and she was wonderful for it, of course. She was so shiny that the photo had trouble capturing her color because the sun was gleaming off her back so brightly! :) She is up to over 1025 lbs now and looking great!



And here is a photo of her brand - unusual arrow, T, something else, I think. Hard to track these down sometimes - they are local by county here in Texas. We'll give it a try, but unlikely we will find any info. I have googled brand/arrow/T/horse etc. and not found anything.

I rode Crystal!!! :)

Okay, it was only for a few minutes at the walk and halt, but she was so good! After tacking her up and putting the bridle on this time, she stood quietly with the bit in her mouth, not playing with it, completely relaxed and calm. We went into the ring and longed both directions at the walk and trot (briefly) and then I went over to the mounting block. She let me stand her right next to the block in the appropriate position to mount, and after putting some weight in the stirrup I leaned over the saddle without a problem. She took a step after a few seconds, and I got down, but got right back up and sat in the saddle. She took a step (as though she thought that is what she was supposed to do) and I hopped down. Did it a few times, and then I decided I wanted to find out whether she understood whoa from the saddle as well as she did from the ground. And she did not disappoint! We walked and halted about 10 times, and steered both directions with little trouble. She did not want to steer away from the gate - which makes me wonder if somewhere in her life she was a school horse or ridden in a ring, because she clearly knew where the gate was and kept turning back to it. She had energy, but never tried to speed up into the trot or do anything else silly. I am delighted! She feels rusty, but clearly understood cues to walk on, halt, and turn (with a little hesitation turning away from the gate, but as I asked a little more strongly, she turned well).

Here's to more wonderful rides on Crystal!

Oh,one other thing - she has a brand! It appears to be an arrow pointing SW with two sets of feathers, above a T, and then something else. The strange point is that the arrow is dark- missing hair (like hot branding would do) and the T is white like freeze branding, would do, except the 3 points of the T have a dark dot - and there are 3 more dots to the left of the arrow, but I can't make out what it says. I would have taken a photo tonight if there was any daylight left, but it was too dark by the time I was done. Yippee! :)

All tacked up!

I've worked with Crystal a few times this week, and each time we go into the ring and do some bonding, and then groundwork, followed by longing at the walk. Last night we started at the trot as well, but just for a few seconds. The rescue has an adopter curious what Crystal knows, so I tacked her up for the first time today. I introduced her to the saddle and let her sniff it, and she moved around a bit. But when I went to put the saddle pad & saddle on, she stood very well and seemed familiar with it. We went into the ring and did our "routine" and she did not seem at all phased by the saddle on her back. In fact she continued to make steps forward in our bonding, seeming even more relaxed than the previous session. I stand at her shoulder/girth area and ask her to turn her head towards me without moving her feet - and as soon as she "gives" I immediately release. She keeps getting better, allowing me to turn her head each direction a little further each time. She even knows to turn towards me when I outstretch my hand and wait for her for a moment before I ask more firmly.

We trotted both directions making a few cirles each way, and it was more continuous and steady than it was yesterday. I think having a lunge whip instead of trying to use the end of the line as a motivator worked much better. I never touch her with it, of course, but you have a longer reach with it to extend your energy.

I then took her over to the mounting block. I did this yesterday as well, and yesterday when I would ask her to move forward so that I would be at her withers area, she would walk forward and then turn her body/rump away from me, so that if I had been trying to mount, I would not have been able to reach. She again started that way today, but I stayed relaxed and after a few asks and lots of petting, she walked right up to me and put me in the perfect "mounting position." I did a lot of petting and flapping the stirrups/flaps a bit, as well as some jumping up and down on the mounting block with my hands on her withers/the saddle, all of which she tolerated with no indication that it bothered her at all. She watched me, and even turned her nose around to me to see, but kept her feet still and seemed prepared for me to mount up if I had wanted to. I put pressure in the stirrup with my hand and still she stood well. I got down and up again on the mounting block and continued with the same sort of thing, rubbing and scratching her neck/chest and telling her what a good girl she was. If my husband had been home, I probably would have gotten right up on her, but just in case I will wait until there is another adult around before I do that (and it wouldn't hurt for her to gain 50 lbs or so before I try, but I'm not sure I can wait that long. Her ribs are nearly covered, and she seems so willing!)

We got back to the barn and I took the saddle off, but picked up a bridle just to see what she would do. And that sweet mare put her head right into the caveson, and actually opened her mouth for the bit on her own! Sweet girl! So she definitely has been ridden - how much is yet to be determined, but she gives every indication that she knows quite a bit. She moves so easily away from pressure, understands "whoa" by voice on the lunge line and stops every time, and she has stayed so relaxed about everything throughout! I can hardly wait to get up in the saddle and find out how much she knows.

But patience is a virtue (so I'm told) and we'll continue our little routine until things are ready.

Crystal is becoming more and more affectionate - she loves to be groomed - and she knows that I will find all of her itchy spots. I've been grooming while ground tied so she can move around a bit - and she always moves just a little here and there to get me to curry the perfect spot. But she never leaves. She just stands there. It is funny when I let her out of her stall to go out, she does the same thing. I step back and she steps right up to me and waits for me to scratch her chest and withers and rub on her neck. I think she would stand there all day if I would keep scratching. :) But as soon as I loop the lead over her neck, she knows it's time to go out and off she goes!

This mare is going to make someone a lovely horse, and I already know I will miss her. I wish she was about 8 inches shorter and she would be the perfect pony for Sammie. But 16hh is just too high off the ground for this mother's heart when it comes to my baby girl. :) When she's a teenager, no problem, but at 4 years old, well, I'm sure you understand. :)

Crystal after 1 month

These photos were taken on April 3, one month after her arrival. Much better! She finally broke 1000 lbs and is shedding out her old winter coat. You can see on her shoulder the beautiful gray she is becoming, and the rest of the hair sheds out more every day. I can't wait to see her in a couple of weeks all shed out! :)

Her shedding is making her very itchy and she loves to be groomed as often as I am willing - in fact, she will pause when I am turning her out and waits for me to groom her (last night I spent 20 minutes or more) without a halter or anything on. And she is persistent - I have to lead her out after that or she will stand there, patiently, just waiting for me to come back and groom her some more. :)

This Saturday I also was able to ride Sweetie, gave Christopher a lesson on Arthur and rode Rocky, too! Harlan worked with Charlie on the ground and gave her a good grooming. Everybody in the barn got some attention - what a wonderful, horsey day!

Shoveling Manure in the Dark

We don't have lights in the barn yet. That's okay, I'm kindof glad that I don't have to worry about electricity in the barn, and when I do something I hope to use solar panels to do it. Anyways, it makes barn cleaning after dark a little bit of a challenge. However, I am dexterous and hold a small flashlight in one hand to locate my targets, while also holding the pitchfork at the same time. I don't do this every night, but for mornings when I have to get up before sunrise to let the horses in while in a hurry to get out the door. I think what I need is a cap with a light on it to make things easier, but for now, the small light works. :)

In other news, Crystal is up to 975 lbs! (from 920) Her ribs are really filling in and the "shelf" near her spine is nearly gone. I can see the muscles in her hind end filling out. She has also been shedding quite a bit - reminds me of a foal with the hair shedding out around her eyes first. The hair underneath is so WHITE! Not a creamy white, but silvery white. It looks like she is going to be a gorgeous dapple gray!

In the meantime, she is the first gray I have had here with all of my bays and chestnuts, and it is interesting where all that white hair ends up. I noticed them covering the straps of her blanket and all over the brushes, me, my other horses when I groom them. Somebody should invent a gray horse brush with white bristles so you don't notice them so much. :) And then white blankets, etc. Who am I kidding - anything around horses is going to end up brown eventually!

Hoof-wise I noticed tonight that it looks like she's ready for another trim. The sole in her left front that I've been waiting for is half off - the other half should shed in a few days. But what I found interesting was that where I rasped around the edge of her hooves it now looks like the outside of the wall in that area has peeled off in the moisture. I'm sure glad I didn't rasp up very far at all! I can only assume it is the poor nutrition she had before I got her. I look at her hooves and see small ridges - not founder ridges, but nutrition ridges. I am not sure what they mean, but it looks like her previous owners fed her something nutritious about once a month... If I hadn't trimmed Arwen's hooves today, I would have worked on Crystal's.

In other news, Arwen is going to a month of training on Friday and I can't wait! Becky has been a pleasure to work with in the past, and I look forward to learning as much as I can while Arwen is there!

Texas Weather! *sigh*

Just when you're getting used to warmer temperatures and the horses are seriously shedding, mother nature throws you a cold front bringing the temps back down into the lower 30s at night - and the wind chill there during the day. My goodness! All the horses are warm in their blankies, but what a chilly day! The wind is whipping around at 30mph and the water on my bare hands made them feel freezing.

Sweetie came in this morning with a goopy nose on the left side only - I started her on SMZ and this afternoon it wasn't quite as bad when she came in. Hopefully the SMZ will clear it up, or we'll need the vet out here in a few days. One sidedness is always weird - could even be a tooth in her old age. We'll see. She's still eating fine, and her temperament seems normal. (I need to dig out my horse thermometer, too). Praying for something simple.

Stay warm!!

A hairy morning and great ride on Rocky

This morning I went to the barn to ride Rocky and play with my foster horse, Arwen. It took a good 30 minutes to find Rocky under all that hair he is shedding, along with giving his mane a good trim. Finally, I got enough hair off to ride and off we went to the ring. Rocky was a little short-strided - and after looking at his soles I saw what looked to be an impression from some kind of rock - that had not been there when I trimmed his hooves this weekend. So I think he has a little bit of a sole bruise. We kept to walking and a little bit of trotting - he was much more comfortable on the sand in the ring. But I didn't want to work him too much. He backed very easily with gentle cues of asking verbally and a gentle squeeze on the reins. We only rode for about 15 minutes but it felt great!

Afterwards I continued grooming all his winter coat as he is shedding. But then I saw Sweetie, and had to groom her, too! She had tons of hair to come off as well, and it was time for her mane trim also. I know my hunter friends would give me a hard time for cutting instead of pulling, but I have to say that no horse I know likes to have their mane pulled, I'm not planning on going to any shows where their manes would need to be thin enough to braid, and I'm pretty good at trimming their mane so it looks natural instead of having the "chopped" look.

Two down, and then I groomed Crystal (I only had a few minutes left before lunchtime) and got lots of white hairs to mix with the black/brown & red hairs on the floor. My goodness! I look forward to when everyone is done shedding!

Oh, and interestingly enough, Crystal has shed the sole on her RF that was the worst of the two, and the LF sole is coming off more than it was, but is still there. Not for much longer! We'll see if I can't get to Arwen this afternoon! :)

Rainy day...

Today was a gray, rainy day so the horses spent the day in the barn with plenty of hay. I groomed Crystal in her stall and she stood so quietly and really enjoyed the attention. Tonight, it had stopped raining but there was a chance it would rain a little more, so I opted to put a blanket on Crystal since the temps will be about 46 and that would be cold in the rain! I took the blanket in to her stall and let her smell it first, and then gently put it on her back. She stood completely still and let me fuss with it a bit (tighten the belly straps). Did I mention that I had not put a blanket on her yet? She is SUCH a sweet mare!

Super Smart Crystal!

Crystal still has at least 100 lbs to gain before I ride her, so my goal tonight was just to do some walking exercises to see what she knew without any stress.

I only had the last few minutes of dusk-light to play, but I made the most of them! :) I had wanted to get out there all day but had other things going on with family to tend to. I haltered Crystal and curried some of that icky thick hair off of her and then led her out to the ring. The first thing I noticed was that she was not at all concerned about being out in the ring. With Arwen, her head went up and she was looking around, but Crystal had that "ho-hum" attitude. We practiced walk and halt on the lead several times. I wiggled the lead slightly if she went past me and she very quickly "got it" to stop when I stopped. I found a place with plenty of room and just had to see - I only had her on a 12' line, but wanted to see if she knew how to longe. After me clicking at her a few times with her looking at me saying, "are you serious?" she stepped off to the left and made a perfect circle around me without any trouble. I said "whoa" and she stopped on the circle and turned her head to look at me. I asked "walk on" and lifted the longe whip slightly and off she went at the walk again without any trouble. We did that 2-3 times to the left then I tried to the right. She started off just wanting to go to the left - a racehorse thing to do. But after insisting that she go to the right, she finally gave in and went to the right, and with a little help made a good circle. She again whoaed on command and then walked off again when I asked. I could hardly believe it :)

Although I know I should have done it first, I then asked her to give to pressure by gently milking the lead until she dropped her head - she totally got it and no trouble. I gently pulled the lead toward her chest and took a step towards her and she backed just as she should. Then I asked her to yield her hindquarters and front end without much effort both directions.

We longed both directions again at the walk one more time with a "whoa" and ask to move on again with ease. The last thing I tried was something I learned from Becky when she worked with Arwen a few days - to ask her to yield her hindquarters by holding on to the lead and walking towards her rump. The goal is to make sure the horse knows to use their near hind leg and move it across/infront of their other hind leg. She had no trouble doing that to the right, but to the left, she preferred to move her left hind leg behind her RH instead of the other way. After another try she took several steps the correct way and we quit with that.

Pretty amazing! :) I'm so excited for her and look forward to working with her through the coming months. She is going to be a great find for a lucky adopter!

Beautiful day with Rocky!

The weather has been gorgeous this week - I'd say we Texans look forward to this kind of weather all year! :)

Crystal has been doing great out in the field during the day, and Arthur has been pouting in the dry lot while she is out.

Three days in a row now, I have been able to ride Rocky! He is so much fun! We walk and trot both directions, doing circles & figure 8's & serpentines. We've also been learning how to back under saddle, and do a turn on the forehand & turn on the haunches. I'm quite amazed with Rocky and how quickly he learns everything. I've been able to give much quieter aids for backing - I try to do it in stages. First I give the voice command "Back" and then lean back, and then I squeeze gently on the reins, and again, and then a much stronger squeeze on the reins and with my legs. I was going through the entire gambit 2 days ago, but today, I only got to squeezing gently with the reins and Rocky backed up for me. I've got to make sure I don't practice it too much - he was not sure what I wanted when we did some turns on the forehand and started to back a little there. We'll muddle through and get the aids clearer and figure out exactly what means what.

I trimmed Rocky before I rode, and combine that with the most posting trot I've done in about a year and my body is exhausted. I'm looking forward to a quiet evening and sound sleep tonight!

Busy Day!

Sammie rode Arthur on a pony ride through the field this morning and had a wonderful time!


At the beginning of the ride.


Grinning after trotting up to the top of the back of the tank. :)


Sammie closing her eyes and feeling the ride! :)


Crystal has graduated to the big field during the day - and gained 40 lbs over the last 10 days! Yay!



But poor Arthur is having to stay in during the days now to keep him off too much grass during the day.


Poor thing is pretty disappointed about it, but a necessary evil to prevent laminitis. We'll watch him closely and if keeping him up during the day isn't enough, we'll keep him in his paddock at night as well.

A beautiful day wouldn't be complete without a ride for me, too! I rode Rocky this afternoon - we had a very nice ride with walking, trotting, circles, and learning to "back" while mounted. I suddenly realized I had never really taught him that, at least not more than once, and recently listened to a podcast about being able to go backwards to help the horse be lighter in the front end. We practiced several times and he got it quickly - I continue to enjoy Rocky and his personality and the way we get along. It's such a special relationship we have - since I have been there since the moment he was born. And I'm the only one that has ridden him - well, Harlan did once. :) We ended the session with a few turns on the forehand and then a good grooming with lots of carrots. :) What a wonderful day!

Crystal gets a trim!

I tried to get photos of before/after - and yes, it is all my own handiwork. My farrier of 9 years suddenly stopped returning calls and after many years of working for a farrier and then watching for 20 years, I'm trimming my own horses.


Right front before & after


Right hind before & after


Left Hind before & after

Crystal is pretty cow hocked by nature, and on both of her back feet, the outside wall was very flared and much longer than the inside wall. I trimmed the outside walls down so they were shorter, but without doing it dramatically. I don't want to change too much too quickly for her. But even after the trim, she still held her weight on the inside walls. The good thing about being your own farrier is that you see their hooves every day and can make adjustments as needed.

I actually am impressed with my skills at this point - I no longer ever see cracks or big flares between trims because I'm there to take care of it before it gets to that point. Everyone has stayed sound and happy (where a couple of mine would get sore when my farrier trimmed the sole too much).

Both of Crystal's front hooves are about to shed a large amount of sole - I didn't want to pry it off before it was ready, but it is coming loose. But I will keep an eye on it as I pick them out every day. It is kind of weird looking on the bottom of her hooves right now, with a separation between the wall/sole area at the edge of the white line, but I suspect it will be corrected easily when she sheds the sole. I'll also be able to trim her hooves a little shorter at that point - they're still longer than I'd like, but not nearly as crazy as they were!

Sweetie & Crystal

Okay, I confess, Sweetie looks a little pregnant. :) It's all hay, though. I like to keep my 23 yo mare on the fluffy side during the winter, but now that the grass is starting to grow, I'm starting to cut back on her grain.

Sweetie did a great job babysitting Crystal yesterday - and I'll put them out together again tomorrow while I am here to play musical horses. :) I am watching everyone carefully, and don't want to stress Crystal while she is so thin. I need to know I can trust whoever is keeping her company to not chase her around - and Crystal very much prefers company to none at all. When I brought them in yesterday, and Crystal had to stay in her paddock by herself, she was not a happy camper. She even bucked a little and kicked out to show her frustration. But for now, it is the best place for her to have unlimited access to hay, and no stress from the other horses.

In the past, integrating a new horse has been easier. But Arthur & Arwen continue to charge at Crystal across the fence, so I will have to wait until they calm down a bit. My "original" group of Sweetie, Rocky, Aurora, and Penny always integrated easily with the new fosters that would come and go. Arthur and then Arwen are the last two that arrived and appear not to be as happy about the new girl. We will figure out a plan - they may have to spend some time in the paddock while Crystal gets to go out in the field for a while. But eventually, Crystal will be stronger and will put them in their place. For now, she has just avoided conflict. In fact, I have not seen one single aggressive act from her over the fence. She just seems so mild-mannered. I hope that as she perks up, she'll feel more willing to stand her ground. But I'll be there to watch over her in the meantime.

"Crystal"

Crystal it is!

Tonight I brought Crystal into the yard to graze on the green grass. As soon as we were through the gate, she put her head down into a patch of tall grass and started eating fervently. I guess it tasted good - but she was partial to the longer grass that was still around the trees after the lawn was mowed this week. Even though she was excited to be in a new area, she was still very well behaved. I could feel her energy up, but she never got silly or pushy.

Christopher and Sammie came out to visit with the new mare by the picnic table, which happened to have a bunch of tall grass under it. I told the kids to stay at the table so I didn't have to worry just in case Crystal felt her energy get a little too crazy. I explained how she liked the long grass and both kids would pick a handful of grass and put it on the table for her, and each time, Crystal watched and then ate every bite of the grass they put on the table for her. It was precious. They both got to pat her nose while she was there, and again, she was very well behaved despite her excitement.

The only time she was at all "pushy" was when we were getting ready to go out of the gate she pulled with her nose to get one last bite of tall grass on her way out. I couldn't blame her. I think we'll try an hour out with Arwen tomorrow so she can start getting used to the grass. She hasn't had any grass in quite a while - there was none where she was seized from, and none at the holding facility, so we will take our time there. I'll be home all day and can keep an eye on everybody.

It seems like it is officially spring here in Texas - the grass is starting to grow, and the temps the next few weeks are all in the upper 60's - low 70's. I am going to be outside as much as I can while the weather is so beautiful!

Happy Mare!

Here are some photos of my new foster horse - name yet tbd...











I love the way she always turns to look at me. :)

I got up early this morning before taking the kids to school to feed, and she had eaten every scrap of the half bale of hay I had put out for her last night. She was so happy to see me - met me at the fenceline, and met me at her stall door inside the barn, too. It is so amazing the changes I can see in her already. I know that yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind for her, coming to a new place, meeting new horses, and wondering what kind of a human I would turn out to be. She was anxious yesterday - well behaved, but not quite sure of me. Well, until I started feeding her handfuls of grain. Then she decided I was okay. :)

She is about 16hh and weighs only 920 lbs - Sweetie is the same height and weighs at least 1200 lbs.. Can you imagine needing to gain 300 lbs? :) Geez! I am hoping she has put on 50 lbs in the last 24 hours - well, at least that is how much she has eaten in hay! Good golly! :) That girl knows how to chow down! But after cleaning out her stall/run, it was clear that things went all the way through... :)

I was hurried this morning so did not get to spend much time with her, and looked forward to it all day. When I got home and went out to the barn I walked up to the fenceline, bent my arms across the top board and sat my chin on my hands - but not for long. She came right up to me for scratches and rubs on her head/neck/withers. You could see in her eyes that she was starting already to trust me. How nice to have a human that visited regularly - and brought hay and grain to her!

After barn chores and getting the other horses in the barn, I opened her door and easily put a halter on her - and cross tied her in the barn to groom her. She stood very well for me. Wiggled a little here and there, but basically just soaked up all the grooming. I took the pictures as soon as I could - but the sun was already setting. Her ribs & spine don't show nearly as much in the photos as they do in real life, but don't worry, that won't last. She already looks better than yesterday!

I even picked out her front feet! I will wait another day for the rear. I forgot to look at the tattoo - was in too much of a hurry to get photos in daylight so I could post them, and then it was dinner time for the humans. :)

Samantha has asked on more than one occasion if the new horse could be "hers" until we find her a home. I tell her she can certainly help me care for her, and remind her that she belongs to the rescue, and will someday find a home with a family that loves her. She seems okay with that. We have not yet named her, although we are tossing around "Diamond" and "Crystal." "Snow White" was mentioned, and although I think it fits her personality along with the white body/black mane/tail, Sammie and others have said it's not quite right. We will see. More soon!

The best laid plans...

Ever feel like a higher power sometimes steps in and changes the plan for you? Today I volunteered for Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society - I went to trailer my new foster horse to my house and 2 others to another member's barn. I had high hopes that I would be bringing home a sweet pony for Samantha, but someone up there had other plans for me today. The cute little mare that I had seen only in pictures turned out to be uncatchable. Very smart, but wanted nothing to do with humans, which did not bode well for the idea of a little girl's pony - at least, not without intense training and time, and even then the personality of a horse is not likely to change that dramatically. So I ended up instead bringing home a 16hh gray mare, who I suspect is an OTTB due to her tattoo (which I will look at later). In the pen with 3 other 13-14hh horses, she looked like a giant, and was not what I was planning on bringing home. However, her kind eyes spoke to me and she walked right up to me in the paddock while I was trying to catch/separate the other mare.

She loaded easily and trailered well. You could tell the way that she walked right into the barn without hesitation that she had been cared for well at some point in her life. I will have to get a reading on that tattoo and find out who she is. She did not pause at walking into a stall, either. Both of those things surprised me somewhat, but at the same time didn't surprise me coming from a mare off the track.

She spent the afternoon sniffing the other horses and figuring out that I really did keep bringing her handfuls of grain with flakes of hay.

Tonight, she rewarded me after I had let all the other horses out and was cleaning the barn, she poked her nose into the aisleway and let me rub her forehead and stood for quite a while as I scratched and rubbed on her neck - just like Penny used to. I wasn't expecting that, but was so grateful for it. Even Arwen wanted some scratches ,too. I guess they missed me on my vacation. It is so good to be home and back into helping horses - they really need me. And somehow, this girl chose me to help her get back to health. I am looking forward to the journey. More soon.

Sammie rode Arthur, too!

I forgot to mention that Sammie rode Arthur on a nice pony ride through the field with me leading her again. She directed me the whole way telling me which way to go, when to turn, and which puddle to walk through. :) She again closed her eyes and made some "snoring" noises, but to see her up there grinning from ear to ear she was far from sleeping. Arthur was very well behaved for the whole trip. And Sammie was absolutely adorable wearing real riding pants! I bought two pairs at a great discount at the Bluebonnet Horse Expo in 2008! I have been holding on to them just waiting for the day when they would fit her. :) I will have to take pictures next time to share with you how CUTE she was!!! :)

Another ride on Rocky!

I got to ride Rocky again today! We just walked around the ring again - enjoying the beautiful sunny day. It was so warm I had to take off my sweatshirt and ride in a t-shirt! Of course, it didn't last. At the end of our ride, a cold front blew in. Its always weird to feel the temperature drop 10-15 degrees suddenly as the cold air comes in on a breeze. It will be back down to freezing again tonight, so blankets will need to go back on. But I feel great that I had another chance to ride! Rocky is enormous, but so sweet and he loves the attention so much! Again, thank goodness for his sweet personality! We've been together since the moment I helped pull him out of his momma in 1996 - and he's such a good boy!

Beautiful winter ride with Rocky!

This morning when we woke up the ground was beautifully white with a very thick frost - it had been foggy early, and the fog added to the layers of frost. Thankfully, the sun came out and the frost melted away rather quickly. I warmed up quickly by getting the barn ready for the horses - picking stalls, putting out hay and grain - and the sun felt so warm I had to ride.

I pulled Sweetie out of her stall first - I wanted to get her back into her Rambo blanket that I had taken off after all the rains the other day - the "replacement" just didn't fit her quite right. Plenty long from head to tail, but her belly always hangs out way below it like it was designed for a sleek TB - oh, wait... Sweetie is a TB, lol, just with a big belly. :) (how embarrassing! :) ) But her belly was well earned while carrying Rocky around in there, and she is just as beautiful as ever.

Sweetie decided that she was a little perturbed that I would bring her out of her stall before she had a chance to finish her hay, and was making ugly faces, so I groomed her and put her back in her stall. I wanted to have a nice relaxing ride - and some days you can just Tell they are going to be silly, 23 years old or not.

And there was Rocky. It has been about exactly a year since I last rode him - my injured back and then kidney stone and then injured ankle had kept me off of him for the whole year! Oh, my, again, how embarrassing... :) But he leaned out of his stall window towards me trying to get closer and see what I might do - and I couldn't resist that big red guy. I pulled him out, took the blanket off of him and groomed him. I decided I would lunge him a little just to see what he would do before I bothered putting a saddle on him.

We got out to the ring and I was reminded how much I have already taught Rocky - I just pointed to the left, and off he went to the left. I pointed to the right, and off he went to the right. Every time I said, "whoa," he came right down to the halt and faced me. A slight jiggle of the lead, and he backed right up. He was being great, and so relaxed that we went back into the barn and put the saddle and bridle on him. He was easy to mount up, and we just walked around the ring. Halting occasionally, did a few circles, but just walked and enjoyed the sunny day.

I also noticed while I was up there that there was an area of ground that had sunken in about a foot outside of the ring - it is where there was an old well - and shortly after moving here (and finding the depression) we had filled it with a dumptruck load of sand. The area was generally 2-3 feet higher than the ground around it (still from the sand) but the center had gone down a foot or so. I guess the rains recently have helped some of the sand settle more than it has the last 10 years. After my ride I went out and leveled things out quite a bit, making sure the ground was now firm in the area. It was pretty easy to do as it really was just filling the center in with the extra sand that was already there. But I will be keeping an eye on it!

Rocky loved all of his treats and was so happy to have had a "job" for the day - I was reminded how much he loves attention - and recognized that he had been a little bummed that I had not been riding him lately. He is so affectionate. I love how well behaved he is - how friendly - since he has been well handled since the moment he was born (by me!) I really have taught him quite a bit. :)

I am also thankful that he is so laid back for such a big horse! I keep thinking I need to find myself a quiet, 14hh QH someday, but Rocky is just as calm - even if he is 17hh! It is such a long way down from up there! I love the big guy and look forward to our future adventures!

A healing day with Arthur

Today, I finally got Sammie back out to the barn. I'm not sure how much was her anxiety and how much was the weather, but I was really glad I finally took her out there again. When we first got out there she was in her "contrary" mood and pretended the horses were different horses - like Sweetie was Rocky, etc., and that Arwen was Penny... she even said she wanted to ride Penny... I did my best just to listen and then remind her that Penny was in heaven, and she looked at me like I had lost it and said, "I know, Mom!" She joked around some more and finally said she wanted to ride Arthur, even though it was a little chilly for her taste.

Sammie gave Arthur a few small handfuls of alfalfa for a treat, which he loved. We tacked him up, lifted Sammie into the saddle, and went for a walk through the field with me leading Arthur around. We went down by the pond and saw how it was actually overflowing around the edge, and followed the water until there was a tiny waterfall as it headed down into a very small ravine/creekbed that I have never seen any water in before. I'm sure it always has some when it rains as it is the low point of our property (and the others around us) but it usually is very dry - especially in the summer when we venture down there. We then walked up the back of the "tank" (pond) and just were amazed at how full it was, and how beautiful. We traveled along the fenceline by the crazy cacti in the neighbor's field, and made sure to pass by Penny's favorite rubbing tree - Sammie's idea. Its all the little things that we point out that somehow the kids remember. I had a special tree growing up - or rather, it was just a funny looking tree along the road in a national park that my parents dubbed "Elizabeth's tree" - and they always pointed out to me when we went by. I finally had my picture taken sitting on that silly tree when I was soon to be engaged to my husband.

We traveled up to the front of the property - nearly to the end of the driveway (and the mailbox!) It was a fun idea to go get the mail, but Arthur started tossing his head and Sammie knew Arthur wanted to go back to the barn, so we started our way there. As we were crossing the field, I looked back when I heard Sammie giggling, and there she was with her chin up and eyes closed - and the biggest grin I have seen in a while - just enjoying the movement of the horse below her. I saw myself in her - I have done that so many times, although not in quite a few years. I will have to remember to close my eyes for a few steps next time I ride Sweetie. (Of course, it would be safer to have someone leading me around on her... lol).

Sammie really had a great time, and gave Arthur more handfuls of alfalfa after the ride. It felt good to be out there enjoying the horses together.

One last note - Arthur and Sweetie started shedding today! I don't know how it always seems to happen so suddenly, but I left the barn with horse hair tickling my nose - and stuck all over my shirt. :) Nothing like a good ride followed by a good grooming to help your heart.

Celebrating Penny's Life 1997-2010

I have been dreading and procrastinating writing about this for nearly a week now. As many of you know, we very sadly let Penny go last Wednesday night. We had a really bad day, a better day that gave me hope, a day where she was blocked and it was hard to tell, and then another really bad day. She was in a lot of pain, her stomach muscles were cramped again, her heart rate was elevated at 48bpm at rest, you could see the pain hit her suddenly as she nearly fell to the ground several times while we were there with her. She wasn't laying down to rest... and then we spoke to the farrier who gave us the more grim side of the injury - what I was expecting to hear but hadn't gotten anyone to talk to me about. We all loved her so very much, but it wasn't fair to put her through that much pain for most likely several painful complications and surgeries to come over the next year, and possibly to be in pain the rest of her life. After all the love that Penny gave to us, the greatest gift I could give her in return was a pain-free death with dignity.

On to her story...

I was finally approved to foster for the rescue and went to pick Penny up when I was 5 mo pregnant with Christopher! What was I thinking? Somewhere my heart got the best of me - I had 3 horses on 23 acres, and gosh, wouldn't it be nice to have a horse available to keep horse #3 company if we took #1 & 2 off the property? Harlan rode with me in the truck as we drove about an hour to the place where she was being held. A herd of emaciated horses awaited us - they had been eating hay for about a week and were much better off than they had been. All I knew was "palomino mare" - but I had chosen the name Penny before I met her. Penny was the name of Harlan's beloved dog that he grew up with, and the name of another palomino mare I knew at the barn where I grew up.

We managed to load up another mare & foal first (that I would be taking to another foster home). Rocket was the baby - I can't remember the mare's name right now. I remember looking at Penny's belly and saying out loud - "Oh, great, she's pregnant, too." I look back and have learned quite a few things - or, well, made some mistakes and the animals were gracious enough not to take advantage of them.

I didn't have a way to separate Penny from my herd, so when we got back to our place, we drove into the field, opened the trailer door, and let Penny out of the trailer into our field - and luckily my "herd" of 3 was more relaxed than some and she integrated easily. Of course, Penny put her head down to the fresh grass and never lifted it up. She didn't care about meeting anyone - just eating. Her dull, yellow coat would soon turn into gorgeous shining dapples as she filled out. It wasn't long before we confirmed that she was pregnant, too.

Christopher was born in October, and then "Athens" was born the following March. We kept Penny in our yard for her delivery, and a few weeks after that as Athens grew up. I would take Christopher out in the stroller into the yard to feed the horses and play with Athens, who in return was very curious about Christopher, who survived the stroller almost getting knocked over and having his fingers nibbled on... When Athens was about a month old, I found him in the field, and Penny still in the yard - he had managed to jump the fence - on more than one occasion, and all the horses soon lived in the field in harmony.

Penny was always at the bottom of the pecking order. When I brought in another foster horse, Penny would assert herself for about 24 hours before she gave in and accepted her role again at the bottom. She babysitted Ricochet when he was weaned at our house, and would have adopted Goose if Charlie would let her. (Lucky for Penny, she didn't get the chance - Goose was an 17+ hh draft by the time he was grown - Penny just barely 14hh :) )

Everyone who came to our house always complimented us on our beautiful palomino. She had the gentlest personality, the biggest doe eyes, and was one of the most beautiful horses I have ever known. And she was as gentle as she was beautiful. She loved people more than horses, it seemed, and she was always the first to the fence to greet you. With the kids, she was always ever so careful to look out for them whether they were on the ground or on her back. She would almost tiptoe when they were riding her, and would always take tiny steps when they were leading her with her nose down low at their level so she could watch them carefully. I remember her pausing with her hoof in the air to wait and see whether one of the kids was going to keep walking or not. And Sammie and I would go out to the field and I would set her on Penny's bare back just to ride her for a few minutes. Penny always stood still, loving the attention and the scratches.

Here are some of my favorite photos of Penny with the kids. Please forgive my lack of common sense about not having a helmet on the kids when they were very young - they wear them all the time now, no matter what. We usually had someone holding on to their leg to steady them. I will post more as I get them together.

Missing her dearly...


Sammie loved Penny right from the start:

Aug 2006



She gave the best Pony rides:



Nov. 2006



Dec 2007




August 2008

Improvement!

I was pretty dismayed yesterday after visiting Penny at the vet's and seeing how much pain she was in. However, today when we went, Penny felt much better! She wasn't quite as "dazed" with pain - her ears moved to watch Sammie and I as we groomed her, and she was putting more weight on her LF - even put it down to shift her RF around. The difference was the addition of "Previcox" - a drug prescribed for canine arthritis, but has recently been put in a paste form for horses called "Equioxx". Interestingly, the total dose that would treat a small dog would also treat a 1000 pound horse with the same efficacy, so the small dog pills are often used instead as they are 1/10th the cost (yay!) (<$1 a day vs. $12/day)

Here is Penny yesterday:


You can see her pointing the LF - owwie! She shifted it around a lot and seemed overall very uncomfortable. The nerve block from Sat. had worn off, and the banamine was obviously not doing a good job with the pain.

Here is Penny today:


She is holding her weight more evenly between her front feet, and much more relaxed. You can also see that she is not clenching her stomach muscles like she was yesterday. Her heart rate was down to 36, but I could feel the pulses in her RF had increased. Hopefully, the Soft Ride boot will support her and keep her comfortable to prevent any laminitis issues.

Other things that helped me relax a bit is to hear that the procedure to drill into the hoof to remove any dead bone is relatively simple, and cheap (considering! $1-200 instead of the $1-2K I thought it could be) They do it while the horse is standing, but sedated, so it would not involve major anesthesia to do it. The senior vets do believe it is probable that it will happen, and we will see it on the followup radiographs in 4-6 weeks. Or maybe after that. Because the fracture is completely across and already appears separated, it is likely, but she could yet surprise us.

It was nice to hear that the prognosis was better than I was feeling yesterday, and that this certainly should be something we can make it through with proper care (my specialty!). The key will be managing her pain so that she does not get laminitis in her good foot. If we can do that, then I think we're going to be okay!

Radiographs

Here are radiographs of Penny's LF. You can see the fracture(s) towards the toe - the dark areas are where there is a fracture. It looks like a severe concussion/crushing force hit from the bottom. Some of the vertical lines are blood vessels - I think even a lay person can see the disorderly lines of the fracture.





Looking at the lateral view- the force seems to have gone all the way through the bone to the front of the coffin bone - notice the separation there.



I've never seen anything like it. I doubt others have as well. Usually it is one of the "wings" that fracture slightly and can be corrected - this one is pretty unusual.

Still praying...

Penny's Fractured Coffin Bone

When I first looked out the window this morning and saw Penny lying down in the hay remnants by the barn, I thought she must be enjoying the warm sunny morning with a nice nap. The rest of the herd wasn't too far away, and she was laying flat out like possibly in a deep sleep and hadn't noticed when they began to meander away from the barn. But after I had put out grain & hay and let the horses in, I looked out the end of the barn to see Penny still laying there, on her belly, not even trying to get up. She was looking at me, but not getting up. She wasn't struggling, wasn't rolling, just looked comfortable where she was. I walked out to where she was laying and could see that her breathing was elevated, but she started nibbling on some old hay remnants. I leaned over her and laid my head to her belly and listened for gut sounds, and there were plenty! Lots of gurgles and pings, plenty of noise. Which was good news - probably not a colic - but left me confused. So I ran 20 yards back to the barn and grabbed her halter and came back and put it on. I clucked gently and Penny looked at me, but didn't offer to get up. So I twirled the end of the lead rope and tapped it on the ground behind her, and she stood up. I didn't notice that she did the whole dance without putting her left front hoof down, but as she stood, she held her left leg off the ground and would not put it down. I gently lifted it up to look at her hoof and I could immediately see drops of blood slowly oozing from the middle of the bottom of her hoof - about a centimeter away from the point of her frog. There was no obvious culprit - no foreign body sticking out to give me more information, but Penny was clearly in a lot of pain.

20 yards does not seem far, but for a horse to hobble on 3 legs, it seems like forever. We took it slowly and stopped several times as she hobbled into her stall - not once letting her hoof touch the ground. She was happy to nibble on some hay when she got there, (I took her handful of grain away just in case) and I ran inside to call the vet.

I didn't want to haul her anywhere in her condition, but the mobile vet I knew did not have access to an x-ray machine this week, and after telling her about the location of the injury, she urged me to take her to Elgin Vet so they could treat her right away. I knew that she needed to be seen right away, but hated to trailer her. By the time I had the trailer hooked up and backed up right to the barn, Penny was already laying down in her stall, still breathing heavily.

By the grace of God, Penny hobbled down the aisleway and into the trailer without incident or hesitation. I drove slowly and carefully to the vet, and to my amazement, she was still stand ing up after the 20 minute ride to the vet clinic. She had put her hoof down flat for balance, but when we unloaded her, she again would not let the hoof touch the ground. We got her as close as we could to the barn, and slowly walked to a stall bedded deeply in soft shavings.

Within two minutes, Penny laid down in the stall to rest, and she spent most of the next hour or more laying down while we waited for the vet seeing other emergencies. Even after resting for that time, her heart rate was still elevated at 60bpm, and her respiration rate was 40. Those numbers to me were typical of a surgery-bound colic.

Penny hobbled to the x-ray room, and within minutes after some pain medication and sedation and x-rays, it was obvious that she had fractured her coffin bone. There seems to be a "track" that goes nearly if not all the way to the bone, and you can clearly see where the bone has cracked all the way through - with more than one possible fragment. The good news is that if your horse is going to break a bone, this is the one to do as it heals eventually on its own. But there are many possible complications.

The first and most serious is she might get laminitis in her good, supporting leg (like Barbaro did) and the pain and bone rotation from founder after laminitis (pain in the hoof) sets in would probably mean the most humane thing at that point would be to euthanize her. The good news is that Penny has been very smart about laying down - she knows she's hurt and she's smart enough to take care of herself - and she needs to lay down as much as possible. The bad news is that Penny already has a small amount of rotation in her "good" hoof, and thus will be more prone to laminitis than a horse who has never experienced it before. Other things in her favor are that she is muscular ("stocky") and small-framed.

Another complication would be if one of the bone fragments "dies" and causes an infection deep inside the hoof. The vets can surgically go in and remove the dead piece of bone, but infections inside the bone like that can be difficult to cure. Or even just having the tiniest of openings (like the one that she has) that goes all the way into the hoof to the bone could lead to an infection. Cleanliness is of highest importance.

So, the vets have started by soaking the hoof with a betadine solution to kill the bacteria, and wrapping the hoof until a hoof specialist farrier can come out (Monday, we hope) and put a special shoe on her hoof - that will have a plate at the bottom of it that you can unscrew to treat the area, and otherwise will support the hoof and stabilize it. It will have a rim that goes all the way around the hoof to keep it from the constant expansion/contraction that the hoof normally goes through with every step. Stabilizing the hoof will be key to helping the bone heal, and making Penny feel more comfortable. The shoe will have to be reset every 3-4 weeks for the first month or two to keep it fitting well and secure. Oh, and it will cost more than any pair of shoes I have ever owned (hiking boots included).

The other key is pain management - to keep Penny happy, and eating/drinking normally so that she doesn't have digestive issues as well, and also so she doesn't break down on her good hoof. They have a special boot with pads in the bottom to support her good hoof, and hopefully prevent the dreaded laminitis from occurring. When she comes home, it will be my job to monitor her carefully for any change in pain levels, as the sooner we catch issues, the less severe they become.

She will be confined to a stall for at least 6 weeks. But for now, I've got to take it one day at a time. Sammie and I will be going for a visit tomorrow morning to groom her and give here lots of carrots. So please, say a prayer for Penny, for we have a long road ahead of us.