What a frustrating year for injuries for me! Almost a month ago now, I bent my ankle way too far to the outside when I stumbled just plain jogging to open a gate at the end of the driveway - enough pain to make me suddenly feel ill and shock-like. I'm doing pretty well now, but still sore. I used a brace for about a week, walked on it more than I should have, and then muddled through limping to help it get stronger. I have not yet attempted riding with it, but that is next on my list. I think I'll go with Sweetie first. :) She's always the safest bet, and doesn't mind being lazy (so long as we stay up in the ring!)
I have also started doing some hoof trimming on my own. My wonderful farrier of 9 years suddenly stopped communicating - I have called him a few times to reschedule, but he has not returned my calls. So, I am trimming my own horses right now. I have been watching the process for the last 20 years, and actually bought the tools about 5 years ago. I can say with certainty that I am improving each time, and I'm actually not half bad. You really have to focus on what the hoof looks like to start, where you want it to be, and then BALANCE. I have also learned how much easier it is to do my horse of 18 years who pretty much holds the hoof up for you compared to a 1/2 draft mare that doesn't like to hold her feet for you. :) And then there is the aspect of being completely relaxed and patient with the horses. I get a little nervous/concerned when the kids are with me in the barn when I need to do a trim, and the horses can tell. But when it's just me in the barn, they are much better behaved!
I trimmed two horses all the way around this Sunday morning (in lieu of using that time to ride... *pout*) and my back is pretty sore - it is much better today (2 days later) but on Sunday evening, I had a few shooting pains in my back that made me catch my breath when I bent over. Some advil, and some ice along my spine really helped make it feel better. But I am again being very careful about my body!
I guess I am being forced to realize that my body is not quite as limber/elastic as it once was, and I am putting more thought into my own safety. I ride 16/17 hh horses, but am pretty sure that the next mount I get for myself will be about 14 hh :) Much closer to the ground! A nice quarter horse will do. :) Not that I don't love my TB, I DO! But she will always have the quick reaction of a thoroughbred, and is very sensitive to any stimuli from me or around her. Even after years of showing, trailering, and pleasure riding, she still reacts quickly to things (although not as severely as she once did). But I still trust her more than any other horse in the barn - well, except for Arthur the pony, but I'm far too big for him. :) Sweetie has been with me through so much over the last 18 years - we've done so many things together - I know how she will react - she is nothing if not consistent in her behaviors.
I guess this concern comes from not riding as much as I had been. I felt this way when I started taking lessons again over a year ago. But I haven't had a lesson for about 6 months now. As cliche as it sounds, I just need to get "back on the horse."
Showing posts with label Thoroughbred. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoroughbred. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
New Horses - "Arwen" and the gelding
I wanted to give everyone an update on these two since we've all been worried about this group. Compared to the rest, I have the two "fatties" so to speak - if you can call them that. Neither was as bad as those that Nan, Carolee, and Sarah have been caring for, but they are both plenty ribby still.
Everyone has calmed down around here and no longer panics during turnout/feeding time, and the fence that keeps the two new ones in the paddock is getting torn up a bit, so I figured yesterday was a good time to let them out into the main field for a few hours to begin eating grass a few hours a day (there is some in the ring, but not a lot at all). (I would not do that with the thinner ones yet, but these two seem to be fine so far). So I let them out for about two hours yesterday.
Here is a link to Arwen's Webpage
Arwen was so excited to be out in the pasture with the grass and galloped around with her tail up. She also strutted her stuff at the trot and I have some great pics of her movement - she is a gorgeous mover!
The gelding trotted a few times, but basically just walked casually around. He did not feel the need to get involved in the excitement at all - which really only lasted a few minutes before everyone was back to grazing. The gelding seemed a bit of a "loner" and I had to always go find him because he was away from the herd - not in distress, not upset at all, just calmly not paying them any attention.
I got the barn ready for dinner, called them all up to the barn, and my herd came up fine - that is, everyone but Penny and the new guys. She was glued to Arwen's side and saw no reason to convince her to come eat. I looked around and found the gelding just standing, relaxing, and brought him in first. Penny & Arwen saw that I had put him in but did not budge from their grazing spot. They made me walk almost halfway across the property to get them! But once I got there, both girls were happy for me to put a halter on, and I walked them in together.
The new guys went back in the paddock for the night since they need their hay, and then I kept them in a few hours this morning to eat more hay before I turned them out in the field again. Arwen was excited to be out and about and she and Penny buddied up immediately again. The gelding found a nice spot on the other side of the ring to just chill - he did not follow the herd around, just needed a nice snooze. But I kept checking on him - and more than an hour later, he was still in the same general spot, just standing there. My grass is short right now, and I remembered hearing his teeth sounding weird once, and realized that maybe this poor old guy had trouble biting the grass off - he has all his incisors - I've looked, but maybe they don't meet quite right or he has something bothering him. He has not been quidding or anything, so I hadn't yet realized there might be an issue. So I put some hay in the ring/paddock, and put him in there until dinner (will get the mare in a bit). Within a few minutes, he had rolled and started eating the hay. I have put the hay in a giant manure-type bucket for them so it doesn't get mixed up with the sand there - a neat trick I learned from the trainer working with some of our fosters!
I also worked with both horses this morning with the help of my 3yo daughter, Samantha. She always comes with me to the barn! We started with the gelding and he stood quietly on the crossties and let both of us groom him together, but tossed his head about - maybe just to hear the crossties jingle, I wasn't sure. :) If I was riding him, I'd want to check his teeth. Sammie was so cute, she said, "Look, he has a cutie mark!" (Cutie marks are what the My Little Ponies have on their butts) :) I explained that it was actually a number 10, but it was still adorable. She also commented on Arwen's "cutie mark" and that it was a number 9. But what blew me away this morning was how good Arwen was. She stood quietly on the crossties and let me groom her - I am always anxious about Sammie grooming a new horse - especially TB's since I have one that has trouble standing still. But since Arwen seemed calm and was standing quiety, I let Sammie come up - she loves to pet the horses on their foreheads, as she has watched me do so many times. And Arwen saw her, and slowly lowered her nose all the way to the ground so that Sammie could pet her forehead, and kept it there quietly while Sammie rubbed, and Arwen even closed her eyes in relaxation.
Sammie also groomed her a little, and Arwen gently turned her nose to look at her - in a very gentle manner, not at all worried. It just touched my heart how gentle she was being with my daughter - and how thankful she must be to be here.
While grooming, I noticed her tail was not yet grown all the way down - like she might be younger than 15, and after looking at her teeth, I am certain she is less than 10, maybe as young as 5 - I'll mess with that again later after I check my charts. I also found that she has a tattoo in her lip - so I'll also have to give that a look to see if we can actually identify her and her breeding, etc.
I've always loved horses, but every once in a while, one of them really touches my heart with something that they do, and Arwen's gentleness did that for me today. And yes, I named her after the beautiful, dark-maned, gentle elf princess in Lord of the Rings. :)
Hugs to all of you and your horses,
Elizabeth
Everyone has calmed down around here and no longer panics during turnout/feeding time, and the fence that keeps the two new ones in the paddock is getting torn up a bit, so I figured yesterday was a good time to let them out into the main field for a few hours to begin eating grass a few hours a day (there is some in the ring, but not a lot at all). (I would not do that with the thinner ones yet, but these two seem to be fine so far). So I let them out for about two hours yesterday.
Here is a link to Arwen's Webpage
Arwen was so excited to be out in the pasture with the grass and galloped around with her tail up. She also strutted her stuff at the trot and I have some great pics of her movement - she is a gorgeous mover!
The gelding trotted a few times, but basically just walked casually around. He did not feel the need to get involved in the excitement at all - which really only lasted a few minutes before everyone was back to grazing. The gelding seemed a bit of a "loner" and I had to always go find him because he was away from the herd - not in distress, not upset at all, just calmly not paying them any attention.
I got the barn ready for dinner, called them all up to the barn, and my herd came up fine - that is, everyone but Penny and the new guys. She was glued to Arwen's side and saw no reason to convince her to come eat. I looked around and found the gelding just standing, relaxing, and brought him in first. Penny & Arwen saw that I had put him in but did not budge from their grazing spot. They made me walk almost halfway across the property to get them! But once I got there, both girls were happy for me to put a halter on, and I walked them in together.
The new guys went back in the paddock for the night since they need their hay, and then I kept them in a few hours this morning to eat more hay before I turned them out in the field again. Arwen was excited to be out and about and she and Penny buddied up immediately again. The gelding found a nice spot on the other side of the ring to just chill - he did not follow the herd around, just needed a nice snooze. But I kept checking on him - and more than an hour later, he was still in the same general spot, just standing there. My grass is short right now, and I remembered hearing his teeth sounding weird once, and realized that maybe this poor old guy had trouble biting the grass off - he has all his incisors - I've looked, but maybe they don't meet quite right or he has something bothering him. He has not been quidding or anything, so I hadn't yet realized there might be an issue. So I put some hay in the ring/paddock, and put him in there until dinner (will get the mare in a bit). Within a few minutes, he had rolled and started eating the hay. I have put the hay in a giant manure-type bucket for them so it doesn't get mixed up with the sand there - a neat trick I learned from the trainer working with some of our fosters!
I also worked with both horses this morning with the help of my 3yo daughter, Samantha. She always comes with me to the barn! We started with the gelding and he stood quietly on the crossties and let both of us groom him together, but tossed his head about - maybe just to hear the crossties jingle, I wasn't sure. :) If I was riding him, I'd want to check his teeth. Sammie was so cute, she said, "Look, he has a cutie mark!" (Cutie marks are what the My Little Ponies have on their butts) :) I explained that it was actually a number 10, but it was still adorable. She also commented on Arwen's "cutie mark" and that it was a number 9. But what blew me away this morning was how good Arwen was. She stood quietly on the crossties and let me groom her - I am always anxious about Sammie grooming a new horse - especially TB's since I have one that has trouble standing still. But since Arwen seemed calm and was standing quiety, I let Sammie come up - she loves to pet the horses on their foreheads, as she has watched me do so many times. And Arwen saw her, and slowly lowered her nose all the way to the ground so that Sammie could pet her forehead, and kept it there quietly while Sammie rubbed, and Arwen even closed her eyes in relaxation.
Sammie also groomed her a little, and Arwen gently turned her nose to look at her - in a very gentle manner, not at all worried. It just touched my heart how gentle she was being with my daughter - and how thankful she must be to be here.
While grooming, I noticed her tail was not yet grown all the way down - like she might be younger than 15, and after looking at her teeth, I am certain she is less than 10, maybe as young as 5 - I'll mess with that again later after I check my charts. I also found that she has a tattoo in her lip - so I'll also have to give that a look to see if we can actually identify her and her breeding, etc.
I've always loved horses, but every once in a while, one of them really touches my heart with something that they do, and Arwen's gentleness did that for me today. And yes, I named her after the beautiful, dark-maned, gentle elf princess in Lord of the Rings. :)
Hugs to all of you and your horses,
Elizabeth
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
My Box of Chocolates for the day...
Well, you never know what you're going to get when you volunteer for a horse rescue. :) Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society was awarded 7 horses yesterday from a neglectful owner, and I volunteered to help organize travel arrangements for them to their new foster homes since I live close to the area they were seized. Today was a Wednesday, and we needed to have all the horses moved by Sunday. I went today with the intention of picking up 2 horses - my future foster horse, and another for a member that lives locally.
Upon arrival, I found 7 poor souls - 5 of which that were absolutely emaciated (a Body Condition score of 1 on a scale from 1-9) The other two were slightly better in the BC 2 category. (We had been told that 2-3 were really bad, but upon arrival, it was clear that 5 of them were awful, and the other two were headed that way). I looked around and noticed that none of the group had access to any kind of shelter - they had a few run ins in other pens, but I asked and they were not available. Although I'm sure that the horses were fed at some point by animal control, there was no sign anywhere of any kind of hay.
Our weather has predicted the next 3-4 days will be cold (in the 40's) and rainy - which would make any horse without shelter chilled and shivering. These horses had absolutely no body fat on them, and no hay in front of them to create any kind of warmth. I recalled the two emergency calls I handled for the rescue over the last year (I am third on a list and rarely ever get calls). One of them was for a young horse that was very thin, and got too cold and then laid down, went into shock, and never got back up). I was not about to let that happen to these poor souls - if I left them there for just a few cold rainy days, my guess is that 3-5 of them would not have survived.
So, I made a few calls, and between myself and the other member that I was originally taking one horse, I figured I could take one extra, and the other member had room for the other four! So I loaded up all 7 in my 24' stock trailer and off I went. I have occasionally grumbled about the size of my trailer when I use it so rarely and usually for just one or two horses, but today I'd never been so happy to have it!
Here are some photos of the horses:
A 13yo bay mare - bottom of the pecking order it seemed.
A 9yo bay mare - whose baby was taken from her this morning. Her baby was awarded to someone other than the defendant that claimed to own it.
A 5yo bay mare
A 2yo filly
A 5yo bay gelding.
20yo sorrel gelding I'm holding for a local member
My new foster horse - a 15yo bay mare - and you tell me if that belly looks suspicious to you... oh, geepers. We'll have a vet out to check for sure, and depending on the results and how good I get at my feminine wiles with my husband... we'll see if she gets to stay. I have foaling experience, but I really do have a limit here on the number of horses we have. We'll see what happens. I'll be sure to keep you updated!
It really upsets me when people do this to innocent animals... I have lots of thoughts about that. But right now, I am focused on the fact that they are all safe, warm, dry, and fed. I am so glad that I was able to make arrangements for all of them to stay dry while they wait for their new foster homes. Yay!
Upon arrival, I found 7 poor souls - 5 of which that were absolutely emaciated (a Body Condition score of 1 on a scale from 1-9) The other two were slightly better in the BC 2 category. (We had been told that 2-3 were really bad, but upon arrival, it was clear that 5 of them were awful, and the other two were headed that way). I looked around and noticed that none of the group had access to any kind of shelter - they had a few run ins in other pens, but I asked and they were not available. Although I'm sure that the horses were fed at some point by animal control, there was no sign anywhere of any kind of hay.
Our weather has predicted the next 3-4 days will be cold (in the 40's) and rainy - which would make any horse without shelter chilled and shivering. These horses had absolutely no body fat on them, and no hay in front of them to create any kind of warmth. I recalled the two emergency calls I handled for the rescue over the last year (I am third on a list and rarely ever get calls). One of them was for a young horse that was very thin, and got too cold and then laid down, went into shock, and never got back up). I was not about to let that happen to these poor souls - if I left them there for just a few cold rainy days, my guess is that 3-5 of them would not have survived.
So, I made a few calls, and between myself and the other member that I was originally taking one horse, I figured I could take one extra, and the other member had room for the other four! So I loaded up all 7 in my 24' stock trailer and off I went. I have occasionally grumbled about the size of my trailer when I use it so rarely and usually for just one or two horses, but today I'd never been so happy to have it!
Here are some photos of the horses:
A 13yo bay mare - bottom of the pecking order it seemed.
A 9yo bay mare - whose baby was taken from her this morning. Her baby was awarded to someone other than the defendant that claimed to own it.
A 5yo bay mare
A 2yo filly
A 5yo bay gelding.
20yo sorrel gelding I'm holding for a local member
My new foster horse - a 15yo bay mare - and you tell me if that belly looks suspicious to you... oh, geepers. We'll have a vet out to check for sure, and depending on the results and how good I get at my feminine wiles with my husband... we'll see if she gets to stay. I have foaling experience, but I really do have a limit here on the number of horses we have. We'll see what happens. I'll be sure to keep you updated!
It really upsets me when people do this to innocent animals... I have lots of thoughts about that. But right now, I am focused on the fact that they are all safe, warm, dry, and fed. I am so glad that I was able to make arrangements for all of them to stay dry while they wait for their new foster homes. Yay!
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