My, oh, my. Hair is flying off in clumps, mud puddles are being utilized on an hourly basis (my flea bitten gray is mostly brown!) and the birds are singing.
It's spring. Mud up to my ankles. Nothing like adding weight to my feet and tromping around the pasture. Good for the legs to build strength for riding. Cleaning out the barn of all the bailing twine, grain bags and stuff that just gets caught up in the corners when it's too cold and dark to clean out in the winter.
I'm going to start a fire out back today in the fire place and burn, burn, burn... :) Yep, there's a bit of a pyro in me, but it's totally safe. I only burn when and where I can make sure that nothing other than the fire I'm building will catch. Guess that's why I love having two wood stoves in my house. I can burn things all winter long.
So, off to clean the barn, unearth treasures and shovel out the stalls from the horses being in all day yesterday from the rain! :)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Gotta Love Spring
It's raining. Again. Sigh. Out walking through the muck and the mud and the frozen pockets of ice. I'm glad most of the snow banks are gone. I'm glad to be up to my ankles in mud. That means that good weather is right around the corner. And the boys don't have shoes on. That means that I don't have to go searching for lost shoes when I mow.
I went out this afternoon to fill stock tanks because they were running low. And it started to rain. So I went to put everyone in. Elias and Buddy, being the bone-headed males that they are, (with a mare in heat -A G A I N- still), didn't want to leave her side to go in the barn. God forbid I would put them in and leave her out! Tragedy.
So, after taking 20 minutes, in the rain, circling and circling, I convinced Elias that if he went in I could bring the others in. Then Buddy, trying out his long legs, needed to be convinced that I wasn't going to give up and stop following him, finally let me get the lead rope around his neck. Then, with my husband calling him from the barn, almost literally pulled me along to the door, like I was detaining him from getting there fast enough.
Elias, for being the biggest horse on the property, he has a wimpy little whinny. Whereas Buddy, he could peel paint off the wall. Truly, he hurts my ears when he hollers.
So, Buddy and Elias are in, finally - off to open the adjoining pasture to let Abner, Smokey and Lacey into the pasture next to the barn. (Buddy and Elias eat more and spend less time herding and pacing if she isn't in the same pasture as they are.) They dance around, swapping places, cocking back legs to let fly if the shuffle doesn't move their way. My hubby is running the door and shuffles everyone through.
I finish filling water buckets in their stalls, since I have the hose out anyways, and finish filling stock tanks on the other side of the barn. It's nice inside, hearing the horses munch on hay, quietly talking to each other and me. Hearing the rain pinging off the metal roof.
My oldest daughter, Ashley, is making supper. Ok, she's not doing it entirely for us. Her boyfriend is over for dinner. She's making steak and potatos on the grill, veggies and I don't know what else. Usually we have a nice dessert, too. It's nice to have dinner made, even if she had an ulterior motive :)
I went out this afternoon to fill stock tanks because they were running low. And it started to rain. So I went to put everyone in. Elias and Buddy, being the bone-headed males that they are, (with a mare in heat -A G A I N- still), didn't want to leave her side to go in the barn. God forbid I would put them in and leave her out! Tragedy.
So, after taking 20 minutes, in the rain, circling and circling, I convinced Elias that if he went in I could bring the others in. Then Buddy, trying out his long legs, needed to be convinced that I wasn't going to give up and stop following him, finally let me get the lead rope around his neck. Then, with my husband calling him from the barn, almost literally pulled me along to the door, like I was detaining him from getting there fast enough.
Elias, for being the biggest horse on the property, he has a wimpy little whinny. Whereas Buddy, he could peel paint off the wall. Truly, he hurts my ears when he hollers.
So, Buddy and Elias are in, finally - off to open the adjoining pasture to let Abner, Smokey and Lacey into the pasture next to the barn. (Buddy and Elias eat more and spend less time herding and pacing if she isn't in the same pasture as they are.) They dance around, swapping places, cocking back legs to let fly if the shuffle doesn't move their way. My hubby is running the door and shuffles everyone through.
I finish filling water buckets in their stalls, since I have the hose out anyways, and finish filling stock tanks on the other side of the barn. It's nice inside, hearing the horses munch on hay, quietly talking to each other and me. Hearing the rain pinging off the metal roof.
My oldest daughter, Ashley, is making supper. Ok, she's not doing it entirely for us. Her boyfriend is over for dinner. She's making steak and potatos on the grill, veggies and I don't know what else. Usually we have a nice dessert, too. It's nice to have dinner made, even if she had an ulterior motive :)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Rain, rain, go away...
Ohy, vey. I know we need the rain. We always need the rain. But I have a couple of points to make about the rain. First - it's too cold, wet and damp to even entertain the idea of riding. The horses are covered head to foot in mud, wet hair that is coming out in clumps and it's just gross. The other problem I have is - my truck refuses to start in the rain. I know, I know. Nothing like a fair-weather ride. Good thing I still have the power of Veto over my teenage daughter so I did have the ford to drive today.
So, I ran the errands I needed to run in the morning, let the horses out to swim in the mud and manure puddles and cleaned the barn. Got them all bedded in with clean shavings, some hay, a little taste of grain (a reward them from coming in!) and some fresh water. They were soaked. Not only did it rain, but the bone heads are rolling around in the muck and mud.
The mare is in heat - A G A I N! Actually, it would be easier to pinpoint when she is NOT in heat. She's squealing, running around, twitching her butt in the air around the boys, bucking and farting. Generally making a nuisance of herself. Spring is in the air - just another of the 1,001 reasons to be in heat and tease the boys.
The Boys... are all gelded. Years ago! But that doesn't stop them from trying to become the most handsome, smooth moving, loudest suitor in the field. Even Smokey, the smallest in the herd, is trying to snuggle up to the little Jezebel. It's actually very funny to watch the circus. They are mock playing. Smokey against Abner; Elias against Smokey; Abner against Elias - the whole time Buddy is herding her away from the action and she is trying to get near the action.
I'm looking forward to the days when it's just the four boys in the field. With hay at $5 a bale (I go through 2 1/2 bales a day now), shavings are now over $6 a bag and grain around $20 a bag, not to mention farrier service, spring shots, worming... it's plenty expensive to have horses. I just finished paying of the last vet bill in February. Now it's time to schedule spring shots, cleaning of sheaths (eewww. The vet does that one!), and seeing if their teeth need floating. I'm probably looking at $350 at least. Eeek.
The pleasure and the pain of owning a horse. The 365 days of having a shoulder to cry on, warm, fuzzy necks to bury my nose in, and a never ending source of amusement, it makes it all worth it.
So, back out to top off the water buckets and portion out some more hay and grain and tuck everyone in to bed for the night. Maybe they might be dried out by now and a quick brushing in the morning will help ease some of the clumping lumps of hair falling off them in handfuls!
So, I ran the errands I needed to run in the morning, let the horses out to swim in the mud and manure puddles and cleaned the barn. Got them all bedded in with clean shavings, some hay, a little taste of grain (a reward them from coming in!) and some fresh water. They were soaked. Not only did it rain, but the bone heads are rolling around in the muck and mud.
The mare is in heat - A G A I N! Actually, it would be easier to pinpoint when she is NOT in heat. She's squealing, running around, twitching her butt in the air around the boys, bucking and farting. Generally making a nuisance of herself. Spring is in the air - just another of the 1,001 reasons to be in heat and tease the boys.
The Boys... are all gelded. Years ago! But that doesn't stop them from trying to become the most handsome, smooth moving, loudest suitor in the field. Even Smokey, the smallest in the herd, is trying to snuggle up to the little Jezebel. It's actually very funny to watch the circus. They are mock playing. Smokey against Abner; Elias against Smokey; Abner against Elias - the whole time Buddy is herding her away from the action and she is trying to get near the action.
I'm looking forward to the days when it's just the four boys in the field. With hay at $5 a bale (I go through 2 1/2 bales a day now), shavings are now over $6 a bag and grain around $20 a bag, not to mention farrier service, spring shots, worming... it's plenty expensive to have horses. I just finished paying of the last vet bill in February. Now it's time to schedule spring shots, cleaning of sheaths (eewww. The vet does that one!), and seeing if their teeth need floating. I'm probably looking at $350 at least. Eeek.
The pleasure and the pain of owning a horse. The 365 days of having a shoulder to cry on, warm, fuzzy necks to bury my nose in, and a never ending source of amusement, it makes it all worth it.
So, back out to top off the water buckets and portion out some more hay and grain and tuck everyone in to bed for the night. Maybe they might be dried out by now and a quick brushing in the morning will help ease some of the clumping lumps of hair falling off them in handfuls!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
You know when the fence is working right when....
you accidentally touch it and it sits you on your butt!
I used to have an old quarter horse/morgan gelding who would walk thorough any electric fence that you could put up. Most days he was fine. Then, once or twice a month, he would decide that the grass was greener and more delicious on the other side of the fence - namely my parent's front lawn. He would walk through the electric fence, little puffs of smoke coming off his chest and leaving little bare spots. I went through three electric fencers before I found one that would make him think twice. It was a 20 acre steer fencer on 2 1/2 acres of pasture. He would still go through it - but only about once every other month. I miss that old man. He was the sweetest horse.
When I first got him, he was adopted through a VT horse adoption group. I went 2 hours north with my three girls -then ages 5, 7 and 9 - and met Shiloh and Chris, the lady who ran the adoption group. Shiloh was a horse who was being re-homed because the husband didn't want the wife to keep him any more. (I know for sure I got the best part of that argument!) He was a horse that was raised alone, without any horses. He would lap up water like a dog. He was afraid of men. AND he would eat ALL the shavings in his stall. He wasn't young, either. When I got him he was in his mid 20's.
This was the best first horse in the world. He loved the girls and was so gentle and careful around them. Nothing would faze him. Not loud horns, sirens, screaming, nothing! The girls learned to ride on him. He did best in just a regular halter with a couple of lead ropes... he was as round as a barrel... was kinda like riding on a comfy couch. When he decided that he had enough, he would drop his head to eat and no amount of convincing, pulling or encouragement would make him lift his head from the grass.
We taught each other a lot. I taught him that all men aren't scary. It took hundreds of carrots and tons of patience on my husband's part, but Shiloh came to like men. Especially men with carrots. I learned many ways to keep a stall clean and dry in the winter. I would mix peat moss and shavings - a little heavier on the peat moss. It got to the point that I could mix it half and half. I don't know that we ever got to the point that I could used just straight shavings. He would make a regular diet of them if you left the bag out where he could reach it. He taught me what true, unselfish love was. The mother of three small children, two part-time jobs and a busy husband, he was my shoulder to cry on, someone I could tell anything to and he would just nuzzle me and nicker and understand that sometimes you don't need answers. You just need a furry, warm shoulder to snuggle in to. I just got a new book. I haven't read it all, but the title captured me - "Sometimes a woman just needs a horse." I absolutely couldn't agree more!
I had Shiloh for about 7 years. He was almost 32 when we gently laid him to rest in the pasture. The vet came out because he was collecting liquid in a pouch between his front legs and she told me he was in the last stages of congestive heart failure. So, within a couple of days, all the arrangements were made. Aba shares the resting place with him - in his favorite sleeping spot in the pasture. I miss those two horses so much some days that my heart hurts.
Anyway, that's why the fence set me on my butt today. Thanks to Shiloh, I very, very (knocking on wood here) rarely ever have to worry about the horses - even the little pony - getting out of my fence. Or anyone else getting IN!
:)
I used to have an old quarter horse/morgan gelding who would walk thorough any electric fence that you could put up. Most days he was fine. Then, once or twice a month, he would decide that the grass was greener and more delicious on the other side of the fence - namely my parent's front lawn. He would walk through the electric fence, little puffs of smoke coming off his chest and leaving little bare spots. I went through three electric fencers before I found one that would make him think twice. It was a 20 acre steer fencer on 2 1/2 acres of pasture. He would still go through it - but only about once every other month. I miss that old man. He was the sweetest horse.
When I first got him, he was adopted through a VT horse adoption group. I went 2 hours north with my three girls -then ages 5, 7 and 9 - and met Shiloh and Chris, the lady who ran the adoption group. Shiloh was a horse who was being re-homed because the husband didn't want the wife to keep him any more. (I know for sure I got the best part of that argument!) He was a horse that was raised alone, without any horses. He would lap up water like a dog. He was afraid of men. AND he would eat ALL the shavings in his stall. He wasn't young, either. When I got him he was in his mid 20's.
This was the best first horse in the world. He loved the girls and was so gentle and careful around them. Nothing would faze him. Not loud horns, sirens, screaming, nothing! The girls learned to ride on him. He did best in just a regular halter with a couple of lead ropes... he was as round as a barrel... was kinda like riding on a comfy couch. When he decided that he had enough, he would drop his head to eat and no amount of convincing, pulling or encouragement would make him lift his head from the grass.
We taught each other a lot. I taught him that all men aren't scary. It took hundreds of carrots and tons of patience on my husband's part, but Shiloh came to like men. Especially men with carrots. I learned many ways to keep a stall clean and dry in the winter. I would mix peat moss and shavings - a little heavier on the peat moss. It got to the point that I could mix it half and half. I don't know that we ever got to the point that I could used just straight shavings. He would make a regular diet of them if you left the bag out where he could reach it. He taught me what true, unselfish love was. The mother of three small children, two part-time jobs and a busy husband, he was my shoulder to cry on, someone I could tell anything to and he would just nuzzle me and nicker and understand that sometimes you don't need answers. You just need a furry, warm shoulder to snuggle in to. I just got a new book. I haven't read it all, but the title captured me - "Sometimes a woman just needs a horse." I absolutely couldn't agree more!
I had Shiloh for about 7 years. He was almost 32 when we gently laid him to rest in the pasture. The vet came out because he was collecting liquid in a pouch between his front legs and she told me he was in the last stages of congestive heart failure. So, within a couple of days, all the arrangements were made. Aba shares the resting place with him - in his favorite sleeping spot in the pasture. I miss those two horses so much some days that my heart hurts.
Anyway, that's why the fence set me on my butt today. Thanks to Shiloh, I very, very (knocking on wood here) rarely ever have to worry about the horses - even the little pony - getting out of my fence. Or anyone else getting IN!
:)
Spring is HERE!
Hi, everyone! I'm back. Spring is HERE!!!!
How can I tell? The horses are great furry monsters who are shedding all over the place and the mud is everywhere - mostly on the horses! I'm fixing fence, picking up stuff that was buried under the snow all winter and cleaning out the barn. Opening doors and windows, cleaning up corners and getting ready to go riding this week.
The unfortunate part is that my father did pass away on Monday, March 23. The wake was Thursday, the funeral on Friday. Many relatives not seen for a while were all in attendance. So, it's been a whirlwind for the past 4 weeks. Thanks for being patient with me.
So, I'm up this morning, puttering around the house and now headed outside in the warm sunshine to start working on fencing. Need to get things hooked back up that I unhooked in the middle of winter.
So, I'll be back later tonight. Sunshine is wasting away and I want to be outside and warm my winter-cold bones with daylight!
:)
How can I tell? The horses are great furry monsters who are shedding all over the place and the mud is everywhere - mostly on the horses! I'm fixing fence, picking up stuff that was buried under the snow all winter and cleaning out the barn. Opening doors and windows, cleaning up corners and getting ready to go riding this week.
The unfortunate part is that my father did pass away on Monday, March 23. The wake was Thursday, the funeral on Friday. Many relatives not seen for a while were all in attendance. So, it's been a whirlwind for the past 4 weeks. Thanks for being patient with me.
So, I'm up this morning, puttering around the house and now headed outside in the warm sunshine to start working on fencing. Need to get things hooked back up that I unhooked in the middle of winter.
So, I'll be back later tonight. Sunshine is wasting away and I want to be outside and warm my winter-cold bones with daylight!
:)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I'll be back...
Dealing with a family emergency. I'll be back as soon as things get back to normal. My father has had a series of strokes and is in his last days. We are trying to make him as comfortable as possible. So, not much access to sleep, food or internet, or the brain power to write up something.
Entertain yourself with www.fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com. I have had a few moments to read her latest posts and she is keeping me entertained!
Lynn :)
Entertain yourself with www.fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com. I have had a few moments to read her latest posts and she is keeping me entertained!
Lynn :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
We need more Vets like this lady!
All I can say is "AMEN!" We need more vets and people like this Vet! It's a lifestyle and choice that I make for my horses and wish all others would do the same.
Equine Vet Speaks Out Against Horse Slaughter
By Lisa Carter, DVM
I am a horse person, a true horse person. I get up every morning at the break of dawn, put on my coveralls, boots, hat, gloves, and winter parka to trudge across the snowy yard to take care of my horses. I feed them, water them, turn them out, clean their stalls, and give them the love that they deserve.
True horse people are responsible horse owners—but not all horse owners are horse people. Some people treat their horses like a commodity. They ride and feed their horses, pay for veterinary and farrier care, and brag about them.
The big difference between true horse people and horse owners is the long-term responsibility they take for their horses. True horse people care about their horses, even when they no longer own them or they are no longer "useful."
Taking Responsibility
I currently have a 27-year-old Arabian gelding that I showed competitively on the Class A Arabian show circuit. We won many ribbons and reserve championships. Over time, he became old and arthritic, insulin intolerant, and I was no longer able to ride him.
The easiest manner of getting rid of this responsibility would be to ship him off to an auction house where he would be sold for slaughter. I would make about $200 off the deal and be rid of this high-maintenance horse.
But I am a true horse person. I take the responsibility of horse ownership seriously and know that it is a lifelong commitment. I know that when my geriatric horse's quality of life is gone, I will humanely euthanize him by chemical injection. It is the least that I can do for this wonderful animal.
Easy Way Out
Some horse owners take the easy route to rid themselves of "useless" horses. They send their horse to an auction. He or she is left in a pen for 12-24 hours without food or water, packed up into another trailer (sometimes a double-decker cattle trailer), and hauled hundreds of miles—still without food or water—often incurring injuries during the ride due to the overcrowding.
An American horse enters the kill box at a Mexican slaughter plant. These horses arrive at a slaughterhouse, which is designed for cattle, in deplorable conditions and are forced into the plant to endure a terrible and painful death.
If they are lucky, they will only be struck in the head once with a captive bolt before their subsequent death. Most are not so lucky. Some very unfortunate horses end up in Mexico, where they are stabbed repeatedly in the neck in an effort to sever the spinal cord. These horses are paralyzed while being butchered, but still fully conscious.
Options are Available
I realize that not everyone has the financial ability to keep a horse that is no longer useful or is in poor health, but shipping a horse off to a slaughterhouse for a quick buck is simply wrong.
There are many options for people that are financially unable to care for their horses—they can relinquish their horse to a rescue organization, sell their horse to a carefully vetted private owner, donate their horse to a riding center, or have a veterinarian humanely euthanize their horse.
What You Can Do
As well as being a true horse person, I am also an equine veterinarian. I cancelled my membership to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) because I do not agree with their pro-slaughter stance. Their position on slaughter mirrors that of big money making organizations like the American Quarter Horse Association, whose members often use slaughter as a quick and easy way of disposing of "useless" horses while making a quick buck.
Currently there is a bill going through Congress, H.R. 503, known as the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which would make it illegal to slaughter American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as ban the export of horses for slaughter.
I beg all of you, especially true horse people, to contact your Congressman and urge them to pass this bill. Horses deserve to be treated in a humane manner—H.R. 503 will make this inhumane manner of horse disposal a thing of the past.
Dr. Lisa Carter is a veterinarian and avid horse enthusiast and owner.
See: http://www.hsvma.org/advocacy/news/equine_vet_speaks_out.html
Equine Vet Speaks Out Against Horse Slaughter
By Lisa Carter, DVM
I am a horse person, a true horse person. I get up every morning at the break of dawn, put on my coveralls, boots, hat, gloves, and winter parka to trudge across the snowy yard to take care of my horses. I feed them, water them, turn them out, clean their stalls, and give them the love that they deserve.
True horse people are responsible horse owners—but not all horse owners are horse people. Some people treat their horses like a commodity. They ride and feed their horses, pay for veterinary and farrier care, and brag about them.
The big difference between true horse people and horse owners is the long-term responsibility they take for their horses. True horse people care about their horses, even when they no longer own them or they are no longer "useful."
Taking Responsibility
I currently have a 27-year-old Arabian gelding that I showed competitively on the Class A Arabian show circuit. We won many ribbons and reserve championships. Over time, he became old and arthritic, insulin intolerant, and I was no longer able to ride him.
The easiest manner of getting rid of this responsibility would be to ship him off to an auction house where he would be sold for slaughter. I would make about $200 off the deal and be rid of this high-maintenance horse.
But I am a true horse person. I take the responsibility of horse ownership seriously and know that it is a lifelong commitment. I know that when my geriatric horse's quality of life is gone, I will humanely euthanize him by chemical injection. It is the least that I can do for this wonderful animal.
Easy Way Out
Some horse owners take the easy route to rid themselves of "useless" horses. They send their horse to an auction. He or she is left in a pen for 12-24 hours without food or water, packed up into another trailer (sometimes a double-decker cattle trailer), and hauled hundreds of miles—still without food or water—often incurring injuries during the ride due to the overcrowding.
An American horse enters the kill box at a Mexican slaughter plant. These horses arrive at a slaughterhouse, which is designed for cattle, in deplorable conditions and are forced into the plant to endure a terrible and painful death.
If they are lucky, they will only be struck in the head once with a captive bolt before their subsequent death. Most are not so lucky. Some very unfortunate horses end up in Mexico, where they are stabbed repeatedly in the neck in an effort to sever the spinal cord. These horses are paralyzed while being butchered, but still fully conscious.
Options are Available
I realize that not everyone has the financial ability to keep a horse that is no longer useful or is in poor health, but shipping a horse off to a slaughterhouse for a quick buck is simply wrong.
There are many options for people that are financially unable to care for their horses—they can relinquish their horse to a rescue organization, sell their horse to a carefully vetted private owner, donate their horse to a riding center, or have a veterinarian humanely euthanize their horse.
What You Can Do
As well as being a true horse person, I am also an equine veterinarian. I cancelled my membership to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) because I do not agree with their pro-slaughter stance. Their position on slaughter mirrors that of big money making organizations like the American Quarter Horse Association, whose members often use slaughter as a quick and easy way of disposing of "useless" horses while making a quick buck.
Currently there is a bill going through Congress, H.R. 503, known as the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which would make it illegal to slaughter American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as ban the export of horses for slaughter.
I beg all of you, especially true horse people, to contact your Congressman and urge them to pass this bill. Horses deserve to be treated in a humane manner—H.R. 503 will make this inhumane manner of horse disposal a thing of the past.
Dr. Lisa Carter is a veterinarian and avid horse enthusiast and owner.
See: http://www.hsvma.org/advocacy/news/equine_vet_speaks_out.html
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