This is Fashion?

I have been thinking about this subject for about a week. A flyer in the mail from Horseloverz.com prompted me to immediately sit down to write this blog. On the cover is a young girl holding a horse, with a yellow Lab sitting by her side. This would be a cute photo except for what everyone is wearing. The print is called "animal print". It is what I would describe as a very small "leopard print". Envision the irregular shaped brown circles on a leopards' fur, but inside each circle put the colors pink, light blue, or light mint green. Now make this into a blanket for your 16 hand high horse, add a matching halter, and leg wraps. To complete this picture, put a matching coat and collar on your dog, and have a very large stable tote slung over your shoulder. I will admit to buying Zanita a dark lavender rain sheet, and Fancy a hot pink and black, very small checked rain sheet, but to me, this outfit is funnier than Jeff Foxworthy. You can also buy a coordinating hay bag, hanging accessory bag, saddle bag, and Western or English saddle pad. Inside the flyer's back cover they even sell leopard pattern socks. At least these will be worn under your boots! So if any of my readers receive something like this for Christmas this year, think twice before you re-gift it for next year-especially if you're sending it to me!

Horses, Horses, Everywhere

Now that Mark is back home for the winter, our horse population has increased signifigantly. We are keeping "his" horses seperate from "my" horses. Mark takes care of "his"horses, and I take care of "my" horses. Actually, since I am still not able to do much because of my broken/healing ankle, Tom, Alysia and Joe are taking care of "my" horses! I never know each morning and sometimes afternoon, where Marks horses will be. He moves them around between our different paddock locations. Sometimes they are across the street, sometimes in the back "wooded" area, sometimes in the riding ring, and sometimes in the main paddock. Now that winter is approaching, I would suspect that "his" horses will be kept nearer the barn, where there is a place to plug-in the water heater. It reminds me of the prize in a Cracker Jacks box--You never know what you'll win! This morning, I noticed "his" horses were in the main paddock. I wonder where he put "my" horses today?

Old Friends

It was a beautiful fall afternoon. Alcott and Sage each were fed a bag of apples. The vet arrived at 1. There were lots of hugs and tears. After being led to a hole that had been dug in our old apple orchard, they were humanely euthanized. If you have never seen a horse euthanized by a veterinarian, it is very peaceful. The horse lays-down, and "falls asleep". The defination of Humane is "characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for other beings, especially for the suffering or distressed; merciful". Euthanasia is defined as "an easy or painless death". This is how it should be for all our equine friends. Afterall, they have served mankind throughout history. Is there any other animal (maybe a dog!) that evokes more emotion? Movies, books, songs, toys, designs on clothing, huge expositions and shows. It seems that every young girl wants a horse. Some will have a horse as their first "love"!
I know the horse was my first love. My mother told me that as soon as I could walk, I'd try to wander down the street to a local horse farm. I have been present for the euthanization of many horses. It never gets any easier, but in my heart I know it is a fitting end to a special friend that has given me so much joy throughout its life.
Rest in Peace my old friends. You will be in my heart forever.

Where Have You Been?

Do you know where your horse came from, or where he/she will end up if he/she ever leaves you? Today I was organizing and updating my horses records. and was reminded of how far a horse may travel in its lifetime. This is a run-down of where our horses have been, as much as I can put together! C'est Bon was foaled in TX, raced in NH, played polo in Fl and at the Un. of CT. DB was also foaled in TX, played polo in FL and at the UN of Ct. Eva was born in VA, raced in MD, PA, and played polo in RI. Mudslide was foaled in Iowa, raced in Iowa, NEB, KS, and played polo in RI.
Trick was foaled in KY, raced in KY and played polo in MA. Zanita was foaled in CA, raced in CA and PA, and is now in NY. What does all this mean? Once you no longer own your horse, it can end-up anywhere. Sometimes the outcome is positive, but there is no guarantee. Yes, you may have sold or given away your horse to a responsible home, but he/she could go from that person, to an auction in MA, purchased by a dealer in Maine, and then sold to a killbuyer and shipped to Canada for slaughter. So, do you know where your horse has been? Where will he/she eventually end-up?end

Sauerkraut

Take a can of sauerkraut, a plastic bag (a bread bag is OK), and some bandaging material-adhesive tape, Vetrap, or Elasticon. Pull the bag up over the effected foot. Pour the entire can of sauerkraut into the bag, putting most of it on the back side of the foot. Wrap the whole thing well with the tape, putting on gentle pressure and wrapping plenty of tape around the bottom of the hoof to help protect the plastic bag there. Leave it unchanged for 3 days. When you remove the bag, the skin is usually clean and fresh-looking, and the problem is much improved. treat it with either softening or drying products as needed. This treatment for Scratches (grease heels, grease, cracked heels, mud fever)was taken from a book published in 1985. A friend lent me this book "How To Be Your Own Veterinarian" by Ruth B. James, DVM. What I find the most interesting is how equine medicine has changed in 25 years. In the late 1960s I remember a pony that had collapsed, and the owner used a bottle of whisky to "drench" the poor thing. This involved putting the mouth of the bottle far back into the pony's mouth and pouring in the whiskey. Unfortunately the pony died shortly thereafter. Big surprize! Some of the old treatment methods make a lot of sense. Using petroleum jelly to soften small wounds and help them to heal. Do any of my readers remember Scarlet Oil, or fasting the horse and tube worming? Do you worry about gunshot wounds? Do you carry a handgun when you go on long trails rides, just in case you have an emergency euthanasia situation? While you are thinking of some "old-time" home remedies, I am going to make some flaxseed tea. I understand it is great for my horse's coat, I bet its a lot cheaper than buying flaxseed oil at the feed store!

Update on Zanita

Zanita has been at my sister Emma's farm in Saratoga Springs, NY, since December 2009. She had been doing very well with her training, but had hit a plateau. Zanita was going to come home on August 2, the day of my "equine related incident", August 2nd. (read previous post) As luck should have it, a couple of days later, Zanita had a "breakthrough". She will now be staying in Saratoga. I was at the farm this past weekend to visit with Zanita, and check-out her progress. I barely recognized her, except for her unusual blaze. She was nicely muscled, had gained some weight, and seemed to have matured. She was relaxed, and seemed happy. Katie, who has been working with Zanita, is doing a wonderful job. Watching Zanita nuzzling Katie,I knew a special bond had developed between them. My sister even felt that it was time for Katie and Zanita to start entering some schooling shows. To think that Zanita went from the racetrack to the polo field, to a killpen (on her way to slaughter) and to a beautiful farm where she is being trained for dressage!!

The Equine Related Incident

This is how it was described in a local newsletter. "It" is my broken leg and ankle- Four breaks, 8 pins and 1 plate. When I am asked how it happened, I am uncomfortable saying "I was thrown off my horse" or "I fell off my horse".
"Thrown" seems to imply that the horse is somehow at fault. "Fell implys that I tipped over, like Humpty Dumpty, and fell to the ground. I usually respond to the question with "I stayed on the first couple of bucks". I believe that if I was a better rider, I would have stayed in the saddle. I suppose my answer blames both the horse and rider. The horse I was riding was Alcott. Tom was riding behind me on C'est Bon, and said he didn't notice anything that would have caused Alcott to buck. Alcott had been very nervous before and during the ride. It is hard to decide if he was acting this way because something was bothering him, or he just didn't want to be ridden. I decided on the later reason. Ten minutes into the ride, for some reason only known to him, he started to buck, and off I went. As soon as I hit the ground, he ran home. I knew my ankle was broken shortly after hitting the ground. Since I fell off the right side of Alcott, and broke my left leg, I am thankful I didn't get dragged to death. Having been riding for 40 years, and falling off numerous times, I suppose I am also lucky that this is the first time anything serious has happened. This also happened on my birthday, so it will be a birthday I will never forget! When I told Mark what had happened he said " don't feel bad Mom, Alcott has thrown-off lots of riders". Thank you very much Mark!!!