Crackberry woes

Yup... I can post but I can't comment. HOW does that make sense? I thought ncc had trouble commenting from her BB? I'll figure it out :). I can read blogs just no commenting.

Oh & we are all well by the way:)

Test...

I am posting from my new Crackberry. Not sure what I think of this thing... Hopefully I can figure out how to post a comment on blogger. Any suggestions?

Boarding

So... it's been a long time since I posted. Holiday were crazy but good.

Autumn has healed well - she's released 100% back upon the world next week. She wants to know why not now, she really feels as though her leg is fine. Lily's still... well Lily, a mess but good.

My boy is alright. I, however, am frustrated. He'll be 16 this year, no foal, to say the least. He has an issue or two. What 16 year old horse doesn't? A very rare one. In fact his issues are all VERY managable. He needs shod a certain way - done. He's starting to get mild arthritis but heck, who doesn't? He has developed mild COPD/Heaves... turnout, grass, hay that's wetted if necessary. Not THAT hard unless he's having an attack - which if he's managed properly is very rare if ever. And actually that's his only issue requiring real 'management'. It's not an issue at all when managed. It's a common condition in older horses as well - the second leading cause of loss of use behind joint issues in horses. And, it's MANAGEABLE.

But, what if where he's living isn't really able to really manage it? I'm running into that. Ideally he'd be out in a run-in 24/7. On decent grass. Not possible where he is.

I look around at other barns here and the options are pitiful. I've even stopped caring at all about price. It doesn't matter; I'll pay WHATEVER I have to take care of him. Even the insanely expensive places lack decent pasture and usually don't offer field board because they're worried they'll nick themselves on something if they're out mroe than 4 seconds of the day becaue they're show barns. He needs to be out, really to be honest all horses do.

He is happy with his herdmates. He likes his caretaker/s. I haven't been able to ride much due to weather and lack of a ring. He seems to wonder why. I have to run out and medicate most days which is difficult.

I know any boarding barn will have it's issues. I hate to THINK about moving him again. I know I have a very high standard of care for my animals. Plus, let's face it - ask 20 horse people how they manage horses and you'll get at least 21 different answers. Where's the happy medium though? Where's the place that isn't perfect but has tolerable 'issues' and takes care of my horse properly with safe facilities? At this point if I could find that, I'd deal with 'barn drama' between myself and other boarders. I guess I'm a dreamer thinking a place that I'm paying for could possibly have what my horse and I actually need - I don't even want fancy. Why's that so hard? Seriously?

Jack and Jill rode up the hill...

I don't think Gator and I have done that much hill work ever. In fact I bet he'd never done much of any since before he moved to Virginia when he was purchased as a youngster, if even then. His new barn has some hills, not mountainous hills, but hills.

So, I rode him on Saturday. We had not been in the 'lower' field which does have a few things in it. There's a big old water tower thing that is on it's side, a brush pile and the huge power line towers too. So I knew some looking and snorting was in store. You'd think I'd lounge him but no. I like him froggy. Counter intuitive from my last wimpy worried post? Yeah. Totally. I'm not truly scared of my horse though and he tried me and I had fun. He looked sound so I hopped on.

Pre-ride my wimpy side said I wouldn't canter. Ha! Gator and the cowgirl in me had other plans I guess.

Gator was good with the 'new woods' and the brush pile, the power line towers were no problem. The fallen water tower was a skeery beast. No he wasn't bad but I made him go between it and the fence and I knew he wouldn't like it. He tensed up and started trotting I sat deep, said whoa and touched his mouth. Bad idea. I got a quick spook, we cantered away from the thing and he bucked a few times to let me know he was not interested. I couldn't help but laugh at him, tell him he was fine and he stopped. I made him spook by that light touch on the bit, had I just let him calmly trot by and told him it was okay we'd have had no such drama. Oh well, alls well that ends well though right? We went back I made him face and look at it. I let him turn he trotted a few steps away and was then fine. Something to work on, on my end. Trusting him not to blow and keeping his reins tossed out. Tough but I can reteach myself, my muscles, to do it.

I also must say despite not riding really in... a month at least? More actually. I felt very secure the whole ride. Might be the saddle...

We visited the BO's and their kids who were working on building new fence in a connecting field. Gator stood like a statue when her little girl came over, put his head down, ears forward for some scritches. Good boy.

Then we went back to the lower field and did a bit of work on those hills. He was choosing it at first actually - even the super steep spots. I let him use his momentum off the big hill to roll from a trot into a canter through the flat lower part of the field and back around to the other side of the hill. He never wanted to canter up the hill though... I love cantering up hills. Then again, maybe he never has with a rider? Then we'd trot up the hill and collect when walking down the other side. After a few laps this became a bit difficult and he wanted to trot down. When he really didn't want to hold himself, I decided he's had a lot of time off and well, hills are hard! We explored around the new obstacles and paths a little more and called it a day. We had fun. That was my goal anyways.

Then he got a full bath which is his last until sometime next spring. I also cleaned his sheath, hooves oiled, scratches leg scrubbed and slathered up with goo. Then I realized he was cold. I turned him out, where he promptly had a hissy and ran, showing off like a fool around the field much to the confusion of his herd mates. He'd already rolled in his stall (which required me to re-rinse him as his stall hadn't been picked yet... thanks buddy.) so he didn't roll. I'm not sure if he was feeling good, just cold or throwing a tantrum because he was cold and/or I didn't give him his cookie when I turned him loose. Probably all of the above.

Then I pulled out his sheet and popped it on him in the field. Bad idea. Not because of Gator; I slipped it right over his head (he even helped) but um... BO's younger geldings must not have seen many blankets/sheets before. Gator became the navy blue moving monster. And he didn't know it. I almost got trampled. My bad. I was a little worried b/c the belly straps were longer than I wanted, though I did get them clasped before the peanut gallery descended upon us. Gator was clueless why he was spooking. He had no idea HE was the booger, which was a bit funny. The pony was the first to figure out it was Gator and not care. Then I caught him, pulled him out of the field and tightened the straps to my liking then turned him back out. He looked content. I was too.

I'd spent 5 hours at the barn. Oops.

Anyways.... here's a pic of the cold wet Gator in the barn.


We're upping his hay and feed. I can see the faint hint of a rib and his winter coat his loooong. Wooly booger, he is. However, he looks good me thinks despite his funk. Whichs follows...


Erm... fuzzzy...




Upside down but the best shot I got. I clipped it yesterday, I wish I'd have done that sooner. Different vets recommend different things about clipping the area though. Not sure though if you can see the large pinkish area of unhappiness but it's pretty large. However, most of the pink area is where it's healed. We're rolling into week 3 of antibiotics and super sekret special cream which has made this look 1000x better. The swelling is pretty much gone though comes back now and again. He's sound though so I guess it's just going to require more persistence and time.

And, additionally, for your viewing, here's Autumn the first full day after she got home from surgery after a 4 hour drive that night:

Not a happy leg to say the least. Not a happy Boo. She was very put out I was taking her picture in this condition too.

These aren't very good but are her in her kennel last night. They show the fuzz coming back in. She's doing really great and has accepted kennel life as the norm. Wants to bounce like Tigger every now and again thought when out- tried to hop on the couch last night actually. So she's feelin' pretty fine! Just 5 more weeks of prison and healing. We've settled into it much better than I anticipated.

And, so goes the infirmary that is my bunch o' critters. :)

Long Time, No Post

Well, since my last post (which it almost pained me to look over) much has happened. It's been hectic to say the least but so it goes, I guess. Lily (in play) crushed Autumns right rear leg requiring a full plate and nine screws to put the Humpty-Boo back together again. Gator's small spot of scratches (dew poisoning, mud fever, whatever you call it) about the size of a nickel, on the back of his left pastern blew up into a full blown nastiness including a secondary bacterial infection during the week I was paying all my attention to Miss Autumn. The Funk-spot, in it's full glory, is about the size of... well almost his entire pastern and included a decent amount of swelling and lameness at the height of it's funkiness. It was a lovely SURPRISE when I got to the barn after taking care of Autumn all week.

Monday Autumn had her stitches out - aside from trying to bounce all over the vet clinic she was a good girl. She doesn't seem to want to be told she broke her leg merely 19 days ago; instead she's feelin' quite froggy. I stopped her pain meds early, didn't matter. She's TRYING to hold it together for us though and surprisingly has taken to inhabiting a crate 95% of her time better than I thought. I'll post some pictures when I get home of the day we got her home and I'll take some tonight for comparison. Her 'haircut' is blasphemous but, hey, ya' gotta do whatcha gotta do. She's less ashamed when she first got home, but she does have some fuzzies coming in thank Heaven. I am very content with her progress.

Now Gator not so much and I have no idea if it's unfounded or not. At full Funk, the swelling which had run half way up his cannon bone - as in the whole tendon on the back was one with his leg, no indention to define it but no heat. He was also lame and didn't want to bend his fetlock but felt he must bend it to keep it from you as it was mucho ouchy. It's much improved.

Now, when he comes in from turnout the medial side is normal looking from the front and the tendon is better defined. The outer part/distal side above his ankle is still swollen and I think his pastern is puffier than the other. However, he's quite the woolly booger and that leg has some... er... dappling? (That's not the term but he has a sock that transitions to bay with black and white speckles. I forget what that's called.) So it could be just a visual color trick of sorts and ruffled fuzzy from my messing with it. I don't think so but there's no heat, he seems sound when on the rare occasion he needs to prance in the field. After being in at night the inner side above his fetlock/ankle medial and distal sides are puffy but as I said with turnout, it goes down. The actual funk spots are looking better but not 100% yet.

The funk was strong with this one and had gotten a good deep hold, especially in that crease on the back of his pastern. I'm JUST seeing how deep that cracked skin was - AFTER 10 days of SMZ's (some people call it TMS whatevs) and a lovely topical concoction which is officially THE Poo. Every few days or so I give it a good scrub with Betadine Scrub to knock off scabbies/dead skin and assess. He no longer wants to kill me for this. This is NOT a horse that kicks at people, even just to say go away. I may need to extend those SMZ's to 14 days (*sigh*).

I guess I thought the swelling would have dissipated completely by now but no. Now, maybe he needs more work/movement - I know he's not cantering laps for fitness in his field. He's slowly meandering around looking for grass and maybe trotting/cantering a stride or two if say a deer happens to spook the group. Not much exercise. Thoughts? I'm going to pester my vet today because, well, I'm like that.

I know things take time to heal. No doubt time is quite the necessity in getting back to normal after a funk like he had. I may just be tired. Nay, I am tired. The infirmary that includes the majority of my critters for the past 2+ weeks is getting to me.

I'm feeling good about Autumn. I need to feel better about Gator, soon. I just do. I will scrub off his funk tonight and snap a pic for your viewing pleasure of the glory that is his Funk spot. Poor monkey. Had I realized I'd have made more of an effort to go see him the week Autumn was home... but alas there are so many hours in a day, ya' know?

P.S. He misses work. I had left my saddle at the barn and finally remembered Sunday to take it home. I walk past his pasture to get to my car. He followed me, nickering, all the way to my car. He never does that. He saw the saddle/bridle. It made me grin to myself, I must admit.

NOW... after this hiatus of riding... there's a 'nervous' creeping up on me. 1) The feeling 'What if me riding hurts him?' is there, again. 2) We didn't do much last time I rode. At all. Time before that he fell with me. That keeps seeeeeping in (damnit.). Not fear of riding, but um, to ride him. Because he fell. I know that's stupid but as I've done here before, admitting those things helps. I've seen him tear around the field just fine. So I keep telling myself #1 is my old silliness and he's not a fragile glass ornament, he's a horse. Same for #2 actually... but this is uneven terrain and new and... darn my over active brainium...

I hope to have a better outlook and some more fun tails to tell soon.

Two Year Anniversary in Asheville, NC

This one was at Chimney Rock Park. It was raining but we went hiking anyways because it rained the day before and the girls were not impressed with this 'vacation' we'd talked up so much. So we said who cares. We could see NOTHING of the views which are spectacular thanks to the heavy fog. Probably okay though, there were over 450 stairs to go up and down with the girls to get to the top of the Chimney Rock. No dogs in the elevator (except of the service variety). We did all the other trails the waterfall was the prettiest.

We took the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way out. The clouds had cleared... some. So we got a few good fall foliage shots these are just a couple. Two wabba heads are blocking the first one though.

These were taken on Grandfather Mountain. This was some serious hiking compared to the day before. Climbing up down and over large slick boulders is interesting with dogs on leashes. Their 'wait' command was so, so, so necessary. Lily led because Autumn was very spun up and does pull when excited. Lily was listening exceptionally well so she and I led. The top pic with Mike and the girls... the girls may look nervous. Well, they were. We're pretty sure there was a bear nearby but yes we snapped a picture because why not? Lily was really worried sniffing every leaf along the trail edge and Autumn just wanted to go 'get' something in that area. Mike thought he smelled something rather awful too. I didn't but I'd had a headache all week and decided we should listen to Lily. She's a good trail guide it turns out.

After we got to the very rocky end of the trail... we found out that trail was closed. Possibly because of the fog... or bears. At the beginning there was a sign that bear had been spotted that we hadn't taken too seriously. So, I'm just glad we didn't see any. We took another trail back to the lower parking lot it was a bit easier going. Also decided to forego the main attraction here too (the Mile High Bridge) as many, many people were up there and I figure the girls would have behaved but been nervous so high up on a bridge. The fog was blocking the view at that elevation still so... back down the very rocky trail we went.

This is just Autumn showing us all how a pillow should be fluffed. She the best pillow fluffer. Ever.

Her daddy was loading the car to go. She was content with staying. She parked herself there and wasn't all that interested in leaving. I think vaction was okay with the girls. Mike and I had fun too. It was really fun to take them along. I think they made us do more outdoorsey things which we both really enjoyed too, despite the less than cooperative weather.

Horse Song

(photo by Jamie Williams)

Ha... it seems singing is so common with equestrians or humming to calm yourself and your horse. I thought I'd discovered something unique to me when I started doing it... how he visibly relaxed and so did I. :) Then the more blogs I read the more I found out it's so common - especially those that ride alone. I think the wonderful Sally Swift even suggests it, says you have to breath if you're talking or singing to your horse... but don't quote me on that. I don't have the book with me. However, I did most definitely used to hold my breath.

I remember the first time, on a day I was especially nervous I sang ... he'd apparently not had someone sing from his back. His head came up, his ears went CRAZY... 'What, mom?' Not sure if it was cue he didn't know or what. And then he just settled after a bit. Now he cocks one ear back and relaxes.

I usually sing 'Rodeo Road'. Holly Williams sings it and it was on the Flicka soundtrack. Yes, I liked a song out of Flicka (the movie makes me mad though...) embarrassing, but I like the song. Sort of depressing song but very calming... at least to me.


'When I reach the end of Rodeo Road
Don't shed no tears for me
When I reach the end of Rodeo Road
Set my pony free.

From a stick horse
To a quarter horse
The saddle has been my home
I've always walked in leather boots
I've always rode alone.

When i reach the end of Rodeo Road
Don't shed no tears for me
When I reach the end of Rodeo Road
Set my pony free...'


To be honest, reading the lyrics they are depressing. I can be that way though so it sort of fits. I'm a pretty solitary person too. Also before I even rode, I always saw myself doing it. When I started riding I really did feel at home there. Some people retreat to others, I retreat within - you can do that with horses. They don't pester you. So... yeah, that's where I go now.

I sing a few other things too but mostly that song when I'm really nervous and nothing else comes to mind. I think he likes the 'free pony' part and maybe hearing I feel at home there, with him. He also, I assume prefers if I sing 'Arab horse' instead of 'Quarter horse'. Understandable really.

Anyways... in addition here's a cool website to check out. I love it. The pics and stories are amazing. I bet if you haven't seen it, most of you guys will love it too. Enjoy!