If the dates don't coincide with these blogs, its because I'm catching up. Sorry ! We woke up to a peaceful Non Snowy Christmas morning. Turns out that my two barn rats came to help do morning chores on Christmas ! I was so pleased, I just wanted to hug them Both in thanks. We got done in record time and Glenn brought us all some nice warm cappucino to drink. Once I landed back in the house, the gift exchanging began. I had two Secret Santa gifts to open, and a couple from my brother n' sister, plus Glenns' gifts for me. Glenn had a TON of gifts from me as I'd been shopping all year long for this day. Sadie got her favorite gift - a real bone with yummy filling in it, and Shadow got a fabric "cave" which he is scare of. < oh well >
Glenn got me a telephoto lens as my 'big' gift !! I was Floored- and have taken some pictures with the camera and it. I'll add them here soon. We relaxed some, I did some reading online, and it was soon time to start our Christmas dinner. We had a standing rib roast, some mashed potatoes and some applesauce. Not nearly like holiday feasts in our pasts, but plenty for just us... Once the horses (*AGAIN) had their dinners, we collapsed on the sofa to watch some tv and then to bed. All in all a wonderfully peaceful Christmas Day. :) Below is of our creek.... I loved that old branch with ice on it...
Then one of three horses taken from our Deck ! That's quite some distance...
Then one of my favorites I had to take fast because Glenn was in a hurry for some reason.... this one is of Carlene & Glenn talking..
December 19th was the chosen day..... the weather turned out Perfect and it was to begin at 3 in the afternoon. People showed up early and I'd decorated the barn so they got to see it earlier than the other guests. I used to go all out in barn / house decorations but as the years passed, they got less and less. Seems once its' all decorated, its' time to take it all down.... sooooooooooo I didn't go overboard. Here's how it looked- and that is my friend at the end of the aisle being goofy.
The party went well, everyone brought a dish to share and we offered a huge deli tray of luncheon meats/ cheeses and the extras that one might enjoy on a sandwich. Then I had to go up to the barn and feed horses for the evening ( duh- don't plan a party with horse chores in the middle of it !) Everyone who wanted to , came to 'help' and we got done in record time. Horses were all snuggled in their stalls, and we took a few minutes to say good bye to our Suzi. This was mostly for Jaide who loved Suzi so much. We did a short prayer for God to keep good care of her, and that we all loved her very much. I gave Jaide a small decoration from Suzi's "necklace" and she carried it with her the rest of the evening. Soon everyone was sitting around like stuffed whales - me TOO- and chatting happily. What a good time was had, gifts were exchanged and everyone left in great Christmas spirit.
These little parties mean so much to me- Its my way of saying thank you for all of the help in the past year to everyone who has anything to do with my barn.
Our pony, Suzi, had developed a slight colic Thursday evening, the 9th of December. I called our vet to come check on her, and Suzi got a shot to slow her digestive system down and then once it wore off ( a few minutes later), to start it moving again. Suzi felt much better, but by Saturday I was sure she had 'impacted' ( similar to a clogged pipe in one's house- Nothing moves past it). Becky came back again, and Suzi got dosed with a pony-sized amount of oil and warmed water. By Sunday evening, once Suzi's painkillers wore off, she was in great pain. I kept giving her shots to keep her comfortable and praying that she would pass some manure. That would mean that Maybe her impaction was clearing up. She did not, and on Monday morning, our dear ancient pony passed over the Rainbow Bridge. Her students were so sad, as was her best equine pal, Alli. They had been best friends for 12 years.
That week was terribly hard to get thru, and Alli moped around a lot. I was beginning to be very worried about her because she too is OLD... The next Monday however, when I walked into the barn to give all the horses breakfast, Alli was the first to call to me to " Hurry, Please !! We are Hungry !"
Suzi is out of pain now, and everyone seems to have adjusted as I write this blog. I miss her terribly, but know it was for the best..... Below is a photo of she and Alli waiting to come in for FOOD, as usual... from September, 2010
Just a little while until Christmas Eve , then Christmas Day ! I have been busily shopping for all those who have been kind enough to help here at my barn , and family and The Husband too.
The weather has been Cold the last week or so. Much rain, and a little dusting of snow the other day.Today we are in a rainy pattern and I'm so happy it is not a big snow storm. The horses have been wearing their blankets and all but Suzi are doing great. She is dealing with a colic that has moved into an impaction we believe. Since Thursday evening.... I hope she makes it thru and begins passing manure again. Suzi is 48 this year and one ancient pony !
All barn repairs have gone on hold til spring. It's to cold to paint now, so we'll just wait til warmer weather arrives. :)
Evie's wound is looking pretty awesome after healing since June. Its Slowly closing up but no hair is growing there yet. Let's hope she doesn't end up with a bald patch !
I hope everyone out there has gotten most of their Christmas shopping accomplished and are looking forward to a great holiday season !
Well , Thanksgiving dinner has been cooked, served and eaten.... dishes are washed and placed back to their proper places. It was deemed " Good" by Glenn & Sadie, our American Bulldog. She got to have a small taste of the "potato filling" we had prepared.
Earlier,the day dawned cold, with sleet -- a pretty miserable start to a good day. The horses got to stay inside their stalls today, and seemed quite happy to do so. We got to try out the "new overhead" door and it worked perfectly. The barn is going to stay nice and cozy , thanks to those two overheads being half way closed. Kiisa and Moxie even had a nice dinner of kitty food. I gave the chickens a treat of some cracked corn this evening . The egg count is falling off as winter moves in .... I'll get 3 one day and two the next. Before when it was warm out, I'd get 4 one day and 5 the next from 5 hens I knew were laying. The two Barred Plymouth Rock hens have begun laying off and on, but most likely will be good layers next spring.
I have been 'winterizing their coop by nailing boards over their windows. The glass was broken when I bought it, so that will have to do for now. I still need to buy a bale of straw for their nests and the floor.
Got the winter blankets out for the horses- Alli & Scarlet will no doubt need stable blankets too. Those two mares figure they are 'show horses' and need to be treated as such. Suzi looks like a wooly little thing...her winter coat is So heavy now. I'll have to be sure to get some recent photos of them all. Perhaps Saturday when the sunshine returns !
The new overhead barn door is here and installed ! It works like a dream- soooooooo simple to lift up. Its designed to look like a carriage house door, but it slides up , out of the way. The folks who did the work And ordered it for me were Wonderful ! Gotta plug their business: "Garage Doors Plus" Lisa & Ron Short, from Enola, PA. They were so helpful in letting me know what my choices were, and the costs as well, up front. No hidden fees or surprises. I'd called a few other garage door installers, and they all had to " get back to me". Lisa was on a job, and asked if she could call me back in a few minutes. I figured she'd call later on when they'd gotten home. No- she DID call me back and With some suggestions, AND prices. Then they both came to see what work was involved and we ordered the door.It arrived faster than I thought and they were here that Monday to install it ! Here are some photos of how it all went. Ron was great about answering my 'stupid human' questions as he worked and I learned a lot about garage doors .
Lisa and Ron kind of posing !
This is their information....
Lisa doing something important- the door is Almost up ...
The finished product (:)
I love how it looks- now to get the Rest of the barn looking as grand ! Things always look crooked here because the whole farm is on a slope doing dowwwwwwwwwwwwn. The barn really IS straight though.
My hens have been laying eggs for about a month now. I get four eggs one day, and three the next...this from 5 hens that are laying. Pretty good , I think ! I've been saving them by the dozen to give to our chicken sponsors, and so far the eggs are getting rave reviews. The hens and Aiden have been "free range" for quite some time, and meet me at their little gate in the mornings, waiting to go out for the day. Lately they have been heading up to their little hen house in the evenings when I am there to do evening feeds/ turnouts for the horses. They're learning the routine . All but for the two new babies I bought- the " Little's". They aren't so little any more though ! These are Barred Plymouth Rock hens and they're growing up fast. Roxie n' Annie..... I shall have to get a photo of them.
I finally got around to buying some paint for the coop too.... Have been working on it in between rainy days. I ran out of the deep red paint, so in the picture, you can still see the yellow it was when I bought it. Here's a couple of photos of it as it got painted.... I need to get some more red, but it is supposed to be chilly & rainy again tomorrow. There's no rush then. This shot is a little crooked but you get the idea !
The next is with the trim on,but not done because I wasn't tall enough to reach the top! We still need to get some plexi-glass to cover the openings for winter. I really like the way its going to look :) This one is crooked TOO
Of course, one has to add a couple of the chickens.... Glenn took these last Sunday:
Things have been moving along it seems. We now have a super safe fence that travels the distance of the whole farm, width-wise. Its a no climb horse fence- and seems to have been Perfectly designed for idiot Percheron mares who insist its alright to Roll into wire fencing. Once I got to talk to the fellow who owns the fencing ( Fisher's Fencing) company, and he came out to take a look at what was needed, things really happened. They returned the Next Day and the new safe fence was done in a day and a half. Turns out they had a lull in-between another job and could fit this fence in easily. I love it, and here are some photos of it installed :
This is standing at the gate, lookin' down the fence line. The guys are still working....
This view is up the hill from the gate. See the unpainted hen house ? Its' almost all re-painted by now !
I have ordered a new overhead door that will go on the front of the barn . It looks similar to a carriage house door, but is an over head one. I can't WAIT to see what its' going to look like.
We chose to not have the upper part of the barn covered in anything. Instead- and to save money, I'm trying to find someone with scaffolding to paint it. Deep red with deep, dark blue trim. It should look very colonial once its done.
Now to find someone to remove the old stall windows and put in new awning types for a small amount. Ha- small ??? I will be sure to sit down when I hear the quotes !
There hasn't been much happening around here other than the normal items needed accomplishing on a farm. I'm impatiently waiting for the return of my lawn tractor so I can get the yard ( AKA: the jungle ) mowed. The grass is close to a foot tall by now. The hens are happily laying small to medium sized eggs - I get 4 one day and 3 the next. Considering there are 5 hens laying- that's not bad !
Things Are going to be picking up here though..... I have a fencer coming tomorrow ( Tuesday) to see what I want done and then to work up a price. I HOPE its not going to be a lot - but what ever the price- it will be worth the expense to keep my horses safe.
Then this coming Friday, I have an appointment with a company that does vinyl siding. I want to get the top part on the front of the barn redone..... Here's what it looks like now.
I would like to have the top replaced with a brick or dark red color in vinyl and then a new over-head door there too. Get some good paint in a dark blue and paint the trim that color. It'll look nice, I Hope :)
Soon I want to contact PP&L about moving the electric box on To the house and from the sorry looking pole it is on now. Its not safe and we want the wires from the corner pole to come underground to the house. I see this as being much more safe.
Sadie has been growing and filling out like mad. She is just about all grown up by now as she's a little over one year old. She's been a great friend - but not a barn buddy like Petey used to be. She's allergic to shavings and sawdust; Sooooooooooooooo she won't be up at the barn very often.
Evie's leg is healing up well. Here is a recent photo of it:
It is still inflamed but is looking SO much better !
Glenn has been doing fine since his bout in the hospital, but he gets tired faster it seems now. His new job is hectic but he says he likes working there. I just wish there was a financial way he could retire soon !
More news on farm improvements and pictures to come - stay tuned.
Summer will soon be over here in central Pennsylvania. The acorns have been dropping from the oak trees since mid July and I’ve seen some squirrels running all over attempting to bury some they find. I imagine that will be the last time they find those buried acorns ! As Sadie and I were going on her morning pee walk about the yard, there was one who was very surprised to see us. I didn’t know that squirrels could jump quite so far . Sadie didn’t know What it was and watched that squirrel climb the electric pole in amazement.
Most of the horses have light winter coats by now. The ponies especially ! During these left over hot/humid days of summer, they get all sweaty during the day. The drafters get the most sweaty it seems.
I love the up coming season- Autumn. The weather is cooler, the days are crisp and is a warning of pending winter…… Below is a photo of a setting winter sun… one of my favorites.
This is August- the last of the summer months for many, including horse folk. Ever since I was 11, I had to learn all about getting ready for winter. Especially when a horse was added to my life. It has been that way from then on..... Now I have 11 horses to care for, and the amounts if items needed hasn't really changed to much- just MORE of each of them.
Just a few days ago, I ordered a big load of some fine grass hay from our hay man, Ivan. Its' first cutting of a variety of grasses and is fresh smelling. Not as nice as some when it comes to a sweet smell but it is great to have. Eight thousand pounds of it in 800 pound giant square bales. It cost a pretty penny but if I'm careful and there's no mold, then it should last until its time to restock for the worst months of winter here in PA.
The plans for September are to finish painting the stall doors, and to find some pretty paint for the chickens' coop. Yellow n' light blue just don't get it- especially when some kid spray painted misc. stuff all over it. So I need to choose a pretty shade of burgundy I think..... Then to get the manure pile piled up more so, and all these weeds mowed down . I'm Far behind on that thanks to about 5 days of rainy weather. They're growing taller with each passing hour I think !
There's quite a long list of things to get accomplished before winter sets in, and I need to get busy !
Yesterday, I gave a mini riding lesson to a friend's daughter. She was visiting her dad and was simply dying to come see "Suzi" and for a ride. While I was busily showing her how to brush Suzi once again, the silly roosters kept crowing and crowing ! They were Noisy ! Our farrier- Kurt - was there finishing up putting on Carli's "sneakers" as well. We had a busy barn ..... One of the gals was saying how she Loved to hear roosters crowing, and Kurt said jokingly " if you talk to that lady, I bet she'll GIVE you one " . I didn't say anything , just smiled and went on w/ the lesson for Lisa. We all got done, Lisa's extended family left , and Kurt was done putting Carlene's sneakers on her front feet.
Later on that evening, the phone rang. We had just come inside, and missed answering it. It was Lisa's step mom.... she wanted to know if we were still offering a rooster for free. I called her back to say 'sure was'. Patrick drove over and chose Skylar- the Light Brahma rooster. So now Skylar has a new home.
I am keeping the other rooster, Aiden, and bought two little Barred Rock Hens. These girls will be turned out into our " flock" as soon as they are a little bigger. So, now WoodFinn has 8 chickens, and even though I keep looking at photos of some really cool breeds, I tell myself, ''NO- No more !"
Below are a few photos I took this morning of them outside.
The two little gals are inside still.
This is Aiden crowing- something he does a LOT !
Here he is watching Skarlet and Emmie taking a dust bath....
Below is Silverwulf with Devon behind her inside their coop
This was taken from outside to the interior of their coop- Devon, left, Silver , right
WoodFinn's Summer Storm ( Aka- Suzi) arrived at my barn one cold December Monday afternoon. My good friend and I took a Monday 'off' to go to a nearby horse auction sale. We were going to make a day of it ; enjoy watching horses get sold, shopping at the vendor's stands and having a nice yummy lunch. I also went because I needed another pony for my riding lesson program. I needed one around 13-14 hands tall, and QUIET.
We arrived early and took our time looking at all the horses, deciding that IF we were seriously looking to purchase, which ones' we would buy. There simply were No ponies in the right size, and those who were acted like they were terrified of humans. Not good for beginner students to learn with..... We walked to the stands and took a seat to relax for a while. Horses were being sold hot n' heavy- about one a minute. We had a hard time listening for the bids that were offered. We saw some great looking horses sold, and some very sad looking horses as well. Since there had been no ponies to interest me enough to bid on, I was having fun Not paying close attention, until the auctioneer said that the sale was over- no more horses were for sale.
Then a small white pony was ridden into the ring by a tall Amish fella. One more pony for sale ! My friend took one look and said " YOU need to buy that pony !" Then she raised her hand and bid on it. We didn't even know if it was a mare or What. Turns out after a few questions that said pony rode and could be driven , was 12 years old and a mare. She was to small though ! And it turned out MUCH older than 12 years......
I bought the no name pony and hauled her home..... We had a 'Name the Pony' contest amongst all the kids who rode there and "Suzette" won. ' Suzi' around the barn.
Suzi was scared of being hit, she walked Way to fast when being led for short little kid legs to keep up with her, and as we all got to know her, we realized Suzi had been mentally abused prior to living at this barn. I remembered talking to the dealer who'd purchased her at an Ohio sale and he'd told me that some Amish kids had driven her the whole time before she'd been sold, and then one had ridden her into the sales ring.
We had a meeting of all those who were going to work with Suzi and as I explained what her life was before, those students started coming up with ideas about making her feel better and not be so scared. She had bitten most anyone but me if they tried to catch her in the fields -Suzi chased kids out of "her" pasture, she'd threaten to bite them, if they didn't run away in fear..... she was generally a Baaaaaaaaaad Pony.
The students ( and this was a big surprise) felt sorry for her. We decided that I would be the one to go bring her in for each riding lesson. And that if she was good, she would be praised and if she made mistakes, we would simply try to get her to do it again. Not to cause More fear, but to help her understand that at This barn , mistakes were alright. If Suzi was bad and acted nasty, THEN she would get yelled at loudly.
It worked.... but it took a Long time. Suzi learned that not all young people were cruel, and she began trusting in that once again. She still couldn't be trusted 100 % if one of them went out to get her from a pasture, but she was much better.
Suzi is now a wonderful flea-bitten 47 yr old pony who is semi-retired. She's still territorial but so much better. Under all that gruff exterior lived a very sweet , kind pony. She's been in the play " The Wizard of Oz" that was presented at a community theater in Maryland. Suzi has taught SO many youngsters to ride ,how to be patient and show something other than parents love. She taught them compassion and to be understanding too.
But mostly Suzi has taught us All that once wounded mentally, a little grey pony Can return to being kind in return.
Below are a couple of photos of Jaide learning to groom Suzi..... in 2009.
The other day I was in the stall where the chickens are staying until I can get an electrified fence up around their yard and house.... they were a little alarmed at my raking the feathers and pooh up into piles. Plus it had stormed so badly that there was a damp/ wet area along the back wall that I wanted to get up too. There I was raking as quietly as I could.... they all moved out of the way - walking to the next corner and watching me closely. That was fine-after I had slid the stall door closed, I walked up the aisle to get the wheelbarrow to put it all in.
When I came back, you'd have thought I placed an atomic bomb in there or something worse. Omg- chickens scattered all over the place,almost screeching like mad. Obviously they were sure it was having them for a snack. They settled down some, and started moving from one side to the next, as I scooped up the little piles I had made...... Moved the scary wheelbarrow back into the aisle, and went back in to spread the now cleaned sawdust back out. I didn't realize that three of them had moved to another corner, and flicked a big rake full of sawdust on them. Well that caused havoc like I've not seen in chickens before. The 3 flew onto the other 4 and caused them to panic too. ( Poor Emmie- she's already traumatized from when I dropped their brooder on the tack room floor when they were peeps)
It all happened so fast, I didn't see it happen- but I ended up with a hen Outside the stall- in the barn aisle ! It was Lucy and she was Most amazed at being out there. Quickly I got the door open, and closed because the others were acting like they were all going to have heart attacks or worse. Lucy ( my only Rhode Island Red hen) was pacing back and forth, looking for a way back to her pals, and clucking in most dismayed sounds. I sat down and she came right up to me, and then walked off. Hmmmmmmmmmm- maybe this wasn't such a bad place After All..... So I followed her around a little , scooped her up in my arms and we went back into the stall together. Boy, was She glad to be back- and immediatly started telling the others of her great adventure.
It was so funny- and the Only thing I can think happened was that she got landed on, tried to fly out of the way and ended up going thru the little feeder hole in the wall ..... I felt SO bad at having scared them that much, but hey- ya gotta clean out pens sometimes.
There is an ancient Appaloosa mare living at our farm right now. She’s 26 years old and is one of the most kind, dear mares I believe I have ever been blessed to own. “All The Best” is from regal breeding, with her father and grandfather both being national and world champions. Alli, herself has been shown at the World Appaloosa shows. She’s only 14.1 hands tall and has white spots all over her reddish brown body. She has some small deep brown ones too, making her coat pattern most interesting to see. Now she is old, and not as healthy as before. Her stamina is fading and I no longer ask her to give many riding lessons; just one or two a week for those special riders who come to learn.
Alli is blind in one eye, but no one would ever notice unless they looked at her face. She’s well adapted to not being able to see on that side, and so long as she knows a person is there, she is relaxed and content. Her front legs have become crooked from many miles and great age, so Alli requires special front shoes to keep her happy. Luckily the farriers who care for my horses know this and work hard to keep this kind mare moving with out pain any longer. A good farrier is a wonderful thing to have found here on this new farm!
I bought Alli back in 1999 from some folks out in the Midwest. She was thin, sore footed and certainly Not the 15 hand tall horse I had been told about. But she was very kind, and did anything asked of her. We bought her and Alli came to live with me. Its been a long and good friendship between the two of us. Alli helping me teach beginners to become horsemen and women, all the while offering us a sampling of her great sense of humor as well.
The one thing she does ‘bad’ was to toss her feed out of her feed tub- all over the stall floor. It was funny to hear from the other end of the barn, but I knew that Alli needed all the grain she could get and shoving it out of her dish was not good. I went the next day to buy a protective ring that would hang over top of her dish, so when she did try to toss her feed out, it would land right back in that dish. Alli was going to be getting All of her feed this way. Oh what a clatter she made while eating! Smack, shove, plastic hitting wooden walls, and that poor feed ring being pushed all over, as Alli tried to do the grain toss she adored doing. I couldn’t understand why, but I guess She figured it was an okay thing to do. Alli was one exuberant eater; that was for sure. In doing so, Alli would end up with feed slimed on the bridge of her speckled nose. It was sticky from the molasses in her hi-fat feed, and a bother to remove too. Each day- there it was showing me her feed was going into her tummy where it was most needed.
Time passed, and Alli proved herself to be a grand riding lesson horse. She was smart, but gentle- stopping when ever she thought one of her small beginner riders was off balance. She’d put her neck up so they could balance on her, and not fall to the ground. One time, a little gal toppled off and Alli couldn’t help her re-gain her balance. She fell off to Alli’s right side… her blind side. Alli stopped immediately, and began looking about for her small rider. Not moving a hoof, she looked all around to her left side, then swung her head to her right. THERE she was and she was fine. Alli lowered her head down to her little toppled rider, nickering softly as if to ask “ are you Alright ?? I was so scared”. This is the sort of horse ‘All The Best’ is…
By now, Alli is older and her joints creak and snap with age and arthritis. She gets some joint supplements to help those joints stay sound for a few more years and they seem to be helping her. The horses and I have moved to a new farm and its got great long hills to gallop up or down. Because of these hills they all have gotten more fit here. Alli is so happy now as she has another job: To be an Auntie to my two year old Percheron filly, Evie. She has been teaching Evie how to be a proper young horse ; how to mind her elders and have good manners in a herd of horses. Alli loves being Boss.
One evening while we were at a horse show, our helper called to let me know that Alli hadn’t been interested in her dinner, nor her hay, and that her manure was very runny. I said I’d check on her when we got home that evening. I did check on Alli, and she just didn’t feel good. I got no welcome nicker from her, not even even much of a look. Her temperature was fine, she was alert but definitely was not feeling good at all. No signs of a stomach ache (called Colic to horse folks) nor any thing else to alarm me. I thought to leave her alone – perhaps she’d work thru what ever it was bothering her by morning.
The next morning, Alli didn’t want her breakfast. She picked thru her breakfast hay and stood quietly in her stall. Her manure was very runny and that was alarming to me. I called our vet to let her know what was going on and that I was going to try to give my mare some probiotics to help her deal with this problem. The vet agreed, and to call her if anything changed. Well, it changed- Alli stopped eating anything more than a few handfuls of feed a day! She didn’t want to eat. Her manure was slowing down because there was not enough going thru her system to make any. Some good friends who had horses of their own suggested many things, but nothing tempted Alli. She didn’t want steamed, crimped ( and very expensive !) oats, she like alfalfa cubes though. For one day. She didn’t like Aloe juice, didn’t want anything topped with sweet things horses like- but only maybe for a few more handfuls than normal. Alli was loosing weight like crazy and there wasn’t much I could do about it.
The vet gave me some antibiotics to help with horses who had Colitis…and I had to give it to Alli by a big syringe as there was no way SHE was eating it on her own. I learned it tasted horribly, and mixed it with rich maple syrup. Still she wasn’t hungry…. And ate hardly enough to keep her going. She lost More weight, and was looking terrible. Alli was weak, and had no energy at all. I thought I was watching my good friend die. I gave her that antibiotic for a week, twice a day. Each time it was a struggle to convince my little 800 pound mare that it really was good for her. That hopefully it would help her heal and feel better. There was one evening during all of this that I checked on her late one night. She was laying down, and like most horses would have, didn’t even offer to get up. I stroked her thin neck , sitting with her in the stall. I told her that if she was to weak, that it was alright to ‘move on’ – but I’d miss her terribly. The next morning, there she was :up and wanting something to eat. She only gave it a taste and was done eating.
This went on for two weeks. Alli now had lost around 250 pounds and was so weak she could hardly walk around outside in the sunshine. I know that horses Need to be moving or more troubles are caused, so I let her out during the night where it was cooler. Summer days in Pennsylvania can be so hot. During the heat of the day, she got to be in her stall with a fan for some fresh air pointed in on her. She could move off to one side if she chose to be out of the breezes.
I noticed that no more was there sticky old feed on Allis’ nose nor any noise in my barn. No welcoming loud whinny in the mornings, and nothing welcoming me in the evenings. No more anything from her. The rest of the horses were all fine- but Alli always was the loud one- always whinnying, “ Hello ! Is it Food Time ?.” I felt so sad – there wasn’t much more I could offer her in order to tempt her to eat. It didn’t seem as though the medicine she was getting was helping very much either. It seemed as though I was watching her die and feeling totally helpless.
This is a photo of her.... its hard to tell how terribly thin she is, but she looked horrid in real life. I thought I was loosing her, and snapped this last picture.
One evening after letting Alli loose around the barn, I was watching her. She seemed to be searching for something only she knew about. She wasn’t finding it, because she kept going from weed patch to weed patch, sniffing each weed or grass carefully before moving on. I thought it was odd, so I followed along, watching her. When she would find what she thought she wanted, she would graze it down to the roots, and move on, searching. She ate two different types of weeds and then grazed on some grasses.
My friend did some searching on the internet for what those weeds were and discovered that one kind helped settle upset stomachs. It's called Pennsylvania Smart Weed--I found that the other one did the same and added more help in balancing the flora in a horses’ digestive system. Alli Knew! She knew what she needed to continue getting better, and had been hunting for it around my barn. What an amazing creature these horses are to me. So the hunt continued most of the evening, and the next morning, I was greeted with a small whinny of welcoming. Alli felt better…. We walked down the barn aisle together- slowly- and she ate half of her breakfast. Two days before, she’d nibble at it, maybe eating a handful. Could it be that she might live after all? That evening, she ate another half of her dinner, and went out to search for more of those weeds. It was incredible to see her hunting, sniffing certain weeds, or grasses. She knew what she needed to help her get better, And the antibiotic was no doubt helping her as well. She was all done with that week of syringes full of syrup and medicines. We were on our own now. Would her troubles return? The blood work showed only that she had a severe bowel inflammation. Would we need to have another week of antibiotics? I know I hoped not- and I had a good feeling my mare didn’t want to go thru that again too.
The next morning, a warm Sunday morning, I was greeted by a hearty loud whinny from her. She met me at the barn gate and we walked down to her stall together again. She kept whinnying from her stall for me to hurry up with her breakfast. She ate every single grain of feed in her dish this time, and wanted More. Knowing better than to let her eat all she wanted, I began offering her many very small meals that day. She ate each one with pure happiness. She began to get stronger and gained a little amount of weight with each day. Alli was getting fed a LOT of feed, but she wanted it, and couldn’t wait until her next ‘snack’. Her appetite had returned, and the day she made her first manure pile in her stall in two weeks, I wanted to celebrate.
Only another horse person could understand the significance of a small manure pile in that stall…. It had been a little over 3 weeks, and my mare was going to Live. Her digestive system was beginning to work again, and while we never have figured out what went wrong, it was alright.
One day, just this week, Alli was being groomed by one of her riders. She was being her normal pesky self, and I commented on how wonderful it was to be hearing her calling to me whenever she saw me. That it was a sign she was returning to normal. Also- that she had a messy,sticky face again. The student nodded in agreement. Alli had molasses all over the bridge of her nose once again, and that was GOOD. Alli was going to pull thru and we were all pleased with that. She truly IS “all the best”.
Its HOT !!!! Good grief- the humidity was higher than the temperature yesterday evening. I don't like it so humid- but that's' the weather on the east coast so one would think I'd have gotten used to it years ago.
This morning, there were two gals here - working students- to help. We got done in record time- by 9:15 AM ! Wow- if this continues, I'll be able to get Abby out when its still a little cool. YAY !
Carlene, my Clydesdale mare, is now staying in during the days and out at night. Perhaps it will be a little cooler for Her.... and help with her COPD which is getting worse all the time. She is getting Ventipulim almost daily now to help her lungs work more easily. She has been here for 5 years now and basically happy. She was to be put down a few weeks before I said I'd take her and her problems on. Inevitably she'll get so bad, that I'll have to possibly make a big choice For her..... I hope she has a few more years though. She is a very beloved part of our farm.
The little horses (Old Ladies, Scarlet, Scout n Sunny) are doing fine in the heat. They are drinking a ton of water and I've been keeping those outside tubs freshened up almost daily. Tomorrow is 'wash the tubs w/ soapy water and spray clean'' day. The to refill w/ nice cool fresh water for them.
The Working Students are GREAT to have around! What good company they are and I enjoy them being here each day. I count myself as lucky to have such wonderful horsey folks here, wanting to learn, learn, learn. Oh- and ride TOO. :)
This evening, as I was saying goodbye to my last riding student of the day- around 7:30 , we saw my 4 year old Percheron mare Evie, rolling. She not only chose a dumb place to roll, but then to make matters the worst possible- she rolled Over and into the hi-tensile wire fencing that was here when we bought this farm. I HATE the fact that I cannot afford to have Proper horse fencing and as soon as I can- the whole middle section is coming down and will be replaced.
It was like watching her in slow motion trying to destroy herself. I was at the gate and thru it before she could get up, and walked in GIANT steps down the pasture. I didn't want to run because most likely it would have scared the two mares who were Already upset. Evie was holding her left hind leg up high under her belly, and I was praying that nothing to horrid had happened to it. Once I got there, and could see the front of her hock, I wanted to cry. She had a HUGE laceration there, with odds and ends of skin hanging from it. It was about 4" wide from side to side on her hock and 3" from top to bottom. And it was Deep. I slipped a halter on that I had been holding, and asked her to walk that long hike back to the barn. I watched her limping and that her toe did work properly, and by the time we got to the gate, she was barely limping. I KNEW it hurt terribly and she was adjusting to her intense pain already. I was SO glad to see her leg walking properly though !
By the time our farm vet could get to the farm, it was two hours later. I'd put a makeshift but clean bandage on Evie's leg and led her to her stall so she could stand quietly. She was being SO good. It turns out that she totally destroyed one extensor tendon, and cut her self pretty badly, but Not as badly as Becky had first thought. Once she had tranquilized Eve and got things cleaned up some, she said that if all goes well, that there will be a slight scar. Finding that to be hard to believe, I smiled and said something stupid in return. Becky wrapped it, and we added a standing wrap beneath it, to help keep it placed properly.
I was supposed to give her antibiotics for 10 days, and keep her on bute for 2-3 days. And Evie was to be stalled so things could begin healing well. Below is a photo of it 3 days later...
Her hock was still pretty swollen, as well as her lower leg, but she walks on it - carefully.
UPDATE: 6/22/2010
Evie is all done with her meds, and I now have a cream from the vet to fight the proud flesh. Evie has been Wonderful through all of this treatment, and daily bandaging too. I'm So proud of my young mare once again. I know it hurts so badly, and the worst she does is pick her leg up in pain. She waits happily for her favorite treat- a peppermint after we are all done.
Here is a photo from today :
I am hoping that she heals fine and that our vet is correct- that she'll only have a small scar from all of this trauma.
And from the front:
Update: 7 17 2010:
Evie has been healing very nicely so far, and has handled her stall rest perfectly. This past week, our vet, Becky, told me that I could now turn Herself out for the night- so long as she stayed quiet. I'm going to turn her out tomorrow morning ( Sunday) while we clean stalls , so she can get some sunshine and GRASSSSSS !! I have a bit of tranquilizer to give her so she Will be wanting to graze as opposed to leaping and running about like a ninny. Below are a couple of photos from this week. It is still Quite ugly but in a "healthy/ healing'' way !
I have high hopes for this horrid thing to be behind us and we can get Evie driving this Fall !
UPDATE: 7/28/2010
Evie has been turned out at night- ALL night - with her pals in the pasture close by ,for almost a week now . She's doin great! Here are a couple of photos I took of her wound on the 20th of July :
It really hurts now when I try to clean it off. Tis like trying to rinse a moving target, but Still this young mare is very kind . It just Hurts !
Sorry , I got a bit of the crossties in the bottom shot..... More updates to come !
UPDATE: 8/3/2010
Got some photos today. There are very soft scabs trying to protect her wound and I try hard to not wash them off, but some do. Warm water, gentle rinsing to keep it clean, and washing off the surrounding hair where I put Swat daily..... She canters, but no bucking as of yet. This morning both Lynn & Evie came trotting up to their gate to come inside for breakfast. No sign of lameness at All. Here are the pix from this AM:
From the inside...
From the front....
from the outside, and then of her whole leg from a distance....
It Still looks horrid, but if you look carefully- there is healthy 'new' skin all around the border of it now. She's doing fine- but I'm still very concerned about her being sound once all of this is over with.
I had three blogs going at one time- and had added the same info on each one. One was Horsetales and this one - plus one more. So what I did was condense all the stories to this one blog ! If you are reading them, I have them all dated when they happened- NOT when I added them here. Now to go back later on and add the photos .
The weather here has been weird.... Tornado watches all afternoon, grey skies, and an odd kind of breeze blowing. No tornadoes. thank goodness- but we did have some Thunder Storms travel thru- mostly around us. Now ? It is clearing up and is becoming one grand early summer afternoon !
Last week a big nasty summer storm went around us and afterwards, a most wonderful rainbow ! Here's the photo I got of it :
It all began because I needed another quiet lesson horse. I asked around some, read some ads in tack shops, and even asked Amber ( a super gal who was helping me with the barn work) to ask around school for cheap priced horses. Nothing to ancient, nothing nutty, etc.... we had The List. Amber has learned a TON of things since she's been helping here and knew what to ask and What I was looking for.
Soooooooooooooo, she found an ancient App who was free- no, to old at 25.... Then she mentioned two horses that her friend's sister had for sale. Oh ?? She asked her friend more questions. This went on for like a week.... Found out she was a mare that Amber had ridden quite some time ago and said she was a nice horse. Well, that was a while before she knew much about horses like she knows now. Her friend said that the one mare had a foal who was for sale too. Just not enough time to have 3 horses as her older sis was going to college now. The mare had something wrong w/ her eye, and Amber knew enough to ask about it- wow, this kid has learned ! Amber would then report things to me. The mare sounded alright enough to go see at least. I told Amber that unless she would fit in here, we'd might not buy her- so Amber was prepared to go SEE her......
Well we made an appt w/ the sister and got there late due to getting stuck in traffic, but got there ! :) Just when one needs to drive straight thru..... whew. Anyway, the sister had her 'cleaned up' and saddled but not bridled. Odd I thought. Ha- one rub under that heavy saddle blanket and I knew WHY she was saddled. Rail thin w/ ribs popped BIG time, thin neck, thin head, everything was thin- her mane, and tail even ! I just sighed and thought ''you Poor thing , you, life has been tough hasn't it ?" We watched the gal ride her, mare seemed to have a nice soft mouth, responded to lightness too. Amber rode her, and she was fine w/ a new rider too. Bucked and played on the longe line- so that was positive. I know she will have double the energy once she's up to weight, but its that sensibility about her that I liked too. Her legs showed no sign of being raced and used up. The only thing was her cataract, but we're used to seeing from one eye only horses around here.... so it was no big deal. No breathing troubles either, which I'm shy about now.... I KNEW Carli had troubles before I got her- I certainly didn't want to ADD more horses like that. Pretty much she was A-okay just terribly thin. So I asked how little would this gal take for a half starved, blind in one eye, older mare ?? Hmmmmmmmm, talk about an ego come down. ( yeah, I DO know horses pretty well, kiddo <>) I got her for a song, and due to knowing how to build up thin horses and how to properly love a TB horse, she was sold. Amber was quietly pleased as she chattered the whole way home about her. We got her papers, some splint boots ( in purple- kinda neat ) two ratty bridles and one alright nylon one plus a show saddle blanket -western. So it was a pretty good deal I think ! <> So, she's registered, a proven broodmare, never raced, sound and is 14 yrs old, 15.1 hands tall. Solid bay, no white at all. I don't know how well bred she is but she has this "royal air" about her - if that makes sense.
Glenn n' I went to get her yesterday and well,. you know the rest of the tale. Stay tuned :)
I used to own an ex top gaming mare. Way back when - I think it was around 1974-75. I got her for almost nothing due to her having totally lost her mind over her four years in being gamed. I mean this mare was Toast, mentally. The way I found out about her was via her owners' son when she finally flipped out in the ring, sending his dad to the emergency room. His dad had turned down $25K back in the late 1960s', so she was something' else ! Big cream colored AQHA mare. She was a Perlino with green eyes... I'll never forget her name "Holly Lightfoot". And oh my was she lightfooted! Especially those fronts. I bought a $$$$ mare for just $500.00 and was told to NEVER bring her back, or they were shooting her.
That poor thing... she had these freaky green eyes and was cream colored from ear to hoof... But she was built, my lord she was built. Power, power and more power... the kind of mare who could spin on a dime n' give ya a nickle change. She was smart and fast as well. JUST what a person wanted for games, right ? Nope- not any more. She wasn't registered due to the AQHA not accepting that color horse.
Holly spent the first 3 months hiding in her stall. No energy or 'want to' at all. Just stood in there w/ her head in the darkest corner she could find. I had to go get her to turn her out- she was so depressed. Her lips had been sliced repeatedly, her tongue had a cut on it ; she was ear and head shy. 'Hmmmmmm, wonder Why ?' I knew the life of a gaming horse back then All to well and Holly had lived it.
I had just about given up on her, mentally, when one day I was greeted " G'morning - is it breakfast yet ? " in a nicker from her. Those eyes had some life back and I thought ''well its about time, mare". After she'd been w/ me for about 6 months. I thought its time to find out how bad she was / is. All I did was get my Tex-tan western saddle out and by the time I had gotten her bridle, she was sweating and shaking . Omg- what had happened to this mare before she came here? Took the western back inside the tack room, and she got better. So, lets try my Pariani English saddle. Now that was something Holly hadn't seen before and looked at it w/ interest. ''Okay then, we shall go English, Holly Lightfoot !'' She wore a big soft snaffle bit and a running martingale because I knew she'd throw her head back and knock a person silly with ease. Off we went to the ring. Got on her and she stood there, trembling.
Now this mare was a beefy 15.3 hands tall and 16 hands wide it seemed. I asked her to walk on, which she did and WHAM ! She threw her head backwards towards my face so fast I hardly saw it move. I felt the air though. I screamed at her like I was going to cook her for dinner, with ALL sorts of foul language added for effect. She was shocked and stopped it for a bit...she'd also punished herself when she hit that martingale yoke. That first ride consisted of jogging/ bouncing, threats to rear (she did twice) and that ever present threat to smack me with the top of her head. Each time she'd do it, she then would duck all the way down out of the way- I think to avoid retribution ? It was not a good ride at ALL. By the time we got done a reasonable trot/ bounce/ head toss around the ring, she was soaking wet, and I was about to give it all up.
Time passed, and we kept at it. I'd take her for long walks thru the woods, letting her relax and get her brain back some what, but HOW much would she re-gain from all of that stress and tension ? I didn't know. I learned to respect her and to love her a lot. Never did care much for cream colored horses, nor AQHA horses, but this one stole my heart. I was showing Apps then and had a ton of students arriving daily so Holly got to graze in the front yard n' watch all this. She did learn to relax again. It took her TWO years of my patience and not killing her like I swore I would one day. Her name often was 'Alpo Holly'. The kids thought that was great fun and would call her 'Ms Alpo'. I guess she saw little humor in it all.. It all went the same way, each ride. Holly bouncing up n' down, her bit hitting that martingale, and then dodging the bat she believed was going to hit her head if she didn't drop it and fast. I never carried anything in my hands.
One day I tried another bit... One where I had a little more "control" over what her face did. I have hands that are as 'light as butter' and a seat with Super Glue on it almost, so I was Not going to hurt her, unless she did it to herself. Nor was I going off. Off we went that evening, with a "if I'm not back in 30 minutes, come get me!" to my now ex husband. Holly tried to throw her head back- wham, she got punched by the bit. All I did was sit there. She tried to rear, well she got punched again. I asked for a little collection from her, and omg- I got it ! She got softer and softer in that big powerful bit, and I could ride her w/ my little fingers, she was so light. One more time Holly had to try hitting me w/ her face and to rear : she got hit again from the bit. Soon she'd figured out that it wasn't lucrative to keep doing those things. She settled into a mile eating trot from hell, and I was in Heaven ! Wow, this mare could move. I asked for a lope/ canter- what ever lead she offered, and I got either one. I could slow her down w/ ease or ask for some extension and got it immediately. All the while, Holly was soft in that bit as could be. No more threats, no more near black eyes, or broken noses.. just a very nice mare.
Whewwwww, Two years! She had been offering to get softer and slower, but never before such response from her. Holly had found "her niche" and she stayed there for a good many years. I showed her in open shows - both Western and English, but she just excelled in those English classes. One day, we'd just about finished up our classes, and I rode over to talk to a friend who was starting a new horse at barrels. She asked if the horse I was on had been her friend's mare, Holly Lightfoot... I said yeah, it was and she was Amazed ! They'd told everyone she'd gone bonkers and they put her down. Nope, here she was in all her glory- and winning in English flat classes now. Then a horse did a run for barrels, and guess who started shaking ? Yep, they Never forget. I swung my mare around and we jogged off to our horse trailer. When I'd dismounted, Holly ever so softly rubbed her lips on my cheek.... saying 'thanks' perhaps ? Or something more ? I'll never know as Holly never did have much to say.
After a week off due to a puffy spot on Abby's right hock, she seems to be fine ; swelling is gone, and she no longer "acts" like its sore. She never was lame, but I'm paranoid about something happening to all the horses I own . So after a week of rest and good stable management, Abby wanted to know, once again "When are we doing things again ?" Yes, foolish as it may seem to some non believers, my horses do communicate w/ me and they have since I was three years old. So I told her that 'soon' we would do things....this means being hitched, ground driving, and lots of "fun" things for Abby n' Me.
This morning was supposed to be horrid w/ heat n humidity of early summer, so I hurried thru the barn chores (stalls, turnouts, fly masks,fly spray, feed/ hay/ water, etc ! ) and after Abby was done w/ her morning hay, she was curried like mad, ( working on that mirror finish show coat ) vacuumed off and carefully harnessed. Abby used to threaten to rear, and was Very scared about all this harnessing stuff, due to her past not-so-good training. Its taken me almost 3 yrs to get her to this point, so I'm proud of her each time she's brave in trusting that I am NOT going to slam a big heavy work harness on her , thus clanking her w/ buckles, pieces of heavy leather ,etc. Not to mention with each piece of harness that she stands quietly for, Abby gets a treat. I normally do not do this sort of thing, but I had to think of someway to make being harnessed Positive. Thus the horse cookies- if she's not perfect, she gets nothing, so Abby learned Fast ! :)
I harnessed her alone while Glenn finished up scrubbing/refilling the outside water tubs ( this man is a Keeper !!). She was wonderful- more interested in those cookies, than the harness- this is Exactly what I wanted. Something for Abby to look forward to , instead of trembling in fear and standing as far away from that harness as possible. NOW, she's a mooch ! This is alright though and the cookies won't last for long now. Just in her feed tub like the rest who get worked :) Hahaha- I slipped her bridle on , quickly seeing it was the Wrong one. Got the right bridle, and changed it all- Abby didn't have a problem w/ humans being stupid at all. She was in crossties,( halter under her bridle) and I hitched her to the cart. She stood like a big statue, looking back to be sure I was doing it all correctly. She loves to see what is going on behind her and I encourage my horses to SEE that cart, or what ever is going on behind them. By then Glenn was done, and he headed her Just in case she chose to walk off alone. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooot a good thing. She stood quietly for me to clambor in that cart and get seated. Again- she turned her head to make sure all was alright. Merely interested.... which is good again :)
Off we went, down the lane to the ring, a nice step Gee, and into the ring thru the gate. She was quiet and light into her bit as we walked about some. There was some work going on at the neighbors place, so we had to stop and check that out. Lots of hammering and items coming out thru upstairs windows too. That would have gotten my attention TOO. She wasn't upset in the least, because I'd let her check out where the sounds were and to See them too. Off we went again at a nice walk. I have made the mistake of asking for a trot at a certain place in my ring all the time- and Guess WHO has learned where ? We were trotting and I'd not asked for that, so we had to begin again... Walkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk, Abby, And walkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. She listened perfectly but sure did want to keep that trot going. I let her walk along for a few more yards then asked her for a trot. Well, the words "walk on " and Trot! don't compute some mornings w/ her. There's been SO much to work on and she does go from a kiss sound, so I've been incorportaing both. This AM, Abby picked up a nice working trot. I'm still not used to her rhythm yet, so I check her feet, making sure they are tracking correctly and am trying to learn Her speed. Its tough as I've not had to deal with this for some time, being spoiled in knowing my other seasoned mare to a "T" ! I'll get it though. We did a slooooooooooooooooow trot and wow, this mare put on the slower speed really well. She's not got much of a clue about collection yet as she's SO green, but she's trying to understand . So we held that for about once 'round the ring ( its a 1/8 th mile jog track) and I was very pleased with her. Hahaa- seems Abby's idea of a strong trot ( we don't get much extension yet, but again, its coming as she gets more balanced/ stronger) is a canter-y/ trot-y item now . She asked to go faster than a strong trot, but I said no, that a good strong powered trot is all I needed today. Happily she complied. What a grand mare she is going to be !!
We have Only been hitching in a steady manner for about 5 weeks now, intermitantly due to weather, and "life" for me. We did some real nicely balanced figure 8s- for ME mostly so I do them RIGHT, and not sloppy.I Don't want Abby to learn that some things are to be ignored.... She was so good in those, that I thought for the first time, I'd ask for a stop in the middle of one. I warned her, and said " Abby, HO" . WOW, she came to a complete stop in about 3-4 strides. Abby stood quietly, sometimes looking back at me as though to say
" Abby thinks mom is nuts". It wasn't perfect, but danged near for a mare who two weeks ago threatened to rear each time some pressure was put on her. She stopped with just my ''pinkies'' asking her to, and stood for me. Abby got a lot of " GOOOD GIRL'S" for THAT. We trotted some more, and did the cone pattern - a simple serpentine in between them in line.... and did a back/ step up like one needs to do when in a show. I figured things were going well, so I asked her to 'fan' for me. Its a drafter thang and is basically a roll back in a cart. I gave her as clear a signal as I could and helped her step over by tapping her breeching straps w/ the whip, and told her to Step Haw... Well she tried real hard to understand and follow the directions, but again, it sure was Far from perfect. But she DID a 1/4 fan to the left, and then stepped Back over to face Glenn again ! Now that was an accomplishment for Miss " I wanna show folks my belly button !!" . We stopped with that - again after Tons of butt rubs, and praise for herself.
Drove back to the barn front, stopped, Abby waited while I got out of that cart ( I love it, but boy, its got rough entry/ exits !). She knows to wait for me too. By the time Glenn arrived, I had her partially unhitched and she was happily mooching cookies. None then, but she got hers when she was put back in her stall afterwards. Abby was hosed off and her sweaty face sponged, excess water ( now warm)was scraped off her, and she got to graze outside til she was cool enough to be in her stall. Not one drink from her water bucket, so I knew she was fine. :)
All in all, it was one perfect drive for me and Abby. I love this little black mare so incredibly and am on Cloud Nine at how good she's coming along after a few years of panic and my considering selling her as she was never going to be a safe hitch mare. But she IS - and is going to continue being good. I HOPE. Our first hitched show is on June 30th- we have a LOT to practice just so we don't look TOO foolish in the ring !
Off to watch our video of the World Percheron Congress from last October :D
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