Hello Again

Yes, I am back after a much needed hiatus from the blogging world. Our family just had too much going on for my to-do list to include keeping up with my blogs. So much has happened, I don't think I can cover it all at once, so I will try to do some shorter blogs with new photos so I can fill everyone in on what's been going on in my crazy horse life. Happy 2012...more to come soon.

So Many Choices

I am becoming quite unsatisfied with my current horse feed. We have been using this local brand (in TX) for over 3 years. However, as my horses' needs change with age, training levels, local hay quality, etc., I am not seeing the results I once saw with this feed. I hate the idea of having to put every horse on different feed. I like simplicity and I like keeping things natural. Regardless, its time for a change. Also, I am feeding two feed types right now....a combination of sweet feed and an alfalfa based pellet to help them get a little more forage, especially for the senior guys who don't grind their hay like they once did and have a hard time getting what they need from their hay alone. I have researched both Purina and Nutrena brands since I can get them in our area. I am liking the looks of the following: Nutrena's Safe Choice, Purina's Senior for my 31 year old gelding, and Purina's Strategy Healthy Advantage. Has anyone had any luck or disappointments with any of these options?? Any other suggestions?? I have one easy keeper in his prime, 2 youngsters who are moderate keepers and 2 seniors at this point.

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Not My Favorite Month

January was a rough month around here horse-wise. After dealing with the loss of Ranger early in the month, the hits didn't stop. I am hopeful that now we are on hiatus from horse issues, but boy, has it been an exciting month! A couple of weeks after Ranger's colic, we took a little weekend trip to West Texas for some r & r. We had an amazing day all day Saturday including a nice trail ride and some cattle work. Bailey pushed some cows around for the first time and did great! The weather was beyond perfect. In fact, it was turning out to be one of the best weekends in a long while. As we were getting ready to put the horses up and head to the house for dinner, my husband decided to go for one more short ride. Well, unfortunately, it didn't end up so well. Let's just sum it up by saying he came off the horse and landed directly on his left shoulder. He instantly knew something was wrong and I could see his collar bone sticking up a little. He thought it might be broken, but turns out he has a complete, grade 3 AC separation. After one doctor visit ending with surgery as the recommendation we went for a second opinion. It looks like he probably won't need surgery, according to the second, more experienced surgeon. We go to a third orthopedist soon just to see if we can get two opinions that are the same and to see about some new symptoms he is having. Most recently in our crazy horse life, Bailey showed up to the barn for dinner (after being completely fine at breakfast and in the early afternoon) with a severely swollen and lame left hind leg. I put her up for the night after some water therapy and a little Bute, in hopes she just banged up her leg a little in some mysterious way or another. I figured by morning she would be much improved and on her way back to normal. Well, I was wrong. The swelling and lameness was no better. We ended up taking her in to the vet fearing tendon or ligament issues or worse, bone fracture. The swelling was pretty intense so, we really couldn't pin point any one source of her lameness. After palpating her leg and doing a diagnostic nerve block in the fetlock joint, the lameness improved greatly, but nothing was definitive because of the inflammation. She had been wrapped and stalled for a week and I removed the wrap on Tuesday for the first time. I was really disheartened to see what truly looked like a bowed tendon. So, back to the vet we went this morning. I had re-wrapped her leg and not seen it in the flesh since Tuesday. I was very surprised and relieved to see an enormous amount of improvement today once the wrap was removed. She also showed no signs of lameness! Incredibly miraculous in my book. Our vet is confident it is only an irritation of the tendon sheath. Whew! I really thought that we were doomed and I had been so worried and depressed all week. Well, what was another log on the fire of crazy stuff from the past month, ended on a pretty positive note today. Bailey should make a full recovery. She is still on stall rest for 3 weeks with light hand walking and then we go back to the vet for a check up. I don't mess around with tendon, ligament, or bone issues. I want to make sure all is well before we start back to doing anything. So, we will be taking everything very slowly. I had already been planning on investing in some good support boots and now I am definitely going to be doing that. I would welcome any recommendations on brands, etc. Here's to hoping the next 30 days will be less eventful than the last.

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Ranger

I have been avoiding this post for weeks now, but I figured it was time to get it over with. In early January, actually, the week after I got a positive report from our WA vet regarding Ranger's progress with the chronic laminitis, I got a dreaded phone call. The owner of the barn where Ranger has been staying called late on that Saturday night to advise me that Ranger was in the throws of colic and had cast himself inside his run-in shelter. He had gotten Ranger up and out of the shelter, walked him and tried keeping him up on his feet but things were getting worse, so the on-call vet was on her way out. Ranger had been on a strict diet of coastal hay only and nothing in his diet or feeding schedule had changed. He also had unrestricted access to temperate, fresh water, as always. Also, this was the first incidence of colic for Ranger. This was just one of those colics that randomly happens and we don't fully know why. I will spare you all the details, but after 2 days of doing all that we could for him, things continued to get worse. Surgery was then our only option. That would have meant a 6 hour trailer ride and not knowing if we had that much time, combined with the concerns of his chronic founder, we elected to end his suffering. Even though the decision was extremely hard, especially given other circumstances in our life and with not being there with him through all of this, we feel it was the right decision. The vet agreed with us as did the barn owner, after we made our decision. I am eternally grateful to our wonderful vets who were so brutally honest with us and were so willing to help with all the details of this ordeal every step of the way. Everyone was so amazing. And we owe an immense amount of gratitude to the barn owner, our friend, who loved and cared for Ranger in those last days as if Ranger was his own. Thank you Gerry. You are an exceptional human being. So, Ranger has gone on to the pastures next to the Rainbow Bridge, where we will meet again one day. I will miss him more than words can describe. I will miss his humorous antics and his fearless, dog-like nature. He was truly a gem among horses and will be irreplaceable. Rest peacefully my faithful friend.

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The Latest on Ranger

Our vet headed out to see Ranger yesterday and do another set of x-rays. He called me with his findings...the good news, Ranger isn't any worse. The x-rays look almost exactly like they did back in September. Bad news...Ranger isn't any better. Now, that can kinda be expected since he won't be growing much new hoof now that winter is here. The truth is that we won't really know what hand we are going to be dealt until we are a year out from when he foundered...when the foot has totally grown out. Then, we will pretty much have what we will have. He could always get worse in the meantime or any time after. So, we will have to monitor him closely for the rest of his days. The vet thinks since he isn't in any kind of pain or discomfort right now, if we can keep it that way, that we have a good chance at using him as a light riding horse for trails or as a lesson horse. However, there is still the chance that once we try to start using him, that his feet won't tolerate it. Time will tell, I guess. The vet did say that he is still worse in the left than the right and that he does display a little (the tiniest bit) of stiffness when he moves. This could be attributed to arthritis or from complications of the previous founder (of which we had no knowledge). There is no way to tell though. The x-rays show about 3 degrees of rotation in the front left, which is not much, and less than that in the right front. The sinking has improved and he has a good deal of sole and hoof wall, which is excellent news. So, all in all, he is doing good, but we aren't out of the woods by any means and we still have a long way to go. I did get a few photos of him from the barn owner yesterday, which was such a treat. It has been hard not to be there and see him in person and put my hands on him during all of this...especially with my being a little bit of a neurotic horse mom at times. I will admit, when it comes to my "kids" I can be a teeny bit controlling...not always, but sometimes. So, these photos were a welcomed sight. Here's my pretty boy in his paddock with his new shelter which the barn owner built just for him to stay out of the WA winter weather. These people are such lifesavers and I am so grateful to have found such a good place for Ranger to stay.

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Birthday Team Sorting

Saturday was my birthday, though I won't mention my age....I hate birthdays. I am not a fan of aging. However, I did talk the hubby into going to a horsey-thing (which is quite difficult for my husband) on my birthday and ONLY because it was my birthday. I have been searching long and far, high and wide for something horse-related that my husband would enjoy doing...so we can do horse things together. He doesn't really care for the training stuff I like to do such as clinics and he gets bored doing trail riding. The most fun I have ever seen him have on a horse was when we had to round up those horses on the neighbor's ranch in West Texas. He truly had a blast and couldn't stop talking about it for a week! He likes things with purpose. Well, here in New Mexico, I have started to meet some other horse people. I recently met the owners of the barn where a friend boards her horses and they told us about a team sorting they were hosting. I have been interested in sorting and penning and wanted to know more about it and find out if it was something that might pique the hubby's interest. So, we went...sans horses, of course. Right away the barn owner introduced himself to my husband and the talk was on. The hubby learned all about how sorting works and then started asking about cow working lessons and roping lessons! I think I have him on board...finally! We stuck around and watched most of the sorting and we are hooked. We were already strategizing for our sorts and can't wait to get our horses back up here and get started. The barn owners are super nice and have offered to help us get our horses started on cows and teach us more about sorting. The husband is buying a rope and wants to learn the basics of roping too. I am hoping this is the answer to my dilemma. Maybe this will finally be the horsey thing the hubby and I can do together. I'll let you know how it goes...

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What's Really Been Cooking Lately...

The real reason I haven't been blogging as much, aside from the fact that my life has been pretty mundane, is that I have been busy working. Yep, no job, but I HAVE been working. I have been makin' lots of jewelry. I have done pretty well in the past month since starting a business Facebook page. Next on the "to do" list is to start selling on Etsy and FINALLY decide on a business name. I still draw a blank, even now. Anyhow, I really wanted to share the newest "branch" of my business and the one I am most excited about. I am now making and selling custom rhythm beads. Or for those of you who don't want the jingle, but still want the bling...horse jewelry. I will even do matching necklaces, bracelets, and/or earrings for the rider. I have never really cared for the rhythm beads you typically see on the market. You know, the ones made with the plastic pony beads and big ol' jingle bells. They just aren't my cup of tea. So, I thought, why can't I make really nice ones...ones I would almost want to steal from my horse and wear for myself? Well, that's what I am doing and I am having a blast. I love getting a photo from someone wanting beads for their horsey friend...a photo of a girl and her beloved horse...and creating something totally unique that is completely definitive of the horse-lover's personal style and taste. It warms my heart, actually. And what a personal, from-the-heart gift it is! So, if you are looking for the perfect gift for your horse-loving friend, consider these. It would be my personal pleasure to create something for that special friend. Or just get some for yourself!

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THE Futurity

Sorry I have been absent from the blog for a while. I have been going all over the place doing all sorts of things...lots of which I don't care to blog about right now. However, there is one exception to my non-blog topic list. I managed to convince the hubby to let me go to Fort Worth with some of my girlfriends to watch the Open Finals of the 2010 NCHA Futurity! Boy, did we ever have a blast! Shopping, good food, good company, good horses...what more could a girl ask for? If you haven't been to the futurity before, I highly recommend it. The finals were so exciting and lucky us, we got to see the record-breaking run of 230 by Lloyd Cox aboard the adorable One Time Royalty, which, of course, won the open division of the futurity. It was breathtaking poetry in motion, mixed with a shot of adrenaline. :) And now, a few snapshots from our big city cuttin' horse adventure...

ONE TIME ROYALTY on his 230 point record run

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Here, There, and Everywhere

Lately, I have been trying to spend as much time with Bailey as I can, though I haven't managed to be very successful at that goal. First, we hit a little speed bump....she started displaying some serious attitude. It was so bad that I couldn't even saddle her to ride! She would pin her ears, try to bite, squeal, act cinchy, and so on. No matter what I did, it wasn't getting any better. So, I had that friend of mine help me. We got everything fixed right up. She gave me some great advice and confirmed my suspicions that Bailey's antics were, in fact, just that...antics. She was bored and started making her own fun, instead of waiting for me to do more advanced things with her. She is that smart. You only have to show her once, and then, she's got it and its time to move on. I don't need to be afraid she's too young or not ready to do some more advanced things. Now, I can saddle her while she's tied without her giving me any sass and then check her out on the ground and hop on. Ah, she's a dream.

Our second hurdle was that after being with my friend for a week, we headed to the Hill Country for a week. Well, shortly after she arrived, she and 2 of her half-sisters all shared a cold. I had planned on riding her quite a bit to keep our momentum going from the week before but thought it better to let her rest up. So, I left her behind for week two while I returned "home" to the parents' place. While I was away, she and the other girls got over the cold without any further problems. She also lucked out and got a fabulous trim from my friend's farrier while we were there. I was so impressed with his patience with the horses and his knowledge and ability. He uses an electric grinder, of sorts, and it is amazingly precise and quick in his guided hands. A fraction of the time of a regular trim and Bailey's feet have never looked better!!

I headed back to Kerrville to pick Bailey up after another week and to do a one day Parelli workshop and play day nearby. On Saturday we headed over to Camp Lonehollow in Vanderpool. This place was unbelievable! The facilities are, to put it modestly, incredible and over-the-top. Every detail was planned to perfection and it is set back in a private valley surrounded by cedar and oak covered hills dotted with several small lakes. The buildings all blend in with the natural scenery...it is gorgeous. The weather was perfect, cool and sunny. Bailey was awesome! We went to two workshops in the a.m. I chose to work on Liberty first. We hadn't done much of that other than work on our "draw". She has no problem sticking to me. So, we advanced what we knew and played all the games. It was a blast. Before lunch we all did a short freestyle riding lesson. So fun! After lunch we did a freestyle timed tournament. I was impressed at how well Bailey did. She did everything I asked of her with much try and she even cantered when I asked, picked her correct lead (the second time around), and did it all without much attitude. I was thrilled! So funny how those little things can sometimes mean the most. We continued the afternoon working on some patterns for developing impulsion. It was a much needed fun and informative day led by great instructors. I had a great time riding with several of my girl friends and I met some new ladies as well. Can't wait to go back!

Below are some photos from our day at Lonehollow. That's not all we have been up to lately, so more to come soon.

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Update On Ranger

I am still wandering across Texas, so I have been neglecting the blogging world a bit. I thought a belated update on Ranger was a little overdue...Our WA vet went out to see Ranger last week and gave me some good news. Ranger is still doing very well, in fact, our vet suggested we skip x-rays this time around and just re-shoe as we had been doing. Ranger will still be needing front shoes and the same type of gel pads for a while, but at least we aren't moving backward anymore. The farrier agreed that things were going very well and that he didn't see why, if I was home, I couldn't start riding Ranger again in the near future. I am so relieved to know my handsome boy is doing so much better. Now, if we can be better prepared for next Spring and prevent this whole ordeal from happening again, we will be doing great!

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"They call me the wanderer..."

That old song definitely defines my life of late. We just got word we won't be returning home to WA until late spring or summer. I have been galavanting all over the place and next week I am off again to visit my old stomping grounds in the Hill Country. Which, I might add, I have been sooooo looking forward to doing for a while now. So, I have returned to TX for a while. Good thing. Life's been quite eventful here in the south. The morning after I arrived, I went out to feed the horses, having kept Bailey up to avoid her fighting with my youngest gelding, Blackjack, and having their meet and greet turn into what usually becomes a trip to the vet for one of them. Last time they were both together he kept trying to breed her. She was sore in her back and bitten all over. I have since kept them separated when I return to TX. Well, this time the separation proved to be in vain. Blackjack came up for his morning feed with a 10 inch horizontal gash across the lower part of his left shoulder. We have no idea how he did it or what he came across because it is at such an odd angle and height. It took 20 stitches and an overnight trip to the vet. Not because he wasn't ready to come home the same day, but because he wouldn't get in the trailer that night. If you know me at all, you know one of my pet peeves is a horse that won't trailer load. ALL my horses willingly get into ANY trailer and travel well over long distances, if necessary. Well, Blackjack hasn't gone anywhere in over a year and I can't really blame him for not wanting to get back in the trailer after what I am sure was an unpleasant visit with the vet. So, we went back the next day and he loaded up without too much fuss. We will be working on that issue once he is all healed up.

After picking up Blackjack, we headed south to a friend's house. Well, really they are a family of friends, 7 to be exact. The eldest daughter is quite the horse-woman having her own lesson and training business, which is helping pay for her college. Really, she is humble when it comes to her abilities with horses, but I think she is amazing. So do a lot of other people. She has performed at the Parelli tour stops on more than one occasion, if that tells you anything. Bailey is now staying with her for a few days and then we are going back to get some lesson time. Bailey and I have been having "issues". I know it is all me, just not being savvy enough for her. It is challenging for me to have a more confident, intelligent, athletic horse who is very playful. She gets bored easily and I am not provocative enough for her in many instances. I am used to my other gelding who used to be much more fractious, unconfident, and less playful. He needed comfort and consistency. Which I am now well-versed in providing. Bailey needs play, variety, and incentive. Its not that I don't know what to do...the knowledge is definitely there. But I sometimes have trouble accessing it and keeping my emotions out of it. As my friend put it, Bailey is a bit of a princess. At least I know now and can admit it, and hopefully we can get over this hump pretty quickly and move on to the next. :) I'll let you know how things go next week!

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Star-struck

I took a little sight-seeing day trip to Lincoln, NM yesterday with my parents. We went to check out the museums and all the Billy "The Kid" memorabilia. Little did I know I was in store for a surprise encounter with someone I admire far more than I could care about Billy Bonney. We started up the sidewalk of the old "Dolan House" in town to grab a little lunch at the historic home-turned-quaint cafe. As I approached the front porch, I noticed a cowboy sitting in a rocking chair. He greeted us with a friendly, "Hi, How are you folks?" And when I looked over and realized who I was talking to when I replied, "Great, How are you?"...I could hardly believe my eyes. It was 2010 Road to the Horse Champion, Craig Cameron!! I politely asked him if I could have my mom take our photo together, while trying not to make a big deal about it all. He was so nice and even stopped to visit with us again after we all had our lunch. There aren't too many other clinicians/world re-knowned horsemen that I think would take the time to genuinely visit with you and not think you are just another crazy horse person/fan. And he has a great smile! Kudos to Craig!

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My Sentiments Exactly...

The barn manager at Bailey's barn has this on her truck. Words to live by...

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Our Little Horse Lover

I am blessed to be called aunt by three of the most precious, adorable, sweet kids ever. The two oldest (niece, T, age 7 and nephew, M, age 3) happen to like horses. Well, T likes horses alright, but M loves them. We talk on the phone a few times a week and our conversations are always about horses and all things cowboy. I must confess, that I have encouraged his horse infatuation a little, but I also think the horse obsession is genetic. My dad was horseback a lot is his younger years and even at work during his 30's after I was around. My mom also had horses when she was growing up. Try as they might, they couldn't keep the "horse gene" from surfacing later in my life even though I was never allowed to have a horse as a child. I was, admittedly, too busy with other activities to have a horse. So, now they are being paid back 10 fold by their oldest grandson and his horse-aholic ways.

M is convinced that all my horses are actually his horses. He was so excited to see me arrive in Texas with the horses in tow. He loves my truck and trailer too...I mean, his trailer.Wherever the horses and I go, he thinks he should go as well. He loves to ride, though we don't let him do it a lot or for more than a minute or two because, in my opinion, he is still too young. We always make him wear his helmet, with the exception of the occasional photo op and he is never, ever allowed around the horses by himself. Safety first, always.

How do I know he was born with the "horse gene"? From the time M was about 18 months old, you could NOT get him to sit in front of the TV and watch cartoons for even 5 minutes, but put an old western on and he would be mesmerized. No one made a big deal about westerns, horses, or cowboys; he just loved that stuff of his own accord. He loves "cowboy shows" to this very day. Only now, he has to watch them while dressed in full cowboy garb. You won't catch him watching a western television show or movie without his cowboy boots, cowboy hat, and belt with holstered toy six shooter. He also has to have rope in hand and be sitting (straddled on the arm of the sofa) in his very own western saddle complete with leather reins. He gets so into it, when the cowboys in the movie start yeehaw-ing or a bugler plays the sound to charge...M yeehaws at the top of his lungs. It is hilarious. We finally managed to find time to go for a real ride a couple of weeks ago. He donned his cowboy hat for a few minutes to snap a couple of photos at the end of our ride. Maybe you can see why I adore this dimpled cowboy cutie so much...

Meeting our mount.

Serious cowboy business going on...

So excited!!

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Gimme Your Two Cents

The past couple of days Bailey just hasn't quite been herself. Nothing major, but just not 100% her usual self. To be quite honest, I think she is sore. In her back for sure, but maybe elsewhere too. It just so happens that I met the nicest lady at the barn yesterday who is a certified equine sports massage therapist. I am thinking about having her take a look at Bailey. I have never ventured into the world of "alternative or holistic horse health care"...if that is what you even call it. Personally, I have gotten a lot of help from good massage therapists for my own shoulder and neck problems in the past and I can't imagine it wouldn't do the same for a horse. Anyone out there have any thoughts on this idea? Any advice? I am not convinced I should go ahead just yet and I would love to hear how massage has or has not worked for your horses. Feel free to put that two cents in!

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