One of the barn's regular Sunday stall muckers asked me if I would fill in for her while she was on vacation, and I said sure. I do it periodically, maybe twice or three times a year when people need a fill-in, and it's nice to have the credit taken off our board for the following month. I just usually try NOT to join the muck squad when hockey is in season because it's just too much for my back and arm muscles to bear!
So today I headed to the barn at 7 am, with one little stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a box of donut holes--the perfect snack for extended periods of stall cleaning. There were three of us today, and we were done by 10:30, fueled by Munchkins and grateful that stalls were reduced in number since a few horses have left the barn and a bunch of the Arabians were away this weekend at a show.
I did eight stalls, and I'm paying for it tonight. Got to find the arnica cream or Sore No More. To be honest, it might not have been so bad except that I came home and finished painting the bathroom, spread compost and mulch, and mowed the grass around the fire pit. And then jumped on my bike. It was just one of those gorgeous sunny days when it's easy to keep on the move.
I didn't do much of anything with Dude or Bestie, except to graze Dude for a bit before turning him out, and soap up Bestie's lower legs with antibacterial scrub since she stands in the swamp and eats the grass there practically the whole time she's out. She doesn't seem to have any ill effects from standing in the muck, but I scrub her every once in a while, mainly to make myself feel better, I guess.
Dude was a little at loose ends once turned out because his neighbor Dakota wasn't yet out. First I thought it was the bugs, so I sprayed him again, but he kept standing at his gate gazing expectantly toward the barn. Paige, who works almost daily at the barn, said, "Oh, he'll be fine as soon as Dakota comes out." She sees it all and if you inquire, she is good at giving a synopsis of your equine kid's day, reminiscent of a day care provider's feedback on whether your child played nicely or not and whether they ate all their lunch. Reassured by her comment, I headed home. I think Dude and Bestie were both just as happy to have a quiet day with sunny turnout and a little pre-hay stall nap. A leisurely day for them!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Pondering poop
I bet I think more about poop now than at any time since the girls were babies and the contents of their diapers were of utmost interest. It's such an indicator of a horse's well being. Is it firm? Green? Runny? Frequent? Few and far between?
Today I got to the barn and Dude's stall was perfectly clean. That is definitely out of the ordinary because normally his stall gets mucked by about 9/9:30 a.m., and then he stands there for at least another hour, perhaps longer, before getting turned out. Plenty of time to leave a couple piles--which is usually what we find when we show up in the late afternoon.
Hmmmn. No poop always gives me a bit of a twinge of unease, since most of the horses that have colicked in the barn have always started the process with minimal poop. I looked at Dude. He looked at me. He had his usual just-in-from-turnout dozy look. No sign of discomfort. So I filled his water bucket, then went and did Bestie's stall and water bucket. Every time I'd go down the aisle I'd do a poop check. He'd look back at me like "What's your problem??"
I split half a flake of hay between him and Bestie. Finally, about 5, I went by his stall again, and he'd pooped. Hurray!
The no-poop situation doesn't happen often, but when it does I always dredge up one of my favorite little memories. We hadn't had Dude long (meaning we didn't know him or his habits well), and it had been a hot day and I think he might have worked hard or had a show or something the day before, so he was a little sluggish. And he didn't seem to be pooping at the usual rate. We hung about wringing our hands and peering into his stall periodically in hopes of spotting a pile. Finally, we gave up and started to head home for dinner, leaving instructions with the barn manager to keep an eye on him. As we were backing away from the barn, she came running down the aisle of the barn shouting, "He pooped, he pooped!" High fives and a general feeling of relief all around.
Today I got to the barn and Dude's stall was perfectly clean. That is definitely out of the ordinary because normally his stall gets mucked by about 9/9:30 a.m., and then he stands there for at least another hour, perhaps longer, before getting turned out. Plenty of time to leave a couple piles--which is usually what we find when we show up in the late afternoon.
Hmmmn. No poop always gives me a bit of a twinge of unease, since most of the horses that have colicked in the barn have always started the process with minimal poop. I looked at Dude. He looked at me. He had his usual just-in-from-turnout dozy look. No sign of discomfort. So I filled his water bucket, then went and did Bestie's stall and water bucket. Every time I'd go down the aisle I'd do a poop check. He'd look back at me like "What's your problem??"
I split half a flake of hay between him and Bestie. Finally, about 5, I went by his stall again, and he'd pooped. Hurray!
The no-poop situation doesn't happen often, but when it does I always dredge up one of my favorite little memories. We hadn't had Dude long (meaning we didn't know him or his habits well), and it had been a hot day and I think he might have worked hard or had a show or something the day before, so he was a little sluggish. And he didn't seem to be pooping at the usual rate. We hung about wringing our hands and peering into his stall periodically in hopes of spotting a pile. Finally, we gave up and started to head home for dinner, leaving instructions with the barn manager to keep an eye on him. As we were backing away from the barn, she came running down the aisle of the barn shouting, "He pooped, he pooped!" High fives and a general feeling of relief all around.
Monday, May 19, 2008
What makes 'em tick?
I spend a lot of time thinking about why Dude and Bestie behave the way they do. Horse behavior--both with other horses and with humans--is really interesting to me. Take yesterday, for instance. It was a nice day, and by the time Katie and I got to the barn, Bestie had already done her shift outdoors and Dude was nearing the end of his shift.
Katie started mucking his stall and gathering up brushes to groom him, when all of a sudden in came barn manager Lisa leading her horse Dakota and Dude. "We've got the goofiest Quarter Horses around," she laughed. Seems she had been going down the grassy walk between the pastures with the mowing tractor and Dude and Dakota started tearing around in a panic. The tractor, which they have seen a MILLION times, both operating as well as parked, was all of a sudden very scary. Why?
Another perplexing thing... One day while I was handgrazing Dude, Paul, the Arabian trainer at the barn, came out in his new training cart hitched to his filly. The training cart is very open, and Paul stands upright in it. The whole effect is sort of Roman charioteer in the 'burbs of Vermont. I saw it before Dude did and my first thought was "Here we go!" I was convinced that Dude would have a huge freak-out fit with me frantically maintaining a death grip on the end of the lead rope.
He looked up from grazing as the cart approached, checked it out for a moment, heaved a sigh, and went back to grazing. Why?
On the other hand, Bestie, who is pretty ho-hum about most new and interesting sights, saw the same cart yesterday and promptly went into total panic mode. Big up-and-down prancing, tail straight up, lots of snorting. I had the distinct feeling that I would not win any attempt to hold her in place to look at the cart in a reasonable way, so I led her back to the barn. She absolutely was having nothing to do with the contraption. Why?
Like I said, I think a lot about why they act the way they do. But I sure don't come up with too many conclusive answers!
Katie started mucking his stall and gathering up brushes to groom him, when all of a sudden in came barn manager Lisa leading her horse Dakota and Dude. "We've got the goofiest Quarter Horses around," she laughed. Seems she had been going down the grassy walk between the pastures with the mowing tractor and Dude and Dakota started tearing around in a panic. The tractor, which they have seen a MILLION times, both operating as well as parked, was all of a sudden very scary. Why?
Another perplexing thing... One day while I was handgrazing Dude, Paul, the Arabian trainer at the barn, came out in his new training cart hitched to his filly. The training cart is very open, and Paul stands upright in it. The whole effect is sort of Roman charioteer in the 'burbs of Vermont. I saw it before Dude did and my first thought was "Here we go!" I was convinced that Dude would have a huge freak-out fit with me frantically maintaining a death grip on the end of the lead rope.
He looked up from grazing as the cart approached, checked it out for a moment, heaved a sigh, and went back to grazing. Why?
On the other hand, Bestie, who is pretty ho-hum about most new and interesting sights, saw the same cart yesterday and promptly went into total panic mode. Big up-and-down prancing, tail straight up, lots of snorting. I had the distinct feeling that I would not win any attempt to hold her in place to look at the cart in a reasonable way, so I led her back to the barn. She absolutely was having nothing to do with the contraption. Why?
Like I said, I think a lot about why they act the way they do. But I sure don't come up with too many conclusive answers!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
From Barbie Horse to Swamp Monster...
... in a matter of hours.
When Katie and I went to the barn last Wednesday we bathed Dude and Bestie. They were way overdue; Dude had probably last been bathed before Katie left in August and I think I did Bestie some time in September. The blankets went on in November and stayed on until April. Of course they were getting groomed for the most part every day, but still, they just get so gunky and dandruffy that the first warm day with enough time for a bath is cause for great celebration.
Our barn has a great wash stall. It's centrally located in the building with cross ties and hot and cold water. So bathing is not a logistical big deal at all. The most challenging part of the whole process is getting the water temperature right, because it seems that when anyone turns the sink on in the tack room it affects the water temperature in the wash stall. Bestie very definitely likes her water lukewarm.
She's very cooperative in the wash stall and stands pretty still the entire time but does NOT like having the hose anywhere near her face. I usually have to towel rub her face. Toward the end of this particular bath she got a little prancy because the cart with everyone's grain went by, but all in all the bath was pretty painless. I took her out afterwards to let her graze and she looked nice and shiny. I always see a few spots I missed... grrr. I left her tucked in the for night, bright-eyed and sleek, happily eating her hay.
The Horse Illustrated cover girl look didn't last for long. Her field has a wet spot that runs right through the middle of it. Some horses don't like to go in that area, but it doesn't bother Bestie. So of course I was thrilled (yeah, right!) to arrive at the barn the next day and see my formerly clean little princess with caked mud up to her hocks and splatters of mud on her sides and stomach like some kind of wierdly marked Appaloosa. I could just see her happily trotting through the muck to get mouthfulls of the tall grass in that wet area, splashing right through it and probably throwing in a roll at the mucky edge for good measure. Clean-and-shiny NEVER lasts very long. There's definitely a lot of elbow grease involved in keeping horses somewhat clean.
When Katie and I went to the barn last Wednesday we bathed Dude and Bestie. They were way overdue; Dude had probably last been bathed before Katie left in August and I think I did Bestie some time in September. The blankets went on in November and stayed on until April. Of course they were getting groomed for the most part every day, but still, they just get so gunky and dandruffy that the first warm day with enough time for a bath is cause for great celebration.
Our barn has a great wash stall. It's centrally located in the building with cross ties and hot and cold water. So bathing is not a logistical big deal at all. The most challenging part of the whole process is getting the water temperature right, because it seems that when anyone turns the sink on in the tack room it affects the water temperature in the wash stall. Bestie very definitely likes her water lukewarm.
She's very cooperative in the wash stall and stands pretty still the entire time but does NOT like having the hose anywhere near her face. I usually have to towel rub her face. Toward the end of this particular bath she got a little prancy because the cart with everyone's grain went by, but all in all the bath was pretty painless. I took her out afterwards to let her graze and she looked nice and shiny. I always see a few spots I missed... grrr. I left her tucked in the for night, bright-eyed and sleek, happily eating her hay.
The Horse Illustrated cover girl look didn't last for long. Her field has a wet spot that runs right through the middle of it. Some horses don't like to go in that area, but it doesn't bother Bestie. So of course I was thrilled (yeah, right!) to arrive at the barn the next day and see my formerly clean little princess with caked mud up to her hocks and splatters of mud on her sides and stomach like some kind of wierdly marked Appaloosa. I could just see her happily trotting through the muck to get mouthfulls of the tall grass in that wet area, splashing right through it and probably throwing in a roll at the mucky edge for good measure. Clean-and-shiny NEVER lasts very long. There's definitely a lot of elbow grease involved in keeping horses somewhat clean.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Dude and Katie reunited
Yay! With Katie home, she has taken over Dude-related responsibilities again. Yesterday I went to the barn after multiple errands and happened to be there when she arrived. I lunged Bestie and Katie rode Dude around in the indoor while Bestie trotted around in circles (with only one brief galloping snorting "I need longer turnout" moment).
I wondered what Dude thought this year as Katie popped back into his life during her school breaks in November, December, March and now. Did he wonder what had happened to her and where she went during those weeks he didn't see her? I watched them in the indoor and he looked really happy; his little ears were up and he had a lot more pep in his step than he does with me. I think he loves having his kid back aboard.
I like being at the barn with Katie. We talk as we pass one another in the aisle or in the tack room, or we take them out to graze and chat then. It's just sort of laid-back idle chat but it helps me tune in to her life. At the barn, she does her thing efficiently and doesn't complain about the work. She just does it.
We both decided independently that today should be Bath Day, since it's supposed to be in the upper 70s and may even hit 80 degrees. Both Dude and Bestie need good scrubs after a winter in blankets and the past week rolling around in mud in the pasture. (No matter how dry the fields seem, they always seem to find a mud spot.) More later on Bath Day. I'm looking forward to deep inhalations of their pina colada scented hair conditioner!
I wondered what Dude thought this year as Katie popped back into his life during her school breaks in November, December, March and now. Did he wonder what had happened to her and where she went during those weeks he didn't see her? I watched them in the indoor and he looked really happy; his little ears were up and he had a lot more pep in his step than he does with me. I think he loves having his kid back aboard.
I like being at the barn with Katie. We talk as we pass one another in the aisle or in the tack room, or we take them out to graze and chat then. It's just sort of laid-back idle chat but it helps me tune in to her life. At the barn, she does her thing efficiently and doesn't complain about the work. She just does it.
We both decided independently that today should be Bath Day, since it's supposed to be in the upper 70s and may even hit 80 degrees. Both Dude and Bestie need good scrubs after a winter in blankets and the past week rolling around in mud in the pasture. (No matter how dry the fields seem, they always seem to find a mud spot.) More later on Bath Day. I'm looking forward to deep inhalations of their pina colada scented hair conditioner!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Happy tears and sad tears
I'm such a weeper when it comes to horses. When I took the Equissage massage class in Virginia several years ago, we watched a video of an amazing dressage ride at the Washington International Horse show. It was so absolutely beautiful and moving, I cried. (Actually, I'm pretty sure all of us in the room did!)
During that same week, Mary the Equissage founder (an amazing lady) read the Horse's Prayer to us. I cried. I get teary-eyed during horse races, I get teary eyed during Club Class at 4H shows. I just can't help it.
A few weeks ago I did a search on Google. I can't remember the exact terms, but it was something like "horse mom" because I wanted to see if anyone else had a blog similar to mine. I came upon lots of fun reading, but there's one I've returned to over and over.
The address is http://www.savingargus.blogspot.com/ and it's the story of a woman's rescue of a Thoroughbred who had been in a pen for most of his 16 years, with very little human contact. It's a heart warming story and I marvel at her commitment. Talk about happy tears and sad tears!
During that same week, Mary the Equissage founder (an amazing lady) read the Horse's Prayer to us. I cried. I get teary-eyed during horse races, I get teary eyed during Club Class at 4H shows. I just can't help it.
A few weeks ago I did a search on Google. I can't remember the exact terms, but it was something like "horse mom" because I wanted to see if anyone else had a blog similar to mine. I came upon lots of fun reading, but there's one I've returned to over and over.
The address is http://www.savingargus.blogspot.com/ and it's the story of a woman's rescue of a Thoroughbred who had been in a pen for most of his 16 years, with very little human contact. It's a heart warming story and I marvel at her commitment. Talk about happy tears and sad tears!
Pony withdrawal
I'm going through pony withdrawal because I haven't seen the horses since Friday. I went over to the barn Friday morning and lunged Bestie, then hand grazed her and Dude. They had already been through their short turnout shifts by 11 a.m., so I felt kind of sorry for them facing stall confinement for the rest of the day.
We left that afternoon to head to Connecticut to attend our niece's first communion and to pick Katie up from college. Missions accomplished! It was great to see the family and to have Katie back at home for the summer. When we got back to VT on Sunday I helped her unload the car while Maddie and Kris took off for the kennel to grab the dogs. We had cut it close, arriving home at about 3:30 with the kennel due to close at 4:00.
Didn't make it to the barn that day (had to run up to work for a couple hours after returning home) or today (eye doctor appointment, massage, grocery shopping), which is why I'm suffering pony withdrawal symptoms. I really do miss them when I don't see them for a couple of days. Katie ran over tonight to say hi to Dude, and cleaned their stalls and made sure both were ok. I'm sure Bestie's filthy after going out all weekend and not being brushed since Friday. My grooming work will be cut out for me tomorrow!
We left that afternoon to head to Connecticut to attend our niece's first communion and to pick Katie up from college. Missions accomplished! It was great to see the family and to have Katie back at home for the summer. When we got back to VT on Sunday I helped her unload the car while Maddie and Kris took off for the kennel to grab the dogs. We had cut it close, arriving home at about 3:30 with the kennel due to close at 4:00.
Didn't make it to the barn that day (had to run up to work for a couple hours after returning home) or today (eye doctor appointment, massage, grocery shopping), which is why I'm suffering pony withdrawal symptoms. I really do miss them when I don't see them for a couple of days. Katie ran over tonight to say hi to Dude, and cleaned their stalls and made sure both were ok. I'm sure Bestie's filthy after going out all weekend and not being brushed since Friday. My grooming work will be cut out for me tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Happy days are here again!
Turnout is back! The horses went out yesterday and today. As I type this, it is raining, and it's supposed to continue through tomorrow, so tomorrow is iffy. Oh well.
Lisa fenced off the fields to reduce them by half, so all the horses have access to the front half to let the grass keep growing unmunched upon in the back half. The fields are really in desperate need of fertilizing and reseeding; there's not much good grass. There's a decent amount of fields for turnout, but they're all taken because each horse goes out alone. When we first moved to the barn, Bestie went out with a couple mares (who have since left) and Dude went out with another gelding, Cullen. Cullen tended to bite on Dude in the winter when he wasn't distracted by grass, so they ended up getting separated.
I think Dude likes have a buddy to go out with; even now, he tends to stay along the fenceline if one of his "friends" is in the next field. When we first got him, he was out in a field with four other geldings and did fine. He paired up with Damian, an older guy, and they would stand at the fenceline and check out the mares in the next field.
Bestie doesn't seem to care if she's with anyone or not. She was kind of bossy with her pasture mates before, especially when it was time to come in; they would all jockey for position at the gate.
Today I grazed Dude and Bestie for about ten minutes each because they both seemed frantic to get out of their stalls, even though they had their two hour shifts outside earlier in the day. The amount of time will gradually increase over the next 1-2 weeks to prevent the chance of laminitis from overconsumption of the rich spring grass. Only the horses that have been hand grazed regularly over the last month are getting two hours.
Soon they'll get up to 4 1/2 to 5 hours outside and resettle into the routine. Life gets a lot easier when turnout starts up again.
Lisa fenced off the fields to reduce them by half, so all the horses have access to the front half to let the grass keep growing unmunched upon in the back half. The fields are really in desperate need of fertilizing and reseeding; there's not much good grass. There's a decent amount of fields for turnout, but they're all taken because each horse goes out alone. When we first moved to the barn, Bestie went out with a couple mares (who have since left) and Dude went out with another gelding, Cullen. Cullen tended to bite on Dude in the winter when he wasn't distracted by grass, so they ended up getting separated.
I think Dude likes have a buddy to go out with; even now, he tends to stay along the fenceline if one of his "friends" is in the next field. When we first got him, he was out in a field with four other geldings and did fine. He paired up with Damian, an older guy, and they would stand at the fenceline and check out the mares in the next field.
Bestie doesn't seem to care if she's with anyone or not. She was kind of bossy with her pasture mates before, especially when it was time to come in; they would all jockey for position at the gate.
Today I grazed Dude and Bestie for about ten minutes each because they both seemed frantic to get out of their stalls, even though they had their two hour shifts outside earlier in the day. The amount of time will gradually increase over the next 1-2 weeks to prevent the chance of laminitis from overconsumption of the rich spring grass. Only the horses that have been hand grazed regularly over the last month are getting two hours.
Soon they'll get up to 4 1/2 to 5 hours outside and resettle into the routine. Life gets a lot easier when turnout starts up again.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Derby
After watching the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, I wanted to drive right back to the barn and give Dude and Bestie a big hug. The breakdown and euthanization of filly Eight Belles right after the race was just so sad.
I always watch the Derby, actually any race, with trepidation. On the one hand, the horses are so beautiful going to the gate, and galloping down the home stretch. But I absolutely hate the whole part as they come out of the gate and start fighting for position. I watch it with my heart pounding, willing everyone, horses and riders, to stay upright and safe. And now, after watching--actually 'imagining' is more like it since they didn't show it on camera--Eight Belles' breakdown right after the race, it makes me want to never to watch a race again.
It's that powerful combination of athleticism and beauty cut down by lightening-quick blink-of-an-eye tragedy that makes me feel so sad. The vision of an animal giving its all, and then dead a few minutes later, the victim of a horrible accident. It seems like her death is generating a lot of questions about horse racing (again). I just hope that everyone involved in the sport from breeding to training to facilities to races tries to make it as safe as possible for the horses and their riders.
I always watch the Derby, actually any race, with trepidation. On the one hand, the horses are so beautiful going to the gate, and galloping down the home stretch. But I absolutely hate the whole part as they come out of the gate and start fighting for position. I watch it with my heart pounding, willing everyone, horses and riders, to stay upright and safe. And now, after watching--actually 'imagining' is more like it since they didn't show it on camera--Eight Belles' breakdown right after the race, it makes me want to never to watch a race again.
It's that powerful combination of athleticism and beauty cut down by lightening-quick blink-of-an-eye tragedy that makes me feel so sad. The vision of an animal giving its all, and then dead a few minutes later, the victim of a horrible accident. It seems like her death is generating a lot of questions about horse racing (again). I just hope that everyone involved in the sport from breeding to training to facilities to races tries to make it as safe as possible for the horses and their riders.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)