Back from a few days enjoying the Maine coast in Boothbay Harbor. Anyone looking for a vacation: I highly recommened the Spruce Point Inn. Beautiful location on the point just across the bay from Boothbay, lovely accommodations, a heated and an oceanwater pool, hot tubs, spa services, very nice staff, gorgeous area to walk or bike around, delicious food in the restaurant! Bikes and kayaks included in the lodging. In the restaurant, yummy French toast, to-die-for blueberry pie, very light and tasty scallop roll. Lots of lounge chairs, Adirondack chairs and hammocks to park yourself in. I could go on and on!
But, on to the ponies... We got home from ME around 6 and the kids were busy so I ran over to the barn to say hello to Dude and Bestie. They were of course happy to see me, not because they missed me over the four days I was gone, but because they were out of hay and it was too early for the night flakes to be distributed. I opened their doors and put their stall guards up, and as I was mucking Dude's stall, I heard a funny noise, but didn't think too much of it until I heard hooves going down the barn aisle. Bestie apparently had leaned against the stall guard and popped one screw eye right out of the doorframe, most likely leaning out trying to get her night flake. There was one person in the indoor riding, so I shouted "loose horse" then ran to get a bucket of grain. My last glimpse of Bestie was of her prancing though the indoor with her tail up in the air, clearly pretty pleased with herself.
It's always funny to me how the horses start whinnying throughout the barn when there's an escapee. It's like they're sounding the alarm or spreading the word. "Hey, the black mare is out!" "Where'd she go?" "I don't know, I can't see down the aisle! Darn these stall bars!"
I ran out the back door with a handful of grain in a bucket and walked right up to her. She was happily grazing about 15 feet from the indoor and never even moved as I walked up and slipped the halter over her head. Then she docilely followed me back into the barn. Adventure over. I could hear Dude snorting and whinnying, but he stopped once he realized she was back. Whew. No other excitement, except barn owner Lisa's daughter came over to investigate. Hands on her hips, "Well, HOW did this happen? Where were YOU?" Nothing like being given the business by a kid half your size and I have to give her credit: she is a pro :).
Monday, July 13, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th of July!
On the 4th of July I always take a moment to remember Dude and Bestie's inauspicious participation in the local 4th of July parade. It's been a couple of years now. We were told by my co-leader in 4H, "Oh, do it! It's a lot of fun! Willow (her daughter's horse) has done it with Molly for years!" So we get to the barn early and get them all cleaned up. The girls have their show clothes on. The plan was to have the two Western riders flanking Mads on Bestie. Well, Dude never even made it to the intersection of the main road with the road the barn is on. He took one look at the hordes of people with BALLOONS, and STROLLERS, and STREAMERS and started spinning and backing. Katie did her best to urge him forward, but he was having NOTHING to do with it and made a total spectacle of himself. It was like a side show for all the people lined up waiting for the parade. He went back to the barn.
Bestie and Willow went on down to the staging area. Everything was ok. Bestie was sort of taking the measure of all the activity, but she was fine. Amazing, considering there were bands on floats, people in costumes on floats, people waving banners, kids tearing around, a loudspeaker that would crackle and pop ... you get the picture. In retrospect, I truly think that everything would've been fine except that we were camped out in the staging area for a REALLY LONG TIME. The temperature kept climbing, and once Maddie started to sweat, she got cranky. Then Bestie got cranky.
When we finally started to move, it was at a snail's pace. Not a horse's pace. I could tell it was excruciating for Bestie not to be able to step out. Once we got on the main road, it became pretty clear that she wasn't going to be able to last through the whole route. We decided that Maddie and Bestie would peel off once we got to the turn for our road, not that far away. I could see that she was making a huge effort to keep herself together. Maddie was patting her and trying to keep her calm, but it was only a matter of time before it all fell apart.
Right as we got to our road, where we'd decided to turn off, all hell broke loose. A guy dressed in a Chewbacca costume on the float ahead of us jumped off and started throwing candy. As if that weren't enough, he came up along Bestie in his furry suit, and started throwing the candy under her belly to the people on the other side of the road. That was it. Bestie's eyes rolled, she started prancing, and Maddie turned her to get her onto the side road. But there were people in lawn chairs blocking the road. I think I went a little bit crazy. I started yelling, "Move your chairs! Horse coming through!" like a nut, over and over. They all moved, pretty darn quick. Maddie trotted Bestie through the break in the crowd and back they went to the barn. I watched them trotting down the road and felt drained. Sometimes you have to apologize to your horse and this was definitely one of those times.
The next day I opened the newspaper fearfully, expecting a photo with the caption "Mad woman terrifies parade goers." But no. Thank goodness. Now every 4th, we're like, "Remember the parade?"
Bestie and Willow went on down to the staging area. Everything was ok. Bestie was sort of taking the measure of all the activity, but she was fine. Amazing, considering there were bands on floats, people in costumes on floats, people waving banners, kids tearing around, a loudspeaker that would crackle and pop ... you get the picture. In retrospect, I truly think that everything would've been fine except that we were camped out in the staging area for a REALLY LONG TIME. The temperature kept climbing, and once Maddie started to sweat, she got cranky. Then Bestie got cranky.
When we finally started to move, it was at a snail's pace. Not a horse's pace. I could tell it was excruciating for Bestie not to be able to step out. Once we got on the main road, it became pretty clear that she wasn't going to be able to last through the whole route. We decided that Maddie and Bestie would peel off once we got to the turn for our road, not that far away. I could see that she was making a huge effort to keep herself together. Maddie was patting her and trying to keep her calm, but it was only a matter of time before it all fell apart.
Right as we got to our road, where we'd decided to turn off, all hell broke loose. A guy dressed in a Chewbacca costume on the float ahead of us jumped off and started throwing candy. As if that weren't enough, he came up along Bestie in his furry suit, and started throwing the candy under her belly to the people on the other side of the road. That was it. Bestie's eyes rolled, she started prancing, and Maddie turned her to get her onto the side road. But there were people in lawn chairs blocking the road. I think I went a little bit crazy. I started yelling, "Move your chairs! Horse coming through!" like a nut, over and over. They all moved, pretty darn quick. Maddie trotted Bestie through the break in the crowd and back they went to the barn. I watched them trotting down the road and felt drained. Sometimes you have to apologize to your horse and this was definitely one of those times.
The next day I opened the newspaper fearfully, expecting a photo with the caption "Mad woman terrifies parade goers." But no. Thank goodness. Now every 4th, we're like, "Remember the parade?"
Monday, June 29, 2009
Dude gets cellulitis
Last Thursday night I got to the barn and as soon as I went into Dude's stall I noticed that his back right lower leg was swollen above the joint. For such a hefty guy, he really has very dainty feet and ankles, so it was pretty noticeable. When I walked him, he didn't limp, but it definitely concerned me. After confering with a few people in the barn, I decided to hose his leg with cold water, rub it down with liniment, and throw a gram of bute into his evening grain.
I went by the barn early Friday morning to check on him. He didn't look worse, but he didn't look better either. The leg was sensitive in that he didn't like me poking at it, but he wasn't lame. I hosed him again and rubbed him down with liniment, then decided to call the vet. Nothing like a boo-boo on a Friday to make me nervous! Luckily the vet could come out later in the day ... the only problem was that Maddie and I were supposed to leave for college orientation at 3, and the vet couldn't come until 4:30, and Katie was working. Oh well. Best laid plans ...
Dr. Phil took a look at him and pretty quickly diagnosed the swelling as "septic cellulitis," a case that was caught early and most likely quickly treatable, he reassured me. Bacterial in nature. And I guess the thing is, if you don't catch it, the swelling can increase to the point that the skin can tear and present further problems. Ugh. Dude got a shot of penicillin to jump start the healing, then was put on 10 antibiotic tablets twice a day for the next ten days, with a stern warning from Dr. Phil to continue for the full ten days so that he wouldn't develop future antibiotic resistance. And bute 2x a day for 2-3 days, then 1x per day for another 2-3 days. Luckily Dude is a good patient and is happily eating his meds when mixed with his am and pm grain. No apple sauce needed!
The feeders at the barn are doing the meds, which has been really nice. Katie has born the brunt of hosing and wrapping him, as I was gone Saturday and Sunday at the orientation with Maddie. He definitely looked better to me today, there is a lot more definition in his lower leg, but his dainty little right ankle isn't 100 percent back yet. He's supposed to stay in until the swelling is gone, so Katie has been handgrazing him twice a day. So far he has been pretty good about being stallbound. He did pull a shoe somehow when she was hosing him over the weekend ... we've got a call in to the farrier for that!
We had gone a LONG while without any issues; I guess it was time. And Dude is such a hothouse flower, he always gets the strange stuff: giant bug bite last year, scratches a couple years ago. You'd think Bestie, Miss Swamp Monster who stands in the mud and grazes, would be the one to pick up the wierd leg infection. I just hope the progress we've seen so far continues. Hate it when my equine kids have a problem!
I went by the barn early Friday morning to check on him. He didn't look worse, but he didn't look better either. The leg was sensitive in that he didn't like me poking at it, but he wasn't lame. I hosed him again and rubbed him down with liniment, then decided to call the vet. Nothing like a boo-boo on a Friday to make me nervous! Luckily the vet could come out later in the day ... the only problem was that Maddie and I were supposed to leave for college orientation at 3, and the vet couldn't come until 4:30, and Katie was working. Oh well. Best laid plans ...
Dr. Phil took a look at him and pretty quickly diagnosed the swelling as "septic cellulitis," a case that was caught early and most likely quickly treatable, he reassured me. Bacterial in nature. And I guess the thing is, if you don't catch it, the swelling can increase to the point that the skin can tear and present further problems. Ugh. Dude got a shot of penicillin to jump start the healing, then was put on 10 antibiotic tablets twice a day for the next ten days, with a stern warning from Dr. Phil to continue for the full ten days so that he wouldn't develop future antibiotic resistance. And bute 2x a day for 2-3 days, then 1x per day for another 2-3 days. Luckily Dude is a good patient and is happily eating his meds when mixed with his am and pm grain. No apple sauce needed!
The feeders at the barn are doing the meds, which has been really nice. Katie has born the brunt of hosing and wrapping him, as I was gone Saturday and Sunday at the orientation with Maddie. He definitely looked better to me today, there is a lot more definition in his lower leg, but his dainty little right ankle isn't 100 percent back yet. He's supposed to stay in until the swelling is gone, so Katie has been handgrazing him twice a day. So far he has been pretty good about being stallbound. He did pull a shoe somehow when she was hosing him over the weekend ... we've got a call in to the farrier for that!
We had gone a LONG while without any issues; I guess it was time. And Dude is such a hothouse flower, he always gets the strange stuff: giant bug bite last year, scratches a couple years ago. You'd think Bestie, Miss Swamp Monster who stands in the mud and grazes, would be the one to pick up the wierd leg infection. I just hope the progress we've seen so far continues. Hate it when my equine kids have a problem!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Dude's E arrives
Just got the bill for Dude's two pound canister of Vitamin E supplement. He's been on it for two years (I think), but when I ordered it this last time the vet dropped off a different brand in the tack room and I just decided to go ahead and use it rather than try to trade it in. I actually don't think it's any more expensive. $68 for two pounds. It lasts him for, hmmnn, six months or so.
He got started on it one spring when we took his winter blankets off and cast a critical eye at his thin top line. Not that we were bad owners and didn't notice over the winter, but given winters in Vermont it didn't seem out of the ordinary for him to lose a little weight. But he didn't seem to be putting it back on in the spring. The vet had recently seen a lot of horses with the same problem and diagnosed Vitamin E deficiency. It hadn't been a particularly good hay year, and so he likely wasn't getting enough E in his diet even though his grain is slightly supplemented with it.
So on the E he went, first on a liquid supplement and then to a powder after about six months. Now he stays on it all year on a maintenance dose. The deficiency seems pretty common in this area; I seem to hear every few months about another horse going on the E supplement. And at least he licks his bucket clean and doesn't waste it, unlike Bestie who happily eats her grain and leaves the supplement, not caring at all about my "money down the drain" speech.
He got started on it one spring when we took his winter blankets off and cast a critical eye at his thin top line. Not that we were bad owners and didn't notice over the winter, but given winters in Vermont it didn't seem out of the ordinary for him to lose a little weight. But he didn't seem to be putting it back on in the spring. The vet had recently seen a lot of horses with the same problem and diagnosed Vitamin E deficiency. It hadn't been a particularly good hay year, and so he likely wasn't getting enough E in his diet even though his grain is slightly supplemented with it.
So on the E he went, first on a liquid supplement and then to a powder after about six months. Now he stays on it all year on a maintenance dose. The deficiency seems pretty common in this area; I seem to hear every few months about another horse going on the E supplement. And at least he licks his bucket clean and doesn't waste it, unlike Bestie who happily eats her grain and leaves the supplement, not caring at all about my "money down the drain" speech.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Yawwwn
It's a busy week. Maddie graduates on Saturday, so I'm in full housecleaning mode and trying to get loads of stuff done before relatives arrive on Friday. Luckily Katie is not working tomorrow so that she can go to the barn for our farrier appointment, which for some unknown reason I made for 10:00 am. I do vaguely remember saying to him, "Oh, I'll just take that day off." NOT. I've been super busy at work, can't spare the time, and am feeling lucky that Katie can go.
She went over and checked on the ponies yesterday because we had an awards event at the school. Tonight we both went. I lunged Bestie, who went from dragging her sorry self around the arena at the world's slowest trot to warp speed in about 2 seconds, but promptly decided that warp speed was way too much work to sustain, and went back to something that was really quite a lovely Western jog, particularly if I had been ON her, which I rarely am when she chooses to do it.
Page and Elaine reported that Dude had a late afternoon meltdown due to bugs, and had been hosed off, which was very nice. Page said that even as she walked him back in to the barn he kept shaking his head, convinced the bugs were on him, even though she had taken off his fly mask and could see NOTHING. When he loses it, he loses it big. He's actually been pretty good about the bugs. Maybe it's time to bring his fly sheet to the barn.
It might also be time to dig out the fans. It was really hot and steamy in their stalls, not a breath of air. Even Bestie seemed like she was glowing a bit in the humidity. She's probably not going to do much except go outside for the next four days, since I'll be fairly well occupied until most of the relatives depart on Sunday. I apologized in advance for my likely inattention over the next few days, and she seemed ok with it. Ha.
She went over and checked on the ponies yesterday because we had an awards event at the school. Tonight we both went. I lunged Bestie, who went from dragging her sorry self around the arena at the world's slowest trot to warp speed in about 2 seconds, but promptly decided that warp speed was way too much work to sustain, and went back to something that was really quite a lovely Western jog, particularly if I had been ON her, which I rarely am when she chooses to do it.
Page and Elaine reported that Dude had a late afternoon meltdown due to bugs, and had been hosed off, which was very nice. Page said that even as she walked him back in to the barn he kept shaking his head, convinced the bugs were on him, even though she had taken off his fly mask and could see NOTHING. When he loses it, he loses it big. He's actually been pretty good about the bugs. Maybe it's time to bring his fly sheet to the barn.
It might also be time to dig out the fans. It was really hot and steamy in their stalls, not a breath of air. Even Bestie seemed like she was glowing a bit in the humidity. She's probably not going to do much except go outside for the next four days, since I'll be fairly well occupied until most of the relatives depart on Sunday. I apologized in advance for my likely inattention over the next few days, and she seemed ok with it. Ha.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Horse stories
Last week a friend at work told me a story about another coworker's horse that had recently died. It was very sad of course, in that the horse died, but remarkable in that the horse was 45 years old. Wow. My friend used to drive by and liked to see the horse grazing in its field. It was a sturdy and hardy Morgan, one of those old-style tough little Morgans that look like they can do anything. She hadn't seen it in awhile, wondered what had happened and finally asked our coworker who owned the horse. Apparently the owners discovered the horse in a bad way when they went to feed one morning. It couldn't drink. It was having difficulty moving and in fact couldn't move forward. Yet, when the coworker and her husband approached, the horse tried to shuffle about to reach out and nose the husband. Given its condition and age, they made the still-difficult decision to put the horse out of its misery. My friend said our coworker told her she had wanted to tell her what happened to the horse, but just couldn't talk about it until some time had passed; she'd become emotional. These horses become such a part of our lives.
Yesterday, as Katie and I drove through Colchester heading to the barn, we passed an odd sight: a man on a horse loaded down with packs, ponying another horse that was also loaded down with packs. All three looked pretty road weary. We were on a busy two lane road and we both did a doubletake as we spotted the little group. Would love to know their story. And with the wonders of Google, I think I now do know it: Googling yielded a recent story by local station WCAX on a man traveling from Canada to Texas (!) to raise awareness of the plight of the Canadian Horse, a breed that is nearing extinction, according to the article. Here's a link to the story. What a trip. I hope all three make it safe and sound.
Yesterday, as Katie and I drove through Colchester heading to the barn, we passed an odd sight: a man on a horse loaded down with packs, ponying another horse that was also loaded down with packs. All three looked pretty road weary. We were on a busy two lane road and we both did a doubletake as we spotted the little group. Would love to know their story. And with the wonders of Google, I think I now do know it: Googling yielded a recent story by local station WCAX on a man traveling from Canada to Texas (!) to raise awareness of the plight of the Canadian Horse, a breed that is nearing extinction, according to the article. Here's a link to the story. What a trip. I hope all three make it safe and sound.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Afterglow gone, poof!
Went to the barn late tonight since I got home late from work. We probably got there around 6:30, so Dude and Bestie had eaten their grain around five and were still munching on hay. Katie and I both decided to ride; I've got a hockey game tomorrow so didn't want to put off riding until tomorrow.
It took me four attempts to get on Bestie. She kept walking off as soon as I would reach the top of the mounting block. The third time I walked her around the whole indoor, then came back to the mounting block for another try. I managed to get on (barely) as she walked off, not as quickly as before, so I was able to sling my right leg over her back and clamber on board. Ha.
She was worked up about something. Who knows what? Irritation at being ridden after her "usual" time? Being in the ring with two geldings? She kept breaking into a trot and I'd coax her back to a walk, and then the cycle would start again. Trot, walk, trot, walk. Finally I could feel her relax and she settled down. But she was no way near as relaxed as she was this weekend when we headed outside to go around the rings. But she wasn't bad. Bad is when I start to feel stressed out just being on her, and I've had enough of those rides to recognize one pretty quickly.
It took me four attempts to get on Bestie. She kept walking off as soon as I would reach the top of the mounting block. The third time I walked her around the whole indoor, then came back to the mounting block for another try. I managed to get on (barely) as she walked off, not as quickly as before, so I was able to sling my right leg over her back and clamber on board. Ha.
She was worked up about something. Who knows what? Irritation at being ridden after her "usual" time? Being in the ring with two geldings? She kept breaking into a trot and I'd coax her back to a walk, and then the cycle would start again. Trot, walk, trot, walk. Finally I could feel her relax and she settled down. But she was no way near as relaxed as she was this weekend when we headed outside to go around the rings. But she wasn't bad. Bad is when I start to feel stressed out just being on her, and I've had enough of those rides to recognize one pretty quickly.
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