Wordless Wednesday - Autumn Splendor

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:05 AM 12 comments

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Aerial Assault

horse fly


The aerial assault of deer and horse flies has begun in earnest here on the farm. Today the mares trotted outside from their morning feed to immerse their muzzles in the fresh water of the pasture trough, wander over to the green leafy hay I put out and then ran to the barn like the devil himself was after them. Of course he was, in the form of a biting fly. From what I’ve been told there is no good way to eliminate these blood thirsty pests from an area. The only thing that can help is using Permethrin-based sprays and keeping the horses in during the heat of the day. Seems that when its windy or a tad bit cool the buggers arnt as much of a problem. They also are not known to be as much a problem at night. So I guess I’m going to have to let the horses tell me if they would prefer to be in or out after their breakfast. This morning there was no doubt that they in no way wanted to be out there with those monsters. I’m also going to make a trip to the elevator to see about getting some Permethrin sprays to put on them for night time use. Summer is on its way here!

Further info on these pest can be found on the Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet for Horse and Deer Flies as well as The University of Kentucky Entomology sites College of Agriculture’s Horse and Deer Flies fact sheet .

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 3:41 PM 2 comments

Monday, May 28, 2007

Equine Veterans Part 4 - BLACK JACK

The last and most well known horse in the Equine Veterans Series is Black Jack.

Black Jack served in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment's Caisson Platoon. He was a coal black Morgan/Quarter Horse cross with loads of spirit. He was used as the riderless horse in over 1,000 Military Funerals, which mostly took place at the Arlington National Cemetery. Black Jack was most famous for his participation in the funeral procession of Presidents John. F. Kennedy in 1963. Black Jack died in 1976 from old age. He was cremated and laid to rest at Fort Myer, Virginia 200 feet northeast of the flagpole in the southeast corner of the parade field. He was the 2nd and last horse to ever have been buried with Full Military Honors.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:45 AM 2 comments

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Equine Veterans Part 3 - COMANCHE

On June 25, 1876, Comanche, a Morgan/Mustang, was rode into the Battle of Little Bighorn. Comanche was found two days after the battle, badly wounded and the only military survivor. After being transported by steamboat to Fort Lincoln where he was slowly nursed back to health. Comanche died in 1890 and he is one of only two horses to ever have been buried with Full Military Honors.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:05 AM 0 comments

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Equine Veterans Part 2 - OLD BALDY

Old Baldy was Union General George C. Meade's horse. He was purchased in 1861 and was named so because of the horse's bald white face. Meade became quite devoted to him and rode him in all of his battles through 1862 and the spring of 1863. Baldy was wounded at least five times during the Civil War. Only once did he refuse Meade, when he was hit in the stomach by a bullet. In 1864 Baldy was injured by a shell in the Siege of Petersburg, he was retired to Meadow Bank Farm near Philadelphia and was only used one last time for military duty in Meade's funeral in 1872. In 1882 the horse was euthanasia, his head was taken to a taxidermist and mounted on a special plaque and is still today on display in a glass case in the Meade Room of the Civil War Library in Philadelphia.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:46 AM 1 comments

Friday, May 25, 2007

Equine Veterans Part 1 - TRAVELLER

This Memorial Weekend is a tribute to four of the most famous equine veterans to ever serve our country.

Traveller was the famous horse of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Lee purchased him in 1862. He was a grey Kentucky Saddle horse (precursor to the American Saddlebred) and had a long black mane and tail. Traveller and Lee were together till Lee's death in 1870. Traveller passed a year later in 1871 and is currently in his final resting place outside the Lee Chapel at the University a few feet away from the Lee family crypt, where his master's body rests.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:36 AM 0 comments

Monday, May 21, 2007

Pampered Percherons

Since moving to the new farm last August I have been going through all the equipment and inventorying what I have and what I'm missing. How is it that you accumulate so much junk and then cant find a darn thing when you want it? Such was the case with fans last summer. I know that I had a full set of fans for the old barn and had enough in the horse trailer for shows so that I could mount the fans and leave them up in the barn all summer. Yet here I am digging some out of the horse trailer because I cant seem to find them all. Of course we added 2 horses over the winter so I knew I'd have to buy a couple for them and then again there is the issue of barn conditions being less than ideal with dirt, grain and slobber always finding its way into the inner workings. 2 or 3 years usage is about all I seem to get out of them and I had 2 old ones that happened to fit that category. So today I threw up my hands and counted all the fans I had onsite. Put the right number of ones needed for showing on the trailer and headed for Meijer to get replacements 8 in all. I knew I would need at least 4 and maybe 6 if we ended up taking the yearlings to the shows this summer but the number 8 really seems over kill. These horses better REALLY love me for all my pains in making them comfortable. The fella in the hardware department asked me what the heck I needed that many fans for and had quite a chuckle when I told him they were for my pampered Percherons. Upon returning home I schlepped the fans to the barn, all 8 of them, and begin to mount them on the stalls. The first two went up fine, got plugged in and went to work right away. Then I ran into a problem. The outlets were not spaced the same through out the barn and I couldn’t plug in 5 of my 8 fans in the end. UGHH!!!!! After digging out a couple extension cords I now have 3 fans needing an outlet in the barn. I’m now awaiting a call back from my electrician to come out and move the outlets so that I don’t have to worry about the blasted extension cords. I don’t even want to think about the cost. And all because I just had to have fans on the horses to help keep them cool as well as keep the bugs off them.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:33 PM 0 comments

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Future Teamster

I give you the latest edition and future teamster - Caleb.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 5:03 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Wordless Wednesday - My Photoshop Project

The End Product


The Original Photo

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 7:36 AM 18 comments

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Riding Helmets Part 2 - Finding the Right One

So now I know all about the standards and why we should make sure to always use a certified helmet when riding. Next is to actually start looking for just the right one. My first stop was Ebay, which had a wide variety of choices in new, used, certified, non-certified with sizes and colors galore and prices ranging all over the place. The online tack shops were just about the same with too many options and features that made my head spin. At least now I had an idea of the range of prices out there and what to expect so my next stop would be the local tack shops.

I also took some time to look up fitting guidelines to make sure that what ever we ended up choosing would work as it was designed to. I found that the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs had the best advise for finding just the right helmet. Some of the best suggestion they made were:

1. Put the helmet on and wear it around the tack shop for several minutes.
   It should fit snugly from front to back and from side to side, but not so tightly that it gives you a headache.


2. After wearing the helmet for about five minutes, take it off and look in a mirror. In addition to checking your hair, look for marks on your forehead. If there are marks, try the next bigger size.

With a print out in hand of the names, sizes and prices of the various helmets that I thought would work we jumped in the truck and off we went. Our goal was a schooling helmet for everyday use. We choose to look at both Troxel and the International brand helmets due to the pricing and pretty colors they carry. Finding the right fit really was a task. Sizing was all over the place and the sizes in one model varied from another model even though the same company made them. Of course that makes sense because no one person has the same size or shaped head. We really liked the International because the “dial” fit mechanism on that brand was tucked up near the nape of the neck while the same feature in the Troxel seemed to ride lower and irritate the wearers neck when she imitated the 2 point position required in jumping. We also really liked the Troxel Capriole helmet which had a different type of “dial” mechanism which was positioned much better and didn’t actually dial but rather was pinched together and was a smaller item in general and laid much flatter against the wearers head. Of course that helmet was a bit more expensive and had velveteen flocking which was something we really didn’t want so we ended up with the International Equi-Lite in bright purple.

Over all our adventure buying a helmet really was a trying experience and required us traveling to 3 different shops to find just the right one. We ended up going back to our first stop the next day to pick up the one that fit the best. My advise to you if you are in the market for a new helmet is to remember that helmets vary in size and shape, several helmets will need to be tried so plan on spending quite a bit of time. You will end up having "a bad hair day" but should be able to find a great helmet.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 3:12 PM 1 comments

Friday, May 11, 2007

Riding Helmets Part 1 - Demystifying the Standards

I’ve recently been on a helmet-buying excursion for the young lady of the house. Her old helmet no longer fit properly and she really wanted to begin to work on speed events at the 4-H meetings which require the rider to wear a ASTM/SEI certified helmet. I have heard that term floating around the last couple of years but never really took the time to know exactly just what it is, after all we mostly drive our horses and when we do ride its just trail riding at a walk because going "fast" on a 2000lb horse isnt really somthing that interests us.

So I began my search to look at the possibilities and prices from home via the trusty computer and Internet connection. I first checked out just what this certification was so that I understood just what it was that I needed. In my search I came across a number of safety websites that published facts about head related injuries in the horse industry. Some of the ones that really caught my attention were on the University of Connecticut’s Co-op extension for their college of agriculture. Did you know that horseback riding carries a higher injury rate per hour of exposure than downhill ski racing, football, hang-gliding and motorcycle racing? Researchers found that Medical Examiner reports show that 60% or more of horse-related deaths are caused by head injuries and it is believed that each year approximately 70,000 people are treated in emergency rooms because of equestrian related activities. The American Medical Equestrian Association calculates that ASTM/SEI approved helmets have reduced all riding-related head injuries by 30% and severe head injuries by 50%. The information that really caught my attention was the fact that head injuries are responsible for more than 60% of horse-related deaths and head injuries are the most common reason for horse-related hospital admissions. Those are some pretty hefty numbers coming from a reliable source.

So just what is this ASTM certification that is supposed to help us keep as safe as possible while we enjoy our horses?
ASTM stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials and it is an organization of volunteers that includes doctors, engineers and physicists. The ASTM sets standards for many types of safety equipment. The standard for horseback riding helmets is ASTM F 1163 , which was published in 1990. Basically in a nut shell the ASTM document requires that all helmets that carry the certification are made to absorb an impact thru partial destruction of the headgear like the impact absorbing bumpers we now have on our cars. So any impact that a helmet takes should in fact damage the structure of the helmet and require you to replace it.

We now know what the ASTM is but what is the SEI? The SEI, The Safety Equipment Institute, is a private, non-profit organization established to administer non-governmental, third party certification programs to test and certify a broad range of safety and protective products which is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. They were established in 1981 to administer certification programs and to test a broad range of safety equipment products. You can visit their website to see if your helmet is currently on the approved model list which is updated by them on a regular basis to make sure that it is up to date with the most current information. The most recent approved publication is ASTM F1163-04a.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 5:35 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Wordless Wednesday - A Drive in the Country

A Drive in the Country

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:25 AM 23 comments

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Bills Bills Bills...

Just yesterday I received the bill for the normal spring horse requirements. It was the big one for the year. 7 horses needed coggins, two needed health papers & fecals done for sending to the Saginaw Childrens Zoo and I ordered all the vaccinations necessary for getting everyone up to date on those. Out of the 8 horses here, 4 of them will be requiring boosters because they are new to us since the first of the year. At least I'm done with buying necessary things for them for the year. Well almost done, I know I'll need to get some additional scotch bottom show shoes for some of the new horses but last years show shoes will fit the ones that we had them on so at least thats a little bit of savings.

The fellas are home this weekend (hubby and step-son). They work as movers and are gone during the week 1/2 of the time and sometimes are gone on weekends too. With them home we got a good bit of spring yard work done and got to work with the very green broke 3 yr olds. One of our 4 yr olds didnt see any real work last year because she was growing so fast and just seemed to be unquardented so we gave her the year off to grow up. I'm glad we did because she grew 3 inches over the last year as a 3 yr old and is now just shy of 18 hands. She is still on the narrow side and looks to have more growing to do so it will be interesting to see how big she ends up. She is pretty green as well and needs some hours between the shafts to get with the program. Pearl is great to ride but for some reason is really worried about driving. I think time working her will get her going right.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 5:41 PM 0 comments

Friday, May 04, 2007

Starting a show foot

Well the training plates are on and my pocket is substancially lighter. We use plates that are a modified scotch bottom show, rather a hybred between a typical light horse shoe and the square toe of a scotch shoe. Our horses are barefoot for at least 4 months out of a year, during the winter, and it takes 2 complete resets for them to be ready to fill out a scotch shoe because of the length of toe necessary to fill out the corners. I think that the down time helps them to be better horses when we are working and showing them in the summer. I know that by the end of the summer I am ready for some serious down time so whey shouldnt they get some. Now the real fun begins, getting them working and fit. I really enjoy being out driving my horses. Its so peacefull but it sure is a lot of work to clean, harness and then cool off two teams of these big guys. But then again I wouldnt have it any other way.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 2:10 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Wordless Wednestay - Almost a horse

The grandaughter on Toby the Toggenburg goat

She is almost a real cowgirl. The goat was more her size and from the smile on her face I think she is well on her way to moving up to a real equine in the not so distant future. For now we will just let her go on being a goatgirl;-} Toby dosent seem to mind and she sure loves him.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 7:12 AM 13 comments

Monday, April 30, 2007

A New Era for Horse Racing

Its almost time for the Kentucky Derby. This year it seems is the year for change and perhaps even the beginning of a new era for horse racing. The 133rd run for the roses will be the first triple crown race to be run on a synthetic surface. I dont know what suprises me more, the new surface or the way the trainers are conditioning their horses for this years event. Recent reports are that a number of trainers are bringing horses to the big race with 4 to 6 weeks elapsed time from their last start and a couple of the horses have little or no experience running as a 2 yr olds. Its a huge shift in paradime but it seems we have a new breed of trainer on the scene. Perhaps Michael Matz, trainer of Barbaro and also well known on the jumper circut as a top rider, may have started a trend. Everyone sure thought he was a bit nuts for giving his horse so much time off prior to the Derby last year. It will be interesting to see how things unfold and if this recent change will make a lasting impression on the horse racing world.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:29 AM 1 comments

Saturday, April 28, 2007

I LOVE PANCAKES

CHETT ~ 1 yr old Walker Coon Hound

Chett showing us one of his favorite foods - PANCAKES. Of course any type of meat, grease or sweet is good too.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 7:51 PM 0 comments

Friday, April 27, 2007

Scott ~ the new horse

SCOTT ~ 4 yr old Tennesse Walker Gelding

Just got the pictures back. His coat is a bit shaggy but he shows potential.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Drunken Man Parks Horse in Bank Foyer

An early-morning German bank customer had a bit of a shock when he found a horse already in line at the automatic teller machine in front of him.
It seems the horse's owner, identified only as Wolfgang H., had a bit too much to drink the night before and decided to sleep it off inside the bank's heated foyer, police said Tuesday.

The 40-year-old machinist told Bild newspaper he had had "a few beers" with a friend in Wiesenburg, southwest of Berlin, and decided to hit the hay in the bank on his way home.

"It was late, it was already dark and cold," he was quoted as saying.

Confronted with the lack of a hitching-post, he brought the 6-year-old horse, named Sammy, in along with him.When a customer came across the horse and sleeping rider in the bank at 4:15 a.m. Monday, he called police, who then came and woke the owner up and sent him on his way.

No charges were filed, but there might be some cleanup needed: Apparently Sammy made his own after-hours deposit on the carpet.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 2:24 PM 1 comments

Wordless Wednesday

Jack and Lauren

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 7:13 AM 17 comments

Monday, April 23, 2007

The new horse

It’s settled. The horse is bought, paid for and standing in our barn as I type this. We settled on Scott the 4 yr old gelding. It really was a very tough decision for me because there were 2 things that I was worried about more than anything else. One was his age and lack of experience and the other was how narrow he is. We actually got Scott in on Sunday afternoon and Lauren has rode him at home 2 times now. He was exposed to cars, kids, dogs, dirt bikes, sheep and ducks and nothing fazed him. He just checked out what was going on as we rode on by. He is exactly 15 hands tall, very elegant looking overall and is a deep grey color. I do wish that he would fill out more. Being 4 and being a crossbred there is no telling what will happen there but he should put a bit more weight on through the body. Lauren is tickled pink with him and to be honest so am I. He has all the makings of one heck of a nice child’s hunter. I just love the way he goes engaging his haunch and he moves so free and relaxed through his neck and back. He is so quiet on the bit and has a super headset and it seems like his ears are always up with the most pleasing expression on his face. It was a joy to be out riding with my daughter the last 2 days. Both of us enjoying the time spent with our horses and each other. I am looking forward to many more rides in the future. Cheers to Scott!

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:42 AM 1 comments

Saturday, April 21, 2007

At the Horse Sale

Friday and Saturday I spent most of my time at the Yoder Brothers Auction enjoying the horses, people and good food. It was interesting to watch the drafts go thru on Friday. Most sold reasonably well as good working farm teams. I didn’t see any horses that look like show ring potential but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t nice animals. Like with all sales there were some real old and young which didn’t fair well in the auction ring. I always hate to see the really old ones go thru. It makes me wonder what their life had been like and why they weren’t valuable to their previous owner and due a retirement with them instead of being passed off like worn out shoes. Saturday was the riding horse sale and there were some really nice horses that went through and brought low but ok bids, however, I did see one thing that I personally have never seen before at an auction and I have been going to horse auctions for over 20 years. I like the rest of the crowd was stunned to silence when I witnessed a couple horses go through the ring that would not bring one solitary bid, not even at $25. It was eerie to see, the whole place got quiet as the auctioneer did his best to try to find any interest in the horses. They were not sick, lame or old just young and untrained with a fair bit of attitude. They were both nice looking, one was a 5 yr old gelding and the other a 7 yr old mare. I only watched horses go for about 2 hours and I know they were selling for at least 4 hours prior to when I got there so I’m not sure if I missed others that this happened to. Were not talking about a no-sale here. These were horses that no one wanted. I wonder what happened to them and where they will go. Its sad to see animals that have an entire life ahead of them not be of any value to anyone. Is this the beginning of what we will be seeing due to the slaughter market being shut down? Will it get worse? I would imagine so or at least until the horse market adjusts to the demand for better and fewer horses. Given a horse’s life span I foresee 20 years of neglecting horses far worse then we have ever seen in the past. It’s a grim outlook and I hope that I’m wrong on this one.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 4:27 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

You know your a horse addict if.....

Heres my top 5 list which identifys if you are a horse addict. Enjoy!

1. You get all starry eyed over the new Millers catalogue instead of Victoria's Secret.

2. You start using baling twine to repair things.

3. You get a little whiff of the smell of leather and breath deeper to get the full impact.

4. You hate shopping, but will drive 60 miles to check out a new tack shop.

5. You spend an hour combing and trimming your horses main and tail but wear a baseball cap to keep from having to brush your own hair.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 5:12 PM 3 comments

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

The Greenie

We went to see the 4 year old gelding again. I do really like this fella and keep thinking of him often and Lauren seems to have taken a shine to him but he is so very green and has about ½ the training that I would like to have on a horse for her. I do need to take into account that she has been riding our 4 yr old draft mares that have no saddle training at all and a little over a year in harness. She isn’t thrilled about riding them but does do well under supervision putting the training into them. So do I take a chance on this horse? The one thing that really keeps drawing me in to him is his kindness and wanting to please attitude and the little training he does have is top notch. On the flip side he is a Tennessee walker cross and looks to have some gait and that narrow frame they tend to have. Lauren wants to be able to use him in 4-H and equestrian team as well as trail riding. I'm not sure if his way of going will have any impact on rail classes and he isnt as big bodied as I prefer but then again I dont have to ride him. I do worry that she might out grow him in 3 or 4 years if she continues to grow like she has the last couple years. He could fill out some as well since he is only 4. So many factors come into play when you get into a young green horse.

I’m going to sleep on it for a few more nights

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:42 AM 0 comments

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Seeking the Perfect Youth Horse

Last week was a total washout for finding the perfect youth horse. The kids were out of school on spring break and I had done a couple weeks of homework chatting with folks on the phone about horses they had for sale and had come up with about 8 horses that I thought would be our best bet. Boy was I in for a tough week. I never imagined in my wildest dreams how big a mission this would become. I didn’t think my criteria was that hard to fill but it seems that I want something that is just not out there or at least not in my price range. My 13 year old has been riding a number of our Percherons for the last 5 years but then again we are talking draft horses and they were finished geldings that had all been shown more than a couple years on the circuit so they pretty much had seen it all but could at times be head strong so I figured the gal would be pretty easy to buy for. All I want is a light breed horse that is:

1. A Gelding or an extraordianary Mare
2. Between 15 and 16 hands tall
3. Between 7 and 15 years old
4. Sound of mind and body
5. Kind and Willing with some solid exposure to trails, roads and shows or parades

and of course keep it below $2500

I'm not talking about a finished show horse here. Just something that will be safe for my intermediate level daughter to safely ride and enjoy, not just able to go in circles in an enclosed arena. I thought that my check list was pretty fair opening up age, breed and gender. Just a plain jane usable horse. Do I ask too much?

So far we have seen lame, barn sour, infested, mean/aggressive, head strong and dangerous. I am stunned that some of these horses owners actually had me come to take a look at their animals. They all knew well and good the level of rider my girl was and exactly what I was looking for yet only 1 was even remotly close to the goal and he was a very green 4 year old with great potential. But green is green and something like that could go south pretty quickly if not under heavy supervision which I am starting to believe will unfortunately be the way to go because there don’t seem to be many other options out there that I’m happy with yet.

I'm glad that I'm sticking with the Draft Horses!

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 7:19 PM 1 comments

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Carriage Accident

I was reading some headlines and came across the horse drawn carriage accident that happened in Indianapolis on Easter Sunday. My husband and I at one time operated a carriage company to help supplement our horse addiction. I really enjoyed working with our horses and we were very fortunate to not have any accidents. Most people that do this type of work will tell you that its usually not a horse or drivers fault when accidents happen. Kids have no problem with setting off firecrackers or shooting a slingshot at you and adults aren’t very courteous to a horse and carriage on a public road when they are in their automobiles. Add to that the cost of insurance, which tripled over 4 years. When we got the last premium increase we choose to quit rather than continue. Even now when we go to parades and shows it is becoming more common for a event organizer to require a rider on a minimum 1.5 million dollar insurance liability policy which just goes to show you why we see fewer and fewer horses at fairs, shows and parades across the country. It’s a shame but that’s unfortunately the facts.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:54 AM 2 comments

Monday, April 09, 2007

The Snots

Its snowing again, yesterday was easter and I can only recall a couple of Easters where there was a dusting of snow on the ground and this year will be added to that list. Then again it is spring and anything can happen in spring. Along with the lovely spring temperature changes come the ever-dreaded snotty noses in the barn. I had a couple of youngsters with a mild cough and Jazzy, a yearling filly, developed a case of the yellow snots. So we started the horses on some antibiotic crumbles in their feed to combat the respiratory bug. I really hate to use antibiotics on my animals but having had a horse come down with a nasty respiratory infection and even once dealing with pneumonia in a weanling I have become a firm believer in paying attention to the animals, especially the youngsters, listing for coughing and looking for snotty noses that are more then clear or slightly white runny goop and treating it ASAP. It just seems to me that when you have young animals this type of thing can spread like wild fire and if they share a water trough, well then you can bet that those others have a good chance of getting sick even if your keeping the sick one indoors at the onset of symptoms because by then the bug has had a chance to visit everyone when the horses were not showing signs of any illness. I’m glad to report that Jazzy after 3 days of treatment has no cough and while her nose is still running a bit it is clear. No one else seemed to have come down with it but we did treat the rest of the 6 horses just in case. That ounce of protection really helps me to sleep better at night. I do so worry about the horses when they are not right. It seems to me that I have had my fair share of problems with the horses this winter. Perhaps its mostly to do with the stress of moving and we did add 3 new ones and sold one so the herd dynamics are a tad bit off. I’ll be glad when the warm late spring season is fully upon us.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 12:07 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

I have a tummy ach

What happened to spring? There is snow on the ground and we actually had to keep horses in for 3 nights because of temps dipping way below freezing. That nice weather sure was a teaser. All of the horses except for our yearling filly started to do the heavy shedding routine so I never imagined that we would get the freeze we did. I know spring is unpredictable with temps fluctuating but as I sit here tapping away on my computer keys I’m looking at near white out conditions outside with snow everywhere. The temp changed so quickly that it really bothered one of the yearlings that came in last night with a tummy ach. I wonder if he wasn’t drinking as much water as he should have. Poor guy came in and was looking at his belly and laid down rather then eating his dinner – Huston we have a problem was ringing loudly in my brain. After 15 mins he still was doing the sick horse routine with getting up, looking at his belly and then laying down. He had passed some manure, which looked normal and did urinate so I wasn’t in emergency mode yet but that can change at the drop of a hat. So off to the house I went to get my Banimine and 20 mins after injecting him with the recommended dose he was up and walking the barn isle looking for some trouble to get into. He passed some gas and seemed to be much more comfortable. Much to his chagrin, he didn’t get any grain that night but did have a flake of hay, which he finished off by midnight. It was a pretty sleepless night for me because I worry excessively about a colicky horse and was out in the barn every couple hours to check on him thru the night. I have lost one gelding to a twisted gut and lost another young mare to a sand colic a number of years ago when I was boarding my horses. Its not an easy thing to deal with, you always wonder if you could have done something different that would have made a difference in the outcome. I guess all sickness/injuries are like that when you care for children or animals. They trust and depend on you wholly for their every need. This morning was a bright sunny and cold morning and while I was groggy from lack of sleep because of checking on my youngster it was also fulfilling because I had 7 bright and shining eyes looking for me to come feed them and 7 happy horses were turned out to romp, play and munch on a hay pile like nothing had ever happened.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:30 AM 0 comments

Friday, March 30, 2007

The Green Fuel Debacle

Todays topic isnt about horses but it effects them and all of us. I Live in a rural area where there are a bunch of minimum paying jobs and few career choices other than farm/livestock. There are a few factory type shops and recently an ethanol plant has begun production. When the ethanol plant was proposed I just sat and scratched my head. I mean its crazy that the world hasn’t woke up to the fact that you still need to buy the Arab or domestic oil, refine it and have it added to the ethanol to be able to use it in your car and add to that the fact that your engine needs to be modified to handle the fuel. What gets me is the dirty process necessary for producing the ethanol and it is making out livestock feed bill increasingly higher and higher so much so that this fall and winter beef providers were barely making enough on their cattle sales to actually cover the cost it took to raise the animal let along make a profit so they themselves could afford to pay the bills to continue. Of course on the flip side of that, farmers raising corn finally begun to see some real profit. Then there is the cost and green effect downside to the equation (you still have to add refined fossil oil to make it work) and it sure makes Ethanol not look nearly as good at pure bio diesel. Now diesel engines were developed by Rudolph Diesel in 1892 and he later displayed his engine in 1898, which was run on peanut oil. That’s what those engines were developed to use originally and making a move back to that with our vehicles is one of the best possible choices I believe we have. Can someone please enlighten me as to why that is so hard to see? It’s a very easy technology with a huge green upside running pure vegetable oil. Another upside to that is the easy maintenance and longevity of the diesel engine especially when you run pure oil. The oil lubricates the engine and actually increases efficiency of the motor. I say pull the plug on all the corn subsidies, put that government cash to work getting pure biodiesel out there and force the auto manufactures to give us an engine that is good for our environment and sustainable. It’s a shame that we are only now pushing for the Biodiesel to be 20% oil and even Cummings announced that they will be offering an engine that will run on that product. Willie Nelson proved it can work and it’s a step in the right direction but going to pure vegetable oil should be the goal. It’s a team effort but one worth undertaking. That’s just my 2 cents!

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:06 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

A dying breed?

While chatting with my best friend we somehow got around to the subject of how we don’t see many kids really involved with horses anymore and that it seems that a fair amount of those that are just don’t have the dedication we did as a youngster. Today we have an abundance of riders but very few horsemen coming up thru the ranks. Big stables cater to people who have busy lives and just want to come out to ride once or twice a week and leave it up to the trainer to manage their horses well being. They don’t know much about vaccinations, general health, nutrition, training and you can forget about husbandry. It seems that those of us that eat, sleep and live horses are either a dying breed or just very rare. Perhaps it’s the minimal pay and long hours of strenuous work. Then again it could be the cost of running a facility, feed is skyrocketing, taxes are up and insurance is just plain crazy.

I can remember my childhood as a horse crazy girl like it was yesterday. My mom or grandma would drop me off at the barn in the summer in the cool morning and pick me up before dinner. My family always said that horses were a passing phase and that one-day I would discover boys and forget about horses, I can’t imagine how much farther from the truth that could have possibly been. I would come home from the barn sweaty, dirty and smelling like a horse but it was the happiest time of my life when I could forget the rest of the world and be in harmony with horses. I particularly loved the quiet early mornings in the barn. Horses would be munching on their breakfast, pushing it around in the buckets to find the best morsels. The sweet lingering smell of the alfalfa and grass mixed hay in the dark and cool barn isle that had just been cut open and was waiting to be distributed to the occupants. I loved to hear the soft and quiet deep muffled nickers of the horses greeting me when I would open their stall door and give them a couple flakes. I grew up in the city yet somehow I just instinctively knew how to brush a horse, take apart a bridle to clean it and pick feet. Things that I didn’t know I learned fast because I wanted to and I would listen intently to those helping teach me and refine my skills. Nothing in the barn was too much to ask as long as I got to be close to the animals that I loved so much. I would dream in Bay, Chestnut, Black and Grey, delighted to be galloping in some far away field with tall grasses and wild flowers and wake up wishing that one day I would have a horse of my own to love.
Today I’m fortunate enough that I don’t have to dream about my horses, I have them right out side. I still enjoy going to the barn, which is now my barn, to feed, groom, care for as well as ride and drive them. It’s a lot of work hauling grain, putting up hay, maintaining the buildings as well as the fences but I wouldn’t trade it for all the tea in China. I still love horses just as much, if not more, then I did as a child and I cant imagine my life without them.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:38 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Welcome Spring

With the coming of spring is St. Patrick’s Day. Usually there is snow on the ground in our part of the country this time of year but we happened to have a reprieve this year with warmer weather and virtually all the snow has melted away which has accounted for some areas being flooded. Along with the snow being absent comes the presence of the bare earth, read that mud. So while I’m happy to see the winter recede I’m not so happy to see the returning of the wet and heavy muck and mire that my fields are becoming.

Since The Bob, my parade horse for the last two year was recently sold I decided to used our two 4-yr old Percheron mares, Lynn and Pearl in the St. Patrick’s Day parade this year. Lynn worked with Bob last year doing 4 parades; she has a level head and has some experience in the bedlam that ensues at parades. I’m grateful that I had Bob to show her the ropes last year. For Pearl this was to be her parade debut. I worked the mares as a team for the last 2 weeks trying to get them back in some type of shape and I have lived as a wet muddy fur ball due to my efforts. I can’t begin to tell you how nauseating it is to curry a 17.2 hand horse that is muddy and shedding out. These drafts really hold the crud on those wide flat backs and with every stroke of the curry more of that filthy hair covered my head and body. I did clip faces, bridle paths and such but hate to so more then that since the weather can turn quite cold at the drop of a hat and there is no way I’m going to deal with blankest out in those fields. The mares did a fine job at the parade. It took the first ¼ of the parade for them to really settle in but the last ½ of the parade was excellent. We even encountered a local “Bumpkin” who thought it would be fun to spook the horses on the parade route and lit off a brick of firecrackers. Thank goodness we take the time to desensitize our horses. I am lucky that I have had a couple years working on the Sheriffs mounted patrol and had knowledge of the type of training they go thru with their horses. It proved to be a valuable asset during the parade. The Friday prior to the parade the mares got a good wash job with warm water. They looked so nice and clean with their show harness on and hoofs polished. I’m sure you know exactly what they did the moment they were turned out after the parade….. of course, they rolled and rolled and rolled. So as I look out today in my pasture I see those mares full of mud like the other horses. They resumed their therapeutic mud bathing routine and are happy to be lady’s of leisure till we begin getting them ready for the show season. They might as well enjoy the down time because in May the real work begins.

posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:02 AM 1 comments