Tuesday, March 31, 2009

To Drsgjunky

Just so you know....

The neighbor is moving to Arizona in the fall and is going to be renting out her place.

It's a cute 2-story, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, with loft office, nice open kitchen, gas fireplace and hot water heater, 3 stall barn, fenced and cross fenced. 4th "pen" with loafing shed. You'll have to keep your tack in your trailer though.

Very small "yard" with grass, not fenced.

Not listed yet, naturally, but she will later this summer.

Anyway...that's a though for next winter (since you're not out of winter over there yet...) and assuming I can't convince Barb O to move over here...

I don't WANT to be accomodating....

I sometimes find myself bending over backward to help other people...and that's OK. It makes me happy to be able to help...mostly in manual labor, sometimes hauling, feeding their horses, getting their mail...whatever. When I posted a pitiful request for help, two people stepped up and said "Here whiney butt...I'll help!" Ok not really, but they HELPED me when I really needed help! I try to help others if I can. For the most part, a kind "Thank you" is enough.

But there are certain people (who shall remain nameless, but you might know who I'm referring to) who take and take and take, yet can afford to give.



Last night, I was GOING to make new pens by the barn and move Dobbs and Millie into them. I was GOING to take down the panels, move the manure and the waste hay and spread it into the arena. I was GOING to rent a neighbor's loader and spreader and rototiller to move, spread and turn the arena.

I was GOING to...

Then today, I was in a "funk". I don't really feel "bad", just "blah". And in the quiet of the drive home, I thought "NO! I'm not going to be accomodating!"

I really don't have the extra money. And I don't want to spend my entire weekend working with poop! There's a big barrel race up at the TRAC and I want to go watch. I want to chit-chat with friends and acquiantances. I want to sit on my butt and do NOTHING!

I WILL however, create two pens so I can pen Dobbs and Millie if I want to ride in there. I can do flat work if I want. I can work with Millie. I can work with Squirrel. I can work with Thai. I can anything I want EXCEPT work barrels. It's just too slick. It's packed sand with two or three inches of packed manure on top. Not good for barrels!

I can pen Dobbs and Millie on Saturday night before my neighbor's little worker bees come over to pick up her manure. That way, they can dump the manure in the arena, rather than next to my barn (like they did the last time)

You know...it wouldn't bother me so much if they would NEATLY pile it. But they just walk up and dump it in the general vicinity of the pile. I irritates the crap out of me. (I believe I've mentioned this in the past)

NOW....on the other hand, if SHE wants to pay for the fuel, and SHE wants to pay the worker bees to load and spread it, if SHE wants to pay for the tractor and rototiller, if SHE wants to drag it to smooth it every so often...well, ok. I'll move the horses.

Until then, nope, my horses are just fine where they are, thank you very much. (To her credit, she hasn't said anything about not being able to use "our" arena.)

But still...

Is it September yet?

**********************************************************************

Update on my son - Josh was medically disqualified from the Marines - temporarily.

He needs to supply some medical documentation regarding his ADHD and Ritalin, and Family Counseling which happened when he was a 9 year old monster.

It has delayed to "KNOWING" that he's going, but as of right now, he is on track to leave June 1. Stay tuned...

**********************************************************************

Thai

Thai is in a pen at the barn. She was getting SO FAT...she's now lost a little weight and by the look of her coat, she's wormy. I have her on an herbal wormer Silver Lining Herbs "Worm Foe". The way this works is that it doesn't kill the worms, it make the horse's body an unfavorable and toxci environment and the worms vacate the system. It's fed in grain, once a day for seven days every month. A distributor who has been using it for 10 years said that she has a fecal exam done on her horses evey spring and to date, there has been no evidence of parasite infestation. All the horses, except Classy, are on it.

Classy

Classy is doing so well! I washed her butt last weekend as I posted already. On Sunday, I turned her out with Jazzy on the pasture. Classy and Jazzy would run up the pasture, one along one side, one along the other, bucking and farting. They'd stop, turn, then run back. They went on like this, with a snort and a blow thrown in here and there, for almost 20 minutes. Classy looks like crap with her being underweight and her yak-hair, but she is feeling good and is shedding like crazy! (Hey...that's another thing I can put on my list of things to do this weekend...)

And so it goes...like at Vermillion Acres! Enjoy your April Fools Day tomorrow! Have fun, but stay safe. And hug your ponies and pray for sunshine!

I'm ready for Spring!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

High Winds? Pft...we call that rain.

The weatherman said we were supposed to have high winds today. Cloudy and winds 20-25 mph, with gust to 35.

PFT!

It started raining around 10:00 and hasn't really stopped all day! I feel like I'm in Seattle or something! This is ridiculous!

I just came in from the barn. I brushed Angel and just spent time with my horse. Her tail is about 2 inches above her ankle. A year ago, it barely reached her hock! It's still thin, but at least it's longer!

I went to the store after feeding the horses. Dobbs and Millie were eating from the same pile. The other pile was still untouched.

Dang horses!

THE ROCK STAR!!!!

That would be Classy! What a ROCK STAR!!!

I made arrangements earlier in the week to haul 20 miles to a friend's house to use her barn, stocks, and hot water to wash Classy's butt and tail. She walked right into the trailer and hauled fine. She stepped out daintily when we got there.

She was a little unsure about going into the barn, but after a minute or two, walked in. She walked right into the stocks and stood quietly for the two hours it took me to wash her butt and tail. She got a little bored toward the end but all she did was bob her head. She is all clean bottomed now! Her tail is finally CLEAN, braided and wrapped.

She DID NOT want to get back into the trailer to come home and it took three of us to get her loaded. But once in, she hauled fine and seemed relieved to be back home. She ran up and down the run, bucking and farting, with Jazzy. She is shedding like CRAZY!!!

Millie and Dobbs are now playing kissy-face in the arena out in the rain. I had Millie for sale, but after watching her move, I've changed my mind. She's a fit and trim little hard body that move naturally off her hind end. So, she stays. You ought to see this filly move! Poetry in motion.

Very special thank you to Becky McDougall of Benton City, WA for letting me use your barn and hot water, and for holding the bucket while I washed Classy's tail! Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

DON'T BEAT THE BABY!!!

I'm sure I've said many times that Dobbs is an old "gentleman", kind to the ladies, shares his hay, etc. Right? Remember?

I pull Thai out because she's lost a little weight. I think that's because Dobbs bolts his grain, and she doesn't. He's maintained. I wanted to give her more focus and get her weight back up without competition. So I pull Thai and switched her out with Millie. I figured Dobbs might "boss" her a little, put her in her place.

So I switched them out, and fed. Dobbs was running Millie off when I returned with their hay. I checked on them a couple times. Dobbs was watching Millie, and Millie was DEFINITELY watching Dobbs. But things seemed to settle down so I went into the house.

Then the thundering started. I got up and looked out the window.

Dobbs was running Millie around the arena, ears pinned, teeth bared. It wasn't a "run off". He didn't let up AT ALL. He was after her like a rabid dog! All I could see was my filly having a wreck and breaking a leg.

So I grabbed a halter and went out to catch Dobbs. He was so intent on running Millie, that he ignored me. Something he NEVER does. I finally got the halter on him and while I was tying him, he went after her again.

I finally got him tied on the far side of the arena and set the panels back up to make a pen. Getting him in the pen was a challenge, because Millie was so traumatized, she wanted to sit in my lap. I had to get the buggy whip and run her off.

When Dobbs was finally locked up in the pen, I went to barn and fetched some baling twine...to tie the panels together. I doubt that he'd try to get out, but just in case. After all, Thai was an escape artist...she managed to get the panels down more than once.

BAD DOBBS!

On a different note....

I bought some supplies to clean Classy's butt on Saturday. Becky has offered the use of her barn with stocks and hot water. I'm going to do a thorough cleaning on Little Miss Classy Pants!

My son left this evening for Spokane. Tomorrow he'll have his physical and take the ASVAB. I think I finally figured out why I'm so unsettled... I haven't yet seen him as a "man". I still see him as "my boy". *sigh - when did he grow up?*

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Fussin' and Frettin'

This is not horse related, but bear with me, will ya? Either that or just skip this post.

My son dropped the bomb on us. He is enlisting in the US Marine Corps.

Now don't get me wrong. My husband was a Marine in Recon for 13 years. When he couldn't pass the physical to re-enlist, he was medically retired. It almost killed him. He didn't know how to be a civilian. He didn't WANT to be a civilian. He was horribly depressed and angry for YEARS! But I digress..

My son is 22 years old. He's is married. He has a son that turns 3 in June. Maybe I wouldn't worry if this country wasn't at war. I laid awake for hours last night. Not really thinking. Not really upset.

The American in me is very proud. I absolutely LOVE the Marines! I know they are the best trained of the services.

But I am also Josh's momma. He still calls me "Momma". And it scares the hell out of me to think he could be shipping to Iraq or Afghanistan.

I support his decision 100%. There is no greater honor for me as a mother and an American, than to stand up and say "My son is a Marine." (Although it hasn't happened YET, he could ship off to boot camp as early as May 1)

So when it's quiet and all is still, I sit fussin' and frettin', proud, yet scared.

Thanks for listening!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Thunder, Lightning, and Horse Poop!

Yes, we actually had rolling thunder at the house today. And rain. And lightning. And of course, horse poop!

I had to stop for 20 minutes and wait out the passing thunder cloud, I finally got all the runs cleaned. After dumping it out in the arena, I moved Dobbs and Thai to the pasture for some grass time (what little there is) and pulled a panel behind the Escape. It looks so much better out there, all nice and smooth!

My plan HAD been to pickup the manure pile, which consisted of maybe two trailer loads of poop from MY barn, but my neighbor had a couple boys who work for her come over and clean her pasture. They dumped in on the poop pile.

See, we separate the "clean" poop, and the waste hay. Actually, she's the only one who has waste hay. But we usually spread the manure in the arena and a couple times a year, rent a tractor with a rototiller and turn it under. When there were no horse living in the arena full time, the boys would dump the manure in there. Today, they dumped it on my poop pile.

So, "Why", do you asked, "are you complaining?" Well for one thing, they boys just dump it. They are neat about it. They don't even try to pile it. Just dump it wherever. And that irritates me to no end. And the other reason is that she PAYS them to pick it up. She doesn't pay ME to pick it up. So now I have MY manure, and HER manure. It's a LOT of manual labor and it irritates the crap out of me! RAWR!

Ok..so now, before we can turn the arena under, we have to borrow our other neighbor's tractor with a front loader, and his manure spreader, to pick up all the frickin' poop and spread it.

Did I mention that I'm irritated?

BUT!!! There is light at the end of the tunnel. My neighbor,(yeah, THAT one) told me that she bought property in Arizona and is moving next fall. She'll be renting her house out here, in case she doesn't like it and wants to move back. Hopefully whoever rents the place, won't allow 2 years of waste hay to build up at the back of the property, 20 feet from OUR barn.

And since I'm already irritated, let me share this also... I love MY horses. I don't love YOUR horses. I like them, but I don't LOVE them...

*end rant* I'm off to find something to de-irritate me!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

From a beautiful Spring day to...

Well I don't know what this is. It rained this morning, enough to make things wet.

I waited until things had dried out a little, then I cleared out the flower bed. Under the old, dead stuff, there is new growth. YAHOO! SPRING IS COMING!!!

I turned the horses out on the pasture, which is FINALLY starting to green up. It must be all the rain, seeing how the irrigation hasn't been turned on yet. I figured I do some thorough cleaning of the stalls and runs.

I had just finished loading the second trailer load and it started raining again.

Not sprinkling. RAINING.

So I pulled the trailer into the barn, re-strung the tapes, and let the horses in. I didn't even get the trailer unloaded. Just pulled it into the barn. Perhaps tomorrow, it won't rain and I'll be able to finish.

Thai has decided that she likes the Necessity supplement after all. Silly girl...

A friend from High School called out of the blue last night and said she had free tickets to the hockey game and asked if I'd like to go. Well of COURSE!!! Claudine is one of those very rare "Lifers" - a friend that you know will always be a friend even if it's months or years since you last spoke.

When I came home, Dobbs and Thai were standing together, facing each other, cheek to cheek. They are so cuddly with each other, I've never seen either one of them lay their ears back, even at feeding time.

Nikki - Thank you again for helping Thai! I really appreciate it! Please Thank Chad for me also! I hope your baby gets better soon. I can't even imagine - a bay on stall rest. GAH! I don't know your budget, but there is an AMAZING place just south of me that does reahabilitation and have a pool for swimming to recondition. They do an amazing job and I personally recommend them.

Hug your horses and give them kisses! Time is shorter than you realize. Don't miss the opportunity to give a gentle pat or a soothing scratch.

Friday, March 20, 2009

A Day at the Beauty Parlor!

ALL the "kids" went to the beauty parlor today, though Classy in a diminished capacity. I did learn something though..when you are working on tails that have poop dried in because the horse had the squirts, breath through your nose.

Dobbs was first. I clipped his bridle path, then washed his tail. I braided it and wrapped it in some pink vet wrap. Did you know that horses can actually look embarassed? I cleaned off his butt and rubbed on some salve, then turned his back out with Thai...for about 30 seconds.

It was Thai's turn. Her tail was in worse shape. I washed her bum and legs, then worked on her tail again. Meanwhile, Dobbs was working himself into a dither in the arena. I found out that Thai will only allow you to wash her tail 5 times before she's had enough. And when "enough is enough", trust me...you're done! She didn't do anything bad, she just wouldn't hold still. I did manage to get conditioiner in it and get it braided before giving up and taking back to her boyfriend.

Then I clipped and brushed out the manes and tails of Jazzy, Honey, and Millie. Surprisingly, Millie could care less about the clippers. She was more interest4ed in smelling everything, so I had to follow a moving target with the clippers. You know those pictures of Fresians with INSANELY long and thick manes and tails??? Picture them in red and on a 2 yr old filly. INSANE!!!

I didn't bother with Ange. I roach her mane and it only take three swipes with the brush to take care o her broomy little tail. So Squirrel was last...

Squirrel was a ranch horse. Never clipped. Never had her tail washed. Never had a bath. Until today. Well, except for the clipping part. She was having NONE of THAT!! I managed to wash her tail once and get it mostly brushed out. I gooped it up with a leave in conditioner and perhaps tomorrow, I can finish cleaning it.

Squirrel has always been a little hardto catch. Today, she took about three steps backward, then stopped. Tomorrow, she'll probably run for the hills!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

...and then the horse said, "HELL no!"

I swear! I heard Classy say that! Tonight was the LAST of the antibiotic, no more tomorrow! And Classy said, "You know what...I'm done eating that crap! It's nasty tasting and I'm NOT eating it anymore!" then she proceeded to bang on the gate, begging, no, DEMANDING, something else that was edible. So of course I had to come in the house. I'll go out in an hour or so, make sure she's eaten it, then give her the rest of her supper.

The Necessity with Glucosamine and MSM that was ordered by Nikki and Chad was delivered today. (THANK YOU NIKKI AND CHAD!!!)

You know when you open something new, it's "perfect", more aromatic, with no settling, and when you get to the bottom of the jug, it's a little thicker and more concentrated... apparently, Thai likes the concentrated version. She turned her nose up to it and walked away to eat her hay. Dobbs, on the other hand, believes that anything in a bucket, (even if it's arsenic or pig poop) is manna from Heaven and will slurp it up, drooling and grunting contendedly to himself. And since Thai didn't want the vile poison in the bucket, Dobbs ate it. Silly goofs!



I hate to write anything about IT because I know if do, it'll rain or snow or blow, but I think IT might just FINALLY be here. You know what IT is...that time before summer. That's all I'm going to write, cuz I don't want to jinx it.



I want to ponder something. I'm sure we're all guilty of it at one time or another. How much crap do you take from a horse before you snap the perverbial lead rope and yell "Knock it off!"

I'm talking about a couple of my own horses, and also, a horse belonging to a friend or two. It starts off with little "slights" and you let them get away with it because reacting harshly might be overkill. Eventually, it escalates into a real annoyance. It could be running off when you try to put on a halter. (Squirrel) Crowding you and being pushy. (Millie) When do you say "ENOUGH!!"? Immediately? Or do you correct gently the first time and increase the level of correction as the behavior continues? (Things that make you go "Hmmm....")

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

WORSE

You know how they say "It's going to get worse before it gets better"?

It's worse.

Classy is very sore on her injured hock. She so sore that I can't even touch it without her lifting her leg away. After supper and before dark, I'm going to run some cold water on her hock to try to give her some relief.

The ankle isn't quite as swollen as it was. It will get a hosing down also.

The puncture injury is still weepy and oozy. Gross. Swollen. The vet put a patch over the pocket to prevent poop and urine from going down in there. Aside from smeared blood that got on there from the stitching procedure and from her tail, it has stayed pretty clean.

I figured out the "magic" combination to get her to eat the feed-through antibiotic. One cup of Strategy, 2 ounces of B-L Solution, stir. Add antibiotic. Stir. Add 2 ounce of honey. Stir (if you can...) Add one cup of Strategy and stir. She eats it better that way than with the applesauce.

Since moving her to the barn, she is moving around more. When she was in the pen in the arena, she just stood there. Now she is walking more which is better for her than standing around.




Classy has the squirts again. I've posted and asked about it. There are two trains of thought here. Check for a digestive system infection - I had four that had the squirts. Some may have been cross contaminated and just fought it off better.

Switch to straight alfalfa. I tried this earlier and it did work. Makes sense. I'm going to switch her to alfalfa pellets and stop the probiotic and see what happens.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Bratty 2 year old, “Old” Love, and an Update on Classy

The Bratty 2 yr old – aka Meritable Millie, aka Millie the Filly, aka God Damn Horse! I really shouldn’t complain because she really is a nice filly. She’s friendly, and cuddly, wants to know what you’re doing, wants to help, want to cuddle and snuggle and sit in your lap. The problem is she wants to sit in your lap NOW!! She’ll trot up on you, invade your space, and climb into your lap whether you have one or not. For the last week, she’s also taken to pooping in her corner grain feeder. So I moved her to the back of the barn, thinking “HA!!! No corner feeder to poop in! That’ll fix you! Bwuahahaaahahaaa!”

So she pooped in her water tub. *sigh* Babies!


“Old” Love – I switched out Dobbs and Classy today. I wanted Classy in the barn and I needed to move someone (of the “horse” persuasion) out with Thai who wouldn’t bully her too badly. Enter Dobbs – distinguished gentleman and ladies man extraordinaire. I turned them out together while I worked on Classy (update below). There was no squealing, striking, posturing of any kind. Just a little nose sniffing and curtsey (read: I’m-coming-into-heat-cuz-you’re-such-a-handsome-MAN!) from Thai. When I left to go back to work, they were nose-to-nose, cleaning up the leftovers from Classy breakfast.

Update on Classy – I spent over an hour washing her legs and getting the shmaggy goop (dried blood) off the back and inside of her legs. She has four scrape marks on and around her left hock and its swollen and tender. One is on the outside. Two are in front. And the last one is on the inside above the swelling. These are minor scrapes, mostly just missing hair, but because of the swelling, I believe that she must have really struggled and banged the heck out of her leg. Her ankle is also swollen, but I didn’t find any scrapes, so it must just be bruising. That would explain the “real” wound. If she wasn’t panicked, she probably wouldn’t have caught herself on the pin and ripped open her hind end. The wound on her behind is oozy, which is what we figured would happen. I rubbed on some Vaseline this afternoon to keep the gunk from crusting up her legs. Since moving her to the barn, she is moving around more, which is good for her. It’ll keep her leg from stiffening up. She doesn’t particularly care for the feed through antibiotic, but she IS eating it. I’ve figured out if I give her the Medicine Mush (that’s a technical term, by the way), then feed everyone else, she’s hungry enough to suffer through it. Then she get the rest of her grain with the B-L Solution.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Poor Classy

Classy was REALLY sore today. She's been mostly standing around, doing nothing. Poor dear! I washed off some of the gunk on her legs, but she was really bothered by the cold water. So I hauled a big bucket of warm water out, soaked her legs, and brushed lightly with a soft brush. There is STILL a lot of gunk still on there.

She is still bleeding a little, which isn't helping at all!

I got a tip...rub in some Vaseline. The deal is, you rub in the Vaseline and it will not only soften the gunk that's still on there, but it will prevent MORE gunk from sticking. (By gunk, I mean dried blood) It will also protect her legs. The problem is, however, if it's too cold out or if the wind is blowing, the vaseline could exasserbate the cold. I mean geez...hasn't this poor mare been through enough?

I talked to Mike about getting one of those attachments so I can hook up a hose to the sink and run warm water out that way. It's going to be a pain in the a$$, but she really needs to be cleaned off and cold water isn't going to get it.

Vet Call

I honestly don't know what happened. I went to the movies with my husband and daughter and went out to feed when we got back home at 4:30. I notice a place on the inside of Classy's leg, just above the hock, that looked like her leg had been scraped. So I went in for a closer look. There is also a scrape on the outside of her leg. Then I noticed more blood than there should have been from the scrapes, pulled her tail aside and saw the wound. I initially thought that perhaps she was in a kicking contest with Thai and lost, but Classy is the alpha mare, and Thai doesn't have a mark on her.

I asked the vet if it could have been a kick and she said "no". So in talking with the vet, it appears that Classy rolled too close to the panels and the pin might have caused the damage. The positioning is about right. It would also explain the scrapes on both the inside and the outside of her leg that are in the same spot. Like she rolled into it, got her leg caught and scraped, then when she tried to get up, the pin caught and rip her open. She's really bruised.


I walked down the arena and the panels. I didn't find any blood or hair anywhere, so I can't tell you EXACTLY what happened. I asked my neighbor and she said she didn't see anything. There's no sign of a struggle. I'm baffled.

I have to tell you though, Classy is a CHAMP! She was so patient and so good! I bought her some applesauce and oatmeal to mix the antibiotic in. Hopefully, she'll see it as a treat. She'll be on B-L Solution for a week or so.

This morning she got her first dose of the antibiotic. Naturally, she thinks I'm trying to poison her. She didn't immediatly eat it, but I'll check back throughout the day to see if she's eaten it after all.

As usual, I can't upload pictures into my blog. I don't know why that it.

Anyway, I've put them here. **GRAPHIC** Be warned

Friday, March 13, 2009

All trimmed up...

The girls got their feet trimmed today.

They did fine. She's one of those that has been there and done that and stood quietly. They are both a little slipper-footed and their heels are a little run under, but their feet weren't really all that long. Just funky shaped.

I started both girls on beet pulp and packer pellets. It's Thai has lost a little weight and Classy hasn't quite gained enough. So I'm going to add the soaked mush to their Strategy.

Around the place everybody is now shedding. I didn't think they ever would, which meant that Spring was never coming. It's supposed to be up around 50 tomorrow and with a little luck, I can wash butts and tails.

EVERYONE needs a beauty parlor day! They all need clipped and brushed. Anyone want to come help??

Barb? Cathy? Nikki? Mary? Anyone? I've got 5 horses here with poop glued in their tails and schmag on their butts.....

c'mon...you KNOW you WANT to....

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Somewhere in the hood, there's a GOOD neighbor.

First, a little background.

We have three dogs. Boomer is the wandering yellow Lab. Rylee is our female Jack Russells Terrier. Bandit is our male Jack Russells Terrier. All three will stay by the house if we are out with them. If we step inside for a minute, they go wandering. Fortunately (or UNfortunately, as is sometimes the case) they always come back.

We also have three cats. Well, two are ours. Kiko and Spaz. Alex, cat number three, actually belongs to our neighbor Pam, but he's living with us while she's in Arizona. Kiko is 14 years old, petite (weighs MAYBE three pounds), frail and loud-mouthed. Spaz is 5 years old, taller and heavier than our Jack Russells (about 17 pounds). All three cats are indoor/outdoor cats.

Spaz can open doors.

Now for the story - This morning when I left for work, I left the dogs in the house. I closed all the bedroom doors (since one of them likes to punish me by chewing on my shoes), made sure they had water, put the Spaz and Alex outside, and left for work.

In my 'hood, the guy across the street is 89 years old, putters, restores old metal farm equipment, and hang out pretty much all day. Next to him, is a retired couple. To the north of our property, is another retired couple. Because of this, we rarely lock our front door. VERY RARELY!! We don't need to. Our neighbors watch our house and usually report to us what color the cars were that stopped by. (The green jeep that my brother drives for example)

Sometime before 1:45 pm, Spaz opened the door. The dogs got out. Naturally, they left the door open. They haven't mastered the art of closing it behind them. On their wandering adventure, Bandit found a nice fresh pile of cow poop, which he proceeded to smear and slather all over both sides of his body, from his neck to his hips.

When Kali (my daughter) came home after school. The dogs and the cats were all in the house....with the door closed. Kali called to ask why the poop-covered dog was in the house. I said, "Huh?" A quick search of the house revealed no piles or smears INSIDE the house....anywhere. So it's my assumption is that the cat let the dogs out, one of our neighbors found them and wrangled them back into the house, then closed the door. Pam would have called me at work.

It's nice to have GOOD neighbors in the 'hood!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Thanks to Old Friends and New Friends, the ponies eat good tonight!

I posted on Sunday that a couple of friends were helping out with the horses.

One is an old friend! Well, not OLD as in years old (though I tease her relentlessly!), or OLD as in I've known her forever, but you know...and old friend. One of those quick, easy friendship that started with e-mails, moved to a weekend visit, and WHAM! it's like you've been friends forever! Barb is like that. She's so easy to love! She's one of those people that you can sit in the chair across the room from and not say a word. Easy to be with but you don't have to chatter away because it's an easy comfortable silence with a friend. (Those who know me know that that yap doesn't stay closed for very long. LOL!) It's like I've know her for 100 years, even though she's only ... Oh I give up! I've picked on her so much I've forgotten how old she is. (And who cares anyway?) You can see Barb if you go to my photobucket. She's the one kissing Millie on the nose when she was a baby. (When Millie was a baby, not Barb)

The new friends are Nikki and Chad, who own and run HARDKORE PRODUCTION.

From their website, "Formed in 2001, HardKore Production is a full service manufacturing company devoted to offering our customers high quality service and affordability. We are a full service precision CNC machining facility with CNC milling, design, and quick turn prototype machining capabilities."

I hope that they are able to make it out of the frozen tundra and stop by for a visit, to see my place, see the horses, especially Thai! I would love to get a photo of them with her!

I hugged my horses today...did you?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

I posted here that I had become a beggar and needed help. I was very surprised to find a post from Nikki in Idaho, offering to help out. Actually, she said "I'm game" and posted her e-mail.

I've never seen a post from Nikki before, so I was amazed that she was even reading this blog! My daughter said she was a Blog Stalker, LOL!

Well, a few e-mails later and Nikki tells me that she and Chad are sending some money from their business! Then Nikki asked if there was a supplement that I was feeding that she could buy on line and ship to me. I told her what I feed and her next e-mail is forwarding confirmation of a purchase.

I am so humbled by Nikki and Chad's generosity! Thank you so much!

Then yesterday, I sent an e-mail to my friend Barb O who lives in Western Washington that was totally unrelated to this blog. Her response "You should be getting something in the mail from me. Hope it helps with the ponies." Thank you Barb! I love you!

Now all we need to do is convince Nikki that she really DOES need a sweet, sound, sane, red mare with a blaze on her face! How cool would THAT be?

Friday, March 6, 2009

Tip of the Day

If you have a horse that has NEVER had a stable blanket on before, put a halter on the horse before you take the blanket OFF!

LOL!

I though I could just go out and unhook it a pull it off of Squirrel.

WRONG!!!! ROFLMAO!!!

I'll let you use your imagination as to what all occurred, but in the end, the blanket AND the horse are still in one piece.

Lesson learned.

p.s. - if you haven't read TBFriends yet today - DO IT! It's a nice feel good story of rescue and forever home. The link is on the right.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Blanketing in the rain on a Thursday from HELL!!!

First thing this morning, I found a note from Mike. The car has a flat. Great! So he took the daughter's car, since she's home sick anyway.

The day at work went well. Minor little irritations and lots of ranting via e-mail with my friend Candice (who is FINALLY coming to see me in May! WOOT!)

It spit rain for 5 or 10 minutes here and there throughout the day and looking out my window to the South, I saw big fluffy clouds and sunshine. "Great" I thought.

Then I left the building.

WAAAAH???!???

The wind had shifted and was now blowing from the North and was COLD, and coming at me lift a freight train was a wall of black.

I ran (no really...RAN) to the truck, and made it home in 10 minutes. I raced into the house, changed my clothes, raced to the tack room for halters, then raced to the arena to collect Thai and Classy. It was now raining. And hailing.

I haltered the girl (such good girls) and led Classy out the gate. I had thrown Thai's lead rope over her neck and I missed it when she came out the gate behind me. So I was now running toward the barn, Classy trotting beside me (good girl!) and Thai trotting ahead of me. Once I opened the side door to the barn, Thai followed Classy in with no problem.

Both girls were a little damp, so I tied them to the front of the stalls, and went to dig out the blankets. Then the squealing started. Classy squealing at Angel. Angel squealing back. Thai squealing at Jazzy, then at Dobbs. Dobbs getting fresh with Thai.

I brushed them both off and put on the blankets. Classy was first and stood quietly. Thai was fine but when I went to close the front, Dobbs got fresh again and Thai squealed and struck out, catching me in the middle of the thigh with her knee. Yeah...it's going to leave a mark. A BIG one!

I finally got the girls in their blankets and back out to their pens. Only one more to go...Squirrel.

The evil, rotten little turd wouldn't let me catch. Back and forth in the mud...waiting until I could almost touch her, then off she'd go. I finally cornered her and by then we were both soaked! I put the wool blanket on her and patted her dry.

Squirrel was raised and lived on a ranch up in rough country up until I got her. I pretty sure she's NEVER had a stable blanket on. In fact, I'm pretty sure she is totally offended having to wear one now. She probably doesn't NEED one, but it makes me feel better.

It's supposed to drop below freezing tonight. Wet horse, freezing weather....just doesn't feel right.

So I got her pretty much dried off (By the way, go to an Army Surplus store and get a couple of wool blankets. They are GREAT for wicking the moisture off!) I got the blanket on and fitted, and turned her back out.

NOW...I get to feed. In the rain. Cold, wet, and tired. Time for a hot bath! And a stiff drink! Thank God tomorrow is my Friday off!

*end rant*

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Helping out and becoming a Beggar!

I have said in the past that I rescue horses. Do I really?

It's not something I ever thought about before 15 months ago. Someone posted the link to Fugly Horse of the Day on a discussion board that I frequent and because I was bored out of my mind at work, I checked it out. And became totally addicted!

I'm addicted to the drama created in the comments. I'm addicted to the sound logic and "Oh yeah, huh!" obviousness of the posts that I never took the time to think about.

It was because of FHoTD, because of a teeny tiny mite of a woman named Cathy, I rescued my first horse. Well, first and second horses.

I was supposed to adopt a horse, but as it turned out, the mare was better suited for a dressage lesson barn. But Cathy turned me on to a pregnant mare in need named Heddy Weed (yeah...guess we know what THEY were smoking). She was young, only 6 years old, due in April, and free with papers. What more could I ask for?

When I showed up, Emily asked me if I could take more. There were 7 mares in the arena, and I could take as many as I could fit in my trailer. Mike and I decided that though we had a three-horse trailer, we really could only afford to take two horses. The second mare I chose was an 8 year old dark bay mare named "Honey in the Money". How cool is THAT?

Both mares had rain rot and were thin. Not neglected, but thinner than I like to see my horses. This is the reason I'm always broke...I FEED my horses!

In May, I saved Kaci's Friend. A 19 yr old TB gelding who'd spent the previous 8 years jumping, carrying his owner, then her daughter over fences, hauling thousands of miles, only to be dumped at the owners farm in 160 acre "pasture" teeming with sagebrush and ticks. He was COVERED in old, healing tick bites. Once I got him home, I began the task of removing actively feeding ticks. Gives me the willies just typing about it. Kaci went to a new home teaching a 13 yr old how to jump.

Then came Joy and the beginning of this blog. My first broken heart. I couldn't save her. Regardless of what I did, she just had so much going wrong, I couldn't fix it. So with her owner's blessing, I let her go.

Two weeks later, still not recovered from saying goodbye to Joy, Heddy colicked while I was at work. By the time someone found her, it was too late. She was in too much pain. We put her to sleep and released her from her pain.

My neighbor's boyfriend knew of a ranch that was "culling" their herd and wanted to know if I wanted one of their mares. Free. Papered. Sounds. Broke. Sane. "Well, HELL yeah!" Squirrel arrived a few days later. I can NOT believe my luck. She's a little "quirky", but hey, aren't they all?

Then came Thai. This red little mare that is the SWEETEST, easiest mare to deal with. Calm and quiet and patient and vocal. She is what everyone wishes all their horses could be like. Just a nice mare all the way around. When Cathy saddled her, she didn't even blink. When Cathy climbed on her, she just stood quietly until she was asked to move. Her head never came up, she never flinched. Cathy could have been climbing on a carousel horse for all that she moved.

And lastly, Classy has come to stay for a couple of months. I'd thought that Classy would be leaving here March 1, but the gals at SAFE have ask that she stay at LEAST another month.

So here I am, having rescued horses, and having fostered rescued horses. And I'm down to begging. The economy downturn does not disciminate. Everyone is a target. Three rescued horses need your help.

It won't take much, just the cost of a nice dinner out. The cost of a tank of gas. The cost of a Big Mac Extra Value meal. Every little bit helps, it helps ease the financial burden. It helps to spread that burden.

Let me know in the comments if you'd like to help.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Bucking Broodies

I came home tonight and found that Little Miss Thai has pushed over the panels and was loose with Classy. Now this isn't a problem because the arena is big enough that they can get away from each other, and they didn't have feed to fight over. I keep them penned separately because they are fed differently and I want to make sure what I set out for Classy get INTO Classy!


When I pulled into the driveway, they were standing quietly. I changed my clothes and headed out to the arena with the wheelbarrow and when I came around the side of the house, all hell broke loose!

Both mares pinned their ears, ripped around the arena, bucking and farting, kicking up their heels. It was insane!

I set the wheelbarrow down and watched. There was no way I was going in with them acting like idiots!

After a few minutes they calmed down, so I crawled through the poles, reset the panel to the pen, lured Classy into the pen, then set the pin. I crawled back out of the arena and the girls started in again...making faces over the panel, bucking in place, fussing at each other.

Once I dumped the grain, they set to eating and the fuss was over! I know this is normal behavior, but I get such a kick out of it, I just had to share!