Wednesday, March 17, 2010

*Munch*

Since I only have 45 days left with Salem, I have gone into Crazy Picture-Taking Mode. Yes, I am going to document absolutely anything and everything. Seriously. :-) Today, we have a lovely selection entitled Salem Eating Hay In His Paddock Whilst Wearing A Halter. It is truly ground-breaking, as you will see:


Blurry, but still cute


This is actually only one of his three hay piles.
The horse eats aaaaaall day long


Look how thin his tail is! It was all thick and luscious,
but then he ripped out several big chunks of it in his water bucket. Booo!


What is that giant spot on the pic??






I also wanted to show Salem's Salt-and-Mineral Bar. Since I'm a huge nerd, I read a lot of articles about horse-y stuff, and I've read several which state that salt and mineral blocks are not ideal for horses because they were actually designed for cattle. Horses use their tongues differently than cattle and it's difficult for them to get enough salt or minerals without hurting their tongues. Also, most mineral blocks are mainly (like 90%) salt, so the horse can't get enough minerals without overloading on salt. My solution is to have one bucket of loose white salt and one bucket of loose free-choice minerals (if you get them, make sure they are specifically free-choice and designed for horses!). I don't know why, but I get a huge kick out of him eating out of these buckets.



Minerals


Salt (yep, there's some hay in there, too ☺)

In an ideal world, I would either:
A) Have Salem's hay tested for minerals, have an equine nutritionists find the holes in his diet, and then have a custom mineral blend created just for him
B) Have a full Mineral Bar of individual vitamins and minerals (look at the Complete Diagnostic Free Choice System) for him so he could pick and choose which ones he needs
Unfortunately, I am not independantly wealthy, so we'll just stick with the salt and mineral buckets! 

He even glows in the dark!

I got a super cute video of Salem munching on his hay, but for some reason I no longer have an "Insert Video" button on my blogger compose-y thingy. I also don't have a spell-check -- WTF?

Lots more Salem news, so I'll definitely update tomorrow. We've had some interesting rides the last few days! And Thursday, he has an appointment with someone who is going to make him feel soooooooo good. And, no, he's not getting another massage. Any guesses?

10 comments:

Golden the Pony Girl said...

I wish I had the option to do free choice minerals and salt. My guy is pasture boarded and with all the rain.... You are such a considerate care taker he does simply glow with good health!

eventer79 said...

AHAHHAHAHA -- Oh you have taken horse OCD to a whole new level with the minerals and such, I love it! I now will no longer worry that I am obsessing too much now that I know you are out there obsessing so much more! ;-)

Frizzle said...

Lol, Solo...if you only knew. I actually rein myself in quite a bit. I could be soooooo much more OCD, but I try to keep it in check. (You did read about me scrubbing the stall with diluted bleach nefore he came, right?) I'm glad I can provide you with amusement.
Another example of my clean-freak-ness -- I was cleaning out the inside of my half-chaps bag with Lysol and I asked a fellow boarder, "Is this crazy?" and she replied, "Absolutely not!" So, I am not the only one!
I just strive to provide the absolute best care that I can. I want Salem to be as healthy and issue-free as possible. We're getting there!

SprinklerBandit said...

People clean their half chaps? I just wear them until they completely fall apart and then get a new pair. Of course, I just get the cheapie Dublin easy care ones that cost like $30.

Salem is gorgeous. You're right. He pretty much glows.

Frizzle said...

HAHAHA, SB -- I clean my half-chaps with Effax Ledercombi after every ride. I simply can not put them away dirty!
But, no, I was cleaning the inside of my half-chaps BAG (the original heavy plastic bag that has the velcro closure top, etc.) with Lysol. I take it to a whole new level!

Brooke (FBX Adventures - In Parenting) said...

I love your ideas, because I totally steal them! The cocosoya was a brilliant idea, I like the free choice mineral idea. Where do you buy them? I love the idea of sending in her hair, but hat would mean A. I'd need to have 130.00 and B. I'd need to cut her mane, it's not too long right now.

eventer79 said...

Cleaning half chaps? Is this even possible? I buy them in brown specifically because this is the same colour as dirt! Cleaning the half chap BAG = you definitely win some kind of OCD trophy!

Alana said...

Um, wow, yeah I'd say that you may be a little OCD, maybe, but just a little...lol! I don't blame you a bit on taking udles and kubudles of pics of him! I was looking at them and my boyfriend strolled by and said, "oh, you posted pics of Bailey online?" I knew they favored, but I guess I didn't realize how much, I had to point out Salem's white star and his much larger head for him to realize it was not, in fact, Bails, lol! Oh, and bad idea to mention CANTER, I now want a clone of Bailey that is posted...sigh.

Frizzle said...

Denali, I get the free-choice minerals at the feed store -- a 25-pound bag was maaaybe $20. I wish that they carried Rush Creek Mineral (which you can buy online), as the ingredients are superior, but I settled for the ones I got. Whatever you buy, make sure it's specifically for horses and free choice.
Solo -- oooo, I win a trophy? Sweet! I'm glad I can be an OCD-referrence point for you. "Well, I am not quite as crazy as Frizz, so I'm good." Lol.
Alana, watch out, CANTER is addictive! There are soooo many cuties on there and I want them all! Hahahaha. And now I need to see pics of Bailey! (That's also the name of the 4 y.o. TB that I started under saddle when I was 17!)

Kristen Eleni Shellenbarger said...

ok soooo interesting about the mineral and salt licks and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the WORST horse mom ever!?!? I have the two 'cattle' versions for poor Laz who BITES at them probably thinking "MOM..Im not a cow you stupid B!" lol!! Keep giving your knowledge out please..and ever thought about adding an email link to your so I dont miss a posting?! xo