1) Fly Sheet -- South Florida has recently become Land of Giant Swarms of Flying Arthropods, and it's making us all miserable. Yes, Salem has a fly mask and fly boots and I soak him with gallons of fly spray; but the army of insects is massive and relentless. Poor Salem! I am looking for a fly sheet that is light-colored (preferably white), has a belly band and neck cover, and ideally is made of fly-repellent fabric. Unfortunately, I haven't found one that's affordable and has good reviews. Any suggestions?
2) KER's Equishure -- This is a hind-gut buffer that reduces symptoms of hind-gut acidosis. Am I obsessed with Salem's GI tract? Why, yes, yes I am. But Salem is still leaving some of his gorgeous soft green orchard/alfalfa hay, and that has me perplexed. He also has been occasionally weaving in his stall, something he never did in the six months he was with me a year ago. I'd like to try Equishure and see if it can help with some of these symptoms.
3) High Velocity Fan -- I already have one of these installed in Salem's stall, but I feel like it isn't enough; the heat index has been consistently over 100 degrees lately. And if I put him in a fly sheet, I think this one is a necessity.
4) Fly Predators -- See item #1! I have said, "We need fly predators!" until I'm blue in the face, but nobody seems to listen. Heck, if every boarder pitched in a few $s every month, we could make it possible. In an ideal world, we would have started with these a few months ago. As things stand now, I don't think we'll have them at all. :-/
5) Keratex Hoof Gel -- It usually rains about 6 days a week from May-October here, but this year it seemed like Monsoon Season would never come. Well, it's finally here (and thank goodness; the Everglades have been burning, and I've walked out the door to a thick, acrid haze of smoke far too many times). Now that it's raining almost every day, I need to start protecting Salem's precious hooves from excess moisture; and Keratex Hoof Gel is the best product for the task! I'll be picking some up tomorrow.
6) Automatic Waterer -- Sure, the Princess Pony already has two huge buckets and an automatic waterer in his stall. But he usually drains the buckets before I arrive, and I'm not sure if he drinks from the waterer; it has rust in it! Yes, I've cleaned it and scrubbed it...but I don't think it meets Salem's standards. I'd love to buy him a Nelson waterer with a water consumption meter; but this pricey item will have to wait a while. Third bucket it is!
7) Mowl -- Salem is a grain-flinger and bowl-flipper extraordinaire. And while wetting his food usually curbs this behavior, it's certainly not a guarantee. I would love to get him a Mowl, which is a rubber dish with a giant rubber mat attached to it; this thing is unflippable! Unfortunately, at $69.95 + freight, I won't be clicking "Add to Cart" any time soon. Maybe I could make a ghetto mowl with Salem's current rubber feeder, a big mat, and some Krazy Glue?
8) Back on Track sheet -- I admit, the BoT craze has me a bit flummoxed. Some studies show that keeping leg tendons cool while working is imperative, while others suggest that heat from BoT leg wraps with ceramic magic-ness is therapeutic. Me = confused. Whatever. I know so many people who have this sheet and rave about it, and I want to be a member of that club. Yes, it's blazingly hot here at the moment, but it's not mystical magical powdered unicorn-horn/ceramic BoT heat! Maybe this sheet could help the sore muscles in Salem's right hip/back/butt-cheek, and if so I don't really care how it works.
9) Liberty Training Book And/Or DVD -- I've been doing some at-liberty work with Salem lately (since we can't do much else). I'm no Sylvia Zerbini and I've already gotten to the bottom of my (very shallow) bag of tricks. I'm not sure what else to work on with Salem, or how. The DVD in the link above is one of the few that I've found. Does anyone have other suggestions? (But I have to warn you -- I am not at all interested in giving money to the hypocritical money grubbers whose name starts with a P and ends in an elli!) For those of you who have never seen Sylvia Zerbini, you must watch this clip:
10) Although this is the last "want," it's by far the most important: The ability to take Salem to the best equine clinic in the area and say, "Whatever diagnostics and treatments he needs, do it. Spare no expense!"
So, what are you guys yearning for at the moment (besides a money tree and/or winning lottery ticket)?
12 comments:
I use this fly sheet from Stateline Tack: Weatherbeeta AirFlow Detach A Neck Combo Sheet 78I. I'm pretty happy with it. My boy is not at all happy with the idea of wearing the fly sheet, and he hasn't managed to get it off yet. I've had problems with the neck part (that he CAN get off), but I'm hoping it was because I got the wrong size hood.
I just bought a second (to rotate because he rolls a lot and they get nasty fast), and I got the correct sized hood this time. I put that one on last night, so we'll see how that works.
He's the low horse in the pecking order, and the other horses out with him haven't managed to destroy it yet.
here's a link:
http://www.statelinetack.com/item/weatherbeeta-airflow-detach-a-neck-combo-sheet/E002202/
A prospect to bring along. That is what I yearn for.
Other than that? Hmmmm, I'd like a nice gooseneck hitch for my truck, does that count? I have so much horse crap, I can't think of anything I really need.
I would like some breathable boots like the Premiers for Solo's back legs. There, that's a horse thing!
I've got Back on Track's human back brace and it worked like a charm. It works well on muscles but I'm not sure how it would work on tendons and ligaments.
I could recommend a ton of things you could do with him if you wanted to start clicker training. Otherwise you might find something interesting here: http://www.artofnaturaldressage.com/forum/index.php.
The keratex intrigues me, especially since Izzy's going to be facing wetter than usual conditions. Any more info?
Anno, that's one of the "possibilities" on my list. :-) I have a Weatherbeeta turnout sheet that Salem wore last winter, and I really like it.
Eventer, yes a prospect (and the $$$ to support it) would be great. And I've got the Premiers in large, but I think they might be too large even for Salem The Tank. :-/ Those suckers are huge!
Smaz, please tell me more about clicker training! I did a tiny little bit with him a year ago, but I seem to have lost the clicker. And I'll check out that link, thanks!
SB, um, based on anecdotal evidence we have found that KHG is awesome. That is all the info I have at the moment. :-)
I need some of that keratex Hoof Gel for sure! I have heard about it before but now that my horse has been lame for weeks, I've got to get serious about maintaining her feet once she is rideable again. I'll look it up and see exactly how it works. And I sometimes want a fly sheet too--not for the flies so much as for sunburn! My real weakness for horse stuff is saddle pads. I just can't have enough of them. Just when I like the red and black plaid, I see a pink striped one I like. And then I get one I like but then want it in a million colors! I need to play Lotto too! Or make friends with some carelessly wealthy people!
baystatebrumby -- this is anon from above. That's what I use my fly sheet for -- sunburn protection. I have a paint that is about 50% white.
I do like the fly protection properties, too. Esp with the belly band -- he tends to get a cluster of little flies all over his belly, and those are significantly reduced.
I've thought about putting one on my TB, too, for the flies. I wanted to see how hot my paint gets in his first. So far, I've been pleased. He doesn't seem to be any hotter than the other horses.
Keratex is on my list too. I know Gogo's Mom uses/loves/raves and her barefoot feet should know.
Fly sheets-Schneiders has great ones that last. I have one waiting in my cart..i think it was around $80. Lots of great reviews out there for it.
Hind gut, yes yes.looks good and yes obsess over everything I cant see too :) ie internal.
Is it odd that I find humor in your hate for P dash relli, lol. At any rate..I'm sure lots of fun will be had training Salem for the circus. :)
Oh as far as that money tree, I want a farm that makes leg transplants too ;)
Bay, yes you should buy some Keratex; it is one of the few commercial hoof products that I will use, and it is SO good! And I, too, am a saddle pad junkie. At last count I had...somewhere around 12. ;-)
Oooooo, Kristen, THANK YOU for the Schneider's reminder!! Schneider's makes some really high quality products, and I was looking at their fly sheets about a month ago. But for some reason, I forgot about them this time around. And, lol, yes I do LOATHE the P-rellis! I've seen videos of them abusing horses, so there's no way I will support them, financially or otherwise.
Wow that video is incredible and adds something to my wish list! Being able to apprentice with an amazing trainer that can teach me stuff like that all expenses paid lol.
I'd also like a nice truck and trailer. I hate making do with what I have lol.
Patience. Yep, need patience.
If you're interested in clicker training check out my horse blog http://rdxhorses.blogspot.com My husband (a beginner to clicker training) just started working with our new Percheron and I've put up a couple of videos. If you have any questions let me know. :) I love clicker and use it on my horses and dogs.
a1d, yes, isn't Sylvia amazing?! I would LOVE even one lesson or clinic from her.
I've been reading your blog, but haven't seen your last few posts, so I will have to check it out. I am VERY interested in clicker training! I used it last year to get Salem "tarp-traijed" and to halt on the longe, but that's as far as we got.
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