From Wingman to Witching Hour

One Month

2012-01-16T02:32:00.001-05:00

Lucy's de-clogging and first trim with Candy was on 12/15/11; and on 1/15/12, I brought Lucy out to the paddock, took her halter off...and she bucked and trotted away from me. I grabbed my phone as fast as I could and managed to catch her trotting back.

In one month, she went from possibly being put down at eight years old to cavorting in the paddock like a normal horse. Major props to you, Candy. :-)

Frankenstein Feet

2012-01-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

Lucy might not have bolts in her head, but she most certainly had many, many bolts in her hooves. On Thursday December 15th, Lucy's hooves were finally placed into the care of Candy's capable hands. On the phone, I had told her, "You might want to bring a power drill with you because I'm pretty sure those clogs are screwed into her hooves." And, unfortunately, I wasn't kidding.

Our first challenge was removing the fiberglass casts that covered the clogs. We started off wetting them with the hose, and then Candy hacked away at them with a hoof knife. We were getting nowhere. So, while I frantically Googled "How to Remove Hoof Casts" on my phone and waded through pages of completely useless information, Candy and Judy discussed our options. Call the farrier and ask him to come out and remove them? Only if we wanted to wait around for, oh, a good six weeks. Call the vet? Since he was present when the clogs were put on, we figured he was a pretty safe bet. His assistant told us to use a handsaw (?!), so I went poking around for tools and came up with a small set of pruning shears. Luckily, the vet called back within five minutes and said to use hoof nippers. At that point, Candy was having some luck with the pruning shears, but she grabbed her mini hoof nippers and went to work.

It was like unwrapping a really horrible, upsetting, disturbing gift. Not quite last-scene-of-the-movie-Seven bad, but bad nonetheless. Because by then, we knew what was underneath. The vet had told us to use a Phillip's head screwdriver to remove the screws from Lucy's hooves in order to get the clogs off.

After searching high and low for a Phillips' head screwdriver, Candy remembered that she had one in a previously unopened toolkit in her car (thank goodness!), and she quickly got to work unscrewing Lucy's hooves.

Finally, it was time to remove the clogs once and for all.

And, surprisingly, her hooves didn't look nearly as bad as we thought they would (especially considering the state of Tiffany's hooves--Lucy had the same farrier). Yes, there was a ton of bruising and the trademark ridiculous square toe. But, luckily, Candy was put on the case before too much damage was done. Lucy foundered back in September, whereas Tiffany foundered somewhere around 9-12 months ago; so, the farrier didn't have nearly as much opportunity to morph Lucy's hooves into odd and previously never-before-seen shapes.

However. I assume most of you have heard of a "hot nail," right? That's the term for a nail that has been driven into the live, sensitive tissues of the hoof. Well, Lucy was hot-screwed, and not in the good way. She had multiple screws that had been drilled directly into her live tissues. And then people wondered why she was crippled to the point of not eating for several days. It's a mystery.

Here, you can see the dental impression material that was between the clogs and Lucy's hooves.

I had always thought that it would be soft and cushy, and was surprised to find that it's actually

quite rigid--not comfy-feeling at all

As soon as Lucy was trimmed and booted up, we videotaped her walking off. But to show you the difference in her movement, I'm also going to post the video I took approximately one week before (a few days after her final farrier appointment).

And that's in hoof boots that are ridiculously large. If you think she looks good there, wait until you see the latest videos of her. This mare endured what most people have commented to be "torture devices" for several months, but she has bounced back from it like a rubber ball. I only hope that people can watch her progress and realize that wood screws and giant clogs are not the answer to laminitis. There is a better way. It doesn't involve power tools or nuts and bolts. In fact, it doesn't involve anything you can purchase at Home Depot. It involves knowledge, skill, patience, and time. A little arnica helps, as well. Let's hope Frankenstein feet will quickly become a thing of the past.

Never A Dull Moment

2011-12-23T03:25:00.000-05:00

No matter how long you've been around horses, you've never seen it all. And just when you think you've seen it all, some horse will catch wind of your ego and set out to prove your wrong.

Well, I can now check Giant Scary Lump-on-Side That Grows At An Alarming Rate off of my "Things Seen List." Poor little Tiffany just can not catch a break--as if Cushings, founder, and arthritis weren't enough, she had to go and develop a basketball-sized lump on her side (and give me a few grey hairs in the process, I'm sure!).

A little over a month ago, I was grooming Tiff and felt a medium-ish hard lump on her right flank. I remember telling Judy that I wasn't sure if it was some kind of sting/bite or a fat lump or what, but we would need to keep an eye on it. For several weeks, I saw no change in it. Then about two weeks ago it looked like it had a little scratch on it, almost like it had been lanced. And over the next few days, it shrank until it was almost non-existent.

But Monday night I pulled her sheet off and went, "Hhhhmmm, that thing is back and bigger than ever." I called Judy and left her a message to give her a heads-up--I said it certainly wasn't an emergency situation, but Dr. F should probably look at it in the next few days.

Well, Tuesday evening I peeked into Tiff's stall and my eyes just about popped out of my head. I could see a massive lump under her fly sheet. I pulled it back to find this:

I immediately called Judy (who was down in the Keys with her family for her dad's birthday) and started texting her the pics. Of course, she said she would call Dr. F and get back to me as soon as she heard from him. In the meantime, I slathered a whole bunch of epsom sat poultice on the lump and took Tiff out to graze. She seemed completely fine apart from the massive growth--she had eaten all her dinner and happily munched away on grass as soon as I put her out.

Within a few minutes, Dr. F called Judy and told her it didn't sound like an emergency and he would be out to see Tiff first thing in the morning. Wednesday, Judy got a call bright and early--Dr. F told her that his best guess was Tiff had been either bitten by a spider or stung by a scorpion, and it eventually got infected. He drained about 15 ccs of fluid out of the area and gave her a shot of antibiotics. He also left a tube of Surpass for us to rub on the lump daily and some antibiotic packets to sprinkle on her dinner for 6 days.

Well, Friday night it looked like this:

Apparently, the fluid is draining down to her belly (???). I told Judy I didn't think it was an emergency, but she called Dr. F just in case. He will be out to see her tomorrow morning (Christmas Eve), so please keep your fingers crossed for her. According to the barn owner, Tiff has been spending more time lying down the past few days, which is not a good sign. She's been eating voraciously and chipper as usual, and happily goes out in the evening to eat grass, which is promising. But. Judy and I found three more little hard lumps on her left side tonight. What are the odds of four spider bites/scorpion stings?

Send some positive vibes our way, please! This mare has been through so much and she really deserves a break.

In The Groove

2011-12-22T03:19:00.000-05:00

The collateral groove, that it is--Tiff finally has one! I know this might seem a bit prosaic, but on a horse recovering from a severe founder, it is big news! Since pictures speak 1,000 words, let's get right to it.

Left Front 12/10/11

Here, you can see how the giant flare that used to be on the medial wall was pulling the entire hoof off kilter--the tubules

are all growing towards the medial wall. This is such strong evidence for proper trimming!

Right Front 12/10/11

And post-trim video (please excuse my 4-year-old voice and temporary predilection for the word breakfast):

Left Front 12/15/11

Look at the angle of the new growth--it shows you how completely off-base her previous farrier was with her trimming. The old hoof angle is a totally man-made distortion. The new growth shows you the hoof angle that the horse wants to grow.

Tiff popped a small abscess during this trim--you can see the holes near the medial quarter.

Abscessing is just part of this process and certainly not a big cause for concern,
especially as Tiff gets White Lightning soaks every other day

Right Front 12/15/11

This hoof is looking SO much better--the area of separation has closed,

concavity is developing, and the bruising is resolving

I also finally found my light-box and was able to take pics of Tiffany's rads. These were taken 11/9/11, two days after her first trim with Candy. They're not exactly the best pics, but then again the X-rays aren't crystal clear either. However, they're good enough to give us a good idea of where the coffin bone is in relation to the hoof capsule.

Right Front

Left Front

Obviously, there is some rotation; but it actually is not that bad. In fact, we were all pleasantly surprised by how good her hooves look. You can see that there's a lot of extra material that needs to come off, which we have been doing gradually. You can also see (on the original rads, at least) that she has some arthritis between P2 & P3, which is to be expected considering she's 21 years old. All in all, these X-rays are fairly unremarkable. In a few months, we'll have a new set shot for comparison.

Meanwhile, the Foundered Mare Horsepital Wing of the barn has a pretty little chestnut for a new patient. :-) Stay tuned for an update on Sassy Foundered Mare II, Lucy!

A Girl With A Rasp...

2011-12-18T02:32:00.001-05:00

...will always have much to do at my barn. :-) Take, for instance, Lucy:

This sweet girl is an 8-year-old Quarter Horse who foundered back in September(ish?). Luckily, it was caught very early and Lucy received standard protocol care--she stood in a giant tub of ice water for several days in order to lessen the damage done to her hooves, and was put on IV DMSO (some of the worst-smelling stuff ever invented). It was found that her laminitic attack was brought on by Insulin Resistance, so her diet was given a drastic overhaul.

On October 7th, the farrier came out to drill Lucie's front hooves into clogs. About two days later, one of the other boarders said to me, "Have you seen Lucy's back hooves? They're ridiculously long--can you rasp them?" Of course, I told her I'd get on it right away, so I grabbed my trusty rasp and gloves and pulled Lucy out of her stall. Imagine my shock when I laid my eyes on these hooves:

Right Hind Before

Left Hind Before

This hoof has such a bad case of thrush that the frog had rotted halfway off

Obviously, those hooves were in need of some major work. I did what I could with my trusty rasp, taking the toes way back and lowering the walls. Her bars were so overgrown that I was also rasping them while I took the walls down.

Right Hind After

Left Hind After

Yes, those hooves are still miles too long, but it's a huge improvement. Hey, it takes a LONG time to get rid of that much hoof wall when all you're working with is a rasp! Luckily, I was able to cajole Candy into knocking Lucy's walls back a few weeks later. But it was Lucy's front hooves that I really wanted Candy to start working her magic on--I couldn't actually see them because of the hoof casts, but I was unfortunately quite familiar with Farrier X's work and was worried that he would transform Lucy's hooves into nightmarish zombie hooves like he did to Tiff. Again, I had to just bite my tongue and wait for the right opportunity to present itself; but I knew that I would eventually get Candy on the case and those clogs off of Lucy's hooves.

Sass Is Back

2011-12-03T02:44:00.002-05:00

A certain little Mustang mare has been getting herself into all kinds of mischief lately--she roams the property, taunting the other horses and teasing them into squealing/kicking frenzies. She rips her halter off in the trees, hides behind every larger-than-Tiff object she can find, and once even took a short stroll out the gate and down the road. The cookies on her stall have twice been broken into and devoured, and if her feed bucket is empty you can be sure it will soon be banged against the wall repeatedly and with much zeal. If she thinks it's past time for her daily "spa appointment," she parks herself on the washrack and glares at me--I swear one of these days she will start tapping her toe and rolling her eyes.

Yep. I think the sass is back. ;-)

For the past month, Tiffany has been trimmed once a week, and with each trim she has grown more comfortable and exponentially more feisty. She's spending less time lying down and more time walking around grazing and being a horse. Her legs no longer shake, she can stand on her painful left front for longer and longer periods, and she can truck around at a fast walk with just a hint of a hitch in her stride. Best of all, she's happy--sometimes I think that mare is smiling at me. And when she sees Candy, she lights up and nickers happily.

Friday Dec 2nd was Tiffany's fourth trim. It marked the end of her first month of rehab AND *drumroll, please* was the official photo shoot for her calendar girl debut. Yes, our sweet Tiff is going to be featured in the Cavallo 2012 calendar! I have been beyond impressed with Cavallo for their kindness and generosity. As someone who regards large companies as evil, money-grubbing, soul-less empires, I was floored to find out that Cavallo was donating a brand-new pair of Sport Boots and two sets of gel pads for Tiff. They really went out on a limb to help her out and have been a class act all the way. So, THANK YOU, CAVALLO!

Tiff's Cavallo Sport Boots

(after a solid week of use)

Tiff's pre-mani/pedi White Lightning soak

Left Front After

Remember the giant flare that used to be on the medial side of this hoof?

Only one month later and it's nearly gone

Right Front After

The area of separation that had previously exposed live laminae is closing up nicely,

thanks to White Lightning soaks & icthamol

Right Hind After

Left Hind After

That video was shot immediately after her trim and I must have watched it at least a dozen times already. I always knew Candy was good, but I have been continually amazed at how quickly she's turning Tiff's hooves (and her whole life) around. The progress that mare has made in one month is astounding. But Candy and my work is far from over, and not just concerning Tiff--we've already got our next Laminitis Rehab Case in our sights. Candy is putting together another information packet and I'm preparing for round two of the Friendly Gnat Game. :-) Because why settle for one sassy previously foundered mare when you can have TWO sassy previously foundered mares?

Farewell, My Sweet Girl

2011-11-26T03:14:00.000-05:00

There's a huge Husky-shaped hole in my heart. On Wednesday morning, I had to say goodbye to my Sasha girl.

Last year on November 23rd, my vet told me that I had a year until Sasha's hip fell apart--there wasn't anything that could be done to save it. And on Wednesday, exactly one year to the date, that prophecy came true.

Tuesday night, I took Sasha for her walk around 11:00 and she was pulling me like a sled in the Iditarod, as usual. We got back home and she was her normal happy-go-lucky self--pawing me for attention, begging for treats, and smiling her big wolf-puppy smile. I let her out around 1:00 am, then gave her a Rimadyl, Glycoflex III, Prilosec, and chicken jerky treat when she came in a few minutes later. Finally satisfied, she laid down on the tile floor next to the wine cooler, her usual late evening cool-down spot, and took a nice long nap.

Around 3:30 am, I called her to come to bed. She didn't come--nothing new, as she had a definite mule-like stubborn streak. I called several more times and still nothing. Then I heard her cry and my heart dropped.

Instantly, I just knew. And while I spent a few minutes trying to convince myself that maybe she was just a bit sore, deep down I knew it was time. She tried several more times to get up, and after the second time she was screaming in pain. I've never heard a dog scream before and I hope it's something I'll never hear again. I pulled some clothes on, grabbed her hip X-rays, and somehow managed to pick her up and carry her to the car.

I'm thankful that I had those X-rays, as it meant Sasha wasn't subjected to a long, drawn-out physical examination, consultation with the vet, etc. I just wanted to take her pain away as fast as possible. Luckily, the vet on call was very understanding; in fact, although they usually don't allow owners to stay while the IV is being put in, he asked me to stay with Sasha and comfort her. For that, I'm extremely grateful--I stayed by my girl's side every second until the very end. I looked into those gorgeous blue eyes and rubbed her ears and told her that everything was going to be okay, and she peacefully slipped away.

It kills me that I couldn't fix her. It kills me that she was a young, healthy dog brimming with life, and yet her body fell apart because her previous owners didn't do right by her. It kills me that I only got a year and 8 months with her.

And yet, as hard as it was to lose her, I would do it all over in a heartbeat. That year and 8 months were perfect--Sasha was a special dog and I'm lucky for every second that I had with her. She was a sweetheart, brimming with personality. Literally everyone who walked into my house fell head-over-heels in love with her--probably because that girl was all heart. In fact, on Wednesday morning the vet asked me why I had brought her in then, what was different. I said, "She couldn't get up." He seemed confused and asked, "But hasn't she not been able to walk the whole time you've had her?" Based on her X-rays, he said he would not expect her to be able to walk. And yet, that dog would tear around the yard like a bat out of hell, wrestle with other dogs, and play like a puppy. She could jump up on my bed, crawl onto the couch and armchairs (usually to get into someone's lap), and hop in and out of the car. And she did all that without a whimper or cry or limp, and always with a smile on her face.

I know that letting her go was the kindest thing I could do for her. But that certainly doesn't make it any easier. I miss her big, goofy, happy self nudging me to get out of bed, greeting me at the door like she hadn't seen me in a year, lying next to the treat cabinet giving me the "I'm starving" look, and pawing me for belly rubs. I miss her annoying-yet-endearing car ride antics of hopping in the front seat and then constantly changing the radio station, unclipping my seat belt, putting the car in neutral, and completely blocking the rear view mirror with her giant wolf head. I miss waking up in the morning and looking over my bed to see her lying upside-down with her eyes rolled back in her head and her tongue lolling out of her mouth. I miss every single white and grey and black hair on her body and those piercing blue eyes.

Sweet dreams, little love. You will be sorely missed, but I'm sure we'll meet again.

*Everyone, please hug your puppies today.*

The Game Plan

2011-11-22T02:44:00.000-05:00

All four of Tiff's hooves have been set firmly on the road to recovery. She is looking brighter and more feisty with each day and is even starting to get a bit of her bitchy alpha-mare personality back. When Salem stopped by her stall to visit the other night, Tiff pinned her ears back and nipped at him--a great sign! And in order to fully restore Tiff to her former alpha self, Candy has laid out a thorough plan for Tiff's rehab. It goes as follows:

X-rays: During the consultation, Candy asked Judy to see all previous rads in order to establish where Tiff's rotation had been and where it was currently. When Judy replied that no rads had been pulled, Candy and I both had to pick our jaws up off the floor! Candy told her,"We need X-rays of this horse's front hooves. ASAP." Luckily, Judy was able to get ahold of Dr. F immediately and he came out the next day to shoot the films; we reviewed them last week (I will get them up as soon as I can figure out a way to scan them). In a few months, we'll pull another set to reevaluate.
White Lightning soaks every other day--this is to kill all the fungus/bacteria/etc. in Tiff's hooves, tighten the laminae/wall connection, and soften all the retained sole/bar that needs to come off

Tiff enjoying her WL soak (we put Cavallo gel pads in the dry sacks

to give her a bit more comfort during her soaks)

Oral arnica & calendula three times per day--this will promote healing from the inside
Cavallo boots and gel pads worn 24/7 to provide cushioning and keep Tiff as comfy as possible while her hooves are being rehabilitated
Hoof trims once a week--there is a LOT of extra hoof that needs to come off, but taking it all at once would cause Tiff to be in a great deal of pain; making small, frequent changes will help her heal both quickly and comfortably. We've got three trims out of the way already and Tiff has improved exponentially each time. (I can NOT say enough good things about Cheryl Henderson's HoofPrint Trim; or my trimmer Candy Giordano, who applies it to perfection!)
Diluted Lysol sprays every other day (on non-White Lightning days) in order to keep hoof funk at bay. We also use this solution to clean out Tiff's Cavallo boots every day
Arnica Gel applied to the soles every day--this helps alleviate some of Tiff's discomfort and promotes healing of bruising
Icthamol applied to the large area of separation on the RF hoof (where live laminae is exposed) every day to pull out any infection and close up the wound
Gold Bond Medicated Powder dusted into the boots every day to absorb excess moisture and discourage hoof rot

Simple enough, right? ;-) I swear, Tiffany now has more "product" than the most snotty, self-obsessed prima donna. Just getting everything set up for her daily spa treatments takes at least 15 minutes of schleping armfuls of stuff out to the washrack. No joke, EVERYTHING in the following pic is for Tiff:

On the far rack: freshly laundered fly sheet and fly mask

On the near rack: Alushield, bandage scissors, rolled cotton, Lanacaine wound spray, fly spray,

brush, hoofpick, Ace bandages, Vetrap, dry sacks, bath towel

On the ground: vinegar, White Lightning, icthamol, Gold Bond, arnica gel, gel heel inserts, plastic Rubbermaid containers

The other essential ingredients to Tiff's recovery: lots of love/TLC, positive attitudes, movement, movement, and more movement. They're all free, and they're all absolute musts. And with all the positive energy being showered on Tiff from near and far, I *know* that we will restore her to all her former alpha-bitch mare glory. :-)

Zombie Hooves

2011-11-18T01:43:00.001-05:00

They're scary. They're ugly as sin. And they're slowly being brought back to life. Zombie hooooves!

At Tiff's last Farrier trim on Oct. 7th, her shoes had been pulled, her front hooves had been basically chopped in half, and she was padded with dental impression material and wrapped with Elastikon. While I felt it was 1/4 of a step in the right direction, I could see that Tiff didn't feel any better--because the trim was not done in a way to make her hoof balanced and comfortable.You can pad up a hoof with the most squishy, high-tech, cutting-edge material known to man, but it isn't going to make a lick of difference to the horse's comfort if the trim is incorrect.

So, when Judy asked Candy to take over Tiffany's hoofcare, I was ecstatic--literally jumping up and down and squealing like a school-girl giddy. Finally, after months of feeling powerless to help Tiff, I had managed to ensure her recovery. I'm so grateful that Judy was willing to go out on a limb and try something completely different. There are many people who would have either given up or been too closed-minded to listen to the hippy weird-o barn girl and strike out onto a new, uncharted path. I'm also extremely thankful that I had a knowledgeable, highly skilled, passionate trimmer to explain things so clearly to Judy and convince her to take a leap of faith. As Candy later remarked, "You served me up on a silver platter."

Since Judy had been brave enough to leap in with both feet, Candy wasted no time--she had another trim appointment at a barn around the corner, but afterwards she came straight back in order to get started on Tiff. As she cut through the dirty mummy-linen wrappings on Tiff's hooves, we all wondered exactly what horrors we would find under there.

Right Front Before

Note the extremely long heel. Oh, and the giant chunks taken out of the wall. ;-)

Yep, that's a Mummy Hoof pre-de-wrapping/trim ^^^

Right Front After

Much better! The heel has been lowered significantly and moved towards the back of the hoof, where it belongs

Here, you can see how thrushy and "rotten" these hooves are. When the wrappings were taken off,

we all took a step back because the hoof smelled like a mostly-rotten corpse. Yep, Zombie Hooves!

The place Candy is pointing to with her hoof knife is an area of separation so bad that you can see the live laminae

Left Front Before

Yes, these hooves had been trimmed one month prior; and the farrier had left this giant flare--why?!?

No, this photo and the next two were not taken at a weird angle--that

huge flare on the medial side makes the whole hoof look twisted

Left Front After

This is Tiff's most painful hoof--as you can see, she's reluctant to put weight on it

Wow--it's actually hoof-shaped!

Lots of bruising

Tiff's spiffy red temporary Cavallo Simple boots--these are at least two sizes too big

(hence the padding & Vetrap), but they're a loaner pair she'll use until her new Sport Boots arrive

What Farrier failed to do in nine months, Candy managed to accomplish in one trim--Tiff walked away from that washrack much easier and more comfortably than she had walked onto it. And later that evening, I came back to the barn and Tiff was still standing. She had been up since 12:30 in the afternoon and didn't lie down until after 8:00 pm, whereas before she would spend the better part of the day lying down. Over the next few days, she started finishing all her feed and whinnying for more, instead of barely eating half of her ration and then lying down. Most importantly, the life and spark came back into her eyes; she finally wanted to live again.

Here's a video of Tiff that I took the night after her trim:

As you can see, she certainly isn't cured. She has a long road ahead of her and it's going to take months of hard work to get her sound.. But at least now she's headed in the right direction. (And, yes, I backed into a poll and made a weird squealing sound in the video. I'm quite graceful. ;-D)

And here's a video from one week after the trim:

There's really no way I can express how completely overjoyed I am. To know that I played a part in saving this sweet mare and making her life better...well, it's a bit overwhelming. And while there's still much work to be done for Tiff, I've already got my eye set on my next target. There's a whole legion of zombie hooves out there and I'm ready to fight. Farrier, prepare to lose another client.

Ray of Light

2011-11-17T02:27:00.006-05:00

Watching an animal suffer is a terrible thing; watching an animal suffer when you know its suffering can be alleviated is emotionally crushing. And yet, I am certainly not about to walk up to someone I hardly know and say, "I'm not a vet or professional hoof care provider or, in fact any sort of equine professional , but you need to listen to me implicitly and do XYZ with your horse, despite the fact that it's 180 degrees from what your farrier, whom you've been trusting and employing for over twenty years, is telling you to do." I imagine, if I had been completely blunt with Judy right from the beginning, she would have brushed me off--just as I would have done if someone tried to tell me what to do with my horse. So, for a while I bit my tongue so much that it's a miracle I didn't bleed to death.

And yet I knew I had to convince Judy to place Tiffany in Candy's capable hands. I also strongly felt that failing to do so would be a death sentence for Tiff--she was on a downward spiral, becoming increasingly sore, spending more and more time lying down, losing interest in food, and developing numerous new pressure sores. So, I developed what I now call my "Friendly Gnat" strategy--I started off by occasionally telling Judy about barefoot trimming methods and how they've saved hundreds of laminitic horses. During conversations, I would slip in snippets about Dr. Bowker and Kristen and Laz and Pete Ramey and Cheryl Henderson. I didn't want to be annoying or overbearing, so I made sure not to lay it on too thick; but I was patiently persistent. Friendly little gnat. :-)

Next I began mentioning Candy as often as possible, explaining how she had brought Salem's hooves around not once but twice, how she had worked on many severe founder cases, and how she does the best, most balanced trim I've ever seen. Candy asked me to tell Judy she would love to meet with her and discuss a strategy to heal Tiff's hooves. So about two weeks ago, I told Judy, "My trimmer will be here next Monday and she would love to have a consultation with you and explain how she could make Tiff more comfortable." Unfortunately, at that point Judy wasn't ready.

But this friendly gnat does not give up. A few days later, Judy was out at the barn and became quite upset--it was the third night in a row she'd been at the barn and Tiff had been lying down, extremely reluctant to get up. Judy hadn't seen any improvement in Tiff's condition in months and didn't want to see her suffer anymore. At that point, I could see that she had hit rock bottom. But the great thing about hitting rock bottom is that you finally have something to push up off of. :-) I knew it was time. Again, I mentioned my desire for her to meet with Candy and hear what she could do for Tiff. This time, Judy answered with an enthusiastic "Yes."

I truly believe that Monday Nov. 7, 2011 is the day Tiffany's life was saved. During the consultation, Candy's first words were, "Are you ready to save this horse?" She explained that this would be a long process, but she could and would heal Tiff. Always armed with an arsenal of information, she had brought out numerous articles for Judy, as well as pictures of X-rays, cadaver hooves, laminitic hooves in all stages of rehab; and she sat there and patiently, thoroughly explained every detail to Judy. It was very much, "This is where we are; this is where we need to be; and this is how I will get us there." And I could see Judy just getting it--she said nobody had ever explained things like that to her before. And she asked, "So, can you trim her today?"

Hoof Pathology: Holy Crap!

2011-11-16T01:50:00.005-05:00

Back in May, Tiffany's farrier resected her front hooves--basically, the front half of her hooves were chopped off. The explanation given to me at the time was that it would relieve pressure within the hoof capsule. It made absolutely no sense to me; and after reading this article on hoof resection, I am still perplexed. The article explains that some laminitic cases require resection of part of the coronary band area because:

"The lower rim of the coffin bone becomes [infected] due to compromised blood flow and dying tissues... and fluid resulting from this can travel up..., breaking out at the coronary band. If initial treatment, usually a poultice, doesn't stop the process, the coronary band will swell and prolapse over the hoof wall. The wall then cuts into the swollen tissue, causing further inflammation and restricting blood supply to that tissue.Performing a resection...can relieve the pressure on the laminae and thereby allow the critical blood circulation to be restored. With meticulous aftercare, the foot's underlying tissues can then repair."

But, looking at theses hooves, it is apparent that her resection is completely different from the one described above. Neither were resected at the coronary band and they did not go completely through the hoof wall. Furthermore, she did not require any "meticulous aftercare" that the article goes on to describe--no Betadine-soaked felt or tight bandages. So, why was this done to her hooves? I certainly don't see how the procedure would have relieved pressure withing the hoof capsule. I am certainly open to hearing any information/ideas/guesses you all may have.

Also note the backwards shoe

And, even after such drastic measures, poor Tiff was still spending much of her days either lying down or standing in a classic founder stance:

Those pictures were taken back in May. Over the next few months, I watched Tiffany's feet grow and grow. And grow. And grow some more. For some reason, her farrier just did not come out to do her hooves. By September, she was in agony. And it's no wonder, as her hooves looked like this:

Are you spitting Diet Coke all over your keyboard and screaming at the computer screen yet? Well, take a deep breath and scroll down; it actually gets worse.

Yes, Tiffany's hooves went untouched from May to September (possibly October--unfortunately, I don't have exact dates for everything). I am ashamed to say that I didn't go around screaming at people and demanding that action be taken. Shame on me for letting her suffer. But shame on the farrier for allowing these hooves to get in such a condition while under his care. I'm no farrier, but I can take one glance at those hooves and tell you at least ten things that are glaringly wrong with them--namely the fact that they are about a mile too long. She's tipped up onto the point of her coffin bones, which is putting her in even more pain than she was previously.

But at least there was one thing I could do for Tiffany: her back hooves were unshod, and of course they were also grossly overgrown, so I grabbed my rasp and went to work. Sadly, I was too angry to take true "Before" pictures, but I'm sure you can imagine how terrible they were--there were so many flares that, when you picked her hoof up, the edges were scalloped and wavy. The toes were so long that she could barely get out of her own way.

These pics were taken after the first rasping:

Also note the overlaid bars--they were so long that it sounded like Tiff had rocks stuck in her hooves. I ended up rasping the bars back as much as I could

Under-run heel (one this farrier's trademarks, unfortunately)

And these pics were taken after the third rasping:

Big improvement, but still a long way to go. At least backing up those toes made it a bit easier for sweet Tiff to walk:

And that's on three grams of Bute. :-/

I know this is heartbreaking and very difficult to see. But, trust me; it gets better. In fact, I'm right in the middle of "Better" now. :-) But I do want to tell this story from the beginning, so I'm doing a bit of backtracking at the moment. Hopefully, I'll get all of you caught up in the next few days.

Under My Wing

2011-11-15T04:01:00.003-05:00

Apparently, spending hours fussing and fretting over one horse isn't enough for me. :-) Ever since April, I've kept a close eye on one of the full-board horses--her name is Tiffany and she's a feisty 21-year old Mustang mare. Unfortunately, she has Cushings disease and because of it she foundered--I'm not sure exactly when, but it was approximately 9 months ago.

At first, I would just occasionally look in on Tiff and see how she was doing. On the weekends, some of the other boarders and I would maybe take her out for a bath and some pampering. And of course, being obsessed with hooves, I was always snapping pics of the latest (usually frightening) things that had been done to her hooves.

But I didn't start really getting involved until August. I became very concerned because I would walk by her stall and every day she would be lying down and panting heavily--some days, I honestly felt like she was in major distress. I even alerted the barn owner, who told me that, "yes, that's just how she is now."

Of course, I started taking her out and hosing her down for 20-30 minutes several times a day. I asked the BO to ask Tiff's owner if I could body-clip her. He told me that the lady who normally clips her had been called, but said she wouldn't be able to make it out for at least a month. After I had hounded him about my offer to body-clip Tiff several times, he told me, "Well, Dr. F was out here today and demanded she be clipped, so go ahead and do it." (I just want to point out that I put absolutely no blame on the BO--it was just one of those communication breakdown things where nobody could get ahold of anyone else!)

Tiff The Yak pre-clip

The hair you see here is from ONE leg!

Much better! :-)

Honestly, how could anyone resist that face?

After I clipped Tiff, I got a call from her owner Judy, thanking me profusely. The BO had told her what I'd done and she was thrilled that I had been able to make Tiff more comfortable. She had been trying to get Tiff clipped, but had had no luck. And, since she has some health issues that severely limit what she can do, there was no way that she would have been able to do it herself. Looking back, I'm SO happy that I did just step in and shear Tiff because that's what brought Judy and me together. I had seen her once before, but hadn't really gotten to know her because we were never at the barn at the same time.

And yet...what I *really* wanted to do for Tiff, I didn't feel like I could do. Yet. Her hooves were in horrible shape and I was watching her deteriorate, growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing week. She was lying down so much that she developed raw, painful pressure sores all over her body. Every time Candy was out to do Salem's hooves, I would have her look at Tiff--we were both dying for Candy to get her hands on those hooves.

More to come...

Supporting-A-Gogo

2011-09-01T00:47:00.000-05:00

Horses can take us to the most soaring heights and heartbreaking lows. And unfortunately, right now one of our own is in a point of darkness and uncertainty concerning her beloved mare. I think most of you know who I'm talking about -- Andrea and her incredible girl Gogo.

Andrea has spent the past two years doing anything and everything to rehab Gogo from an injury she suffered while they were competing at the AECs. And despite the most careful, thoughtful, thorough program imaginable, Gogo's prognosis has been steadily declining.

Right now, things are uncertain. I'm sure Andrea is carefully considering every possible angle of her choices, and I know that whatever decision she makes, it will be in Gogo's best interest. To anyone who has read Andrea's blog, it is obvious that she loves that mare with every last fiber of her heart, and she always puts Gogo's well-being above all else.

And while we all hope and pray that there are still many Gogo chapters yet to be written, we just don't know. We want to show Andrea that we're here for her every step of the way, and to give her something to celebrate Gogo's life. Brooke over at Green N' Green = Black And Blue has stepped up and is leading the committee (fitting, since Andrea is the one who collected money for the portrait that we gave to Brooke when she thought Denali was being put down).

Please click here to donate to the fund for Andrea and Gogo -- even $5 will make a big difference. And I'm sure Andrea would appreciate a few kind words of support; believe me, I have had some rough horse-related times and just having someone say, "I'm so sorry you're going through this," makes a huge difference, especially when you see just how many people care about you and your beloved horse.

Let's try and make this dark time as bright as possible for Andrea.

And I Thought Horse Hair Up My Nose Was Bad...

2011-08-27T00:51:00.000-05:00

Warning: Do not watch this video if you are offended by male nudity! Which is probably none of you, but fair warning. Really, you don't see much of anything, just his "haunches." ;-)

Sort of gives the term "nice seat" a whole new meaning, eh?

Armchair Vet Part II

2011-08-22T23:33:00.002-05:00

Now with videos! They're definitely of crappy quality (took them with my phone) and it's a bit difficult to really watch his legs, what with all the jumpiness (hey, it's hard to hold a phone, longe line, and dressage whip!), but they're better than nothing.

Warning: Ya might want to put your computer on mute to avoid hearing my incessant clicking. Salem was quite lazy, as he had just thundered around the arena like Secretariat, so I really had to work to keep him moving.

Trot left:

Trot right:

Trot right #2:

So, what are your thoughts?

P.S. Hurricane Irene will now most likely be a Cat 3 or 4 (holy crap!!!!) when it hits, so we're all getting a bit worried. Even a strong Cat 1 is a walk in the park and actually a bit fun (helloooo, consuming lots of alcohol and throwing the patio furniture in the pool and then jumping, fully clothed, into the pool whilst the hurricane's outer bands are starting to hit? FUN!!), but a 2 or over is *gulp* concerning. Yep, Salem is for sure getting luggage tagged and livestock crayon-ed up.

And, hey, you Carolina peeps need to get ready, too, because Irene just might be knocking on your doors. Luggage tags, my friends -- they're worth their weight in gold! :-)

Yes, We Floridians Put Luggage Tags on Our Horses

2011-08-22T00:31:00.002-05:00

Why, you ask? Well, it's all part of the lovely South Floridian tradition that includes standing in Home Depot crying hysterically because they're out of tapcons, stealing batteries out of other people's shopping carts, stocking up on things like bleach and spray paint even though we're not quite sure why, and getting into fistfights over the last package of Ramen noodles at Publix.

Yup. It's hurricane season!

I'm just north of Homestead, the area that was hit by Hurricane Andrew (the strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States) in the 90s, so people down here completely lose their sh*t when there's a hurricane on the way. It's like living in a war zone -- there are miles-long lines at the gas stations, people run around in a frenzied delirium, attempting to stockpile everything necessary for the Armageddon, and there's an overall sense of panic that hangs over the city. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. For those of you in tornado-prone areas, it's sort of like your tornado sirens going off...for an entire week before the tornado arrives. Madness.

Right now, we have Hurricane Irene headed towards us. The National Hurricane Center has it hitting us as a probable Category 1 on Thursday, although it could very well pass us up and hit the west coast of Florida, or somewhere north of us on the east coast.

So, how do we horse owners prepare? Well, we stock up on hay, grain, etc. so we know our horses will have enough for at least a week after the storm. We clear the aisles of everything that's not bolted down, fill clean muck buckets with water and place them in each stall, bed the stalls down well, and make sure the horses have enough hay to keep them occupied.

If the storm is predicted as a Cat 2 or over, a lot of people will pack up and leave town with their horses, although that has to be done well in advance to ensure that you're not stuck on the road in the middle of the storm (there aren't a whole lot of roads to get out of here, as we can pretty much only go in one direction!).

The day before the storm hits, my friends and I will take every precaution to make sure our horses are safe, and that includes making sure they can be identified and returned to their proper owners if they get loose. Here's what we do:

Put a leather or breakaway halter on the horse and attach to it a luggage tag that has the horse's name, farm name, farm address, farm phone #, and owner name & phone #
Braid another luggage tag (with same info) into the horse's tail in case the halter comes off
Some people will buy agricultural crayons (I'm not sure what their actual name is -- you use them to write on cows & other livestock) and write the same info onto the horse's neck, sides, butt, etc. And if you have any room left, some of us will also write things like "Please save me!" or "Hi!" or draw some kind of funny picture. Hey, ya gotta try and keep it light! :-)
Take a picture of the horse/owner together and staple it to a copy of the Coggins along with any other identifying info (scars, tattoos, microchip info, etc.) and place it in a plastic baggie in a safe location in your home

If it looks like Irene is headed our way, all that will take place on Wednesday. So, for now, we wait. And stock up on hurricane essentials like peanut M&Ms and Oreos. Because you can never be too prepared. ;-)

OK, to end this post on a light note, here's a pic of how Salem looked when I arrived today:

Every Ride, Every Time

2011-07-31T01:09:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awJDYBhBPzk

Will The Real Wing Man Please Stand Up?

2011-07-29T15:35:00.000-05:00

Back in May, I wrote this post explaining that Salem never raced and is not the Wing Man listed with the Jockey Club. He isn't tattooed, he never raced, and he never spent time at the track. Well, that post recently got quite an interesting comment:

Wing Man (the one with 46 starts) update: We acquired Wing Man after he retired from the track because of his exceptional eventing pedigree. He has been chilling out learning to not be a race horse and occasionally packs my wife around our trails. We will hopefully start breeding him soon. He has a fabulous temperament and is definitely still sound. Sounds like your Wingman is doing great as well.

The "real" Wing Man was bought by Wit's End Eventing. You can see his page here (where I got the pics). I'm glad that he found a good home after his tough racing career. Now he will get to spend his days making lots of eventing babies, a career I'm sure he will enjoy. ;-)

Thanks for the update and clarification, Wit's End!

Pony Bee-Keeper Outfit

2011-07-27T23:56:00.000-05:00

While Salem was already fully outfitted in anti-bug gear and coated in layers of fly spray, he was still being eaten alive. So, I had to suck it up and buy him a fly sheet with a belly band and neck cover, plus a fly mask that would cover his ears and nose. He is now ready for bee-keeping, nuclear warfare, and life in the swamp of Miami.

Kensington fly mask with ears and detachable nose piece

Weatherbeeta fly sheet with tail flap, belly band, and

detachable neck cover (yes, he has gotten it filthy already)

New set of Kensington fly boots

(the last set was pretty busted up after 3+ months of constant use)

Try and get me now, f*ckers!

I'm not sure if I'm sold on this fly sheet. While I love Weatherbeetas and it does fit him well, the material is so thin and light that the neck cover falls and flops around. It does have a loop at the top to attach to a fly mask (if it doesn't have ears or has a special neck cover loop) or a halter; but Salem's fly mask has nowhere to hook the loop, and he doesn't wear a halter unless I'm messing with him. I originally wanted a Schneider's bellyband fly sheet, but they were out of stock in size 82. I guess we'll just have to make this sheet work. (Anyone know how to add some kind of loop thing-y to a fly mask? I really don't want to cut a hole in it.)

On the plus side, it does seem to make Salem much more comfortable. And, even though he rolls a ton, he was still very clean tonight when I took off the sheet.

And this is pre-grooming -- not bad!

Do any of you use fly sheets? If so, what brands? What do you like/dislike about them?

Me v. Arthropods

2011-07-27T01:22:00.003-05:00

Arthropoda: Worst phylum in the history of EVER! Ok, so the crustacea critters don't bother me, but the cheliceratas and myriapodas can totally suck it. They need to die. (PSA: Don't take zoology; you will think it will be super interesting and involve fun things like petting baby giraffes, but in reality you will learn everything you never wanted to know about worms and other gross/dumb/boring creatures and the only thing you will get to "pet" will be a huge dead fish in a giant bucket of dizziness/headache-inducing formaldehyde.)

It wouldn't be so bad if they would just stay away from me. But I live in the swamp, where arthropods outnumber humans 5 million to 1. And apparently I emit not only a high-pitched whine that only animals in distress can hear, but also another sound that says, "Hey, arthropods, come over here!"

And poor thin-skinned TB Salem is the same; while his QH/draft-cross neighbor has nary a fly on her, he is getting bitten repeatedly, despite his fly mask/boots/sheet. A few times, it's gotten to the point that he's been kicking his belly, squealing, and rearing because the mosquitoes are biting him relentlessly. I'll stand there and just smack his belly & neck (really the only 2 uncovered places on him), killing mosquito after mosquito, and he'll just stand there like, "Thank you!"

Old Anti-Fly Outfit (that brand-new fly sheet was

very generously donated by a fellow boarder -- how

sweet is that?!)

I think we both need beekeepers' outfits. Of course, Salem is the priority and his has already been ordered, along with three bottles of fly spray (which will last me all of, oh, two weeks).

Then there's Aragog. Ya know, Aragog the giant spider from Harry Potter? Well, he lives in my feed room.

WARNING: Pic of huge gross spider coming up!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry, but that is like half a step down from a tarantula. *shiver* Just typing that word makes me cringe. And not only is he a spider-on-steroids, he is a jumping spider-on-steroids. And ya know what's worse than walking into the feed room and seeing him? Walking into the feed room and not seeing him. Because then you just know that he's hiding, probably somewhere above your head, and he's planning to ambush you and get revenge for all of the spiders that you have mercilessly smooshed in your lifetime.

OK, so let's review the evidence of the arthropods' attacks. Over the last few weeks:

~ # of roaches I have seen: 40 kajillion

~ # of roaches that have been ON me: 3

~ # of times I've gotten into the car after being @ the barn, started driving away, felt something move in my hair, felt my head, realized there was some kind of giant bug in my hair, and began frantically clawing at my hair in an attempt to remove said bug, all while shrieking/squealing/swerving around erratically and nearly driving off the road: 2

~ # of mosquito bites that I have: Innumerous. Seriously. I've been wearing long sleeves whenever I'm out in public because I look like I have chicken pox/leprosy/flesh-eating bacteria skin rot of death.

~ # of times Aragog/Son-of-Aragog has tried to attack me: 4 (that I know of)

This means war!

We Have 'Hawk!

2011-07-20T01:10:00.000-05:00

Yay! Salem has finally grown a respectable mohawk! Granted, it's nowhere near Fjord proportions, but I think it's quite flattering. It certainly makes his neck look fatter (and I <3 a nice, thick, warmblood-stallion-cut-late kinda neck!). Yes, the part near his withers has been smooshed a bit by his fly sheet...but, really, what are ya gonna do? We'll take it!

Loving the spiky punk look

Had to throw in a pic of Salem dry, to show his lovely (sun-bleached) coat

Like my new look, guys?

So, now that Salem is rockin' his 'hawk, I need some mohawk maintenance tips from you guys. Do you clip it? Cut it with scissors? Take a weed whacker to it? I am woefully inept when it comes to hair styling (it took me over 20 years to figure out how to tame my own Mufasa fro), so I need all the help I can get. *grabby hands* Knowledge, please!

For My Next Trick, I Will Escape From This Padlocked Straitjacket

2011-07-12T00:32:00.002-05:00

Yes, my horse has decided to become The Great Escape Artist. A few weeks ago, the barn worker Alfonso informed me that Salem had busted out of his stall during the day; no biggie since his barn is surrounded by a paddock.

At first, Alfonso just allowed Salem to stay out, but unfortunately he and one of the horses in the adjoining paddock played a bit too boisterously and somehow managed to break the water trough. So, Salem was banished back to his stall, which is now equiped with a Salem-proof "lock." He goes back out after all the other horses are brought in from turn-out, which I think is a nice compromise.

So, when Sunday afternoon I got a voice-mail from a fellow boarder that started out, "Hey, Meghann, just wanted to let you know that your horse was out," I wasn't at all concerned. But then it continued, "I managed to get him corralled into his paddock and then put him back in his stall," and my heart hit the floor. ?!?!?!

I immediately called Donna back and asked for the full scoop. Apparently, she had been leading a horse out to turn-out when she saw a black streak out of the corner of her eye. At first, she thought it was the old laminitic black mare Tiffany; but, nope, it was Salem. Out in the front yard. Of the property that, yes, has a lovely perimeter fence, but whose front gate is pretty much always open.

So, I think we have established the fact that Salem has a guardian angel. I am beyond thankful that he didn't get out on the road or injure himself in any way. In fact, there wasn't a single scratch on his dappled bay hide. How lucky am I?!! I still have no idea how he got out, as he can NOT open the paddock gate. My guess is that someone forgot to latch it. Either way, I am taking no chances; I brought out another snap-y/close-y thing for the gate, so it will be double-locked. Hopefully, this is the end of Salem's Houdini escapades and I won't have to build him a freaking velociraptor enclosure!

Tummy Tonic

2011-07-01T21:50:00.002-05:00

In May, I treated Salem with generic omeprazole for possible ulcers/hind-gut acidosis. Of course, I wanted to do as much as I could to improve his gut health, so I've been keeping a good quality grass/alfalfa mix hay in front of him at all times, feed him a high-fiber grain that contains probiotics, and also started him on a daily "Tummy Tonic" to help cut down on the acid in his stomach and heal any present ulcers. Here's what's in it:

2 quarts alfalfa pellets (helps reduce stomach acid)

~6 quarts water

1/2 cup aloe vera juice (read about the many benefits here)

I leave the mixture to soak for an hour or so and it fluffs up to a nice soft mush. I then add:
1 cup pumpkin seeds (which are supposedly good for healing, according to this article)

The following can also be added for further GI health benefits:

Yogurt or pre/probiotic supplement

Papaya (or Stomach Soother)

L-glutamine

Oat flour (this and l-glutamine are the main ingredients of Succeed, a very expensive digestive supplement)

Slippery Elm

Spearmint/Peppermint

This is Salem's late-night snack and he loves it! He also gets some aloe vera juice in his evening meal; unfortunately, he doesn't get any in his breakfast because the aloe vera juice has to be refrigerated once opened. Because of this, a lot of people use U-Gard, which has aloe vera juice in it but is more convenient to feed.

For those of you with ulcer-prone horses, what supplements/strategies do you use to manage your horse's digestive health?

Hoof Pathology: Underrun Heels

2011-06-30T12:54:00.002-05:00

*Please note: I am NOT a hoof care professional!*

Underrun heels are unfortunately a very common occurrence in domesticated horses, and one that a lot of horse owners don't recognize (including me until about two years ago!). So, what exactly is an underrun heel? It's a heel that has been pulled too far forward, and it is often accompanied by an overly long toe. It's interesting that a lot of people will look at an underrun heel and think that the horse "has no heel," while in fact it has a lot of heel but it has just been pulled so far forward.

To illustrate the point, I've borrowed a picture of Laz's hoof from Kristen's blog (not picking on them, just using sweet Lazaroo as an example!). I've drawn a line from Laz's heel straight up through his pastern, and you can see that the heel is quite far forward in relation to the rest of his hoof and both his fetlock and cannon bone.

Now, compare that to the following picture of Salem's hoof (taken from last year). Notice how much less hoof is behind that line. But more importantly, look where the line goes -- straight up through the fetlock to the cannon bone. The heel is in its proper place at the back of the hoof.

Using the same pictures, also note the length of the heels:

Note how long Laz's heel is in comparison to Salem's heel. As I mentioned, some people will think that an underrun heel is short; but if you find the point where the heel touches the ground and trace it all the way back to the coronet, you can see that it's actually quite long. Such a long heel can put the coffin bone in an unnatural position in the hoof, angling it onto its tip instead of allowing it to rest in the natural near-ground-parallel state.

The above photos are a good visual of the same hoof showing an extremely underrun heel on the left and a much-improved heel on the right.

So, what are the consequences of an underrun heel? Well, consider the internal structures of the hoof: the front of the hoof is supported by P3 (the coffin bone), while the back of the hoof is supported by the digital cushion and lateral cartilages. When the heel is drawn forward, more weight/stress is placed on the coffin bone. As Dr. Richard Mansmann notes in the article Underrun Heels: Not So Innocent, "without protection from the heel and digital cushion, the bony column will receive more concussion. When the laminae inside the hoof wall stretch and tear, the bony column even lowers into the hoof, which thins the sole and puts additional pressure on the blood vessels internally. The wings of the coffin bone can become lower than the coffin bone at the toe, increasing bruising and pain. Then the toe will land first to protect the sore heel." Landing toe first can lead to even more damage to the internal structures of the hoof.

And since underrun heels cause the digital cushion and lateral cartilages in the back of the hoof to become passive, they are also weakened. This can make it more difficult for the hoof to function properly once the underrun heel has been corrected.

Underrun heels can lead to a myriad of problems, including quarter cracks, heel cracks, bruised heels, coffin bone synovitis, injuries of the deep digital flexor tendon, pedal bone osteitis, and degeneration of the navicular bone and bursa. Add to that a long toe, which often accompanies an underrun heel, and the hoof wall will be pulled further away from the coffin bone, causing a stretched white line, abscesses, and White Line Disease.

So, where exactly should the heels be? Of course, each horse's conformation is unique, so there is no cookie-cutter diagram or angle that can be applied to every horse. According to Salem's hoof trimmer Candy, the "heel should be approximately 1/8th inch from the periople curls." This is the trimming method taught by The Oregon School of Natural Hoofcare. According to their website, the "periople tufts [or curls]  are periople skin at the heel that lift and curl or will wear down from the heel striking the ground in locomotion," and they are "a clue to the baseline of the hoof."

Luckily, the heels can be gradually worked back to their proper place through correct trimming. And once the heel is back where it should be, the issues associated with underrun heels will diminish. I'm confident that this will be the case with Laz; hopefully sometime in the not-too-distant future, we can compare the above photo with one where Laz is closer to his "ideal hoof" and see the drastic differences in the two.

Now go out to the barn and take a good, long look at your horse's hooves!

First XC Water Crossing!

2011-06-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

OK, not really. :-) But I am obsessively walking Salem through every puddle I can find (which are plentiful these days!) in an attempt to prepare him for our eventual eventing superstardom.

What a Difference 2 Months Makes!

2011-06-24T14:53:00.001-05:00

I just got back from Salem's fifth hoof trim and, WOW, his hooves are finally starting to look great! When he got here on April 16th, his hooves were overgrown, flared, chipped, and cracked. There was major white line separation everywhere, his rear frogs were totally crooked (the RH was so funky that Candy called it his "Picasso hoof!"), and there was fungus lurking in every little nook and cranny. But thanks to Candy's great trims, his hooves are almost back to where they were last April.

So, let's get to the pictures! I have to apologize that I don't have the same angles for the "before" pics and the current pics, but I think you'll get the idea. This first set is Before/After of the left front:

Left Front April 23rd

Left Front June 24

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Thankfully, all of the fungus that was infesting Salem's hooves has been killed (yyyaaaaay, Gas Chamber Hoof!). And I'm finally seeing some nice tight white lines and a bit of concavity. I won't bore you with Before/After pics of every hoof, so here are the rest of today's hoof pics:

Right Front

Hinds (I think -- ??)

Right Hind

Left Hind

Give us another month or two and Salem will have some perfect little rock-cruncher hooves. :-) I am SO thankful that I have such a wonderful trimmer; so let me give a big shout-out to Candy Giordano! She has done an amazing job with Salem and if it wasn't for her, Salem would probably be in shoes. For anyone looking for an incredibly balanced barefoot trim, I highly suggest contacting Cheryl Henderson of The Oregon School of Natural Hoofcare and getting the name of an OSNH-certified trimmer; Candy is certified through them and I have to say that this method of trimming is by far the best that I've seen.

Gas Chamber Hoof: Updated Version

2011-06-23T00:46:00.004-05:00

Yes, it is once again time to torture Salem with Gas Chamber Hoof (known to the general public as White Lightning). Salem's hooves look great and you would never guess he has any issues; but when he's freshly trimmed, you can see some little areas in the white line that aren't quite as tight as they should be -- that's fungus. And it just hasn't resolved despite daily hoof-picking and spraying with ACV, so it's time to take out the big guns.

For those of you unfamiliar with WL, it's a product that kills bacteria, fungus, spores (even Anthrax!), and viruses while doing zero damage to healthy hoof tissue. Once mixed with white vinegar, it creates a bad-stuff-killing gas, so the horse's hoof must be enclosed in some form of "gas chamber." Last year, I used gallon-sized Ziploc bags with duct tape and Vetrap, which worked well but was a giant PITA.

This year, I've adopted Candy's method: buy a dry sack from a sporting good store (they're usually in the kayaking/other-water-sports section), put the solution and hoof in the dry sack, and secure the top with an Ace bandage. And voila! New Improved High-Vis Yellow Gas Chamber Hoof!

As you can see, I did a crappy job of putting the dry sack on Salem's leg. It started slipping, so

I had to adjust it midway through the 40-minute soak

"I am not amused. Give me more mints."

So far, we're only two hooves into the treatment (because I am a BAD, procrastinating owner!). I do have two dry sacks, but I don't want to push Salem's patience so we're only doing one hoof at a time. He has another trim scheduled for Friday, so we'll see if we've killed all the fungus or if we must continue with Gas Chamber Hoof adventures.

At least he has a nice view for his 40-minute soaks!

10 Things I Really, Really Want (NOW!!)

2011-06-16T01:27:00.002-05:00

A big part of me wants to let my Spoiled Brat flag fly for this post, but I've decided to curb the greediness troll and not allow myself to list things like "custom Arc de Triomphe saddle" or "$10,000 Dover shopping spree" or "sapphire-encrusted spurs." I'll stick to the 10 most pressing wants/needs for my Princess Pony, some of which I'll be purchasing in the not-too-distant future, and others that will have to wait.

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)?

Let's Play "Armchair Vet," Shall We?

2011-06-07T23:31:00.004-05:00

Beloved Pasture Ornaments -- at the moment, Salem is a member of this exclusive club. As many of you know, last year we discovered that Salem has some sort of underlying back/right hind issues. This was a few weeks before he left for Chicago and I had faith that Raffie would have the issues diagnosed and treated. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and Salem was ridden both on the flat and over fences without having his lameness issues addressed.

So, here we are a year later. I've been spending money like it's going out of style, both getting Salem down here and bringing him back to the condition he was in last year. And unfortunately, I can't just ship him up to the University of Florida and have them run every diagnostic known to man on him, much as I would love to do that! I honestly don't think Salem is in pain when he's not working, so it isn't a pressing issue. My plan is to start saving money, and in the meantime I'm getting his hooves back in shape (I know a lot of vets start with hooves, so I want to make sure Salem's are in tip-top condition).

But, just to organize my thoughts and get some feedback/ideas from you guys, I'd like to go over the symptoms, possible causes, and diagnostic/treatment options.

Symptoms

Occasional bronco bucking at the canter
Stepping slightly short in back on the longe
Stepping short in back under saddle
Lack of muscling in the topline and hindquarters
Unwillingness to round and use his back under saddle
Reluctance to pick up the right lead

Granted, Salem is not standing completely square in this pic.

However, you can see that his right hind muscles are lacking

Right hip

Left hip (this is a bad angle & I caught him while moving, so it's a bit deceiving)

Possible Diagnoses

Sacroiliac issues
Arthritis in the back (lumbar vertebrae and/or sacral vertebrae)
Kissing spines (I'm not too convinced this is the problem, but I'll throw it in there)
Trochantric bursitis
Arthritis/pain in the hocks and/or right stifle
Some kind of trauma in the right hip/stifle

Diagnostics

Full lameness exam with blocks, flexions, etc.
Xrays of all 4 hooves (I am willing to bet that the problem is much higher up, but I know most vets like to start from the bottom and work their way up from there)
Possibly Xrays of hocks
Ultrasounds(s)
Bone scan

Possible Treatments

Ultrasound-guided injection of sacroiliac junction
Inject area surrounding the sacroiliac with Sarapin
Inject trochanteric bursa with steroids/HA, possibly PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
Tildren
Adequan/Legend/Map-5/polyglycan
Chiropractic
Acupuncture
Inject hocks and/or right stifle
Massage
Shockwave therapy
Mesotherapy

I will try to get a video soon, as I know that would be helpful. My trimmer knows a great chiro/acupuncturist who isn't ridiculously expensive; we might be able to get her down here (she works on the TBs @ Calder Racetrack) so I'm thinking of starting there. My gut feeling is it's right hip/stifle, with maybe a bit of lower back issues thrown in.

And I just want to say: I will not ride Salem (even at the walk) until I have his issues diagnosed and treated. Doing otherwise would not be in his best interest. I won't ask him to do anything that would require him to really use his back. In fact, at the moment I'm hardly asking him to do anything; I'll have him trot around maybe 2 or 3 times each way, and canter once each way about twice a week, just so he's doing something.

So, what do you all think? Any ideas, suggestions, stories, and support will be greatly appreciated!

Hair Club for Geldings

2011-06-01T23:51:00.002-05:00

Yep, I finally took the plunge, grabbed the clippers, and gave Salem the horse neck equivalent of a Brazilian. :-) I roached that mane down to the root!

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of the completely-shorn look. Yes, I love not having to deal with that one giant lock that flips to the left side of his neck no.matter.what, but I'm quite anxious for his spike to grown in. Right now, he looks like either a military cadet fresh out of boot camp or a bald old man with a single shock of hair in front. Either way, it's bad.

Hopefully, in a few weeks he'll be rockin' a 'hawk. If it looks anything like this, my little heart will melt:

Love a punk rocker Fjord pony with a mile-high mohawk! Too cute.

Think spiky thoughts!

Now That I'm Once Again A Horse Owner...

2011-05-31T00:59:00.006-05:00

I sleep with my cell phone next to my bed with the ringer turned on
My bank/credit card statements read something like this: Feed Store A, Valley Vet, Feed Store B, Vet A, Feed Store C, Vet B, Feed Store A, Feed Store B
I constantly have shavings in my hair, hay down my shirt, and horse hair (and occasionally gnats) up my nose
98% of my jeans are now "barn jeans"
I get to channel all of my OCD energy into researching/micro-managing every aspect of my horse's care (yay!)
Let's not even talk about the state of my fingernails...
My exercise DVDs & equipment are gathering dust (who needs 'em when you're mucking stalls and hauling around 50 pound feed bags and 1,000-pound bales of hay in 90 degree weather?)
The farmer's tan has officially made its comeback
I say "Whoa" to my dogs if they pull on their leashes
The grocery list now reads: Peppermints, carrots, pumpkin seeds, aloe vera juice, more carrots, Tums, and maybe some food for me (and of course Diet Coke for the barn fridge!)
I couldn't be happier!

Black & Blue And A New 'Do

2011-05-28T00:55:00.003-05:00

Isn't this an idyllic scene? I love the rays of sunlight streaming through the branches and dappling Salem's back with bright pinpoints of light. It seems like a nice way to start this entry with something positive, since Salem's had it a bit rough lately. Last weekend, he had his third hoof trim (don't worry, I won't bore you with 250 pics of his hooves, like I usually do!), which went well but left him slightly gimpy.

This is his left front, which is looking a thousand times better than it did a month ago! It still isn't quite where it needs to be, but I see major progress. However, this poor little hoofie has a bruise at the toe, which was revealed during the trim. Apparently, the 18-mile long toe that he used to have torqued the hoof wall and pulled it away from the laminae further up the wall, causing the bruise.

It's a bit difficult to see on this cellphone pic, but the bruise is that reddish area by the white line. Candy gave me some arnica spray to help it feel better, but it just wasn't doing enough. Salem was looking quite ouchy the next day, so I packed both fronts with Magic Cushion and held it in place with the ever-classic Duct Tape Booties.

Stylish! I do love me a nice sparkly silver shoe. Unfortunately, these didn't last long. Salem somehow managed to wear through both toes, so I re-packed the toes and covered each hoof with Vetrap. That failed as well, so my last resort was Elastikon tape, which is holding up splendidly.

Are you bored yet? I know, this blog is not a very exciting read since I can't ride Salem yet. Hhhmmm, would you be amused if I attempted to give Salem a 'hawk and ended up butchering his mane horribly, and then posted a pic? Ok, good, you're in luck.

This picture does not do justice to the truly awful hack job that I did. It's completely jagged and crooked and ridiculous. And it still isn't standing straight up, despite the fact that it's all of an inch long!! Seriously, any tips from my fellow roachers out there? How do I get a wild, unruly, full-of-cowlicks mane to stand straight up and be even? Do I just shave it completely off and wait for it to grow out? Please, send me some advice because poor Salem looks like his mane was chewed off by a gang of drunken rats!

Well, at least Salem has a few perks in his life, like wandering around in this gorgeous grove and snacking on mouthful after mouthful of scrumptious grasses and weeds. Hopefully this (and ten pounds of carrots) will make up for the bad week he's having!

Blue Pop Rocks From Vanuatu

2011-05-20T00:31:00.003-05:00

I'm not a girl who's big on trends; I haven't seen any of the Twilight movies, I don't watch Gossip Girl or Glee or whatever the kids are watching these days, and I don't own a pair of skinny jeans. But I know a good deal when I see one, and when the COTH forum lit up about generic equine omeprazole (affectionately nicknamed "Blue Pop Rocks from Vanuatu" for reasons which will soon be apparent), I knew it was time to jump on the trend-train.

First off -- why do I feel they're necessary? Well, I first suspected Salem had ulcers when I saw this video (which was taken some time last winter, when he was in Illinois):

I have never seen Salem standing in his stall with pinned ears, and I have never seen him chewing wood. Since those are both potential signs of ulcers, I decided to treat him with omeprazole.

Before he was shipped down here, Salem got a tube of GastroGard, and once here he had a few days of UlcerGard. But I was in a bit of a dilemma -- both GG & UG are astronomically expensive and I'm no Rockefeller. A 28-day course of either costs around $1,000.*gulp*

Thank goodness for COTH, because so many people started posting about this generic enteric-coated omeprazole that's made in India. Depending on the size of your horse and whether s/he needs a treatment or prevention dose, the pop rocks are between 1/5 and 1/10 the cost of GastroGard. They will even send you a free trial of 20 packs so you can try it and see if your horse will eat it.

Now, I know some people are wary of buying foreign drugs, but since I myself have taken generic prescriptions drugs from India (who has a very well-run pharmaceutical industry), I was fine with giving Salem a bit of Indian omeprazole.

Anyone know how to flip a picture???

Blue Pop Rocks! This is one of the four packets that Salem gets each day

Again, sorry for the upside-down pic! I just wanted to show that each packet does indeed have a batch number, expiration date, etc.

Best of all, they must taste decent because I just plop them in a bucket

with TC Senior and Salem snarfs them up

While I never had Salem scoped to see if he indeed has ulcers, giving him omeprazole certainly won't hurt him if he doesn't. So, worst case scenario -- nothing. I shall report back in a month and let you know if I see any difference!

No Fly Zone

2011-05-18T23:37:00.003-05:00

For many of you, fly season is just gearing up; but for those of us in the swamp of Florida, it has been upon us for months. My fellow boarders and I have tried every commercially available fly spray under the (very hot) sun and couldn't find one that worked for more than five minutes (nope, not even Endure or Ultrashield). So, we began experimenting with making our own; we started with the following recipe:

1 cup water

4 ounces Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 ounce Eucalyptus oil

1 ounce Citronella oil

Surprisingly, it has worked better than any of the other sprays. And, it's actually good for the skin/coat -- the apple cider vinegar is anti-fungal and the Skin So Soft adds moisture. However, I wasn't content to stop there, so I read the labels of some of the natural fly sprays and decided to add a few drops of each of the following to our mix:

Peppermint Oil

Rosemary Oil

Lemongrass Oil

It smells amazing, makes the coat sparkle, and most importantly it actually repels bugs. And honestly, it's kind of fun to sit in the barn aisle with various bottles, oils, measuring cups, etc., conjuring up the anti-bug brew. I haven't added eye of newt yet, but I will if it repels bugs!

In my next mix, I just might add a few new oils, such as:

Clove Oil

Pennyroyal Oil

Cedarwood Oil

Do any of you make your own fly spray? If so, what's your recipe? Or do you find that one of the commercial mixes works for you?

Spaaaaaaaahhh Day

2011-05-09T00:53:00.004-05:00

With most of us, our horses live far better than we do. That was certainly the case on Friday, when Salem had a full day of spa treatments and pampering.

He started off with an hour-long massage, which he absolutely loved. His whole right side was stiff and locked up, and while Candy (his trimmer, who is also a certified equine masseuse) was massaging him he would prance and fight and then suddenly sigh and let out a biiiiiiiig long yawn, complete with eye rolling. He must have yawned at least twenty times, and there was plenty of licking/chewing and big sighs, as well. I wish I had some pics, but I had pony-holding duties so no such luck.

After his rub-down, Salem went back to his paddock/stall for a bit in case he needed a drink (alas, the spa didn't even provide iced lemon water) and a little mental break. Then it was back to the aisle for his mani/pedi, which he desperately needed despite the fact that his hooves were just done two weeks ago. (Get ready for a slew of before/after photos -- yes, I am somewhat obsessed with Salem's hooves!)

Fronts

Hinds (look at all that chipping!)

Left front (tons of flaring, separation, and retained sole)

Right hind

Left hind

Right front

I didn't take the "after" pics until Sunday, so his hooves look a bit different. But they're still much, much better than they were!

Left front

He still has some chipping/cracking on the hinds; unfortunately, Candy just couldn't
get it all off without taking too much hoof. So, we're going to do another
trim in two weeks and then hopefully we can get back on the normal
5-week schedule. In the meantime, I will Keratex and rasp to keep
the chipping at bay

Left hind

Right front

Right hind

After his mani/pedi, Salem and I took a long stroll through the grove; when we came back to the barn, Salem had his final spa treatment, a shower and Refreshmint/water rub-down. And while he didn't have cucumbers on his eyes and never got to wear a fluffy white robe, I'm willing to bet that Salem heartily enjoyed his relaxing spa day. Ok, now when's mine? :-)

TB W/O The OT

2011-05-04T21:12:00.001-05:00

We all know I'm obsessed with OTTBs; and while Salem is 100% Thoroughbred, he is 0% off-track. So, I would like to clear something up. Several months ago, a friend told me, "Don't say anything, but apparently Salem really was at the track and raced, like, 40-some times." This is completely false. But I decided to do a little sleuthing and see if I could figure out how someone could come to such a conclusion.

Of course, the place to look up TB info is equibase.com, so I headed over to the site and typed "Wingman" (Salem's previous name) into the search box. This is one of the horses who popped up in the results; he's a bay Thoroughbred gelding named Wing Man who is only 2 years older than Salem and indeed has 46 starts under his belt...er, girth. I can certainly see how a person not totally familiar with Thoroughbreds could come to the conclusion that this horse is Salem.

However, here's how I know that it absolutely 100% without a doubt is not Salem: Salem doesn't have a tattoo! And every Thoroughbred who even sets a hoof onto the track is tattooed. They simply can.not.race without getting inked. In fact, my old horse Mac spent some time being track-trained as a 2-year but didn't start in a single race; but since he was at the track, he was tattooed. Even if you discount the fact that Salem was born in Ocala not New York, or that he was born in 2004 not 2002, the lack of a tattoo is the smoking gun that proves Salem is not the "Wing Man" listed on equibase.com.

The fact that he didn't race doesn't diminish Salem one bit in my eyes; in fact, I'm very glad that his big joints were spared from all the rigors of racing. I'm sure I'll own another OTTB sometime in the future, but for now I'm quite happy with my non-OT TB.

Drugs, A Giant Scary Speculum, And Power Tools

2011-04-29T15:38:00.001-05:00

This pic looks a bit like a horror movie, but it's just Salem getting his teeth floated by the lovely Dr. Nate. He was scheduled to come out and float 6 other horses, so I jumped on the bandwagon and had him take a look at Salem's teeth as well; of course, they had some pretty serious sharp points, so he got floated. And since he hadn't had his spring shots done yet, Dr. Nate gave him those, too. Poor Salem, he has had quite a few things done to him in the past few weeks!

I had to bring Salem up to the main barn so they didn't have to haul the equipment all the way out to his little barn. Of course, he had to be sedated for the float, so I had to leave him in the main barn until he was awake enough to walk back to his stall. I got him back there right before it started pouring rain, and he's now nice and comfy with a bunch of clean fluffy shavings and a big bucket of soaked alfalfa pellets. I'll go back a little later for his daily walk/grooming/general-fussing.

One Step at A Time

2011-04-26T23:57:00.007-05:00

This is what Salem spends most of his time doing these days: eating. And then some walking. And then some more eating. He's a bit on the thin side, with slightly protruding hips and visible ribs; it's nothing drastic, but I would like to see him a bit more round. He's eating six quarts of Triple Crown Senior and six quarts of alfalfa pellets per day (divided into three feedings), so it's only a matter of time. Now, if I could only get him to eat more hay! I bought ten bales of the expensive, low-sugar, always from the same source, nutritionally tested timothy hay, so of course he's only picking/nibbling it and using the rest for bedding. He wants the sugary Cap N' Crunch hay! :-/

Behind Salem is the little four-stall barn that he shares with his new best friend (Pippi, an ex-Premarin mare). While it isn't as fancy or pretty as the main barn, it's far superior if you look at it from the horse's perspective: the stalls are bigger and breezier, the horses can hang their heads out and see everything going on in the arena and paddocks, and it has all the amenities of the main barn (rubber mats, auto wateres, and ceiling fans). Plus, it has a small fenced area around it, so I can leave Salem's stall door open at night and let him roam around and munch grass. Yeah, no-brainer in my opinion.

Since I can't ride Salem right now but still want him to get some exercise, I have been taking him for long hand-walks. Yes, he's my giant Labrador. :-) Once he can be ridden, I'd like to take him on trail rides, so I'm using this time to get him used to being off the property and away from other horses. We started out with the avocado grove behind the barn, then progressed to short walks down the street and into the grove/fields across the street. Salem can get a bit ostrich-necked at times, but for the most part he has been taking it all in stride.

Walkin'

Munchin' grass in the grove across the street

Here, we're in a field that connects to the grove

We spent about an hour walking up and down the street, into the grove and around the field. It made me very excited for when we can do this with me on his back! Afterwards, it was time to head back to the barn for a nice refreshing shower.

And then it was back to his paddock for more food. Yes, I'd say he's fairly content with his new life.

Hoof Rehab 101

2011-04-23T23:33:00.000-05:00

Exhibit A for "Why You Should Not Go Three Months Without Trimming Your Horse's Hooves!" Salem arrived with 8-mile-long hooves that were chipped, flared, cracked, and generally looking fairly horrid. His walls were separating from the rest of the hoof on all 4 and he had huge toe callouses and TONS of false sole. Despite several days of major rasping, this is the sight that greeted Candy when she arrived for Salem's trim appointment today:

Note the giant chip on the left side of the hoof

Candy marked Salem's hooves to show approximately where they should be, but explained that she couldn't take everything off in one trim because doing do so would make Salem sore. The markings are a great visual, though, because they show just how overgrown his hooves are.

Salem was mainly cooperative during his trim, but he was clearly uncomfortable when his back hooves were being done. Obviously, his back was a bit sore, so we just took things slowly and gave him lots of breaks. And after tons of nipping, cutting, and rasping, Salem's hooves were back to somewhat normal.

Much better! (And I love my Kensington fly boots!)

You can see the Sharpie mark where his hoof should be,

but we just couldn't get him there in one trim

This is his left front, which is the worst of his hooves -- it has a long way to go!

In two weeks, Salem will get another trim; after that, he will be able to go back to a regular 5-week schedule. In the meantime, I'm supposed to do lots of White Lightning soaks in order to kill all the bacteria/fungus/random-nastiness and to loosen up all the retained sole so it can slough off by itself.

So far:

Deworming -- Done
Hoof Issues -- Resolving
Bath -- Done
Ulcer Medication -- Ordered
Weight Gain -- Resolving (as in "Throwing Ridiculous Amounts of Food at Him")
Spring Shots -- Forthcoming (this Friday)
Tooth Check -- (Same as Above)

We're getting there!

Welcome Home, Salem!

2011-04-17T22:31:00.001-05:00

Oh, Ship

2011-04-15T15:35:00.008-05:00

Yes, ship is indeed a 4-letter word. Few things are more stressful to a horse owner than shipping a horse long-distance. You have to trust perfect strangers with the life of your precious pony (aka glass-legged suicide machine) in a confined area with other nervous suicide machines, in a giant vehicle going upwards of 50 mph on roads full of moronic not-paying-a-lick-of-attention drivers. Yes, definite recipe for disaster. Fortunately, there are a number of professional shippers who have excellent reputations and glowing recommendations. And for your convenience, I have compiled a list, gathered from the COTH forum, Fugly blog, and the experiences of friends and yours truly:

Aprile
Elite
C & E
Caris Brooke
Equine Express

Brooke Ledge

Equine Limousine
McLemore
Creech
C & W
Drexler
Nyconn
Johnson
Sport Horse
Blue Chip
Tapp
Nationwide

I ended up going with Aprile, as they were recommended by two other reputable shipping companies, could accomodate my schedule, were great about answering/returning phone calls, and gave me a very competitive quote. (And, ok...I might have also had a dream that they shipped Salem; what can I say, I have learned to trust my gut!) As I type this, Salem is comfortably tucked away in a big, roomy box stall on one of their trucks, hopefully munching hay and not completely wigging out. Fourteen hundred miles is a long way, baby.

So, which equine shipping companies have you used? Any recommendations? Any companies to avoid like the plague?

Ave Atque Vale

2011-04-14T19:26:00.007-05:00

"Hail and Farewell"

March 31st, 2011 we lost Raffie*, Salem's owner and my friend for over twenty years. The past month has been a roller coaster of emotions for all involved, and her death has left us reeling.

So many things have come out about her life that nobody knew anything about. And while we're all shocked by the cloud that hangs over our image of who she was, I choose to look past the darkness that she kept hidden and celebrate the light, the goodness that makes up my memories of her.

Raffie read voraciously, was a Disney fanatic, and possessed a wealth of equine knowledge. She had the charming quirk of always saying flustrated, apparently a combo of flustered and frustrated, something that used to drive me crazy but that I now look at as one of her unique little quirks that made her who she was. She was a hair stylist, a horse-clipper, and eventually a full-time riding instructor. And, even though the woman was 5' on a tall day, she insisted on owning only the most gigantic horses she could possibly find; Gizmo, Pumkin, KC, and Salem were all at least 17 hands and built like tanks. And although Raffie spent over thirty years at hunter/jumper barns, her real equine passion was dressage. I remember watching her up on KC doing shoulders-in, haunches-in, and side-passes and being in absolute awe.

Sometimes, after I had spent a long day at the barn, Raffie and I would nip off to TGI Friday's and share a plate of potato skins. Other days, she would stay and give me some pointers while I rode whichever horse I happened to be working with at the time. I was particularly grateful for her help the summer before my senior year of high school, when my friend Joi and I started Bailey, a 4-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, under saddle. At the end of the summer, Joi and I were just barely trotting Bailey, and Joi had to leave for college; I was left to finish his training myself. There were countless nights when Raffie patiently sat in the ring, schooling us on ten-meter circles, serpentines, spirals, and cavaletties. I still vividly remember one day when it was pouring rain and she stayed outside and watched me put Bailey through his paces; she dragged and set up poles for us and got completely soaked while she watched over us and made sure we were safe.

Another time, we were stuck in the dusty indoor arena and, with Raffie's encouragement, I got Bailey to canter for the first time; it was completely unbalanced, strung-out and all over the place, but I was thrilled. And it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Raffie's quiet coaching. All these times, Raff was under no obligation to stay and help me; at that point, she wasn't working at the barn and her only payment was my gratitude. But with her help, I took Bailey from barely-trotting to jumping small fences; to this day, Bailey is a trusted school horse and I could not have done it without Raffie's assistance.

The love of Raffie's life was Stocking Stuffer (barn name "Pumpkin"), a giant bay Cleveland Bay gelding who 98% of the time was a patient packer push-button horse and 2% of the time was a runaway freight train with no breaks or steering who would bulldoze through anything/anyone in his path (me included). With Pumkin, Raffie cliniced with some of the greats like Sally Swift and Bruce Davidson. He was truly her "heart horse," the culmination of her lifelong horsey dreams and the touchstone by which she measured all other horses. When Pumkin developed cancer and had to be put to sleep, I know that a piece of Raffie's heart went with him.

A day after I heard the news, I was talking to my old trainer Ken, someone who has known Raffie for most of her life. I was upset that I wouldn't be able to fly up to Chicago for Raffie's memorial service. Ken answered, "Well, Raffie obviously cared about Salem very much; so, by taking him in and making sure he's cared for, you're honoring her." (While he used to have a bit of a gruff exterior, Ken is definitely softening as he gets older; sometimes he says the sweetest, most touching things!) I hadn't thought of that, but I certainly will do my best to honor her memory.

I only hope that Raffie is finally at peace, reunited with Pumkin and KC. She will be missed.

*Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while might be confused, as I used to refer to Raff as "Ruby." I'm not sure why, but Raffie wanted me to give her a pseudonym. However, I felt that it would be inappropriate to write about my memories of her without using her real name (which is short for Rafaela).

Send Your Positive Vibes, Please

2011-03-07T21:07:00.004-05:00

I have good news and bad news. The bad news, actually, is more like heartbreaking news -- Salem's owner is in a coma and it's apparently "only a matter of time." Obviously, I feel like I've been hit with a sledgehammer. I've known this woman for over twenty years. We unfortunately haven't been in touch for a few months, but I'm still shocked that, sometime in the near future, she will be gone. The finality of it all...honestly, I'm still attempting to wrap my head around it.

So, where does that leave Salem? Well, I've literally spent the last two days on the phone. No decisions have been made yet, but I've made sure that he's safe and secure for the time being. This whole situation is a huge mess and it's going to take a while to sort it out; but Salem might be coming home.

Obviously, there are a lot of snarls that need to be untangled first. I'll keep you guys updated as things unfurl. Please keep Raffie and Salem in your thoughts.

PRO Derby Cross

2011-03-06T02:44:00.007-05:00

*Aaaaaaahhh* I have spent the last two days in Wellington, soaking up all the Olympic-level showjumping that I possibly can. Last night was the Nations Cup and then today was the Derby Cross and the Hermes Puissance competition.

The event that I was most excited about ("giddy as a school girl" would be more accurate) was the Derby Cross, because I have been dying to see some eventers in action. In Wellington, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting at least 4 Grand Prix showjumpers and a dressage pro or two, but eventers are rarer than a fairly-priced drink. So when I heard that hordes of 4* eventers would be converging in Welly-World, I circled the day on my calendar and counted down the days.

For those of you unfamiliar with derby cross, it's a competition consisting of rider teams; each team has three event riders, one showjumper, and one polo player. They ride different courses that combine many of the same elements, but everyone jumps a combination of classic showjumps and cross-country obstacles. Each rail adds four seconds to the clock, and of course the goal is to get the fastest combined score. Each rider is also given the option of a "joker" fence at the end of the course, which takes 10 seconds off the rider's time if h/she jumps it clean. I believe the eventing joker fence was about 4'6" or 4'9" and it came down quite a few times.

Teams:

Team Triple Crown
Allison Springer (Captain), Eventing
Will Coleman, Eventing
Marcia Kaluk, Eventing
Meredith Littles Meredith (Team Udonna), Showjumping
Luis Escobar, Polo

Team Guardian
Karen O' Connor (Captain), Eventing
Hannah Sue Burnett, Eventing
Clark Montgomery, Eventing
Laura Kraut, Showjumping
John Gobin, Polo

Team Canada
Kyle Carter (Captain), Eventing
Jessica Phoenix, Eventing
Rebecca Howard, Eventing
Jonathan Millar, Showjumping
Brandon Phillips, Polo

Team Haygain
Phillip Dutton (Captain), Eventing
Jennie Brannigan, Eventing
Sinead Halpin, Eventing
Katie Prudent, Showjumping
Nic Roldan

Team FarmVet/Cavalor
Buck Davidson (Captain), Eventing
Will Faudree, Eventing
Bruce Davidson, Eventing
Aaron Vale, Showjumping
Kris Kampsen, Polo

For once, I remembered to bring my camera, but I have unfortunately not yet read the 700 page book that explains how to use it. I mostly just put it on "running guy getting hit with a lightning bolt" mode and shoot vaguely in the direction of action. So, don't fear, your eyesight is just fine -- many of these pics are just quite blurry (especially the jumping ones, which of course are the ones that we most care about).

David O'Connor was the course designer, and he came out and gave a brief overview of eventing and explained the course. Afterwards, hosts Boyd Martin and Leslie Law came out on horseback and went over the derby cross competition, explained some of the different tactics the riders would be using, and did demos of some of the fences.

Boyd Martin demonstrates the corner while David O looks on

Oh, I am just getting started. I promised 5,000 blurry photographs and I aim to deliver.

For some clear pics, click here.

All in all, it was quite the exciting event and I'm so glad that I was there. Team FarmVet/Cavalor placed first, Katie Prudent was the Most Valuable Showjumper, Will Faudree was the Most Valuable Eventer, and I honestly don't know who the Most Valuable Polo Player was (sorry, polo fans). I definitely think the event introduced a lot of people to eventing and hopefully they will be converted to eventing fans.

OK, moving on to the Nations Cup -- long story short, the USA won. McLain Ward and Sapphire were the only pair to jump double clear (looovvve that mare!!), and both Beezie Madden and Margie Engle each had one clear round and one 4-fault round (Margie's only rail was on the last fence of her second round, when Indigo came in to the fence distracted and caught a back rail of the oxer -- such a heartbreaker!). Canada was 2nd, Great Britain 3rd (finally got to see Nick Skelton ride!), Ireland/Australia/Mexico tied for 4th, Venezuela 5th, and Colombia 6th.

Last but not least, Pablo Barrios won the Hermes Puissance tonight -- he and G&C Quivola were the only pair to clear the final 7'3" (!!!!) wall. Oh, and he did it with one stirrup. Yeah.

That first fence was a warm-up & didn't count

Hopefully, all this time spent basking in equestrian greatness has rubbed off on me. Tomorrow, it's back to reality and back to the barn to work Certs -- heck, maybe I can set up a 7'3" wall and we can just go under it!

Puissance Wall! (I'm 5'7")

Future Grand Prix Superstars

2011-03-03T16:29:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, I finally trekked up to Wellington for the $75,000 2* Grand Prix -- had an awesome time, spent way too much money, drank a bit too much (the alcoholic pink lemonade thingies they make at the tiki bar are a little slice of heaven), and saw some truly amazing jumpers. I don't think any of them could hold a candle to these guys, though:

Hilarious, no? ☺ I particularly like the bunny liverpool. Those Danes seem like quite the fun bunch!

Tomorrow, I am possibly driving up to Welly-World for the Nations Cup and I'll attempt to take some pics (I'll have to print out Wendy's instructions for taking pics under stadium lights -- thanks again, Wendy!). But I am definitely dragging myself up there on Saturday for the Derby Cross; I am overjoyed at the opportunity to FINALLY see some of the big-name eventers in action! I promise I will go into full stalkerazzi mode and take 5,000 hopefully-not-too-blurry photos for your viewing pleasure. Go, Eventing!

Air Time

2011-02-08T00:48:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to note that my barn got its jumps up (well, all three of them, lol) this weekend, so Certs and I finally got to jump yesterday. Woohooo!

As a teenager, I jumped 2-3 times a week (usually 3'6"-3'9" and occasionally 4', which just seems ridiculous and damn near impossible to me now), but that was quite a long time ago. Since I moved to Miami, I've only ridden sporadically, usually on very green horses. I do recall popping a bratty pony over a couple crossrails about seven years ago and I hopped Mac over a vertical a few times the first time I rode him...but, other than that, I haven't jumped in almost EIGHT years!

Obviously, we kept things simple since Certs and I are both out of shape and out of practice. We trotted a single crossrail a few times (the first time, I was slightly behind the motion and Certs crow-hopped all the way to the corner when we landed, but luckily it was nothing ugly!). Once I got my position secure, we added another X and trotted into the line & cantered out in three strides. Since he landed on the lead, I just kept him going all the way around and cantered into the line, cantering out in two strides. By that time, we had both settled into the rhythm and the line was smooth, so I gave Certs a well-deserved pat and called it a day. It felt so good to finally jump again, even though it was just a few crossrails. That totally made my week -- I'm still smiling! :-)

No photographic proof yet, but I'm sure we'll get some eventually. Red Hills, here we come (ha!)!!

There's An App For That

2011-01-11T01:13:00.002-05:00

How cute is this little App? While I'm admittedly OTTB-obsessed, I do have a huge soft spot for Appaloosas. The first horse I ever jumped was a very loudly-spotted saint of a leopard App named Susan; she taught me so much and is largely responsible for my love of the speckled ponies. And while Certs has just one tiny little wisp of a white splotch, he has the Appaloosa character through and through!

Unfortunately, I have barely ridden Certs the last few weeks due to holiday chaos, but things have thankfully quieted down and I managed to trek out to the barn this Saturday for a long-overdue ride. We got to try out my new Ecogold eventing boots (thank you, Santa!), which have unfortunately sparked a desire to purchase the matching hind boots. Damn you, Inner Shopping-Obsessed Troll!

We may not be eventers, but we can at least play dress-up

and pretend we are

I love these boots! They have a strike plate strong enough to withstand an axe (seriously, visit their website and watch the video), mold to the horse's leg, and are breathable to keep the legs cool and prevent fried (yes, that's the technical term) tendons. And Ecogold even allows you to try the boots for several weeks and return them if you're not satisfied. Love that!

Also on our test-drive list was the Korsteel Flexi-Bit that I've been dying to try since I purchased it during VTO's sale. Certs wasn't quite sure about it; I don't think he's ever gone in a plastic bit, and when I first put it on he kept opening his mouth and making indignant faces at me (ahhh, that Appy spirit!). During the ride, he was less responsive than he is with his double-jointed full-cheek. Our halts were slow and sloppy and Certs just seemed a bit confused. However, he was more willing to stretch down into the contact and was progressively more responsive. Not a total disaster, but I think we'll stick with the full-cheek for now.

Unfortunately, Certs is so hairy that he resembles a puffy little Easter chick. Despite a low-key ride and a long cool-down, he was soaked with sweat!

Of course, it was too cool to hose him off, and his owner wanted his sheet on him during the night since the low was supposed to be 49. I decided to hand-graze him for half an hour in the hopes that the breeze would help dry his coat. No such luck, but Certs certainly didn't seem to mind:

Two hours of currying, toweling, currying, brushing, currying, and toweling later...and he was almost dry. Certs got so impatient that he started shaking his lips at me, which of course was just cute and hilarious. Fortunately, all of my rubbing and scrubbing eventually got Certs not only dry but also sparkly/shiny and soft as the little baby chick that he resembles. He was just glad to be tucked away in his stall with several flakes of hay and some well-deserved carrots.

TACK Friday!

2010-11-26T17:56:00.003-05:00

For me, the idea of waking up at 3am and spending the day at the mall, elbowing and shoving 5 thousand other half-crazed, jacked-up-on-caffeine-and-holiday-discounts shoppers is about as appealing as repeatedly stabbing myself in the eye. But I do love a good deal. Solution? Stay home and shop online -- lots of great deals, but with zero threat of bodily harm.

This weekend is VTO Saddlery's big sale. And since I need a new pair of paddock boots, I figured it was the perfect time to buy them. I found my Ariat paddock boots, selected my color and size..."Add To Cart" *click* "Aaaaaahhhh." It's like internet heroin.

But, of course, you can't just buy one horsey item, especially during a huge sale! My gloves seem to have wandered off into Lost Glove Land a few months ago, so I added a pair of MacWet Gloves to my cart. Then I browsed through the bit section; I've been lusting after the Herm Sprenger Duos and the Nathe mouth bits for the longest time, but I just cannot justify spending over $70 on a bit. And then I stumbled across this. It's a Korsteel Flexi Flavored Eggbutt Mullen Mouth bit and it's only $30 (pre-discount!). Yep, that got added to the cart, too.

By now, I had that blank, glazed-over look that one gets from repeated "Add to Cart" hits. And then I stumbled across the best deal yet -- a Soft Touch girth for only $20 (BEFORE the discount!)!! Eeeeeeeek! They are amazing girths and I've been wanting one for EVER!! Deal of the century!

So, did any of you get some steals & deals on tack today? Or did you go the more traditional route and get into a knock-down drag-out brawl over a toaster oven?

The Eight Month Curse

2010-11-23T20:24:00.001-05:00

Uuugghhh. What is going on in our little horse blogging community? First it was bad news for Gogo, then even worse news for Denali. And today I received some sad news of my own.

The past three animals that I've taken in have all died within eight months -- first, my little Jack Russel mix (picked up off the streets) developed Acute Lymphatic Leukemia; then Mac suffered from a massive colic; and finally Zamboni the barn-cat had a seizure. So, I had my fingers and eyes crossed for Sasha girl; I kept saying, "Just make it through the end of November and you'll have broken the eight-month curse, girl."

Ever since I've had her, I noticed that her back left leg toes in, and she doesn't walk straight on it; she brings it more towards her midline. She's only appeared to be in pain from it once or twice when she overdid things physically; and I had my vet take a look at it the last time she had a routine exam. He said that it was probably an old ligament injury, and that I should keep an eye on it and bring her in to be X-rayed if it started bothering her.

Well, with the cooler weather, she's been more active, and has been a little bit NQR on it a few nights. So, today I took her in for X-rays.

Oh. my. Gawd. The second I looked at them, even my untrained eye knew that they were very wrong. Apparently, some time in the distant past, Sasha was hit by a car. And nobody took her to the vet. Of course not. Why would you take a dog to the vet if it had been hit by a car? (That was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell.) Her whole left hip is collapsed, and she has bone spurs everywhere. Her right side has hip dysplasia and more bone spurs.

So. Where do we go from here? She has to lose a lot of weight. She can't go for long walks, but I'm supposed to try and get her to swim as much as possible. She's on Rimadyl for pain. That's all we can do. If she had been surgically treated after the accident, she would have been fine. That's what kills me. But since she wasn't treated (and it's far too late for that now), she has a year, maybe two, before that hip just falls apart.

Of course, I will not let her suffer. The minute she's in pain that the Rimadyl can't help, I will do the kind thing and let her go. I'm just so tired of people not doing right by their animals. I'm tired of cleaning up other people's messes.

At least she's comfy in her 2-layers-of-memory-foam bed!

Moving On

2010-11-21T21:05:00.002-05:00

Well, it certainly has been quite a while since I blogged about any of my own riding adventures. Things have definitely changed quite a bit for me. I was riding a Thoroughbred gelding named Fortune who does the 3'6" jumpers up in Wellington; but, unfortunately, I felt that I needed to move barns (don't you just hate barn drama?!), so I'm no longer riding Forty. Luckily, I am a resourceful girl with a lot of horsey connections, so I wasn't without a pony to ride for too long.

Since last weekend, I have been riding Certs, a lovely little Appaloosa gelding. He and I have a very special bond -- a few years ago, Certs came down with a serious case of enteritis. He was a very sick boy and required 24-hour care; he was on IV fluids, had a gastro-nasal tube that was literally stitched into his muzzle (I called it his "snorkel"), and had to have his front feet in buckets of ice water 24/7 to prevent laminitis because of a very high fever. I pretty much got a crash course in nursing care (learning to change IV bags, etc.) and stayed with Certs every night to oversee his care. Let me tell you, it was nerve-wracking; I had to keep an eagle eye on the line of IV bags, make Certs kept his feet in the buckets of ice water, give him medicine, make sure he didn't lie down, etc. The poor guy was so uncomfortable and constantly snorking up the most disgusting-smelling stomach juices. But the good news is that he pulled through it and is none the worse for the wear. Certs' owner Jeanette still calls me Night Nurse Meghann. :-)

You might not believe that Certs is an Appaloosa, as there

is nary a spot on his sorrel hide -- but I assure you, he is

a full-blooded, registered solid App

Doesn't he look laid-back and innocent? Well, I was certainly under that impression; so imagine my surprise when, yesterday, I walked Certs up to the mounting block and he threw a tiny tantrum. He kept wanting to walk forward, but when he felt some pressure on the bit, he did a half-rear/pull-back/run-backwards move (which, of course, ripped the reins out of my hands), and then high-tailed it back to the barn! Hhhhmmmph. How embarrassing! Well, that earned him one all-expenses-paid trip to the round pen.

Luckily, a few minutes of round pen work and a five-minute session on standing still while being mounted were all Certs needed to remember that he does, indeed, have manners. He is such a trickster! Jeanette warned me that he can be quite the devious little devil at times. Actually, I kinda like that, as it will keep me on my toes. Thankfully, today Certs was much better and it only took a few gentle reminders to get him standing as still as a statue while I mounted.

It has been quite a while since Certs was ridden, but luckily he is a pretty straight-forward ride. His trot is bone-jarringly springy (like, if you try sitting to it, you can feel your brain sloshing around in your skull), but his canter is awesome! It's smooth, balanced, and sooooo comfy -- like Jeanette said, it just kinda sucks your butt into the saddle! I'm pretty excited because, once I get Certs into shape, I can start jumping him.

OK, so this picture is pretty crappy, but it's the best I've got. I look huge on Certs (he's only around 15.1 or 15.2), but thankfully he doesn't feel tiny.

Hopefully, I'll have some better pics soon. :-)

Run, Zenyatta, Run!

2010-11-06T14:21:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to tune in later for what might be Thoroughbred history -- tonight, Zenyatta defends her undefeated status in her 20th race, the Breeders' Cup Classic. She'll be ridden by Jockeys star Mike Smith. Post time is 6:45 pm and the race is being broadcast by ESPN. (ABC is also broadcasting some of the earlier Breeders' Cup races; right now, I'm watching Chamberlain Bridge win the Turf Sprint.)

We've got fingers and hooves crossed for you, girl!

Splash!

2010-10-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have already seen this (I stole it off Eventing Nation), but it's just too good not to share! This is Exponential at the Head of the Lake on the WEG cross-country course.

Incredible!

No wonder eventers drink so much. ;-)

En Fuego!!

2010-10-03T17:52:00.002-05:00

Whhheeeeeeeeee!! I just spent the past several hours glued to the TV gobbling up every second of NBC's WEG coverage (as I'm sure most of you did, too!). I was thrilled to see so much Eventing coverage, and especially happy to see "The Woff" as commentator. Awesome! I do have to admit, though, that I completely zoned out for the Reining portion, which should be renamed Competition For Fat Guys. ;-) Yup, we English-riding girls can be total snots sometimes.

Unfortunately, the Dressage Freestyle ride that everyone is buzzing about was not shown on NBC's coverage. You have GOT to see this -- Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz and his Iberian horse Fuego XIII laid down an incredible, inspiring performance. They didn't medal, but they definitely captured the hearts of thousands.

One-handed one-tempis -- what?!! They more than deserved the thundering standing ovation they received. Brilliant!!!

Introducing Sasha Not-So-Fierce

2010-09-18T16:25:00.006-05:00

I admit, today's post is a bit off-topic; however, as most of us horse-obsessed people are also suckers for smaller four-legged fur-balls, I'm sure you can relate! As some of you know, way back in late March when Salem was still with me, an underweight Husky stray meandered through our barn gate and trotted herself straight down to the stable. Sometimes I swear I emit some kind of high-pitched frequency that only animals in distress can hear, because they sure do have a way of finding me! Sasha worked her sad-eyes puppy voodoo magic on me, so of course I brought her home and she has been with me ever since.

How could anyone resist that face?!

It constantly amazes me how many animals are on the street here in Miami. I grew up in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Illinois and I literally never saw strays. Down here, it is a daily occurrence. It's truly heart-breaking. I do what I can, but I certainly can't take in every stray that I see. The solution is for people to educate themselves about animal care and actually spay and neuter their pets -- unfortunately, there are a lot of people from third-world countries where such things don't exist, so it's going to take a while. I always joke that you don't need to buy a dog in Miami -- just go drive around for a while and you're sure to find one. Heck, I picked up a gorgeous, sweet, well-behaved 5-year-old pure-bred Siberian Husky for free!

Life on the street was obviously hard on Sasha -- she was underweight, dehydrated, infested with mange and hookworms, and had infections in both ears. I kind of wish I had some "before" photos to compare to the current ones, but the good news is that she is now perfectly healthy and happy and getting spoiled to her heart's content.

Check out those stunning eyes:

In these pics, Sasha is sporting her gorgeous new leather collar that I had custom-made made by LDS Leather. They did such an amazing job! Seriously, the leather is incredibly soft and supple, and the craftsmanship is absolutely top-notch. I just ordered a matching leash, so Sahsa will be quite the stylish puppy. The owners told me that they used to make Western saddles and are perfectly willing to make other horsey-related items, so I'm keeping them in mind (turquoise-lined havana halter, maybe? *drool*). If you order from them, note that the website says custom orders can sometimes take up to 120 days to complete, depending on the orders ahead of yours. My collar took around two months, but I see that the leash that I ordered a few weeks ago has already shipped.

It looks tight, but I promise that's just because Sasha

has a ton of very thick fur

I have to say, if it wasn't for Salem, I probably wouldn't have been out at the barn that day, which means I wouldn't have my little Sashi-girl. I swear, that horse has brought so many good things in to my life. Thank you, Salem!

(And since my other straight-off-the-streets-of-Miami rescue, Phoebe, would be quite miffed if she knew I posted pics of Sasha and none of her...)

Salem Update!!!

2010-08-26T16:10:00.001-05:00

*Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!*

Yes. That is me doing my dolphin/pig Squeel of Delight. I've been dying to hear an update about Salem and see what's going on with the big goofball. Well, about two posts ago, I got a comment from a girl named Ami, telling me that Salem was doing well, jumping courses, and getting ready for a Frank Madden clinic in a little over a month. Of course, I immediately responded and pretty much shamelessly begged for more info.

Ami was kind enough to respond, and she even sent me a few pictures:

I'm trying to convince Ami to start her own blog so we can all see lots of pics and videos and hear what's going on in The World of Salem. She has been riding him and working with him for his owner and it seems like she's enjoying him (how could you not?!). I'm happy to see that he's working because, as Ami noted, he's really a horse who needs a job. He spent most of his life in a pasture, so he absolutely craves attention; he thrives on it.

So, another big "thank you" to Ami!

What The Flock?!

2010-08-22T17:54:00.010-05:00

Saddle shopping: almost as much fun as throwing Drain-o into one's own eyes. Integrated or non-integrated panels? Medium, medium/wide, or wide tree? Jumping flap? Standard flap? Forward jumping flap? Monoflap? Foam or wool-flocked panels? Grain leather, calf skin, or buffalo? There are seemingly more options and combinations to choose from than there are stars in the galaxy. It is enough to make one's head spin! Add to that the fact that I do not currently own a horse, and it's even more of a crap shoot. But will that dissuade me? Surely not!

At the moment, I have two saddles; unfortunately both have such narrow gullets that there is no way I could use them on any horse that's wider than a wooden sawhorse. I spent over twenty years blissfully unaware of saddle fit, as I was raised in the school of "buy a saddle that fits you, throw a bunch of various and sundry foam/sheepskin/gel pads on the horse's back, slap the saddle on, and ride off into the sunset." Currently, I'm riding a Thoroughbred gelding and using the saddle that was custom-fitted to him; the fit for me is horrible, however, as the horse's owner is the size of an 8-year-old Asian gymnast. Seriously, I think I had the same sized saddle when I was a skinny little 5th-grader and, uh, let's just say that there is a whole lot more of me these days. So. Saddle Search on.

Issue #1: Integrated vs. Non-integrated panels. According to Patricia of Fine Used Saddles,"integrated panels are sewn directly into the sweat flap for close contact and a smooth transition between panel and flap." This supposedly puts the rider closer to the horse and gives you more of a "feel" for the horse's back. However, it also makes panel adjustments extremely difficult (maybe even impossible).

Issue #2: wool-flocked vs. foam panels. This one is a big debate! Both have advantages and disadvantages, of course, so it's a matter of taking your individual situation into account. Let's examine the evidence.

Wool Flocking

- Can be adjusted to create a custom fit for the horse's back. As your horse gains/loses muscle in the topline, your saddle can be adjusted accordingly

- Panels with wool flocking have rounded edges, which are easier on the horse's back

- Wool (especially lower-quality wool) can bunch up into balls, which is why some saddle makers either use a combination of pure wool & synthetic, or line the panels with canvas

- Wool flocked saddles gradually "pack down" and conform to the shape of the horse's back

- The wool will eventually harden, so you will have to periodically have your saddle completely re-flocked. How often you need to have this done varies greatly according to how often you ride, the climate you live in, etc. Of course, you might need minor flocking adjustments along the way to accommodate your horse's changing back. But most saddlers recommend having the saddle completely re-flocked at least every 8 to 10 years, sometimes more often

- It is getting hard to find wool-flocked saddles! Here are the brands that I know of that offer wool-flocked options: Stubben, Amerigo, Arc de Triomphe, Collegiate, Henri de Rivel, Stackhouse, possibly Frank Baines (?), County, Black Country, & Wintec

Wool Flocking

I have to admit, I am a bit of a purist about certain things; in my opinion, sports cars should be stick-shift, wine should be corked, and saddles should be wool-flocked. But that's just me. :-)

Foam

- Can not be adjusted the way that wool can

- Some foam panels can be cut thinner, so they offer more of a close contact feel than wool panels

- Can somewhat mold to match the shape of the horse's back. For this reason, some people believe that foam is superior for those who ride multiple horses, as the foam can self-adjust (up to a point, of course) to fit each horse's back. Patricia says, "The benefit to foam is that it holds its shape rather than molding to a particular horse and hardening up the way wool does. It is softer and molds temporarily when in use and bounces back to its original shape. This helps them fit more horses."

- Foam can last a lot longer than wool; however, replacing foam panels is much more expensive than having a saddle reflocked. "Devoucoux and Antares regularly do refit the foam panels on their own saddles, but it is not a cheap thing. It's about $500." (Patricia)

- Foam panels tend to have "square-ish" edges, which can cause discomfort to the horse

- Most of today's high-end saddles have foam panels, including Devoucoux, Beval/Butet, Delgrange, Antares, CWD, Tad Coffin, Hermes, Arc de Triomphe (although they also have the option of wool), Prestige, Lauriche, Luc Childeric (I believe), etc. There are a lot of saddles that do not specifically state whether or not they have foam or wool panels, but I'm guessing that most of them are foam

- Foam does eventually break down and get lumpy, especially under pressure points, just like wool-flocked saddles

Lumpy foam panels

Issue #3: Leather type. Most saddles have "grain" cow leather, while some saddles are covered in calfskin. The more expensive brands usually offer you the choice of which you prefer, and many of them also offer the option of buffalo hide. Personally, I'm morally opposed to calfskin, so that isn't even a consideration for me; plus, while it's soft, it's also much less durable. Out of the three choices, buffalo is supposed to be the toughest and longest-wearing, which of course makes it more expensive. This one is easy for me: grain leather it is!

Issue # 4: Flaps. Some saddles have only two flap options: Medium or Long. However, most of the more expensive saddles have myriad choices. There are multiple lengths, choice of forward or regular, jumping or standard, etc. I'm still figuring out exactly which option is best for me.

Issue #5: Tree width. Usually, you only have the option of Medium or Wide. Some manufacturers are offering the in-between choice of Medium-Wide, while other companies offer interchangeable gullets so you can create more of a custom fit for your horse (not sure if this is specifically gullet or also tree-related -- ??). I'm still a bit up in the air about which tree width to choose, although I tend to be more drawn towards wide/bulky horses...

So, now that I've rambled on, I'm sure that you are all on the edge of your seats to find out which saddle I plan to buy. ;-) The winner is a wool-flocked Arc de Triomphe (well...I'm fairly sure, still not 100%). I've ridden in Heather's and really loved it, plus the brand has a lot of different options. For now, I'll try some demos, plus keep an eye on e-bay for a used one (although I doubt the exact saddle I need will magically pop up for sale!).

Arc de Triomphe Classique

I'm sure many of you have been on this same quest. What advice can you offer? Thoughts, opinions, and additional info are all appreciated!

Used saddle resources:
http://www.fine-used-saddles.com/
http://www.allthebestusedsaddles.com/
http://used.cwdsellier.com/saddle/
http://www.highendusedsaddles.com/

In what world...

2010-08-10T16:04:00.000-05:00

is this:

(3 year old 16.2 hand OTTB gelding named Omega Cipher)

$1,389.000 cheaper than this:

(17.5" two-year-old used CWD saddle)

Inquiring minds want to know! Part of me thinks I should just skip the saddle and buy the horse (although at least the saddle would not require several hundred dollars a month in upkeep...).

And, yes, I am currently used-saddle-shopping...and am getting a bit frustrated, as you can see. ;-)

Helmet Funk No More

2010-08-04T16:22:00.007-05:00

You all know the feeling -- you grab your helmet and slip it on only to find it wet and clammy from your previous ride. It's definitely discouraging for those of us who are safety-obsessed, and it's one of the excuses of the anti-helmet set. Not only did I have this problem with my previous helmet, but I also broke out in a big angry rash every time I wore it; in fact, I am ashamed to admit that I used to occasionally ride Mac sans helmet because I was sick of walking around with a huge red rash smack in the middle of my forehead. So, lately it has been my mission to banish Icky Wet Funky Helmet once and for all. My plan of attack is as follows:

#1: I bought a new helmet. My previous helmet was a Charles Owen Hampton and was a nice helmet, but it had zero ventilation. I also acted very unwisely when I first purchased it -- after riding, I would put my still-damp helmet in my lovely monogrammed nylon helmet bag and store it in my tack trunk in the completely unventilated tack room. Definitely not a wise idea (especially down here in the swamp!). The new helmet that I purchased is the Charles Owen AYR8, which has 12 ventilation slits plus a silver ion-infused interior which is naturally antimicrobial. If the CO isn't for you, there are plenty of other ventilated helmets out there: International, Tipperary, GPA, and Troxel all make nice options.

#2: I let my helmet air-dry. As much as I love my monogrammed helmet bag, it is only suitable for storing a dry helmet. Now, in addition to hanging my helmet in the breezy barn aisle while I'm grooming and cleaning tack, I store it on a bridle hook in the tack room (in this barn, the tack room has a window & the door is always open, so it's much less funk-friendly).

#3: I actually bought helmet cleaner. Yes, this is kind of a no-brainer. With my last helmet, I tried every product but helmet cleaner (alcohol, Lysol, etc.) and yet nothing ever killed whatever microscopic creature was inducing my rash. This time, I'm not taking any chances! I purchased the Charles Owen foaming helmet cleaner, which does a very nice job. I plan on using it every so often just to make sure my helmet always stays fresh and clean.

#4: I bought a Fresh Helmet Sack. I saved the best for last because this is such a good idea! The Fresh Helmet Sack contains activated carbon to neutralize odors, plus a desiccant that helps your helmet dry faster. You just place it in your helmet after your ride, and you'll never be greeted by a musty, sweaty helmet ever again! And if it ever needs to be reactivated, you can either pop it in the microwave or set it out in the sun for a few hours. So simple! I saw this on Smartpak, where it received glowing reviews from the Smartpak staff, and pretty much immediately clicked "Add to cart."

It also comes in a blue bandanna print

Finally, I am free of the funk! I hope these tips help those of you currently suffering from the funk. And if I can convince an anti-helmet person that there are steps you can take to make helmet-wearing comfortable, so much the better!

Slick, Glistening, & Gleaming

2010-07-29T16:14:00.007-05:00

We all know the basics to a shiny horse -- good nutrition, extra fat, regular de-worming/tooth care, and lots of elbow grease. Recently, I've come up with my own "recipe" for a glistening coat and thought I'd share; it includes a few of the tried-and-true methods as well as some of my recently-discovered secret weapons. It took Salem from this:

to this:

Granted, Salem doesn't look too shabby in the first pic, but he is positively glowing in the second one. They were taken approximately four months apart. Interestingly enough, before the first pic was taken, he had just had a bath and been sprayed with Show Sheen (two things I hardly ever do) in preparation for a body clip. In the second pic, he had only had a quick brush-down before he got on the trailer.

As it's usually best to start with the insides and move out, I switched Salem to a diet that was low in non-structural carbohydrates, and high in fiber and fat. Personally, I have found that the combination of Uckele's Cocosoya Oil and whole flax seeds does an incredible job of improving coat and hoof quality, so I supplemented his diet with both. The Cocosoya is high in natural tocopherols (vitamin E) and Omega fatty acids, while the flax is a good source of thiamine, B6, folate, magnesium, zinc, copper, and Omega fatty acids. (Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to grind flax seed before feeding -- the whole seeds are perfectly safe and the horse will still reap all of the nutritional benefits.)

As previously noted, I am a bit curry-comb-obsessed, so Salem was thoroughly curried from head to toe on a daily basis. One thing that can make a big difference in how shiny it makes your horse's coat is when you curry -- if you start rubbing and scrubbing while your horse is still slightly warm from a workout, it will greatly increase the effectiveness. This is because your horse's pores are still open, so your efforts will really bring out the coat's natural oils. Even if you are planning on hosing your horse off, a quick once-over with the curry or even a thorough rub-down with a rag will help improve his coat. And your horse will appreciate the mini-massage, as well!

And now on to Secret Weapon #1: Hot toweling. Apparently, this method has been around for ages, but I have only learned of it recently. While it may not be the best time of year to implement this particular method, I highly recommend including it in your regular routine once the weather cools off a bit. It made a huge improvement in Salem's coat in a very short time.

Here's how: start with a reasonably clean horse. Get a small (8-quart works well) bucket and fill it with the hottest water you can comfortably stand (keep in mind that it will cool off quickly -- I always use the hottest water I can get from the tap). You can add a few drops of scented oil (I always use either Calm Coat or DermaCalm) just to make the water smell nice & to add a tiny bit of extra oil to the coat, but this step is not necessary. If you do add some oil, remember to use only a small amount, as you do not want to coat the hair with an oil slick. Next, grab a small rag, dunk it into the water, and wring out as much water as you can. You do not want to get the horse very wet -- the goal here is to steam-cleaning the horse, not to actually bathe it. Starting up by the horse's ears, work your rub-rag in small circles, making sure to put a little muscle into it. The heat will open the horse's pores, and the scrubbing will distribute the natural oils that are released. As soon as your rag gets cool, dunk it back in the water and repeat, working steadily over the horse's whole body. Work quickly, as your water will cool rapidly! I find that, after I have finished one side, the water has cooled down significantly so I dump the water and get a fresh batch for the other side. After you have finished hot-toweling the horse's whole body, grab your soft brush and give your horse a quick once-over to get the hair lying in the proper direction. I now swear by this method, as it truly transformed Salem's coat after only a few quick sessions.

Secret Weapon #2:

You can find this Olive Oil Sheen Spray in the ethnic hair-care section of your local grocery store. It is awesome! I'm not a big fan of using ShowSheen or other silicone products (except for at shows or to detangle a dreadlocked mane or tail), but I do like using moisturizing and conditioning sprays. I particularly like EQyss Rehydrant Spray, but it's a bit pricey so I went hunting for a good alternative. I had read on COTH that many people use Pink Oil for growing out tails, so I gave that a shot; I wasn't too thrilled, as it made Salem's tail a tangled, dirty mess. It would probably work well if the tail was bagged, although I have not tried it. Well, since I had just discovered that the ethnic hair section was a good choice for horsey haircare products, I went back in and found the Olive Oil Sheen Spray. It's light, smells nice, does not attract dirt, and leaves the coat nicely moisturized and shiny. It definitely meets my approval! (ETA: Please note that this is an aerosol spray, so you will have to slowly introduce it to your horse if he/she is not already familiar with aerosols; it took Salem quite some time and quite a few peppermints before he could fully relax while being sprayed with this product.)

I hope this has given you an idea or two on how to improve your own horse's coat. Does anyone have additional tips or methods? Please share. :-) In the meantime, get out to the barn and curry that pony!

From Wingman to Witching Hour

One Month

Frankenstein Feet

Never A Dull Moment

In The Groove

A Girl With A Rasp...

Sass Is Back

Farewell, My Sweet Girl

The Game Plan

Zombie Hooves

Ray of Light

Hoof Pathology: Holy Crap!

Under My Wing

Supporting-A-Gogo

And I Thought Horse Hair Up My Nose Was Bad...

Armchair Vet Part II

Yes, We Floridians Put Luggage Tags on Our Horses

Every Ride, Every Time

Will The Real Wing Man Please Stand Up?

Pony Bee-Keeper Outfit

Me v. Arthropods

We Have 'Hawk!

For My Next Trick, I Will Escape From This Padlocked Straitjacket

Tummy Tonic

Hoof Pathology: Underrun Heels

First XC Water Crossing!

What a Difference 2 Months Makes!

Gas Chamber Hoof: Updated Version

10 Things I Really, Really Want (NOW!!)

Let's Play "Armchair Vet," Shall We?

Hair Club for Geldings

Now That I'm Once Again A Horse Owner...

Black & Blue And A New 'Do

Blue Pop Rocks From Vanuatu

No Fly Zone

Spaaaaaaaahhh Day

TB W/O The OT

Drugs, A Giant Scary Speculum, And Power Tools

One Step at A Time

Hoof Rehab 101

Welcome Home, Salem!

Oh, Ship

Ave Atque Vale

Send Your Positive Vibes, Please

PRO Derby Cross

Future Grand Prix Superstars

Air Time

There's An App For That

TACK Friday!

The Eight Month Curse

Moving On

Run, Zenyatta, Run!

*Splash!*

En Fuego!!

Introducing Sasha Not-So-Fierce

Salem Update!!!

What The Flock?!

In what world...

Helmet Funk No More

Slick, Glistening, & Gleaming

Splash!