More on The Heat Front

Just wanted to encourage you all to head over to Equine Ink and read this blog post -- http://equineink.com/2010/06/30/study-shows-horses-are-more-susceptible-to-heat-than-humans/.
She cites a very interesting study from the University of Guelph that found horses are much more sensitive to heat than humans are -- so make sure you're extra careful with your ponies in this wretched heat!

Summer Survival Tips

For those of us who live in South Florida (aka "The Inferno" for roughly six months of each year), the 90-degree days have been pounding down on us for months. And, while you Northerners haven't been suffering for quite as long, I know from personal experience that summer in the Northland can be quite brutal, as well. So, what's an equestrian to do -- turn the horse out to pasture and spend the next few months bunkered down in the AC? Of course not! We're a hard-core lot, and I'm sure most of you have been carrying on in your equestrian endeavors, regardless of the sweltering temperatures. So, I've put together some stay-cool tips for you, your pony, and your faithful canine friends.

For Your Horse:

- Hose and sweat-scrape your horse before you tack up in order to get a head-start on the heat.

- Keep a bucket of water and a sponge handy in the arena, especially if your horse suffers from anhydrosis (an inability to sweat). Periodically sponge your horse down to cool him off. You can also add a bit of rubbing alcohol to the water in order to encourage faster evaporation (and thus faster cooling).

- Make sure, when hosing your horse off, to scrape the water off & re-hose repeatedly until the water you are scraping off your horse is no longer hot. This is extremely important, and something that a lot of people do not understand. Even down here in South Florida, a lot of my fellow equestrians simply hose the horse once and leave it dripping with water, thinking that this will help the horse stay cool. This is simply not true! Look at it this way -- when a horse sweats, the sweat absorbs some of the heat from the horse's body and then evaporates, taking the heat with it. This is how sweating helps to cool a horse (and why it is more difficult for horses and humans to stay cool in high humidity -- sweat is slower to evaporate, which means the heat is "trapped" on the body). The same is true for water -- the act of scraping away the warm water removes the heat from the horse's body. So, remember to hose/scrape/repeat until the water you're scraping off is cool! (Thanks to Solo for reminding me that we all need to make a Public Service Announcement about this issue!)

- Stock up on Horse Quencher! I can't say enough good things about this product, as it has essentially negated that age-old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." It's handy to have on-hand for overheated or dehydrated horses, trailering, showing, and any stressful situation where a horse is not drinking enough. I have yet to meet a horse who wouldn't greedily slurp down an entire bucket of Horse Quencher-enhanced water, lick all the dregs, and look for more. It comes in the stand-by flavors of apple & peppermint, as well as the unusual but equally palatable butterscotch & root beer flavors.

- Misters, whether installed in the barn or a turn-out area, can be a great way to help your horses (and you!) beat the heat. They come in an array of options, from relatively inexpensive to astronomically priced. Do a little research and you can easily install one yourself.

- For horses suffering from anhydrosis, the standard treatment is the supplement One AC (although it now has a few competitors, like Let Em Sweat), plus limiting rides to early morning or late evening. Some say that adding beer (particularly dark beer, like Guinness) to the feed also helps the horse to sweat, but there is no scientific evidence to back up this claim. Feeding beer is certainly not harmful, though, so it may be worth a shot.

- Of course, adding electrolytes is a summer essential for many horses. Just make sure you do your research; here's an enlightening article about electrolytes: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=12000&src=fav. One point this article stresses is that, for most horses, an electrolyte supplement mainly triggers the thirst mechanism in the horse, encouraging him to drink more. It also stresses the importance of having free-choice salt available for your horse at all times.
There is also an alternative to traditional electrolytes -- I know a few people down here in South Florida who always give their horses a bucket of Gatorade after each ride (and their horses love it!).

- Fans are essential for stall-kept horses; however, it is safer to buy a heavy-duty industrial fan with a sealed motor, as there is less incidence of fire with these fans (Farmtek makes some nice models -- and, yes, they are more expensive, but your horse's safety is certainly worth it). Make sure you keep wires out of chewing distance from your horses, and keep the fan as free of dust and cobwebs as possible.

For You:

- Avoid drinking excessive amounts of soda, tea, or other caffeinated beverages, as these can lead to dehydration. Stick with water, lemonade, or sports drinks like Gatorade.

- Last year, I was given several cooling neckbands, which are filled with a special polymer. You soak the neckband in water for a while, which causes the polymer to plump up and hold the water -- you can then put them in the fridge to cool them further, or just put them on. They might not be a fashion statement, but they really do help to keep you cool for quite a while (I used them when the AC in my car was on the fritz, and they were a lifesaver!). I wish I knew exactly where my friend purchased them, but a quick Google search brought up several results. The site www.coolbandanas.com looks promising.

- There used to be a product called Cookie's Cool Caps, which were thin ice packs designed to be placed inside a riding helmet. Unfortunately, they are no longer manufactured; however, you can certainly buy small, flexible gel ice packs and use them in the same way. Also, there are similar products made for hard-hats, which would work just as well in a riding helmet --http://www.miracool.com/hard-hat-cooling.htm (scroll down, and there are many different options).

- Wear cotton clothing and/or special sweating-wicking exercise gear in light colors in order to aid sweat evaporation and heat reflection. While browsing through a Dover catalog recently, I saw a pair of seersucker breeches, which would be ideal for summer riding (although they might elicit a few sideways glances!).

For Your Dog:

- Many people believe that dogs don't sweat at all, but this is a myth; they do sweat, but only a small amount, as they only have sweat glands in their paws (and I believe in their noses, as well). They mainly cool off by panting. However, allowing them to stand in cool water can greatly help them deal with heat.

This is Zoe, my old Bouvier des Flandres.

Best. Dog. Ever.

- I recently bought my Husky a Kool Collar for her to wear during our walks. It contains a reusable icepack, but can also be filled with ice. While it's so small that it probably only offers her minimum heat relief, I do feel that it helps a bit. (I only walk her at night, as she is a very hairy beast and gets overheated quite easily!)

- My next purchase will be a K9 Cooling Vest, which utilizes the same principle of the cooling bandannas for people (it also contains polymers which, when soaked in water, plump up and can help keep the dog cool for several hours). And, if my wallet isn't screaming in agony, I'll also buy her a Canine Cooler Bed -- she currently spends a lot of time on the cool tile floors, but I certainly don't want her to get pressure sores.

- Of course, there is always the option of shaving your puppy during the summer to help him/her stay cool; I just can't personally picture my Husky without all her gorgeous hair! 

Well, I tried to stay away from the blatantly obvious (like, make sure you have fresh water available at all times for both your horse and your dog), so I hope that this post can provide a helpful tip or two for each of my readers. But I know that you guys are pretty savvy, too. So, now it's your turn to educate me -- what additional tips or advice do you have for surviving the hot summer months? What are your favorite stay-cool strategies for you, your horse, or your dog? 

If Wishes Were Horses...

Yep, it was inevitable -- though I have attempted to restrain myself from trolling the CANTER website for prospects, I have not been able to resist its siren song. Hi. My name is Meghann and I am a Thoroughbred-aholic. It has been two and a half months since my last ride. 

But, surely, there's no harm in looking, right? ;-) I am just thankful that the closest CANTER chapter is in the Mid-Atlantic, because if it was any closer I would be scrambling to come up with enough $$$ to support my horsey habit. So, without further ado, here are the ponies for which I am currently pining:

This is OK Bay, a 16.2 hand 6-year-old gelding (who deserves a name change, as he is clearly much better than "OK"). I'm no conformation expert, but to me he looks sturdy and substantial, not to mention extremely smooch-able. I absolutely adore blood bays, especially when they have those cute white feet. I could definitely see him galloping across fields and soaring over ditches and logs. (And he's only $1000 -- total bargain!)

*swoon* I am such a sucker for a grey. Maybe it's because I spent my childhood watching The Horse in The Grey Flannel Suit and Sylvester so many times that I wore out the VHS tapes, but I have a huge soft spot for greys. And, yes, my horse Mac was a big grey TB gelding, so it's a bit of an obsession. But, really, who could possibly resist this tall drink of water? He's a 5-year-old 16.2-16.3 hand gelding named Rugby's Hill (Rugby as a barn name = cuteness!) who is listed for $2,500. Maybe it's the way he's standing, but his right hind looks a bit funky to me; but that's the only fault that I can see. And, honestly, that face certainly makes me forget about any flaws he might have -- adorable!

Zagarello! Alright, I admit that part of this guy's appeal is his name -- but he is also quite a looker. Zag is a 4-year-old 17 hand gelding listed for $1,200. Part of the reason I'm drawn to him is because of his height; I'm only 5'7" but I tend to dwarf horses (I made 17 hand Salem look small!). Zag is cute as a button, young, and marketed as a "lovely event" prospect (something I have been itching to try, myself).

Yes, I'm sure there are about a million more, but I've got to rein myself in somewhere. :-) So, if a bag of money just happens to fall out of the sky tomorrow, which one of these cuties should be my next pony?

Riding Air Bag!

Has anyone else seen these new riding air-vests? They're geared towards eventers (who are required to wear a safety vest during cross-country), but can be used for any discipline. Apparently, some camps are claiming that they're the greatest safety invention since the helmet, while others feel that they're less effective than standard foam-paneled vests.

(Sorry, not sure why this is so pixelated!)

This is the Point Two inflatible air vest, which has a long lanyard that you clip to the stirrup bars of your saddle. If you are thrown from the horse, the lanyard activates the release of carbon dioxide into the "airbags," inflating them. They inflate in approximately half a second, so your neck and back are fully protected by a cushion of air before your body hits the ground (well, in theory). It is available from Smartpak for the low, low price of $699-799, depending on size.

Gaaaah! ALL my pics are fuzzy and pixelated -- ???

This air vest is also Point Two, but it is the custom color version. Because heaven forbid you get caught in some generic black air vest. Ick. Cross-country just wouldn't be the same without bright, glaring colors on every available surface of you and your horse. This vest is available in an array of colors, from Bubble Pink to Bright Orange to High Vis Yellow. What's that sound, you say? Oh, I think it's just George Morris's shrieks of horror and disgust. Oh, and by the way, this vest is offered for the bargain price of $839.95 from Smartpak. What a steal -- buy two or three!

For those of you not fortunate enough to have spare fistfuls of cash, don't fret -- there is a slightly less obnoxiously expensive vest available from Hit Air, pictured above and below. It doesn't come in any fun colors, but it does seem to provide exactly the same protection as the Point Two. This one retails for around $450 -- still crazy expensive, but at least it's an improvement.

And, check it out, you can even use an air vest whilst riding a camel! It doesn't exactly seem like a real dangerous sport, camel riding, what with the humps keeping you in place and the general dislike of moving faster than a snail's pace that most camels seem to exhibit. But, hey, I am all for safety!

Apparently, the rules state that, even if you are wearing an air vest in an XC competition, you must still wear a standard safety vest as well. I'm guessing this is because the air vests are so new and maybe haven't been tested/approved. Sounds like a lot of layering for a sport where you are most likely already sweating bullets.

So, what are your thoughts on the air vest? Great idea or total crock?

In Terminus

Whew! The last few weeks have flown by in such a whirlwind that it's been difficult to keep up with things. Buckle your seatbelts, kiddos, because this post is going to be loooong!

So, where did I last leave off? I believe it was Salem's chiropractic adjustment with the magical and wonderful Dr. Bob. The following day, I gave Salem a break from work and just hand-grazed him for a few hours.Wednesday I put him on the longe line and did about 20-25 minutes of walk/trot work with him, focusing a lot on walk/halt transitions.

Well, what do you know, afterwards I put him on the cross-ties and ran my hand down his left front leg to pick his hoof -- and I felt a large, hard, cool lump on the inside of his cannon bone. Yep, he had popped a splint. Now, it's certainly not unusual for horses to pop a splint, but it usually occurs during heavy work like jumping -- since when is 25 minutes of light longeing considered strenuous?! I swear, I think Salem pushed his Self-Destruct Button! He has seriously been falling apart lately.

Ugly Evil Splint

Close-Up of Ugly Evil Splint

The good news is that Salem was never sore from it -- it didn't seem to bother him in the least, and it had zero heat.The first few days, I iced his leg and left him in standing wraps. Made no difference, but it did make me feel like at least I was doing something. Of course, I immediately started researching about splints, and I read that a lot of people use Surpass on them with great results. So of course, I broke out the Surpass and faithfully rubbed it into that big ugly bump every night.

Unfortunately, a splint means no riding for a few weeks, so we spent the time hand-grazing, doing ground work, grooming, massaging, stretching, and just spending quality time together. I would put him in the front paddock for a change of scenery and just sit underneath the oak trees and watch him stroll around. Ruby had told me a few weeks ago that Salem would be leaving on May 1st, so I really wanted to cherish every second that I had left with him.

A few days after he popped the splint, I found out that the shipping date had been moved up to April 15th. And, being the OCD horsey foster mom that I am, I started planning for Salem's Travel Kit/Supplies. We all know that shipping long distances, moving to a new environment, adapting a new routine, etc. cause a horse to be quite stressed, which can lead to digestive upset and ulcers -- so I would of course need a few tubes of UlcerGuard for both pre-shipping and post-shipping. In addition, he would need a tube of Probios for a boost of probiotics. I also wanted to get a bunch of Horse Quencher, as horses tend to become dehydrated over long hauls. (If you don't have any Horse Quencher, I highly recommend getting a few packs to keep on hand!) The plan was to put a pack of HQ in a bucket of water and have him drink the entire bucket right before getting onto the trailer. Then I would give a few packs to the shippers for the transit, and include some in his "Welcome Pack" for when he arrived at his new farm. I placed an order with Valley Vet, confident that it would arrive in plenty of time.

Imagine my surprise when, on Thursday afternoon (April 8th), I received a call from the horse transporters confirming Salem's pick-up the following morning. (That's why this post is titled "In Terminus" -- it's Latin for "in the end.") I offically went into freak-out mode. I wasn't ready, either emotionally or logistically. Salem's "stuff" was scattered to the four winds, I had only half a bale of hay (I needed at least two for him so he could eat during the whole trip, plus have a bit for when he arrived), I had no UlcerGuard, no Probios, no HorseQuencher...nothing! The feed stores were all about to close. I'm pretty sure I had a small aneurism.

Luckily, I have some great fellow boarders, so I managed to pull together two more bales of hay and three tubes of EGard (generic GastroGuard). I had already bought some aloe vera juice to send up for Salem (it also helps to cut down on stomach acid), so at least I was semi-prepared -- not nearly as together as I had planned, but better than nothing. I had also spent quite a bit of time getting Salem used to wearing his halter fleeces and shipping boots. And I had switched him over to orachard/alfalfa hay instead of his usual timothy, because alfalfa can help reduce stomach acid.

I stayed at the barn until 10:30 Thursday night, packing and planning and fussing over everything. Salem got a bubble bath and a whisker trim, and Jennie was kind enough to pull his insanely thick mane (I pretty much suck at mane maintenance). Friday, I arrived at the barn at 6:30 in the morning to take Salem for one last long hand-graze/walk. We strolled around in the misty, dewy morning heat and enjoyed eachother's company for one last time.

Afterwards, it was time for a quick groom, as I certainly could not send Salem off all dirty and gunky. I kept thinking, "This is the last time I'll ever pick his feet...this is the last time I'll curry him...this is the last blah blah blah," and Salem could definitely tell that something was amiss. He had his Woried Eyes on. 

Check out Jennie's awesome mane-pulling job!

What's going on, FosterMomLady?

This is my Monty Roberts halter, which I loooooove. When you attach a leadrope to either

one of of the training rings, the entire bottom rope section tightens around the jaw.

It's both more gentle and more effective than a chain. (You just can't tie them or cross-tie

them from the training rings!)

Next, it was time to put on Salem's Travelling Outfit -- and, I have to say, he looked insanely cute in it!! Salem was so calm and laidback and Zen about the whole thing. Even when I walked him up to the very scary semi-trailer, he was perfectly behaved.

All geared up in his Shipping Outfit

This pic also shows that his topline needs much work!

That is one shiny pony! I have proven that you do not

need Show Sheen or any other silicone product to make a horse sparkly -- he is

glowing from good health and elbow grease (well, with a little help from

flax seed and Cocosoya)!

Smartpak catalog model in the making

This was Salem's sweet ride -- he was definitely travelling in style!

When the drivers set up the ramp to load Salem, I got a bit nervous -- the ramp was quite steep and I was pretty sure that Salem would not want to set a foot on it. (Wish I had a pic, but I was holding the Ponykins!) The nice thing, though, is that it had wings on the sides and they laid down a nice mat (like this) for traction. One of the drivers asked me, "Do you want me to load him up, or do you want to take him?" I told him that I wanted to take him, so I walked up the ramp and was shocked that Salem immediately and very calmly followed me like he had been walking up Scary Steep Ramps onto Big Scary Semi Trailers his whole life. I'm thinking maybe all of the work I did on having him put his feet where I want them (even on scary stuff like tarps and scary puddles) paid off. I was so proud of him that I almost got a little teared up.

All settled in for the ride

Once Salem was loaded up, I gave him one last peppermint and one last kiss on his muzzle. I had already had my little mushy "goodbye talk" with him on the way to the trailer (cuz ya don't want to look like a total mush in front of the big tough driver guys). I told him to be a good boy for his mommy and that I would definitely see him again sometime.

This was my last view of the Salem Ponykins

I know this might sound a bit stupid, but I really worry that Salem will think that I don't love him or I don't want him or that he wasn't good enough for me. I know it's completely anthropomorphising him, but I can't help it. For six months, I was his Person. We spent time together every day, usually for at least five to six hours. If he was out in his paddock when I arrived, he would run into his stall, whinnying his head off, as soon as he heard my voice. He was my favorite part of the day, and losing him has definitely left a big hole in my heart. Part of me hopes that he misses me, while the other part hopes that he doesn't. All I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed every second that I spent with him. He is such a special horse and I know that Ruby is going to adore him.

So, this is officially the end of the Salem Blog. I am planning on getting another horse in the not-too-distant future, so I will eventually be blogging about that. And I of course plan on keeping up with all of my horsey blog-y friends! Kristen over at Sweet Horse's Breath suggested that I start posting information-type blog posts, which I just might do.

 Thanks for coming on this ride with me, guys! It's been a blast.

I've got bad news, more bad news...and even more bad news

Today, Dr. Bob came out to work on the horses that were scheduled for Thursday. He is an awesome vet -- he went to Cornell, does chiro and accupuncture, and is so good with his patients. I really appreciate how he explains everything, tells you what your options are, and goes over the costs of each. And he definitely made the last six weeks of Mac's life much more comfortable. At our barn, we are not afraid of showing our affection for our fave vet --

Yep, we're a bunch of 12-year old girls. :-)

(Please also note that Salem is a member of "The BFF Club," of course.

That was written/drawn by Sage, an actual 11-year old girl.)

OK, so...on to the bad news. Dr. Bob started adjusting Salem and, at first, everything was great. He adjusted Salem's head and neck with no problems. Then he moved on to his back and everything went downhill. Salem's lumbar area is incredibly sore -- he started bucking like crazy and pinning his ears when Dr. Bob applied pressure to it. Even after he was sedated, he was cranky and bucking. It wasn't until the last ten or fifteen minutes of the adjustmnet that Salem actually started to relax.

So, what does this mean? I, of course, told Dr. Bob about our recent saddle-fititng debacle and how he had a week off, a professional massage, and is now ridden in a saddle that fits him and a Thinline pad. However, the good news is that the pain in his lumbar spine has nothing to do with saddle fit, because it is far behind where the saddle sits. Dr. Bob assured me that nothing I did/didn't do caused this. His exact words were, "He has major underlying back issues that are completely unrelated to saddle fit. He's had this for a while. And I'm not just saying that because you made me baked Brie." :-)

He can't diagnose what it is without taking X-rays. It could be arthritis, it could be kissing spines, it could be issues in his sacro-iliac joints. It could be a combination of things. Salem could need lots of chiro, accupuncture, injections, etc. Dr. Bob was not impressed that this was not picked up on Salem's pre-purchase exam, as it has most likely been there for a while.

Oh, and all that was just Bad News #1. Let's move on to #2, shall we? Dr. Bob did some flexion tests on Salem to see if hind-leg lameness could be contributing to his back issues. And, guess what? He classified him as a 2 on a lameness scale of 1-5 on the right hind. He said it could be hock or stifle issues. Again, not impressed that this wasn't caught on the PPE.  I do realize that flexion tests are a highly-debated issue, so I'm not sure how I feel about this. But it does mean that his right hind might need to be carefully scrutinized.

Last but not least -- Dr. Bob looked at Salem's teeth to make sure they're okay. And he said, "How old did you say this horse is?" I told him that Salem was sold as a 5-year old in October, so he's either 6 or coming-6. He told me, "Well, his teeth are telling me that he's at least 7, possibly 8." Oooooh, my goodness.

Dr. Bob working his magic

So, where do we go from here? Dr. Bob said that Salem was so misaligned that, ideally, he would be adjusted once a week for the next three or four weeks. And, of course, diagnostics like X-rays would be a great help. Unfortunately, I do not have a bottomless pit of money. Don't get me wrong -- if Salem was my horse, I would sell my soul to make him as comfortable as possible. I guess I have to hand this mess over to Ruby and let her deal with it as she sees fit. At least she knows that he has back issues, and she'll have to decide how to go about treating them.

For tonight, Salem got two grams of bute to help him feel better since he had such a major adjustment. Tomorrow, he'll get the day off. I actually asked Dr. Bob if Salem needed any time off of work and he said no. But I think I might call him on Monday and ask him if riding Salem will cause him pain. I love that horse like crazy and of course I want to ride him -- but I also don't want to cause him any undue pain. I'll keep ya posted.

Short But Sweet