Horse Tales

Update on Hope

2008-01-26T22:21:00.001-05:00

Hope is doing so well, it is just amazing! She is walking just fine, and last night she was down for at least part of the night and got up on her own. We found bits of the rubber from the indoor arena on her back so we know she was down. This is very, very good news. Her legs aren't swollen either, so she is in great shape. The vet thinks that what saved her is the fact that she didn't flail around while she was on the ice. She remained calm and waited for us to let her know what to do. Excessive movement accellerates the muscle break down, so being calm helped her tremendousely.

Today when I was with her in the indoor she followed me around and seemed to want the company. I was busy scooping up poop; it is incredible how much poop she produced in just a day and a half! I got about 1.5 wheelbarrows full of poop!

I am still feeling the effects of the emotional roller coaster, but I can't tell you how happy I am to have her with me still. Everyone who knows Hope loves her; she's that kind of horse. I wrote a letter to the editor to let everyone know how wonderful the fire department and highway department guys were and I will be writing a letter to the bosses to let them know, too.

Hope's Saga

2008-01-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

We had a huge scare with my Belgian mare, Hope, yesterday. My housemate's daughter ("Jane") called me at 2:30ish to tell me that Hope was down in the front pasture and she couldn't get up. We have no idea how long she had been down, but she was very cold and tired. Apparently she slipped on some ice (we had some large pools of standing water that froze over solid with the recent weather) and she couldn't get up because her back feet kept slipping out from under on on the ice. Jane put blankets on her, but she was very, very cold. I left for home, and once there I called 911 because I knew there was no way we could do this on our own. First we got one sheriff's deputy, and he called the fire department, so we got about 10 guys from the Fire Dept out there. My vet also came, along with a friend I had called. We managed to get Hope pulled off the ice and rolled over, but she couldn't stand, even though she tried and tried and tried. The problem (and the big danger) was that she had been laying on her left hind leg for so long that the blood supply was cut off and she had no feeling in that leg. The vet explained to me that the muscle tissue very quickly starts to break down. The thing is, if she couldn't get on her feet and stand, I would have had to have her put down right there, so I was pretty damn scared.

When it became clear that she could not get up on her own, the fire guys called in the highway dept and a big payloader with a hydraulic bucket. They removed the bucket and we fitted straps around her in front of her hind legs and behind her front legs, and they hoisted her up. She was fine on her front legs, but her back legs were just dangling off to the side. The vet pricked her leg with a pen knife and got no reaction at all, and things looked pretty grim at that point. But we positioned her back legs under her and slowly started to lower her until we could see if she could stand on her own. Things started looking up from there; soon she appeared to be holding herself up, and we slackened the straps. I was in front of her with a flake of hay, and she was munching away. And then she started to walk, so we got her moving toward the indoor arena. She would take a couple of steps and the payloader would catch up. It took at least 20 minutes and they had to take down part of the fence, but we got her around to the door of the arena, where we unhooked her from the straps and she walked in on her own. We gave her piles of hay and water and put blankets on her to help her get warm. I stayed with her for an hour, and then checked on her later, and she was doing ok--walking slowly and eating. I just didn't want her to go down again, and she didn't. She was pretty good this morning, too, and finally seemed to be all warmed up. I left her munching her hay. I am so relieved; I didn't want her to die like that.

I can't say enough good things about the guys from the fire department and highway department who were determined to get her up and were willing to stay for hours while we tried everything we could think of. We could not have done this without them. Hope would never have been able to get up on her own.

The aftermath for me is exhaustion. I am so tired, even after 8 solid hours of sleep. That is the reaction to the emotion and adrenaline and fear, but I expect it to wear off after a day or 2. I'm just so happy she is still with us. I felt very helpless while all of this was going on; all I could do was hold her head and stroke her face and ask her to hold on to not to leave me yet. And she did everything I asked--like she always does!

GO SOX!!!!

2007-10-23T19:24:00.000-04:00

One more post for the day--GO SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been a Red Sox fan since 1967, when we lived on Cape Cod and I discovered baseball. It was the year of the Impossible Dream, the year Tony Conigliaro was beaned, the last year anyone won the triple crown (Yaz, of course). It was supposed to be our year--the year we won the series, and I got totally caught up in the daily drama. I kept a scrap book with newspaper clippings, and I still have it today. Nothing in sports ever hurt me like their loss to the Cardinals in Game 7. Not 1975, not Bucky Dent's home run, not even 1986. Nothing.

But oh, did I celebrate in 2004! And I hope to do so again this year!

GO SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dog Tales

2007-10-23T18:38:00.000-04:00

I'd like to tell you about Beethoven, my geriatric Golden Retriever. Last year I told you about his vestibular syndrome. I am happy to report that he has completely learned how to live with this condition. The vets think that this is something that never goes away--the vertigo is always present--but that dogs either learn how to live with it or they don't. Beethoven has learned to compensate for his whirling world, which is amazing at his age. He is on 4 different meds and has special food and he still acts like a much younger dog. He jumps up and down at meal time (food is a powerful motivator for Big B!) and he moves quickly up and down the stairs. Sure, he sleeps a lot, but he is pretty old. I am a bit concerned at how he'll do at the new farm since we'll have 5 dogs all together. There's my 2, a rat terrier, a shepard mix, and an Italian Greyhound. We call him Weasel Dog, although his real name is Jack. He's kind of a menace...

Anyway, Beethoven has had quite a life. I got him from the local GR rescue group when he was almost 6. He was about 30 pounds overweight and had zero training. I'd say "sit" and he'd say "feed me." We went to obediance class together and he learned quickly. He has this endearing habit of sitting in front of you and slowly rotating so that you can easily scratch him all over! And he has the Golden Paw action down to a T; you can't ignore him because he will gently place a paw in your lap and leave it there until you pay attention.

He has an iron stomach, too. I've lost track of the disgusting things he has eaten. The 2 most notable were (1) the large, frozen, dead bird that was pretty much swallowed whole (the only evidence of illness was little pile of feathers on the floor the next morning) and (2) the deer leg. That was was pretty funny. One winter night I kept calling him (this was before he lost his hearing) and he did not come in. I got my boots, coat, and hat on and went looking for him. We had 2-3 feet of snow on the ground, and I had 3 acres to explore in the dark. I found him laying in a drift munching on a deer leg. He had it wedged between his paws, hoof sticking up in the air, and he was busy trying to work through the skin and fur to get at the meaty goodness within. It was with difficulty that I got him into the house, sans the snack item. I assumed that the rest of the deer was under the drift, and I spent some time fretting about how I was going to get rid of it, but fortunately I discovered that it was just the leg!

Another grand adventure was the time I found an empty, gnawed bottle of pills on the floor. These were my other dog's pills; their function was to speed up her metabolism. It was a new bottle, so there were 60 pills in it, and all were missing. I knew it was Beethoven. The thing is, it was 4:45 am and I was heading out for the airport to catch an early morning flight to Minnesota. Somehow I had to get him to the vet because I was sure these pills would not be good for him! I called a friend from the airport, and he picked up Beethoven and took him to the vet. Later that day I finally hooked up with the vet, who told me they had induced vomiting and found no sign of the pills, indicating that they were long since absorbed, so she put him on IVs and monitored him closely. To her surprise, she observed no increase in heart rate, no sign of an adverse reaction, no indication that anything was amiss. She said that he had apparently ingested what should have been a fatal dose of drugs with no reaction whatsoever. All he got was a little vacation and I got a nice bill.

As I approach Beethoven's 15th birthday in early February, I hope only that he will be with me for yet another year. He is such a joy!

Where the Heck did the Year Go??

2007-10-18T18:32:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been nearly a year since I posted anything! Clearly I am not addicted to blogging. It's probably also due to the fact that I don't have a computer at home and I don't want to blog during actual work time--that's a serious no-no!

I'll give you the reader's digest version of what's been going on at the barn. Shiloh and I have been working with a new trainer, and things are going well. She really understands both me and my horse, and that makes lessons much more productive.

There's a lot of drama at the barn, as always. You cannot believe the swirling hoo-hah that goes on in a barn! We have the Dressage Queen, who isn't really a great rider herself but she has a lot of money and was able to buy an already trained horse (the horse knows more than she does, to be honest) and she feels that she should be able to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it, regardless of how that impacts everyone else. If she wants to hose her horse, then you had better get out of the wash stall RIGHT NOW! Then there's the woman who owns an agressive mare that kicked another horse and caused quite a bit of damage. That can happen, and it's not the owner's fault, but she denies that her mare could possibly have done this because "she just so sweet." Yeah, right... There's the trainer who doesn't show up to teach her lessons and somehow it's always the student's fault--"didn't you get a message? No? Well I left one at 555-5555. How can that not be your number? That's the number you gave me, see, here it is!"

The really big news is that I'll be leaving the barn because I bought a small farm with 2 of my friends--we'll call them Ted and Alice. I work with Alice--she's the one who got me into horses in the first place--and we decided we'd like to have a farm for our retirement. We're a ways away from that, but we also felt we should do this now while we're still able to handle the work, and then we'll be in better shape for retirement. That's the theory anyway! So we bought a place with just under 6 acres, a 12-stall barn, 3 pastures, and a 3100 square-foot house that has 2 master suites. It's really ideal. We haven't moved in yet, but we hope to get everything wrapped up by early November. We have 6 horses all together, so we are well on our way to filling the barn!

This means I'll also have more stories to tell--tales of stall mucking and hay stacking and feeding and cleaning and turning out... Won't that be fun??

Thanksgiving

2006-11-27T12:59:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family. We always gather at the home of my older brother and his wife, and the group includes both families--brother's and sister-in-law's. We share the cooking and cleaning up, and we all hang out and talk, play games, read, watch TV, shop, see a movie--it's relaxing and fun. SIL and I used to create elaborate meals (we are usually together Thursday--Sunday morning) that took up most of our time. One year I don't think I ever left the kitchen. We'd prepare special breakfasts, snacks, appetizers, and dinners. We finally figured out that we don't need to do that--it would be ok if we have simple meals and enjoy ourselves with other activities. This year we had the pleasure of eating delicious stuffed shells with homemade tomato gravy, all created by my other SIL (aka, Phillipa). I'm afraid she spent too much time in the kitchen doing that, but my oh my it was delicious!

Time with family is precious, especially as my parents are getting older and have more health problems that sometimes keep them from traveling. And the younger generation is at a stage where they will have their own lives, their own holiday traditions, and their own schedules to keep. My nephew was unable to join us this year, and he was missed. Family. Can't live with 'em; can't live without 'em! I am very, very blessed in my family--immediate and extended!

The only thing missing was my animal family--dogs were at the kennel and horses at the barn. I ride tonight after more than a week off, and I have a lesson. That should be interesting...

Catching up

2006-11-07T17:13:00.000-05:00

It's been over 2 weeks since I posted here; things have gotten crazy at work! I had a couple of business trips (don't ever let anyone tell you business travel is "glamorous" -- it is anything but!) and that always discombobulates me. I've also had a sick dog. My 13+ year old Golden Retriever came down with something called vestibular disease. It's an inner ear thing that causes extreme vertigo. On day 2 he was totally unable to stand up, let alone walk. A friend helped me get him to the car and I took him off to the vet, where he stayed for a week. He's home now, but still a bit wobbly. His head is tilted to the right, which is kind of cute looking, but it makes it hard for him to navigate. He has a tough time with stairs; this morning I had to hold him on my lap and scootch down the stairs on my hinder; he fell down them yesterday and he wasn't about to try again! Who says old dogs can't learn? He is expected to gradually recover most of his balance, if not all of it. His personality remains as it ever was-happy and loving and very interested in food.

On the horse front, I am still not cantering Shiloh. I wasn't able to ride for 2 weeks (yikes!) and that really set me back. I had a lesson yesterday and my legs are aching big time today. I miss it so much when I can't ride. Shiloh's foot treatments continue as we are not convinced the canker is totally gone--and now he has a cleft running up the ball of his heel. I can't explain it and don't understand it, but he's not lame at all and it doesn't appear to bother him. It looks ghastly, and I plan to have the vet check it out this week. I spend so much more time and money on my animals' health care than I do on my own!

I haven't finished the Christmas sampler quilt yet, but I did finish piecing the top for a quilt for my sister-in-law (not Phillipa; another sister-in-law). I am making headway hand quilting a lap quilt for my mother, and I have 2 queen size quilts awaiting binding. I have fabric for several more quilts in hand, and more projects than time. Well, it keeps me out of trouble!

What I learned this week

2006-10-19T18:45:00.000-04:00

On Monday I had my lesson, and I opted to ride a friend's horse so that I could have a cantering lesson. I can canter on Poncho, but I'm not ready for Shiloh yet. My lesson went very well; we had several good canters with nice transitions, and I felt steady, secure, and confident. My trainer, who hasn't really seen me canter much, was surprised and pleased at my progress. At the end of the lesson, we went for one more canter. Everything was going smoothly, until we rounded the corner and came down a long side. Poncho hit a soft spot in the ring and he tripped, and started going down. I gathered the reins and pulled him up, but not before my head snapped back in a little whiplash motion. (My neck is a little stiff, but it's ok; it wasn't like a car accident or anything!) I made him keep trotting for a few steps, then pulled him up. I patted his neck and sat there smiling.

So what did I learn from this? Well, a year ago, I would have freaked out when he tripped. I might even have come off, because it was a big trip and I was thrown off balance. I would definitely have screamed--that's what I do instinctively when something bad or painful happens to me. My trainer has been trying to get me to stop doing that, because it usually spooks a horse, but it's hard to break instinctive habits. Anyway, none of these things happened! I stayed on, I didn't freak out, and I didn't scream. Me, who has never done anything athletic in my life until I started riding! Me, who has been so fearful of the speed and power of the canter! Me, who is so afraid of coming off! So I learned that I am stronger and a better rider than I thought. I learned that habits can be broken. I learned that it is important to keep trying new things--to push yourself to do those things that are a little scary and uncomfortable. I learned that I really, really love to ride.

And it was so much fun!!

What a week

2006-10-13T17:32:00.000-04:00

It's been a long week at work, and I haven't had as much barn time as I like, but that happens some times. Anyway, today I thought I'd write about my other passion, which is quilting. I also came to this later in life. I've sewed ever since I was old enough to hold a needle safely. My mother taught me how to sew; the first things I made were doll clothes. I used scraps from Mom's projects. Then I learned how to use the machine. We had my Grandmother's old Singer with a knee control; I still have the machine but can't get parts to have it fixed up. My mother and I sewed most of my clothes, and I would make shirts and pajamas for my brothers and father for Christmas presents. I always liked to sew, but I got away from it once I started college and then full time work, although every now and then I'd pick it up again. But lately, I haven't made much of anything.

A friend (actually the same friend who got me into horses) started quilting, and took me to a quilt shop. I fell in love with the fabric and was reminded of how much joy I used to get from making things with my own hands. I decided to give it a try, and I was hooked. My first project was a quilt for my bed, and when I was done I was so thrilled! I made a lap quilt for my mother--it's not done yet, though; I have to finish hand quilting it. I've been making quilts for other family members and they are in various stages. In September I decided to take a class lasting 7 weeks. We learn how to make different blocks and I'll come out of it with a sampler quilt. I decided to use Christmas fabrics so I'd have a nice Christmas quilt for the living room. But now I've gotten way behind on making the blocks (too many late nights at work) and have started to stress out about it. My friend reminded me that this is silly; what will happen if I don't have the blocks done? Will I fail the class? Of course not! This is supposed to be fun!

All of this made me think about how often we allow our hobbies to create unnecessary stress in our lives. When "I want to quilt" turns into "I have to quilt" the hobby becomes work. I think that our culture helps create this mindset. We have been taught that if we aren't doing something productive every waking minute, then we are wasting time. Years ago a friend of mine said she wished she had time to read, but she just couldn't justify spending time "doing nothing but reading." Wow. I thought that was one of the saddest things I'd heard! I read for pleasure every single day--does that make me lazy? In her eyes, apparently! Recently I heard a news story about our children being stressed, and part of the problem is that they have no down-time or unstructured "play" time--every minute of their day is scheduled. I just can't imagine that; I need lots of down time!

I'd better get off this soap box and get home. I want to quilt!

First attempt at a picture...

2006-10-05T17:40:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try and upload a picture of Shiloh. This was taken 3 years ago, but he hasn't changed a lot--except to lose the bows! Let's see if this works...

Hey, what do you know? It worked! I don't have a digital picture of Hope, but I will get one and post it.

The Dressage Test

2006-10-03T18:32:00.000-04:00

On Saturday there was a small show at my barn. There was a combined class, where participants had to compete in both dressage and stadium jumping, and a dressage only class. I had decided to compete in the dressage only class; it was my second show. In my first show, everything that could go wrong did go wrong, so I was a tad nervous. I was also, however, better prepared.

In my first show last spring, we were out warming up, and Shiloh was moving nicely. I was the next person to go, and I was starting to think that this would be ok, when suddenly there was a lot of commotion going on behind me. I whirled Shiloh around (ok, maybe not a whirl, exactly, but a reasonably slow turn) and saw to my horror that a friend of mine was flying off her horse. She landed hard. Proceedings were put on hold while people rushed to help, call the ambulance, get blankets, etc. There was nothing I could do and there was plenty of help, so I just milled around waiting for events to unfold. To make a long story short, Shiloh got pretty spooked before long--the ambulance beeping was scary enough but then people started running in and out--all very different from our usual sedate rides! The judge came back in and said "let's get started!" and I was on. We circled the ring at a trot preparatory to entering and beginning the test, and we were not in synch. Shiloh spooked at everything, and I was getting more and more nervous--plus I didn't know how badly my friend was hurt (turns out she cracked a vertebrae and was in a halo for 8 weeks). The test was a disaster; pretty much every move was executed poorly. I was sure I would never, ever do this again!

I calmed down and realized the folly of that hasty decision, and I started preparing for the next time, which came on Saturday. What a difference! This time, there were no surprises and no accidents. We performed the test as we had done in practice many times. I felt in harmony with Shiloh; he was very responsive and relaxed; he did what I asked of him smoothly. When we were done (this took all of 2 minutes, tops) I felt really good about our performance, and I patted Shiloh's neck in gratitude. And then came the surprise--we won the blue ribbon! Amazing! I was so happy as I clutched the ribbon and jumped up and down like a little kid!

I was still high from that experience when I had my lesson last night, and we had a lovely ride. My confidence is really increasing, and I am now ready to learn to canter Shiloh. I can canter on other horses, but Shiloh has a huge pop into the canter and there is so much power there that I have been afraid to do it. But now I am ready for the challenge! I know he will take care of me; we are bonded and in tune with each other when we ride. I also know that I am stronger and more secure in my seat than I was a year ago, and I am more sure of my abilities. Monday night we practiced trotting very fast so that I could get the feel of the speed and power--it was amazing. It's like flying--or how I imagine flying would feel if I could do it!

Every time I am riding, I am amazed by the power and majesty of the horse, and I am grateful that they are willing to let us ride them. Make no mistake about it; if a horse doesn't want you on his/her back, you won't be there long. They have any number of ways of getting you off! But when you are in harmony with your horse there is nothing like it on earth. I didn't have horses in my life for 46 years, and now I cannot imagine life without them!

2006-09-28T18:25:00.000-04:00

What a day!

I started my day with a bit of excitment when my dishwasher drain hose sprung a leak. Thank goodness I had decided to start it before leaving the house instead of hitting the delayed start button like I usually do. It wasn't long before water started pouring out from under the sink, all over my floor! I quickly shut off the washer and threw some towels down to soak up the water, but had to leave because I was running late and I had a training course to get to by 9:00. I called my handy man, who promised to stop over and fix it today. The rest of the day was taken up with meetings, phone calls, email, spreadsheets, and cranky people. It has been a long day in a long week, and I want to get to the barn and be with my horse.

Shiloh has a canker infection in one of his feet and he needs regular treatments, which consist of soaking his foot for about 45 minutes and then applying a topical antibiotic, which is really a medicine that is used for cow mastitis! I have a big canvas boot that I fit on Shiloh's foot, and then I pour in the soaking fluid (white lightning, vinegar, and water). He stands in the wash stall calmly, just watching and waiting. He actually likes the wash stall because he can look up and down the aisle and people stop and talk to him and give him treats. He loves treats, and he loves attention.

Being in the barn is so theraputic for me. After a long, tough day I am reminded of the things that really matter--shelter, nourishment, and companionship. I love to be in the barn at feeding time when no one else is there and you can hear the horses all munching their hay contentedly. I enjoy going out later at night when the barn is quiet and the horses are all dozing. And when I come down the aisle and hear Shiloh nicker to me when I call his name--well, that's a bit of heaven! So I'm off to get my barn fix!

2006-09-27T12:55:00.000-04:00

Several members of my extended family have blogs, and I thought it might be fun. No one may ever read it but me, but that's ok. I named my blog Horse Tales because many of my stories are likely to be about my horses, Shiloh and Hope. That being the case, allow me to introduce my equine companions.

Shiloh is a Clydesdale-Quarterhorse cross gelding. He's 10 years old, black with white markings, and he has BIG feet. A local trainer once told me that I could never sneak up on anyone while I was riding "Thunderhooves." She is entirely correct; we are hard to miss! I started riding when I was 47, so I wanted a fairly safe and trusty steed. Shiloh is really the perfect horse for me. He is very calm and sweet tempered and provides a wonderfully comfortable ride.

Hope is a Belgian--20+ years old, chestnut, with blond mane, tale, and feathers. She also has big feet, and she is also very, very sweet. In her earlier life she was an Amish work horse, and my trainer bought her at auction (saved her from the slaughterhouse) and used her as a lesson horse. I share-boarded Hope for about a year, and when my trainer sold her barn, I bought her. Right now she is working in a therapy riding program, and with her calm, even, reliable temperment she is perfect for the task. Unfortunately, she may not be able to do it much longer as she has ringbone (kind of like arthritis) that is limiting her ability to take the corners and carry people. I will likely have to find a retirement home for her and put her out to pasture to live out her days munching grass and enjoying the fresh air. Doesn't sound too bad to me!