Barbaro euthanized

I don't follow horse racing, and I know it has a bad reputation when it comes to caring for it's four-legged athletes.

But I rooted for Barbaro, hoped he'd heal even when I know how unlikely that really was.

He didn't.

It was the right thing for his owners to do, but a sad thing - to me, anyway - nonetheless.

The only thing I can hope is that maybe we've learned a little more about treating such catastrophic equine injuries.

Lip sores as promised

As promised, here is a picture of one of her now-healing sores. The pink skin you can see is where the rest of them were, now thankfully healing and healthy. Her gums still look a little bit puffy, but all in all, she is looking much better now.

If you really want a good look, click on the picture. It blows up into a really large picture of Lena's mouth and my hand. Really large. Kinda scary large, but good detail nonetheless.



Quite an experience, to say the least.

I'm thinking of sending this post to the dentist who did her teeth back in October. Might be a good thing for him to know about, too. (And maybe he can tell me how to whiten and brighten her teeth!)

Yellow Bristle Grass - One more note

One more thing.

When told that not all the horses had the sores, specifically that the horses in the lower barn who theoretically get the same hay as our horses up top, Dr. Kerr said that not all horses will be affected by it.

He also commented that possibly if we went back and checked, we'd find that some of the horses in the lower barn did indeed have the sores.

Dr. Kerr

I forgot to mention that Lena likes Dr. Kerr. Of course that may be because he hasn't stuck anything up her nose or in her rear end, but he also has a nice way with horses. She kept trying to nose him and he didn't even have carrots!

Nice to know there is another vet we can use if Leslie ever does have to retire! She threatens to retire if her truck dies because not only would she have to replace her truck but also her vet pack because the new trucks beds are a different size and her current pack won't fit.

Yellow Bristle Grass - Mouth Sore Culprit

Here's the culprit, a rather benign and soft thing at first glance, but textured much like the fluffy stuff on the inside of an artichoke heart. It is so fine and sticky, it's hard for horses to get it out of their noses, lips and mouths, where it then proceeds to cause the irritation and sores we'd been seeing. If you touch it, you can feel the resistance, even on roughened fingertips, almost like a softer version of a foxtail, but smaller and lighter, so more insidious. Note the yellow-gold color at the end of the spiny parts. (Obviously, my plant terminology could use a little work, here.)

Shannon's vet - Dr. Jamie Kerr, who is also Katie's vet - showed up, took one look at Lena's mouth, planted his hands on his hips and said, "Let me see the hay." He said he loves this diagnosis because it looks so terrible and inevitibly getting rid of the hay causes almost immediate improvement.

He and his assistant Justin climbed all over the last two shipments of hay Peter got and pulled piece after piece of it out, showing all of us, and pointing out bales where you could see big sections of it mixed in with the rest. He even left me a baggie to give to Dr. Leslie when she gets back to town.

Dr. Kerr used to practice in Napa and said he saw a lot of this about 20 years ago from hay that came from the Dixon area and did a lot of work convincing hay providers that it was indeed a problem. Apparently cows can eat it just fine, but horses can't. This was a new supplier for Peter, though recommended by the last supplier, and he's supposed to swap all this hay out for Peter - presumably for something without bristle grass in it.

Steve and I crossed email the next morning, both of us expressing immense relief that Lena wasn't sick. Her lips are already healing beautifully, as are the sores on the inside of her mouth. I'll post some pictures later, though the sores are not nearly as dramatic as they were.

After I knew what to look for, I found this PDF on the web. It describes the reaction - and the bristle grass - perfectly. Of course, I had to search specifically for "horse mouth sores and yellow bristle grass" to find it, but at least I'm able to post it here so my small circle knows what it is.

You learn something new every day, it seems.

Just a horse

I was bopping around the internet today and came across this. I liked it, so I'm sharing. :-)

JUST A HORSE

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a horse," or, "that's a lot of money for just a horse".

They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent or the costs involved for "just a horse." Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a horse."

Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a horse," but I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a horse," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a horse" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you think it's "just a horse," then you will probably understand phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a horse" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a horse" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of "just a horse" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a horse" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a horse" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a horse" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a woman/man."

--Anonymous

Beautiful Horse

Steve and Lena were having a fantastic time this afternoon, warming up in the sun, weaving in and out of the cones we have set up in the big arena. I took a few pictures, but she looked so lovely in this one, I had to post it. Steve even said it was okay that I cut off his head because Lena looks so good with her mane flying and her ears up. :-)



We both had good rides, playing with her speed and athleticism, feeling how powerful she is. One of the other boarders was there and said to her husband, "See, Paul? I told you'd they'd be here." Then she told me it was really great to see people who enjoyed their horse so much. That was about the best compliment I've ever gotten.

We do enjoy her, more than I possibly could have imagined.

Thank you, Lena, for being so much fun.

The mouth sore saga continues

We thought Lena's lips were healing - and they are better than they were for awhile, though not completely healed or looking as good as we want.

Then Shannon noticed Scout - a horse that moved in a few months ago and is being sold - had some sores in and around his mouth and worried her horse Tristan would get them if they were contagious, being that Tristan is in the adjacent pen.

Tristan did, complete with inflamed and puffy gums and sores inside his mouth. Shannon showed us his mouth today, so we all rechecked Lena and she has two more, though inside her mouth this time, right where the bit rests.

It's not affecting her appetite, nor is she fighting the bit much, so I don't think they hurt a lot, but it's definitely time to have them looked at again. Unfortunately, Dr. Leslie is out of town until the 29th, so I'll have Shannon's vet look at her when he comes out to check Tristan on the 25th.

In fact, several of the horses up in the top paddocks and pasture area have the sores, so with that additional piece of information, maybe we'll figure this out finally.

Peter wants to blame the hay, but since the horses down below aren't affected, that's probably not it.

The real bummer - besides Lena and the other horses having mouth sores - is that Katie, Finn, Lena, and I were going to go on a trail ride tomorrow but I didn't think risking Finn was a good plan so I cancelled. Bah.

Trailer brakes!

Okay, I'm a total dork and I have to do a quick post because I'm so excited that we got the trailer wiring installed!

Okay, back to work.

Yay!

Horse Plans for 2007

I want to keep working with Lena, to continue to improve my riding and her horseness.

I want to learn more about body work so I can help keep her healthy and sound as she gets older and as we do more with her. (Plus it's a fun way to connect with her physically.)

I want to learn how to tow a horse trailer.

I want to take Lena out and do different things with her, be it cutting or trail riding or barrel racing.

I want to be brave enough to do some article submissions to some of the magazines I read.

I want to be more willing to trust her, less willing to doubt myself.

Trail adventures

Lena doesn't have a lot of trail experience, yet, and so - in the spirit of helping her grow and breaking up her routine just a little - we walked down the road a ways to a nearby orchard. In order to get into the orchard, however, you must cross "The Puddle In The Ditch." I, being the leader in our little parade and on foot, sloshed through TPITD, primarily for Lena's benefit, though also to test whether the new cracks in my old boots are admitting water, yet.

Steve and Lena started to follow but then came the distinct sound of metal horse shoes clattering to a stop on asphalt - the horse version of slamming on the brakes. She has gone through the ditch before, even with a little water in it, so he very patiently walked her around in a circle and tried again. No go, so serious negotiations began. Steve worked through the sideways dance, the circular spin, some walking up and down the side of the road, not to mention the added bonus of waving cars past us in the middle of all that.

She did finally concede and make her way through TPITD, receiving much patting and praise for her bravery, only to sink nearly knee deep in the spongy, squishy orchard ground. But with much snorting and squelching - and use of her big, strong, healthy muscles to pull her feet out of the muck - we made it to firmer ground. More patting and praise occured, of course.

Not too bad for a horse stuck with two humans as trail ride partners.

Horseplay

This is probably not in the safe-activities-with-horses category, but it was fun nonetheless.

Steve was riding Lena yesterday and walked up to me after warming her up so we could switch. On a whim, I ran off to my left, Lena's right, as they faced me. We'd done this a few times before, but not for awhile, and with varying reactions from her.

This time was different.

Those big ears went back, her head came down, and for all you'd have guessed from watching her, I was a cow. Well, probably not really, but she nonetheless went right into cow-mode and it was awesome to watch.

I only wish I had four legs and more stamina. :-)

Definitely a case where I could tell she was having fun not just going through the motions.

Weird horse wound update

I think in one of my very first posts, down at the bottom of the August archive, I said that if I actually knew all the things that could go wrong with a horse, I never would have bought one. So I'm exceedingly glad of my ignorance even still because it's less for me to worry about, leaving more room to enjoy her. Not that we don't still call in the vet occasionally.

In fact, Dr. Leslie was out yesterday because Lena's lip still hasn't healed. The good doctor says Lena looks healthy and athletic, though, so isn't particularly worried about auto-immune or systemic things. (Like I even knew to worry about that before she mentioned it!)

Turns out there is a build up of granulated tissue (proud flesh) that isn't allowing the skin to come over the sores and close them up. There are some on the edges that are healed, so we just have to keep Lena from licking off the special concoction Dr. Leslie mixed up for her so we can get her lips back to their normal soft, furry state. Not an easy task. The next thing to try - if she keeps licking - is meat tenderizer, which sounds a lot like one of those old vet remedies you hear rumors about, but I trust Dr. Leslie even if it does sound a little wacky.

I suppose I could be more worried about Lena's immune system, but worrying without just cause isn't helpful and won't change the outcome of a situation, so why waste the energy. If the lip owies don't start to heal in a couple of days, I'm under strict orders to call Dr. Leslie anyway, and we'll just go from there.

Besides, riding is more fun than worrying any day.

Horse Thoughts - Year One

We're a little past the one-year mark - it was in August - but I've been thinking about this post for at least that long, so I thought I'd actually write it.

If I could summarize this last year in one word, it would be a minor miracle.

Strength and power. Sun, wind, rain and dirt-in-your-nose. Stillness of spirit balanced with primal energy. Frustration with and challenges from the horse, myself, and other humans. Learning to dance with all four feet. Mud. Horse poop - a lot of it. Laughter, joy, and the simple pleasure of being in this universe.

In just one word? "Wow," probably sums it up best.

Only a little more than two years ago, the concept of Lena was a foreign idea - one not even in the realm of possiblity. Now, we can't imagine life without her and are even trying to figure out ways to add to the horse contingency. It's wacky, I tell you!

Lena has added so much to my life - not only in the riding and handling of her sweet, sometimes spoiled, spotty self, but in the time spent with Steve and Katie. The opportunities we've had together to work with Lena, as well as take her out into the world for new experiences, have provided lessons of self that have helped me grow in ways that might not have otherwise occured - even with years of intensive and expensive therapy.

Not to mention I finally have a really good excuse to drive a pick-up truck. I guess year two will include learning to tow, trailer maintenence and rigging that poop slingshot I mention in here to use on tailgaters. Possibly even horse number two - as yet unknown - too.

It's Ike and Cheri's fault

I sometimes feel like a stranger in a strange barn.

We love our crazy horse, and we are learning what we need to do to channel Lena's natural exuberance into reasonable arena behavior, but we're not perfect and that sometimes creates conflict with other riders. This is also exceedingly difficult in winter when stuck indoors, by the way.

Oh, my kingdom for a trailer and another horse, but we're not there, yet. Oh, and no rain, either.

Here's the thing. We learned to ride up at Slide Mountain, where sometimes you have to ride through the craziness because that's what you do, that's part of how you build the relationship with the horse. The horses Ike and Cheri raise are strong and energetic and fun to ride, so you work with it because it's more fun, more rewarding, than just sitting on a horse's back and letting them do all the work.

It's definitely not that you let them get away with bad behavior, either. Ike and Cheri are just more accepting of horses with Lena's energy level and of people like us who love to work with that energy.

And why work with a horse like Lena? Because you can feel it when she taps into the power in her own body. It comes up through the saddle into your spine, straight up into your heart and soul - a simple joy that feels like flying. It's not even speed, per se. It's whether she's having fun or just going through the motions because it's better than being in her pen. And, yes, I can feel the difference and the experience is infinitely better when she's having fun.

Lena is a lot of horse and working with her isn't easy, but it offers more reward than almost anything else I do every day. (Even if it does make my arms ache on occasion.)

Ike and Cheri taught us to love horses like Lena, horses that challenge you and help you grow as a rider. I guess that makes us wild and crazy, too, but life's too short for boring.

Big Horse Shows

Big horse shows are big.

A week ago today, Katie and I were on our way back from our whirlwind trip to Vegas, back from our first experience with a big horse show. We decided if we do this next year, staying one more night would be good. Of course, Katie is already planning Lena's Paint Vegas barrel racing debut, too.

Back to last week. Because the arena had to be completely reconfigured, cutting was scheduled for the last day. On one hand, we missed most of the events, but on the other hand, things in the barn were pretty quiet.

The hotel itself is set up as an equestrian event center, with permanent stalls and a good-sized arena. All you had to do to find the barn was follow your nose. Some poor kid spent all day Sunday vacuuming the carpet of the alcove that led to the barn.

We got to our room - up on the 23rd floor - and managed to catch Cheri and Tiffany by phone right as Amber was going down for a nap, so had a couple of hours to kill.

We went to have lunch, then went to find the horses. Cheri had told me they brought seven horses from Slide, but when we got to the stalls, we only recognized six of them. I saw Vinnie first, then Cooper, Truly, Annie, Too Much Pepper and Peaches. But we couldn't figure out who number seven was. Turns out it was "Lena," another Lena, who they were using as a help horse.



We perused the gift show - gravitating instantly towards the most expensive headstalls available. Katie declined the opportunity to watch some of the Western Pleasure events and we headed back to our room. She didn't quite run away screaming, but close. On our way back through the hotel casino, where we dodged dazed gamblers and cheerful cocktail waitresses, we found Ike. He suggested Katie go up and change for the upcoming practice session right as Tiffany called me to say Amber was up from her nap. Nice timing all around, I'd say.

Amber and I hung out, trying to stay out of the way and find somewhere to sit after the cleaning staff kicked us out of the stands. Katie helped keep the horses warmed up, trotting and loping them in the practice arena, switching out as the horses each took turns with the practice cows. The cattle were - according to Tiffany - gross and nasty, running headlong into the horses instead of moving away.

The cattle did improve the next day - here are Ike (and Vinnie) watching as the helpers settle a group of cattle.



It was hard to watch the cutting and watch Amber, but there were some great runs on some truly excellent horses. Unfortunately, my pictures are mostly blurry because of how fast everyone was moving and because we were indoors. Amber spent time watching the cutting, watching me take pictures of the cutting, looking at the pictures I took, and climbing up and down the stairs with me right behind her. I got a great work out! Probably the most amazing thing was how long Amber played with her Play-doh. I don't think I've ever seen a 2-year old play with anything for 4 hours straight. Ever! I did get in trouble with her, though, for yelling "too loud" during Tiffany and Truly's Non-Pro run. I told her I had to, it was for her mommy. :-)

All of Ike and Cheri's horses made the finals, which was really cool, and Tiffany got reserve champion in both the Open and the Non-Pro categories. In the Non-Pro, she was only behind the leader by a measly 0.5 points, but she had a really exciting ride. (Hence the aforementioned "too loud" shouting.)

It was a fast trip, and I would have liked to spend more time with the Slide folks, but the time we did spend was pretty special. I got to watch Katie reconnect with riding and with people who really treat her as if they like her. (Because they do, of course.) I got to be reminded that there are people out there who really appreciate and enjoy wild and crazy - and smart - horses like Lena. That was a pretty special suprise to get out of this trip and one of the many reasons it was worth going.

And it was wonderful to come home to Lena Rey and Steve and share the after-glow of that gift with them.

Congtratulations, Slide Mountain crew! You guys are awesome!

Paint Vegas tomorrow

Katie and I leave tomorrow morning, early. We're all packed, big belt buckle and all.

It will be interesting, we think, no matter what all happens.

More to come, I promise. :-)

A little spoiled

Okay, so I'm a little spoiled.

Owning a horse is a luxury I'm lucky enough to be able to afford, one that I work hard for and am thankful for every single day.

Riding has become such a part of my day, my life, that doing without it is nearly unimaginable, but I know I could. Since I was afraid of the big beasts only a few years ago, that seems like living without them wouldn't be that hard.

But now? While Lena seems excessive or extraneous in the master scheme of things, I know not having her would leave an awfully big hole for me, and for Steve and Katie, too. A small hole in the universe, to be sure, but since I'm a mere spec in the universe, I get my soul sustenance where I can.

Riding is not a luxury

I know a lot of people think that riding horses is a luxury, but it's not. I do concede that owning a horse may seem like a luxury, until you're cleaning out the stalls. But riding Lena saves my sanity in a way not many other things do, which makes it a necessity in my mind.

Work has been a little hectic lately because of some overall organizational changes that are going on. The best part of my day sometimes - most times - is walking away from it and plopping my butt on Lena's back and working out whatever it is we are working out that day.

I got stuck at the office yesterday and by the time I got to the barn, Steve had ridden Lena and put her away. I was so disappointed I almost cried, but at least she got ridden and Steve said they had a good ride, which are both good things.

Doesn't stop the disappointment, mind you, but at least she's getting the attention she needs even if I'm not getting the exercise or - more importantly on any given day - the grounding she provides. I think I'm good for her, too. I work with her in an entirely different way than Steve does, which gives her training a nice balance.

Handling her - grooming, my lightweight version of body work, etc. - is soothing, too, but there is something about riding, about communicating with her using physical contact of one form or another rather than words, that is very centering for me. And hopefully remotely educational for her. :-)

I figure riding actually makes me a better employee. Sadly, I don't think my employer would see it that way were I to ask to work from the barn. Though there is wireless there. :-)

So, because I'm not independently wealthy, I have to do what most horse owners do and balance work and what I really want to be doing - riding. Sometimes that means I miss out, which isn't any fun. I guess if there is a luxury component to this, it's that even if my riding skills start to deteriorate, Lena is still getting lots and lots of attention. There are a lot of horses that can't say that.

I'd still rather be riding.

Horse trailer update

We think we found a horse trailer that at least has all the features we would want and not any we don't.

It's this one from Trails West - only the bumper-pull, two-horse, slant-load version, not the one in the picture. We went to the one of the local dealers, poked around his lot, and this one fit the bill pretty perfectly. Here are the floor plans.

Aside from the basic features above, it's got what they call a telescoping divider, but what that means to non-trailer-savvy folks is that the divider actually shifts over where it attaches to the wall so you can have a large compartment in the back for one horse, or two compartments - depending on who you're hauling. Nice mechanism, says the engineer among us. (Steve, that is.) Not overly-difficult to move, but solid like you would want something keeping horses in place to be.

It's steel, and I know that some people recommend aluminum to fend off rust, but aluminum trailers tend to be about twice the price and since we are pretty diligent about vehicle maintenance in general, guarding against rust will become part of that routine. (But, hey, if I could find a good aluminum trailer for the same price with the same features, I'd take it, too.)

There is a nicely set up and equipped tack room, including a 25-gallon water tank, which will come in handy for what we want to do. (Horse camping and such.)

It has drop-down windows on the "head" side and slat openings on the "butt" side, which you can cover up with Plexiglas during bad weather.

I wanted to mount spotlights on the back in case someone starts to tailgate, but Steve said that it is illegal to blind other drivers.

"How about a poop catapult?" I asked.

Maybe my friends at Make Magazine can make me something that would do the trick. It would have to calculate the angle so as not to hit the windshield and block vision, but to at least strike the hood of the offending car with great gooeyness and splattering.

If the judge I get after being arrested for causing traffic problems is a horse-owner, I bet I only get a mild warning.