Horse and Man

Archive for the ‘Horse Stories’ Category

Helping Someone Purchase/Lease a Horse

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Hubby and I knew that Hubby’s best friend (Dr. Eric)’s kids were getting into horses. In fact, our daughter went to ‘horse camp’ with his daughter last summer.

But since they live in San Diego, we didn’t know that the ‘horse thing’ had progressed to now BUYING a horse for their Son. And not only that, they already had a horse in mind who had stolen the Son’s heart.

I was happy as a clam because anytime there is a good home looking for a horse, I get all warm inside.

Then, I received an email from Dr. Eric asking for my help.

Sure!

So Dr. Eric called me from his station in Afghanistan.

(Let us take pause here and bow our heads. Or, at least I will… I cannot image the devotion needed and the horrors seen when one is a Navy spine surgeon stationed in Afghanistan. I cannot speak for him, but from my point of view, being trapped on a base without any leave time, fearing that you are a target and also being ‘On Call’ 24/7 to receive poor young kids who are in agonizing pain and varying stages of amputation and/or paralysis – well, let’s just say it does something to a person… I don’t think it is at all like MASH led us to believe… So, thank you, Dr. Eric and family, for your many sacrifices that have enabled wounded troops to have the best future possible. )

Military operating room in Afganistan

THE PHONE CALL

This phone event was very odd in that Dr. Eric and I were talking about purchasing a horse for his Son while he was eating his breakfast in an Afghanistan battle zone and I was finishing my dinner safely at home. Wow.

Anyway, Dr was very concerned that his son get the right horse. He was relaying to me all the descriptions he had of the particular horse in question and was asking my opinion. I told him that I could give an armchair opinion but really, a picture or video would be better. I also gave the shorthand on what you DON’T want in a horse for their desired application.

He thanked me and I offered to speak to his wife about any and all of their questions (she was the one shopping) if they wanted.

OY. I WANT EVERY HORSE TO FIND A HOME BUT LET’S MAKE IT A GOOD MATCH, SHALL WE?

Immediately after our transworld battleground phone chat, an email firestorm ensued where Dr. Eric’s wife sent me photos and videos trying to describe the horse who had bewitched their Son.

My take-away from these media-packed emails was how easy it is to sell any kind of horse to a novice owner. And, this really upset me because there are so many of the ‘correct type for the intended application’ horses out there that need homes. Why make a bad match where the horse will just be sold again or … worse?

Have you seen this 'right horse wrong application' video?

BUT HE ALREADY LOVES HER…

So, I was kinda in a jam.

How do you begin to gently educate someone on a horse they’ve already fallen in love with? Do you point out the flaws and suffer alienation? Do you suggest other uses for this horse? Do you try to offer health aids this horse may need in the future should they purchase her?

What do you do when you jump onto a train that is already rolling down the track?

I felt like the guy who ruins a wedding after the minister turns to the assembly and asks, “If there is anyone here who does not think these two should be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace?”

Ugh. I was treading thin waters.

THIS PARTICULAR HORSE

I decided to point out the few obvious discrepancies between this horse’s attributes and her new intended use(s).

When that didn’t really work, I suggested, “Hey, I’ll ask around and see what I can come up with in your area so you can compare. It would help you feel confident in your final decision.”

UH OH, EMERGENCY

Then I got the next email. They were going out to see her again and they were probably going to lease her because, “other people are interested in her.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. No! It is a trick! Wait! Have them hold her just a few more days! DON’T DO IT!!!,” I screamed in my head. But instead of exclaiming my fears, I just remarked that there has never been a time where I didn’t hear ‘other people are interested’ when referring to a horse being sold.

Uh Oh. High pressure sales emergency!

I COULDN’T STAND IT

I tried to go back to work but I was obsessed with not letting Mom get that horse just because her son loved her. Please pick a horse with at least one useful attribute for what Son wants… I was fitful and pacing.

When I had filled up with too much explosive angst… I did it.

I blurted.

I hate it when I blurt.

But what was weird about this blurt was the new form of communication. I blurted over email!

Typing like a mad woman, this is what I blurted: “Just come up and see Bodhi because he would be absolutely perfect for your son. I’ll lease him to you for two years until Son goes to college and then you can send him back.”

I proceeded to flail at my keyboard and tell Mom how wonderful Bodhi would be for Son and why he had just about everything they were looking for…

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

OMG. What have I done?!… My Bodhi, leaving? I mean, Hubby’s Bodhi, leaving? What was wrong with me? What would I do without his tender nickers every morning? Who will mow the grass daily? What if Hubby decides he actually has spare time in his new job – which he hasn’t had for the last year – to ride? How could I live without seeing his beautiful soft eyes every day?

I figured they wouldn’t take me up on it.

Sweet Bodhi

COMING TO MY SENSES

After an hour or so, Son called me and said he thought it was a good idea to see what I thought was a perfect horse for him. He would arrive on Monday (which was yesterday). He would bring Mom.

I sat with this information and digested it all.

I concluded that I was right. Bodhi would be the perfect choice for Son. Hubby never rides him and probably won’t until his job settles. Bodhi deserves the best attention and love he can get. I certainly love him but I don’t fawn over him daily. And, if he went to the Son’s riding stable with his own pasture and a trainer… and a million little girls who like to groom and put braids in manes and give treats to very sweet horses… well, I would be a fool to not let him have that.

Sigh.

SON AND BODHI

Son arrived when I was out so Hubby introduced them. When I returned home and approached the arena, I could see it from far away. It was obvious.

Love at First Sight for the both of them.

Bodhi was nuzzling Son’s hair and Son was loving all the horsey kisses. Son hadn’t even mounted Bodhi. He hadn’t even felt his incredible ride. He didn’t even know how forgiving and willing Bodhi would be during lessons. He didn’t know how alert but quiet Bodhi was on trails. He didn’t even know how absolutely gorgeous and well put-together this massively sweet big ol’ lug of a horse has become.

But, it was clear.

Son may have fallen in love with the very sweet mare back home, but Bodhi answered all the questions and Mom was smiling. Mom watched the love blooming between Horse and Boyman and she was settled. That was it. The search was over.

Son and Bodhi... a great fit.

IN CONCLUSION

Doing the right thing usurped my need to keep Bodhi safely with me. My own common sense threw me a curveball that I had to hit out of the park.

So, I drew up the lease and let go - to give both of them the gift of each other.

As Churchill said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

I see no reason why these two should not be joined. Not one reason at all…

Silly Bodhi. We'll be seeing you down the road, but for now, take care of your new boy!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

MAY BUCKET FUND

Champ and Alaqua Animal Refuge. Click the image to learn more about the Bucket Fund and Champ!

Click here to donate!

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A Follow-Up on ‘Smoke, the Donkey’ – He made it!

Monday, May 16th, 2011

A while ago, I wrote a post about Smoke the Donkey (linked here).

He was born in Fallujah and had wandered onto a Marine Corp base in 2008.

The story goes that there was a Marine who decided to catch one of the many donkeys wandering the base – enter Smoke.

Being an adept donkey catcher, the Marine was successful and consequently tied the newly haltered donkey to the tent of his base Colonel.
Upon rising, Colonel Folsom found the donkey and fell into Long-Ear love.

Of course, most of the Marines fell in love with the little burro as well. They fed him and patched the wounds on his legs. Col. Folsom walked Smoke around the base daily.

They named the little burro, SMOKE, because of his color and his sneaky donkey way of snatching ciggys, lit or not.

Smoke became their dearly loved mascot.

Smoke in Fallujah with the Marines who loved him.

GET HIM HOME TO THE USA!

Smoke was a strong morale booster for the guys. He even received his own care packages from families at home who had come to think of the donkey as family through letters and phone calls with their loved ones. In fact, Smoke received fancy halters, blankets, special foods and tons of treats. Life was good for the little donkey.

But that was coming to an end…

Lo and Behold, it was time for the Marines to pack up and leave Fallujah. They wanted to bring Smoke with them, but they couldn’t…

Or so they thought… My previous post tells about Col. Folsom’s fight to bring his little buddy to the US. (Col Folsom is an amazing man. He started a non-profit to aid veteran families called, Wounded Warrior Family Support.)

Col Folsom

Below is the conclusion of his plight. (excerpt)

By Jessica Gresko

WASHINGTON — It took 37 days and a group of determined animal lovers, but a donkey from Iraq is now a U.S. resident.

Smoke the Donkey on parade.

Smoke The Donkey, who became a friend and mascot to a group of U.S. Marines living in Iraq’s Anbar Province nearly three years ago, arrived in New York this week aboard a cargo jet from Turkey. After being quarantined for two days, he was released Saturday and began a road trip to Omaha, Neb., where he is destined to become a therapy animal.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International announced Smoke’s arrival in New York on Thursday.

By Saturday afternoon the trailer carrying Smoke, named for its color, had driven through Baltimore and was on its way to Warrenton, Va., for a meet-and-greet with some fans.

The donkey will live and help Wounded Warriors Family Support, an organization founded by Ret. Marine Col. John Folsom, commandant of Camp Taqaddam when Smoke showed up, the SPCA said.

“Marines aren’t all tough guys with hard hearts — we’re suckers for kids and animals,” Folsom told reporters in December amid efforts to transport the equine.

Smoke was handed over to another Marine unit when Folsom’s unit left. When the last of the Marines left Iraq last fall, they gave Smoke to the Army unit replacing them. An Army major immediately gave Smoke away, the Indo Asian News Service reported.

“The Army wanted nothing to do with him,” Folsom had said.

Folsom used to walk Smoke daily and had formed a bond with the animal. It didn’t seem right that Smoke was left behind, he said in a telephone interview Saturday.

The donkey, which once snatched and ate a cigarette from a careless Marine, was such a part of the unit that he received his own care packages and cards from children who grew up with the movie “Shrek,” featuring a talking donkey.

A major had given the donkey to a Fallujah sheik who reportedly passed it along to a family but offered to get it back, at first for $30,000. The sheik later dropped the charge, but logistical problems in getting the animal back the states ensued.

There was the bureaucracy of getting Smoke nearly 7,000 miles around the world: blood tests, health certifications and forms from customs, agriculture and airline officials.

To cut through the red tape, Folsom got help from the SPCA, which has a project that transports dogs and cats from Iraq to the United States.

The group, however, had never attempted airlifting a donkey, which is more complicated because equines can’t be transported on traditional commercial aircraft and must go by cargo plane.

The donkey’s journey has provided laughter — and head scratching — along the way.

“People just couldn’t believe we were going to these great lengths to help a donkey because donkeys in that part of the world are so low down on the totem pole,” said the society’s Terri Crisp, who negotiated the donkey’s passage from Iraq to the United States. “Donkeys are not viewed as a companion animal. They’re viewed as a work animal.”

As frustrating as the journey sometimes was for those involved, including a week-long delay getting Smoke in to Turkey and another three weeks to get out, the donkey found friends and supporters along the way, Crisp said. They included the U.S. ambassador in Turkey, who at one point was getting daily updates.

“I think people did finally come to realize that this is one of these out-of-the-ordinary situations. Once you met him and saw what a unique donkey he was, it was hard to say no to him,” Crisp said, describing Smoke as “gentle” and “mischievous” as well as a food-lover — carrots and apples in particular.

The journey, which started April 5, wasn’t cheap.

The society estimates it cost between $30,000 to $40,000 from start to finish, with expenses such as $150 to ship Smoke’s blood from Turkey to a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab in Iowa, $18,890 for a Lufthansa flight through Frankfurt, Germany and $400 a day for quarantine in New York. Folsom says he recognizes some people may be critical of the expense, which was paid for through donations, but he says he considers it payback for the donkey that was such a friend to Marines.

“Why do we spend billions of dollars of pet food in this country? Why do we do that?” Folsom said. “We love our animals. That’s why.”

Folsom saw the donkey for the first time in years Saturday when he arrived in New York to transport him to his new home in Omaha. The journey to Omaha is expected to take two days, and Folsom said Smoke is already getting used to seeing big, green trees instead of desert.

“He’s an American donkey now,” Folsom said.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

MAY BUCKET FUND

Champ and all of the needy animals at Alaqua Animal Refuge. We are helping Champ, the trailer accident horses (GQ and Utah) as well as the abandoned and plant poisoned Gypsy and baby JR – who lost his mom to the poisoning just after he was born… Click here to learn about and donate to the Bucket Fund.

Baby JR and Gypsy seem to be doing better! (too soon to be sure but a very good sign...) Click here to help!

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Tags: Smoke the donkey
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A Farrier Tale.

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Is your farrier your conscience?

Do you know what I mean… those people who clean up before the housekeeper arrives? Or, if you are like me, you wash your hair before you go to the hairdresser who immediately washes your hair…

Well, I clean up my horses (as well as the barn, tack room, stalls…) for my farrier.

MY FARRIER

My farrier is the greatest farrier. OK, you’re right, maybe not the absolute most perfectly skilled farrier in the entire universe, but he is all-around, the greatest farrier.

First off, he is 6 foot 8 inches of pure college-educated, 5th generation Cowboy, handlebar moustache and all. Often Marshal (that’s his name, one “L” – he’s Swedish) compliments his look with special hats and suspenders, but mostly he arrives in nice, pressed jeans and a clean shirt.

Sometimes he brings along his sons who all say, “Yes Ma’am” as they sit quietly in their ranchwear and tiny homemade wild rags.

He can maneuver his rig into the barn on the first try (very impressive). He knows all my horses by name. He could do all of them without me being there. If he comes by to check on one of my horses, he will leave a note tacked to my gate secured by a shoe nail.

But, the very very best part is that he introduces himself to every horse he meets, every time he meets them and never, ever raises his voice or loses his temper. If I have a youngster to do, Marshal wraps his long arms around baby’s neck and gently says, “Whoa, enough now…” and they get it.

He is a good guy, a good farrier, my vets think he is golden and I don’t want to lose him.

IT ALL STARTED LAST WINTER

Previously, I had much more time than I do now. My barn was always clean, my tack room was in order and my horses were fairly well groomed.

Sigh.

But now, my barn is in mild disarray at all times, my feedroom is actually kinda dirty and most of my horses are lucky if they get a swipe with a flyspray laced brush.

It is embarrassing.

THAT FATEFUL DAY

That fateful day was during the end of winter. Not only were my barn, feedroom, and horses a mess, but I had standing water all over the property and a foot of mud inside the pasture gates.

It wasn’t pretty.

On our scheduled appointment time, Marshal arrived. He did his usual Indy Car move to park in the barn and then his giant self emerged out of his giant truck.

“Hi, (as he looks around) been busy?”

“Kinda”

As we started to work, I noticed all the horrible mud on the first victim’s feet. Yikes.

Previously when I managed my time better (translation: didn’t write a blog every day), I would have had the first horses inside to dry and then I would groom them from head to toe. I’d keep up that rotation so all were fairly decent by the time he had to lay hands on them.

Marshal, thinking he was being helpful, said, “No worries, I knew I was coming here so I have lots of rags with me…”

(He knew he was coming ‘here’ so he brought mud rags?! How embarrassing.)

I ran ahead and started to clean the mud off of the next horse while Marshal was working and chatting with me, unaware that I was furiously scrubbing the next contestant.

Then, as Marshal stood to check his work, he unconsciously started using his file to remove the raggy winter hair that was piled oddly and loosely on Slick.

Scrape, Scrapescrape, swipey, swipe (throw off loose hair from file) scrapy scrape slide scrape (shake the file to remove hair)…

Now I was mortified.

INSULT TO INJURY

At this point, Marshal had no idea that I was totally embarrassed. Not only was I cleaning all the muddy feet but I just added fuzz removal. I was running around with buckets of hot water, towels, hoofpicks and my scraping tool as I slip and slid around the property.

Marshal yells at me, “Ya want me to fix your gate for you here? I just need a flathead…”

WHAT? OY! Another infraction of perfection. Now my gate is misaligned.

“Hey, I could chop up some of this dead wood laying around. It would make good firewood…”

AHHHHHH, I have dead wood laying around?!

“Hey D, got any flyspray?”

(I gasp as I run back to the tack room) ‘Yes! Here you go…’ (I pitch it to him while passing at 80 miles per hour.)

It was at this point that Marshal picked up a shovel and started digging out the thistle in front of my barn.

I told him that I was growing that as a crop for its pretty purple flowers…

He didn’t listen and had all the 3 foot tall weeds gone in about a minute and a half – which made me feel even more slovenly.

Marshal went back to trimming Tess and in the middle of our long distance conversation – I’m now in the pasture behind the barn, furiously cleaning Finn – he says, “This one is kinda thrushy, got any stuff?”

THRUSHY? MY HORSES?!! NEVER!

I drop everything at Finn’s muddy feet and I fly back into the tack room to retrieve the purple mush.

It was then that he put me over the edge.

My very sweet and ‘meaning well’ farrier said (while snipping a twig out of Tess’ mangled mane with his nipper), “She’s got her eye goop thing back, I’ll hold her if you want to put the stuff in.”

AHHHHHHHH, I’M SUCH A BAD MOTHER!

I had previously been juggling my hair scraper, rag, sponge, hoof pick, and water bucket… but now I stood before Marshal, frozen.

“I suck.”

“What? Hey hand me that hammer and I’ll push this board back in place for you…”

(I’m cracking apart inside) I melted in place. I was a steaming pile of regret and self hatred slumped on the barn floor.

“Whatsamatter? We got 10 more horses to do. Get up!”

(Looking up at him, defeated) “Marshal, my horses’ feet are muddy, they aren’t groomed, they have thrush, their manes are tangled, my gates are whacked, my boards are loose, Tess has eye goop… I’m worthless.”

“What? What is the matter with you?”

(sobbing quietly…) “I can’t keep up. I should get rid of all of my horses and this ranch if I can’t take good care of them…”

“Are you going all girly on me? Well, sit there and listen to ME, little sister…”

(with my head resting on a pile of manure I hadn’t seen…) ‘OK. But you cannot make me feel better. I’m hopeless.’

“I come here and help you because you are one of my favorite clients. And do you know why? Because you do every single thing you can for all of these horses and everyone you know. So what if I help you? You are too small and too sissy to take care of everything and BULLHEADED if you think you can. Stop blabbering, get up, pull up your skinny jeans and stop being silly. Nobody can do everything and that is when your good friends step in to help take the load off. Now, allow me help you before I decide otherwise. Gawd sakes womin, get up and hold this horse!”

I took a deep breath, stood and grabbed Tess’ leadrope. Right then, Marshal, without skipping a beat, decreed from under her belly:

“But I am gonna have to charge you double if you aren’t going to clean their feet before I arrive. Maybe you could do a little trim as well…” He smiled at me, kissed Tess on the nose, removed her halter and set her free.

I really do have the best farrier in the world.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

MAY BUCKET FUND

Champ and Alaqua Animal Refuge.?Please help them make sure Champ doesn’t go back to his original owner.
And for Alaqua’s Trailer Accident horses and for Gypsy&JR who were poisoned.

To learn more, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)

Click to help Champ never go back to his neglectful owner!

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The “Tilt and Trim” for horses!

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

When I first saw this contraption, I thought, “Hmmmm, primitive thing, what is it?”

With a raised eyebrow, I decided to click on the image and read the caption. And, much to my consternation, it only read, “Tilt and Trim”.

So, I followed the image trail and realized that this device is used to squeeze a wild or frightened horse (and we know squeezing calms them from Temple Grandin’s research), slowly rotate him horizontally which exposes their hooves for trimming or medical care.

Wow. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it but I wanted to learn more!

LIFESAVERS WILD HORSE RESCUE

I saw these photos of the Tilt and Trim on Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue’s FB Page. (Here is a link to their website.)

I am aware of Lifesavers because they rescue BLM Mustangs as well as large groups of Reservation horses from kill buyer feedlots. Of course, Lifesavers saves many other types of abandoned or straight to slaughter horses as well.

If you might recall, just before Christmas 2010, Jill Starr, the Director of Lifesavers, rescued 96 Paiute Reservation mares and foals from the Fallon Feed Lot. Then, a few days later, assisted by Jill, the ‘Saving America’s Mustangs’ (a nonprofit organization founded and directed by Madeleine Pickens) saved another 235 stallions and pregnant mares from the same Reservation. And, if that wasn’t enough, 56 foals that were pending sale to the killers, were rescued a few days later.

Now, if you can imagine this, Lifesavers is presently housing and caring for over 600, mostly wild, horses… Yikes.

Hmmm. Me thinks a ’tilt and trim’ might come in very handy!

TILT AND TRIM

This is not a new concept.

While researching the equine Tilt and Trim, I found that cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers have been using Tilt and Trims for years. For example, here is a very old article on dairy cattle hoof trimming using the table…

From the old article showing a tilt table and a dairy cow

And here, under eHow, a very current question/answer website, are directions on how to use a Tilt and Trim system.

Gosh, I felt totally out of the ‘know’ on this one. I had never heard of these… However, I will say in my defense, that I couldn’t find any articles on a Tilt and Trim for horses. So, I don’t know if this is new for the equines or if no one is talking about it. In any event, if I had 600 wild horses and several of them needed hoof care, I think I would use a Tilt and Trim…

I mean, of course, we’d all like for these horses to stand quietly for a trim. And, we’d all like them to not have fear or need to be ‘squeezed’ in order to have their hooves trimmed/cared for. But, let’s be realistic here. How in the world will they be able to safely gentle all the wild ones that need hoof care immediately?

So, in this application, I think the Tilt and Trim is ingenious and way more palatable than roping and tying.

A tilt and trim table for sheep

WHERE TO PURCHASE OR LEASE?

Actually, I found no place to purchase or lease except the Bowman Livestock Company who says they have an equine version but I couldn’t find any pictures or information. Here is the link and if you were interested, you can contact them.

The cattle tilt and trim from Bowman Livestock Equipment Company

I did find this one farrier in Canada who has the Tilt and Trim chute and says he is booked out weeks in advance, it is that popular (linked here). Here is a caption from his website.

“Tilt Table Service:
We have a custom built portable equine tilt table which we have used to trim thousands of horses over the past 10 years. Using the table offers a safe, quick way to get feet trimmed for large herds or “not-so-quiet” horses! We can trim ANY size of horse and have also done cattle. Appointments fill fast so please book well in advance.”

APPLICATION

So, here is a photo journal from Lifesavers as they used the Tilt and Trim to care for some of their 600 wild horses. It looks like the farrier designed this one himself but I don’t know that for sure. Obviously, it takes a few people to work the device and handle the horses… The farrier uses a dremel tool which evidently works faster and gives a very even and accurate trim. Once the quick trim is finished, the horse is let down gently and released!

The Tilt and Trim arrives at Lifesavers

The next photo on the website was this one where the farrier has attached a rope to a hoof

As you can see, it is important to keep the hoof stable during the trim

Here you see the farrier working on the second hoof while the helper holds both legs to avoid any injury to both horse and farrier.

Here is closer view

closer...

Chute closing the newly trimmed wild horse...

And there he/she goes! As you can see by this pic, no one has gotten close enough to groom him/her or treat whatever is going on with its fuzzy tail top. But, the feet are DONE and that is a great thing!

IN CONCLUSION

I can already hear it… Some of you are going to claim that this is barbaric.

I understand. It does look barbaric.

However, in my humble opinion (since I have a wild and untouchable mare here), if my wild mare was hurt and I needed to tend to her feet, you can be SURE that I’d be hunting down this contraption. And believe me, I’ve tried for 2 years to gentle her. So far, I’ve made great progress. She now lets me touch her from the neck forward and she will accept a treat and wear a halter. But, there is no way I would be able to pick up all fours. And I only have ONE wild horse here. I cannot imagine trying to tend to the feet of whichever wild horses needed care at Lifesavers!

So for me, I would much rather put a wild horse through a few minutes of confusion in a squeeze, than let him suffer some injury, lameness or discomfort from hooves that won’t trim themselves naturally. No hoof = no horse.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Tags: equine tilt and trim, horse tilt and trim, wild horse hoof trim
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Everyday Horse Owner Tips! And, Glory’s foaling video.

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Happy Sunday!!!

Well, we all know that Glory had her foal on April 29 during the wee hours when many of you were sleeping and some of you were watching the Royal Wedding.

Did you know it was also Barbero’s birthday?

FOAL PICS AND VIDEO

Here are the first pics of the colt. And here is a link to the MareStare video of his birth.

Click to watch his birth (graphic)

Glory's colt with the vet after his exam. Baby is perfect!

He has pink eyeliner.

HORSE OWNER TIPS!

I stumbled upon this page that went on for days with tips from horse owners for horse owners. I’m not sure how they gathered the information, but it looks as if anyone with a great tip could write in…

Many of these tidbits were useful and interesting… and the perfect kind of light reading that one likes to do on a Sunday.

So, I’ve listed many that I found useful. I encourage you to go to the site and look for yourself because there were many subgroups that I didn’t even explore like: disaster plans, sheath cleaning, safety tips, deworming tips, horse treat recipes… the list goes on and on. Here is the link.

They did have a disclaimer at the top of the page and I have included it.

Here We Go!

http://www.moniteausaddleclub.com/horse_tips.htm

Disclaimer: These tips have either been submitted or compiled from various sources. We do not guarantee the accuracy or the effectiveness. End user needs to use his/her own judgment and discretion before practicing or administering any tips contained herein. If in doubt, ask an equine professional such as your veterinarian.

Wood Chewing: I was told by some one else to use Irish spring deodorant soap and rub it on all the surfaces that she could chew.

Fence Rubbing: Take some old brushes, drill four
holes in a rectangle shape, take baling twine and
tie the brushes to the posts.

Bell Boots: For rubber pull-on style bell boots that work so well and are so difficult to pull on and off…..Just flip the boot inside out on the horses leg, spray WD-40 liberally on the underside, flip back to normal position, and pull it right off!

Dressing for Show Hooves: WD-40 also works well as a hoof dressing for the clay-type show rings. Spray on, wipe, ride, and for the next round, you just wipe off and lightly reapply. Doesn’t pick up the clay/dirt/etc that the hoof dressings do.

White Socks: If your horse has white sock, try rubbing talcum powder onto it. has always got my horses sock looking very white

Ice in Water Tanks: Use a small fish tank bubbler with a long wand style bubbler end instead of an electric heater. The trough may form a ring of ice but where the bubbles come up it will be nice and open for the horse to drink from.

Hock medicine cover: have bedsores or a cut that needs medicine on his hocks? My gelding would always manage to get the medicine off when he laid down, and this is the only way it will stay on. Just cut off the top part of a ribbed sock, and cut a hole in the back and fit it over the hock. It takes a little bit of work to get it over the hoof, but you don’t have to take it off until you need to, just pull it down to put more medicine on.

Clean copper bits with ketchup. Leave the ketchup on for a least five minutes to let the acid work it’s magic. Boil stainless steel bits to remove caked on grime.

Non Slip Saddle Pad: For a cheap and easy no-slip pad for your saddle, use the netting type stuff that some people use in the cabinets. Carole

Homemade easy boots are easy to make. Carry duct tape and an old inner tube tire cut in a big circle. Make it large enough to go up the side of your horse’s hoof. If a horse loses a shoe, you can make an “easyboot” by cutting slits in the sides of the “boot” to make it fit better. Wrap duct tape around the top to hold it in place. Make sure you do not tape the hair at the coronet band, as that could hurt when removed

Broken gear on trail: I Just read a great idea for on the trail. If you need to repair a broken head stall or a rivet comes loose, use a couple of strands of your horse’s tail to tie it together. It’s very strong and will get you back to camp.

Hoof Conditioner – Use petroleum jelly and a paintbrush for cracked or dry hoofs.

If your horse rolls in the mud while wearing his fly mask and gets it muddy, just use your stiffest grooming brush to brush it off when dry.

Going trail riding? To get your horse used to the new water, buy oil of peppermint in the grocery store and put a few drops in his water at home a few days before you leave. Then when you arrive, put some in the new water and he won’t know the difference!

Fly control in stall: You can use magnets to help keep flies out of stalls. You need to get four cow magnets. You can purchase them from a veterinarian or livestock store. Bury them about four inches to six inches away from the four corners of your stall and deep enough so that they will not get disturbed by cleaning or the horse walking over them. But don’t bury them six inches or more deep. You need to lay the magnets in an “X” formation so that the same polarity of each magnet is facing towards the center. There is something about the magnetic field that keeps the fly numbers down.

Orange Cones: Look in discount stores like K Mart and Walmart for training cones. You can get eight orange plastic cones for less than $10. They will be in the sports section (Soccer). They are made to collapse on impact and are of a soft plastic so children won’t be hurt using them. They are about a foot high and much easier on the pocketbook than cones found in horse catalogs.

When hauling water in a bucket to your horse especially if you have to put it in the back of a pickup without a lid, put an ordinary plastic garbage bag in the pail first. Fill the pail with water, twist the top of the bag closed, and tie a knot. There will be no spills, no splashing, and you can reuse the garbage bag for something else.

Homemade Saddle Racks and Cubbies: I use a five gallon bucket for saddle racks. Take the handle off and nail them to the wall with a few nails on the inside of the bucket so the opening faces out. They keep the saddle in the correct position and the “cubby” inside makes a wonderful place to stash your grooming gear!

Cinch Sores: My tip is regarding what to do if you get a cinch sore on the trail. I always use or carry a piece of upholstery foam. It prevents cinch sores if your horse is prone to them and stops them from getting worse if your horse happens to get one. I carry it because inevitably someone on the ride is going to have this problem, and it really helps out.

Polish gray silver: If you have a show saddle where the polish free silver is gray, use a heavy eraser like you used in school and erase the tarnish. I tried it, and it made my silver look brand new.

Use Noxema to keep gnats, mayflies, and mosquitoes out of your horse’s ears. Presuming that the ears aren’t clipped, just put a small dollop on your hand and rub it on the top of the ears.

To scrub out a water bucket on the spot: I take a handful of hay; and just scrub the bucket with that. It makes an easy clean up, and the hay rinses right out with all the gunk.

I feed my horse dried seaweed: mixed into his grain every day. It has made a big difference in his hooves and coat. I buy the seaweed in the oriental section of any grocery store, and it is very cheap! Just tear off a chunk about two inches in diameter. Then shred it into tiny pieces and put into the grain mixture.

Cherry Jello: The usual applesauce and molasses wasn’t working when my horse had to have Pancur powder for 5 days. A vet tech guaranteed that cherry Jello sprinkled over the feed would work. I mixed a little Jello powder with the feed then sprinkled more over the top. He cleaned up everything. Use about half of a 3 ounce box for each feeding. Jello also works in water that might taste different at a show.

Fire Starter
Take some old egg cartons. Fill them half way with wood chips and half with lint from your drier. Pour melted wax over the top and let it dry. These work well and burn for a long time. You can use one at a time or several for a really stubborn and wet fire.

Lost without a compass: Have you ever gotten lost in the woods without a compass? Assuming it is daylight and not too cloudy, a watch (the traditional kind with hands) can be used to determine direction. With the hour hand pointed toward the sun, halfway between twelve and the hour hand is south. During daylight savings time, you must subtract one hour before aiming.

Easy Sweat Scraper: Doubled up pieces of baler twine are better than sweat-scrapers because you can use them in lots of awkward places, like down the legs.

From Me to You:

Larvae in Trough: If you don’t want bug larvae in your trough, add a teaspoon of Mineral oil or Corn oil, or Olive oil. The bugs cannot get a foothold and the eggs don’t stick to anything.

HAPPY SUNDAY!

OH, AND HERE IS A VERY CUTE AND SHORT VIDEO TO PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE: