Horse and Man

Archive for the ‘Medical’ Category

WRY MOUTH, not a death sentence!

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

I first came in contact with the term “wry mouth” in 2003 when HORSE AND MAN interviewed HOPE FOR HORSES in North Carolina. They had a horse there with an unusual disability – wry mouth or wry nose, as it is sometimes called.

DOLLFACE

Dollface, at that time, was a beautiful, young Arab mare. As we set up to film her, we really wouldn’t have known anything was odd about her. From my angle, she looked gorgeous. Her white coat was glistening, her mane was flowing, she was prancing and snaking her neck. She seemed like a normal, high spirited horse.

I guess there were a few tell-tale signs. She was alone. She sounded like a locomotive and she kept turning her face at an odd angle.

Yup. It wasn’t until you got up close that you saw it. Wow. And then you thought to yourself, “how does she eat or drink?”

HOW DOES SHE EAT?

She eats and drinks quite well, thank you. Miraculously, Dollface can even graze! Actually, all the wry mouthed horses that I have researched, can graze. And, they can chew. It may be at odd angles, but they can.

A wry mouth is when one side of the jaw grows more than the other. Wry bites appear as triangular defects in the incisor area. Some of the incisors will meet their opposing counterparts, while others will not.

Wry mouth is an inherited defect.

A totally healthy horse with Wry Mouth.

The problem initially, is that it is very difficult for a wry mouthed baby to nurse. If they survive that, they have difficulty breathing when exerting lots of energy. And, since they cannot run and play as vigorously as the others, the herd tends to give them the cold shoulder. They pick on wry mouthed horses. Kinda like humans pick on those that are different… Or at least that is what happened to Dollface.

DOLLFACE’S STORY

Dollface was born and it was obvious. Immediately, the owners called the vet and the vet suggested euthanasia. Luckily for Dollface, it was also suggested that she be brought to HOPE FOR HORSES, an equine rescue facility. Dollface arrived 6 hours later.

Quickly, Whitney at Hope for Horses fashioned a nipple onto a bottle and put Dollface’s mother’s warm milk into it. Dollface thrived. You see, it was much easier for Dollface to grasp the manufactured nipple than the real one. So, she grew. There were a few hiccups along the way like when she contracted pneumonia. But, she healed like any normal foal (after a strong dose of antibiotics) and continued maturing.

There were talks of surgeries but no equine hospital or teaching college stepped up. So, Dollface continues to live at Hope for Horses. She is a happy, healthy and beautiful 10 year old mare. All the volunteers love her. She’s kinda spoiled… She certainly doesn’t think she has a disability. And, to be honest, she has that, “Look At Me!” attitude. Believe me, Dollface, they will look at you and they do!

AALEYAH BELLE

Aaleyah and Momma upon arrival at BHFER

Aaleyah Belle was born with a wry mouth several years later in 2008. Sadly, her owners didn’t want her or her mother and were going to shoot them… Luckily, BHFER heard about this and took both the dam and baby immediately.

Here is their story as told by Theresa at Beauty’s Haven Farm and Equine Rescue:

Aaleyah Belle and Momma Sue arrived on May 3rd, 2008. Momma Sue is a 16-year-old TB mare that gave birth to a baby on Kentucky Derby day — the day that Eight Belles gave her all at the derby, including her life. We named the baby Aaleyah Belle to honor Eight Belles.

After the baby was born, she was going to be shot because she had a wry nose and her mom wasn’t wanted. We were notified of the situation and picked both up that day.

Aaleyah Belle was only a few hours old.Momma Sue was very thin, and neglect was obvious. We had the vet out right away to flush her out and put her on some meds to help make sure she didn’t get an infection. Neither the baby nor mom had vet care after the baby was born. Momma Sue is a good mom and loves Aaleyah Belle. She’s come a long way in a short time. She and Aaleyah went to University of Florida for Aaleyah to have surgery to correct her wry nose.

Aaleyah after surgery!

Aaleyah was lucky. Time had passed since Dollface was a filly and veterinarian surgeons were more willing to donate the necessary surgery. As you can see, it worked!

Aaleyah made it through surgery and recovery. She grew and her scars healed. She eats, drinks and grazes. Her breathing is far less labored and she is not shunned by the crowd! In fact, she is one of the gang!

Grown up and out with her buddies

Aaleyah has grown into a very happy young mare with a new job! BHFER sent her into training and it is going very, very well!

Learning trail hazards...

Isn’t it amazing what time will do? 7 years ago, they were going to automatically put Dollface to sleep. Now, the surgery is well known and successful.

And, learning to ride!

DIEGO

When I was researching for this post, I came across this article about Diego and little girl, Maddison. Funny, those names sound so American but I read this news story from the UK. Here is the link.

It seems that Diego is the luckiest so far, even though from this angle it looks the worse, in that he can suckle from him Momma. I know they are raising the money for his surgery. And now, even more time has passed since Aaleyah’s successful surgery so things are looking up for Diego and his little human caretaker!

WRY MOUTH OR WRY NOSE is not a death sentence.

It is a bump in the highway of equine life…

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
The October Bucket Fund will benefit Honey Bandit, the most neglected BLM mustang baby who is struggling to survive. To learn all about the Bucket Fund and to donate to this incredible foal, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)

Click on the image to learn about HONEY BANDIT, the unluckiest lucky BLM foal!

Tags: dollface, madison and diego, wry mouth, wry nose
Posted in Horse Stories, Medical | 6 Comments »

LAMINITIS Shoes and Clogs… Glue and screws vs nails.

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

LAMINITIS.

Oy. If you have ever dealt with this, you know what I mean. It is difficult to catch on time and if you don’t, it can be very difficult to heal and treat. The horse is sore so he doesn’t want to pick up his foot. The unsore feet become sore because of excess use. To top that, Laminitis can become chronic. Oy again. And, sadly, Laminitis can be fatal if it turns into fully rotated Founder. So, the term Laminitis should not be taken lightly. It sends shivers through the barn…

Click for rotation animation

Now, I’m not going to go into Laminitis except to say that it is not Founder (here is a link). Founder is when there is bone rotation or sinking. Laminitis is the inflammation of the laminae. You can have Laminitis without Founder. But, you cannot have Founder without Laminitis. Laminitis is a precursor to founder.

Here is are two little movies that show how rotation and sinking differ. Click on the photos and they will animate.

Click for sinking animation

Anyway, those of you who have fought chronic Laminitis know how difficult and painful this is for your horse. In order to get better, he has to feel relief. But, how do you get him the relief without creating pressure?

The long often used fix is to tape a styrofoam or stiff foam pad on the hoof, bed the stall deeply, cut out all protein rich foods and wait. Many times, if the Laminitis was caught really early, this worked.

But if you don’t catch it in time, there are some new shoeing products that are out there which have been getting rave reviews!

Have you heard of the EDSS system?

EDSS SYSTEM

EDSS stands for Equine Digital Support System. If you look on the website, there seem to be a lot of pieces and it may appear complicated. But, it isn’t complicated if you are a competent farrier. Even a layman can understand the basics. Here are the Cliff Notes.

1) Have a great farrier work on your horse using these products.

2) The idea is to avoid nails (concussion) by using screws or glue, if possible

3) The pad/lifts and support systems are added to the bottom of the shoe so you don’t have to take the shoe off to change the pads or the angles!

Let me say that again so it has the full effect… THE PAD/LIFTS AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS ARE ADDED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE THE SHOE OFF TO CHANGE THE PADS! Wowee! This is the best thing since sliced bread! That right there is the most awesome idea for sore hooves ever! If you can apply a shoe ONCE and then change the supports at any time without more invasion, the horse is so much better off. Yay Howdy!

I am a fan of this system because I know that my mare turned the corner when we used a hospital plate on her. And this is far better than a hospital plate. You see, the notion of not having to hammer on a sore foot to make a change is WONDERFUL. And, you can make subtle changes much easier since you do not need to pull the shoe. You just apply what you need to the outside. So, less trauma, more healing.

The shoe can be glued on, screwed on or nailed on — whatever will work best for your horse. And, if you don’t have any foot to nail, they have just created a plate that works for that, too!

Cuff shoe for when there is no wall

I’m so thrilled that these farriers and doctors who created EDSS have joined together to invent these systems that ease hoof pain.

STEWARD CLOGS

I had never heard of these. Then, my friend told me how her horse, Angel (the same one who had the HBOT experience), due to an acute illness has been fighting chronic laminits for years and the STEWARD CLOG has been the answer. Bar none, the Steward Clog has saved her horse. You can watch Angel’s story here. As you can see, her laminitis was bad. Very bad. Angel now wears the Clogs and is happily pastured with her buddies. Unbelievable if you’ve ever gone through chronic laminitis…

The Clog has actually brought the rotation back to 0 degrees.

First though, you need a wonderful farrier to apply these (here is an instruction guide link). They are rubber and are glued to the hoof. Then, the series of wedges and supports are applied to the bottom of the clog depending upon the needs of the horse. Again, no need to pull the clogs to change any angles. This is a great benefit because the shoeing process alone can aggravate the situation.

And, the Clogs come in most sizes (pony to draft) or can be specially made if your horse is bigger or smaller.

My friend swears by these Clogs. In fact, she sent photos of her horse, Angel, and the shoeing process. I’ve attached one below of Angel in her Clogs.

Angel's feet after a Steward Clog application

As another testament to these Clogs, I know that a horse with chronic laminitis or founder will run to the back of the stall when they see the vet/farrier coming. But, not with this Clog. Nancy says that her horse is not sore or lame after the application at all. Angel trots and bucks right after getting her new Clogs! Imagine that. Her horse is NOT LAME OR SORE after the application and can be turned out immediately. Wow. (sorry for shouting…)

Angel, a horse with chronic laminitis who, according to Nancy, has all of her personality back — front and center! She is doing great!

Angel (rear), with chronic laminitis, is living pain free with the Steward Clog!

NOT JUST FOR LAMINITIS OR FOUNDER – MANY SORE HOOVES BENEFIT!

These are for sore hooves of any sort… they even work for High Ring Bone, White Line Disease (when a resection is done), and Collateral Ligament Injuries, plus any other lameness that requires stable support and multi-direction breakover.

So, all you folks with sore hooves, please check into these shoeing systems. Here is the link again. Scroll down to see the Clogs. And, if you know of a friend who has these issues with a horse, please pass it along.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
July’s Bucket Fund will benefit the charity THE GOLDEN CARROT SANCTUARY. To learn all about the Bucket Fund and to donate $5, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)

Tags: EDSS system, Steward Clog
Posted in Handy Tips, Medical | No Comments »

HBOT – Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Equines… Heard of it?

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

HBOT – HYPERBARIC OXYGEN TREATMENT FOR EQUINES

Well, I had heard the expression Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers… I know Michael Jackson had one…

I guess I also know, in the back of my mind floating about, that I’ve heard of these chambers for healing flesh. But, truly, I knew nothing concrete about any of it until someone brought HBOT to my attention for equines.

You see, recently I met the owner of Horseshoe Gift Packaging, Nancy Yonko. She is VERY familiar with the chamber. It saved the life of her filly. In fact, there is an entire video devoted to the chamber on her website…

Angel's Story video.

So, I decided to learn about this. I clicked on her website and saw the story of her horse, Angel. In that story, (link here) Nancy and her vets speak candidly about the chamber and how it heals. Hmmmmm. There must be something to this. So, I dug and clicked around.

Then, I asked a human spine surgeon friend of mine what he thought about the treatment. He was all for it in humans and wondered how the equine device worked since there are many precautions – of which the horse could not participate directly. One of the most vital precautions is the “exploding” part. Yup. That layman’s term is addressing a static electricity issue which has been remedied by the use of abundant water showered onto the equine before he enters the chamber. The build up of static electricity mixed with petroleum products could create a spark in an oxygen rich environment. Not good. So, the horse must be clear of any coat product or fly spray that may have a petroleum base. That is also why the horse should be without shoes, or have their shoes covered. Should the horse rub its feet together, there could be a chance of a spark. However, technicians are very aware of these issues which is why they take hydro precautions. For me, the benefit of the HBOT would outweigh the risk.

WHAT IS IT?

To my understanding, this chamber is built to manage oxygen content and pressure. The idea is that if a body is able to pull in more oxygen than through simple breathing, that excess oxygen helps in cell growth which aids in healing. Very simply, it speeds up the process. It increase tissue oxygen levels in diseased tissue which improves and speeds healing, improves the body’s ability to fight infections, and reduces inflammation and swelling.

WHY?

All of us horse owners probably know the “beat the clock” game of certain injuries. If you get to it soon enough, you might be OK. Time can be our enemy otherwise.

This chamber slows down time, in essence, by allowing excess oxygen within a particular time frame. So, critical time situations, like colic or founder, can be remedied more quickly when the Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber treatment is used.

From all testimonials that I’ve read about the HBOT, it seems to be a miracle…!

HOW?

I learned the particulars in the video about Nancy’s Angel and her HBOT treatment/recovery (link here). Angel had ingested too much hot food, they believe. She started to exhibit colic-like symptoms but it ended up not being colic. She had severe colitis that rapidly progressed to endotoxemia. What does that mean? The lining of the colon basically dissolved so the toxins could seep into her body. This created the endotoxemia. Ouch. And, this toxemia often expresses itself through laminitis which appeared shortly thereafter. Poor girl. She got it all.

Well, Angel’s astute vets transported her to an HBOT chamber and worked to battle her colitis and laminitis. The idea was that the excess oxygen would repair her colon more rapidly and also heal the inflamed cells of her feet.

And, you know… they were right. She got better rapidly. For a horse whose gums were black and legs were cold, she survived beyond all hope.

OTHER USES

I get the impression that no one will say that this HBOT is the cure, but they will say that it helps immensely. That’s OK by me… Any rope to hang onto really helps in dire situations. And, this one seems pretty reliable!

Also, the list of illness that the HBOT helps includes quite everyday maladies as well as the unusual. Laminitis, Colic, Shin splints… For me, in my lifetime of horse illnesses, I’ve had several problems listed below: shin splints, a dummy foal, laminitis and septic arthritis. I know I would have used this on Aladdin when he had juvenile spavin, if it had been around. That would have saved him years of hurt with his adult arthritis stemming from his bout as a youngster.

I’m sure those who have had their horses survive a fire would love to know about how this can heal the lungs. Also, those flesh eating bacterias… necrotic tissue… ugly diseases that can kill a human or horse! There are many practical uses for this chamber even though the thought sounds impractical. Here is the generic list and I’m sure there are more specific uses that would apply to particular issues.

Laminitis
Post-surgical wounds and wounds that were slow to heal
Thermal burns and smoke inhalation
Lymphangitis
Intestinal surgeries (normalizes function post-surgery)
Tissue necrosis due to rattlesnake and spider bites
Rhodococcus Infection
Internal Abscesses
Dummy Foals (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy)
Anaerobic Infections
Antimicrobial Activity
Infections not responding to antibiotic therapy
Sub-fertility (mare and stallion)
Post Surgical trama
Colic (post-surgical)
Endotoxic Shock
Central Nervous System Trama
Head and Peripheral Nerve Trama
Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
Desmitis and Tendonitis (ligament and tendon injuries)
EIPH (Exersice Induced Pulmonary Hemorrage)
Rahabdomyolysis (Tying Up)
Shin Splints
Athletic performance recovery
Septic Arthritis (Joint III in Foals)
Severe Trauma / Edema
Circulation Disorders

WHERE

So far, I could not find an ultimate list of which hospitals have this. But, I did find some listed in Florida, KY, CA, TX, TN and a few other states. Plus there are mobile units! I love this! The vet brings it to your critically ill animal. So, you can email the manufacturere or google for the HBOT in your area and see what you can find. (Here are the links for FL, KY, CA, TX, TN, PA)

I’m sure this isn’t cheap… but we all know what we have spent to save the lives of our horses. Perhaps this is actually less expensive because it works more quickly! In any event, keep it in the back of your mind. You may just need it someday…

After all, they say it is a miracle and there are those awful days when we need one.

Tags: HBOT, HYPERBARIC OXYGEN TREATMENT FOR EQUINES
Posted in Handy Tips, Medical | 2 Comments »

Out of Control, “maybe we should put her down” type of Proud Flesh – Cured! Read on!

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

This is a traumatic story with a happy ending.

My wonderful mare (see post 2/4/10 Canker ) had a baby in 1999 who I nicknamed Ava. She was a beautiful filly with incredible natural knee action and a really sweet demeanor. It was love at first sight. Here is a picture of Ava with her Mommy when Ava was two weeks old.

Isn’t she cute?! Full of life and talent!

Well, the very next day, Ava got her foot caught between a piece of wood and the automatic waterer. We don’t know how long she was caught there, but we didn’t discover her until the next morning. Needless to say, the sight of this little filly, exhausted, hanging on by a thread, balefully looking at us as her back legs were about to give out.

OMG. My friend was the first to her. Marla swooped in, picked up the filly and removed the leg from its awful entrapment. In a flash of action, the filly was stabilized on the ground and the vet called. It was obvious that Ava had struggled for a very long time as the wound was huge. We were so thankful that she didn’t give up and sit down or she would have snapped her little leg. What a strong little girl! After we washed away the dirt, we could see clear to the bone. Our first inspection of the gaping hole gave us hope.
Her tendons and muscles were there, she could use the limb normally and there wasn’t any profuse bleeding – so we hoped it might turn out OK. We had no idea that with no broken bones or any other injury, proud flesh alone could kill her.

The vet came out immediately (bless her) and did her thing. There was cleaning and probing, X-rays, sedatives, antibiotics administered orally and topically and then a cast. The diagnosis was pretty good, at first. Nothing was damaged except the flesh. Ava should fully recover with no long-term effects. But the flesh wound was daunting at about 5″ long and almost fully around her little leg. Yet, the vet was very optimistic. All we would have to do is change the cast once a week for several weeks and all would be good. Or so it should have been.

What really happened was very different. For some reason, it would not heal. Cast after cast was applied. The wound was abraded and treated every week. Nothing happened. It literally stayed the same size for 5 months. Here is a picture of Ava at 5 months with her cast still on.

Believe me, everyone was frustrated. Baby Ava was stuck in a little pen. The vets (at this point we had several involved) were upset that nothing was helping and I was heavy under the vet bills with no results. I’m not blaming the vets. We consulted every specialist possible. No one knew what to do.

Eventually, we decided to leave the wound open during the day and soft wrapped at night. We thought that maybe the air would help it more than the dirt would hurt it. Nothing. It was at this point that a few vets mentioned that maybe it was time for euthanasia. Gawd. Ugh. Yes, the filly had no major improvement in 6 months. Yes, we were all tired of treating her. But, NO, I wasn’t going to give up on her. I read everything I could and prayed to the horsey god in the sky…

Finally, with no answer in sight and in a fit of frustration, I pulled out the Healing Tree T-Zon cream I had gotten at the Horse Expo that year (I have no affiliation). I knew it was created by a vet whom I had met at the Expo, Dr. Eric Witherspoon, DVM. He said it was a great cream for healing the dermis (skin). I remembered that. And, since I am a fan of tea-tree oil, I figured it “couldn’t hurt, could help.” I slathered that stuff really thick on her wound and wrapped it. I held my breath and waiting until the next day to remove the wrap. Gently, I pulled the cotton away and the area looked less pink, I thought… was I just wanting to believe? I left the wound open in the air for a few hours. Again, I slathered on the cream and wrapped it for the night. The next day, it was definitely better.

Now I was on a roll! I did this for two weeks. It was better by a half of an inch and the middle was not so angry looking. I did it for another week with the vet’s approval. After the next two weeks, much improvement! We kept going and after only 6 weeks, the wound was almost totally healed! And, hardly a scar! Here is a picture where you can see that Ava is only slightly older than when she had the cast. (Obviously she is having fun torturing my donkey…)

It took about 2 more months for all the tissue to heal perfectly and after another year, there were no more white hairs. OMG! Here we went from a filly who was suggested to be put down to a filly with no scarring and a potential to actually meet her potential!

Well, a few years later, this picture was taken of my Ava as she was winning the World title in English Pleasure at the Morgan Grand Nationals. She healed really well!!

So, I am not affiliated with the product, but I am a sworn disciple. I use all of the Healing Tree line! You can go to the website and check it out. I use the cream on my skin every time I get a cut or burn. I know it is not legal for humans, but I use it. It does sting a little (the tea-tree oil…) but it works!

As for Ava, she was sold to a wonderful woman who has since retired her into motherhood. Just imagine if I hadn’t found Dr. Eric Witherspoon at the Western States Horse Expo… What if I hadn’t bought his T-Zon cream…? I wonder where we would be now…

And, of course, this lovely filly would never have been born. This is CBMF CHEATING HEART, born to Ava in 2009. She is beautiful, healthy, happy and in a lovely environment to grow and thrive. The cycle of life continues.

So for today, if you ever have proud flesh, remember this story.

And, if you see Healing Tree products — buy them! They literally saved my filly’s life!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
If you want an update on the Iron Man Rescued Foal Bucket Fund or to donate, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)

Tags: healing tree, proud flesh, t-zon
Posted in Medical | 2 Comments »

A Facebook Frolick and a few other things…

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

I felt inspired today by something rather frivolous. A Facebook Frolick. And, because it is frivolous, I decided to start the blog with something serious.

SOMETHING SERIOUS

I read on NEW BEGINNINGS ANIMAL REFUGE’S website that they just took in a poor colt who got his leg caught in a trailer which de-gloved it. Owwww. His name is Cowboy and he is only 19 months old.

The reason this spiked my interest, besides the fact that every sad horse story spikes my interest, is because it has happened to one of my horses as well. That horrible de-gloving drama engulfed my two-week old filly, Ava. I wrote about it in my blog a while back. (It has a good ending.) You can read it here, if you’d like. To summarize, I had very wonderful vets taking care of my baby and her severe injury for 6 months. The affected skin would not heal. Proud Flesh reared its ugly head over and over again. We cast it several times, we used different types of casts, we used packing wraps, surgery… NOTHING helped the skin heal. After 6 months, the vets very gently told me that I should consider putting her down. Oy! In a fit of desperation, I grabbed my medicine locker and slathered Tea Tree cream all over her leg and wrapped it. After two days, I noticed a difference. It was working! The product I used was Healing Tree’s T-Zon cream.

I know it sounds impossible that an over-the-counter salve could do what no vets could do… but it did. My filly Ava (who was about to be put down) is now 10, has had a successful show career and is now a Mom. So, if any of you ever have a need to heal some skin, please go to the Healing Tree website and order the T-Zon. (I have no affiliation)

Also, if you feel moved, please go to the NBAR site and read about Cowboy (link here). You can see the pics of his injury – graphic. He has a very sweet face. Maybe you want to help NBAR and Cowboy in their struggle… or send them a bottle of T-Zon? ;)

OK, now onto Frivolity!

FACEBOOK FRIENDS

Alright, I think maybe I am a little left of center here… I have noticed something that I do which I think is a little odd. And I wondered if anyone else does it, too. You wanna know what I do? Well, lean in and I’ll tell you a secret…

I pick my Facebook friends by their photos.

There. I admitted it. Yup. When I am poking around FB, if I see a goofy horse photo or a funny horse photo or a beautiful horse photo, I generally want to “friend” the people who uploaded those particular photos.

Now, the ironic thing here is that they don’t know me and therefore they have to decide by my picture, whether or not they would like to “friend” me back. Because of this, I have thought about putting up a rather silly horse picture as my photo. But, then again, HORSE AND MAN is a business so I cannot really put up a goofy photo… but I want to.

I wonder if more people friend per photo as well?

Since I started noticing this about myself, I have been downloading particularly charming photos from FB. I counted that I have pulled 40+ onto my desktop. So, I thought I would share some of them with you to see if you would friend these people, too.

Do you browse for friends via the cute animal/humor factor? I guess for me, if a pic makes me smile, I want more… I want to know the person who is brave enough to share their underbelly of humor.

Here are my top 8, so far. I’m sure I will continue to find more.

First, the horse with the costume always gets me. This horse is a well known horse. His name is Lukas and has had a book made about him. I love that this owner continually dresses him up. Ha! I would, too, if they’d let me. Anyway, I love this one.

Next we have the obligatory double donkey shot. I love how they are looking right at the camera as if to say, “Yes, we are both here, did you want something?”

This dog kills me.

Next we have the lady who is laying down and her two horses come over to see what’s going on… I love this! My horses would do the same thing! I’m sure that 30 seconds after this was taken, the poor woman was covered in horse smudge slobberdirt.

Who can resist a tiny baby! Not me. Especially such a proud mini pinto tiny baby!

This skeleton of the horse drawn on a horse is a very good idea…

I laughed out loud when I saw the one with the owner putting two fingers up behind her horse’s head! I love the horse’s expression, “Oy, she’s doing it again, isn’t she…?”

And, last for today, the horse sitting with his owner. Gotta love it.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
If you want an update on the Bucket Fund or to donate, please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)