(I'd like to note that Digby and the rest of his barn managed to survive Hurricane Irene just fine. There was some downed trees and branches, and a copious amount of water, but no major incidents or problems. Hopefully the rest of the east coast made out as well as we did! I know from Facebook there are several people in various states that are still without power. I wish you the best of luck and hope your power comes back on soon!)
I've been reading horsey blogs for years. Honestly, years. I subscribe to them via RSS and get them in my e-mail. I've only recently started my own blog and while I find it pretty easy (so far!) to find topics to discuss even with Digby's lameness, I know that will eventually change. I've noticed a pattern. Many blogs, if not all, have mini series. For example:
- Andrea and Gogo at Eventing-A-Gogo have Sunday Success stories.
- Allie and Dino at PONY'TUDE have their PONY'TUDE approved tips. (Who doesn't love hearing Dino's opinions on things? He's certainly got enough of them! Oh and he's adorable to boot.)
- Jen and Tiki at Tails of the Off Track Thoroughbred have Monday Tip of the Week.
- Mugwump at Mugwump Chronicles has Mouthy Mondays.
- Jane and Hudson at The Literary Horse have Murphy Mondays. (CUTEST! BABY! EVER! I highly recommend reading this blog even just for Murphy Mondays because it's a weekly dose of cuteness.)
- I'm sure there are others, I'm just having a brain fart at the moment.
I suppose blogs of the non-horsey nature have them as well. Either way, the wheels have been turning. Maybe I should do a mini blog... but on what? I could showcase all the old horses that helped me get to owning my first horse, Mr. Digby himself. I certainly rode, leased and showed enough horses for that to last a while. But who cares, really? I could talk about various topics that are of interest to me (horse nutrition, different types of tack and their uses, the list goes on...) but none of which I feel qualified to issue tons of information about on a regular basis. Plus, if you're reading this, chances are you know what a flash noseband does and the difference between an eggbutt, loose ring and full cheek snaffle and why you'd use them. Not exactly ground breaking discoveries. Hmm, hmm, hmm.
So, my patient readers, what am I qualified to talk about for more than a post? I've been working in barns since I was 12. There must be some topic! I've cleaned stalls, groomed horses, tacked up for other people, braided, pulled manes, given shots, dewormed, ordered feed, dealt with vets, farriers, chiros, saddle fitters, massage therapists and equine dentists, set up jumps, painted jumps, built jumps, and done just about anything else that happens in a barn. Wait, wait.... lightbulb! I'm very good at grooming and getting horses ready for shows. At my previous job, I was constantly clipping ears and whiskers, pulling manes, bathing, body clipping, and prepping ponies and horses for rated shows, including HITS, Pony Finals and M&S Finals. In my current job, for roughly 4 or 5 months a year, I'm prepping yearlings for various sales. We can't bathe, can't give them supplements to help with shine or even clip. We're forced to use other methods to get horses truly "sale shiny." Plain and simple, shiny horses look nicer and sell for more. So, keep your eyes peeling for my experiences on grooming and show/sales prep! Now, to think of an awesome "mini series" name! :)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
For the East Coast...
Just something to think about while we're all being attacked by hurricane Irene this weekend. Ahhh, sunshine.... :) Make sure to take precautions for yourself and your pets if you're near the coast in case of high winds, flooding, power loss, and all the other fun things that come with hurricanes. Who knew we'd ever be getting ready for such a serious hurricane... only days after we had an earthquake!
Boo hurricanes.... :( Work and riding is no fun in 70 mph winds!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Slow down and enjoy the clover
As horse people, we constantly critique, evaluate and judge. Whether it's while we're working, riding our own horse, or dealing with just about anything in life. I'm constantly running through a check list in my head. If I'm at work feeding, I'm making sure no one is cast (stuck laying against the side of their stall and unable to get up), no one is showing signs of being ill, everyone is eating fine, no one has any injuries in need of attention. Is this hay moldly or does it smell ok? That filly didn't drink any water. We need to keep an eye on her. Is this horse always a stall walker or could he be colicing?
When I'm grooming a yearling, I go onto full on critique mode. What is this horses personality? Does he like when I curry him with this brush or shouldn't I use it? Does it get her cleaner if I use these two curries, then this hard brush, followed by this soft brush or do I use these three curries and the two hard brushes then a rag? Are they shedding the same as yesterday, or are they shedding more? Are her legs all bump and cut free? Why is this leg stocked up? Did she bump it or is her hock big because she possibly has OCDs that need addressed? This one has a pretty snotty nose. Is it the regular "yearling cold" or does she have a temperature? Is this coat just dirty and dandruffy or is there something else going on? Is he getting shinier or do I need to squeeze in 40 minutes a day of grooming instead of the usual 30? She's not muscling up nice enough. I need to see what we can do about that. Why the @#&*^$ is this one still rubbing her tail?! I tried everything! Does she have worms or is there a tick on it somewhere? What's going on?
I can't look at a horse without judging it. He obviously doesn't like when I keep fussing with his face, maybe I'll use a softer brush or just my hands. That one is being totally ridiculous and needs to get over itself because there is no reason at this point in time it can't get its hooves painted. Why don't you try some more transitions with your riding horse and making sure its in a proper frame because it needs more muscling behind? That full cheek bit needs a keeper because it could get caught on something, like your jean belt loops. I need to clean my helmet because it's really dirty around the harness. I'm not sure if we as horse people are born like this or if riding horses makes us like this. The chicken or the egg theory. But it's so much more than horses and riding. Basically, I'm obsessed with details.
And somewhere in all the evaluations and critiques, I forget to sit down and enjoy what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, I'm the small part of the population that actually likes what they do for a living. Sure, there are things that I would like to change, but I generally like my job and my horse. The other day, while I was hand grazing Digby (not that he needs more food but...) I was going through my check list. I'd really like to see his hooves have a little bit more heel to them. I'll have to remember to talk to the farrier about that. Gosh he's really quite fat. He's not getting grain just a ration balancer but maybe less hay now that he's outside again? I hope he doesn't founder or anything. Ok, he's probably not that fat but he's plump. I wish I knew why his hind right keeps getting fluid in it. The excess weight can't be helping. It's nothing though. It'll probably go away when I start exercising him. When should I start doing that? Turnouts been so crazy because of the storms. Maybe Wednesday? Hmm, I wonder why Digby will eat the grass and the clover equally, where as most horses prefer the clover. Did he just eat that weed? That's weird. Ah, I need to kill this green head. There, dead. He's pretty shiny naturally. It's a shame I groom for 4 hours a day and don't give him a super grooming because he could probably be quite...... At that point, with my brow furrowed in concentration, as I picked apart and analyzed every minute detail of my horse, Digby picked his head up, looked right at me, and I swear just rolled his eyes and sighed. Like, slow down woman and just enjoy the mix of weeds, grass and when you get really lucky, clover.
I stopped, laughed that my horse just sighed directed at me and I realized that he's not my job. He doesn't need to have the perfect coat, look perfectly muscled up, have perfect hooves, and be the perfect weight because I'm not trying to sell him in a month for as much money as possible. He's mine. It doesn't matter. He's happiest when he's grazing in a field with some friends, unclipped, unpulled mane and covered in dirt. Maybe I need to stop being so "at" him and nit pick at every little detail and just enjoy the time spent, instead of wondering if I can get his coat shinier by currying 5 extra minutes a day or what training regime I need to put him in to best suit our new career choice. Just like humans, he has flaws, he has a personality that needs to be taken into consideration, and he has strengths. Maybe the horses have the right idea. Maybe we need to stop prepping, stop worrying, stop analyzing and just enjoy what we've got in front of us at that very moment. I can't plan on showing him next year at HITS like I had hoped. He isn't going to be my 3'6" horse like I had hoped. We don't have any set "goals." I can't tell you what discipline we're going to try next. Hell, he might not even stay sound enough for me to ride him regularly. We're just going to have to wait and see. In the mean time, the to do list got erased and now only contains one thing - enjoy the mix of weeds, grass and clover.
As for the critiquing, judging, and stressing over every little thing? Well, that's why we have jobs, isn't it? :)
When I'm grooming a yearling, I go onto full on critique mode. What is this horses personality? Does he like when I curry him with this brush or shouldn't I use it? Does it get her cleaner if I use these two curries, then this hard brush, followed by this soft brush or do I use these three curries and the two hard brushes then a rag? Are they shedding the same as yesterday, or are they shedding more? Are her legs all bump and cut free? Why is this leg stocked up? Did she bump it or is her hock big because she possibly has OCDs that need addressed? This one has a pretty snotty nose. Is it the regular "yearling cold" or does she have a temperature? Is this coat just dirty and dandruffy or is there something else going on? Is he getting shinier or do I need to squeeze in 40 minutes a day of grooming instead of the usual 30? She's not muscling up nice enough. I need to see what we can do about that. Why the @#&*^$ is this one still rubbing her tail?! I tried everything! Does she have worms or is there a tick on it somewhere? What's going on?
I can't look at a horse without judging it. He obviously doesn't like when I keep fussing with his face, maybe I'll use a softer brush or just my hands. That one is being totally ridiculous and needs to get over itself because there is no reason at this point in time it can't get its hooves painted. Why don't you try some more transitions with your riding horse and making sure its in a proper frame because it needs more muscling behind? That full cheek bit needs a keeper because it could get caught on something, like your jean belt loops. I need to clean my helmet because it's really dirty around the harness. I'm not sure if we as horse people are born like this or if riding horses makes us like this. The chicken or the egg theory. But it's so much more than horses and riding. Basically, I'm obsessed with details.
And somewhere in all the evaluations and critiques, I forget to sit down and enjoy what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, I'm the small part of the population that actually likes what they do for a living. Sure, there are things that I would like to change, but I generally like my job and my horse. The other day, while I was hand grazing Digby (not that he needs more food but...) I was going through my check list. I'd really like to see his hooves have a little bit more heel to them. I'll have to remember to talk to the farrier about that. Gosh he's really quite fat. He's not getting grain just a ration balancer but maybe less hay now that he's outside again? I hope he doesn't founder or anything. Ok, he's probably not that fat but he's plump. I wish I knew why his hind right keeps getting fluid in it. The excess weight can't be helping. It's nothing though. It'll probably go away when I start exercising him. When should I start doing that? Turnouts been so crazy because of the storms. Maybe Wednesday? Hmm, I wonder why Digby will eat the grass and the clover equally, where as most horses prefer the clover. Did he just eat that weed? That's weird. Ah, I need to kill this green head. There, dead. He's pretty shiny naturally. It's a shame I groom for 4 hours a day and don't give him a super grooming because he could probably be quite...... At that point, with my brow furrowed in concentration, as I picked apart and analyzed every minute detail of my horse, Digby picked his head up, looked right at me, and I swear just rolled his eyes and sighed. Like, slow down woman and just enjoy the mix of weeds, grass and when you get really lucky, clover.
I stopped, laughed that my horse just sighed directed at me and I realized that he's not my job. He doesn't need to have the perfect coat, look perfectly muscled up, have perfect hooves, and be the perfect weight because I'm not trying to sell him in a month for as much money as possible. He's mine. It doesn't matter. He's happiest when he's grazing in a field with some friends, unclipped, unpulled mane and covered in dirt. Maybe I need to stop being so "at" him and nit pick at every little detail and just enjoy the time spent, instead of wondering if I can get his coat shinier by currying 5 extra minutes a day or what training regime I need to put him in to best suit our new career choice. Just like humans, he has flaws, he has a personality that needs to be taken into consideration, and he has strengths. Maybe the horses have the right idea. Maybe we need to stop prepping, stop worrying, stop analyzing and just enjoy what we've got in front of us at that very moment. I can't plan on showing him next year at HITS like I had hoped. He isn't going to be my 3'6" horse like I had hoped. We don't have any set "goals." I can't tell you what discipline we're going to try next. Hell, he might not even stay sound enough for me to ride him regularly. We're just going to have to wait and see. In the mean time, the to do list got erased and now only contains one thing - enjoy the mix of weeds, grass and clover.
As for the critiquing, judging, and stressing over every little thing? Well, that's why we have jobs, isn't it? :)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
What's that about pictures are worth a thousand words?
Fat. Happy. Pony. <3 OUT IN THE BIG FIELD!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Apparently I've been busy...
Digby was set and ready to be jogged for soundness on Friday, which is exactly one month from having his coffin joint injected. Wednesday, in the midst of being attacked by grooming my assigned yearlings at work, I had missed a call from the owner/trainer at Digby's barn. Leaping into full on panic mode, I quickly ran to the end of the barn and dialed my voicemail. I was convinced I was going to hear the worst - Digby got kicked through the fence and he's hurt, Digby's colicing, something along those lines. Phone calls from the barn owner, barn manager, or trainer usually aren't good. Turns out, none such fatalities had happened. The vet had stopped by for another horse, they were outside Digby's stall, she asked how he was doing and wanted to see him jog.....
GUESS WHO TROTTED SOUND?! Oh, that's right. Dig My Size! *cue cheering* Of course, he's been going out in his mini pen for a while now but now he's legally allowed to go out in the big field with his friend named Toast, who is a huge, clunky draft cross and looks hysterical next to little Digby. We're supposed to start him out slow, an hour, then gradually build up to all night within a week. Did I mention Digs needed lip chained to jog?? In case you aren't a horse person, lip chaining means you take a lead rope with a chain attached and instead of putting it over their nose like commonly done, you put it under their top lip and onto their gums. (See image here) It's pretty distracting to a horse (can you blame them?) to have a metal chain on their gums. Is anyone surprised that this was necessary? He was actually describe as "tackling" the barn manager who was trying to jog him. I'm not sure exactly how a horse tackles someone but if any horse could, it's probably mine. Long story short, the vet suggested I start riding under saddle and it was promptly shot down by the barn manager and the trainer who are tired of Digby's antics in his little pen. Digby gets to go out first for a few days. The barn staff tried to gradually build him up, like the vet suggested, but even with heavy amounts of sedation, Digby is being quite the punk. We're going to drug him HEAVILY on Monday, throw him out with Toast, and hope he comes in alive Tuesday. I'm mildly worried by this but really, does anyone from DelVal remember how much FUN Digby is to bring in/turn out when he's not happy? Yeah... it basically equals death, even to experienced handlers, let alone the poor guys who work at the barn to do turnout and clean stalls and aren't as experienced with horses. I can't expect the barn to keep up with all his demands.
As for jobs, I've been thinking about what Digby's next career should be and I have it narrowed down to dressage (most likely doing this and easiest transition for both of us), western pleasure (he likes to go slow with a level head set), or driving. He's pulled a sled before so how much different could it be? Anyways, just hoping to be riding him by the middle of next week! :)
GUESS WHO TROTTED SOUND?! Oh, that's right. Dig My Size! *cue cheering* Of course, he's been going out in his mini pen for a while now but now he's legally allowed to go out in the big field with his friend named Toast, who is a huge, clunky draft cross and looks hysterical next to little Digby. We're supposed to start him out slow, an hour, then gradually build up to all night within a week. Did I mention Digs needed lip chained to jog?? In case you aren't a horse person, lip chaining means you take a lead rope with a chain attached and instead of putting it over their nose like commonly done, you put it under their top lip and onto their gums. (See image here) It's pretty distracting to a horse (can you blame them?) to have a metal chain on their gums. Is anyone surprised that this was necessary? He was actually describe as "tackling" the barn manager who was trying to jog him. I'm not sure exactly how a horse tackles someone but if any horse could, it's probably mine. Long story short, the vet suggested I start riding under saddle and it was promptly shot down by the barn manager and the trainer who are tired of Digby's antics in his little pen. Digby gets to go out first for a few days. The barn staff tried to gradually build him up, like the vet suggested, but even with heavy amounts of sedation, Digby is being quite the punk. We're going to drug him HEAVILY on Monday, throw him out with Toast, and hope he comes in alive Tuesday. I'm mildly worried by this but really, does anyone from DelVal remember how much FUN Digby is to bring in/turn out when he's not happy? Yeah... it basically equals death, even to experienced handlers, let alone the poor guys who work at the barn to do turnout and clean stalls and aren't as experienced with horses. I can't expect the barn to keep up with all his demands.
As for jobs, I've been thinking about what Digby's next career should be and I have it narrowed down to dressage (most likely doing this and easiest transition for both of us), western pleasure (he likes to go slow with a level head set), or driving. He's pulled a sled before so how much different could it be? Anyways, just hoping to be riding him by the middle of next week! :)
The fat hony himself today after being groomed. Note his defiance with "you're busy and not feeding me soooo I'm going to step out of the grooming stall. Onto the hose. With both feet. Na na na na na na!"
Monday, August 8, 2011
Rest in Peace
so much our hearts
would like to say...
so hard to find the words.
with sympathy. <3
(Please take time today to hug the ponies and horses you love today. You never know what could change in the blink of an eye. My friend lost her wonderful mare to colic complications this weekend. Keep her in your prayers. Rest in Peace Liberty. You will be sorely missed.)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Boring, boring....
Still not much to report on the Digby front. August 12th will be exactly one month from when he got his coffin bone injected so he will rechecked for soundness on or around that date. I'm going away (for work, nothing fun! Boo) this weekend so when I get back hopefully we'll make a plan to check him. The vet is coming out that week anyway to give some booster shots and deworm so it should be fairly easy to get a hold of her if necessary. :) But, fingers crossed, I could be riding Mr. Digby SOOOON! Cross your fingers and toes, pray, think good thoughts, whatever you want to do. I just want to ride the wild beast!
I realized I hadn't mentioned in my last post, due to Blogger eating the original, anything about Digby's odd swollen right hind. It was alarmingly huge for a day and has gradually gone down to minimal puffiness around his fetlock and right above. I've been keeping a watchful eye on it since and it has gone down significantly but there still remains a little bit there that worries me. No cuts, no reason for it to be huge, no heat. I'm trying not to worry about it. I'd like to think it's because of his lack of movement but only the right hind is stocked up looking, not both. Hmm... odd. I'm not overly worried though. Hopefully it's nothing!
Also, if you're reading this, I'm assuming you know me in person so if you haven't already and would like to be SUPER awesome, go on facebook, and like the page "TurtleNeck". They make horse blankets. I've entered to win Digby a blanket! You need to scroll down and find my post (it's got a super cute picture of Mr. Digs wearing a birthday hat) and like it. The person with the most likes win! I'd love to have one because he currently has a medium weight turnout and it's honestly the best. He doesn't get shoulder or wither rubs wearing them! We'd both love you forever!
I realized I hadn't mentioned in my last post, due to Blogger eating the original, anything about Digby's odd swollen right hind. It was alarmingly huge for a day and has gradually gone down to minimal puffiness around his fetlock and right above. I've been keeping a watchful eye on it since and it has gone down significantly but there still remains a little bit there that worries me. No cuts, no reason for it to be huge, no heat. I'm trying not to worry about it. I'd like to think it's because of his lack of movement but only the right hind is stocked up looking, not both. Hmm... odd. I'm not overly worried though. Hopefully it's nothing!
Also, if you're reading this, I'm assuming you know me in person so if you haven't already and would like to be SUPER awesome, go on facebook, and like the page "TurtleNeck". They make horse blankets. I've entered to win Digby a blanket! You need to scroll down and find my post (it's got a super cute picture of Mr. Digs wearing a birthday hat) and like it. The person with the most likes win! I'd love to have one because he currently has a medium weight turnout and it's honestly the best. He doesn't get shoulder or wither rubs wearing them! We'd both love you forever!
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