Quick update!

Digby is chilling in his stall, ready to be bored for the next 5 days while I'm packing to go to Kentucky for the next 10. I spoke with the barn manager and the main trainer to let them know where I'm going to be, the dates I'll be gone, what to do in an emergency in case they can't reach me. It feels good to have plans. I also spoke to the main trainer about the dreaded "what if he doesn't get better?" topic. We seem to be on the same page. I've figured out what the problem is, given him time off, and done some treatments to help fix the problem.... with limited success. There are certainly other things to try and do but realistically, he was free and I don't make a lot of money with a barn job. I can't validate spending much more money on a horse that was free. I'm secretly hoping that he blows out a giant abscess while I'm gone, but my gut feeling says not happening since he was back sore in the days before we went lame. We chit chatted about it for a bit and both decided it was a good idea that if he wasn't sound by the end of the month (October) that I would move him. Sigh... I dislike this idea greatly as I LOVE where we are so much but I'm not sure what else there is to do. I will certainly still ride where I am but I can't afford to keep a lame horse there. It's too expensive. The barn manager and main trainer both know that and are very supportive about it. I'm going to start searching for a field to put him in for around 6 months to a year.

Requirements:

• A large field with friends (at least two other horses/ponies. Digby likes lots of friends)
• Grass to eat, not just dirt/mud
• Good fencing (please, not a ton of broken fence boards or unsafe fencing!)
• Cheap (yeah... enough said. At least as cheap as possible)
• Doesn't need indoor, outdoor or trails
• NEEDS A GOOD, CARING OWNER (example, owner of property cannot be an idiot who has no idea what colic is, or what needs the vet called out vs what doesn't, or doesn't care enough to water and feed the horses every day)
• Preferably close to my house or work but I'm willing to drive further if it's a truly awesome place

Anyone know of anything? Again, I DO NOT want to move him. I'm praying on my hands and knees he gets sound and stays sound. But he's miserable inside on stall rest and I'm miserable that he's miserable. If he's unsound when I get back from Kentucky, I'm just going to find a field that meets the above requirements and give him at least 6 months off to let him play with friends, be a horse and then think about what the next step is. :(

Grooming Tip Tuesday - Basic Grooming Procedure

I went over all the grooming tools last week. This week I'm going to describe a basic grooming. I've found this is best after exercise, when the horse is relaxed and a little tired. If you're riding the horse, I pull him out of his stall and start with light brushing. I just get the majority of the dirt off with a plain black rubber curry followed up by a hard brush in the areas that will be affected by tack or leg protection. After the ride when the horse is fully cooled, put the horse back in his stall and let him hang out, chew on some hay and get a drink while you clean tack and put everything away.

With yearlings to start, I use a mane and tail brush. We brush our yearling manes and tails every day and they are kept completely tangle free. On a regular horse, I start with the curry comb. This is probably the most important step to getting your horse clean and shiny. Currying loosens up all the dirt and dander and gives the horse a nice massage. I tend to use a lot of different curries for different purposes. I generally start with a black rubber curry type and use it in a circular or side to side motion all over the horses body. It depends on the horse though. Some horses need softer curries, while others can tolerate hard curries. Always use a rubber mitt or special face curry on the legs or face. If the horse is extra sweaty and you're unable to bathe or hose off, using wintergreen rubbing alcohol on a towel will remove all the dirt from that area. I try not to use alcohol regularly because I feel like it would dry out the coat. If the sweat has dried already, using one of the plastic Shed Flowers in a circular motion works well. If the horse is shedding a lot, the Grooma Grooma can be used now to lift all the loose hair off. In certain severe circumstances, I will use a dry microfiber or hand towel after currying. It helps pick up a lot of the gross dirt and dander you just lifted that sometimes just refuses to be brushed off the coat any other way. Curries also need to be check every few weeks or months depending on how many you groom a day to make sure the rubber has not worn down too far. A curry that is worn will not clean nearly as effectively.

Next, use a hard/dandy brush. Grooming is a vigorous process! When using the hard brush, use short, flicking strokes. There should be dirt flying off your horse. If it isn't, you either didn't curry enough to lift the dirt or you aren't brushing hard enough. Use the hard brush in the direction of the hair growth all over the body. Keep listening to your horse because some tolerate this better than others. Digby hates being hard brushed but most of the yearlings I groom actually seem to enjoy this part. Use the hard brush on legs and face if the horse tolerates it but with lighter strokes then on the body. Like I said before, don't forget key areas like the elbows, pasterns and base of mane.

Next, use a body brush in the direction of the hair growth. This is a very important step. This brush will pick up all the dander and dirt that was lifted by the curry and what's left over from the hard brush. Your brush WILL get dirty quickly if you're grooming correctly so make sure you clean it by wiping it on a towel or using a metal curry every few strokes. This brush can be used on any body part, including the legs and face. I try to avoid using it on the legs because they tend to get pretty clean with the hard brush only. The body brush is also good for that oh so hard to banish dust/dirt on the top of their hindquarters. If you need to keep your grooming tools budget to a minimum, buying a high quality body brush will benefit you best in the long run out of any other grooming tool.

Use a sponge, warm damp towel or baby wipes next to clean out ears, nose and around the eyes. I occasionally use a baby wipe to clean their bridle path if it just didn't seem to get clean while brushing. Use another towel or sponge to clean behind the tail and near the sheath or udder.

I generally will use the mane and tail brush now. I don't brush out the tails on riding horses often. I think leaving them alone tends to make them the thickest and longest. I will brush out forelocks and manes though. Use a silicone spray (Show Sheen, etc) to detangle if you do not have time to pick out the knots by hand. Whatever method you use, you need to be careful not to break hairs. Manes and tails take a looong time to grow in! After that, I hoof pick. I won't go into details about hoof picking because it is fairly straight forward. Refer to the USPC Manual if you have questions about hoof picking.

As a finishing touch, I rub the horse down with a hand towel. You can also use your hands as the oils from your skin help the horses coat. I use white towels so I can see if there was any dirt left. I do not necessarily use the same towel on the same horse every day. When it's dirty, I launder it. I know people who use the same towel after every grooming on the same horse, every day. The towel helps distribute the oils back onto the coat. It definitely works but I think using a new, clean towel works fine as well. Use the towel in circular motions, ending with brushing the hair in the correct direction. Rub the horse for as long as you have time, as this toweling really helps get them shiny.

That's all for this week! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them for me! I'll be gone for work until the 8th so there won't be a grooming tip tuesday next week, nor will you be hearing any Digby updates. :( I promise to update you as soon as I get back!

Grooming Tip Tuesday - Tools of the Trade

Grooming Tip Tuesday! Tools of the Trade

Before I get into the basics of grooming, I'm going to discuss what brushes I personally use. It's in no particular order, as I'll get into that next week. Again, this is just what I use so by all means test them out on your own horses. Different horses prefer different types of brushes depending on their coat types and if they are thin skinned or not. Grooming should take about 30 minutes. 45 minutes is actually the best but it's a bit unrealistic for the normal person who would probably like to ride, as well as groom their horse in their limited time schedule. You're going to want some container to keep all your brushes in. If you like to see all your items, a grooming tote works best. If you have a place to spread your brushes out, you can use a simple bucket. A grooming bag is also an option. They usually have lots of pockets to keep things semi organized.

Curry Combs


Depending on what kind of horse you have, their coat, and how thin skinned they are, the currys you use will vary. Curry combs are used to loosen up dirt and dandruff and provide the horses skin and muscles with a massage. I use a variety of curries for a variety of different things.

I use a rubber grooming mitt for more sensitive areas like the legs and face, if the horse allows. They're good for shedding and getting off dirt in areas where a horse does not tolerate a normal curry.

I use a plain black rubber curry for general body currying. These are semi flexible and work best with "shark" teeth rather than rounded edges.

I've found that the "grooma groomer" works best for getting up loose hair on horses that are shedding. Most horses really enjoy when you use this on their muscles after exercising hard.

Two of my new favorite curries are the Epona Shed Flower and the Epona Curry Flower. The shed flower works really well on sweat stains (remember some of us can't bathe the horses we're grooming and need to get rid of sweat) and the curry flower works well on really dandruff-y skin. They might be silly because they're in flower shape but they both work well... so I'll over look it.

Hard/Dandy/Stiff brush

 

I like both synthetic and natural brushes for these. Natural brushes make them shinier in my opinion but if you're buying them yourself, synthetic brushes are often $3 versus $20 for a natural brush. It's up to you. Hard brushes are used in short flicking motion, to lift the dust from the coat. Use very hard and short strokes. You should see dust flying off your horse! You can use these all over except generally the face. Make sure you get the base of the mane and pasterns. These are often overlooked parts and all very important!

Medium/Body brush

This is used to remove all the dirt and dust you just lifted from the coat by currying and the hard brush. The brush should get very dirty quickly as its taking all the dirt and dander from the horses coat. Clean it often by wiping it with a towel or by using a metal curry. Brush horse all over in the direction of the hair growth.

Soft/Finishing Brush

Not entirely necessary but I like using a very soft brush to follow up. I just think it gets the last little bit of dirt up from the coat for a final "polishing". They tend to be made of goat hair or some other super soft material. Use the same way as the medium brush.

Mane and Tail Combs

These can be combs or brushes. The key is to not pull out any hairs. Which ever you prefer, start from the bottom of the mane or tail and work your way up. Detangler (ShowSheen, Vetrolin, Mane and Tail, and Cowboy Magic all make their own detanglers) can be added if you're short on time (like me) or patience. In theory, manes and tails should be worked out by hand but honestly, who has time for that? Pulling combs should be used for pulling only in my opinion but I know people that use them as combs as well.

Hoof Pick

Used for, well, picking out hooves. Remove all dirt and make sure there are no rocks/foreign objects lodged in their shoes. I'm a big fan of the cheap 89 cent hoof pick. There are plenty of fancy, schmancy hoof picks but honestly the cheap ones work just fine. Why waste your money? A hoof pick with a brush is very nice to have and still cheap.

Extras


Other things you may want to have around are:
- Scissors (for quick cutting of fetlocks or bridle paths)
- Unscented baby wipes (great for noses, ears and those who dislike their face being brushed... Ahem DIGBY!)
- Towels (We used normal small hand towel sized ones that we buy in bulk at Costco at work. Digby gets microfiber towels that I got from the car parts store. Works well for a rub down and final polish after brushing)
- Baby powder/corn starch (works excellent in getting those white markings blindingly white! Add to marking when it's still wet from being bathed and brush out once dry)
- Blueing shampoo/Quik Silver (a must have for white socks or stockings!)
- Any shampooing items you find necessary (Bathing will dull a coat if you do it often so keep bathing to a minimum. Trust me, your horse will thank you and they can be just as clean without a bath as they can with one if you work at it!)
- Steel wool or brillo pads (work well instead of paying for an expensive hoof brush to remove dirt and other "grossness" from hooves)
- A&D ointment (works wonders on healed cuts to help grow hair back. Do not use on any wounds that have not healed yet)

Recommending Reading


The United States Pony Club Manual 

Braiding Manes and Tails

Grooming

Grooming to Win (the best book for discipline specific answers)

Fall is the BEST!

Fall is hands down my favorite season. Between the gorgeous leaves on the trees, football season, the relief from the hot weather and of course I love my bud light and hot wings to go along with the football games, how can you not enjoy the season? Halloween is a pretty awesome holiday too. I just love everything about it.... except that it means winter is coming.

Shudder. Winter. Now, from an weather point, I can handle the cold, snow and ice. What I can't handle is the lack of turnout for the horses, the stuck inside for months on end (has anyone else noticed that the three months of summer are WAY shorter than the three months of winter?!), the boring drabness of it all. Both Digby and I prefer to be outside in an outdoor than in an indoor. Digby feels its an excuse to be wild and spook at everything because he has no pretty trees and horses to look at. I just think staring at the same four brown walls and brown footing for three months just gets booooring. Does anyone have a plan for staying motivated to work your horse when it's 30 degrees out all the time? Any ways to spruce up the "indoor blahs" that we all seem to get every year?

I suppose in the mean time, I'll enjoy my bud light and as much football season as I can watch. Digby's going to enjoy the leaves. :) It's back to turnout during the day soon which means 8 hours of turnout versus the 12 he's getting now but that's all. As far as riding goes, not much difference. I'm going to Kentucky for work in about a week. I'll be there for 10 days so you won't hear anything from me and Digby won't be getting much (if any...) work. But I'll keep you updated this week and expect a "Grooming Tip Tuesday" tomorrow!

Grooming Tip Tuesday

(Hey guys! This is the first installment of the "mini series" that I talked about. Hopefully it will be a regular occurrence every Tuesday until I run out of things to discuss. If you have any questions, comments, tips, whatever just let me know in the comments and I'll be sure to discuss it or answer them!)

Nutrition and General Health
I debated discussing this but I decided that it's so important I needed to. Horse nutrition is a HUGE topic in which I have no real scientific knowledge or education. Google it, look it up on the Chronicle forums, ask around, whatever. There is a ton of varying opinions of feed this, feed that, don't feed that because the horse may dieee *cue fake dramatic shriek of horror*.

A happy, healthy horse always looks the best. Horses are meant to move and graze 24/7. Very often, especially in this area of the US, do horses live outside 24/7 in an area that they receive the type of lifestyle their wild ancestors had. I believe (and this is strictly opinion) that all horses should be kept up to date on any vaccinations that are recommended by a respected, knowledgeable veterinarian in that area. All horses should be given dewormer at the recommended dose at the correct time. Teeth should be taken care of as well by a vet or equine dentist. Horses should be conditioned and worked correctly, to help build up proper muscles so they can be happy doing their job at the highest level. They should be turned out as much as possible. The farrier should be out to trim or reset shoes every 4-8 weeks depending on the time of year and the horse. Above you, you need to listen to your horse. A fat or super skinny horse isn't going to look as nice as a well conditioned one in proper weight, no matter what the coat looks like.

High quality hay is always the start of good nutrition. It keeps horses happier, busier, and is very well suited for the grazing 24/7 lifestyle. If you horse needs extra calories, then start including grain. Tons and tons of grain does not create a high show bloom. That said, while prepping yearlings at work, we strictly limit their hay intake to avoid "hay bellies" and give several pounds of grain a day. It works. But these are yearlings on a strict feed regime, a strict exercise regime and closely monitored every single day to prevent OCDs, create a high shine coat and make them manageable. This is only their lifestyle for two to three months while they were in the barns for preparation for sales. It is NOT a long term feeding plan. All horses should have access to clean, fresh water at all times and I'm a personal fan of salt blocks. Buy the highest quality hay and grain you can buy and you should be fine in that catergory. If you have questions, ask your trainer, your vet, the barn manager or a knowledgeable friend.

Nutrition matters. The yearlings come in on one type of feed (I won't name names just in case) and we have a 7 day period that we switch them over to a new, higher quality feed. From our daily 30 minute grooming and the new feed, the horses look phenomenal when they leave for the sales. It's only a few months time span. The fat ones who get less feed usually have worse coats that we have to groom that much harder to make shiny. Coincidence? I'm not sure. That's for you to decide.

Be careful to provide the horse with the recommended amount of protein, vitamins and minerals for the age and workload. If you don't meet the recommended feeding amount on the back or tag of your feed bag, you may want to consider switching feeds or supplementing with a vitamin/mineral product (think Centrums for horses!) or a ration balancer. Many feed companies have ration balancers. Speak with your vet, knowledgeable person, etc etc or a feed specialist from the company you use if you have questions. (FYI - The difference between a vit/min supplement and a ration balancer is that a ration balancer contains protein as well as vit/min. Both are low calorie which is great for those chubby horses, though the vit/min supplements tend to be lower if you have a super easy keeper.)

Supplement and product wise, there's a TON out there. I've heard many, many reviews on this supplement or this spray or whatever. As a short term fix, yes products work. Showsheen DOES make them shiny for a day. Healthy Hair Care does make them shiny. I'm sure lots of other spray on products do as well. I just don't have the time or energy to list all the ones I've used or heard about. I've heard tons of good things about Omega Horseshine, SmartShine, and personally I've noticed a different since Digby's been on the Smart Omega3 to help with his lameness which isn't supposed to be for coats/shine but it has a lot of Omega 3s (hence the name) which help with shine. There are lots of options out there. I attended a lecture while I was in school given by a miniature horse breeder and winner of several national in hand competitions who swore up and down about feeding sunflower seeds for shine. Flax seed and linseed are also really popular at the moment. Honestly, while I think it probably helps, elbow grease is free. If you have a high quality feed and hay, you should have a healthy horse. A healthy horse is a shiny horse!

Even in poor, low lighting Fashion Gabby is a shiny colt! This is with NO spray on products or feed thru supplements to his feed. Nutrition matters! :)

we trotted!

Digby enjoying his hay before turnout.... and after our RIDE!

Well. We survived. I walked for about 25 minutes then trotted once around the ring, to the left. I picked the left because his hoof problem is front left and I wanted it to show up if there was a problem. There was no problem. He's sound. We walked for another couple minutes and I hopped off. I don't have much to say. He's fat, out of shape, and doesn't want to use himself AT ALL. He alternated between rooting on the bit and trying to yank the reins out of my hand (not happening, sorry Digby.) and curling behind the bit while chomping on it violently in protest. Luckily, he seems pretty happy to have a job again and be doing something other than eating, pooping, sleeping and hanging out with his turnout buddy Toast. Neither of us died. I asked for the trot, he lazily trotted around the ring, and we walked again. Huh. Certainly not as eventful as I expected but I suppose that's a good thing! I did ACE him a little before I got on just for safety sake. It's not worth it to me, him or anyone else in the ring for him to explode when I ask for the trot. I'm not sure how much of an effect it had or whether it was just the random humid heat that we had today but he sure was lazy!

We have a loootttt of work to do... fingers crossed he stays sound and sane as winter approaches! :) I'm going to try and coax someone into taking pictures within a week or two. Maybe at least of me sitting on him as proof because we don't do much besides walk around. It's time I put up pictures here of more than just him in his stall or the cross ties.

Progress?

So, update on Mr. Digs himself! Due to the hurricane and the following storms featuring more flooding, massive road and fence damage, and some other fun bad weather activities, Digby just hasn't been going out. None of the horses at the barn have. They don't have sheds in the majority of the fields and it just isn't safe for a horse to be out in severe thunderstorms with wind and potential (and sometimes definite) flooding. He has gotten his feet done. The vet gave free x-rays (a big thank you!) to our farrier so she could properly address Digby's freakish hoof issue and make sure the angles are correct so we are doing the most we can to help prevent the issue again. The angles were basically correct already so we're just going to continue to leave him as is. We don't want to increase the heel angle like you would with a normal navicular horse because we're not sure what exactly is causing him to go lame. It might not be his congenital bipartite navicular bone. It might be something entirely different and in order to be certain, we need to do several more vet visits with MRIs, more x-rays, etc. I just can't afford to do that on a free horse when he's comfortable. If we can't get him comfortable after he goes back into work, we'll have to think about things. He got shod again with the pads and the EquiPak just for extra "comfiness." Yes, I did just make that into a word! His weird right hind swelling that lasted way too long for my comfort has gone down and is back to his normal size.

With winter quickly approaching, Digby needs to get back into regular work... NOW. Winter and Digs don't mix so well. I'm not sure if it's the cold, or the lack of turnout, or the fact that he needs lots of food to keep from losing weight but he tends to get wild in the winter. Always has. I'd like to avoid having to walk for half an hour with only 2 minutes of trotting when he's going to want to be leaping around like an idiot. He's had off since June and needs to be brought back slooowly. Think walking for twenty minutes and trotting half way around the ring. Then walking for thirty minutes and trotting one way around the ring. Then walking for thirty minutes and trotting one way around the ring and one way the other direction. Yes, that slowly. I haven't made an "official" plan yet but it will include a LOT of what I call "busy work." Since we'll be doing a lot of walking, far more than either of us is going to enjoy, I need to keep his little brain busy. This means I'm going to be constantly riding but without the addition of other gaits. I'll be asking for changes of bend, transitions within the gait, transitions between gaits (aka halt and walk), doing lots of schooling figures and hopefully playing with some lateral movements. I'm also going to incorporate ground poles into the plan as long as Digby behaves and doesn't try to jump them and land in a bucking frenzy. That's happened before. If anyone has any awesome ideas for me, let me know! Digby isn't the type of horse you can just throw the reins at and walk around for hours at a time. Trail rides are an option but he's 1) not very well behaved on them and 2) winter is coming. Either way, they are definitely going out tonight because the entire barn is going stir crazy. So tomorrow, I will definitely be sitting on the wild hony beast in an attempt to get back into "regular" work. Hopefully by the beginning of winter, I'll be able to move him around enough to be safe for riding.

The farrier said something totally perfect when I was holding him so she could shoe him the other day. "Digby isn't mean, definitely not. He's never even remotely aggressive. He's just kind of a playful weasel. He has an opinion on EVERYTHING. From how he wants to stand, to where he wants to walk, how he wants to be touched, how much hay he gets, everything, right down to what color his freaking shavings are! I've never met a horse with so many opinions!" <3 I love my opinionated, high maintenance pony.

PS - Still no name for my "grooming mini series" but I'm tossing around some ideas... hopefully the first installment will come soon! :)

The supplement obsession

Raise your hand if you've ever seen a sale on SmartPak and gone "oh, I'd like to try that on my horse. It has 300 some good reviews and now it's on sale." *raises hand*

There's just something about SmartPak's that call to me. It's like magic. I have successfully managed to keep Digby's SmartPak small. He's been on Farriers Formula since I got him. He also got Smart Bug Off in the summers (worked in NY, didn't do much this summer so he won't get it again) and Apple-a-Day electrolyte because he doesn't drink a lot which worries me in the summer heat. When I moved back to PA, I put him on Smart Combo, which is a multi-purpose supplement that's supposed to help joint, hoof, coat and digestion. I actually only put him on it because I thought he might benefit from a joint supplement and it was cheaper to buy the Smart Combo vs buying him Smart Flex and Farrier's Formula. Now he's on Smart Hoof (kept him on that because it was in the Smart Combo and I wanted to continue him on it to see if it helped) and Smart Pak's MSM to help keep inflammation down in that funky hoof of his. This one is studied so I believe it probably does work at least a little plus it's 8 bucks a month. Ok, so I drink four less energy drinks or coffees than I normally would and it's paid for. Long story short, even with these two items, I am constantly sent SmartPak e-mails try this, try that, 20% off sale! It makes me very, very tempted to try half a million things. I usually get super excited for a day and then the next day come back to earth. With that being said, I'm not loving the Smart Hoof that he's been on for months now and was browsing the hoof supplements. You need to wait several months for hoof supplements to tell because the hoof needs to grow in. His hooves have been growing in sloooow, super dry with lots of cracking going on. It might be because he was on stall rest and hooves tend to grow less with less movement but either way, I'm not pleased. There's about half a million to choose from just involving the hoof alone. While I'm browsing, I'm debating, do I put him on Smart Omega 3? It's supposed to help keep the body in an anti-inflammatory state with it's lots of Omega 3s and it's only $13. What about Smart Sox? It's supposed to be good for horses with heel pain and Digby doesn't like it when I touch his heels. Oooh, here's Recovery Eq! It's supposed to be good for horses with navicular and it has lots of good stuff in it.

Of course, everything costs money so by the time I'm thinking about all these products, Digby's "small" SmartPak has escalated to over a hundred dollars. Easily. Not acceptable for a free horse. Which brings me to another point, is it necessary? Sure, I'd love to give my horse all the best things and make him fat and happy and comfortable. Who wouldn't? But is that $49 a month spent on Smart Sox worth it? Or what about the much cheaper $13 Smart Omega 3? Is it going to actually help? There's not scientific research on the majority of the supplements out there, if any. It may help some horses, it may not help others. If I had a million bucks, I'd probably do some more research. I'd like to think that the grain I'm feeding has all the nutritional requirements Digby needs so, for now, I'm going to leave it at that. He does have a new hoof supplement (because biotin, the main ingredient in hoof supplements, HAS been proven to improve hoof growth and quality) which comes in a nice bucket which I'll scoop out myself and put into containers and take to the barn for the barn staff to feed along with his grain. He'll also be getting MSM because it's also been proven to help with inflammation (and apparently help with hooves in some cases too!) and it's so cheap that I couldn't validate not giving him it. I'm not getting the buckets from SmartPak though just to avoid the temptation. Hopefully in a few months, Digby will have stronger, tougher hooves then he currently does!

I swear, SmartPaks might as well be chocolate cake...