Which you can see here http://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/523733365.html (before it gets deleted of course) underscores my low opinion of people, as expressed in a September entry titled "the Discarded"
The longer I think about this horse, the more infuriated I become at the human race, and in particular, those who endeavor to get rid of the aged. Especially if they think they can make a buck doing so. That 500 bucks the owner insists on having won't come from those who have the knowledge and desire to take care of the elderly equine. Nope, it will come from a novice owner who likely has no clue about a seniors' special needs.
This poor old horse, and by Alaskan standards, 30 is ancient, has survived his past to arrive where he is today-with an owner who has obviously taken very good care of him (shown by the photos of a horse in good weight, well groomed, with an alert and happy expression) since the "rescue". Like I posted on a local group, this horse probably thinks he is in pony heaven already, having been rescued by the current owner. Little does he know (or understand) that his future hinges on the whims of said owner-who is obviously thinking trail rides have no value. And worse yet, that his service in the owners' care does not warrant permanent retirement.
Just where does the owner think this horse will go, in the limited time he has left? Some sort of Polyanna situation where a wealthy person takes pity on him and keeps him in a Disney perfect barn, until such time as he passes away peacefully in a deeply bedded stall? Hardly likely.
The real truth here is this: The only people likely to purchase this horse are looking for a safe older one for their novice children to poke around on. Maybe get them started into 4-H, or maybe go on trail rides....or at least that will be the intent. But anyone willing to cough up the $500 for a thirty year old horse is also likely to be ignorant of the horse market-which means horse keeping in general. And that is a very dangerous place for an old horse to be in the middle of winter.
I am wishing for a responsible, caring person to step forward and assume the mantle of retirement for this horse-and the others needing ease with their age-early in the New Year.
Cynic that I am, I won't be holding my breath........
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
A very good boy
This morning I went to Bluegrass to meet with the trimmer. Since the rescue horse is in the old, original barn (detached from other stall rows and indoor arena) I presumed we'd have it pretty much to ourselves. I had forgotten how busy a large facility could be, really. With a heated tack room, we had two horses come in to be unblanketed, quickly groomed, tacked, and led out. The aisleway is a bit of shortcut so folks scooted on through too, and his stall was picked and rebedded. And of course there was my son, who found it difficult to hold still, and persisted in playing with the two barn cats and in general just being his normal active self.
The first order of business was digital pictures of his front hooves on the concrete. At first it was difficult to get him to stand still, until he realized that that was all I was asking of him-stand quietly. When he got that, his head dropped and I learned he enjoyed circular massage type touch on his forehead.
The trimmer went to work on his front hooves, where we discovered that his frogs were terribly recessed-basically nonexistent-just slim darts in the badly underrun hoof capsule. However, horses being horses, he had managed to "self trim" by chipping off quite a bit around the toes in a ragged, slightly rounded shape. Neither of us can even guess how long it's been since any work has been done on his feet-many months for sure. At the end of each hoof being finished, he would voluntarily drop his head and start chewing-a sure sign of a much happier horse.
Once the fronts were done (and after a couple more friends showed up) we worked on the hinds. I was apprehensive about this because the horse nearly shrinks away in fear if you move from his shoulder towards the rib cage. At first, even touching the rump, let alone stifle, was out of the question. But, with some gentle encouragement, the first leg was done by positioning him along a wall. I am pretty sure he found it quite painful to balance on the untrimmed foot and limb, while holding up the other. But he was very good about it, really. Inbetween, there were plenty of interruptions and through it all he held it together pretty well. We did get digital pictures of the soles on all four, those are our reference points. I was delighted to learn that despite the nearly slippered hinds, he has very tight, good white line. This is a bonus I didn't expect.
After we were done there, a friend led him into the arena. He rolled a few times, sniffed around, had a small spook or two at the other horses and goings on in there, etc. After the other horses exited, we turned him loose. He just ambled around, and finally had another roll. It was obvious to me that he'd had enough that day, mentally and physically. So we gathered him up and put him up for the day-he'd been a very, very good boy.
The first order of business was digital pictures of his front hooves on the concrete. At first it was difficult to get him to stand still, until he realized that that was all I was asking of him-stand quietly. When he got that, his head dropped and I learned he enjoyed circular massage type touch on his forehead.
The trimmer went to work on his front hooves, where we discovered that his frogs were terribly recessed-basically nonexistent-just slim darts in the badly underrun hoof capsule. However, horses being horses, he had managed to "self trim" by chipping off quite a bit around the toes in a ragged, slightly rounded shape. Neither of us can even guess how long it's been since any work has been done on his feet-many months for sure. At the end of each hoof being finished, he would voluntarily drop his head and start chewing-a sure sign of a much happier horse.
Once the fronts were done (and after a couple more friends showed up) we worked on the hinds. I was apprehensive about this because the horse nearly shrinks away in fear if you move from his shoulder towards the rib cage. At first, even touching the rump, let alone stifle, was out of the question. But, with some gentle encouragement, the first leg was done by positioning him along a wall. I am pretty sure he found it quite painful to balance on the untrimmed foot and limb, while holding up the other. But he was very good about it, really. Inbetween, there were plenty of interruptions and through it all he held it together pretty well. We did get digital pictures of the soles on all four, those are our reference points. I was delighted to learn that despite the nearly slippered hinds, he has very tight, good white line. This is a bonus I didn't expect.
After we were done there, a friend led him into the arena. He rolled a few times, sniffed around, had a small spook or two at the other horses and goings on in there, etc. After the other horses exited, we turned him loose. He just ambled around, and finally had another roll. It was obvious to me that he'd had enough that day, mentally and physically. So we gathered him up and put him up for the day-he'd been a very, very good boy.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Grandiose names and grouses....
I just have to come up with a name of some sort for the new horse. His registered name is quite impressive: Chelsea's Chief Cherikee. Ugh, too icky. For right now, Bluegrass has him on their barn chart as "CC", but I am hoping for something inspired and "right" fairly quickly. Lucky, or Spendy, or something witty, perhaps.
I stopped by the barn on my way home, dropping off a bag of complete for him. He was friendly, bright, and cruising for treats. He was having some very mild gas discomfort-just enough to stomp a hind foot gently and swish the tail.....but his innards were very active-I could hear it over the stall door, lol I presume it was due to the haul and move-fairly common, actually. I spoke with the BOs later on last night. They led him over to the indoor arena and let him loose to do what he chose ;) He bucked, he ran, he trotted, and he rolled and rolled. It didn't take too long to tire him out, since he has so little muscle or energy to spare. They hope to get him some time in the indoor arena every day while he is there. Exercise will help keep his guts moving, and rebuild wasted muscle. My husband did manage to get hay and extra bedding over for him too, which saves me trying to deal with it on my own.
From there I scooted home, driving directly to the barn. I could see that my spouse had unloaded the rest of the bales, and given the loose stuff to the three horses there. They got a light dinner and I called it good. This morning I go up and discover that the one mare, with the more sensitive tummy, has had a mild bit of diarrhea overnight. Oh joy. I checked her carefully and could hear really good gut sounds, which was reassuring. And again, the barn help has not shown up, so the place is a mess. I will have to call him today and find out if he can clean any more, or what. Once a week is not cutting it, it needs to be done every other day. Tonight I will have to muck stalls, because a frozen pile of manure is a bugger to get loose. Can't let it go too long, let's put it that way. Oh and tomorrow I will use the hydrant for the first time, topping the stock tanks.
I am annoyed at my husband, he just doesn't really understand not chucking out this or that hay willy nilly. Despite their size, horses have very delicate digestive tracts and good forage management is critical to their continued health. So naturally I am now sitting here at work, worried about the mare whose owner entrusted her care to me. Argh.
To top that off, I get a phone call from the town shop. They are having a retirement get together for the shop foreman-it's his last day today. Naturally, no one thought to let me know about this until the last minute. I can't go, I have a customer supposedly coming for a septic system, plus people coming for hay. Would have been nice to have known beforehand, so I could have made arrangements in advance. It's indicative of the communication between the two places, is about all I will say about that ;)
I stopped by the barn on my way home, dropping off a bag of complete for him. He was friendly, bright, and cruising for treats. He was having some very mild gas discomfort-just enough to stomp a hind foot gently and swish the tail.....but his innards were very active-I could hear it over the stall door, lol I presume it was due to the haul and move-fairly common, actually. I spoke with the BOs later on last night. They led him over to the indoor arena and let him loose to do what he chose ;) He bucked, he ran, he trotted, and he rolled and rolled. It didn't take too long to tire him out, since he has so little muscle or energy to spare. They hope to get him some time in the indoor arena every day while he is there. Exercise will help keep his guts moving, and rebuild wasted muscle. My husband did manage to get hay and extra bedding over for him too, which saves me trying to deal with it on my own.
From there I scooted home, driving directly to the barn. I could see that my spouse had unloaded the rest of the bales, and given the loose stuff to the three horses there. They got a light dinner and I called it good. This morning I go up and discover that the one mare, with the more sensitive tummy, has had a mild bit of diarrhea overnight. Oh joy. I checked her carefully and could hear really good gut sounds, which was reassuring. And again, the barn help has not shown up, so the place is a mess. I will have to call him today and find out if he can clean any more, or what. Once a week is not cutting it, it needs to be done every other day. Tonight I will have to muck stalls, because a frozen pile of manure is a bugger to get loose. Can't let it go too long, let's put it that way. Oh and tomorrow I will use the hydrant for the first time, topping the stock tanks.
I am annoyed at my husband, he just doesn't really understand not chucking out this or that hay willy nilly. Despite their size, horses have very delicate digestive tracts and good forage management is critical to their continued health. So naturally I am now sitting here at work, worried about the mare whose owner entrusted her care to me. Argh.
To top that off, I get a phone call from the town shop. They are having a retirement get together for the shop foreman-it's his last day today. Naturally, no one thought to let me know about this until the last minute. I can't go, I have a customer supposedly coming for a septic system, plus people coming for hay. Would have been nice to have known beforehand, so I could have made arrangements in advance. It's indicative of the communication between the two places, is about all I will say about that ;)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Godspeed, Benizar Bhutto.....
It was with a heavy heart I learned about the assassination of Benizar Bhutto this morning.
I admit I follow US politics much more closely than I do world events, but Ms Bhutto left a mark upon me, many years ago. Back then, when the media first became aware of her platform and I saw video coverage of a couple of her speeches....I was very impressed with this brave woman who stood up to opposition with such fervor and resolve. Of course, I was not really familiar with the politics of the time-it's just that she represented (to me) an independent woman, someone to be admired and respected. I thought she was very courageous to speak up against oppression and her passion to make great changes in Pakistan remarkable.
Naturally, as is the way of man, she became a target. Men feared her spirit, her capacity to unify and to challenge beliefs, customs and the government itself. A fiery speaker, this small statured woman had a great voice, and I had hoped she would lead Pakistan forward into the new century with her vision of democracy and progress.
It was not to be.
May her passing inspire others to carry on, to be brave, to speak out, to work for change.
I admit I follow US politics much more closely than I do world events, but Ms Bhutto left a mark upon me, many years ago. Back then, when the media first became aware of her platform and I saw video coverage of a couple of her speeches....I was very impressed with this brave woman who stood up to opposition with such fervor and resolve. Of course, I was not really familiar with the politics of the time-it's just that she represented (to me) an independent woman, someone to be admired and respected. I thought she was very courageous to speak up against oppression and her passion to make great changes in Pakistan remarkable.
Naturally, as is the way of man, she became a target. Men feared her spirit, her capacity to unify and to challenge beliefs, customs and the government itself. A fiery speaker, this small statured woman had a great voice, and I had hoped she would lead Pakistan forward into the new century with her vision of democracy and progress.
It was not to be.
May her passing inspire others to carry on, to be brave, to speak out, to work for change.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas wishes
Yesterday, between the wonderful meal, and the ongoing conversations, I would have be struck with the occasional off-topic thought. Such as, what am I going to do with the new horse? How am I going to get him home? Who is going to haul on the holiday? Can I even get the blasted horse trailer out of it's winter parking spot? How can I clone myself to get bedding and hay hauled home too? How are we going to hang the radiant heater? Will the tarps work to keep the winds out of that stall, or will they shred? And so on and on.....
This morning I called my friend (the one whose mare was viciously attacked by the neighbor dogs) because they have a nice new dually pickup-plus, they have borrowed my horse trailer before. They had originally offered to haul-but between the holiday stuff going on, and the husband's lingering illness, they aren't able to do this right now.
So I called back to Bluegrass Equestrian Center and had a great conversation with the owner there. Bless her heart, she offered up a heated stall, and offered to haul him for me! So I quickly called my husband, and we both agreed-heated stall is where he should go anyway. I am so thankful that Bluegrass even had the space, and certainly didn't expect an offer to haul him too, lol Of course, she is going there anyway to take her dog into the clinic, but still, how wonderful is that?? Hip hip hooray, to the owners of Bluegrass Equestrian Center!
Of course now that I have typed that out, I am thinking to myself: Self, this is stupid! You have a great one ton truck. You have a marvelous enclosed two horse slant trailer. You have a barn. You have found a heater to borrow. You have found a couple blankets....You need to bring him home!
But, we have no brake controller in the truck-and the roads are pretty icy with the new snowfall over night. And more forecast tonight as well. There was no way to get the stall rigged up to put him in, with the water line work being done, and Christmas too. All we would have been able to do is rig up tarps to help keep the winds off him, and that's about it. So I think tonight on my way home I will be dropping by Bluegrass in person-and giving my thanks to them for their generosity and willingness to help out another horse person in need :)
This morning I called my friend (the one whose mare was viciously attacked by the neighbor dogs) because they have a nice new dually pickup-plus, they have borrowed my horse trailer before. They had originally offered to haul-but between the holiday stuff going on, and the husband's lingering illness, they aren't able to do this right now.
So I called back to Bluegrass Equestrian Center and had a great conversation with the owner there. Bless her heart, she offered up a heated stall, and offered to haul him for me! So I quickly called my husband, and we both agreed-heated stall is where he should go anyway. I am so thankful that Bluegrass even had the space, and certainly didn't expect an offer to haul him too, lol Of course, she is going there anyway to take her dog into the clinic, but still, how wonderful is that?? Hip hip hooray, to the owners of Bluegrass Equestrian Center!
Of course now that I have typed that out, I am thinking to myself: Self, this is stupid! You have a great one ton truck. You have a marvelous enclosed two horse slant trailer. You have a barn. You have found a heater to borrow. You have found a couple blankets....You need to bring him home!
But, we have no brake controller in the truck-and the roads are pretty icy with the new snowfall over night. And more forecast tonight as well. There was no way to get the stall rigged up to put him in, with the water line work being done, and Christmas too. All we would have been able to do is rig up tarps to help keep the winds off him, and that's about it. So I think tonight on my way home I will be dropping by Bluegrass in person-and giving my thanks to them for their generosity and willingness to help out another horse person in need :)
Snow and more.....
Christmas was a wonderful day at our house. Friends and family, great food, and very good times. The biggest hit of the day was the Wii, which ran nonstop for eight hours, lol! All the kids were good about sharing the game, and everyone got a chance to play. Of course we are still figuring it out, but it's a given that time with that game will be highly sought after for months to come :)
And Christmas Day brought us snow showers too-it's not often we have snow on a holiday and it's presence was welcomed.
One of my personal favorite presents is a wireless camera system. I have two cameras up at the barn now, and while we are still figuring out how to set it up for what we want, it's very exciting to be able to see what goes on up there. We found out we were missing one whatsis so I can get the feed on my computor, but that's okay-we'll get it up and running some day soon.
Today is the day that we are supposed to pick up the no name gelding. But of course the snow has really put a crimp in those plans. I have to work and have a bunch of people lined up to come get hay. I expect I will be getting on the phone first thing this morning, finding someone with a controller in their truck. Of course, hub has drug his feet and the stall isn't quite ready as yet, lol And I have to track down the blanket liner and get the heater too. I actually think he will be fine, well blanketed with lots of good feed....we'll see what the vet says later today.
And Christmas Day brought us snow showers too-it's not often we have snow on a holiday and it's presence was welcomed.
One of my personal favorite presents is a wireless camera system. I have two cameras up at the barn now, and while we are still figuring out how to set it up for what we want, it's very exciting to be able to see what goes on up there. We found out we were missing one whatsis so I can get the feed on my computor, but that's okay-we'll get it up and running some day soon.
Today is the day that we are supposed to pick up the no name gelding. But of course the snow has really put a crimp in those plans. I have to work and have a bunch of people lined up to come get hay. I expect I will be getting on the phone first thing this morning, finding someone with a controller in their truck. Of course, hub has drug his feet and the stall isn't quite ready as yet, lol And I have to track down the blanket liner and get the heater too. I actually think he will be fine, well blanketed with lots of good feed....we'll see what the vet says later today.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
New things and thanks
This morning I can take satisfaction in a number of things.
First, that the excavator was able to pick his way through the frozen hardpan, to get the new water line and farm hydrant installed. Instead of the "less than a foot" of frost we all expected, there was three to four feet. As I watched Bob picking away at it, using a frost tooth (instead of a regular backhoe bucket) all I could think was, there is a good man! He was getting beat up pretty badly in the cab of the track hoe-he would extend the tooth, bring it down, apply the hydraulics for a backwards pull, and the entire machine would bang around when the frozen hard stuff gave way in small chunks. I have always held a great amount of respect for those proficient on those machines, but now I am totally impressed. It was very hard digging, and then some. The first day he only got a small length excavated, and spent hours using the frost tooth to break up the surface. Yesterday, he had to switch buckets a number of times, lengthening the trench dug.
Second, I have new found admiration for my neighbor Rick, who ended up giving up an entire day to help get the hydrant installed properly. What a wonderful guy, and we really owe them for his assistance and advice. He is the one who helped rig up the hydrant itself-including the heat trace cable, and the steel casing the hydrant is inside. He brought over some extra insulation for the hydrant itself, and his own farm tractor to use for backfilling the trench. If it wasn't for his experience in installing his own hydrants.....well, I am sure we wouldn't have done as well.
Third, I have to hand it to my husband for thinking of everything...the insulation, the heat trace, the (expensive!) electrical splice kit that of course we ended up needing, plus the extra cable-the whole works. It was an all day long project and went on well after dark. All this so I won't have to deal with 400 foot of hoses all winter long, lol
I am very grateful for the new hydrant, despite whatever the cost might be. Now, it is done properly and should last for years to come. In addition, it's over 60 foot closer to the stock tanks, which means I won't need to lay out hoses over the drive area any longer. And, I can use one hose-not 150 foot-a real improvement. In retrospect we should have installed it up there to begin with, but that's okay, it worked out in the end.
First, that the excavator was able to pick his way through the frozen hardpan, to get the new water line and farm hydrant installed. Instead of the "less than a foot" of frost we all expected, there was three to four feet. As I watched Bob picking away at it, using a frost tooth (instead of a regular backhoe bucket) all I could think was, there is a good man! He was getting beat up pretty badly in the cab of the track hoe-he would extend the tooth, bring it down, apply the hydraulics for a backwards pull, and the entire machine would bang around when the frozen hard stuff gave way in small chunks. I have always held a great amount of respect for those proficient on those machines, but now I am totally impressed. It was very hard digging, and then some. The first day he only got a small length excavated, and spent hours using the frost tooth to break up the surface. Yesterday, he had to switch buckets a number of times, lengthening the trench dug.
Second, I have new found admiration for my neighbor Rick, who ended up giving up an entire day to help get the hydrant installed properly. What a wonderful guy, and we really owe them for his assistance and advice. He is the one who helped rig up the hydrant itself-including the heat trace cable, and the steel casing the hydrant is inside. He brought over some extra insulation for the hydrant itself, and his own farm tractor to use for backfilling the trench. If it wasn't for his experience in installing his own hydrants.....well, I am sure we wouldn't have done as well.
Third, I have to hand it to my husband for thinking of everything...the insulation, the heat trace, the (expensive!) electrical splice kit that of course we ended up needing, plus the extra cable-the whole works. It was an all day long project and went on well after dark. All this so I won't have to deal with 400 foot of hoses all winter long, lol
I am very grateful for the new hydrant, despite whatever the cost might be. Now, it is done properly and should last for years to come. In addition, it's over 60 foot closer to the stock tanks, which means I won't need to lay out hoses over the drive area any longer. And, I can use one hose-not 150 foot-a real improvement. In retrospect we should have installed it up there to begin with, but that's okay, it worked out in the end.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The news is good.....but now the work begins
I was absolutely thrilled to get a phone call from the vet late yesterday afternoon. Here's the current condition:
No liver or kidney damage at all. His teeth have been floated. He shows a pretty good load of strongyles so they will go ahead and worm him there-where any ill effects can be handled. Other than that, he is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping with gusto. The swelling is starting to recede in the groin area already-possibly due to the fact that he is certainly stall walking. The vet felt that the remaning swelling would resolve on it's own, given enough exercise. Everyone I ask at the clinic has a giggle in their voice when they describe "cute, sweet, and boy howdy is he talkative!" Great personality is what I am hearing, very responsive-yay!
We then discussed future accomodations for him. I described buttoning up one stall and hanging the radiant heater above, coupled with lots of bedding, a good quality blanket, and an insulated stall bucket for water. The vet felt that was perfectly acceptable for him, with turn out above about 15 or 20 degrees if blanketed. (He will have to stay blanketed for the winter, pretty much) the only thing I didn't know, was what size blanket he really wears, lol! I left two there, and I have no idea which one got on him. Today, if it slows down enough at work (which it should, given the -16F temps this morning) I plan on running in to see him myself.
The other bit of good news is that the vet does not think he even needs a mash.....just lots and lots of good quality hay, a bit of something to balance cal/phos. ratio, V/M sup, probiotic, and a small amount of concentrates. They are also going to attempt to age him, after I related his stated age on the papers that came with him. In his dirty, starved condition, there is no knowing what his true color is-the survival coat is dull and a rather uniform greyish white color. If they can place him somewhere around what he's supposed to be, that's close enough for me.
Building that stall front will have to wait until the temps come up some. On Friday the excavator is supposed to arrive to do the new water line and hydrant. So I don't imagine anything will get built then, but one can always hope...I would love to have him home for the weekend.
No liver or kidney damage at all. His teeth have been floated. He shows a pretty good load of strongyles so they will go ahead and worm him there-where any ill effects can be handled. Other than that, he is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping with gusto. The swelling is starting to recede in the groin area already-possibly due to the fact that he is certainly stall walking. The vet felt that the remaning swelling would resolve on it's own, given enough exercise. Everyone I ask at the clinic has a giggle in their voice when they describe "cute, sweet, and boy howdy is he talkative!" Great personality is what I am hearing, very responsive-yay!
We then discussed future accomodations for him. I described buttoning up one stall and hanging the radiant heater above, coupled with lots of bedding, a good quality blanket, and an insulated stall bucket for water. The vet felt that was perfectly acceptable for him, with turn out above about 15 or 20 degrees if blanketed. (He will have to stay blanketed for the winter, pretty much) the only thing I didn't know, was what size blanket he really wears, lol! I left two there, and I have no idea which one got on him. Today, if it slows down enough at work (which it should, given the -16F temps this morning) I plan on running in to see him myself.
The other bit of good news is that the vet does not think he even needs a mash.....just lots and lots of good quality hay, a bit of something to balance cal/phos. ratio, V/M sup, probiotic, and a small amount of concentrates. They are also going to attempt to age him, after I related his stated age on the papers that came with him. In his dirty, starved condition, there is no knowing what his true color is-the survival coat is dull and a rather uniform greyish white color. If they can place him somewhere around what he's supposed to be, that's close enough for me.
Building that stall front will have to wait until the temps come up some. On Friday the excavator is supposed to arrive to do the new water line and hydrant. So I don't imagine anything will get built then, but one can always hope...I would love to have him home for the weekend.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Tuesday update :)
The first word on the geldings condition is this:
He does not have any ongoing issues with kidney or liver function (Hooray!!!!)
He desperately needs his teeth floated, they are terrible
They are also going to run a fecal, to check for parasite load
The prescription is:
At least one month in a heated situation. And the right recovery diet of course.
I can't even go there on how I am going to manage that....either I have to pay big board at a facility that can't handle his mashes, bring him home and stuff him in my garage, or find someone willing to help out who has space.
I won't count on any further help from most people, now that the immediate needs have been met. And I don't even want to ask what keeping him at the clinic for a month would cost either.....
Open to suggestions, of course!
He does not have any ongoing issues with kidney or liver function (Hooray!!!!)
He desperately needs his teeth floated, they are terrible
They are also going to run a fecal, to check for parasite load
The prescription is:
At least one month in a heated situation. And the right recovery diet of course.
I can't even go there on how I am going to manage that....either I have to pay big board at a facility that can't handle his mashes, bring him home and stuff him in my garage, or find someone willing to help out who has space.
I won't count on any further help from most people, now that the immediate needs have been met. And I don't even want to ask what keeping him at the clinic for a month would cost either.....
Open to suggestions, of course!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Heckuva 30 hours here......
So much has transpired in the past 30 hours, I hardly know where to begin.....
As of the last post, things sounded very grim for the two horses. The gelding was showing a monstrous swelling in the groin area, for one, and the mare had become rather unresponsive. I was pretty well stressed out, and first thing this morning I started making phone calls.
Three phone calls later I had determined that the mare was possibly colicking, or had developing circulation issues, and was severely dehydrated. The gelding was perky, eating, and he had drunnk some apple flavored water in the late evening-but had not managed to urinate.
A few hours later, after a number of other calls, I thought that AER was getting a vet out and that I would be billed for having him checked over. At this time, the vet at the clinic said that they needed a heated faciltity asap. And I was stuck at work, of course. Which turned out to be rather more of a busy Monday than I bargained for, but that's beside the point.
At about 1pm I learned that the vet wouldn't go see them until the owner called. The owner, in this case, being me. So I called, and got that started, sort of. Next call was to the gal that owned the mare (and who had orginally rescued them in the first place) to tell her she had to make two calls....one to AER to gift the mare, and secondly to call the clinic and get vet out, period. An hour os so later I managed to peice together that a vet would be there around 4 pm, and so would AER, with trailer.
Whew.
I waited and worried until around 5, when I finally broke down and started calling again. The mare was loaded up and taken to an AER foster home, which has space (heated!) for one. The gelding is now (as of six pm) at the clinic for the next couple of days, and blood has been drawn to check liver and kidney function. I won't know the results until tomorrow of course.
All I have heard, second and third hand, is that the gelding has points (needs float), vet put him at a CS 3, and that I needn't worry about the accumulation of fluids in the groin and legs, it's due to protien levels in his system.
IF the blood panel shows nothing severely out of whack, AND the vet says okay, in theory he could come home in a couple days ( as soon as the weather breaks here). I can get him double blanketed, and I can manage a 4 times a day mash for the next ten days, and then three times a day afterwards-bless my staunch friends' big heart to feed a mash during the day while I am at work.
In the midst of this, I got all sorts of flack from my husband, and others, about the money, the time, and whatnot....and you know what I say to that?
Merry Christmas to me-
Whether he's euthanized or not, he deserves better than he's had, and that's that.
As of the last post, things sounded very grim for the two horses. The gelding was showing a monstrous swelling in the groin area, for one, and the mare had become rather unresponsive. I was pretty well stressed out, and first thing this morning I started making phone calls.
Three phone calls later I had determined that the mare was possibly colicking, or had developing circulation issues, and was severely dehydrated. The gelding was perky, eating, and he had drunnk some apple flavored water in the late evening-but had not managed to urinate.
A few hours later, after a number of other calls, I thought that AER was getting a vet out and that I would be billed for having him checked over. At this time, the vet at the clinic said that they needed a heated faciltity asap. And I was stuck at work, of course. Which turned out to be rather more of a busy Monday than I bargained for, but that's beside the point.
At about 1pm I learned that the vet wouldn't go see them until the owner called. The owner, in this case, being me. So I called, and got that started, sort of. Next call was to the gal that owned the mare (and who had orginally rescued them in the first place) to tell her she had to make two calls....one to AER to gift the mare, and secondly to call the clinic and get vet out, period. An hour os so later I managed to peice together that a vet would be there around 4 pm, and so would AER, with trailer.
Whew.
I waited and worried until around 5, when I finally broke down and started calling again. The mare was loaded up and taken to an AER foster home, which has space (heated!) for one. The gelding is now (as of six pm) at the clinic for the next couple of days, and blood has been drawn to check liver and kidney function. I won't know the results until tomorrow of course.
All I have heard, second and third hand, is that the gelding has points (needs float), vet put him at a CS 3, and that I needn't worry about the accumulation of fluids in the groin and legs, it's due to protien levels in his system.
IF the blood panel shows nothing severely out of whack, AND the vet says okay, in theory he could come home in a couple days ( as soon as the weather breaks here). I can get him double blanketed, and I can manage a 4 times a day mash for the next ten days, and then three times a day afterwards-bless my staunch friends' big heart to feed a mash during the day while I am at work.
In the midst of this, I got all sorts of flack from my husband, and others, about the money, the time, and whatnot....and you know what I say to that?
Merry Christmas to me-
Whether he's euthanized or not, he deserves better than he's had, and that's that.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Aww, shit.....
Looks like the little guy has started into kidney failure :( Someone who is quite experienced went over to see the mare today. I just got off the phone with her, and here's what we think is happening....based on what she observed and I see in the pictures just emailed to me.
He is in organ failure. He is very swollen in the sheath, but was able to pass some thick, gooney urine earlier today (0bserved), but is straining both to stretch, and urinate. I could make an emergency call this afternoon, but I am 65 miles away. I know from experience that they are going to want him at the clinic to treat with antibiotics, and hydrate him with Ringers. It's a catch 22 because they can't push the fluids very fast or his heart will stop. They can't really aggressively treat the urinary problem (IF its a UTI, which is unlikely) because the antibiotics are going to be deadly too.
The gal is running over some salt, and bringing a stock tank heater. She is going to insist that the two horses get a stock tank, salt the heck out of the gelding AND the mare too, and after that, all we can do is pray they make it through the next 24 hours.
It's unlikely. I knew the moment I was told he had "a swelling down by his sheath".....UTI, organ failure, leaky gut...all are fatal in his condition. The mare is not far behind him, and unbeknown to me, he's been hogging most of the mashes. More toxins he can't flush.
He isn't even steady enough to haul to a clinic, to toss several grand at the practise.
All this, while a FAT and HEALTHY very fugly stud horse, occupies the insulated barn and best paddock.
I hate people sometimes.
He is in organ failure. He is very swollen in the sheath, but was able to pass some thick, gooney urine earlier today (0bserved), but is straining both to stretch, and urinate. I could make an emergency call this afternoon, but I am 65 miles away. I know from experience that they are going to want him at the clinic to treat with antibiotics, and hydrate him with Ringers. It's a catch 22 because they can't push the fluids very fast or his heart will stop. They can't really aggressively treat the urinary problem (IF its a UTI, which is unlikely) because the antibiotics are going to be deadly too.
The gal is running over some salt, and bringing a stock tank heater. She is going to insist that the two horses get a stock tank, salt the heck out of the gelding AND the mare too, and after that, all we can do is pray they make it through the next 24 hours.
It's unlikely. I knew the moment I was told he had "a swelling down by his sheath".....UTI, organ failure, leaky gut...all are fatal in his condition. The mare is not far behind him, and unbeknown to me, he's been hogging most of the mashes. More toxins he can't flush.
He isn't even steady enough to haul to a clinic, to toss several grand at the practise.
All this, while a FAT and HEALTHY very fugly stud horse, occupies the insulated barn and best paddock.
I hate people sometimes.
What plan was that?
Me and my big mouth, I knew I shouldn't have said anything, ha!
No we didn't get the horse yesterday. Too cold, too icy where they are, and its going to drop off vary cold here for the next couple of days. It's zero at my house right now, with winds forecast later on today.
So intead, I scrounged up a couple blankets, loaded a couple bales of that "gourmet hay" into the back of the Vue, and headed to the feed store. There, I met up with another gal who does some private recovery (like many of us do) and she gave me some of the really good probiotic by Equerry to take in-and I picked up beet pulp and more Delta hay pellets.
I was disheartened to see them again in person. They are both just as bad as I remember, if not worse. The mare had on a poorly adjusted blanket, and it just hung off of her bones. The gelding looked about the same, so no significant improvement in a weeks' time for either. We went inside and I laid out a diet plan for them both, which included making bigger mashes and beginning feeding the good hay. I had her start out with just a pound of the good hay a feeding, and increasing by half a pound every day until they are getting at least 5 pounds each a feeding of the good stuff. And to continue to make sure they have the crappy round bale hay of course.
And I scoped out a way to get a horse trailer in and out safely and where it could be parked for loading. I left, wishing the road conditions were better.
This morning I get a call, and from there, spoke to someone else who also does recovery, and who doesn't live far from where the horses are now, on the Lower Hillside in Anchorage. Over an hour on the phone between three calls, and I am very very hopeful that the mare has a new home, and that the gelding gets a ride out here from Anchorage in the next couple of days.
Keep your fingers crossed, everyone!
No we didn't get the horse yesterday. Too cold, too icy where they are, and its going to drop off vary cold here for the next couple of days. It's zero at my house right now, with winds forecast later on today.
So intead, I scrounged up a couple blankets, loaded a couple bales of that "gourmet hay" into the back of the Vue, and headed to the feed store. There, I met up with another gal who does some private recovery (like many of us do) and she gave me some of the really good probiotic by Equerry to take in-and I picked up beet pulp and more Delta hay pellets.
I was disheartened to see them again in person. They are both just as bad as I remember, if not worse. The mare had on a poorly adjusted blanket, and it just hung off of her bones. The gelding looked about the same, so no significant improvement in a weeks' time for either. We went inside and I laid out a diet plan for them both, which included making bigger mashes and beginning feeding the good hay. I had her start out with just a pound of the good hay a feeding, and increasing by half a pound every day until they are getting at least 5 pounds each a feeding of the good stuff. And to continue to make sure they have the crappy round bale hay of course.
And I scoped out a way to get a horse trailer in and out safely and where it could be parked for loading. I left, wishing the road conditions were better.
This morning I get a call, and from there, spoke to someone else who also does recovery, and who doesn't live far from where the horses are now, on the Lower Hillside in Anchorage. Over an hour on the phone between three calls, and I am very very hopeful that the mare has a new home, and that the gelding gets a ride out here from Anchorage in the next couple of days.
Keep your fingers crossed, everyone!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Well, we have a plan.....
The plan is, tomorrow morning we will work on getting my horse trailer out of it's winter parking spot. We'll check the air in the tires and whatnot, add a bunch of shavings into it, toss in extra halter, lead and flat cotton lunge line. I think I will also add a few goodies for enticements, just in case "No Name" is hesitant. I need to remember to grab some sand too.
Then I will call my wonderful friends/neighbors to let them know we are good to go. They'll come over with thier hefty Dodge Dually and hook up, and I will lead the way into town. Once we get close, I will have them park, and I will drive up and check the road conditions and how much space there is for turning around. It may turn out that we need to walk him down and out to the trailer, we aren't sure. It's kind of a sticky spot, with one side of the property laying along a drop off, one tiny drive up top, and a slightly larger one down below. The issue is, how icy are the paved streets back there? Will be calling for a check on that this evening, but if we are real lucky, they won't be too bad.
My stomach is a mess already, winter hauling just wigs me out. Probably because I don't do it often enough to get even partway comfortable. But, I have a good trailer, it's a great newer truck and the driver has a CDL, just like I do. Naturally I will have sprouted a few new grey hairs by the time we get back home! It's about a 135 mile round trip, roughly, but thankfully we have not had any recent snow, and while the roads are glazed a bit, they aren't sheet ice for the most part.
More tomorrow......
Then I will call my wonderful friends/neighbors to let them know we are good to go. They'll come over with thier hefty Dodge Dually and hook up, and I will lead the way into town. Once we get close, I will have them park, and I will drive up and check the road conditions and how much space there is for turning around. It may turn out that we need to walk him down and out to the trailer, we aren't sure. It's kind of a sticky spot, with one side of the property laying along a drop off, one tiny drive up top, and a slightly larger one down below. The issue is, how icy are the paved streets back there? Will be calling for a check on that this evening, but if we are real lucky, they won't be too bad.
My stomach is a mess already, winter hauling just wigs me out. Probably because I don't do it often enough to get even partway comfortable. But, I have a good trailer, it's a great newer truck and the driver has a CDL, just like I do. Naturally I will have sprouted a few new grey hairs by the time we get back home! It's about a 135 mile round trip, roughly, but thankfully we have not had any recent snow, and while the roads are glazed a bit, they aren't sheet ice for the most part.
More tomorrow......
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.....
Someplace else, please!
Yesterday I had sleet, freezing rain, and then snow before I left for work. Snowed all day here, we ended up with about four inches here at work. At home, more like five. It's extremely wet and heavy stuff, so I am not confident about using the brand new wheeler with brand new blade that's tucked safely in the garage. Even though it's a much bigger machine than our old wheeler, it is still not a pickup with a blade. So today I am going to try to find someone to plow out the place-of course, everybody else needs plowing out too-including myself here at work. I am dead in the water here until the yard and culdesac is cleared out. Also on my list is to find someone to get the chain back on the one side of the forklift-it spun halfways off on Monday when I was loading a tank.
Goes without saying the plowing needs to be done before the truck and trailer arrives with the horse this weekend, and here at work before I can use the forklift to unload hay out of the van which arrived yesterday afternoon too.
Oh well, if I didn't have these challenges, life would sure be boring! It's the speed bumps on the road of life which lets us know we've been somewhere ;)
Yesterday I had sleet, freezing rain, and then snow before I left for work. Snowed all day here, we ended up with about four inches here at work. At home, more like five. It's extremely wet and heavy stuff, so I am not confident about using the brand new wheeler with brand new blade that's tucked safely in the garage. Even though it's a much bigger machine than our old wheeler, it is still not a pickup with a blade. So today I am going to try to find someone to plow out the place-of course, everybody else needs plowing out too-including myself here at work. I am dead in the water here until the yard and culdesac is cleared out. Also on my list is to find someone to get the chain back on the one side of the forklift-it spun halfways off on Monday when I was loading a tank.
Goes without saying the plowing needs to be done before the truck and trailer arrives with the horse this weekend, and here at work before I can use the forklift to unload hay out of the van which arrived yesterday afternoon too.
Oh well, if I didn't have these challenges, life would sure be boring! It's the speed bumps on the road of life which lets us know we've been somewhere ;)
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The new horse
Here's a picture. It does not accurately convey his true condition, due to crappy lighting when the picture was taken.
He may look tubby, but it's really a wormy belly. Without even putting hands on him, I know that he is about a condition score 2.5.
This means planning out his diet very carefully, and weighing everything to the ounce. His feet have not been attended to in quite some time, so that will be on the short list for "get done right away" He is so long in the toe on the hinds, it's a wonder he can walk at all. His entire spine sticks up an inch or better, and he is what we call "tented" over hips and croup-meaning, he has been burning muscle for quite some time, poor thing.
He's actually 7, not six, and I found a picture in his paperwork that shows him being ridden in a round pen with a teenager up. This is promising, but who knows how he's been handled and used or abused. It really doesn't matter, he's hungry, and I can fix that right up.
Now if road conditions would just co-operate so I can get him home this weekend......
Sunday, December 9, 2007
H2O, oh my!
Things just keep getting difficult.
Arrived home Friday night, determined to run out the 350 foot of hoses needed to top the stock tanks. Of course, it took 20 minutes to untangle them. I asked my son to hook two of the hoses together, in prep for taking them out of the garage and hooking up. He promptly cross threaded them, and I about blew a gasket, poor guy. My hands were pretty sore from work, and I could not get it unseated. In utter frustration I gave up on that, and simply bucketed water from one tank into the other for the evening.
The next morning I managed to get them apart and I got both tanks filled to the brim. It's a bit of a struggle draining them, coiling them back up, and into the garage, but doable because we have bascially no snow yet this winter.
So, I am inside having lunch and my excavating contractor buddy calls, do I have time to show him what I need done? Ayep, no problem. So he shows up and we go over what needs to be done up there. And then my neighbor shows up with the replacement hydrant, and a length of steel pipe to set it in too. So the two guys get to talking, and now here is the game plan:
They are going to trench from the old hydrant over to the barn (almost 70 foot) and put the new hydrant right at the barn itself, just outside the roof area in front of one post. My excavator is going to get me a good deal on new copper water line as well as heat trace cable to lay the length of the trench. My neighbor is bringing over an old round bale and they are stuffing that into the trench too, under the blue board I need to get to go on top....four inches worth (I need 12 pcs. 8 foot long, ouch!) They will bucket over some of that pit run gravel I have underneath the old one, to under the new one, for additional drainage. Neighbor even offered to come over and do all the hooks up and whatnot, to make sure I never have to deal with NO WATER in the winter months again.
This plan does a couple really handy things....first, no hoses strung out over the parking and driving area in the summer. With it being so close, this means I can go from 150 foot of hose, to about 75 for watering...don't think I can quite make it with a 50 footer, it would be very close though, back to Sully's tank.
I am going to owe my neighbor big time over this, he's been wonderful!! He even has plans to come add some more receptacles to the barn, on the opposite side too, woot woot!
With luck, this will all be done by next weekend, when the new horse arrives :)
Arrived home Friday night, determined to run out the 350 foot of hoses needed to top the stock tanks. Of course, it took 20 minutes to untangle them. I asked my son to hook two of the hoses together, in prep for taking them out of the garage and hooking up. He promptly cross threaded them, and I about blew a gasket, poor guy. My hands were pretty sore from work, and I could not get it unseated. In utter frustration I gave up on that, and simply bucketed water from one tank into the other for the evening.
The next morning I managed to get them apart and I got both tanks filled to the brim. It's a bit of a struggle draining them, coiling them back up, and into the garage, but doable because we have bascially no snow yet this winter.
So, I am inside having lunch and my excavating contractor buddy calls, do I have time to show him what I need done? Ayep, no problem. So he shows up and we go over what needs to be done up there. And then my neighbor shows up with the replacement hydrant, and a length of steel pipe to set it in too. So the two guys get to talking, and now here is the game plan:
They are going to trench from the old hydrant over to the barn (almost 70 foot) and put the new hydrant right at the barn itself, just outside the roof area in front of one post. My excavator is going to get me a good deal on new copper water line as well as heat trace cable to lay the length of the trench. My neighbor is bringing over an old round bale and they are stuffing that into the trench too, under the blue board I need to get to go on top....four inches worth (I need 12 pcs. 8 foot long, ouch!) They will bucket over some of that pit run gravel I have underneath the old one, to under the new one, for additional drainage. Neighbor even offered to come over and do all the hooks up and whatnot, to make sure I never have to deal with NO WATER in the winter months again.
This plan does a couple really handy things....first, no hoses strung out over the parking and driving area in the summer. With it being so close, this means I can go from 150 foot of hose, to about 75 for watering...don't think I can quite make it with a 50 footer, it would be very close though, back to Sully's tank.
I am going to owe my neighbor big time over this, he's been wonderful!! He even has plans to come add some more receptacles to the barn, on the opposite side too, woot woot!
With luck, this will all be done by next weekend, when the new horse arrives :)
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Busy busy!
Been a hectic few days around these parts.....I have acquired a new horse which I have not seen in person. A good friends' horse was mauled by dogs and may not survive, or ever be sound. The big wind storm took out my hay tent, along with some trees. My farm hydrant is still down for the count. And I am back at work by myself for the winter months.
I'll just start by explaining how the horse came to be.
On Monday night, pretty late, I happened to check a local Yahoo! group, and quickly scanned the posts there. One that caught my eye was a plea to place a couple of horses rescued. Included were one sentence descriptions on the two, and a brief recount of the rescue. I responded, asking the poster to call me the next morning. As I tried to sleep that night, I reminded myself that rescue should not be just what I talk about, it should be what I *do*.
So the next morning I get the call, and a lengthy conversation ensues. The story goes like this: The gal has seen an ad on Craigslist for a horse trailer. The ad mentioned two horses, as an afterthought. She got a buddy to come along for the drive, and hoped to cut a good deal on a project trailer she could work on fixing up over the winter. Upon arrival, she saw the two horses without water and no hay anywhere. The trailer was pretty much what she was looking for, but the horses needed immediate help-they were in very poor condition. She managed to cut a deal for the package, using rent money to save the horses. (Hey, I would have done the same thing)
With a lot of time and effort, she managed to get the horses hauled into Anchorage, where they remain at this time. There was a mare and a gelding. Mare is somewhere in the mid teens, gelding 6 and registered. She described her ordeal to me, and I just said I would buy the gelding, sight unseen. Further conversation revealed that I had actually spoken to the owner about the horses sometime back in August (I think?) and I had gotten such a twang on my antenna I wasn't comfortable going out there by myself.
Later that day I got photos emailed, and my heart about broke in two. The mare is about a condition score two-which is very serious. The gelding is slightly better, about a 3 on the Henneke scale, although if I had my hands on him, I would be more accurate. The owner literally thought that the horses were in fine shape (!!!) and perfectly healthy. (Yeah well just because they are on their feet, don't make it that way!) They have probably not seen a farrier in almost a year, from the looks of things. The two gals doing the rescuing went ahead and wormed them-something I would not have done myself for a number of weeks-but they seem to have survived that okay.
So there you go, I now have a 6 yo Appaloosa gelding, lineage unkown, training unknown, who is somewhere around 14.3 hands......
I'll just start by explaining how the horse came to be.
On Monday night, pretty late, I happened to check a local Yahoo! group, and quickly scanned the posts there. One that caught my eye was a plea to place a couple of horses rescued. Included were one sentence descriptions on the two, and a brief recount of the rescue. I responded, asking the poster to call me the next morning. As I tried to sleep that night, I reminded myself that rescue should not be just what I talk about, it should be what I *do*.
So the next morning I get the call, and a lengthy conversation ensues. The story goes like this: The gal has seen an ad on Craigslist for a horse trailer. The ad mentioned two horses, as an afterthought. She got a buddy to come along for the drive, and hoped to cut a good deal on a project trailer she could work on fixing up over the winter. Upon arrival, she saw the two horses without water and no hay anywhere. The trailer was pretty much what she was looking for, but the horses needed immediate help-they were in very poor condition. She managed to cut a deal for the package, using rent money to save the horses. (Hey, I would have done the same thing)
With a lot of time and effort, she managed to get the horses hauled into Anchorage, where they remain at this time. There was a mare and a gelding. Mare is somewhere in the mid teens, gelding 6 and registered. She described her ordeal to me, and I just said I would buy the gelding, sight unseen. Further conversation revealed that I had actually spoken to the owner about the horses sometime back in August (I think?) and I had gotten such a twang on my antenna I wasn't comfortable going out there by myself.
Later that day I got photos emailed, and my heart about broke in two. The mare is about a condition score two-which is very serious. The gelding is slightly better, about a 3 on the Henneke scale, although if I had my hands on him, I would be more accurate. The owner literally thought that the horses were in fine shape (!!!) and perfectly healthy. (Yeah well just because they are on their feet, don't make it that way!) They have probably not seen a farrier in almost a year, from the looks of things. The two gals doing the rescuing went ahead and wormed them-something I would not have done myself for a number of weeks-but they seem to have survived that okay.
So there you go, I now have a 6 yo Appaloosa gelding, lineage unkown, training unknown, who is somewhere around 14.3 hands......
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Water revisited
After some struggle dragging out 350 foot of hoses, I did manage to top the stock tanks before dark yesterday afternoon.
Along about midday, a contractor friend came over to take a looksee. This guy has installed a number of these over the years, and had a hunch what the issue right away. So, a few trips to the house for tools later, the head part was off the hydrant.
Once it was exposed it was easy to see what the problem is. There is a small crack on the head itself (which is generally no big deal, just a hairline on the cast iron) that leaked, which has created a lot of rust between the draw pipe, and the exterior pipe. Now these two pipes are a very tight dry fit anyway-but it's totally gummed completely around the diameter. We sprayed some WD 40 on it, and then attempted to rotate the head after reassembly-which would break the works loose, in theory. Of course it won't move at all.
The contractor is pretty sure that the O rings are shot on the bottom of the thing, at the valve. Since we need to pull it anyway to clean off the rust and crud, these should be replaced. Of course, just getting it loose is the trouble....in speaking with my hub last night, he said he had some penetrating oil that I should apply a few times today. It's his opinion that the oil will do the trick...so once it gets to be light out, I will be applying that.
On Monday my friend will be back to see what he can get repaired. If we can't get it loose, then we will have to dig the blasted thing up. If I have to go that route, I am getting a different type altogether, one less complicated and easier to maintain if needed.
In the meantime, all the hoses are in the garage in a huge tangled pile, and the horses DO have water.....
Along about midday, a contractor friend came over to take a looksee. This guy has installed a number of these over the years, and had a hunch what the issue right away. So, a few trips to the house for tools later, the head part was off the hydrant.
Once it was exposed it was easy to see what the problem is. There is a small crack on the head itself (which is generally no big deal, just a hairline on the cast iron) that leaked, which has created a lot of rust between the draw pipe, and the exterior pipe. Now these two pipes are a very tight dry fit anyway-but it's totally gummed completely around the diameter. We sprayed some WD 40 on it, and then attempted to rotate the head after reassembly-which would break the works loose, in theory. Of course it won't move at all.
The contractor is pretty sure that the O rings are shot on the bottom of the thing, at the valve. Since we need to pull it anyway to clean off the rust and crud, these should be replaced. Of course, just getting it loose is the trouble....in speaking with my hub last night, he said he had some penetrating oil that I should apply a few times today. It's his opinion that the oil will do the trick...so once it gets to be light out, I will be applying that.
On Monday my friend will be back to see what he can get repaired. If we can't get it loose, then we will have to dig the blasted thing up. If I have to go that route, I am getting a different type altogether, one less complicated and easier to maintain if needed.
In the meantime, all the hoses are in the garage in a huge tangled pile, and the horses DO have water.....
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Water woes
This is not the time of the year to be having issues with providing water for horses.
My own horse drinks less in the winter months as a rule, preferring water slightly warmer than the stock tank heater temperatures. One slight brush with a possible impaction years ago, and I watch his consumption like a hawk. Yet, now that his dental condition has been remedied, the amount he drinks (without additional salt) is greater than previously. So it leads me to conclude that his mouth was sore enough to cause discomfort-which led to the tummy ache. And too, I have switched from a vitamin supplement that was pellet based, to one that is salt based-that probably helps also.
The above is just background on horse keeping, really. But I know, from having horses up here for over two decades, that water management is critical to healthy horses. Nothing, absolutely nothing, stresses me out more than water, the lack of it.
To that end, we put in (at considerable expense) a farm hydrant up near the barn. Those of you not familiar with them, they work like this: You pull up the handle, and that opens a valve at the bottom of the contraption, which allows the water to flow. This particular line is nearly 300 foot long, buried at least 12 foot down. Even just two years ago, the one inch copper was pretty expensive-the hydrant wasn't bad (just $150) but the excavating? Ha! Anyhow, I was thrilled to have it that summer. I used it nearly every day between the stock tanks and the small garden and greenhouse I have up there at the barn area. The hydrant itself was wrapped in heat trace tape, and then pipe insulation. When you turn the water off, it drains back and underground-ours is about 12 foot deep.
The first part of the first winter, everything went well. Then, it seemed to be frozen. So I would turn on the heat trace, and sometimes it would take 12 hours for it to "thaw" enough to get water from it. Naturally this caused me all sorts of worry and distress, to put it mildly. Eventually, in about March, it got to the point I was adding a space heater, to help get the valve to open. This continued until almost June when it finally warmed up enough to open without a big fuss.
Naturally we did not want to go through this again, so late this summer I had an excavator friend come out and we dug it up, again. Now keeping in mind I was working, I wasn't able to be there to provide any input...but we put an entire load of washed septic rock down below for the valve to drain into. (It turned out that there wasn't enough rock down below, just clay-that clay essentially turned into slurry at first, and then was "baked" into place with the heat trace-not allowing the thing to move freely) In addition, there is four inches of rigid insulation about four feet down-to help shed the frost away from the hydrant. They did not, of course, place the thing inside a six inch pipe like I had asked. If you do so, you can drop a light bulb down them to thaw them out if needed.
About a month ago, it started to become difficult to open the handle. Now, it can't be opened at all. I happened to find the one piece of paper that came with the hydrant, and the other day I went to talk to the folks that sold it. They, of course, don't sell that kind any longer, and really couldn't help me out. From there I went to my neighbor's work, and talked to him about it. He's a real handy guy, and I know they have three hydrants on their own farm. We spent some time going over what we'd done, and how the thing works, and came up with two or three obvious possibilities. 1. The valve down below is plugged with muck. 2. Material has worked in between the plastic draw pipe and steel outer pipe. 3. Something has compromised the packing or whatever, at the connection between the collar and the handle.
The blasted thing only has to move about a half inch or so to open. So my neighbor came over in daylight and quickly ruled out the thing being plugged down below-you can literally blow hard on them-and if they are stuck, the air will come right back-which it didn't. So that part is good. Then we tried plugging in the heat trace, which promptly blew the breaker on the cord.
He suggested I get a different cord, and try that to see if it's the cord breaker, or the barn, or the heat trace tape itself. So yesterday I bought another heavy duty cold temp 100 foot cord, and wouldn't you know it, the blasted breaker on the receptacle popped immediately. This means the heat trace tape is no good. Our logic tells us the blasted thing isn't frozen anyhow, as there is no water in it. It can only be the valve at the bottom which is gummed up, OR something at the top part, where the handle is.
Today I am calling him to let him know about the cord, and see what he says. In the mean time, I have been bucketing water between tanks, and today I MUST top them.
So I am sitting here debating whether or not to drag out all the hoses we have put up for the winter, which are buried in our conx container, or haul using buckets with trash bags inside.
I think I will opt for the hoses. And pray that the frost free tap on the barn side of the house works!
My own horse drinks less in the winter months as a rule, preferring water slightly warmer than the stock tank heater temperatures. One slight brush with a possible impaction years ago, and I watch his consumption like a hawk. Yet, now that his dental condition has been remedied, the amount he drinks (without additional salt) is greater than previously. So it leads me to conclude that his mouth was sore enough to cause discomfort-which led to the tummy ache. And too, I have switched from a vitamin supplement that was pellet based, to one that is salt based-that probably helps also.
The above is just background on horse keeping, really. But I know, from having horses up here for over two decades, that water management is critical to healthy horses. Nothing, absolutely nothing, stresses me out more than water, the lack of it.
To that end, we put in (at considerable expense) a farm hydrant up near the barn. Those of you not familiar with them, they work like this: You pull up the handle, and that opens a valve at the bottom of the contraption, which allows the water to flow. This particular line is nearly 300 foot long, buried at least 12 foot down. Even just two years ago, the one inch copper was pretty expensive-the hydrant wasn't bad (just $150) but the excavating? Ha! Anyhow, I was thrilled to have it that summer. I used it nearly every day between the stock tanks and the small garden and greenhouse I have up there at the barn area. The hydrant itself was wrapped in heat trace tape, and then pipe insulation. When you turn the water off, it drains back and underground-ours is about 12 foot deep.
The first part of the first winter, everything went well. Then, it seemed to be frozen. So I would turn on the heat trace, and sometimes it would take 12 hours for it to "thaw" enough to get water from it. Naturally this caused me all sorts of worry and distress, to put it mildly. Eventually, in about March, it got to the point I was adding a space heater, to help get the valve to open. This continued until almost June when it finally warmed up enough to open without a big fuss.
Naturally we did not want to go through this again, so late this summer I had an excavator friend come out and we dug it up, again. Now keeping in mind I was working, I wasn't able to be there to provide any input...but we put an entire load of washed septic rock down below for the valve to drain into. (It turned out that there wasn't enough rock down below, just clay-that clay essentially turned into slurry at first, and then was "baked" into place with the heat trace-not allowing the thing to move freely) In addition, there is four inches of rigid insulation about four feet down-to help shed the frost away from the hydrant. They did not, of course, place the thing inside a six inch pipe like I had asked. If you do so, you can drop a light bulb down them to thaw them out if needed.
About a month ago, it started to become difficult to open the handle. Now, it can't be opened at all. I happened to find the one piece of paper that came with the hydrant, and the other day I went to talk to the folks that sold it. They, of course, don't sell that kind any longer, and really couldn't help me out. From there I went to my neighbor's work, and talked to him about it. He's a real handy guy, and I know they have three hydrants on their own farm. We spent some time going over what we'd done, and how the thing works, and came up with two or three obvious possibilities. 1. The valve down below is plugged with muck. 2. Material has worked in between the plastic draw pipe and steel outer pipe. 3. Something has compromised the packing or whatever, at the connection between the collar and the handle.
The blasted thing only has to move about a half inch or so to open. So my neighbor came over in daylight and quickly ruled out the thing being plugged down below-you can literally blow hard on them-and if they are stuck, the air will come right back-which it didn't. So that part is good. Then we tried plugging in the heat trace, which promptly blew the breaker on the cord.
He suggested I get a different cord, and try that to see if it's the cord breaker, or the barn, or the heat trace tape itself. So yesterday I bought another heavy duty cold temp 100 foot cord, and wouldn't you know it, the blasted breaker on the receptacle popped immediately. This means the heat trace tape is no good. Our logic tells us the blasted thing isn't frozen anyhow, as there is no water in it. It can only be the valve at the bottom which is gummed up, OR something at the top part, where the handle is.
Today I am calling him to let him know about the cord, and see what he says. In the mean time, I have been bucketing water between tanks, and today I MUST top them.
So I am sitting here debating whether or not to drag out all the hoses we have put up for the winter, which are buried in our conx container, or haul using buckets with trash bags inside.
I think I will opt for the hoses. And pray that the frost free tap on the barn side of the house works!
Monday, November 26, 2007
More on trainers and instructors
Yesterday's subject got me to recalling some of the sessions I have witnessed over the years. Considering we are in Alaska, there aren't that many-but they are stellar examples of the trainer him/herself indeed.
First, the local dressage diva. I have not seen this person give a lesson in quite some time now, but I did observe the method employed. It primarily consisted of nastily chiding the rider(s) about what they were doing wrong, sometimes even yelling. I originally thought that people were idiots to pay someone for verbal abuse, but over the years her students have gone on to place and win at shows. She has not changed her teaching style, and students still sometimes leave the barn in tears. I understand that classical dressage takes many years to master, but some students have been taking lessons for over a decade, without substantial progress.
Second, a hunter jumper instructor team. This father/daughter union is fairly successful, but even in the outwardly staid world of those who ride small patches of leather, conflicts abound. The father managed to create his own show circuit, so the daughter could compete against local riders. Most folks who ride at the barn, or who have taken instruction there, are relatively happy. Funny how they don't place though, eh? But if you spend enough $$ you can end up in the ribbons eventually. I have never known the truth of the formation of the circuit, other than there was a big spat with the state organization, and the father did not get his way. When you are wealthy enough, you can make your daughters' dream come true though!
Third, saddleseat. Not sure sure who is doing that currently, but in years past there was a lady who wore many hats. Over the years, I watched this person force horses into frame complete with hollow backs and trailing hinds. It was all about the picture presented, not the actual well being of the horse. Thankfully she had light hands and generally used mild snaffles, but was constantly after horses with the riding crop or lunge whip. I even watched the collection of a raving idiot of a Saddlebred stud, then go on to personally AI someone else's mare...completely illegal although I did not know it at the time. As charming and pleasant as she was, she wasn't above suggesting gingering or tying a horses' head around (with tack on) for hours. She went through crop after crop of young girls who were "working for lessons/training" and who were then abused for asking for one. This is the same woman who believed that all horses should be fed 14 pounds of hay a day...I won't even go there on the watering and feeding schedules, but let's just say it was convenient for her. Can ya tell I once boarded there?
Then we get to the western folks. I can only comment on those folks whose riding I have actually seen, although we do have a Certified Parelli and a Les Vogt practitioner here. Several spout the "cowboy" way, but obviously never figured out that cowboys didn't ride with chair seats, five pounds of hardware hanging on the face, and iron hands. One person's qualifications include the husband's connection to ranching in the L48, and how that proves capability is beyond me. Another will grant you 12 rides a month for your $1000+, lessons for you are additional. Most of what this guy does is basic handling and guidance for the novice-with religion as a backdrop. Another is new on the scene, and so so popular that he cannot possibly ride all the horses he has scheduled. That's in between all the phone calls he takes on your horse as you pay him for riding. The wool has been pulled off a number of his clients' eyes, yet he still brags about his accomplishments, and has a waiting list. If he could string together enough rides in a row, people could actually see if he is as good as he says he is-as it stands I have a horse at my own place, who has not been ridden YET....he's been "training" since June! I will say he has a decent seat and line of BS, because what he explains as he is riding is not what is actually happening...and ayep, I do know the difference.
Then most recently I had a great conversation with a new person on the scene out here, who believes in the basics of all riding-wonder of wonders! Ride a horse from back to front! What a concept here! I have not actually seen this person instruct or ride, but 20 years riding under schools masters in Germany surely accounts for something positive, one would hope.
And then there are a number of people whose results are personal triumphs. They aren't out there scrounging up business for themselves, but are exceptionally good hands with all sorts of problems and behavioral issues. They all have different approaches but the end results are the same-happy horses who are compliant and soft in the bridle. The majority of what they accomplish is done from the ground first, creating partnerships which last. A good portion of what they do is actually applying an understanding the horse as a being, rather than ascribing human emotions or thought processes to them. Bingo!
And those are the true horse people, not the ones out there who have bought into their own hype, propped up by followers who hang upon their every word as though every bit of drivel that falls from their mouths is Gospel. May they each find satisfaction in their own successes, and continue to help those owners who are floundering to find the way.
First, the local dressage diva. I have not seen this person give a lesson in quite some time now, but I did observe the method employed. It primarily consisted of nastily chiding the rider(s) about what they were doing wrong, sometimes even yelling. I originally thought that people were idiots to pay someone for verbal abuse, but over the years her students have gone on to place and win at shows. She has not changed her teaching style, and students still sometimes leave the barn in tears. I understand that classical dressage takes many years to master, but some students have been taking lessons for over a decade, without substantial progress.
Second, a hunter jumper instructor team. This father/daughter union is fairly successful, but even in the outwardly staid world of those who ride small patches of leather, conflicts abound. The father managed to create his own show circuit, so the daughter could compete against local riders. Most folks who ride at the barn, or who have taken instruction there, are relatively happy. Funny how they don't place though, eh? But if you spend enough $$ you can end up in the ribbons eventually. I have never known the truth of the formation of the circuit, other than there was a big spat with the state organization, and the father did not get his way. When you are wealthy enough, you can make your daughters' dream come true though!
Third, saddleseat. Not sure sure who is doing that currently, but in years past there was a lady who wore many hats. Over the years, I watched this person force horses into frame complete with hollow backs and trailing hinds. It was all about the picture presented, not the actual well being of the horse. Thankfully she had light hands and generally used mild snaffles, but was constantly after horses with the riding crop or lunge whip. I even watched the collection of a raving idiot of a Saddlebred stud, then go on to personally AI someone else's mare...completely illegal although I did not know it at the time. As charming and pleasant as she was, she wasn't above suggesting gingering or tying a horses' head around (with tack on) for hours. She went through crop after crop of young girls who were "working for lessons/training" and who were then abused for asking for one. This is the same woman who believed that all horses should be fed 14 pounds of hay a day...I won't even go there on the watering and feeding schedules, but let's just say it was convenient for her. Can ya tell I once boarded there?
Then we get to the western folks. I can only comment on those folks whose riding I have actually seen, although we do have a Certified Parelli and a Les Vogt practitioner here. Several spout the "cowboy" way, but obviously never figured out that cowboys didn't ride with chair seats, five pounds of hardware hanging on the face, and iron hands. One person's qualifications include the husband's connection to ranching in the L48, and how that proves capability is beyond me. Another will grant you 12 rides a month for your $1000+, lessons for you are additional. Most of what this guy does is basic handling and guidance for the novice-with religion as a backdrop. Another is new on the scene, and so so popular that he cannot possibly ride all the horses he has scheduled. That's in between all the phone calls he takes on your horse as you pay him for riding. The wool has been pulled off a number of his clients' eyes, yet he still brags about his accomplishments, and has a waiting list. If he could string together enough rides in a row, people could actually see if he is as good as he says he is-as it stands I have a horse at my own place, who has not been ridden YET....he's been "training" since June! I will say he has a decent seat and line of BS, because what he explains as he is riding is not what is actually happening...and ayep, I do know the difference.
Then most recently I had a great conversation with a new person on the scene out here, who believes in the basics of all riding-wonder of wonders! Ride a horse from back to front! What a concept here! I have not actually seen this person instruct or ride, but 20 years riding under schools masters in Germany surely accounts for something positive, one would hope.
And then there are a number of people whose results are personal triumphs. They aren't out there scrounging up business for themselves, but are exceptionally good hands with all sorts of problems and behavioral issues. They all have different approaches but the end results are the same-happy horses who are compliant and soft in the bridle. The majority of what they accomplish is done from the ground first, creating partnerships which last. A good portion of what they do is actually applying an understanding the horse as a being, rather than ascribing human emotions or thought processes to them. Bingo!
And those are the true horse people, not the ones out there who have bought into their own hype, propped up by followers who hang upon their every word as though every bit of drivel that falls from their mouths is Gospel. May they each find satisfaction in their own successes, and continue to help those owners who are floundering to find the way.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
I is a trainer, see my ad says so!
There's hardly anything that makes me roll my eyeballs with skepticism as much as someone who decides to hang out their shingle and be a "trainer" or "instructor".
There's a bunch of these folks up here, happily sucking the money and time from unsuspecting saps who have bought into whatever line of bullshit they have polished up well enough to actually work. Hardly a one has any accreditation, let alone any show experience to justify their fees. A couple of them have marketed themselves so well locally that their fees surpass BNTs in certain disciplines. (As in, if I had a suitable horse, I could place it with the Flarida's for less-and if you don't know who the Flarida's are, then you need to learn more about the stock horse world)
A few I can think of are just Moms who had some small success with their own children (as coaches) and who have been convinced by their buddies it would be a great idea to teach others. Two local notables have constructed such a fine facade of bullshit that their suckers, er, students, resemble acolytes rather than pupils-complete with a hefty monthly tithe of well over $1000 a month.
I really have to give them credit for being such good snake oil sellers. I mean, where else could you earn $50 (Or more!) an hour without having any licensing, secondary education, a degree, or have to endure performance reviews?
And even better, you never have to really prove yourself to your peers, since everything connected to horses is subjective!
Got a horse in that has your number? You just can't get a handle on that one. Taking six months to get wtc down? Well, he/she just wasn't ready-baby steps, you know. Still dangerous on the ground or under saddle? Well gosh durnit, this one is just gonna take more time than we thought. And more time, of course, equals more money.
You'd think that a student or two would go on to compete, but the reality is that after paying that thousand plus a month, most folks don't have the means left to show. And of course one of the reasons trotted out for the trainer him/herself not to show is because, of course, their heavy schedule-just no time for that!
I have thought about this situation up here periodically for years. If you spend five grand with a local "trainer" of dubious ability, then you deserved to loose it. The same money could have been spent purchasing a totally finished show horse in many disciplines in the Lower 48 in a lot of cases. Heck there are show horses going to auction, some with performance ROMS and championships, to be had for way less than half that. (In Missouri a couple months ago, an APHA Ch mare, with over 260 points, sold for under $200!)
The only thing preventing me from hanging out my own shingle is my own conscience. Yes I can get a horse started. I am actually pretty good with the bare basics but in no way do I consider myself able to train, or teach. Just because I have the facility (and could make the time) doesn't mean I should do it.
I have read up quite a lot on various "methods" and taken some clinics/seminars, but the real truth is this: Whatever approach you take, it will either work, or it won't. Those that adhere to specific methodology are certain to have their egos handed to them one day, usually with a side order of arena dirt.
There's a bunch of these folks up here, happily sucking the money and time from unsuspecting saps who have bought into whatever line of bullshit they have polished up well enough to actually work. Hardly a one has any accreditation, let alone any show experience to justify their fees. A couple of them have marketed themselves so well locally that their fees surpass BNTs in certain disciplines. (As in, if I had a suitable horse, I could place it with the Flarida's for less-and if you don't know who the Flarida's are, then you need to learn more about the stock horse world)
A few I can think of are just Moms who had some small success with their own children (as coaches) and who have been convinced by their buddies it would be a great idea to teach others. Two local notables have constructed such a fine facade of bullshit that their suckers, er, students, resemble acolytes rather than pupils-complete with a hefty monthly tithe of well over $1000 a month.
I really have to give them credit for being such good snake oil sellers. I mean, where else could you earn $50 (Or more!) an hour without having any licensing, secondary education, a degree, or have to endure performance reviews?
And even better, you never have to really prove yourself to your peers, since everything connected to horses is subjective!
Got a horse in that has your number? You just can't get a handle on that one. Taking six months to get wtc down? Well, he/she just wasn't ready-baby steps, you know. Still dangerous on the ground or under saddle? Well gosh durnit, this one is just gonna take more time than we thought. And more time, of course, equals more money.
You'd think that a student or two would go on to compete, but the reality is that after paying that thousand plus a month, most folks don't have the means left to show. And of course one of the reasons trotted out for the trainer him/herself not to show is because, of course, their heavy schedule-just no time for that!
I have thought about this situation up here periodically for years. If you spend five grand with a local "trainer" of dubious ability, then you deserved to loose it. The same money could have been spent purchasing a totally finished show horse in many disciplines in the Lower 48 in a lot of cases. Heck there are show horses going to auction, some with performance ROMS and championships, to be had for way less than half that. (In Missouri a couple months ago, an APHA Ch mare, with over 260 points, sold for under $200!)
The only thing preventing me from hanging out my own shingle is my own conscience. Yes I can get a horse started. I am actually pretty good with the bare basics but in no way do I consider myself able to train, or teach. Just because I have the facility (and could make the time) doesn't mean I should do it.
I have read up quite a lot on various "methods" and taken some clinics/seminars, but the real truth is this: Whatever approach you take, it will either work, or it won't. Those that adhere to specific methodology are certain to have their egos handed to them one day, usually with a side order of arena dirt.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Anti-Oil populist? Not me!
Anyone who listens to talk radio up here, has probably heard 750KFQD in the afternoons, hosted by Dan Fagan. This guy used to be a reporter on the local NBC affiliate, KTUU. Now he has two hours a day to use as his own personal bully pulpit.
He has had a number of "co-hosts" over the past year, since Sharon Leighow was tapped to become Gov. Sarah Palin's spokesperson in Juneau. Now he has some bimbo called Sanjuanita Valdez, whose only qualification I can figure out is that she is attractive and is a bartender in a popular night spot in Anchorage. Someone is making sure she gets more airtime by having her do some news reporting on air. She should stick to mixology because she's too young, and too ignorant to have an interesting point of view, never mind the experience to be the foil of Dan Fagan.
At least the station owners figured out that Dan needed to have someone in the co-pilots chair there in the afternoons. It's really too bad they couldn't have replaced Dan with someone with actual civility, an education, and a knowledge base, such as Jeff Lowenfels. But Dan is nothing if not controversial, and he is convinced his opinions and positions are defensible, period. The entire world is black and white to hear him tell it, and if you don't agree then surely you are misinformed, an idiot, or both. He proudly calls himself a conservative, and some of his positions I can agree with wholeheartedly.
But when he calls anyone who does not agree with his position on the development of our natural resources "Anti Oil Populist", his brush is way too broad and very offensive. He seems to think there is no middle ground when it comes to the PPT, or ACES, or anything related to the oil patch. And he literally will not hear other views, suggestions, or ideas that are more representative of the public. He is a staunch supporter of the Big Three and seems to think we should hand over the states' wealth on bended knees, paying homage to the shareholders that drive the investment these companies make here. I have heard him go on such venomous rants that it would lead nearly anyone to conclude that he's in the pocket of Big Oil, period. But after listening to him (casually, not every day) I can only assume that he personally knows people he considers key players in the situation, and he is serving well as their shill.
He has had a number of "co-hosts" over the past year, since Sharon Leighow was tapped to become Gov. Sarah Palin's spokesperson in Juneau. Now he has some bimbo called Sanjuanita Valdez, whose only qualification I can figure out is that she is attractive and is a bartender in a popular night spot in Anchorage. Someone is making sure she gets more airtime by having her do some news reporting on air. She should stick to mixology because she's too young, and too ignorant to have an interesting point of view, never mind the experience to be the foil of Dan Fagan.
At least the station owners figured out that Dan needed to have someone in the co-pilots chair there in the afternoons. It's really too bad they couldn't have replaced Dan with someone with actual civility, an education, and a knowledge base, such as Jeff Lowenfels. But Dan is nothing if not controversial, and he is convinced his opinions and positions are defensible, period. The entire world is black and white to hear him tell it, and if you don't agree then surely you are misinformed, an idiot, or both. He proudly calls himself a conservative, and some of his positions I can agree with wholeheartedly.
But when he calls anyone who does not agree with his position on the development of our natural resources "Anti Oil Populist", his brush is way too broad and very offensive. He seems to think there is no middle ground when it comes to the PPT, or ACES, or anything related to the oil patch. And he literally will not hear other views, suggestions, or ideas that are more representative of the public. He is a staunch supporter of the Big Three and seems to think we should hand over the states' wealth on bended knees, paying homage to the shareholders that drive the investment these companies make here. I have heard him go on such venomous rants that it would lead nearly anyone to conclude that he's in the pocket of Big Oil, period. But after listening to him (casually, not every day) I can only assume that he personally knows people he considers key players in the situation, and he is serving well as their shill.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
A long time coming
I have been lax in my postings here, due to work and home demands. However it has afforded me the chance to firm up thoughts that previously have been nebulous and tentative. With two weeks vacation starting, and no funds to actually go anywhere, I should have ample opportunity to spout off to my hearts' content.
You were warned :)
You were warned :)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
A bag, a peck, a bushel?
Thank to my sister, who scrounged these up from who knows where, I have been spending my precious weekend processing tomatoes.
Yesterday I did up a total of 29 pints: 10 of garlic basil sauce, 10 of a medium salsa, and 9 of a plain, mild salsa.
I am about halfway through what she brought in two totes.
This morning, I have to go through and rearrange my entire pantry area to make space for all these jars I did not anticipate filling. I have not even started on the berries in my freezer yet, lol!
I'll make more sauce, another batch of salsa, and probably make stewed tomatoes out of the rest, into quarts.
I am sure thankful I have the the extra jars, and the know how to put it up!
Yesterday I did up a total of 29 pints: 10 of garlic basil sauce, 10 of a medium salsa, and 9 of a plain, mild salsa.
I am about halfway through what she brought in two totes.
This morning, I have to go through and rearrange my entire pantry area to make space for all these jars I did not anticipate filling. I have not even started on the berries in my freezer yet, lol!
I'll make more sauce, another batch of salsa, and probably make stewed tomatoes out of the rest, into quarts.
I am sure thankful I have the the extra jars, and the know how to put it up!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Poor old fart
Thursday, the neighbor's old gelding showed up at the barn again.
This time, my hub was home and he heard a ruckus up at the barn. He was easily caught with sweet feed in a pan and put in the arena. So hub hops onto the four wheeler and heads over. It's almost a half mile by road, but not far through the woods. There wasn't anyone at the mobile home, so he went down to the woodlot and found some guy working on the log splitter.
They walked the poor old fart home, commenting on his terrible feet and general lack of care. The gelding had pushed over a part of the fencing-which is light weight cattle panels that are in very poor condition. Hub and the guy stood the fence back up and put in one panel at a 90, to help keep it up....got the owners phone number and left.
We talked about it when I got home, an we both feel really sorry for the old guy. No care, by himself, no one lives on the property. There was the remains of one round bale, maybe 60 pounds of mostly trodden and terrible looking hay left. He did have water in some sort of tote, but hub said it stank from ten feet away and the entire inside was blackened.
A call to the owner revealed he couldn't afford more than $150 a month in board (which is a crock because I know how well he does with his firewood business) or we could have him for free. So we discussed what it would take to get him healthier-feet, teeth, joint sups for those terrible knees, etc. And heck my hay costs alone are way higher than $150 a month-which pays for about two round bales only.
We agreed to take the poor old fart, but we couldn't find the owner. Sigh. Hub is now gone for two weeks working so I suppose we will let it go until then. If he shows up in the meantime, I think I will just stall him and go put a note on the log splitter and have myself a crippled up old horse I don't need, but feel compassion for.
And I will have a word with the AC officer that responded the last time. To let him know that the horse was out, feet haven't been trimmed, and that there is no one living on the property. Not that it will do any good, but the officer wasn't doing a very good job determining the facts surrounding that horse.
This time, my hub was home and he heard a ruckus up at the barn. He was easily caught with sweet feed in a pan and put in the arena. So hub hops onto the four wheeler and heads over. It's almost a half mile by road, but not far through the woods. There wasn't anyone at the mobile home, so he went down to the woodlot and found some guy working on the log splitter.
They walked the poor old fart home, commenting on his terrible feet and general lack of care. The gelding had pushed over a part of the fencing-which is light weight cattle panels that are in very poor condition. Hub and the guy stood the fence back up and put in one panel at a 90, to help keep it up....got the owners phone number and left.
We talked about it when I got home, an we both feel really sorry for the old guy. No care, by himself, no one lives on the property. There was the remains of one round bale, maybe 60 pounds of mostly trodden and terrible looking hay left. He did have water in some sort of tote, but hub said it stank from ten feet away and the entire inside was blackened.
A call to the owner revealed he couldn't afford more than $150 a month in board (which is a crock because I know how well he does with his firewood business) or we could have him for free. So we discussed what it would take to get him healthier-feet, teeth, joint sups for those terrible knees, etc. And heck my hay costs alone are way higher than $150 a month-which pays for about two round bales only.
We agreed to take the poor old fart, but we couldn't find the owner. Sigh. Hub is now gone for two weeks working so I suppose we will let it go until then. If he shows up in the meantime, I think I will just stall him and go put a note on the log splitter and have myself a crippled up old horse I don't need, but feel compassion for.
And I will have a word with the AC officer that responded the last time. To let him know that the horse was out, feet haven't been trimmed, and that there is no one living on the property. Not that it will do any good, but the officer wasn't doing a very good job determining the facts surrounding that horse.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Flakes abound!
And I am not talking about the first dusting of snowfall we got overnight. That was an expected and welcome sight (for me) as I do enjoy the dramatic change from brugly to fresh and white. (Brugly is my own take on the brown w/no leaves period each year-brown+ugly=brugly) Nope, this time the flake is the human kind.
We've all met them, know them, and sometimes are related to one or several. Flakes can be ditzy, charming, clueless, but they aren't always harmless.
Earlier this week I got a call from a younger gal, about boarding her horse with me. She had called because a vet recommended my place to her, based on care and location. We had a phone conversation about what I feed, and what I have here, in some detail. She was pretty anxious to see for herself, and a few hours later she showed up and my hub met her. We talked again that evening, and she was firm in her statement to bring her mare over asap. I asked if she could wait until Saturday morning so that I could be home to monitor her horse closely-something I ask of all new boarders. She agreed.
So I call her last night and she tells me she has talked to the other stable owner and she is going to stay put until at least the first of the month. I figure she was either guilted into staying or told she couldn't have a refund for the balance of the board.
In the meantime I spent quite a lot of time trying to locate another insulated stock tank (which is not available), and then managed to get my spare smaller tank into town, sprayed with urethane and back out to the Valley. It was a serious amount of bother, and who knows what the new insulation will cost me-it's the new environmentally friendly stuff, very expensive.
I had arranged for extra barn cleaning, told the one training boarder she needed to take her mare home, and we had figured out how to set the panels so that every horse had a stall and adequate space. I stocked up a bit more on grains to have on hand, and we made plans to make a few changes at the barn to accommodate more tack, etc. In other words, it's not like I did nothing in preparation for the expected arrival. I only asked for fall vaccinations, which for me is simply flu and rhino, perhaps the following week or so. I also planned out how much hay to bring home from the next van and how to get get it there, and stacked.
To say I was a mite peeved to hear she "might call at the first" is accurate.
The reason she called me in the first place is that her horse is in with 5 or 6 other horses, and they don't let her into their run in shed.....she got wet and was shivering. Well here the horses have individual shelter unless I am positive the horses will get along together-in which case I open up two runs together and still feed separately. And too, there is a huge difference between crappy round bales at the other place, and my imported hay based, carefully balanced diet. About $50 a month actually.
A flake is a flake is a flake, no matter the name on the drivers' license.
We've all met them, know them, and sometimes are related to one or several. Flakes can be ditzy, charming, clueless, but they aren't always harmless.
Earlier this week I got a call from a younger gal, about boarding her horse with me. She had called because a vet recommended my place to her, based on care and location. We had a phone conversation about what I feed, and what I have here, in some detail. She was pretty anxious to see for herself, and a few hours later she showed up and my hub met her. We talked again that evening, and she was firm in her statement to bring her mare over asap. I asked if she could wait until Saturday morning so that I could be home to monitor her horse closely-something I ask of all new boarders. She agreed.
So I call her last night and she tells me she has talked to the other stable owner and she is going to stay put until at least the first of the month. I figure she was either guilted into staying or told she couldn't have a refund for the balance of the board.
In the meantime I spent quite a lot of time trying to locate another insulated stock tank (which is not available), and then managed to get my spare smaller tank into town, sprayed with urethane and back out to the Valley. It was a serious amount of bother, and who knows what the new insulation will cost me-it's the new environmentally friendly stuff, very expensive.
I had arranged for extra barn cleaning, told the one training boarder she needed to take her mare home, and we had figured out how to set the panels so that every horse had a stall and adequate space. I stocked up a bit more on grains to have on hand, and we made plans to make a few changes at the barn to accommodate more tack, etc. In other words, it's not like I did nothing in preparation for the expected arrival. I only asked for fall vaccinations, which for me is simply flu and rhino, perhaps the following week or so. I also planned out how much hay to bring home from the next van and how to get get it there, and stacked.
To say I was a mite peeved to hear she "might call at the first" is accurate.
The reason she called me in the first place is that her horse is in with 5 or 6 other horses, and they don't let her into their run in shed.....she got wet and was shivering. Well here the horses have individual shelter unless I am positive the horses will get along together-in which case I open up two runs together and still feed separately. And too, there is a huge difference between crappy round bales at the other place, and my imported hay based, carefully balanced diet. About $50 a month actually.
A flake is a flake is a flake, no matter the name on the drivers' license.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The cost of being short sighted
Many times, the true cost of being short sighted does not register with us, until after such time has passed that we can see our previous choices with 20/20 vision. Our lives are punctuated with decisions made hastily and without much conscious thought, from split second choices behind the wheel of a vehicle, to impulse purchases, to whatever thing you do sans serious forethought.
The Alaska horse community is no exception to this, and it's a foolish owner who practises such folly. Or worse yet, knows the risks and chooses to do so regardless of consequence.
This can be as obvious as deciding it's too hot and too much work to stock up on hay when it's harvest time, to deciding not to check the stock tank heater this one time, or not using the proper equipment to handle a horse, or even leaving the barn without checking all gates. On the whole, none of these might be particularly risky at first glance, but they can have fairly severe consequences for the horse(s) in your care, should something go awry.
It's short sightedness when your feelings are more important than your horses' wellbeing. I have met many people who chose one vet over another, vowing they won't use anyone else. Usually this is based upon a diagnosis or result that didn't turn out as expected, or simple heresay from someone they like and admire. Or sometimes, personality conflicts that magnify during a time of crisis.
For a practical person such as myself, this veterinary choice is a mine field littered with rumors, accusations, and innuendoes to such a degree that I cannot discern the truth, mistruth, or verity of the information imparted with such emotion. Everything is always learned second or third hand at minimum, and always its even further distorted at every retelling. I try as hard as I can to be a good horse owner, and so my management practises show the result.....I seldom have need of additional veterinary help-but when I do, you can be assured it is a true emergency. I pay attention to details, carefully balance the diet, and I strive to learn, learn, learn about any and all facets of horse stewarship.
But others won't budge from their stubborn position, even if it puts their horse at risk. If a vet has a call out that goes wrong, you can be sure the blame will be laid at the vets' feet, not the owners. They will vehemently state that they will never call ________ again, no matter what! This is truly a short sighted position to take. What happens when they have a subsequent emergency and another vet cannot respond? Well, they don't think that through to a logical conclusion because their own feelings/ego is more important than their horse, of course.
I am sometimes ridiculed by friends for my veterinary choice, but their opinions do not sway me. I make it based solely on what is best for my horse. I consider what each professional is the most capable and successful at handling, and go from there. I also base my choices in part, on fees charged, as any reasonable person would do.
And this is where the real schism for some lies-aside from personalities. Why is a procedure (just quoted to me yesterday by a very reliable source) quoted at well over $3000, when another can do the same for one third the amount? Where is the benefit in paying more, besides to the practise itself? Is paying more a badge of worth, or an example of being short sighted?
The Alaska horse community is no exception to this, and it's a foolish owner who practises such folly. Or worse yet, knows the risks and chooses to do so regardless of consequence.
This can be as obvious as deciding it's too hot and too much work to stock up on hay when it's harvest time, to deciding not to check the stock tank heater this one time, or not using the proper equipment to handle a horse, or even leaving the barn without checking all gates. On the whole, none of these might be particularly risky at first glance, but they can have fairly severe consequences for the horse(s) in your care, should something go awry.
It's short sightedness when your feelings are more important than your horses' wellbeing. I have met many people who chose one vet over another, vowing they won't use anyone else. Usually this is based upon a diagnosis or result that didn't turn out as expected, or simple heresay from someone they like and admire. Or sometimes, personality conflicts that magnify during a time of crisis.
For a practical person such as myself, this veterinary choice is a mine field littered with rumors, accusations, and innuendoes to such a degree that I cannot discern the truth, mistruth, or verity of the information imparted with such emotion. Everything is always learned second or third hand at minimum, and always its even further distorted at every retelling. I try as hard as I can to be a good horse owner, and so my management practises show the result.....I seldom have need of additional veterinary help-but when I do, you can be assured it is a true emergency. I pay attention to details, carefully balance the diet, and I strive to learn, learn, learn about any and all facets of horse stewarship.
But others won't budge from their stubborn position, even if it puts their horse at risk. If a vet has a call out that goes wrong, you can be sure the blame will be laid at the vets' feet, not the owners. They will vehemently state that they will never call ________ again, no matter what! This is truly a short sighted position to take. What happens when they have a subsequent emergency and another vet cannot respond? Well, they don't think that through to a logical conclusion because their own feelings/ego is more important than their horse, of course.
I am sometimes ridiculed by friends for my veterinary choice, but their opinions do not sway me. I make it based solely on what is best for my horse. I consider what each professional is the most capable and successful at handling, and go from there. I also base my choices in part, on fees charged, as any reasonable person would do.
And this is where the real schism for some lies-aside from personalities. Why is a procedure (just quoted to me yesterday by a very reliable source) quoted at well over $3000, when another can do the same for one third the amount? Where is the benefit in paying more, besides to the practise itself? Is paying more a badge of worth, or an example of being short sighted?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
It's offical....
The beginning of true winter has started. For horse people, we knew it was coming months ago, as we watched the changes in our horses' coats-a direct result of rapidly changing sunlight as opposed to true temperature.
For myself, it is always marked by the first "drag out the hose and water" episode. I am not as good as I should be to the hoses we have, and I often leave it coiled up along side the farm hydrant we have. Me bad. Many an evening in the summer, it's ran out across the whole parking area to water the garden and the greenhouse too. After a while, dealing with a couple hundred feet of hose becomes as chore and I admit that I would probably use a hose reel, if we had one. But hose reels and Alaskan temperatures are not a very good mix. The best hoses are heavy walled and don't take kindly to being rolled up so tightly....and there is nothing so infuriating as coping with kink after kink at below zero temps (don't bother to ask how I know this, just trust me)
So in the winter I am able to get by with 150 foot of hose. It's what I have had out for about three weeks now, without any troubles. Naturally the temps turned off cold in the past week and I had the misfortune to trust my 8 year old son about whether or not the "hose was laid down the driveway and drained" Being 8, laid down hill on the drive means the end is pointing downwards-sorta. Last night I attempted to water and of course discovered the hose had a bunch of ice in it. I tried working it through the hose by hand, but there was too much to work it out. This meant that I needed to get the small pickup, coil the hose into the back, drive to the garage, make room for the truck inside, and wait for it to thaw. It did. Tonight the horses' stock tanks are topped, the hose is back in the truck, truck back in the garage and all is set until the next time. Oh, and I need to remmeber where I stuffed the rubber hose gaskets because sure enough, it leaks too.
Sigh. It's always somewhat of a chore, watering. I am extremely thankful I have the hydrant because it's a good 400 feet to the first stock tank from the closest bib on the house-I can't imagine dealing with *that* much hose! Tough enough to wrestle stiff hoses into a truck in the dark!
For myself, it is always marked by the first "drag out the hose and water" episode. I am not as good as I should be to the hoses we have, and I often leave it coiled up along side the farm hydrant we have. Me bad. Many an evening in the summer, it's ran out across the whole parking area to water the garden and the greenhouse too. After a while, dealing with a couple hundred feet of hose becomes as chore and I admit that I would probably use a hose reel, if we had one. But hose reels and Alaskan temperatures are not a very good mix. The best hoses are heavy walled and don't take kindly to being rolled up so tightly....and there is nothing so infuriating as coping with kink after kink at below zero temps (don't bother to ask how I know this, just trust me)
So in the winter I am able to get by with 150 foot of hose. It's what I have had out for about three weeks now, without any troubles. Naturally the temps turned off cold in the past week and I had the misfortune to trust my 8 year old son about whether or not the "hose was laid down the driveway and drained" Being 8, laid down hill on the drive means the end is pointing downwards-sorta. Last night I attempted to water and of course discovered the hose had a bunch of ice in it. I tried working it through the hose by hand, but there was too much to work it out. This meant that I needed to get the small pickup, coil the hose into the back, drive to the garage, make room for the truck inside, and wait for it to thaw. It did. Tonight the horses' stock tanks are topped, the hose is back in the truck, truck back in the garage and all is set until the next time. Oh, and I need to remmeber where I stuffed the rubber hose gaskets because sure enough, it leaks too.
Sigh. It's always somewhat of a chore, watering. I am extremely thankful I have the hydrant because it's a good 400 feet to the first stock tank from the closest bib on the house-I can't imagine dealing with *that* much hose! Tough enough to wrestle stiff hoses into a truck in the dark!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
"Gourmet Hay"
I went from a surplus of the imported hay, to nothing in two days. This works for me as I have another van showing up any day now, but I always worry that it won't sell in a timely fashion.
One of my customers who is stocking up for the winter, came back by today and got the last bundle I had on hand. We were talking at his truck after using the forklift to load it, and he just blurted out that I needed to raise my price.
Raise my price? What??
I protested that I wasn't a feed store, never mind the premium quality that the grower ships me. People wouldn't stand for paying the same prices as a feed store either, I said.
He just broke out into a big grin and said, "You need to change the name of your business to Gourmet Hay" and he starts laughing. Puzzled, I just stood there like a lump, open mouthed, and he continued, "People know your hay is IS gourmet, to their horses....besides, anytime you hang a label like gourmet on anything, it commands a premium price. Time to raise it"
Well I can't argue with his logic. Much. It's a whopping amount of cash to run through my books for not even five percent margin. Some vans I only break even. Once in a while I do a little better, but often I don't know the exact landed cost per ton until the van is already in port-long after I have quoted a price to folks.
It's a lot of work, that is true. I run the financial risk, all of it. I have tried to be very prompt in making sure the grower is paid asap....that is a given. But when people back out of buying, I get real nervous about whether or not I can sell it all. I am always reassured it will sell, but it's very stressful for me just the same.
I spend hours talking to people about the hay, explaining how I sell true weight, not a "bale", and how and where it is grown. I am fortunate that I can use my boss' forklift to help unload it, otherwise I would have to hire labor. Even so, it's hours of work, takes a lot of pallets, and is a royal pita dealing with some of the prima donna's who come, expecting me to do all the work for them. Truth is, at my age, it's darned hard to toss around those bales and I have to make sure I have help when I bring home hay for the horses at my own place. Besides, my work comes first, every time.
It's only because we cannot seem to grow any decent hay up here that I got into this in the first place, and while I am happy to provide hay to Alaska Equine Rescue and others who have come to rely upon my efforts, there is a point on each van where I question whether it's worth the hassle and the work. Pepl have started to get pretty complacent about coming by to pick up what they said they'd need....leaving me hanging for days. I suppose I could start asking for deposits, but that would delay the vans by weeks, and that isn't good either.
On the other hand, I did manage to get one very small feed store to start stocking the hay, purchased from me....they sell by bale and I hope this works out for them. No feed store up here is selling the same quality, period. I hope people will figure it out.
One of my customers who is stocking up for the winter, came back by today and got the last bundle I had on hand. We were talking at his truck after using the forklift to load it, and he just blurted out that I needed to raise my price.
Raise my price? What??
I protested that I wasn't a feed store, never mind the premium quality that the grower ships me. People wouldn't stand for paying the same prices as a feed store either, I said.
He just broke out into a big grin and said, "You need to change the name of your business to Gourmet Hay" and he starts laughing. Puzzled, I just stood there like a lump, open mouthed, and he continued, "People know your hay is IS gourmet, to their horses....besides, anytime you hang a label like gourmet on anything, it commands a premium price. Time to raise it"
Well I can't argue with his logic. Much. It's a whopping amount of cash to run through my books for not even five percent margin. Some vans I only break even. Once in a while I do a little better, but often I don't know the exact landed cost per ton until the van is already in port-long after I have quoted a price to folks.
It's a lot of work, that is true. I run the financial risk, all of it. I have tried to be very prompt in making sure the grower is paid asap....that is a given. But when people back out of buying, I get real nervous about whether or not I can sell it all. I am always reassured it will sell, but it's very stressful for me just the same.
I spend hours talking to people about the hay, explaining how I sell true weight, not a "bale", and how and where it is grown. I am fortunate that I can use my boss' forklift to help unload it, otherwise I would have to hire labor. Even so, it's hours of work, takes a lot of pallets, and is a royal pita dealing with some of the prima donna's who come, expecting me to do all the work for them. Truth is, at my age, it's darned hard to toss around those bales and I have to make sure I have help when I bring home hay for the horses at my own place. Besides, my work comes first, every time.
It's only because we cannot seem to grow any decent hay up here that I got into this in the first place, and while I am happy to provide hay to Alaska Equine Rescue and others who have come to rely upon my efforts, there is a point on each van where I question whether it's worth the hassle and the work. Pepl have started to get pretty complacent about coming by to pick up what they said they'd need....leaving me hanging for days. I suppose I could start asking for deposits, but that would delay the vans by weeks, and that isn't good either.
On the other hand, I did manage to get one very small feed store to start stocking the hay, purchased from me....they sell by bale and I hope this works out for them. No feed store up here is selling the same quality, period. I hope people will figure it out.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Good fences make for good neighbors....
I am sure we have all heard this little maxim before, and it is ever so true when it comes to the well being and safety of the horses in our care. This is why I am positively paranoid about the safety and functionality of my fences. Gates latched and locked at all times. All lines up and properly charged, with a decent amount of joules at the terminal end. Good luck or fate, most of the horses I have had in have been very respectful of my fencing-even if they don't always know it's an electric one to start....usually, it only takes one good zap! and they stay well off the lines, for good.
The same can not be said for others in the area. There is a guy down the road, has had a total of three horses there over the years. In previous years, he was pretty active in the local rodeo scene, as a roper...he had both a header and a heel horse. He has since sold most of his property to a developer and last I knew he had actually moved off the property to another house. His horses stayed as a succession of renters/employees lived in the trailer house left behind. No barn or anything, just panels. When he had cattle they were always out, creating havoc in the area but those went away a few years ago. Now there is just the one horse left over there, a Tobiano paint gelding.
This past spring, not three days after I had planted my vegetable garden, I found the paint gelding at my barn, loose. He had torn the heck out of my new garden, and was generally creating mayhem up there. Called AC, they came and got him fairly quickly. I later heard that the owner fiddle farted around for three days before finally trying to find someone to haul the horse home for him. At that time, the paint with the crippled and fused knees, was in good flesh, but had an untreated wound on his fetlock-likely from running loose. At any rate, it ended up costing the owner over $300.
To say I was surprised to find the same horse at my barn in the dark this morning is an understatement. I walked out and saw one too many heads, and thought "Oh no!" and made a U turn to get on better footwear. When I get up there I see the same old lame horse, he's a little rattled but just my voice calms him enough I can get him haltered. I stick him in the round pen out back of the barn, and proceed to call AC. Which of course isn't open that early, so I end up at the Palmer Dispatch, who informs me AC does not open until 10. Oh great! Head back up, feed the rest of the horses. Call my coworker to inform her I am going to be late, and why. As I am sitting in my car, drinking coffee, daylight shows that the horse had been there quite some time. Hoof prints and four piles of manure prove this. I feed the old horse some grass hay to quiet things down up there.
I had hoped to speak to someone at AC, but of course their policy doesn't allow for easy communication between the public and the officers themselves. I get a call just before 10 that they will send someone right out. By 11, I am concerned enough to call back, only to discover that all officers are in a compulsory meeting of some sort. Yeah right, and whats not compulsory about my boss needing me at work? 15 minutes later I get told to leave a note by the horse, they will come pick him up. Which I do. Leaving my work phone number of course.
It's now almost three and I don't know if the horse has been picked up, no one has called and of course you can't get any information out of the triage types manning the phones at the front desk.
I had wanted to explain to the officer myself, that the horse had been over the previous afternoon, shortly before I arrived home from work. My new boarder, who is pretty much a novice handler after 15 years away from horses, had taken her mare out to the round pen for additional exercise when the paint galloped on up the hill to the barn. This scared her silly, but she was able to shoo him away and he took off again. I shudder to think about what might have happened if she had been at the barn with a mare on a lead (in heat of course) when the horse came visiting.......very scary thought.
That horse had been loose all night, from at least somewhere between 4 and 5 pm, and 6 am this morning. No one came looking for him, no one called, and he obviously had tummy issues as he had very loose stools. Poor old fart. I took pictures with a disposable camera I happened to have on hand. I still want to discuss the changes in the horses' physique with the officer who picked him up as it's obvious he has lost weight over the summer.
So you may be wondering why I didn't bother to find the owner, if I know his name. Well, first, the guy really is a jerk. Everyone was thankful when he moved out of the area. He had come over to my place five years ago, crying about having no hay for his rope horses. I "loaned" him 250 pounds of hay which I could not really afford to let go-of course he never replaced it, despite promises to do so. Strike one. Strike two was when the horse showed up the first time. Today was strike three. If he didn't care enough about the horse the first time AC impounded him to talk to me about it, then screw him. He surely won't care this time as the horse is in worse shape now. If the poor old horse is lucky, he'll get three or four days at the AC facility, to get some decent feed and access to a barn at the very least.
I wonder if AC knows that there is no shelter there, as required by statute......
The same can not be said for others in the area. There is a guy down the road, has had a total of three horses there over the years. In previous years, he was pretty active in the local rodeo scene, as a roper...he had both a header and a heel horse. He has since sold most of his property to a developer and last I knew he had actually moved off the property to another house. His horses stayed as a succession of renters/employees lived in the trailer house left behind. No barn or anything, just panels. When he had cattle they were always out, creating havoc in the area but those went away a few years ago. Now there is just the one horse left over there, a Tobiano paint gelding.
This past spring, not three days after I had planted my vegetable garden, I found the paint gelding at my barn, loose. He had torn the heck out of my new garden, and was generally creating mayhem up there. Called AC, they came and got him fairly quickly. I later heard that the owner fiddle farted around for three days before finally trying to find someone to haul the horse home for him. At that time, the paint with the crippled and fused knees, was in good flesh, but had an untreated wound on his fetlock-likely from running loose. At any rate, it ended up costing the owner over $300.
To say I was surprised to find the same horse at my barn in the dark this morning is an understatement. I walked out and saw one too many heads, and thought "Oh no!" and made a U turn to get on better footwear. When I get up there I see the same old lame horse, he's a little rattled but just my voice calms him enough I can get him haltered. I stick him in the round pen out back of the barn, and proceed to call AC. Which of course isn't open that early, so I end up at the Palmer Dispatch, who informs me AC does not open until 10. Oh great! Head back up, feed the rest of the horses. Call my coworker to inform her I am going to be late, and why. As I am sitting in my car, drinking coffee, daylight shows that the horse had been there quite some time. Hoof prints and four piles of manure prove this. I feed the old horse some grass hay to quiet things down up there.
I had hoped to speak to someone at AC, but of course their policy doesn't allow for easy communication between the public and the officers themselves. I get a call just before 10 that they will send someone right out. By 11, I am concerned enough to call back, only to discover that all officers are in a compulsory meeting of some sort. Yeah right, and whats not compulsory about my boss needing me at work? 15 minutes later I get told to leave a note by the horse, they will come pick him up. Which I do. Leaving my work phone number of course.
It's now almost three and I don't know if the horse has been picked up, no one has called and of course you can't get any information out of the triage types manning the phones at the front desk.
I had wanted to explain to the officer myself, that the horse had been over the previous afternoon, shortly before I arrived home from work. My new boarder, who is pretty much a novice handler after 15 years away from horses, had taken her mare out to the round pen for additional exercise when the paint galloped on up the hill to the barn. This scared her silly, but she was able to shoo him away and he took off again. I shudder to think about what might have happened if she had been at the barn with a mare on a lead (in heat of course) when the horse came visiting.......very scary thought.
That horse had been loose all night, from at least somewhere between 4 and 5 pm, and 6 am this morning. No one came looking for him, no one called, and he obviously had tummy issues as he had very loose stools. Poor old fart. I took pictures with a disposable camera I happened to have on hand. I still want to discuss the changes in the horses' physique with the officer who picked him up as it's obvious he has lost weight over the summer.
So you may be wondering why I didn't bother to find the owner, if I know his name. Well, first, the guy really is a jerk. Everyone was thankful when he moved out of the area. He had come over to my place five years ago, crying about having no hay for his rope horses. I "loaned" him 250 pounds of hay which I could not really afford to let go-of course he never replaced it, despite promises to do so. Strike one. Strike two was when the horse showed up the first time. Today was strike three. If he didn't care enough about the horse the first time AC impounded him to talk to me about it, then screw him. He surely won't care this time as the horse is in worse shape now. If the poor old horse is lucky, he'll get three or four days at the AC facility, to get some decent feed and access to a barn at the very least.
I wonder if AC knows that there is no shelter there, as required by statute......
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
A box, with strings
Sometimes I just have to wonder what motivates people.
This morning I sit here, conflicted over information I learned recently. It has to do with horses, of course. No, it isn't anything I saw for myself, but it illustrates perfectly just how varied are the strings and demands of friendships. If I *had* seen it for myself, I wouldn't be sitting here worrying about it, I would have already taken action to remedy the situation-but that's just me.
What type of person would put a "friend" into a box by exacting a promise of confidentiality, then tie it up with strings to keep that friend there?
So now I know about three horses in very serious condition, and two of them are at the "imminent danger" point, the legal standard by which the local enforcement agency could act to seize these horses.
Naturally, I cannot report the situation to anyone, as doing so would "burn" the person who told me about-that person sworn to secrecy. These are the strings by which friendships are bound.
In a twisted bid to play the hero, the "friend of a friend" acted as she is convinced is the best way. She went home, loaded up feed, and returned. She does not have the knowledge to recover horses in such bad condition, but of course believes she does-despite never having actually done it. With just seven years of horse ownership under her belt, she knows everything there is to know about horses. Sigh.
When horses become emaciated, all sorts of physical things happen, things that take time and very careful management to reverse. From the description there is one CS 1, one CS 2, and one CS 2.5 at best. They were staked out "to graze" next to a lake they could not reach, and had eaten everything down to the dirt-including leaves that had blown in.
Sans licensed veterinary care in a clinic, it's a dicey thing, saving horses in that condition.
When does the welfare of the horses outweigh the burden of that friendship?
With some folks, never. With others, it will be every time.
This morning I sit here, conflicted over information I learned recently. It has to do with horses, of course. No, it isn't anything I saw for myself, but it illustrates perfectly just how varied are the strings and demands of friendships. If I *had* seen it for myself, I wouldn't be sitting here worrying about it, I would have already taken action to remedy the situation-but that's just me.
What type of person would put a "friend" into a box by exacting a promise of confidentiality, then tie it up with strings to keep that friend there?
So now I know about three horses in very serious condition, and two of them are at the "imminent danger" point, the legal standard by which the local enforcement agency could act to seize these horses.
Naturally, I cannot report the situation to anyone, as doing so would "burn" the person who told me about-that person sworn to secrecy. These are the strings by which friendships are bound.
In a twisted bid to play the hero, the "friend of a friend" acted as she is convinced is the best way. She went home, loaded up feed, and returned. She does not have the knowledge to recover horses in such bad condition, but of course believes she does-despite never having actually done it. With just seven years of horse ownership under her belt, she knows everything there is to know about horses. Sigh.
When horses become emaciated, all sorts of physical things happen, things that take time and very careful management to reverse. From the description there is one CS 1, one CS 2, and one CS 2.5 at best. They were staked out "to graze" next to a lake they could not reach, and had eaten everything down to the dirt-including leaves that had blown in.
Sans licensed veterinary care in a clinic, it's a dicey thing, saving horses in that condition.
When does the welfare of the horses outweigh the burden of that friendship?
With some folks, never. With others, it will be every time.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Partisan Politics
Partisanship is alive and well up here in Alaska, and no, I don't mean the debacle of federal corruption trials we have been subjected to over the past few months....
Nope, I am talking about the politics of horses. I can't think of a more fractured, splintered group of people, really I can't. Factions and cliques, and loose associations and performance groups, religious gatherings, sport afficianados....if you can think of a sector or an aspect, you can rest assured that someone else (maybe a lot of someones) will consider their position, actions, words or ________(fill in the blank) as outright heresy or lies or accusations or, well, whatever they get in a snit about.
It's so stupidly small minded I am sometimes amused at the furor created by some of these fomenters. There does seem to be a lot of talking going on "behind scenes" and every such group has at least one member who is reviled and detested, feared or adulated or imitated. But nothing, of course, is ever said in public-it all has to be done on the quiet...because while we may be isolated in distance from each other, the rumor channels are light speed!
Let's take that oh-so-touchy topic: Farriers. Well we all need them (or most of us do) and nearly all of them have very full books and most are not taking new clients for any reason. Those that are popular and very busy have been elevated to near godhood status by their clients, regardless of the competency of the work performed over time. And no one ever EVER risks losing their farrier, no matter how lousy the trim or shoeing, how many times they have been stood up for a no show, how many times they don't get a call back, or how much they get charged for remedying issues their shoddy work started in the first place.
Most owners think of farriers as having very special knowledge that isn't attainable, let alone understandable unless you "go to school" to learn. Little do they know that the majority of accredited courses are mostly centered on steel working, not proper business ettiquette or even hoof function/form and abnormalities. Many farriers do continue with their ongoing education, but in general they are relatively hidebound and unwilling to change their "protocols".
Most are terrible gossips, especially about other farriers. And owners too. If you want something known, you just mention to one of them, and sure enough, it spreads faster than a virus in a school yard. Meanwhile, they are happily rasping away what remains of the hoof wall, working so fast the owner has no clue what has been done, or why. The busier they get, the worse their "service" to their clients-and their clients' horses too of course. Of course some of this has to be laid at the feet of owners who have no idea just how often a horse should be trimmed, and what to look for-but I won't go into detail on that. Too complex and too controversial even for here ;)
But I will say that a lot of horses are not well trimmed or shod here. People are so firmly into their farriers' camps that even *I* am cautious about what I say, and to whom, about the choices I have made for my own horses' soundness. And how bad is that? If people knew that they could learn these things (as I have) then the mastery and mystery of farrier care would be shown to be what it truly is...and it ain't rocket science!
Nope, I am talking about the politics of horses. I can't think of a more fractured, splintered group of people, really I can't. Factions and cliques, and loose associations and performance groups, religious gatherings, sport afficianados....if you can think of a sector or an aspect, you can rest assured that someone else (maybe a lot of someones) will consider their position, actions, words or ________(fill in the blank) as outright heresy or lies or accusations or, well, whatever they get in a snit about.
It's so stupidly small minded I am sometimes amused at the furor created by some of these fomenters. There does seem to be a lot of talking going on "behind scenes" and every such group has at least one member who is reviled and detested, feared or adulated or imitated. But nothing, of course, is ever said in public-it all has to be done on the quiet...because while we may be isolated in distance from each other, the rumor channels are light speed!
Let's take that oh-so-touchy topic: Farriers. Well we all need them (or most of us do) and nearly all of them have very full books and most are not taking new clients for any reason. Those that are popular and very busy have been elevated to near godhood status by their clients, regardless of the competency of the work performed over time. And no one ever EVER risks losing their farrier, no matter how lousy the trim or shoeing, how many times they have been stood up for a no show, how many times they don't get a call back, or how much they get charged for remedying issues their shoddy work started in the first place.
Most owners think of farriers as having very special knowledge that isn't attainable, let alone understandable unless you "go to school" to learn. Little do they know that the majority of accredited courses are mostly centered on steel working, not proper business ettiquette or even hoof function/form and abnormalities. Many farriers do continue with their ongoing education, but in general they are relatively hidebound and unwilling to change their "protocols".
Most are terrible gossips, especially about other farriers. And owners too. If you want something known, you just mention to one of them, and sure enough, it spreads faster than a virus in a school yard. Meanwhile, they are happily rasping away what remains of the hoof wall, working so fast the owner has no clue what has been done, or why. The busier they get, the worse their "service" to their clients-and their clients' horses too of course. Of course some of this has to be laid at the feet of owners who have no idea just how often a horse should be trimmed, and what to look for-but I won't go into detail on that. Too complex and too controversial even for here ;)
But I will say that a lot of horses are not well trimmed or shod here. People are so firmly into their farriers' camps that even *I* am cautious about what I say, and to whom, about the choices I have made for my own horses' soundness. And how bad is that? If people knew that they could learn these things (as I have) then the mastery and mystery of farrier care would be shown to be what it truly is...and it ain't rocket science!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Into the unknown.....
Today begins a new chapter in the life of one old horse, I hope it turns out to be a good one.
Our local AC auctioned off two horses last evening....one was young, fat, and pushy-$100. The other was old (Mid 20s) and had several unattended issues-$25.
I actually went to see these horses in person, and while the younger gelding was cute, he was obviously way more than my arthritis laden body could ever hope to handle. I have a pretty big soft spot for the senior horse, so I spent the majority of my time there going over the old mare.
A small mare with a small frame, I guessed she was mostly (or all?) Morgan type. A black with two socks and greying around the muzzle and eyes, she was probably quite a looker in her younger days. She sported a rough and dull coat, and sunbleached, butched mane and forelock. She had the tell tale protrusions on each side of the jaw, just where the molars would meet. Since she didn't want that area touched, it's a safe bet that she needs her teeth floated to relieve pain. And too, there were a few quids of hay laying about. She also had a swelling under the jaw on one side-right where the glands are. Perhaps a remnant of the bastard strangles she endured earlier in the summer-who knows. She was a condition score 4+.
In addition, she had largish patches of white hairs on both sides. It was quite obvious that these were the result of injuries-likely from poorly fitting tack over the years. From how far down the sides they went, I think she has probably worn a pack saddle too. These injuries included an open wound on the point of her prominent wither-about the size of a quarter. Ahead of that wound was swelling down both sides of the shoulder and slightly into the neck. It was obvious nothing was being done to close the wound.
To top it off, she had a deeply swayed back, fairly extreme. I am pretty sure it wasn't due to pathology, but rather to heavy use as she aged. Just ahead of the loin was some sort of soft swelling, just alongside the spine itself-more trauma from hard use.
And yet, her legs were clean as could be, although she obviously needed more trims to correct the angles of her hooves, which showed a slight "slipper". She looked ready to retire, not carry anyone, and I said as much to the shelter officer.
AC has had the mare in custody since about the first of May.
Think about that, if you would............
In almost five months of their "care" they had not treated the open wound on the wither.
They had not given vaccinations.
They had not floated the teeth.
They had not addressed the swelling under the jaw.
They had wormed her (perhaps twice)
Their records on her care and treatment were not available.
It was posted on a local group that there had been a news report about the auction, which included the statement that they had "put 200 pounds" on the mare since she had been in care.
What utter hogwash!
What BS, what a stupid, ignorant statement to make, by people who SHOULD KNOW BETTER! After all, some of their officers have even been Outside to special courses on horse abuse!
This whole thing really ticks me off-that they would make such statements and BE PROUD of it too! I know FOR A FACT that the mare would be DEAD if she weighed 200 pounds less than she did the day before the auction. Idiots. People toss around impossible, improbable figures like this and all it does is illustrate just how much they have to learn :(
I have challenged other people to go to a grocery store, and load up 100 pounds of roasts into a cart. Just take a look at the MASS that is, you can try it yourself. If it doesn't seem right, add another 100 pounds (if you can fit it in there) to see for yourself just what it really masses. Keep in mind we are talking about a small frame, small mare-perhaps 14.1 or 2 with a severe sway back-there is no way she would live with that much loss.
I'll have to touch upon other aspects of this later on, but the challenge remains-go load up 200 pounds of roast into a pile, or a cart, and take a good long look at it.
Do you really think a 14.1 horse could stand to loose that much, and *still* be a condition score 4+??
Really?
Our local AC auctioned off two horses last evening....one was young, fat, and pushy-$100. The other was old (Mid 20s) and had several unattended issues-$25.
I actually went to see these horses in person, and while the younger gelding was cute, he was obviously way more than my arthritis laden body could ever hope to handle. I have a pretty big soft spot for the senior horse, so I spent the majority of my time there going over the old mare.
A small mare with a small frame, I guessed she was mostly (or all?) Morgan type. A black with two socks and greying around the muzzle and eyes, she was probably quite a looker in her younger days. She sported a rough and dull coat, and sunbleached, butched mane and forelock. She had the tell tale protrusions on each side of the jaw, just where the molars would meet. Since she didn't want that area touched, it's a safe bet that she needs her teeth floated to relieve pain. And too, there were a few quids of hay laying about. She also had a swelling under the jaw on one side-right where the glands are. Perhaps a remnant of the bastard strangles she endured earlier in the summer-who knows. She was a condition score 4+.
In addition, she had largish patches of white hairs on both sides. It was quite obvious that these were the result of injuries-likely from poorly fitting tack over the years. From how far down the sides they went, I think she has probably worn a pack saddle too. These injuries included an open wound on the point of her prominent wither-about the size of a quarter. Ahead of that wound was swelling down both sides of the shoulder and slightly into the neck. It was obvious nothing was being done to close the wound.
To top it off, she had a deeply swayed back, fairly extreme. I am pretty sure it wasn't due to pathology, but rather to heavy use as she aged. Just ahead of the loin was some sort of soft swelling, just alongside the spine itself-more trauma from hard use.
And yet, her legs were clean as could be, although she obviously needed more trims to correct the angles of her hooves, which showed a slight "slipper". She looked ready to retire, not carry anyone, and I said as much to the shelter officer.
AC has had the mare in custody since about the first of May.
Think about that, if you would............
In almost five months of their "care" they had not treated the open wound on the wither.
They had not given vaccinations.
They had not floated the teeth.
They had not addressed the swelling under the jaw.
They had wormed her (perhaps twice)
Their records on her care and treatment were not available.
It was posted on a local group that there had been a news report about the auction, which included the statement that they had "put 200 pounds" on the mare since she had been in care.
What utter hogwash!
What BS, what a stupid, ignorant statement to make, by people who SHOULD KNOW BETTER! After all, some of their officers have even been Outside to special courses on horse abuse!
This whole thing really ticks me off-that they would make such statements and BE PROUD of it too! I know FOR A FACT that the mare would be DEAD if she weighed 200 pounds less than she did the day before the auction. Idiots. People toss around impossible, improbable figures like this and all it does is illustrate just how much they have to learn :(
I have challenged other people to go to a grocery store, and load up 100 pounds of roasts into a cart. Just take a look at the MASS that is, you can try it yourself. If it doesn't seem right, add another 100 pounds (if you can fit it in there) to see for yourself just what it really masses. Keep in mind we are talking about a small frame, small mare-perhaps 14.1 or 2 with a severe sway back-there is no way she would live with that much loss.
I'll have to touch upon other aspects of this later on, but the challenge remains-go load up 200 pounds of roast into a pile, or a cart, and take a good long look at it.
Do you really think a 14.1 horse could stand to loose that much, and *still* be a condition score 4+??
Really?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The discarded..........
Today, a rant and a ramble both.
We have rather more than our share of geriatric horses here in Alaska. There are a number of reasons for this, but it pretty much boils down to no auction or processing facility, and no retirement options for senior horses. It costs a very pretty penny to haul them Outside, *if* one can afford and locate a retirement arrangement in the Lower 48 somewhere. After all, going rate for hauling is over $1500, just to the PNW one way.
If the horses survive the weather and dubious ownership here, they can look forward to being passed around from person to person until they succumb to the elements or ignorance and/or apathy of the last owner. Very few horse owners up here provide their horses' final rest, although some might make the extra effort and haul the horse to a local dog musher. Aged horses seem to pass through a variety of "4-H" homes, until such time as they can no longer perform as expected, or their health deteriorates, or becomes compromised. Of course, by this point, they are inexpensive compared to their younger counterparts, but still overpriced considering their special needs.
Usually this means the horse has some sort of lameness issue, or poor dental condition, or a disease process left untreated, etc. Arthritis and bad teeth and overgrown hooves are very common, right up there with crappy cheap feed and not enough of it.
Throw in the cold, the dark, high energy and feed costs and who gets the short end of the stick? The horse, of course. That luxury purchased for the teenager or family turns into a liability that means real physical effort when it's -25 out. So naturally it's time to get rid of that horse, too much work, too much $$, too much of everything. And on the bulletin boards and into ads they go, hopefully placed into competent care at the least. Or they turn a blind eye to basic needs until such time as the horse is in critical condition or actually down.
The very lucky might get a welcome at the only rescue we have, Alaska Equine Rescue. And that only if the owner will actually pick up the phone to call for help. But AER is very limited in resources, being 100% funded by our small horse community. They limp along on a fraction of what is needed, depending on the generosity of volunteers/donors and are forced to turn away horses every winter. Some winters, it's quite a few. Maybe the horse will get lucky, and someone will make a pity purchase. Or contact the local AC about their condition-Occam's razor for horses up here, whether that turns out advantageous or not. Or perhaps the owner will simply not monitor their horse, and they will find a corpse come daylight.
More likely, however, is a marginal grasp on life, sometimes for months and months. How these horses survive such "care" is beyond me, but many do. I can think of nothing more cruel than to see a geriatric horse who is a bag of bones, standing in unimaginable conditions with no shelter or blanket, rotted stemmy hay (if they are fortunate) they cannot eat, with no water and no attention. Or worse yet, have the bad luck to be owned by a "know it all" who swears the horse is a condition score two because "it's OLD, over 20 you know!" which we all know is utter nonsense. Commonly found with plumper, younger companions, the aged are a dirty secret and I swear there must be some sort of backwoods trade in them, the rate they move from place to place.
Even though I have not been very active in the horse community for a number of years, I still get told about situations I can do nothing about. Like the two year old stud colt, never seen a farrier who has a large gash that hasn't been treated. Or the bags of bones tucked over there in the back of that subdivision, right behind the 300K house. Or the old timer wasting away because "it's the kids horse, they are supposed to feed it" 99% of the time, it's from someone who does not want to "get involved" themselves, naturally. Oh heaven forbid they actually DO something constructive on their own! No, let's leave it to someone else to deal with, thereby absolving ourselves of any responsibility or guilt, right? (Pardon the sarcasm :)) People tell me, I presume, because they know I am passionate about humane care and will act where others won't. Which of course gives them an easy out, and makes me feared and reviled within the community. Well screw them, I say.
If you will NOT feed wholesome and appropriate food,
if you will NOT provide water or shelter,
if you will NOT provide vet care,
if you will NOT provide farrier care,
if you will NOT provide the minimum for a healthy horse,
then GET OUT of horses, period!
Placing a stupidly high price tag on the mid 20s senior with other issues is not going to help you quickly get rid of your financial liability. Thinking you can get your feed costs back is as smart as thinking you can get the gas money back out of a used car, you idiot. If hay is over $600 a ton in the feed store, and quality sacked feeds the same, how is it that your done nothing, grade, arthritic, lame, and toothless wonder is worth $1000 or $1500? Anyone who has $1500 to spend, is looking for younger horses without the issues, stupid. But no of course your marvelous aged horse has to be worth more than some ill conceived notion of what "slaughter price" is (which no one knows up here anyway, but is oft quoted by the ignorant) and so you will stubbornly hold out for the almighty dollar, while your "investment" withers away right in front of you. Any attempt to use logic will fall on deaf ears, until eventually you realize that you "just can't afford" the horse and call someone in desperation to fix your ignorant mess. IF it can be fixed, after you have ridden the crap out of the horse for umpteen years, fed the cheapest, crappiest cow hay you could find, and the horse suffers permanent damage from parasites you were too cheap to remedy. You will probably bundle in the shoddy tack you purchased on eBay, and maybe the few remaining bales of moldy hay buried under the tarp out back into the deal-just anything to get rid of "it".
Bah! Which brings me round to the idiocy of local horse prices, yet again......
I have noticed that a couple folks are wising up to the real market, by lowering their prices. Not enough to get them sold, but enough that a buyer might actually take a look. People are figuring out that registry doesn't mean much (especially if the pedigree is marginal at best) but still, I see weaners and yearlings advertised for prices that would buy a fully finished adult with show points to boot in other locations. If the ads don't change from month to month, then you need to re-evaluate your own estimation of price and worth, don'tcha think? And where did this lower floor on green horses come from anyhow? These are advertised anywhere between $1500 and $2800, mostly between three and eight. These are the exact same horses that in the Lower 48 might bring $200 at a sale, yet somehow they are magically worth ten times as much here? This boggles the mind, really....and it isn't unusual to see seniors advertised for nearly the same amount. Another puzzler, since generally the aged require rather more care and $$ than a younger horse in the same price range...but let's just dump our problem on someone else who doesn't know any more than we do, yes?
I would like to take these people and treat their own family members as they do their aged horses. Let's just put Granny out back without shelter, water, or a winter coat. Let's not let her have dentures (because after all, horses don't) and let's feed her when we remember to. No reason to bother with water, there is snow and ice on the ground after all. Let's ignore Granny until daylight when we realize we really must make a trip to the feedstore, only to discover that Granny's feed has gone up 25%. Let's then panic and decide to dump Granny since after all, the other toys in the household bring more fun year round. Since we haven't bothered to take good care of Granny, she now has infirmities which limit her use, but that's okay in the end, we'll get $1000 or more and just buy a younger version we can ignore the next winter......
We have rather more than our share of geriatric horses here in Alaska. There are a number of reasons for this, but it pretty much boils down to no auction or processing facility, and no retirement options for senior horses. It costs a very pretty penny to haul them Outside, *if* one can afford and locate a retirement arrangement in the Lower 48 somewhere. After all, going rate for hauling is over $1500, just to the PNW one way.
If the horses survive the weather and dubious ownership here, they can look forward to being passed around from person to person until they succumb to the elements or ignorance and/or apathy of the last owner. Very few horse owners up here provide their horses' final rest, although some might make the extra effort and haul the horse to a local dog musher. Aged horses seem to pass through a variety of "4-H" homes, until such time as they can no longer perform as expected, or their health deteriorates, or becomes compromised. Of course, by this point, they are inexpensive compared to their younger counterparts, but still overpriced considering their special needs.
Usually this means the horse has some sort of lameness issue, or poor dental condition, or a disease process left untreated, etc. Arthritis and bad teeth and overgrown hooves are very common, right up there with crappy cheap feed and not enough of it.
Throw in the cold, the dark, high energy and feed costs and who gets the short end of the stick? The horse, of course. That luxury purchased for the teenager or family turns into a liability that means real physical effort when it's -25 out. So naturally it's time to get rid of that horse, too much work, too much $$, too much of everything. And on the bulletin boards and into ads they go, hopefully placed into competent care at the least. Or they turn a blind eye to basic needs until such time as the horse is in critical condition or actually down.
The very lucky might get a welcome at the only rescue we have, Alaska Equine Rescue. And that only if the owner will actually pick up the phone to call for help. But AER is very limited in resources, being 100% funded by our small horse community. They limp along on a fraction of what is needed, depending on the generosity of volunteers/donors and are forced to turn away horses every winter. Some winters, it's quite a few. Maybe the horse will get lucky, and someone will make a pity purchase. Or contact the local AC about their condition-Occam's razor for horses up here, whether that turns out advantageous or not. Or perhaps the owner will simply not monitor their horse, and they will find a corpse come daylight.
More likely, however, is a marginal grasp on life, sometimes for months and months. How these horses survive such "care" is beyond me, but many do. I can think of nothing more cruel than to see a geriatric horse who is a bag of bones, standing in unimaginable conditions with no shelter or blanket, rotted stemmy hay (if they are fortunate) they cannot eat, with no water and no attention. Or worse yet, have the bad luck to be owned by a "know it all" who swears the horse is a condition score two because "it's OLD, over 20 you know!" which we all know is utter nonsense. Commonly found with plumper, younger companions, the aged are a dirty secret and I swear there must be some sort of backwoods trade in them, the rate they move from place to place.
Even though I have not been very active in the horse community for a number of years, I still get told about situations I can do nothing about. Like the two year old stud colt, never seen a farrier who has a large gash that hasn't been treated. Or the bags of bones tucked over there in the back of that subdivision, right behind the 300K house. Or the old timer wasting away because "it's the kids horse, they are supposed to feed it" 99% of the time, it's from someone who does not want to "get involved" themselves, naturally. Oh heaven forbid they actually DO something constructive on their own! No, let's leave it to someone else to deal with, thereby absolving ourselves of any responsibility or guilt, right? (Pardon the sarcasm :)) People tell me, I presume, because they know I am passionate about humane care and will act where others won't. Which of course gives them an easy out, and makes me feared and reviled within the community. Well screw them, I say.
If you will NOT feed wholesome and appropriate food,
if you will NOT provide water or shelter,
if you will NOT provide vet care,
if you will NOT provide farrier care,
if you will NOT provide the minimum for a healthy horse,
then GET OUT of horses, period!
Placing a stupidly high price tag on the mid 20s senior with other issues is not going to help you quickly get rid of your financial liability. Thinking you can get your feed costs back is as smart as thinking you can get the gas money back out of a used car, you idiot. If hay is over $600 a ton in the feed store, and quality sacked feeds the same, how is it that your done nothing, grade, arthritic, lame, and toothless wonder is worth $1000 or $1500? Anyone who has $1500 to spend, is looking for younger horses without the issues, stupid. But no of course your marvelous aged horse has to be worth more than some ill conceived notion of what "slaughter price" is (which no one knows up here anyway, but is oft quoted by the ignorant) and so you will stubbornly hold out for the almighty dollar, while your "investment" withers away right in front of you. Any attempt to use logic will fall on deaf ears, until eventually you realize that you "just can't afford" the horse and call someone in desperation to fix your ignorant mess. IF it can be fixed, after you have ridden the crap out of the horse for umpteen years, fed the cheapest, crappiest cow hay you could find, and the horse suffers permanent damage from parasites you were too cheap to remedy. You will probably bundle in the shoddy tack you purchased on eBay, and maybe the few remaining bales of moldy hay buried under the tarp out back into the deal-just anything to get rid of "it".
Bah! Which brings me round to the idiocy of local horse prices, yet again......
I have noticed that a couple folks are wising up to the real market, by lowering their prices. Not enough to get them sold, but enough that a buyer might actually take a look. People are figuring out that registry doesn't mean much (especially if the pedigree is marginal at best) but still, I see weaners and yearlings advertised for prices that would buy a fully finished adult with show points to boot in other locations. If the ads don't change from month to month, then you need to re-evaluate your own estimation of price and worth, don'tcha think? And where did this lower floor on green horses come from anyhow? These are advertised anywhere between $1500 and $2800, mostly between three and eight. These are the exact same horses that in the Lower 48 might bring $200 at a sale, yet somehow they are magically worth ten times as much here? This boggles the mind, really....and it isn't unusual to see seniors advertised for nearly the same amount. Another puzzler, since generally the aged require rather more care and $$ than a younger horse in the same price range...but let's just dump our problem on someone else who doesn't know any more than we do, yes?
I would like to take these people and treat their own family members as they do their aged horses. Let's just put Granny out back without shelter, water, or a winter coat. Let's not let her have dentures (because after all, horses don't) and let's feed her when we remember to. No reason to bother with water, there is snow and ice on the ground after all. Let's ignore Granny until daylight when we realize we really must make a trip to the feedstore, only to discover that Granny's feed has gone up 25%. Let's then panic and decide to dump Granny since after all, the other toys in the household bring more fun year round. Since we haven't bothered to take good care of Granny, she now has infirmities which limit her use, but that's okay in the end, we'll get $1000 or more and just buy a younger version we can ignore the next winter......
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Sunday Rambles
I give humble thanks to another blog: fuglyhorseoftheday for a refresher course in equine conformation. This past week I went to see three horses for sale. I was originally interested in just one, but my newly tuned critical eyes allowed me to see beyond the colors to the structure beneath. Thank you FHOFTD!
The one I thought I was interested in was a young mare. She turned out to be too tall anyhow, but I was able to pick apart her conformation, and I left there mentally scratching my head over how the horse was put together....
First, a plain head. Not quite coarse, but no refinement either. Rather like a short TB head with slightly smaller than normal eyes, not well set. This lead to a very thick throatlatch, which connected to a short, upside down neck. This came to an upright shoulder, with a lousy angle on the lower portion too. Great withers that swept back to a long, weak loin, which dropped off into a short steep croup-which of course was higher than the front. When I mentally drew a line from stifle to point of elbow, she was high in the rear that way too.
The mare was very narrow in the front, and was slightly knock kneed as well. Pasterns were of normal length but upright. Post legged in the hinds, with rear cannons fully two inches longer than those in the front.
Looking at her from the side, I saw a mix of parts that was not harmonious. I tried to imagine what proper muscling would do to improve those faults...but honestly, strengthening the topline, was about all someone could do. I don't think it is possible for that horse to truly engage, at least not easily. She would maybe be okay for tooling around on the trails, but certainly isn't breeding quality and I don't think she would stay sound for arena maneuvers. She's built to travel strung out and head high-and sure enough, that is how she is muscled.
She's "registerable", but is a PMU product that arrived here about four years ago as foal. Did I mention that she had a filly at her side? It seems this youngster was born windswept. From a quick glance the filly seemed to have okay legs (keeping in mind I do not know that much about foals) but on further inspection, she was way off kilter with turned out knee joints. Mentally drawing a vertical line down those front legs revealed offsets. And was back at the knee also, and cow hocked like her dam. She too, had a upright shoulder but at least she had a decent neck, although a long back.
I was offered a good deal (for here) on all three, but honestly I could not get around conformational faults that would lead to soundness issues down the road. The owner thought she was pushy and aggressive, but what I really saw was an alpha mare posturing at the hay trough. I had no difficulty taking her away from it, backing her up, picking up her feet.....she needs hoof care from someone who knows what they are doing, and treatment for thrush too.
So I will pass, and wonder what idiot is going to ruin that horse by improper riding. At this time of the year, the foal has no value whatever, and needs to be out with other babies to mature. The remaining horse was a two year old, supposedly Arab gelding. Ah, nope, not a purebred. More like a stock horse cross of some type. He was actually the better of the three by far, with good bone, no major glaring faults except for being cowhocked-I hope someone works with him as he's less then 14 hands and would make someone a great pony project.
The one I thought I was interested in was a young mare. She turned out to be too tall anyhow, but I was able to pick apart her conformation, and I left there mentally scratching my head over how the horse was put together....
First, a plain head. Not quite coarse, but no refinement either. Rather like a short TB head with slightly smaller than normal eyes, not well set. This lead to a very thick throatlatch, which connected to a short, upside down neck. This came to an upright shoulder, with a lousy angle on the lower portion too. Great withers that swept back to a long, weak loin, which dropped off into a short steep croup-which of course was higher than the front. When I mentally drew a line from stifle to point of elbow, she was high in the rear that way too.
The mare was very narrow in the front, and was slightly knock kneed as well. Pasterns were of normal length but upright. Post legged in the hinds, with rear cannons fully two inches longer than those in the front.
Looking at her from the side, I saw a mix of parts that was not harmonious. I tried to imagine what proper muscling would do to improve those faults...but honestly, strengthening the topline, was about all someone could do. I don't think it is possible for that horse to truly engage, at least not easily. She would maybe be okay for tooling around on the trails, but certainly isn't breeding quality and I don't think she would stay sound for arena maneuvers. She's built to travel strung out and head high-and sure enough, that is how she is muscled.
She's "registerable", but is a PMU product that arrived here about four years ago as foal. Did I mention that she had a filly at her side? It seems this youngster was born windswept. From a quick glance the filly seemed to have okay legs (keeping in mind I do not know that much about foals) but on further inspection, she was way off kilter with turned out knee joints. Mentally drawing a vertical line down those front legs revealed offsets. And was back at the knee also, and cow hocked like her dam. She too, had a upright shoulder but at least she had a decent neck, although a long back.
I was offered a good deal (for here) on all three, but honestly I could not get around conformational faults that would lead to soundness issues down the road. The owner thought she was pushy and aggressive, but what I really saw was an alpha mare posturing at the hay trough. I had no difficulty taking her away from it, backing her up, picking up her feet.....she needs hoof care from someone who knows what they are doing, and treatment for thrush too.
So I will pass, and wonder what idiot is going to ruin that horse by improper riding. At this time of the year, the foal has no value whatever, and needs to be out with other babies to mature. The remaining horse was a two year old, supposedly Arab gelding. Ah, nope, not a purebred. More like a stock horse cross of some type. He was actually the better of the three by far, with good bone, no major glaring faults except for being cowhocked-I hope someone works with him as he's less then 14 hands and would make someone a great pony project.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Canning
Not many people seem to can any longer, now that there are fully stocked grocery stores not far from most home. I honestly don't know many people even my own age who can, never mind a 30 or 20something. It's turning into a lost art, which is rather a sad statement about American self reliance........
I had no conception what canning really was just ten years ago. My ex's family (many moons ago) had a family garden in the county, and they split the harvest and canned for days. As a young wife, I was relegated to the chopping, cleaning, washing, and all round dogs' body for the project every year. I did not actually can, but I did enjoy the results.
I learned to can at the urging of my husband, and bought a book (Putting Food By) and just got started. I discovered that two people I knew did do some canning, and I asked questions. Lots of questions! That and courage got me going.
The first thing I canned was salsa as I recall......now, here I am, a decade down the road, and I have a room devoted to pressure canning which includes a slop sink, a dishwasher, and a gas stove that's been converted to propane. I have two pressure canners, and literally hundreds of jars (one can never ever have too many jars!!) and I am seriously thinking about having a cabinet built to hold the harvest put up each year. From this grew the smoked salmon so admired that we built a 4 x 3 x 6 foot cold smoker, with shelves that will take about 80 pounds of salmon at a whack. I get so many requests for my Atomic beans, that I spend a rather stupid amount of time and effort to make sure I have some every year. I'll can up everything I can get my hands on, if it can be safely canned, lol Heck I even can potatoes, which are actually pretty darned good. And if a legal moose should happen to wander through at the right time, you can bet a large portion would end up in pint jars too!
Come fall time, you will not find me at home often as I am out picking this and that....berries mostly. I already have 20 some pounds of high bush cranberries, plus about 14 cups of wild currants in the freezer, plus blueberries. Come October, I will be busy making jams and jellies.....and that's the time we make my hub's barbecue sauce...an impossible combination of sweet/tart/spice that defies accurate description and is his recipe alone-I just provide the 30 something ingredients.
Next month I will be busy canning spuds and smoked salmon. I envision putting up at least another 250, 300 jars. Tonight I did up another 14 quarts of my Atomic pickled green beans, and tomorrow I will start pressure canning beans, and some cabbage. By the time I am I done, I am thoroughly sick of canning, but it's wonderful to see the rows of jars, just waiting for inspiration and appetite to prompt a hearty meal.
I had no conception what canning really was just ten years ago. My ex's family (many moons ago) had a family garden in the county, and they split the harvest and canned for days. As a young wife, I was relegated to the chopping, cleaning, washing, and all round dogs' body for the project every year. I did not actually can, but I did enjoy the results.
I learned to can at the urging of my husband, and bought a book (Putting Food By) and just got started. I discovered that two people I knew did do some canning, and I asked questions. Lots of questions! That and courage got me going.
The first thing I canned was salsa as I recall......now, here I am, a decade down the road, and I have a room devoted to pressure canning which includes a slop sink, a dishwasher, and a gas stove that's been converted to propane. I have two pressure canners, and literally hundreds of jars (one can never ever have too many jars!!) and I am seriously thinking about having a cabinet built to hold the harvest put up each year. From this grew the smoked salmon so admired that we built a 4 x 3 x 6 foot cold smoker, with shelves that will take about 80 pounds of salmon at a whack. I get so many requests for my Atomic beans, that I spend a rather stupid amount of time and effort to make sure I have some every year. I'll can up everything I can get my hands on, if it can be safely canned, lol Heck I even can potatoes, which are actually pretty darned good. And if a legal moose should happen to wander through at the right time, you can bet a large portion would end up in pint jars too!
Come fall time, you will not find me at home often as I am out picking this and that....berries mostly. I already have 20 some pounds of high bush cranberries, plus about 14 cups of wild currants in the freezer, plus blueberries. Come October, I will be busy making jams and jellies.....and that's the time we make my hub's barbecue sauce...an impossible combination of sweet/tart/spice that defies accurate description and is his recipe alone-I just provide the 30 something ingredients.
Next month I will be busy canning spuds and smoked salmon. I envision putting up at least another 250, 300 jars. Tonight I did up another 14 quarts of my Atomic pickled green beans, and tomorrow I will start pressure canning beans, and some cabbage. By the time I am I done, I am thoroughly sick of canning, but it's wonderful to see the rows of jars, just waiting for inspiration and appetite to prompt a hearty meal.
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