URGENT: BenRay Horses need Homes
09 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
Please check out the following link:
http://midatlantichorserescue.org/BenRayHorsesNeedHomes.htm
There are still four mares at last information who need placing by 1/31/12. There’s some nice, nice bloodlines (including a mare with Olympia, if you find horses like Lucky appealing) and really, the only thing holding me back at this point is that I do not have my own trailer.
And Lucky continues to mend/come out of his funk, whichever it is. I think some part of him likes the excuse to just stand in the crossties and be pampered. He got a haircut (mane was getting a big shaggy again) and I used the “bath in a bottle” on his tail. Which I’m sure will be full of straw and manure again in no time flat (he likes to get creative when messing up his stall) but it looked really pretty. And for having been cut pretty short when I got him, the longest hairs are now not QUITE brushing the ground. I should probably, for neatness’ sake, cut it short, as the cold/warm weather weirdness means everywhere at the barn that’s not under cover is mud. I don’t want to wish for a mountain of snow, but it would at least be cleaner.
I’ve Become THAT Owner
05 Jan 2012 2 Comments
You know, the one with a massive bottle of bute in their purse. Thank goodness they don’t do drug searches at work. (Actually my boss knew what I was going to pick up at the vet in Cassopolis at lunch, and the Museum Advisory Committee member who was with him when I said I was going happens to own horses, too, so she understands.) Three days on it, 2gm/day, and see if he shapes up, the vet says.
Why the bute? Well, in part, he seems to have dinged himself in the pasture. The BO called on Sunday, I think it was. I was still at my parents’ place, so I couldn’t exactly run over, but the gist of it was on Saturday all the horses had a big fuss–running, spooking, and acting like something scary was going on, and then they all quieted down. Her friend called, and the friend’s horses (not exactly next door, either) had all done the same thing around the same time. Turns out, this also happened to be the same time as the earthquake in Ohio. Coincidence? Or long-range earthquake sensing?
Lucky apparently decided he was not coming in that night. He also appeared to be sore in his hind end. (Though not, apparently, sore enough he couldn’t evade capture.) He wasn’t eating like his usual gobbling self, though he WAS eating. The BO knows what colic looks like, and that didn’t seem to be the problem. When she had his masseuse (I really need one of those for me) take a look, he seemed touchy and resistant to having his flank touched, and didn’t even want a heating wrap on it. Of course, being 200 miles away, there wasn’t much I could do other than say that if he didn’t want to come in, and was feeling well enough he could get away from them, he could stay outside. And things being what they always are, I wound up staying an extra day at my parents’, between the weather (wind and ice) and my mom straining her back and not being able to lift things. (She’s feeling better, by the way.) By the time I got home on Tuesday and got the menagerie (two dogs, three cats, and one fish) unpacked and sorted, I’d have gotten to the barn in time for it to be pitch black. So I took a long lunch Wednesday and drove out to the barn. He was out in the lanes, not staring, just browsing under the snow along the edges of the fence. He did decide to try walking off, but not very seriously, and I was able to get a halter on him. His appetite for peppermints clearly was unaffected, as was his ability to mug for them. There’s several inches of snow, but I managed to find a flat place where it wasn’t too deep, and when he walked all right, I jogged him, and he jogged, without the chain on his nose and the rope slack.
Hokay. So I took him inside, put him in the crossties, and worked on the wooly-mammoth fuzz. He did his normal ear-pinning when I got to his underbelly, and he did have a distinct flinch on his croup, on the left side. But he walked flat on the concrete. He stood, he backed. He shifted weight from one hind foot to the other like he normally does while standing (rests one, switches, rests the other.) I picked his hooves, and he picked up all his feet like normal, put his full weight on all three when one was lifted. His tail seemed rather clamped, but he didn’t object to my lifting it, moving it side to side, or letting it drop. He also was perfectly happy to let me use the little rubber scritchy brush (I’m sure it has another name, but it’s basically a little soft rubber brush for giving face scrtiches) all over his face. I tried leading him in his stall, and he didn’t object. In fact he checked the feed tub and seemed annoyed it was empty. So I walked him around a little, then took his halter off and gave him a pile of hay. He actually followed me for a bit, and I came back out and walked up to him just to remind him he needs to allow people to catch him.
So I was left with a poser. Clearly, he was a little sore, but not especially touchy, and he was definitely able to put weight on all four feet, walk, jog, and try to avoid me coming to get him. I called the vet, and asked what she thought. The conclusion is, he probably dinged himself running around, probably not seriously as he’s feeling well enough to try and get away from people, and to give him the bute for three days and see if he’s feeling better. As for not wanting to come in, he’s not the first horse to do that, and if he won’t come in, leaving him out with hay and water and access to the run-ins won’t hurt him.
Personally, I kind of like the BO’s theory–partially, he’s just sulking because I was gone for two weeks. Don’t worry, Lucky. Next year Dad should have gotten new tires on the trailer, and you can come spend the holidays in the north country, too. And anyway, I still brought you candy canes.
(P.S. For those who may have missed, and by missed I mean avoided my relentless Facebook and Twitter spam, I wrote a book. It’s not about horses, but I’m pretty pleased with it. And for those of you who, like me, aren’t into e-readers, it will be available in dead-tree format as soon as I can approve the corrected proof. So…buy my book, keep Lucky rolling in peppermints.)
Merry Christmas From Lucky!
25 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Lucky is enjoying his Christmas hay and candy canes, his owner is waiting for prime rib to be ready, the dogs are hoping (Mom feeds dogs in THIS house, so they are following Mom because MAYBE they will get prime rib, too. How adoringly can a dog gaze? Adoringly.)
And I am plugging my fantasy novel, now available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006PWUKWK/ref=r_soa_w_d Read, enjoy, share! Pay for more peppermints for Lucky.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and remember that an OTTB makes a great present!
Riding Alone
18 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
Yes, I know it’s probably not the smartest thing. I realize that even if I have my cell phone in my pocket (never in a saddle bag) I could wind up on the ground unable to call. I still love it when I show up and I’m the only one there. My dance instructor is in Ohio, but a work conference meant I just couldn’t justify going, so I had Friday afternoon free for the barn. Today everyone was already in the stalls, and even Cream Cat (he looks a bit like a fat seal-point Siamese and wants NOTHING to do with human contact) was in the tack room out of the wind. The horses have straw again for winter and are all cozy, so of course I had to haul his comfy butt out and get some of the dust out of the fuzz. (No, I don’t body-clip. I do clear a little bit under the girth but I don’t really want the BO to have to be pulling a blanket on and off constantly when he grows a perfectly decent coat.) I’d been debating whether or not to ride or just lunge or hand-walk him, as it’s been windy and cold all day (though not snowing like yesterday) but everything just seemed so wide-open and rideable I couldn’t resist. Lucky I’m sure could have totally resisted right back to his stall but he ambled out to the ring without too much objecting. We did a little trotting, and I popped him over the crossrail again. He’s getting so much better at the whole concept of going forward to the jump (while weirdly needing to hesitate, drop his head, and stare at ground poles) and moving on afterwards. I still don’t think he’s ever going to be master of the show ring or a field hunter (for a start at the gallop, even a slow one, he poops out after a quarter mile) but he’s slowly grasping the concept.
Then, since no one was in it, I took him out for a canter in the big pasture. Normally Vandy, Sky, and Peanut are turned out there, but as they were all wrapped up in the barn I had the whole thing to myself. Lucky felt a little stiff (fair enough, it’s cold) so we didn’t canter too long, but big trots are more easily achieved when you have lots of open space. As it was after three it was already starting to get dark, but since it was clear today we had plenty of light. The only observer was Dom, watching out the back of the barn.
Sometimes a long hack in the cold is all you really need.
Winding Down for the Winter
13 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
The signs of winter approaching: the leaves turn color and fall, the days get shorter and grayer, and horses turn to fuzz, with girth marks vanishing and appearing on their own. Lucky has turned brown and fuzzy again, just in time for the weather to cool off so he has a little more energy. Today was classic bleak November: gray skies, wind, and the trees are almost bare. It was warmer than usual, though–definitely warmer than last week, when the fuzz seemed warranted as we had sleet that stayed as ice on the grass. Either Lucky, who’s seemed stiff in his hind end (I suspect I’ve let him be a bit lazy this summer as it doesn’t seem a consistent pain, though if I can schedule a lameness check with a vet recommended to me, I’m going to get that done. Being off the beaten path does have its down side) is feeling better or he decided the weather agrees with him. It’s a nice change from needing to nudge him along. Still, pretty soon it’s going to be too cold to ride much, and probably too much snow. Lucky will probably not mind that much–the barn is full of hay and he has a warm fuzzy coat.
And as it’s November, it’s also the big push for many thoroughbred placement groups as the northeastern tracks close for the season. This year there are many, many horses to chose from if you’d like a Finger Lakes’ Finest like Lucky. Consider a Finger Lakes Thoroughbred for your next horse!
Nothing Much To See Here….
23 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
No, really. It’s just one of those fall times–sunny, not too hot, the bugs are starting to decline (but not gone yet, alas), and everyone’s getting just a bit fuzzy. Lucky’s gone from blood bay to brownie again. Yesterday, I couldn’t get out to the barn until after work, and it’s getting darker earlier, so by the time I got out there it was fading light and feeling late. Instead of riding, I put the chain over his nose and we took a grazing walk. The BO’s grandkids had their haunted trail set up. It’s good to know that I do in fact have the arm strength to hold an upset thoroughbred, as Lucky decided one trail full of hanging bats and especially big cotton spiderwebs was just too much. Which is funny, as walking under the caution tape, which actually TOUCHED him, didn’t bother him all that much. He was happy to eat his way back across the hayfield, though.
Today I didn’t ride as long as maybe I could have, but I do get the feeling he gets sore in the back end. I suppose, given he’s coming ten, he is at the age where having had a heavy career his joints are getting old. It gets better as he works it out. I still only asked for one jump, especially as he trotted to it (a crossrail with a bar across the top, probably 21″) and cantered off without taking any of the rails down. Then we ambled for a bit. It’s good ambling weather. Of course, this will be followed by good skiing weather, which is not good for any kind of riding at all. Maybe this winter it’ll be a little lighter on the snow . . . .
Birthday Weekend!
19 Sep 2011 1 Comment
So, where else would I go?
Live racing (mostly thoroughbred, with a couple Quarter Horse sprints and one Arab five-furlong race) at Mount Pleasant Meadows! Sadly, Dancing In Gerarda scratched (not surprising as he ran last weekend), as it would have been nice to see another of Robert Bakerman’s horses (besides Dancing in Gerarda, my brother encountered another of Lucky’s breeders produce, Ballado Alert at his barn for conditioning with his trainer. As far as wagering, I had better luck than at Arlington Park, though it’s easier to guess not to bet on the maiden with three starts that involved bumping, bolting, and losing the rider, or the Thoroughbred with one prior start at Hoosier last October where his chart note is “wouldn’t break.” (For this start, it’s “pulled up first turn”, with the expanded note “bucked at the start.” I don’t think he likes his job.) And you know it’s a small track when the longer-odds horses on the morning line instantly drop to 99-1 when betting opens, or your $2 exacta box drops those on one horse to 50-1! Almost no one who didn’t deserve it went off at 99.
And it’s good to see numbers at Mount Pleasant Meadows, even the entertainingly-dressed birthday party complete with hats. The weather was perfect, the racing was good, and the only spill or bolt was a pony who decided to try and leave the paddock without his rider (he was stymied by the winner’s stand and walked back, and worked the rest of the races.) There IS live racing in Michigan!
Cowboy Lucky
11 Sep 2011 2 Comments
I'm an old cowhand...
Here is Lucky, fitted out in the barrel saddle. I tried it out yesterday with a borrowed pad and this morning stopped at Tractor Supply for a pad and off-side latigo (and sunflower seed, heaven help we run out of that at home, the birds would raid the house.) I also I’m sure looked like a nut, standing there using my cell-phone calculator to figure out which of the biotin supplements was cheapest per dose. I ended up with one that comes in a five-pound blue bag, which is forty days’ supply, which also has selenium and other minerals. Yesterday we tried a little work with neck-reining with the hunt saddle on him, which obviously makes it a lot easier to use legs and seat. Today, I at times had the feeling he was catching on. It will take some more fiddling, I’m sure. I’m debating trying him in a hackamore, as he has a small mouth and is fussy about bits.
Of course, it’s hard to accomplish much when the bugs make it impossible to stay out for long. We had a brief cold snap, but it wasn’t enough to cause a frost or take care of the incessant fly problem. They’ve all acquired their own flocks of cowbirds following them around the pasture, and it doesn’t take long before Lucky is head-shaking, kicking, and stopping to bite at himself. Nothing slows them down, not the chemicals or the homemade sprays. I cannot wait for a really solid cold snap.
Happy Birthday, Puff!
05 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
Hi, Puff.
What's this? George Foreman was here?
Really, for ME? You shouldn't have.
Well, if you insist....
Clean plate club? No problem.
Tucker plays with Thursday. (Who put himself up the tree. She just figured she'd keep him there.)
Happy Twelfth Birthday, Mr. Puff!
Everyone Ought to Have a Pokey Pony
30 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: hunters, pony!, reriding, tack
Well, sometimes Lucky is a bit too lazy. He is not the world’s most motivated horse on the best days. The bugs are not helping at all. Now I’m getting eaten alive. Saturday, we took a long walk around the track, and the toughest part was convincing him that if he kept moving, the bugs couldn’t get him. Or at least not as effectively. We didn’t do much in the way of galloping or even a canter, and there was much bending at the walk. He was also perfectly happy to stand very still for his bath (with the nice Finish Line shampoo with tea tree oil, which smells very nice) because the water meant the flies had trouble landing. Sunday, I lunged with the side reins again. I actually saw something that might be dropping the head and engaging with the bit. Progress! I don’t think, though, he is ever going to be a big-moving hunter with a sweeping trot. His hind end does not work that way. As he seems to harbor ambitions of growing up to be a cowboy, this is probably not the colossal problem it might be elsewhere.
Monday I had the chance to hack out on a pokey pony. Yes, an actual pony! 13.1 hh. Over on Chronicle Forums, I’d mentioned that I was trying to find a western saddle for Lucky. (Someone, please stop me from buying that barrel saddle with the teal ostrich seat and teal heart cutouts? Must…resist…cute….) COTH poster fordtraktor let me know she had an old barrel saddle I could try, and since she doesn’t live far, if I wanted, we could go for a hack when I came by to get it. As I will rarely pass up a chance to ride a new (to me) horse, I said sure! The saddle, underneath the dust (it has been honorably retired for a while!) is red leather basketweave, and does clean up nicely. Now to see if it fits (maybe after Labor Day it’ll get cold and all the bugs will die!) After taking a look at the saddle, we went for a leisurely hack. I had the pleasure of riding one of those ponies who is big but little. I believe 13.1 is technically a medium, but as fordtrakor put it, she’s like a Quarter Horse body on short legs, and I didn’t have any issue with taking up leg. Pony might have had an issue with having a rider who is strong enough to make her actually trot (which can be surprisingly big when she wants it to be!) and even a bit of a bone-jarring pony canter. Even then, she still could only get halfway around the arena before fordtraktor’s Big Bay TB (to go with her Big Bay QHs) swept on by and lapped us. I know, pony, it’s tough to be short. It’s wonderful to actual go riding with someone–I’m used to hacking out by myself and working in the ring alone, to the point Lucky was moderately fried by having four others in there for the clinic this summer. Hopefully she can haul up to visit (as I’m tow-vehicle-less for now) and Lucky can get some thoroughbred company. (Maybe it will encourage him to speed up a bit, too. Then again, probably not.)
