State of the Union

I haven't looked at this blog in years. I think it's time to pay a wee bit of attention to it.

I looked at my last post and boy has the food I'm feeding Kid and Rupert changed. They are still living on dry lots but they get a lot more hay and less grain. Since it's winter time, they are getting 1-1/2 quarts of grain twice a day and 1/4 bail of hay twice a day. While the hay is 2 strand, the bales are very heavy and tightly packed. When the hay is thrown on the ground it poofs into a huge amount.

The  boys are a great weight and covered in fur. The vet is coming out on Monday to draw blood for their Coggin's test.

Feed - Fall Update

Last spring, we were boarding at a different facility that had turnout but a very sketchy feeding "schedule". They horses were fed once a day supposedly late morning. Because it is important horses get fed at least twice a day, Steven and I would come out every night and feed K/R again. Several times when we arrived in the evening, the herd was just getting their food. I loved the fact they did get pasture time, but seriously having to buy extra food and hay on top of what we were paying as well as the 50 mile round trip every day was getting expensive.

We moved to a new facility in June which is cheaper and they get fed twice a day at the same time every day. We buy the hay/food/supplements/medicine and they feed it.  The ranch hand has been very accommodating with putting the food and the hay where we want it (out of the sun). Kid did not do well with eating in the direct sun when it was so hot. He had several small HYPP attacks so we moved the food to the shade of his shed with good results.

I was looking at the feed we gave in the spring:

AM
3 quarts pellets
4 pounds timothy pellets (pre-soak weight)
7 pounds coastal hay
Joint supplement - Rupert
2 tablets Acetazolamide for HYPP - Kid

PM
3 quarts pellets
2 pounds beet pulp shreds (pre-soak weight). Beet pulp is drained and then re-rinsed to get rid of excess potassium.
7 pounds coast hay

All Day
Grass in the field

They were so thin this time last year which accounts for the large amount of food they were getting in an effort to put weight on them

The fall schedule has changed because K/R were FAT which didn't help Rupert at all because of the extra weight on his feet. The lack of exercise because of lack of pasture definitely didn't help either.

AM
2 quarts pellets
2 quarts beet pulp pellets (pre-soak weight)
7 pounds coastal hay (R-small hole hay net, K-nibble net)


PM
2 quarts pellets
2 quarts beet pulp pellets (pre-soak weight).
7 pounds coastal hay (R-small hole hay net, K-nibble net)
2 tablets Acetazolamide for HYPP - Kid
 Joint supplement - Rupert

2-hour turnout about 3 times per week.

If they start to look thinner, we will up their hay. We eliminated the timothy pellets because I think Kid was getting too much potassium in his diet and again, they were fat.

K/R have plenty of room to move around since their runs are 50' x 130'. They are next to each other and their hay nets are back to back. The east-facing sheds are nice and deep. I know Kid spends a lot of time in his because his coat is so dark.

Worms - Fall Update

At the end of March, I posted about fecal updates. Kid had a lot, Rupert, a few. Wormed as directed by the vet at the beginning of April and in June. Did a fecal again in July with both horses still wormy. Since it was so hot, Dr. M recommended not worming with a special note that it could kill Kid because of his HYPP.

Fall shots were due in September so when Dr. J came, we did another round of fecal tests. Again, both came back wormy - Kid moderately so and Rupert with a few. Each was given a dose of Quest Plus at the beginning of this month and we will test again in December when their Coggins are due.

Since I have owned Kid, he has NEVER come back with less than a moderate strongyle level. The good thing is he doesn't look wormy, his coat is seriously shiny, and he poops great.  I look forward to seeing what December brings.

Good Kid

We free-lunged again today, working on voice commands and increasing exercise time. Kid exceeded all my expectations in that he lengthened his trot (no more floppy hooves) and took to voice commands like he had done them before. His movement seems more fluid now than its ever been. Any stiffness he had in his hips in gone.

In the next few weeks we are going to work on desensitization because Kid is still Mr. Spooky. I walked him in the covered arena and he freaked when he walked past the blue tractor. I also want him to get used to the wind noises in the arena so there are no surprises when we start riding again. Good news is that I don't think he is afraid of the neon green jolly ball anymore. We had thrown it in his paddock a few weeks ago and now he doesn't snort at or shy away from it.

Kid and Rupert. Kid's the one with the big butt.

Hooves on the mend

Rupert's casts from last August. We got orange this time too, so no new picture.

Saturday, October 20, 2012
We have Rupert back in casts to try to correct the separation and wonky wear we have been seeing on both his front hooves. Andrea put them on Monday and he was still a bit off until today. We are trying to give him plenty of exercise to keep his muscles and joints loose. The good news is that we are seeing a lot less left leg shaking and his shoulder muscles and poll are not as tight. Exercise, massage, and stretches are paying off!

Both boys got round pen time to build up their endurance. They have had so much time off and are really out of shape - not overweight anymore, but definitely out of shape. Kid free-lunged first and cantered like I have never seen before. He used to be so lazy but seems to enjoy running now. Rupert was next and we decided to try voice commands for upward and downward transitions. He knew what to do! We were so excited and are going to try working with Kid tomorrow.

By the way, the bots are HORRIBLE this year. I'm going to break down and buy a bot knife. Kid's legs are covered in the yellow eggs - ewwww. :(

Duh and Rupert's hooves

Today was day 3 of putting stuff on Rupert's thrush and I can already tell a difference.  The "butt crack" between the heel bulbs is closing and the thrush smell has lessened. Being consistent about using thrush products works - duh!

I've used Coppertox before but the smell makes me sick and Listerine doesn't work except to make hooves smell minty fresh. I have a recipe for some homemade stuff but haven't tried it yet. Right now we are using Cowboy Magic thrush killer that I bought last year and never used. So far, so good.

Andrea is coming out Monday to trim hooves and possibly cast Rupert's fronts. He has a mechanical separation that isn't getting better.

This is his left front from October 2, 2011 which is about 5 weeks after his very first barefoot trim:

This if from December 17, 2011:

The separation does appear to be getting bigger.

The way he stands and walks has really affected the shape of his hoof.  According to Andrea, "When he lands, he is landing and breaking over at that spot where the flaring is occurring, which is causing the mechanical separation issue. He also stands with weight more on the outside of his foot, causing another mechanical issue". 

 

Poor baby is pigeon toed, has a club foot, and pronates badly. Casting should make a difference and if not, we have lots of other options that don't include nailing a shoe on his hoof.

Stuck in Neutral

Today I realized why I've been stuck in neutral with the horses.  We moved barns back in May and I haven't ridden since. I know this sounds crazy, but perfectionism has kept me from riding and working my horses.

The arena is too deep, the round pen is too deep, there is grass in the round pen, etc.- I have plenty of excuses.  Because conditions aren't perfect like I think they ought to be, I shut down and give up. In the meanwhile, my Kid and Rupert are fat and out of shape (much like their owner). If you follow Fly Lady, you know perfectionism can ruin your life. I finally am working my way to a clean house

October 12, 2012

I started the paragraphs above probably 2 months ago. After the fall shot vet visit in the middle of September, I felt better about where we are. We cut back on the boy's food and now they look great. We started working them in the round pen (OK, just started yesterday) and it was a great experience.  The lighting is wonderful, the footing could still be better, the grass needs to be gone, but all in all the workout was good. Kid's cantering and trotting were better than I had seen in a long time.  He seemed excited to be getting exercise again. Rupert was spastic, alternating between nice trotting and cantering to full-out body twisting bucks.

Once the round pen time was complete, we turned them out for pasture time. One of the downsides of the place we're out in we are limited to 2 hours per day. Thank goodness, they do have big, individual paddocks.  While they were chomping away on grass, Steven and I bagged their food and meds for the next 4 days. Actually I did the bagging and Steven read Vice-Presidential debate twitter posts to me. Food prep done, we got the boys out of the pasture where they were treated to half-assed grooming by yours truly which means hooves were picked, thrush stuff applied, massages given, and fly spray sprayed. Both Kid and Rupert were VERY relaxed during their massages which made me happy.

What made me even happier was the entire process from leaving home to getting ready to leave the barn only took about 2 hours. I'm not saying this because I don't want to spend time with my horses, but rather I get overwhelmed and don't think I have enough time. Yesterday proved that there is time during the week to spend with Kid and Rupert to give them the exercise we all deserve. With lighted round pen and lighted/covered arena, we have no excuse.

Potential Hoof Problem

I was out feeding dinner to Kid and Rupert this evening and noticed a big crack in Rupert's left hind hoof. I took a picture of the hoof and have sent off to Andrea the wonderful trimmer. She's going to get back with me later to see how we need to proceed. Update: Andrea is coming out this afternoon to have a look at the hoof. After reviewing it again last night, it doesn't look as bad as we thought. Rather than a crack, we just have a big chunk coming off.

Update to Update: It turned out to be a cosmetic chip that pretty much disappeared after trimming his hooves.

Worms

Yesterday I got the results of Kid and Rupert's fecal tests - :(. Our diligent rotational worming schedule did not keep Kid from having lots of strongyles in his sample and a few in Rupert's. This is the second year in a row Kid has had lots of worms. I'm not happy. The vet is reviewing our schedule and will get back with me with her recommendations. Meanwhile, she wants Kid to have a Power Dose or Power Pak for this month and Rupert gets a double dose of Panacur.

I know for a fact there are some people at our barn that are lax about worming and rotating wormers. It's going to be hard to get our problem under control if they don't take care of theirs.

Spring Checkup

The vet came yesterday for shots, fecal samples, and sheath cleaning. I had stalled the boys about an hour before Dr. Jen arrived and gave them some hay in hopes we would have fresh fecal samples. Success! The piles of poo were still steamy on the inside. Perfect for checking out pesky parasites.

Rupert was a good boy for his shots and sheath cleaning, but Kid was not. Usually spring checkups involve teeth floating, but since I'm not working, I hall the boys to a much cheaper equine dental school for a $35 float by graduating students (they do a great job). Even though Kid didn't get his teeth done, we still had to sedate for sheath cleaning. He does NOT like his junk messed with and will try to kick you even while half asleep. He kicked out several times but never made contact and now has a clean thingie.

Dr. Jen said their weight is good and they look great - yea!

Current feeding plan that works:

AM
3 quarts pellets
4 pounds timothy pellets (pre-soak weight)
7 pounds coastal hay
Joint supplement - Rupert
2 tablets Acetazolamide for HYPP - Kid

PM
3 quarts pellets
2 pounds beet pulp shreds (pre-soak weight). Beet pulp is drained and then re-rinsed to get rid of excess potassium.
7 pounds coast hay

All Day
Grass in the field

Feeding in the Rain

We have huge thunderstorms moving through North Texas today which inspired our BO to feed earlier than usual this morning since most of the horses are fed outside. She only feeds once a day so my husband and I usually go out in the evening to give our horses a second feeding. I had to go buy feed and beet pulp this afternoon and then went to the barn to unload and feed early (again before the storms moved through). The grass is getting quite nice and tasty but I usually don't have any problems getting Kid and Rupert to come up for dinner. Today was different.

Winds were gusting over 40 miles an hour so calling the horses didn't work because I don't think they could hear me. I walked out into the pasture where Rupert was and he actually ran off. I'm not going to chase him for feeding so went back to the feeding pens, picked up their lovely hay, and put it back in the trailer. We will try again this evening as long as it's not lightening out. I don't want them to go without their food, but we need to stay safe.

Silly ponies...

In like a Lion...

March has proven to be very windy and somewhat wet so far here in North Texas. It was supposed to rain every day this week so I didn't plan to ride. Guess what? No rain. Steven and I went out around 11:00 today to feed Kid and Rupert and ended up have a spa day with the horses. Rupert especially, had weird, funky yak hair but most of it is now blowing in the wind. They both look a lot better and their hooves look great too.

Rain is predicted again for most of the coming week which is fine since we really need the hay to grow so we can buy locally and maybe bring the prices down. Sometime this week I must make a trip to the feed store for feed, timothy pellets, beet pulp, and hay. I don't want the hay to get rained on so must plan my trip around the weather.

Exploring Where We Board

The place where we board the horses has a creek running along the property boundry. Last week we road in the creek for the first and second times. Kid was so good with just the tiniest spook on the first day and a little bigger spook on the second. He and Big Red (horse on the right with Bethann) willing went in the water and splashed around. Steve at the barn told us in the spring it's really fun to ride because the creek is filled bank to bank.

Blogging Greatness

Since it has been awhile since my last post, blogging greatness has come and gone again and again. Andrea at http://eventing-a-gogo.blogspot.com/ has come out several times to trim Kid and Rupert. We are getting ever closer to hooves of steel.

Rupert has a club foot(LF)and is pigeon-toed which has meant his hooves have been an ongoing problem most of his life. He had always been shod in the front to either try to correct the problem or at least "make do". In the photo (still wearing shoes), it's obvious that his left foot in the clubbed one and it forces his left knee to be higher.

When I first contacted Andrea, she asked tons of questions about both Kid and Rupert, but Rupert especially. She came out the last weekend in August, just after we moved to the new barn. I was sooooo excited.

Kid's feet weren't bad, just really dry. Rupert's were awful. His hooves were narrow, frogs atrophied, and he looked like he was standing on his toes. She observed him walking and noted that instead of heel-toe, he walked toe-heel (not good). His front legs were also very stiff.

I had let Andrea know that Rupert tended to be very sore after shoeing so we had decided to put Equisocks on his front feet until they fell off or until he was trimmed again. They stayed on until Andrea returned.
With every trim his feet get better and better. The hooves are widening, frogs are healthier, AND Rupert is walking heel-toe now. The angles of his front legs are different and are more balanced. He seems to be happier when walking and running.

We haven't taken him down in the creek yet but I did take Kid and he handled the rocks with no problems. Thank you Andrea!

Saddle Pad Contest

I entered a contest at http://lucysquest.blogspot.com/2011/10/win-hand-painted-saddle-pad.html to win a hand-painted saddle pad. This of course means I need to remind Heidi (again) to send my English saddle down to Texas.

My entry haiku:

My Kid and Rupert
Patiently waiting for me
To kiss sweet noses

I really hope I win.

Kid and Rupert's New Home

Last Sunday, we moved Kid and Rupert to a new barn which is much closer to home. Our friend, Bethann, moved Big Red also. The horses have 40 acres to graze and run around on. The arena and round pen are very nice and I can't wait to ride in them.

The decision to move was a difficult one but barn drama and more importantly, horse weight issues ultimately made moving necessary. The horrible Texas drought has made forage in many places non-existent. The place we were boarding was no exception and the horses were losing weight rapidly. Our new place has been watering their pastures and it shows. The grass is green and apparently tasty. Kid was very clingy the first few days he was there but he is definitely over that now. I went to catch him yesterday and he was awful - pinned ears, walking away, etc. Didn't want to leave his grass.

Everyone we have met has been so nice and Lesley, the BO, has been so helpful. We can't wait to begin taking lessons again.



Saturday, we had blogging greatness visit us for new adventures with hooves. Details to come.

Absence makes the Heart grow fonder

I had seen Kid and Rupert twice since July 16 and yesterday made the third. I missed them so much but with working late or without days off, I just couldn't make it out to the barn.

We got there about 7:30 last night and not a horse was in sight. Since we didn't have time to ride, Steven went off to find the horses to see if they would follow him back to the trailer. As he approached where they were, Rupert came running up the hill to see him. Kid was nowhere to be found at that point, so Steven walked back to the trailer with Rupert right behind the entire way with no halter. Rupert was desperate for attention. Soon we will be able to see both he and Kid more.

After a while, Kid decided to join us. As I was loving on Rupert, I could see Kid walking across the pasture and head straight for me. He also let me hug and kiss on him. I turned to walk to the trailer to get his halter and Kid followed. He stood for the halter, he backed-up with verbal cues only, and basically, was absolutely wonderful. This was the horse that used to charge me in the pasture, the horse that bit me on the chest, and the horse that would not move when ridden. In our case, time and work paid off. I love both of them so much and I know Steven does too. He and Rupert have really bonded.

We move to a new barn next week which I think will be good for both horses. Kid is looking a bit thin and there is not much grass for them to eat let alone hay. I'll be so grateful to leave the drama behind which has totally ruined my barn time for the last year.

Horse Riding Anxiety

Today Steven and I rode in the pasture with friends. I worry constantly about how Steven is doing on Rupert and it is affecting my riding. I was so proud that as soon as I was physically able, I got back on a horse. I've done trail rides and play days but riding and practicing in the pasture makes me a basket case. I need to get back in the round pen as soon as we get ours back and then hit the arena to practice loping. Also, I've got to lose weight. I've put on a few and it also hurts my riding.

Fort Worth Stock Show Parade

Saturday, Bethann and I rode in the Fort Worth Stock Show Parade. The weather was in the 40s and drizzling but we stuck it out. I've been nervous for weeks but it turned out to be lots of fun. The hill up to the courthouse was not as bad as I expected but I am soooo glad they sanded it.

I can't believe how good Kid and Voodoo were during the parade. The noise from the marching bands and the crowds didn't see to bother them at all. It was easy to get caught up in the atmosphere and before I knew it, I was relaxed and waving at people. One elderly man pointed at my helmet and nodded which made me very happy.

Fort Worth is such a great place to live.

Big Blue Trailer Time

Rupert spent some quality time tied to the Big Blue Trailer this evening (Kid is the big bay in the picture of the Big Blue Trailer). He was absolutely wonderful and didn't even attempt to pull back. Before training, he always pulled back. I sat in a chair and watched him for about 45 minutes and he barely moved.

While Rupert was being patient, Kid and I worked on ground tying out in the open. He was also a very good pony. After a bit, I gave Kid a hug and he actually returned it. He curved his head around the back of my head and pressed for about 3 seconds. It was so sweet.