Holidays and First Day of Winter

No white Christmas for us here in East Tennessee. Late last week they were forecasting snow but now just rain. Bummer. My parents are driving up late Christmas Eve with my brother. We plan to go to Ober Gatlinburg so at least we will be able to SEE some snow! I've got a lot to do this week. From last minute Christmas shopping to grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Our cat should have kittens any day now...Unfortunately. She only got out twice. Little whore. Haha. We've been meaning to get her spayed for some time but it seems like everytime we save up the money, something major happens such as Mulligan the Dachshund getting sick and having to go to the vet (400 vet bill) or going to get tires rotated and them telling you that you need new tires (400 more) etc etc....That's life though right...

Sigh*

Watching the early show on CBS. They are talking about easy switches to cut calories on your holiday baking. I figured I'd share since they are some easy ideas!

Pie - cut 700 calories by using half the sugar. You don't change the chemistry of the pie and you can really taste the fruit.

Puddings / Pie Fillings - instead of heavy cream use 2% milk, still get creaminess
Cut 744 calories and a lot of fat

Cookies - change flour to whole wheat flour, can do half and half....more about nutrition than calories

Cheesecake - use part skim ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese. Save 60 GRAMS OF FAT. Double the protein.

Brownies - use pumpkin puree instead of oil. Save 900 calories and 100 grams of fat. Makes MORE moist. Supposedly REALLY good.

Chocolate Cake - use 3 tbs cocoa powder instead of chocolate, save 80 calories instantly!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Snow Day

We had our first snow of the season last weekend. I snapped a couple of pics. Today, the wind is ferocious! I'm convinced it's going to blow a tree down. Wow!

I think snow is just so beautiful! I love how it makes the trees look. I don't know if I like it so much because I didn't grow up with snow or it just really is that pretty!

Buffet from Goodwill

I've really been slacking! And you'd think I would have plenty of time to post on my blog since I've been completely unemployed since the middle of November. We had snow a couple of days ago and it was beautiful. I'll post pictures. I've taken lots of pictures over the past couple of months that I planned on putting up here but haven't gotten around to yet.

I found an awesome deal at Goodwill the other day. I went in and saw this buffet under a pile of stuff. It was beautiful and I couldn't believe someone had not picked it up yet. The price tag said $65. The next weekend was a 50% off storewide sale so I returned on Saturday to buy it. To my surprise, it was STILL there! I bought it for 35 bucks and was thrilled.

I stopped by Lowe's on the way home to purchase a piece of trim to replace two pieces that were broken off.

When I got home, I sanded it down. Then I mixed flat black paint with a glaze. I painted the buffet with this mixture and wiped off some of the glaze, leaving the color in the creases and on the edges of the wood. Next, I applied a paint-on polyureathane. Once it dried, I noticed the finish had bubbles in it. I lightly sanded it again and applied a finishing wax. Here is the final results!

So, I figured since I've been on hold with the Tennessee Unemployment office for the past 20 minutes, I might as well sign in and post on my blog! The unemployment call center really needs to hire some additional people to decrease this hold time....I mean, it's not like they don't have plenty of people to choose from.. I'm still working 1 day per week at my previous job but I am still qualified for benefits, as long as I am not making more than my weekly benefit from the unemployment insurance.

Just got off the phone, finally. My call log says I was on the phone 1 hour and 1 minutes. WOW! I haven't been on the phone that long since I was in college! I really hope the economy turns around soon. I know the job market will take a while to recover but there are so many people without work. Something needs to change soon. Speaking of change, where's all the good changes Obama promised? I haven't seen anything. But I wasn't really expecting it, that's why I didn't vote for him. Something's gotta give. Have you heard that song by Sugarland? I love it. One of my favorite bands. Jennifer Nettles voice is so distinctive, beautiful, and strong.

I'm just skipping along from topic to topic in this post, huh?

Man, Fall is ALL around me! This weather in East TN the past couple of days is marvelous! Highs barely getting into the 70s and lows dipping into the mid 40s. Heaven, I tell ya! I can see signs that Fall is just around the corner in the leaves too! Many are starting to change. The horses are starting to get a little fuzzy too. I'm going to go groom and saddle the horses so when Steven gets home from work, we can go on a ride together. We haven't ridden in so long. See ya!

Get the bug Mulligan!

Today should officially be dubbed Spider Day! I've had probably 5 encounters with spiders today. One gigantic one in the basement came crawling out when I picked up a towel that was on the floor. Luckily, my wonderful bug eating Dachshund came to my rescue! Then I encountered 3 more cleaning up around the house, and one daddy-long-leg outside the back door. I then saw his friends, about 6 more on the wall outside. Ugh! I HATE spiders....or any bug for that matter. Maybe I should call an exterminator?

Homemade Bread

I made homemade bread! Yes, REAL homemade bread. I can't believe it. I've been putting off trying for so long because it just seems sooo hard! But, I found this great recipe here. It's so simple, I've already made a 2nd loaf as well! Steven loves it which made me feel really good. I've never thought of myself as a good cook, or even decent for that matter. So, hearing how much he liked it really boosted my confidence. I found this recipe too. Doesn't it look yummy? I am looking forward to Fall so much. It is beautiful here in East Tennessee during Fall. It's my favorite season (besides the Christmas season :)

I've begun decorating the house for Fall too. I've put up my fall wreath, this little tin scarecrow, and wire pumpkin (both hold candles) and also this tin sign that I picked up a the thrift store. I'll have to remember to snap some pictures of them. I still have a box of fall decor down in the basement somewhere. I've been putting off going to get it because I absolutely HATE basements. I'm convinced this is why our laundry is always behind. It's just too buggy, damp, moldy and dark. And since we are renting, we really can't do anything about it. Oh well. I'll try to remember those pictures!

Labor Day Weekend

Wasn't full of too much action but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of the time was spent lounging around the house, either watching tv or chasing kittens......Anybody want one? We have got to find homes for them soon. In our green room, we do not have a door...only a child's gate which the kittens have no learned to climb and escape. We have tried to put cardboard, plastic tops, anything we can think of to keep them in but nothing has worked yet. They are cute though. I was thinking of advertising them with a $25 gift certificate to go towards having them spayed / neutered. *If we can afford to*

I'm still working but it won't be for too much longer. I can't remember if I mentioned it but the company I work for is going out of business. I'm only sticking around to finalize things with the accounting mess. Afterwards, I will start looking for a new job. In the meantime, I will try to get the house straight. I feel horrible that we are still practically living out of boxes. I just wish Steven and I could move somewhere that we actually own so I don't feel like we will have to move as soon as I get the house half way how I want it. I get so frustrated sometimes because we are still renting. I know we aren't married yet but we have been together for 3.5 yrs and have lived together for pretty much 2.5 yrs. We have a lot of debt from student loans and such from college so we cannot buy a house. It's really frustrating when I talk to my friends from high school and they all own their own home, are married, and most even have children. I feel like I'm really behind because I went to college. And It's Not Fair!

I know I'm whining....I'll stop. Ugh!


On another note, we haven't gotten to ride at all! Seems like when we plan to, it rains....or we get stuck driving T-posts instead.....

Groom Groom

I think everyone has a routine when it comes to grooming our horses. I'll admit, I haven't groomed as much lately as I should because I haven't ridden much. However, when I do ride and groom, I have a routine. I learned my grooming habits from my first English trainer. She was very picky about grooming, to the extent of no dust before a ride and no sweat marks after. So, I thought I would share with you my routine and tools for grooming my horses.

Step 1: Rubber Curry Comb

Used in big circular motion on large body, down to knees and up to head. This step stimulates the skin and gets blood circulating while bringing dirt up to the hair surface. It also loosens dried mud and hair.

Step 2: Summer: Medium Brush Winter: Hard Bristeled Brush

In the winter when coats are thick and dried mud is more prevelant, the brush with stiffer bristles does the job better than a medium brush. This step will remove most of the dirt, dust, and mud from your horse's coat. Sometimes if I am in a hurry, I will skip Step 1 with the curry comb and Step 3 with the finishing brush and only do this step. It does a good job.

Step 3: Finishing Brush

Using this brush last will remove all left over dust from your horse's coat and really make it shine! These brushes are usually very soft. Sometimes, the will have short bristles like the ones pictures and sometimes they will be longer so you can really "flick" off the dust at the end of your brush stroke.

Step 4: Hoof Pick

Some people do this step first, some last, some in the middle. Wherever you do it doesn't matter, it just has to be done. I like the hoof picks with the brush on the end so I can brush off mud on the front of the hoof too while I'm picking out the bottom. Every horse person has a ton of hoof picks laying around, I can guarantee it!

Step 5: Mane and Tail

My single most important tool when grooming mane and tail is my Oil Sheen Hair Spray by Isoplus! It can be purchased at any grocery store that sells African-Amerian hair products. This product is really cheap, like 2-3 bucks for a can, and it works wonders! It smells great, helps tangles tremendously, and puts a nice shine in hair. It won't dry out tails either! I will NOT brush my horse's tail out without this because breakage is a lot more prevelant when it isn't used. I also use a human hair brush for mane and tail because I think it offers less breakage than a tradition horse comb, especially when you use the oil sheen. There are horse products similar to this oil sheen and they smell exactly the same. But why pay 20 bucks for the same product when you can buy it for 3 at the grocery store? ....Just sayin.

Step 6: Face Grooming

I always do the face last for some reason. I use a soft rubber face curry and then use the finishing brush to brush away the dirt lifted up by the curry. Then, I take a damp cloth and wipe the nostrils, around the eyes, ears, and anywhere else that needs a damp cloth to take off dirt.
So, that's my full routine. Granted, I don't do every single step every time I ride, but this is my most used routine.

If you do this routine with your horse, I can guarantee your pony will look fabulous!

Happy Grooming!

Quiet!

This weekend was hot! Steven and I didn't do much. Saturday night, we went to the local auction. Tack started at 5 with horses following. I'm shocked at what they are going for these days. Registered AQHA broke mare....you'd be lucky to get 300. I keep meaning to bring the list of horses and prices they sold for to work so I can post it but my memory is failing I'm afraid.

Steven and I went to get another chicken from the same guy we bought our first two. Somehow, we ended up coming home with 3 instead. *Sigh* We should have PLENTY of eggs now!

It's been rainy most of the day. I need to call the new farrier. Twiggs needs a trim and Ronan needs front shoes put on. I kept them off recently because I knew I wouldn't be doing much riding with the move and his feet do better if they have a break every now and then.

I really want to go riding soon....I'm having withdrawals!

Trip to the Vet

I took the horses to the vet yesterday for teeth floating. Twiggs needs to go back in 6 mos to file one exceptionally tall tooth down again. The vet gave both horses the same dose of sedative but I guess Twiggs is a light weight! She was much more "drunk" than Ronan.

Here is Twiggs getting her teeth floated:

Here is droopy! HAHA she kept her tongue out for about 20 minutes I think!

Ronan went first and this pic was taken once he finished and was waiting for Twiggs. You can see his head is only being held up by his halter! haha

I think sedated horses is one of the funniest things to see haha.

Back to Life!

Whoa! Crazy week! Steven's parents and sister and the youngins are all gone. They all helped so much. If you are reading, Cherie Thank you soooo much for tackling the laundry pile. Hopefully now I will be able to keep it under control. Steven's dad managed to get a lot of projects around the house finished. We were able to get a railing up on the side patio. He finished the baseboards and shoe molding in the bath and kitchen. They also built a chicken coop for our new chickens. Not sure of their breed but we have already collected 4 eggs! I'm pretty sure only 1 is laying though. Hopefully the other will start soon! I didn't get any pictures while everyone was here. The girls had a lot of fun playing with all of our animals. A, the youngest girl, received a special treat. Cherie signed her up for a reading program and she received a reward for reading 25 books this summer! Her first request? To spend some alone time with me! How cute! So, we saddled Ronan and rode to the top of the mountain behind our house to look at the pretty views. She had a lot of fun! I'll miss them all! I guess now I've got to get back into the routine of everyday life.

Vacation Time!

Going on vacation .......RIGHT NOW! See ya!

Poor Kitties

We are down to 3 kittens. Unfortunately, Mulligan managed to get in their room and thought they were squeeky toys. He killed one right off the bat and the other two didn't pass until later. It was so sad and I felt so guilty for not making SURE he couldn't get in there. We allowed him to come in with us a couple of times so we could teach him to be gentle with them. He did great when we were there. I think he just tried to pick them up and crushed them. We are left with the light grey male, 1 black male (runt), and 1 black female. So so sad!

I think I forgot to add last post that Lily, the coonhound, killed our last chicken too. She kept flying over into her pen and finally, I guess she couldn't get away fast enough. We are looking for a new home for Lily. She also chewed through the satellite cord and we were without satellite for a week! Ugh!

Ponies are behaving though!

On a lighter note, Steven and I made some progress in the kitchen. I finished painting the cabinets and he put up the bottom doors. It looks so good! I can't wait to see before and after pics when it's all finished!

Steven's family is coming into town this week. I'm so excited! Hopefully, the rain will hold off and we can get some play time in! The forecast doesn't look great though. At least 30-40% chance of rain with two days having a 60% chance.

Crazy weekend

Wow, this past weekend and first part of this week has been a little crazy! On Friday when Steven and I got home, we couldn't find our cat. The cat was named Barack and he lived in our barn for the past year at our old place. The mom of our past boarder told me he was male and quite frankly, I never bothered to look. I also figured since he was male we would have a little more "time" until we had to get him neutered. Well, my friends M and E came over to help me pack up the horses for the move and picked up Barack and said, "I think he's pregnant!"......What?? ...........Well, sure enough Barack is not male but female and has been renamed to Michelle. She has gone from a barn kitty to an inside kitty and is loving life. Back to Friday, Steven and I couldn't find her so we started looking in the guest bedroom that isn't finished yet (by isn't finished I mean only has one coat of paint on the wall and the floors are still covered up, etc.) There she was, behind the blow-up mattress we still haven't taken down from when my parents were here. She looked at me and meowed a couple of times and I told Steven that she would probably have her kittens that night or the next for sure so I put down a towel. Sure enough, we went to Lowe's, our second favorite store only falling short to tractor supply, and by the time we got back, we had 3 baby kittens! We sat around and watched the next 2 births and by the next morning, we had 6. Poor momma, she did so well though! I don't think she got up for the first two days but now is finally taking breaks by coming and napping on the couch for awhile. She's a great mom too. We have 3 greys and 3 blacks, 3 girls and 3 boys, all long hair like momma I believe. Anyone want a barn kitty? I will try to get pics soon!

On Saturday, we finished the chicken pen and put up gates for the dogs so we could let the coonhound Lily off the run and just let her have the whole back yard.

Sunday, friends M and E came over to ride a little. E did well on Ronan and I gave her a short lesson. Afterwards, steven and I decided to ride out on top of the hill behind our house. We already knew that there was a pretty good view from up there but we had no idea how good! It is absolutely beautiful. You can see mountain ranges west and north from the hill and you can see for miles and miles and miles! I didn't think to bring my camera since it was a last minute horseback ride up the mountain. We continued on along the fence line and down to the bottom of the hill by a small watering hole. Ronan and Twiggs both did really well considering they haven't been ridden in awhile and it was the first time either one had been out of their pasture at the new place. I can't wait to go back up there, it's so pretty!

Monday, Steven and I had a pretty good scare. I got a text message from our landlord that read, "Apparently, one of your horses has jumped the fence." I couldn't get her to answer her phone to get more info so Steven left work and came to pick me up (we commute together) and we drove out to the house. (45 min drive) Turns out, Twiggs (surprising because we were sure it was the knucklehead) had, I think, walked through the hot wire fence because it wasn't hot. We put her back in and stopped by the co-op to get a charger on the way back to work. Thankfully, she did not get out again before we were able to get the fence charged.

Tonight, I'm going to my former supervisor's house to go over some issue I have at work so she can explain some stuff to me. Steven is going with and J, her husband, is cooking burgers and taking him fishing. I hope the rain holds off!

This morning, I was reading http://ihateyourhorse.blogspot.com/2009/07/tell-me-please.html. The topic was animal communicators. I was extremely surprised to find that every single post by someone that had used one gave them good reviews. One story was especially emotional.

* The comment below was borrowed from the comments section on the ihateyourhorse blog.

Everytime I read this, I get goosebumps!

Susan said...
I actually have a good communicator story. I used to ride at this barn years back. The woman who owned it had a gelding she loved more than anything. He was getting on in years and started to have some health problems. She had out vets, chiropractors, and pretty much any one else she thought could help her. Well she ends up bringing out a communicator.The woman talks to him and hits on a lot of things that are true about his life and personality. When they got to the big health question, the woman paused and then looked at his owner and said, "He's ready to go, but your not ready for him to leave. He's staying here because you ask him every night not to leave you yet. When you are ready, he'll let go."The owner started crying because she actually did in fact have a nightly ritual of asking the gelding not to leave her yet. She always did it alone and none of us knew this was going on.A few weeks later as she went to leave for the night she put him out in his favorite pasture,gave him a kiss, and said, "I love you, it's OK if you want to let go now. I'll be alright."They found him dead in the pasture the next day. None of us thought it was a coincidence that he died the very first nigth she told him he could leave.I wish I'd kept that psychic's name...
July 15, 2009 4:48 AM

WOW!

Do you have any animal communicator stories?

Today is my birthday. My mom, dad, and brother (i.e. MOM) sent me a beautiful bouqet of flowers. And she paid for me and Steven to get new iphones. Thanks Mom! I think Steven forgot :(.

Interview from the 2009 Sound Horse Conference

This is an anonymous interview from the 2009 Sound Horse conference. This person agreed to call in and tell what he/she knew of the industry. He was the owner of 20+ padded show horses.


Interviewer: the purpose of our call today is to talk about the, problems of soring in the Tennessee
walking horse breed, and perhaps related breeds, and I understand, caller, that you have
some information relating to that. Is that correct?



Horse Person: I hope so. I have been a padded horse owner. And, I no longer have them, but I know
quite a bit about it.



Interviewer: …how long were you a padded horse owner?



Horse Person: For about 5 years.



Interviewer: OK. Do you still own Tennessee walking horses or other gaited horses?



Horse Person: Yes, sir, Tennessee walking horses.



Interviewer: Could you tell me a little bit about…going back to the time when you were a padded horse
owner and were showing horses in padded horse classes…whether you have any knowledge
of soring practices or other practices that might fairly be expected to cause the horse to
suffer pain.



Horse Person: Oh…yeah. Umm, all of…every colt that I ever put in padded training was sore…every
one of ‘em…because they were competitive.
And anything that’s gonna be competitive where I am, which is Kentucky, Tennessee, and
Alabama, if you’re gonna show there, you’re gonna have a sore horse if you wanna compete.
Everything from, you know, just typically…an easy horse to sore is just a Go-Jo. You know,
that’s one that…pretty natural horse. One’s that are harder, they’ll fix ‘em all the way
around. I’ve had colts that have…I’ve caught standing in buckets of ice because they wanted
to show ‘em in 2 days and they had purposely foundered ‘em.



Interviewer: I think you used the term “Go-Jo.”



Horse Person: Uh huh. It’s a very mild hand cleaner that people use. But if it’s put on a horse and
wrapped, then it’s used in other ways. Just like CopperTox which is for horses, but used the
wrong way it’ll sore horses.
Interviewer: OK. Do you have personal knowledge that Go-Jo or CopperTox or both of them were used
on your colts when you were showing?


Horse Person: Yes. Yeah. It was common practice.



Interviewer: OK. Could you describe in a little bit more detail exactly what the technique was to use
these, these substances?


Horse Person: I really…you know, I didn’t…it was kinda turnin’ a blind eye for me.
2
And by the next day, it’s soaked in enough to where they’re tender enough the chain is
gonna do what they need it to do and really cause ‘em, every time the chain touches them it
hurts.


Horse Person: So that even, even when you wash it all off the next day, it’s deep enough to where it’s
still gonna bother them. Their soreness is still gonna bother them.


Interviewer: How frequently was this done, to your experience?
Women: Weekly.


Interviewer: To the horses that you had in training?


Horse Person: Weekly.


Interviewer: OK.


Horse Person: It was done before every time they were shown.


Interviewer: OK. Do you know how far in advance of the show that they would start doing this?


Horse Person: Ah, typically they’d do it Monday through Wednesday and that way Thursday and Friday
they could work ‘em. And by Saturday…but it depended on the horse. If the horse needed a
harder fix, they would do it later in the week so that they still had the results from it for a
Saturday night show, if need be.
They’ll find some…I’ve seen kerosene used. I’ve seen…some of ‘em I don’t even
understand how it can work because they’re bandaged, but it’s common things that you can
buy at any hardware store or any grocery store. And that’s the beauty of it for them is that
it’s easy to get ahold of.
. Diesel, kerosene…they’ve, I’ve…I’ve got a friend that her horse they’ve used jet fuel on
‘em. Don’t ask me how you’d get that, but they do.


Horse Person: Umm, anything that can be an irritant that they can, you know, set and let, get it deep in
on ‘em, they’ll use.


Interviewer: Uh huh.


Horse Person: Whatever it takes to get what they want.
It always depended on the horse. And a lot of times they would go back, like they’d work
the horse afterward. And if the horse wasn’t breakin’ level, they would fix the leg that
wasn’t goin’ as high. And they’d fix it harder. It is an art.


Interviewer: OK. Do I understand, then, that depending on how the horse reacted, they might use
somewhat different kinds of treatments or different intensity of treatment on different legs?
3


Horse Person: Yes. Yes. Definitely. Everything about it is how the horse reacts, and each one of ‘em is
different. I’ve had a horse that didn’t react to the topical way of doin’ it, and so he was
foundered. And he reacted wonderful to that. And it was after I owned him. But, he was a
foundered horse shown every Friday night. And after he foundered, another trainer took him
and started fixin’ him on top of it, and they killed him.


Interviewer: How did you become aware that the horse had foundered?


Horse Person: It was just told to me, like that was…oh, that’s an easy way to do it. It’s a natural fix.
That was the words—it was a natural fix.
It was a horse that I had raised and sold to this trainer.


Interviewer: Oh, I see. OK.


Horse Person: And I checked on the horse to see how he was doin’ because I had raised him. And he
was standin’ in buckets of ice because you had to whip him, they whipped him to get him to
cross ties because he didn’t wanna walk.


Interviewer: Uh huh.


Horse Person: But it’s a natural way for a horse to throw their leg on their back end.


Interviewer: Uh huh.


Horse Person: And I was appalled, and he explained it to me.


Interviewer: OK. Was this something that has happened since you’ve stopped showing padded horses
competitively?


Horse Person: That’s what made me stop showing.



Interviewer: OK. And could you describe what you know about pressure shoeing?


Horse Person: Only the after result. I had it with a…I had horses with a name brand trainer and moved
‘em, and both horses, um, busted open quarter size holes in the fronts of their feet because of
the way they had ‘em shod.


Interviewer: When you say the fronts of their feet, do you mean in the hoof itself?


Horse Person: Yes, the hoof wall. Yes.


Interviewer: OK. So the hoof wall split?


Horse Person: Right below the pastern.
Horse Person: It’s just common knowledge here that that happens if it, after so long…you know, it’s
like an abscess. It’s gonna come out somewhere.
4


Interviewer: I see. Were you aware of exactly how the pressure shoeing was accomplished on this horse?


Horse Person: No. No, I wasn’t.
That’s kinda the sick part. There’s so Interviewery veterinarians that are, they’re involved
enough with it and know how things work, it’s just brushed off to where…ok, soak it a
couple days and he’ll be fine. Go back to doin’ what you’re doin’. So it’s not treated as…it’s
not appalling here.


Interviewer: another topic that is often discussed concerning soring practices is the topic of scars and
what may be done about scars. Do you have any knowledge about that topic?


Horse Person: Acid packs.


Interviewer: OK. Could you describe what you mean by that?


Horse Person: They’ll apply acid and wrap it, and leave the horse over the weekend. And it’s horrible.
It’s…a lot of times it’s a kill ‘em or cure ‘em type thing, um, just simply because the horse
is gonna be down. It’s excruciating, evidently. And that way the…it depends on how much
they put on, but the top few layers of skin will peel off so that everything will come back
new.


Interviewer: Uh huh.


Horse Person: But…


Interviewer: Is that a technique that you knew was ever used on any of your horses?


Horse Person: I’ve never seen it but I always…anybody that has padded horses knows it…they know
what goes on. It’s just whether or not they admit it. At the time I wouldn’t. No. But yes…
…everybody knows they do. Everybody knows what it takes to get rid of it. And that’s somethin’
you just leave to those that know better, which is the trainer.


Interviewer: Well, but as I, as you’ve explained it to me, at least as I understand it, is that there’s sort of a
common unspoken understanding of what goes on…


Horse Person: Yeah. Everybody knows. If they’re at all an involved owner, they know it’s happening
but they don’t want to know and they don’t…it’s out of sight, out of mind, and let the trainer
do his job and get you that ribbon.


Interviewer: How Interviewery horses did you have during that period?


Horse Person: Ohhh…probably 20 at least.


Interviewer: Alright. Do you have any estimate of, or any knowledge about, out of the, let’s say 20 or so,
how Interviewery of them were subjected to soring practices of one kind or another?
5

Horse Person: All of them. Every one of ‘em. Lots of ‘em died before they were ever even able to be
shown because somebody started ‘em too young and they couldn’t take it.

Interviewer: And what happened? Did they founder or something like that that caused their early deaths?

Horse Person: Three or four of ‘em. It got to the point I wouldn’t call and check on ‘em, because it
seemed like every time I’d sell a baby somebody would kill it. Some of ‘em were started at
13 months old. One in particular was a 13-month-old and by the time he was 15 months old,
he had sold for a lot of money. And by the time he was 16 months old, he had blew his
knees and he was done. Others were, you know, started…they’re typically always started 14,
15 months…always here. And they just can’t take it. A lot of ‘em can’t take it and they’ll
colic and die. Colic is the #1 killer.

Horse Person: Every time my horses showed, they were sore. Every time. There was never a time they
showed clean. Ever. And every time, they passed inspection with flying colors.
Because the trainer picks the shows. And if the government, if they show up then the horses
that you know probably won’t stand, you don’t get off the trailer. And if you have a trailer
full of horses that won’t stand, you leave.
.I would tell you that Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama are the worst. But I see more, you
know, off the wall training practices and more horrid training practices in Kentucky and
Alabama because they’re further away. And Tennessee knows the threat a little more than
Kentucky and Alabama does. So you can see the worst stuff in Kentucky and Alabama. And
it goes on in Tennessee, but you don’t see it. It’s not as blatant.

Interviewer: Are you aware of anything about soring practices that might take place in those kinds of
classes, whether they’re trail classes or pleasure classes or things like that?

Horse Person: Only the pressure shoeing.

Interviewer: Uh huh.

Horse Person: That’s, that’s the only thing that I’m aware of. And I hear more about it and blockin’ ‘em,
and I can’t even go into that because I don’t even know enough about it to tell you anything.

Interviewer: Is there anything that we haven’t talked about so far that you’d like to communicate
concerning this problem or what might be done to stop it?

Horse Person: No, not off hand. As long as it’s stopped at some point, I’ll be thrilled.

FOSH

I emailed the President of FOSH, Friends of Sound Horses, Inc., yesterday about volunteering with their organization. I received a response today from a very welcoming and excited president, Lori. She said she would pass my information along to some other Board Directors to see where my skills can be utilized. I am very excited to begin my journey to end the practice of soring. I'm waiting for her reply like a kid waits for Christmas morning!

Here is the link to FOSH. Please check out there website. It seems a lot more detailed since I last visited several months ago. There is more information on how to get involved. Check out the online store link. I can't wait to order a shirt and bumper sticker!

Soring

After writing the following post yesterday, I was in a bad mood for a good hour and a half after work. Steven commented on how grumpy I was and I told him I know, but I can't help it. I told him that I was writing this and he told me that I shouldn't let it get to me so. But I can't help it. I'm really hesitant to write some more today but I want to get it out.

I've learned that when certain things in life really get to me, I cannot think about them too much or I will drive myself crazy. I think most of these certain things that really get to me involve horses. I don't know why I feel the way I do about these issues. I even know that a lot of people feel like I do about them. I really have a hard time expressing myself when it comes to these issues, and that's why I have put off writing about them on this blog. Several other blogs cover topics involving these issues and I read them often. For the most part, I agree with their opinions.

I am hesitant to start this entry because I'm afraid my passion for these issues will explode and I will find myself rambling and ranting on in complete chaos, no one will understand anything that comes out, and I will work myself up and get pissed off. People seem to be more passionate about certain issues when it applied to them directly and they have seen first hand the consequences of the actions of some heartless, money-hungry losers.

So here goes my first attempt. I will write about several topics but my first one is going to be about what I am so passionate about: The Tennessee Walking Horse and soring.

When I first moved to Tennessee, I was absolutely appalled to find such a small number of people from this state actually know what soring is. I asked numerous people I work with what they thought about the Tennessee Walking horse. Do you know what they said? ..."Oh yeah, that's the cool horse that does that really neat run with his legs going so high right? I saw him at the Vols homecoming game last year. Everyone was going crazy when that horse ran around the stadium doing that walk...."

And then I would say...."do you know that most if not all horses doing "that walk" have had chemicals put on their legs to cause them pain or items put on their feet to cause pressure points so that with every step they take, they are in a tremendous amount of pain and they are literally trying to get away from it by walking that way?" And then I would get this look of amazement that something they thought was so great would be the result of something so wrong.

What's the easiest way to stop soring....Inform the public (that is the non-horsey people)....no one is going to cheer for the horse running around the stadium if they all know what it had to endure to get there.

I know I will probably get criticized....but I'm going to say it anyways. I'm convinced that ALL horses on packages are or have been sored and probably a lot of the plantation horses and lite shod horses. Thankfully, a lot of the anti-padded anti-soring people compete in light shod but I know for a fact soring still happens there too.

I've known about this issue for quite some time now but I have really dug deeper into it since Steven bought his Tennessee Walking Horse mare Twiggs.

Twiggs was a show horse in her younger days, probably from age 2-3 to 8. She is 9 now and we have owned her for a year. Our previous barn bought her from someone who I assume was showing her because she still had pads on when they brought her home.

This is not a picture of Twiggs but these pads are the same as what she had on. The chain around this horse's pastern is called an "action device" by the industry. In theory, the motion of the chain bouncing up and down on the horse's ankle causes him to lift his feet and keep his rhythm. The problem with this is that most of these horses have been sored. Soring is when anything is applied to the horse's leg or hoof, usually on the pasterns, heel bulbs, or coronet band, that causes the horse to become sore. Chemicals such as mustard oil, diesel fuel, kerosene, koppertox, and others have been used as soring agents. When the chain bounces around on the horse's leg, it hits those sores and causes pain. When the horse is performing the "Big Lick," he is literally trying to climb out of the chains that are causing him pain. The result: a flashly, big gait that wins the owner a blue ribbon.

I'm not going to go into the history of soring or even describe the other types of abuse these horses endure for the show ring. If you are reading this blog, you know how to research it yourself.

Here's what I really don't understand. When inspectors show up at TWH shows, almost 90% of the people load their horses back onto their trailers and leave. Now, how are the inspectors suppose to catch people soring their show horses when they all leave as soon as they show up? It's absolutely ridiculous! Why can't the inspectors set up at the entry gate of the show grounds. If you want to come in, your horses will have to be inspected first. End of story. But you know what would happen? No one would come, at all. Isn't this OBVIOUS? Why hasn't the government stepped in to allow inspectors the option of doing this? Steven suggested that the inspectors should show up near the end of the show. The show management would have a record of everyone that entered their horse and shown in classes. The inspectors could obtain that list, go trailer to trailer and inspect each and every horse that had been shown. Or, what about shortly after the show had started? Most horses would have already been entered in their classes. You might ask, well what's to say the owners will leave after they've shown or scratch their classes? Have some US Marshalls at the gate. If you were registered for a class, that proves you had the intent to show that horse. The Inspectors should have the right to inspect those horses and the US Marshalls should have a right to keep them on the premises.

Somone mentioned in response to one of my comments on another blog that it is hard to catch the people that sore because they leave. I argued that if they leave, isn't it obvious that they are guilty? I wondered why they couldn't stop them. The person pointed out that the situation is similar to that of a dog fight. It is very hard to prove dog fighting unless they are caught in the act. Now, I'm not sure about all of the laws, etc regarding dog fighting prosecution.....BUT, if a dog is tied up outside of a dog fighting ring, it has marks from previous fights, it has been "prepared" to fight, and it has been registered to fight.....wouldn't that be enough evidence to prosecute? The same thing applies to soring. The horse is at the show, it would show signs of soring if they were ever inspected, it may have evidence of past soring, it is cleaned and ready to show, and it is registered in the class. DUH! That proves that the owner had a clear intent to show the horse. Therefore, inspectors should have the right to inspect that horse and stop the owners from removing said horse from the show grounds. I think if the same situation would apply at a dog fight raid. The police officers and animal abuse investigators would not allow the owners to remove the dogs before they had a chance to look at them. It may take a little more time for a group of inspectors to unload and find show records of horses entered but they should not allow ANYONE to leave unless they were inspected. The catch would be that in order for the horse to be inspected, it would have had to be entered in a class, proving intent to show. That's why inspectors should show up after the show has started and catch everyone who has already entered classes.

There are so many ways that the magnificent Tennessee Walking Horse is abused. From soring to pressure shoeing, to tail docking to stewarding, the abuse never ends. When will it change?

This picture is of Twiggs' hoof before we allowed a barefoot trimmer trim her feet. I know in this picture, it looks like she has not had her feet trimmed in many months. But honestly, she had been shod 6 weeks prior. In this picture, we had only owned Twiggs for about 3 months max. She had previously been shod by a man in Birmingham, AL. I don't think this guy ever trimmed her sole or frog. Her feet do grow super super fast though.

The barefoot trimmer we used was appalled at Twiggs' feet. I didn't know much about the guy but we spoke about theory and method of trimming before I allowed him to come out. I agreed with his theories and we talked about taking Twiggs down slowly so she could adjust to the new angles. He finished her left front first. As soon as he put it back on the ground, I could see Twiggs shifting her weight to keep off of it. I began to worry.

Twiggs was sore for a good 2 weeks. We thought at first that her soreness resulted from the angle changes when the guy chopped her feet down. By no means did he "take her down gradually."

Then, we noticed Twigg had a crack in the middle of her frog that had gotten really deep in her right front and had actually traveled up between her heel bulbs. She had a severe thrush problem in this crack. Once the extra hoof was off and she was able to feel the ground with her frog, the thrush really began to bother her. We treated her and within a couple of days she wasn't sore anymore. I do believe some of the soreness was from the angle changes though.

In this next picture, you can see the crack going between her heel bulbs. You can also clearly see a huge scar on her pasterns. This scar is from being sored in the past. She has a similar scar on her other leg too you just can't see it well in this picture.

When Twiggs was on pads, or packages, or stacks or whatever the hell you want to call them, the farriers had built up her feet so much that she developed the crack, which actually goes down to where her frog should be. We have had so much trouble this past winter with thrush getting back into this crack. We had a really wet winter and it was really hard to keep it dry and clean. If she was out in too much mud, the thrush came right back. There really wasn't any way of keeping it clean and free of debri unless we kept her up all of the time and kept her foot wrapped. (which we did a couple of really bad weeks.)

It's so sad to see her scars and feet. I can't imagine what she has gone through in her life. Once, I was applying koppertox in the crack in her frog. I spilled a little onto her heel bulbs and quickly grabbed the hose to wash it off. (remember koppertox has been none to be a soring agent when used on skin). As soon as I sprayed water on her pastern she jerked. I know it wasn't from the water. Twiggs has never even flinched when were treating her, washing her feet off, etc. But when that water hit the back of her pastern where her scars are, I'm sure it took her back to all of those times when previous owners would poor chemicals onto her legs or would doctor her legs after they had sored the hell out of them. It breaks my heart.

Twiggs is why I am so passionate about this issue. When I can see the evidence of soring every single day when I look at her, it makes me that much angrier...that much more passionate about doing something about it. I'm becoming more and more convinced this is my calling. To help end the practice of soring and punish the hell out of the pieces of shit that could do this to a horse as beautiful as a Tennessee Walking Horse.....

And also, help protect other horses from abuse by people that are after a measily blue ribbon...

Fosh list of offenders

Well, it's almost moving time. We have been working our booties off trying to get the house in New Market move-in ready. We have the house primed and 2 bedrooms have color. The house had so much tar / smoke on the walls and ceiling that it took a ton of Kilz. I think we finally managed to put enough on it so it wouldn't bleed through. We ripped out a piece of cabinet about the kitchen sink which opened up that side of the kitchen tremendously. It will make a huge difference once we get the new windows installed. They should arrive sometime tomorrow and I have to pick them up sometime before my parents get back up here on Tuesday of next week. Mom was a HUGE help this past week. There is no way we could have gotten as much done as we did without her. I'm so thankful she is such a talented woman!

Our garden in New Market is doing fabulous! Our cucumbers are going crazy and I'm pretty sure we will have way more than we can eat. Our peas, okra, and herbs we planted a couple weeks ago are starting to come up nicely. My one pumpkin plant is trailing everywhere and we have two baby watermelons coming along. We have harvested several jalapeno and banana peppers from our pepper plants. Our squash plant at our current house is also producing like crazy! We just harvested 4.5 lbs from it this morning alone! I'm afraid we may have let a couple of those get too big though and they won't be as good. Oh well.

Our horses have been a little neglected lately since we haven't had time to do much at our current house because we've been at the new one so much. I'm hoping to get some fencing done this week so we can move them over this weekend. The fencing at the new house is barbed wire and I'm really nervous about it. I have already had to put one horse down in my life because of barbed wire. I really don't have a choice though. The fencing is already in place for the owner's cattle and I'm sure he won't like me changing it for the horses. It is electric though so I'm hoping the will just stay away from it. The first scratch though it's coming down....I don't care what they say. We are putting t-post caps on top of all the t-posts with a large rope hot wire which will be give the fence more visibility and more shock if they go near it. The fence we put up to separate the pasture into 2 will only be the rope hot wire.

There is a little run in shed on the property which will supply the horses' shelter. We are considering dividing it in two because we could then feed in it and keep the horses separated when needed. It would probably make two 10 x 10 stalls. The pasture isn't bad at all. Very shady but in the big pasture there are huge blackberry bushes with ferocious thorns. Hopefully Ronan won't figure out what they are and get too cut up by them. But I will have the antibiotic ointment ready......

I'm really looking forward to living in New Market. It is a very quiet, farm community with nice views and rollings hills. It has one red light and a ton of churches, haha. Jefferson City is only about a 5 minutes drive east though....and so is the Tractor Supply....which probably will be bad.

Spring is in the air and summer is banging on the door!

I have been slacking on my blogging lately. I've had a lot of things going on and just haven't had time. Let me give you an update on everything!

We have found a rental house. It is located in New Market, TN. It's needs a little work but the landlords are fabulous and have agreed to let us have 1000 deducted from rent to make improvements on the house. That does not include new windows or paint that we will also be installing. My parents are planning to come up next week to help with repairs. Since dad is a homebuilder, he will install the windows and repair any other big things that need to be done. The house is a 3 bedroom, 1 bath brick rancher. It has about 50 acres around it dedicated to cattle. We have about 4 acres that we will fence off for our two horses. There is a small run-in shed close to the house that we can convert into two small stalls. It will be just fine. Steven and I have been driving out every weekend to garden. We have created a small garden with about 7-8 rows. We still have many plants growing in containers at our old house. Here is a list of everything we are currently growing:

Containers:
Sweet Corn
Squash
Iceburg Lettuce
1 tomato plant with about 40 (no kidding) tomatoes on it!
4 strawberry plants
3 blueberry bushes, all different varieties for pollination
1 thornless blackberry vine
1 grape vine
several beefsteak tomato plants that are still very tiny
1 Watermelon plant
1 eggplant
2 pots of trellised peas
Cilantro
2 Oregano plants
Dill
Rosemary
Lavender
Several flowers in pots

At the new house in the garden:
Silver Queen corn
2 varieties of onion
Green Bell Pepper
Jalapeno peppers
Banana peppers, hot and sweet varieties
Cucumbers
Several varieties of beans
a couple of strawberry plants we found growing at the house
Christmas melon - in a raised bed
Cantelope - in a raised bed
Pumpkin
Buttercup squash
Zucchini
Okra
Brocolli
New potatoes - In a potato box
Sweet potatoes

I think that is about it but it is possible I forgot something!

We have also ordered our fall seeds. We are planning to plant many different rare varieties of vegetables which I will list later.

Other things that have been going on:

I've received a promotion at work. I went from being an administrative assistant to the Controller. It is definitely a lot more responsibility but I love it so far. I think my brain works better the more pressure it has to deal with.

So, between packing for the move, getting ready for the renovations to the new house, my new job, and life in general....I have no time to blog. But, I will try to upload some pictures of our harvest so far....It's not much but we're so proud!

Rubber Duck

Steven and I have added to our herd....again. The other day, we took our usual weekend trip to the Co-op....bought our horse feed, bought some plants, bought some poultry........poultry, yes poulty. 2 ducks and 2 chickens. I don't know what breed the chickens are but the ducks are Pekins. Very fun and friendly, too. We bought a kiddy pool and filled the bottom with wood sawdust that we use in our horse stalls. We bought a little feeder and waterer from the co-op and placed it in the pool. For now, they are eating chik starter which was recommended by the co-op. After it runs out, we will switch to something else but I'm still not sure what. Our chickens are named Kentucky Fried and Churches for obvious reasons (we really aren't planning on eating them though) and our ducks are named Odd and Rubber....just because it's funny. We have filled our bath tub up a couple of times and let Rubber and Odd swim and play in it. They absolutely love it. Odd likes to dive underneath the water and swim laps around Rubber. It's hilarious. The chickens aren't near as much fun.

At first, we had the kiddy pool in Steven's office...where we could watch them closely and keep a heat lamp on them. However, after a week or two, they've gotten quite stinky and have relocated to the basement. We still have the heat lamp on them. Once we figured out they loved the water so much, we made them a little swimming pool out of a tuberware bowl. We have to dump it daily because they poop in it. Go figure.

We took Rubber and Odd outside for the first time yesterday. They were really nervous at first but then realized they could eat the scary green stuff tickling their legs. Steven and I would walk away and call them and they would come a waddlin' after us, quacking all the way. So cute. I've got some bathtub video I need to post soon! Steven found this website blog the other day about raising ducks in your backyard....I've looked over it today and there is a lot of good info. I'm hoping our two ducks are actually female so we can get some eggs!

So now, our herd is officially as follows: 2 humans, 2 dachshunds (Mulligan and Delta), 1 coon hound (Lilly), 2 barn kitties (Michelle and Barack), 2 horses ( Ronan and Twiggs) plus one boarded horse Cherokee, 2 ducks (Rubber and Odd) and 2 chickens (Kentucky Fried and Churches).

And I know there will be more......

One of my boarders is moving her horse tomorrow. They have been with us since September 08 I believe. OTTB, used as a lesson horse for hunter / jumper I believe. Our boarder bought him and from what I assume, hasn't done much with him. I never saw her ride him the entire time he was with us and she only came out ever so often to give him a treat. I groomed him the other day because his winter coat was still hanging on him but barely attached. He twitched his lip and leaned into me as I curried my way around him. He's such a sweet boy. I can tell he's testy but respectful if you will be his leader. His owner leads him around with a stud chain on his nose. All I need is a rope halter....Once he respects you, he'll do anything for you. I'm sure he was a wonderful horse in his prime....sadly, he still should be in it...he's only 14. We have steadily put more weight on him and he's finally looking good. Now, I'm afraid the owner will move him to a "cheaper" place and he won't get the highest quality nutrition like he's getting here. I think the best possibility for him would be to find a young experienced little girl who works with a trainer regularly. But, I'm afraid he's just going to live in a pasture with little human contact and no job for the rest of his life. It's sad.

I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted on this blog. Unfortunately, not much exciting has happened. My female dachshund had to have an emergency surgery which you can read about here. Other than that, Steven and I went to Talladega this past weekend. It was fun but so dang hot. We didn't stay the whole race and missed two pretty good wrecks. Oh well. We did make it to Birmingham and had dinner with some old horse friends from our previous barns in AL. It was very good to see them and we stopped by the old barn. It hasn't changed much but has a whole different crowd now. I want to show Ronan at a small local all-breed open show this weekend but Steven wants to stay home and watch the Kentucky Derby. That's fine...I should probably get Ronan in shape a little more before I start to show him again. We considered going to the Derby this year but it looks like money will be a little tight since Delta's surgery was so expensive and because we went to 'Dega. Maybe next year! Looking forward to relaxing this weekend. Maybe a nice trail ride at Baker's Creek.....did I write about my last experience there? That will be my next post! lol

Burning Pooo!

The weather was crappy all weekend which really blew since Steven and I really wanted to go fishing in the Smokies. Instead, we did some gardening (in pots) and some work at the barn. We have been filling the manure spreader when we pick stalls during the week. We haven't been able to spread it in a little while because of the weather so once it was full, I placed it in the shavings area and waited for a dry day. One day after we finished the evening feeding, I noticed some steam coming from the manure spreader. I thought to myself, "That's weird...but I'm sure it's just doing that because of the weather." Thankfully, I was curious enough to walk over and take a closer look. To my surprise, it wasn't steam at all but SMOKE! I placed my hand at the top of the pile and it felt very warm! I called Steven over and we began digging around a little only to discover that the manure in the spreader was smoldering! It was extremely warm and smelt AWFUL!! We quickly wheeled it out of the barn and pulled it around ourselves to empty it. (It was still very wet so the lawn tractor wasn't an option) Thank goodness those things were invented so we don't have to do that everyday! Man it was tough.....Once the manure was on the ground, it still smoked a little until the mist in the air drenched it putting it out. Wow, what if I haven't noticed it? Obviously, I don't know much about compost. We've always just dumped in a pile and that's it. I've never had to deal with composting. I just find it really weird!

And just when I thought someone finally knocked some since into them....

We finally get another BEEEYooootaful Craigslist posting. Now, I can't see how anyone would want to buy a horse from this person.....unless you are a 12 yr old girl....(maybe that's what he's going for) But COME ON!!! Really? Maybe his daughter is the one who made these pics so "puuurty" but why would you actually post them?!?! People kill me.....That's all I have to say. Idiots.


dun quarter horse mare - $1200 (oliver springs)
Reply to:Date: 2009-03-25, 12:18PM EDT

8 yr old 15 hands shoes front back great trail horse anyone can ride built like a tank sweet as a puppy xxx-xxx-xxxx
Location: oliver springs
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interestsPostingID: 1091370555

Where would we be without horses?

I usually read the NY Times online version everyday when I am at work. It's almost a routine. However, this morning I skipped over most of it....the AIG mess, Bail out this and that, Cocaine and Rebels in Peru....blah blah blah ....Horses....Horses in the NY TIMES? Yea!

This article raises a very interesting question. Where would we be today if we hadn't discovered this instinct or genetic bond between horse and human? Honestly, I can't think of any other domestic animal that has done so much for the human race. Sure, canines have helped man hunt for centuries and cattle as well as other livestock have provided milk and meat but no animal has served man quite like our equine friends. Take a look at this article and tell me what you think!

Editorial
NY Times

Equine Alternative

Published: March 17, 2009
Early this month, a team of archaeologists reported evidence that horses were domesticated perhaps a millennium earlier than had previously been thought. The site was where northern Kazakhstan is now, the culture was called Botai and the date was around 3500 B.C. The Botai did not just herd horses for meat. Scientists found bit-wear marks on Botai horses’ teeth — a clear sign the animals were being ridden. They also found evidence on pottery fragments that “very likely” came from mare’s milk fat — a sign that the horses were being milked.
Skip to next paragraph
Related
Earlier Date Suggested for Horse Domestication (March 6, 2009)
This discovery pushes back the date for a hugely important technological change in human existence. But it’s also a reminder that domestication isn’t just the conquering of one species by another. It’s the willing collaboration between two species, a sharing of benefits. There is something in the equine nature — genetic or social — that allowed it to partner with humans, just as there was in the character of dogs.
You might also say that there is something in human nature that allowed us to seek out this partnership. Among all the animal species on this planet, humans have domesticated only a handful. And that fact gives rise to a thought-experiment. What if that genetic or social something had been missing in horses? What if they had remained resolutely wild, refusing the domestic kinship humans tried to impose upon them?
It is not a far-fetched notion. But what it suggests is an alternative history of human development, one in which we could have moved no faster over land than our own foot-pace.
How that would have retarded the spread and integration of language, culture, civilization is hard to calculate. It is safe to say that without domesticated horses, we could not have begun to be who we are today.

Composting

We cleared out our manure pile last weekend. It had grown significantly over the winter months. It started in a corner on the back side of our barn and finally reached our back doorway. When the pile was rained on and snowed on and re-frozen and was rained on again for several weeks this winter, we were unable to manuover the wheelbarrow all the way to the back so we were forced to wheel out the back door and dump. Our landlord came out with his large tractor and scooped it away. We had the smaller tractor pulling the newer spreader around one pasture while he dumped piles in the larger pastures. We went back later and pulled the drag around to spread everything out. When we made it to the older compost at the back of the pile, the landlord took several scoops over to his garden. It was fine compost, manure and sawdust mix almost one year old. It was the GOOD stuff!!! We had one guy come out to get a load for his garden and Steven has promised some to a couple of his colleagues. Hopefully, everyone will see improvements in their gardens this spring and summer with our horse poop! Unfortunately, we are not putting in a garden this year because we are most likely moving again July 1st. But we have decided to plant some tomatoes and other veggies in planters so we can take them with us if we do move.

What do you guys do with your horse poop? Do you have a composting bin? Spread it all on your pastures? Give it away? Just pile it up? Tell me!

Hooorrayyy!

http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=9889389

Smelling Memories

Have you ever smelt something and it immediately makes you remember certain times or places or events in your life. It happens to me all of the time. Just yesterday, I was using some hand lotion that I haven't in awhile. When I smelt it, I immediately thought of Christmas. I realized I did this because I had received the lotion as a Christmas present and used it quite often during that time.

There are certain smells in the barn or involving horses that remind me of things too. The biggest one is probably iodine. When I was younger and we were medicating Maggie's feet every day, we used iodine to clean them out. I can remember that smell on my hands. It was there constantly. Now, everytime I have to use it, I am immediately reminded of that time in my life and it almost makes me sick to my stomach.

Another one is Equicare Flysect Citronella Spray. My very first instructor used this fly spray. Her horses were so well cared for. Everytime I smell it, I am taken back to my first lessons...grooming those big Dutch Warmbloods Patricia and Abita (I can't believe I remember all of their names!) and a cute QH named Fancy, and an old palomino named Ed. Oh, those were the days!

What about you? Do you have any smells that bring back the memories?

Horse Sale weekend!

Well, the local horse sale was this past weekend. Know how I could tell??? My saddle-buying friend has posted several horses on Craigslist....I thought I would share a few:

GREAT PALOMINO GELDING THE BEST 3YR - $600
Reply to:

Date: 2009-02-16, 11:39AM EST

HE IS A WONDERFUL HORSE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITH HIM. WOULD BE A GOOD HORSE FOR ANYONE AND HES 14 AND STILL GROWING QUARTER HORSE. BEST 3YR OLD I SEEN IN LONG TIME xxx-xxx-xxxx

This horse doesn't look 3, especially in this last picture. This guy has the blonde chick sitting on several horses in his "for sale" posts. Looks like she's scared to death and has probably never ridden before. Look at her hunched shoulders and her foot completely all the way through the stirrup, not to mention her boots! Look at those heels! The saddle on the first picture is horrible. Look at the bent of skirt! It shouldn't be on a horse! He probably bought it for 50 bucks at the sale, or either it came free with the horse he purchased for maybe 200 bucks and is now selling, 2 days later, for 600. His description is always in CAPS and he never uses punctuation which drives me nuts!

Here's another:

GREAT SADDLE HORSE LOOK AT HIM - $600
Reply to: [?]Date: 2009-02-16, 11:34AM EST

THIS IS A GREAT HORSE ANYONE CAN RIDE HE IS 4YR OLD AND WILL BE A GOOD HORSE FOR ANYONE .HE 15 HANDS AND LOOKS GOOD xxx-xxx-xxxx

There's our blonde friend again, holding on the the horn just a tight as she is this poor guys mouth. And our horse trader, happily galloping along with a dog nipping at the horse's heels. Cringe...

And for my last Craigslist post, this one was NOT posted by my saddle-buying horse trader friend but rather some genius who decided it would be a good idea to tie this baby to a tractor implement! *Shakes head*

Note: I have sent this post to Fugly horse of the day....because she obviously gets a lot more traffic than I do!! lol

Tennessee Walking Geilding - $200 (Blaine)
Reply to:

[?]Date: 2009-02-13, 8:05PM EST

Yearling. Very Gentle. Leads and Loads. Black and Naturally Gaited. Very good show prospect or pleasure horse. xxx-xxx-xxxx

Drama Drama

My goodness at today's drama. I've been reading my usual blogs and everyone is acting like teenagers! Come on people! GROW UP! When you call people crazy names and make fun of other people's horses, you make yourself look ridiculous! Don't judge people unless you know the WHOLE story. So what, they have a horse that doesn't have the best confirmation....someone has to own them! Man, maybe I should find some new blogs to read.

Does your state have a Horse Council?

The Alabama Horse Council proved to be very useful when I lived in Alabama. When I moved to Tennessee, one of the first places I looked when trying to find information on the horse industry here was the Tennessee Horse Council. However, I soon found out that the TN Horse Council had been temporarily closed because "the council ran out of money and was lacking in active members," according to the past president in an article here. If you go to their site, www.tnhorsecouncil.com, you will find that it is being "parked free" courtesy of godaddy.com....which means the owners of the domain name do not have a site uploaded.

I don't know the entire story of what happened to the original Tn horse council but I would imagine it could and should be a valuable tool for anyone interested in obtaining more information about the Tennessee horse industry.

So my question is....Does your state have a Horse Council that is affiliated with the American Horse Council, and if so, do you regularly visit their website? Or have you used their website to obtain useful information regarding your state's horse industry? Please tell me your thoughts on this!

A post from my saddle-buying friend

As promised, I have found a listing by my saddle buying friend from a previous post. This one isn't too detailed and doesn't have the infamous sparkly text. This girl is underweight to say the least. I should email him to see what else he says about her....

TB WITH JOCKEY PAPERS

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Reply to:
Date: 2009-02-08, 7:01PM EST



SHE IS A SWEET GIRL GREEN BROKE I DONT THINK SHE WILL BE HARD TO RIDE SHES LIKE A BIG PUP 16HANDS CALL ANYTIME xxx-xxx-xxxx




it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 1026570577


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Boarder thinks I'm Torturing her horse

It was beautiful here in East Tennessee today! Temp was around 60 degrees but the wind was blowing pretty good so you still needed a jacket. Steven and I were hoping to get a ride in. After the morning feeding, I noticed that Ronan had pulled his right shoe....again. Called T, our farrier, and he can't make it out until Monday. So much for a weekend ride....I might just suck it up and find my Easyboots.

We went to the Co-op to buy some shavings and grain. When we got back, we decided to turn the horses out into the big pasture on the side of our house that isn't used for grazing. We led two horses out and the two others followed. Once we let the two out, the third followed but the forth couldn't find the gate. We were in a small paddock that leads to a bigger paddock trying to herd him out of the gate while he's frantically running about screaming at his buddies who were already enjoying the lush grass. I finally just try to catch him to lead him out of the gate when his owner pulls up. I'm say, "Perfect! She's going to think we are torturing her horse!" I finally catch him and turn him out, and he canters off to be with his friends. We walk down the the driveway gate to meet our boarder. I tell her that he couldn't find the gate to get out with everyone and she says, "Oh, I thought you were just running him." Great! She does think we were torturing her horse! I explain what happen and she seems satisfied. Ugh, crazy horse. I guess we will have to lead all four out of the gate since he can't seem to find it!

Cross-rail jumping when we first starting cantering jumps

There are several things wrong with my position in this video. My lower leg is swinging back and forth in the canter and my hands are extremely low. My stirrups are too long and I do not give Ronan enough release over the jumps. This video was shot before I had taken any jumping lessons with Ronan. I think I've come along way! I will try to upload some current jumping video on here soon!

Maggie's Story

My best friend K from the first grade had horses. I always loved to spend the night at her house. We would ride from sunrise to sunset. Finally, my parents agreed to buy me a horse. K's parents told us never to buy the first horse you look at. We arrived at the first place and looked at a Morgan x QH Mare. She was around 15 years old and had lots of experience with children. We also looked at an American Saddlebred Mare that was 21 yrs old and had the same quiet disposition. K's parents looked at mine and said, "I know we told you not to buy the first horse we looked at....but you need to buy BOTH of these horses!" So we did! Bitsy, the American saddle bred, would be my brother's horse and Maggie, the Morgan QH would be mine. Maggie was probably 15 hh, sorrel with a thick flaxen mane and tail. She had a perfect diamond shaped star. Her coat was thick and wholly, even in the summer she wouldn't shed it all off. We kept the horses at K's house because we did not have fencing at our place yet. One day, I remember going into Maggie's stall to pick out her feet and telling my mom that it smelled really bad. My mom had no clue that this could mean anything other than it probably always smelled bad! Meanwhile, Bitsy had an accident while pulling a carriage and had to be put down.

Because I was so young, I don't recall exactly when Maggie was diagnosed. We were told that she had Canker (Note: The article in this link is one description of canker. Some of the article fits, some doesn't. Maggie was kept outside and only came in her stall to eat. The barn was not the cleanest but wasn't overly muddy or anything. )Of course, being new horse owners, we didn't know what that meant or how to treat it. Our farrier was very good but didn't know much about treating canker.

We finally moved Maggie home so we could soak and treat her feet daily. We visited every equine veterinarian in South Alabama, each having a different treatment, none would offer Maggie any improvement. We treated her for almost 2 years. At the end, we considered putting her down ourselves...but loved her so much to give up on her. We considered taking her to Auburn University. They could try to cut ALL of the canker out, which would leave her unable to stand at all for who knows how long, and it would cost $1000...money my family did not have after spending so much on treatments for the past 2 years. Our last option was to give her to some people who were going to attempt some old Indian techniques and treatments on her. They assured us they would humanely put her down if they could not get any improvements. We never heard what happened to her, or if she improved at all. I'm guessing that she was eventually put down considering her condition. Back then, canker wasn't widely known among horse professionals and no one knew how to correctly treat it. I'm sure if this would have happened now, we could have saved her.

I will never forget what Maggie taught me. She was so kind and careful with me. She took me down many dirt roads, around barrels, and trails. She taught me how to ride and how to be responsible for someone other than myself. I know she is running in the great green pastures of heaven.

Horse Introduction

The Story of Twiggs

While we were in college, I boarded Ronan at a barn in Birmingham, AL called Jackson Stables. It was a wonderful barn, friendly people, and AWESOME mountain trail riding. A, the barn manager at the time, convinced the owner to buy several TWHs, most still on pads and just out of the show ring. The first one they brought home was Twiggs. She had been previously rescued twice by A so she held a special place with her. Twiggs was 16 hh (without pads), extremely lean to the point of being slightly underweight. She was black with only a few white hairs on her back, obviously from some bad tack fit some time back. She also had some white hairs on her lower legs. The back of her pasterns were scarred from soring and if you ran your hand down any part of her leg, you could feel scars, bumps, and lumps from years of abuse.

She was taken off the pads about a week after arriving at Jackson Stables and was given turnout, which she was NOT use to, in the large arena. She soon settled down and somehow, became Steven's trail riding mount. He rode her all winter and spring. Once we decided to leave for TX, he approached A and the owner of the barn (they owned Twiggs together) about buying her. A agreed to sell only to Steven because she knew Twiggs would be well taken care of. When we moved to Dallas, we began pouring high quality feed to Twiggs. She put on weight nicely and is now in perfect condition. Her feet are in much better shape as well. Since she was on pads for most of her young life, her feet have been built up so much. She almost looked like she was walking on stacks, with heels much too high, toes long, and so much frog that we were constantly treating thrush. Since pulling her shoes and trimming her with a Natural Balance trim, she has improved dramatically. We are planning to breed her this Spring.

I can't imagine what Twiggs has been through in her life. She most likely was a repeated victim of soring and stewarding. However, she will never have to indure anything remotely close to that now! She is in the snow picture here.

Horse Introduction

Ronan

I bought Ronan in May of 2007. He was the first horse I purchased on my own, without the help of my parents. He belonged to a woman who wanted an older, quiter trail horse. Ronan, being 4 at the time, was very active but well-behaved. The woman was a little nervous around him, probably because of his size (15.3 hh horse with 5'2 lady) and because he was so energetic. I rode him in walk and trot when I bought him. I could tell that he'd gotten away with going back to the barn when he wanted. I corrected him several times and received a small protest each time. Finally, he gave up and accepted my leadership. I knew then, it would be a match. He didn't know much...forward, left, right, whoa....and that's about it. He didn't respond much to leg aids much less seat aids. After a summer schooling him in the saddle and on the ground, he'd progressed so much that we were jumping cross rails, performing leg-yeilds and shoulder-ins, turns on the haunches, and backing. Ronan has the most personality of any horse I've ever met. He learns super fast and I have taught him several tricks in a matter of 30 minutes or so. His current trick is catching! He will literally open his mouth wide for you to toss a treat in. I will post video soon! As of now, we are jumping around 2 ft - 2'6 ft but my lessons aren't continuous. I'm hoping to get back into the routine when the weather warms and show on the local East Tennessee Hunter Jumper Association circuit.

This picture is from our second horse show. We were in an open walk/trot English class (this was before we worked extensively on getting the correct lead)

Ronan is a Grade Quarter Horse. I asked about his breeding and was told he was "pasture horse to pasture horse." I'm sure he was the result of some backyard breeding but considering, he has excellent conformation aside from being slightly cow-hocked. I do not know his real birthdate but I use the day I bought him because I was told he had just turned 4. So, this may 11th, he will be 6 years old. The before winter, I measured him to be 15.3hh but I've been praying he would make it to 16hh. I will measure him soon to find out if he had one last growth spurt left!! He is a dapple grey with a blaze you can hardly ever see. He's very athletic and fast. He has his moments but for the most part, he's well-behaved and reliable.

Here are two of my former students from when I was teaching at Jackson Stables in Birmingham, Alabama. Ronan is a great lesson horse.

My next post will be an introduction for Twiggs, my boyfriend's Tennessee Walker.