Oh Look! Snow!

I certainly wasn't expecting it to snow. Last night everything was just warm and drizzly. But, what do you know, I wake up this morning to a world of white!

The horses were already up at the stable, hiding in the run-in stall. Guess they weren't exactly over joyed with the snow. But it was cute to see their two little heads sticking out. "We are not coming out so you come in."

They perked right up when I started dishing out breakfast. Food does wonders.

The weather in general has been pretty nasty lately. Mostly just a lot of rain. (Hey, I'd rather it snowed than rained so yay!) But with all of that I just haven't been able to do much outside. I will be happy when the weather gets warmer, or less mucky, and I can get back to working with my ponies.

Kentucky Derby Star

I made a new friend last week! And I might add he's a bit of a celebrity in the horse world.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to meet the winner of the 2011 Kentucky Derby!

Meet Animal Kingdom!

The great Animal Kingdom!

Every now and then I get the opportunity to attend various events and my personal favorites are the ones that have to do with horses. So I was naturally thrilled when I got the chance to visit this stud farm. Animal Kingdom wasn't the only famous stallion I met there, but he was certainly my favorite. (Discreet Cat and Street Sense are two others names I can think of that were present.) But, wow. All the horses were absolutely amazing and gorgeous! I was seriously fangirling.Way too much awesomeness going on.

But needless to say I was very excited when I heard that this horse was going to be there because he is one of the few racehorses that I actually knew my name. I remember watching the Derby on tv the year he won.

I'm not a huge racing fan or anything. I'll watch the Triple Crown once a year and thats about it. But I do love OTTBs, and its on my bucket list to own an ex-racehorse and retrain it. I think they are super talented animals.

So, ya, I have to say this was a pretty cool experience. 

The Case of the Runny Nose

Doesn't that title sound Sherlockian?

I couldn't resist.

I mean this post has absolutely nothing to do with my favorite super-sleuth Mr. Holmes, but I've got to add a little personality somewhere...

Anyways...

I posted before about Mya having a respiratory infection. I had the vet up and we put her on a round of powdered antibiotics, while that worked for awhile, eventually the runny nose/nose bleed/respiratory infection came back.


I think it is due to the fact that Mya did not get the full amount of antibiotics in her system. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of eating them in her feed.

So a second round it is.

This time I am making sure she gets the stuff in her system.

I was a little worried (ok maybe a lot) at first because she seemed to lose her appetite earlier last week. She wasn't eating her feed and wasn't very interested in the hay either. The vet was called and he said to come down to the office and pick up more medicine and put her on a second round of it. Because Mya wasn't eating I obviously couldn't put it in her feed so thus enters the oral syringe.

Boy, was that fun.

I gave her the dosage of medicine via oral syringe for two days. Then I decided to try mixing it with her feed again. The mucas had cleared up a little and she was starting to act a little more perky.

Round one I tried mixing it with apples pieces, molasses, brown sugar, and oats. I cooked it all together and it smelled so good I was just about ready to eat it. But that was a no go. This horse has weird taste buds.

Round two, I decided to try something different. Peanut-butter and a little bit of honey.

Peanut-butter...!

The winning combination!

I didn't know my horse liked peanut-butter. But when I mixed that with a little oats and a little bit of her normal feed (medicine cleverly disguised inside), she immediately showed some interest in it. I left it there for her and when I came back a couple hours later it was all gone.

Peanut butter!

I then basically proceeded to walk around the house with a silly grin on my face mumbling that word. 

Yes. I was really happy that my horse actually ate something. I had been pretty worried about her.

So now Mya has had her third dose of peanut butter-ized medicine and it seems to be working. Horses can be pretty finicky but I'm hoping she'll continue to eat it. She also ate all her hay for the first time today so I think that is a good sign.

We're not out of the woods yet, but I think we are getting there.

Meanwhile, despite all the mud, Lady seems pretty happy. It took her awhile to recover from that abscess episode, but I think she is doing a lot better now. Though she did loose a shoe (mud) and I need to call the farrier tomorrow to have it put back on.

Here is a picture of her in the "front" less-muddy pasture.

2014 is almost over! Wow. I feel like that flew by really fast. This is possibly my last post for 2014. So if I don't write again before then, see you all in the new year!

Merry Christmas!

Mya and Lady wish you a Merry Christmas!

December's 10 Questions!

I've been a bit MIA this month. I'm sure everyone else has been super busy around Christmas as well. Its just that time of year! Not that I can complain of course. I love the Christmas season! But I'm back just in time to type up the 10 Q's of the month. So here they are!

1. What size horse do you prefer to ride? At the moment I prefer to ride ponies. 14hh is about perfect.

2. Do you school in tall boots or half chaps and paddock boots? Well, when I actually wear my english boots I school in half chaps and paddock boots. But more often than not I just slip on my cowboy boots and ride in those.

3. What do you do with your ribbons after shows? I have them hanging up in my room. I don't have that many so it works out just fine that way.

4. Do you ride/board at a large show barn or a small private barn? Since I have my horses at my house, I guess it would have to be a small private barn!

5. Have you ever seen a horse give birth? No, and I can't say that I really want to either.

6. What is your favorite breed? Ooohh. Now that's a hard one... I have a thing for Arabians. I've loved every horse I've ridden that has been an Arabian. (Night was an Anglo Arabian. I really miss that horse.) I also like Thoroughbreds. Its on my bucket list to get a OTTB. Mustangs fascinate me. And Andalusians and Frisians are just gorgeous.

7. Favorite tack brand? I don't have a favorite. Just whatever works at the time is good with me.

8. Would you ever buy used tack? Yes. That's the only way I buy saddles. You can find a lot of good stuff used.

9. Ever been on a carriage ride? Yes.

10. How often do you go to the tack store? Probably twice a month to pick up feed and such.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday!

 

November's 10 Questions

Here we are once again doing the ten questions of the month!

1. Have you ever owned a horse? 

Yes! My two girls. 

 

2. What is your favorite aspect of your discipline? 
I ride a lot of different disciplines. I learned gaited, then I did western, and then I learned to ride english. English has been my favorite. More specifically I like hunters. I haven't had much of a chance to explore hunter jumper, but I'm hoping that in the future I will be able to. What I like about english riding is how technical it is. I also like the forward movement and way of riding the horse. 
 

3. What pet peeves do you have concerning your discipline? 

Why is there not specific trainers that do natural horsemanship for english riders? I really want english natural horsemanship! Does anyone know of any materiel out there one this topic? 

4. Do you do barn chores?

Yup. I keep my horses at my house. So everyday. 

5. What is your least favorite barn chore? 

Stacking hay. Big hay bale. Small person. Large stack. 

 

6. What do you consider the worst vice in a horse?

Bolting. Horses that bolt can just be dangerous. 

7. What saddle brand is your favorite? 

I don't think I really have a favorite. Whatever I can find that works is good with me.

8. Do you ride with a quarter sheet in the winter? 

No. I don't clip my horses, so they are nice and warm.

9. Does your horse wear boots? What kind? 

Sometimes I put polo wraps on her but not boots. We haven't needed them yet. 

10. Full seat or knee patch breeches?

I prefer knee patch. Honestly I just like how they look.