| A New Home |
February 23, 2009
by Bonnie Davis
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I moved Nic to a new stable last week. Actually it's not 'new.' I used to board there about 4 years ago. For 34 years!!! We only moved because I had my left knee replaced so at that time we decided to move the horses closer to my daughter so she could exercise them. Now I decided to move back to Diamond W because it's got what I need -- trails, hills, water to cross, deer, the occasional mountain lion plus other trail encounters and a stall with a paddock for Nic.
Moving into a new stable can be trying on a horse. Nic didn't know why he was leaving all his pasture pals and his stall over in LIvermore. All he knew was he was being hauled to a new barn and then put into a new stall with new horses on each side.
It can take some horses weeks, even months to settle in. Luckily Nic is an easy-going guy. He gets along with everyone. There are geldings on both sides so they sniffed noses, did the normal body sniffing and then Nic went into his stall to check it out.
Nic's been there about a week now. He settled in nicely. You can always tell when a horse is happy and relaxed with a new environment regardless if it's in a new barn, new pasture, new corral at home or when out camping -- the horse will lay down. On the third day I went up to Diamond W to check Nic, he was covered in shavings!! He had accepted his new stall as home. In fact from the look and amount of shavings on him, Nic had not only accepted his new home but rolled all over the place covering himself in shavings!!
Now, I'm waiting for all the rain to quit so we can head down into the Park. It's just down the pasture hill, open the gate, cross the road and into the park. Or go up the pasture and into the open space. Thousands and thousands of acres and miles of trails to ride on.
Yup, happy to be 'home' again at the Diamond W. Starting another 34 years........
Stay dry everyone!
Bonnie
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| National Park Service Regulation Changes |
February 18, 2009
by Bonnie Davis
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Quite a few folks have sent me an e-mail about the proposed changes to NPS lands opening their lands to bikes. I went into the website, found the changes and think it's something we all should look at. But I don't believe one should make a decision -- pro or con -- without first reading the document.
Basically, former President Bush put a change through to the rules on NPS lands which would open millions of acres of NPS backcountry to bikes. The current rules in place since 1987 require that trails be carefully reviewed for safety considerations before opening them to bikes. The Bush change would allow any park manager, alone, in 30 days, to change the current hiking/equestrian trails to allow bikes.
Bikes on trails are a touchy issue. There are trails that can safely have bikes on them with hikers and equestrians. There are other trails which CANNOT safely have bikes on them with hikers and equestrians. Each trail should be considered individually -- not with a mass consideration of good for one, good for all.
But before you send in a comment, read the whole bill. Find out the issue. Be informed. And to get that information go to http://www.regulations.gov.
When that page comes up, in the search box type in NPS-2008-0006-0001 and then click on "Go."
On the next screen click on one of the little icons in "View" and the bill will come up. It's in the Federal Registry, Vol. 73, No. 244, dated Thursday December 18, 2008, Proposed Rules, page 76987.
After reading the bill, go back to main screen and click on "Add Comments" and add yours.
Just remember, be sure to read the bill first! And if you have questions, contact the Action Coalition for Equestrians at website http://www.acequestrians.org and send a copy of your comments to jdmilo@inreach.com. Or call 530-346-9933.
Stay safe!!
Bonnie
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| Hay Net Safety |
February 9, 2009
by Bonnie Davis
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One of the first things I do when in a camp is to adjust my hay nets to fit the fence or side of my trailer. My old Quarter Horse, Sig, used to HATE a hay net. He'd stomp his hooves, put his ears back and begin pulling hay out while giving me the evil eye. He was a horse that wanted his hay in a manger so he could pick and chose which stalks to eat first. Wilth a hay net, it's what the horse can pull out is what he gets!
Personally I like hay nets because it keeps a horse busy eating longer. They don't toss hay around like in a tub. And with a net they can't get their whole head into the bag. I've seen a couple horses get their heads into the bag types through those holes in the front, panic because they can't get their heads out and pull the whole bag and fence down.
The main thing with a hay net is that it has to be ADJUSTED so the net doesn't sag down as the horse eats the hay. When it's empty it can hang so low that a pawing horse can get a hoof into one of the little squares and get hung up. Which is why a hay net SHOULD NEVER be filled and then dropped on the ground for the horse to eat from. A pawing horse will get a hoof hung up in it and panic. So always hang a hay net up -- on the trailer or the fence or from a highline or from a tree.
If tying to a tree branch, make sure there's a tree saver over the branch before tying net up. If using a highline, adjust the line so the weight of a full hay net won't pull it too low to the ground. And if tying to the side of a trailer, make sure the empty hay net doesn't sag to the ground.
One way to keep a hay net from sagging on a trailer is to fill it, then tie it shut. Instead of tying directly to the trailer tie on trailer, tie the full bag to a rope and toss the rope over roof of trailer. Tie it off to the trailer tie ring on OTHER side of trailer. This way one can pull the hay net up as high an need be for the horse to eat safely without fear of net sagging and horse getting hung up. I tie my hay net to trailer this way. Then I put a little clip on bottom of bag and clip it to the tie ring on side of trailer where horse is eating. This keeps the bottom up and double insurance the hay net won't sag down.
If you don't have a rope long enough to go over roof of trailer to off side tie ring, attach the hay net between two trailer tie rings. Hang it between 'em sideways. This will keep empty net from sagging and the horse can eat from any hole in net he wants. Sort of like a buffet style feeding.
Safe camping......
Bonnie
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