| The Wild Blue Yonder |
July 28, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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By the time this is read, I'll be heading to Charleston, South Carolina for the Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference. I've never been to Charleston so I'm looking forward to the Conference and seeing some of the country. But before the Conference, have to get there.......
With airlines canceling flights and planes across the country plus the new restrictions on luggage it's becoming a challenge to get everything from here to there. Some of my handouts Chris was nice enough to print and put in Conference binders. Other things I shipped via the ole United States Post Office and some various trail riding samples such as "Trail Rider" magazine, Chaffhaye and Thirst Quenchers were shipped by the publisher and manufacturer. So (hopefully) when I get there the hotel will have about half a dozen boxes for me!!
Equestrians should make it a point to attend at least ONE Conference each year. In your own backyard. Why? Because you'll discover there are other horse owners who are being faced with the same problems, situations and complaints you are. Horse manure on trails. Water pollution -- whatever that is considered to be. Weeds. Finding feed. Prices. Zoning. The latest in vet care. Plus you'll meet new folks and can find clubs and organizations you never knew existed.
I'm lucky in that I get to do a lot of traveling while attending conferences and going to horse expos.
Probably the best things about conferences and expos is the 'stuff' you get to take home!! You can have enough reading material to last a month in the 'reading room.' And all of it has some pieces of valuable information in them if you just take the time to look through 'em. I must get about 50 publications a month and I read everyone of them.
Sorry to have cut this short this time. I've still got to finish packing. Trying to keep everything in ONE suitcase might not work. Think I'll take my packers in my boot bag. It's one of those you stuff your boots in it, zip it up and carry it. It looks like a couple of giant shoes and I get asked at least once, "Those ski boots?" "No, just my packers......". Most folks have no idea what a 'packers' is so they'll just smile and walk off.
While I remember, Pat, thanks for the information and sorry about getting your website wrong. Spelling was never one of my strong suits and this internet makes it worse. With a human if a letter or number was out of order you'd still get mail. With a wrong internet address it just floats around in space. Anyway, Pat's correct website is www.preferredanimalwrap.com.
If any of you are in Charleston, drop in and say 'hi.'
Take care and stay safe on the trails.......
Bonnie
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| Nic's Hoof |
July 23, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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First, I want to thank all the folks who e-mailed me about Nic's hoof. He's coming along. He's back home in the barn and have pulled the wraps off. He's just wandering around the paddock now. He'll be laid up about 4-8 weeks. We'll put 'special' shoes on him about the second or third Monday in August. Missing the riding time is the hardest. But Nic doesn't mind. He's happy standing in his stall!!
Had a couple questions asked so thought I'd answer 'em here.
Kathy, no the vet wrap wasn't hard to get off. Just unpeeled it. Only difficult part was getting the duct tape off the vet wrap over his hoof. That's where a pair of surgical scissors comes in handy. Bought a pair a few years back and they've been worth their weight in gold since then. They are extremely sharp!! And I mean EXTREMELY sharp. I can show you the scar on my finger if you want to see it. They have rounded points so can't 'punch' the horse when cutting. The scissors cut through the duct tape and vet wrap like they were butter. Then just pulled the cotton out of hoof.
Laurie, I've fed Nic (and all my horses) Biotin. It's a hoof supplement which hardens the hoof. Especially good in the winter months when hooves tend to get 'meally' from to much moisture. It also makes their coats look good too!
Pat, thanks for the address of the hoof sock. Haven't seen it before. If anyone is interested in it, go to website www.preferredanimalwrap.com. Pat's got a couple other tips in there about hoof care. Including making a hoof wrap.
Have you ever noticed how when one thing happens, it seems like something else happens right after? Me, I figure things happen in 3's.
Bringing Nic home from vet hospital, the right rear tire lost its tread and blew out the truck wheel well on dually. After about an hour on shoulder of BUSY highway with train tracks on two sides, I had to have tow truck take Nic and trailer back to hospital, then come back and help pull the tire off and get the rest of the dually fender off. Becky and her friend went over a day later and picked Nic up, again. They made it back to barn safely!! That was one.
Second, when at tire dealer inspecting the separated tire, they found another tire that was beginning to separate. The tire shop provided me with a 'loaner' tire. I've never had a 'loner' tire before. This was when I was also told tires have a 'shelf life.' Like a quart of milk or a can of beans. I'll have to replace all six tires and the wheel well. (If you've got tires over 3 or 4 years old on your truck go out and inspect them, NOW. The DOT number has the shelf life date in it. You might have to go to dealer to have him look up actual date.)
Third.....well, it hasn't happened yet. About the only thing left is for my dog to run away from home, my house to burn down or the plane flight I have to Charleston, South Carolina next Monday for the Southeastern Equestrian Trails Conference to get cancelled. And they're NOT replacing it with another flight.
Hope your luck is better and stay safe!!
Bonnie
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| Hoof Problems |
July 15, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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Have
you ever noticed that horses have direct lines to your bank? They know exactly
when you have money in a checking or savings account and then get sick or hurt.
Today was my day. But at least Nic picked a Monday and NOT a Sunday, which would
have been an “emergency weekend call.”
Nic
was going to the vet today anyway to get his teeth floated. But when I got
to the barn this morning, he could hardly walk. He was putting no weight on
his left front. Of course, always think the worse--founder and so
on. Even as bad as he hurt, Nic hopped into the trailer and we were off to
Pioneer Vet Hospital. The hospital personnel, all my horses and I are on a
first name basis!
When
I got Nic unloaded at hospital the first thing Dr. McDonald asked was, "When did
Nic lose that chunk of hoof wall?"
"About
a week ago," was my reply. "But he hasn't favored it or been lame on that leg
except for this morning."
Walking
Nic around he wouldn't really put weight on leg and when he stepped, he put his
toe down first. But he really didn't want to put his heel down at all. Dr.
McDonald suggested nerving the heel. After the injections, Nic walked out
and even spooked a couple times at a monster-looking bush and a killer bird,
a.k.a. a Robin.
We
decided to x-ray his hooves just to make sure, so shoes were pulled. Nic is a
horse that puts his whole faith in you. Leading him into the X-ray room
where it was dark, mysterious, buzzing with computer noises and an overhead fan
he put his head next to my shoulder and went “with me.” If I stopped, he
stopped. But if I just walked him in, he moved along.
The
X-rays were taken and to make a long story short, Nic has an abscess behind
where the chunk of hoof came out. It could have been a result of the hoof
injury or it could have been just bacteria getting in there and causing an
abscess. Or it could just have been poor timing and it was abscess forming
on its own. We will never know which, but it's a big one!!
After
discussions, we decided the best treatment was to leave Nic at Pioneer, pare the
hoof out as much as possible, soak the hoof to bring the abscess to a head and
leave Nic at the hospital for the whole treatment. In general, let the
abscess open on its own.
When
it comes to soaking a hoof, most of us fill a pail full of water and then put a
horse's hoof into it with all the Epsom salts and such added to
it. Sometimes the horse puts his hoof in, sometimes he doesn't. But
at Pioneer they had the best idea for hoof soaking I've ever seen.
They
had these big gallon-size, industrial strength baggies with everything mixed in
it. Dr. McDonald simply put Nic's hoof into the bag, wrapped the top
around his leg. Put some ole duct tape around it to keep it in place with
a big square of duct tape on bottom to protect the bottom of baggie. Then
the whole thing was wrapped in a vet wrap. Really a neat idea!! The
hoof was constantly being soaked and the horse could move around
too.
Dr.
McDonald said he's left the baggie on a horse's hoof up to 10 hours while he was
doing surgery on another horse. But the usual time is about half an hour to
an hour. The duct tape and vet wrap protect it as the horse moves around in
the stall. Right now, Nic is in a huge stall with about 12 inches of
shavings and a baggy hanging on his hoof. And eating like a horse!
Hopefully, he'll be home in 2 or 3 days and then we'll figure out how to
protect the abscess 'hole' and pack the spot where the hoof wall came
out.
Here's
a couple pictures of the hoof before and after the baggy
treatment..... 
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| Gates |
July 9, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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I have no idea why I get so concerned about the state of gates. To me, a gate should always be closed. Especially at a barn, around a corral and most of all, a pasture gate!!
On a trail, I can ride through or open and re-close a gate with no problem. But at the barn -- I've GOT TO CLOSE THAT GATE!!
We have paddocks off stalls so when I clean paddocks and leave, I shut gates. Both stall doors and paddock gates are shut and latched. There are no horses in the stalls -- they're out in pasture. But I still HAVE to close that gate.
My daughter, Becky, tends to get a little upset with me sometimes. When bringing horses in they all come to the pasture gate and wait to be let through. If I leave the paddock gates open, they'll walk into their respective paddocks and stalls as they come into the barnyard. But if I've closed the paddock gates, they wander on by and attack the hay stack.
Becky keeps telling me "leave the paddock gates open" but I keep closing them. She's given up telling me. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks so now when she goes to bring horses in from pasture, she walks by the paddocks and opens gates. I'm not allowed around that end of the barn after she's opened the gates!
The biggest problem I have is with the pasture gate. When I drive through I always wait a couple minutes to figure out where the horses are before opening the gate. Then when I feel sure they're 40-acres away, I'll open the gate, dash back to the truck, drive through, run back to the gate, close and latch it. Success again. I got through the gate without all the horses stampeding down and out as I'm trying to drive through. They've never rushed the gate when I'm driving through. But you never know.
I have to push the manure cart through another gate and out into the pasture. Becky pushes the cart in and out of the gate without closing it. If I'm there I almost have to tie myself to a post to keep from running over and shutting the gate. Why? I don't know. The horses are all standing under the trees. Watching. They could care less. It's not time to come in so they stand in the shade.
When I push the manure cart out into the pasture, I HAVE to close the pasture gate after I go through. Even though the horses are off in the corner -- the gate has to be closed. And latched while I dump the cart.
While Becky opens the gate, pushes the cart into the pasture, dumps it, then goes back through the gate and relatches it, I visualize the horses sneaking along like in an old cartoon when I open the gate. Slinking along the ground like snakes. ALL of them hiding behind one 6-inch tree trunk. Then as I open the pasture gate, push the cart through, turn to re-close it -- a mass equine rush for the gate. Freedom!! On to the hay stack. Well, you get the idea about my gate closing paranoia.......
Stay safe on the trails!
Bonnie
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| Fire! |
July 1, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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Couple weeks back I mentioned being prepared and one of the topics was fire. Are you ready to remove your horse in a fire? Under stress? With limited time? But what about if you can't get to your horse in a fire situation? What do you do then? Teresa asked me that question and it's a really good one that got me to thinking.......
A few weeks back there was a fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains down by Watsonville. Fifty animals died. More than a 100 were saved. But the 50 that died died because they could not be rescued. They could not escape. Highway patrol and other law enforcement agencies would not allow homeowners and horseowners into the area. Some animals were dogs and cats locked in homes that burned to the ground. Others were horses in stalls, paddocks and corrals. A llama died in his stall, laying in a bed of straw.
Then Teresa asked what would I do if a fire was sweeping through the barn area and I wasn't there? No one was there. How would the horses get out? Even though my horses are in pasture and have 40 acres to run in they still could get caught in a corner. So I thought about it and decided to talk to neighbors in the area. There's always someone in one of the other facilities or homes during the day -- and night -- when I'm not there. Not everyone works!!
I've asked each of them that if they have to evacuate and I'm not doing the same at the barn, please open the gates as they drive by. Don't try to load my horses, just open gates so horses have an escape avenue to get out. And if they can't get to gates, cut fence. I'd rather have a horse get some wire cuts than perish in a fire.
I know there are all kinds of legal ramifications that can develop from a loose horse. Or cutting a fence or breaking a window. We live in a sue-happy society where if one sneezes -- sue 'em!! But personally, I'll face that sue situation if I can save a horse, a dog, a cat, a goat, sheep or some cattle if the owner cannot get into the area because law enforcement and fire personnel won't let folks in. I'm there saving my stock so I can save someone else's by providing that avenue of escape. I'd like to think the animal owners wouldn't sue me for a broken window or a cut fence.
I know some law enforcement and even fire personnel aren't going to like that idea. A few years back, an L.A. fire truck heading into the Santa Monica Mountains hit and killed one horse, severely injured another as the horses came running down the road. Tragic. But I look at it that the other 10 horses survived the fire and were eventually found in the mountains. The fire truck: minimal damage. (And I know a lot of firemen who carry wire cutters and have 'helped' wire fences 'break' because "I don't wanta see stock in a pasture burn because no one is home to get 'em out".)
As for dogs and cats and there's a danger of fire burning the house, break windows and go. Give animals a chance to escape. I can only imagine the terror a dog or cat has with smoke filling a house--or a horse in a stall. In fact, it's not uncommon for animals even with an escape route to return to their 'haven of safety' -- their barn, their stall, under a bed or into a kennel. Animals do not think the way we do. All they know is it's danger, it's noisy and that barn, stall, kennel or under the bed has ALWAYS been a safe place to be.
A few years back I did a story on barn fires. One of the things I learned was that animals are overcome by smoke first. They go down. Smoke overcomes them before flames get to them.
Thanks, Teresa, for asking that question. It got me to thinking. And I'll bet it will get others to thinking also. If you've got some other ideas, e-mail, comment and we'll share 'em here.
Stay safe......
Bonnie
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