| What's Your Horse Worth? |
June 24, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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It's been so hot here in the San Francisco Bay Area for the last couple days that not much riding has been done. We usually stay pretty cool with the 'ocean air conditioning' but a high pressure has halted the ocean breeze and it's been up in the 100's. Over in Livermore where Nic and other horses live it's been up to 105, 107 and higher. So on hot days, usually just finish chores, give horses bathes and put 'em back in their stalls with a couple big muck tubs full of water. (Nic likes to play in water so he manages to splash the water out, make a mess and will even roll in it!!)
About 4 or 5 were sitting around on hay bales watching the day go back and the heat waves rise in the pasture when the subject of what's your horse REALLY worth came up. It got into breeding, looks, bloodlines and what the horse can do because for me, a horse is worth only as much as he can do for me. And that do for me is taking me down a trail -- SAFELY.
Pretty, beauty, color, even breedings isn't important to me. I want a sound horse but as the old saying goes, pretty is as pretty does. And pretty doesn't count a hoot and a holler when going down a rocky 12-inch wide trail with a 500 foot drop off on one side and a sheer cliff on the other!
One of the best trail horses I ever owned was, well, mud fence ugly. Roman nosed. Pigeon toed. Cow hocked but Chip could get my daughter, Becky when she was little, through just about anything and took good care of her doing it. For me, a horse like that has no price tag.
When buying trail horses I always want good conformation but it doesn't have to be perfect, halter show ring conformation. A little toed out, in or roman nose, etc. isn't important to me. I want some good gray matter between the ears!! A horse that thinks for himself and wants to keep himself and me safe.
I've been lucky with my horses. I've had good trail horses over the last 40 plus years and plan to have more in the next 40 plus years. But I've always bought horses first by looking at their over all conformation, their eyes and then how they think. You can tell a lot about a horse when first meeting him (or her) by the way they react or think in a situation you may put 'em in just to see what they do.
And if you have one of those horses in the barn now, why sell 'em? If one is a trail rider and really rides trails you want a safe horse. That trail horse is literally carrying your life on his back in some trail situations. Cliffs, crossing rivers, meeting others on the trail can get really hairy if your trail horse isn't a safe trail horse. And I've found the best way to keep a trail horse a safe trail horse is to expose 'em to a lot of situations and then have a lot of wet saddle blankets to keep 'em that way.
The reason this topic came up is that one person was thinking about selling his horse. He'd owned the horse for 7, 8 years and figured it was time to "move up." My thought, Moving up to what? The horse he owns now is only 12, sound, nice looking, loads, hauls, tends to not like vets but then not every horse is perfect. So if the horse does what you want to do, why move up? Horses aren't like cars or houses or the latest fashion. If the steed does what you want and you have that trail horse-trail rider bond, why move up?
I've ridden some of the same horses for 20 plus years moving up only when a horse is retired and then it's not moving up but moving to a new horse. I rode Sig for 23 years and Bud, 24 before they were retired to pasture. I also don't sell a horse that's carried me through the mountains and down hundreds of miles of trails because I feel they've given their life to me as a trail horse and the least I can do is give them a good retirement life!
I don't think one really moves up if you've got a horse that provides you hours of trail riding, keeps you safe and is easy to handle. After all, a trail horse is a companion, a buddy, a pal, a friend. So why move up or change just because other people are doing it? If a horse is what you want and keeps you safe doing what you want and likes to do it, that horse is worth his weight in GOLD!! Not dollars and cents......
Stay safe and be sure to double check those campfires before heading out!!
Bonnie
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| Water |
June 16, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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I'd like to remind all of you now that you're beginning to trail ride, haul, show and horse camp more to take WATER! Don't rely on a water supply at the trail head or campground or anywhere you're going. It might say "Water Available" on the brochure or in a book or on a map but that doesn't mean water will actually be there!!
When I travel always take two of the 5-gallon plastic water cans with me. They're rectangle so they fit into a corner in the trailer or truck. It's water from home and Nic will drink it. Plus remember that water pail so you have something to pour water into.
If for some reason you can't get a horse to drink, try mixing some apple juice in. Or use one of the new Horse Quencher packets that are on the market. They work great. Nic likes the apple flavor. Houston goes for peppermint. You can even mix 'em in bran mash so it gets flavored to.
I use the little individual travelling packets 'cause they only mix for one gallon and can be tossed into towing vehicle glove compartment, put on trailer door tray, in first aid kit, dropped into saddle bags. You always have water enticement for that I-won't-drink-it-because-I-know-it's-poisoned horse. You can get more information on 'em at Two Horse Enterprises, www.twohorseenterprises.com.
When thinking about your horse, don't forget your dog when you travel. Lots of horseowners also own a dog. Beginning July 1st in California "a dog cannot be left alone in a vehicle for longer than two hours." I'm not sure who is going to patrol that, but for me, Holly goes just about everywhere so it's going to mean I have to figure out what to do with her. I don't want to board her for a day or leave her at home. When she travels with me, she has a water dish, feed dish and one of those little battery operated fans that blow on her while she sits in front or hops into the back. The bed of truck is covered so I have a fan back there for her too. Plus, in the truck bed are her blankets to sleep on, a few hundred chew toys (if you own a dog you know what I mean!!), another water bowl and a feed dish. And the side windows are opened as are the cab windows. So she may pant but it's not from the heat -- it's from being excited and her "Hey, I'm going. Look at me" attitude.
If I'm taking a cooler I buy bags of ice, fill the cooler with drinks and then dump ice on top. That way I can have a cool drink after a ride plus take some of the ice out, put it in a bucket and offer it to Nic. He likes to crunch the ice so I know he's getting water. Plus a couple handfuls go into Holly's water bowls. (As I've said before, I never take a dog with me on trails so she stays in the truck.)
When back home, I dump the water out and be sure to leave the lids off cans. Since plastic can get a 'sour' smell, pour in about 1/4 cup of baking soda, turn the can over and let it be. Baking soda will keep can smelling sweet plus when the can is needed again just rinse it out, fill it, load it and go. Baking soda won't hurt the horse if any is still in the can.
Have some good rides......and stay safe!
Bonnie
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| Western States Horse Expo Wrap-Up |
June 10, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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Well, it's all over except for the shouting! The 10th edition of the Western States Horse Expo at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California, closed its gates Sunday at approximately 6 pm and planning for the 11th annual Western States Horse Expo began!!
I always feel like there is nothing Miki Cohen can do to make the Expo bigger and better but each year she finds a way to do it!! This year the horse auction was back and it brought horses from throughout the country into the sale ring.
Gave "Horsecamping" demonstrations daily at 1 pm with a couple hundred folks attending each day and always happy to see those who have been there before. I love to hear from those who are listening for the first time and hear about the trips others have taken. Especially when it was "my first camping trip!"
One big discussion point just about anywhere one went throughout the three days was the price of fuel. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area I'm paying $5.59/gallon for diesel. Gasoline is running about $4.39 to $4.99/gallon. So finding trails and camping sites close to the home barn were big questions. This is the time when folks begin to look for trails in their own backyarda and the best place to start is with your own county recreation department.
One of the most popular booths Saturday was the one showing the race. Folks packed in the aisles to hear and watch if Big Brown would become a Triple Crown winner. Unfortunately, he didn't! So that lead to conversations and discussions as to why -- everything from "that hoof was worse than told" to "try running on a sore foot yourself" to "he just wasn't himself today." I think folks forget that horses are living, breathing animals who have 'off' days just like we do. And considering what Big Brown had been through the last week -- shoeing, clips, drain, etc. -- I was pulling for him but not surprised he didn't make it. I was just happy he didn't break down during the race! He'll go on to stud pasture and maybe next year a Triple Crown winner will come into the spotlight again.
I’ve still got to unpack my trailer and put vendor items away. But most of all, I want to sit in my chair, take my boots off and let my tired feet rest! I must have walked a million miles over the last 4, 5 days -- and still didn't get to see ALL of the 2008 10th Annual Western States Horse Expo. Maybe next year......
Stay safe!
Bonnie
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| Am I Prepared? |
June 2, 2008
by Bonnie Davis
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We had a fire about 50 miles from our barn. It burned about 3,000 acres; including houses, barns and corrals. Two-hundred horses had to be evacuated along with other critters. Fires seem to be more often now. With people spreading further and further into the 'wilderness' and the coming of drier weather fires are going to start being headline news on TV and in the newspaper. So the question we all have to ask ourselves is: Am I prepared?
Ideally the answer is "yes" but after closer inspection, I wasn't!!
The pasture grass is well-grazed so I don't have to worry about a fire across the pasture but around the barnyard, high grass had grown up around the horse trailers. Horses aren't turned loose into the barnyard to graze so the grass just sort of got matted down in traffic areas but grew 10-12 inches high around trailers. It's still green but will become dry soon. So we had to cut it down and remove.
Secondly, water. I hadn't filled a few extra containers with water and put 'em by the back of barn. A few extra containers can stop a spot fire in a flash, that way you don't have to drag a hose around, turn the water on -- just open the can and pour on the water. We also keep a shovel standing by the cans so it can be grabbed.
After chopping grass and filling water cans, things were in pretty good shape. But I'd like to pass on a few tips that I've found helpful........
Halters and Lead Ropes
All emergency halters and ropes are red for emergency. Each is hung on a stall door and everyone knows THAT THE RED HALTER is for emergency use only. There's even one for each pasture horse kept on the wall outside tack room. And the lead ropes are permanently attached to halters so they can't be taken off -- it's frustrating grabbing halters to move horses and can't find lead ropes!!
On each halter is a tag with horse's name, phone number and vet. The tag is one of those sealed luggage tags you see on suitcases. It's snapped into the ring on side of halter so it doesn't get in the way of putting a halter on -- quickly.
A couple of our older horses are on medications so with the tag, instructions on what medications the horse is taking. Inside the tack room on a clip by the door is a little sealed baggie stripped in red tape with each horse's name on it. The baggie is one of those industrial strength baggies and it's taped tightly shut so it can be grabbed and taken with the horse.
Also in the tack room, a can of yellow spray paint and a bright, glow-in-the-dark orange paint pen. If a horse has to be moved, spray paint a phone number on the side of the horse. Then write the same number on neck with paint pen. If on medications, add the words "RX REQ". Don't be shy -- spray the whole horse!! Paint won't wash off, but it will come off when the hair sheds. You'll always be able to find your glow-in-the-dark horse from a herd. Emergency personnel at a shelter may not be able to tell a bay from a sorrel but they will remember the horse painted with bright orange paint!!
I'm pretty good about emergency care and preparedness. After all, I live in California -- earthquake country!! So 'being prepared' is a way of life here. But if you're not prepared, take a day and GET PREPARED. For any emergency.
Stay safe.......
Bonnie
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