Farrier Appt ~ Feb 24, 2013

Farrier came by Sunday to trim up Eli and Ella. I was so impressed with both! Eli stood quietly while the farrier worked away trimming his feet. You would never guess he was a Thoroughbred who has tendencies of being 'hot' and a little high strung.

Ella did amazing as well. She's come a long way from when we first got her and she couldn't stand still while being tied in the barn. She stood quietly a little bit more fidgety then Eli, but she wasn't trying to bite on the bars or move away.

The Farrier said Eli's front left looks like it will be ok, nail appears to have just gone into the over grown frog. We are going to work on correcting the shape of his front feet, they seem to be flaring out a bit ~ more than likely due to being shod for most of his life and then going barefoot, hooves are too soft and weak to support his weight. We will more than likely put shoes back on the fronts either next trim or the trim after.

Ella's feet are good, they are pretty bit, but nice and strong. SUCH a nice feeling when they're feet are trimmed and you know they feel better about it. I got a great impression from our new Farrier, he's calm and relaxed (which you can see makes it so much easier for the horses) he steps aside periodically and overlooks their stance/conformation and following the trim assesses their walk/trot in the arena. Look forward to more work and correction on the ponies hoofs

I think the Farrier was pleasantly surprised as he said at the end I have two Very Well Behaved Horses! Yes, lets keep up the good work horsies!! To reward such manners I fed them their warm Soaked Beet Pulp afterwards and then gave them a few treats!

  ~ No hoof No horse! 

Eli having his back foot done

Ella having her back foot done

Look at Ella's TAIL ~ it almost touches the ground! 

Monday's Stable Visit

Went out to the Stable Monday. Thought we would take advantage of the Family Day stat and spend some time with the ponies. While there we tended to some chores, filling the hay nets, organizing our lockers etc. Jesse brought Eli in while I was in the barn and turned him out in the Arena to burn off some excess energy and stretch ~ somewhat of their routine.

After finishing up a few things I decided to join them. Jesse worked on some ground work exercises, leading, turning and practicing space (personal bubble) then decided he wanted to hop on Eli for a ride. Normally I bring Eli in and tie him up in the cross ties, groom him, tack him up and then bring him into the arena. Today we had company with us and decided there was more space for me to tack him up in the Arena, so I grabbed his bridle and his saddle and brought it over.

In the Arena I fist put on his bridle with little to no trouble, he dropped his head and didn't make a fuss. Next I threw on the saddle pads while Jesse hung on to the reins and then the saddle, when doing up his girth he was a bit girthy. Before asking Jesse to walk him a bit so I could readjust the girth I picked up is feet to check them prior to Jesse hoping on GOOD thing I did because the first foot I picked up (front left) had a nail sticking out of it - OUCH! I was quite surprised BUT so happy that Jesse had decided to ride as it appeared it would save us even more trouble. Typically, when Jesse brings Eli in to turn him out he simply walks him threw the barn, into the arena and then back out again to his paddock when they are finished. I'm pretty sure that Eli picked the nail up in the arena dirt when he first came in, before I put his tack on he was running around playing and had already rolled in the dirt two or three times (wasn't showing any signs of lameness) so to think he picked it up and we might have walked him back through the barn on the concrete leads me to believe it would have pushed the nail in further. As indicated in the earlier post "Why it's important to check feet" I called the trainer for advice. After removing the roofing nail we walked him around, no signs of lameness, then I tightened up his girth and Jesse hopped on. With the extra weight on his back we checked to see if maybe it would make a difference. It didn't appear to, so Jesse went for a relaxed walk around the arena with him.

When I got home last night I called the Farrier and spoke to his wife, she advised to keep an eye on it, check for heat and soreness or him going lame and assured me that Brenden would investigate further come Saturday when Eli and Ella are scheduled to get their hooves trimmed. She didn't think it necessary to give him penicillin, or to soak the foot in Epsom Salt as it sounded as though the nail went into the excess frog skin that the horses shed and perhaps as he is a bit overdue for a trim it will be ok. That being said, horses step on things, things we see such as the nail, things we don't see - sticks or rocks out at pasture - when this happens they usually end up getting an abscess. It can always be much worse, I've stepped on nails before - not fun but happens.   

So, we'll take it easy until Saturday. In the meantime I am lucky to have support and nice people who have offered to help keep an eye on him. He's being checked daily by the Stable owner and the boarders who live on site so - is in good hands. Jesse enjoyed the quiet ride he had and we were lucky to have caught the nail right away

Why it's important to check feet!

Brushed Eli down, and when hoof picking discovered a nail in his front left foot. Yikes! I called my trainer for advice as to whether or not I should attempt removing it ( described where and how deep it could possibly be - hard to determine what size nail, etc ) deciding its better than leaving it in to be pushed in further we grabbed some pliers, took a breath and pulled it out. Will have to keep a close eye on it now, but luckily it was a relatively short nail and didn't seem to have gone in deep. Apparently it was a roofing nail and I think that he picked it up in the arena dirt.

Afterwards, as he wasn't showing any sign of lameness, we tacked him up and went for a ride to determine if he would limp with extra weight. I think I might soak it in Epsom salts just to be sure. Farriers coming this week so will show him thee photo and provide an update.

UPDATE: while waiting for the Farrier Appointment I made it a point to go out to the barn twice ~ the Wednesday and the Saturday to soak Eli's hoof. Wednesday the Stable/Facility owner kindly gave me a hand a some pointers on what to use and what to do. 

First of all I went out and brought Eli in from his paddocked, walked him across the concrete and then brought him directly into the Arena. In the Arena I turned him loose where he casually walked along but stopped to roll once before coming back over. I bent down and checked his hoof for any signs of heat. There was a slight difference in comparison to his other foot, but not much. After checking the temperature of his foot I lunged him in both directions at both a walk & a trot. I didn't seen any signs of lameness, limping or favoring his foot ~ he didn't stumble or seem to be any any pain. 

Following this assessment the owner and I proceeded to heat up some water, add some Epsom Salt and Iodine and a bit of cool water (making sure it's not too hot) we weren't sure how he'd react soaking his foot, I was pleasantly surprised when he didn't freak out. He was lifting his foot back up, but wasn't attempting to walk forward or yell about it. I grabbed his feed bucket and let him much on his Soaked Beet Pulp, that took him all of 5 minutes or so, but being full he stood quietly for another 5 - 8 minutes. 

After soaking for about 10 - 12 minutes we wrapped his foot using, duct tape (not on the fur) making a boot type pad by sticking or attaching the glued part of the tape to each other forming a square. Next we lined the squared shape duct tape with 2 panty liners (just as good as gauze), we added the paste that the owner made (table salt, iodine and water mixed to a pasty or sticky consistency). Once the paste was added to the liners the make shift boot was slapped on to the bottom of his foot (paste side up sticking beneath the hoof, duct tape side facing outwards to connect with the ground) then white gauze was wrapped around to help keep the boot on everything was wrapped with a self adhesive bandage similar to a tensor wrap. We were careful to:

• A. Not wrap it too tight
• B. Not stick the duct tape onto the fur 

The second time I went out to soak his foot I didn't wrap it afterwards. 

Farrier will provide an update once he's able to come out and start trimming away the hoof ~ maybe it will turn out to be a good thing that Eli's a bit overdue for a trim.

Farrier Feed ~ Double Dose

Started feeding Eli Farrier Feed for his hooves, to strengthen his thin walls and thin soles. I want them to grow strong and hard and if need be we will shoe his front feet this summer to avoid bruising.

We have a new Farrier who does hot shoeing and uses corrective pads coming out next week to trim both Ella and Eli. He can give an assessment on their feet at that point.

The company that produces the feed advises against using pine tar or turpentine. I agree in winter, but if it's a wet spring or summer I don't think either would dry out the hooves.

I am going to take a picture of Eli's feet now and periodically along the way to record any progress or change.

Beet Pulp

I picked up a bag of Beet Pulp from UFA. Did some reading on it and will switch Eli over from his Proform Step 6 - Senior feed to Beet Pulp as it is apparently highly used by OTTB owners for its low sugar content, low protein, low starch, but still high in Fibre.

I'm hoping this will still provide the calories needed but maybe change him to a more calmer horse eliminating the sugar content.

I did however read that it is better served soaked as it expands. One cup of pellet soaked generates 5 cups of feed after adding 3 1/2 cups of hot water and letting it sit for approximately 30 minutes!

Last scoop is one cup of dried pellets soaked in three cups of hot water for 30 - 45 mins. Produced about 5 cups, you can see one scoop ( 1 cup ) in the purple bucket.

Great News!

Some happy news, we met a really nice couple looking to buy a rescue horse, one they could work towards helping and build a bond with. As we had such a good experience with our Rescue Ella we put them in contact with Ella's previous Owner/Rescuer.

Not only did they find the right fit and get a horse, but the got TWO horses so they each have a mount - PLUS the horses are Mother and Son and therefore get to stay together. I love happy stories -can't wait to meet Cowboy and Bellatrix!

Cowboy ~ Son

Bellatrix ~ Mom

Communication

So, in my lessons to learn more about ground work, I have come to learn a lot. I have to admit that lately I have been experiencing some problems, or having a difficult time and struggling with Eli.

This is due to my inexperience. I have had Eli for 7 months now and have been learning about horse ownership when I really want to learn about horseback riding. I haven't admitted this to myself, or focused on the riding (not entirely by choice) as things have been popping up along the way that require my attention. I then realized, looking back,  I could have anticipated or expected this had a known a bit more about the ownership part. This is combined with my lack of ground work knowledge. In my case, when you get a horse you are excited about them and the potential of riding ~ you day dream about becoming a really good rider and all the trails in your near future. What I didn't realize is there is a TON of work to do before becoming a good rider on my horse. The responsibility part of ownership is before horsemanship when it comes to riding. If I don't establish ground work and knowledge and if I don't take good care of the horse, meeting all of it's nutritional needs and farrier appointments etc, then it can be expected issues will arise.

It's the passage of rights, you can't skip ahead ~ that steps important and serves a purpose, or whatever you're skipping wouldn't be part of the passage in the first place!

Not only is not skipping steps important, it's equally important to put as much thought, attention and effort into each step and understand why you're doing what it is you are doing. You would do this when riding which is important to YOU, so you should do this with ground work which is important to your HORSE!

The reason ground work is important is because this is where you learn to communicate with your horse. Communicating well will develop TRUST (as you demonstrate you care about the horse and each time you pleasantly interact and the horse doesn't get hurt more bonding is built) and when you have developed trust you can then move on to RESPECT. Knowing why you are doing what you are doing is important because it SHOULD BE A TWO SIDED CONVERSATION in my opinion. Not only should you be able to clearly communicate to your horse what you want, BUT you should also be able to listen to your horse when your horse says NO and know what to do accordingly. This is where things become a bit complicated and if you aren't listening, don't hear or are unsure of what to do ~ things can get a bit messy and difficult. I recently had a fight with Eli, but what I thought at the time was a fight due to him not listening, I look back and think now was him progressing from a 2 to a 10 in his attempt to communicate to me, in which case I wasn't hearing him ~ so he yelled to get my attention (pressure of 10). His yell at a level 10 was him biting my leg as I tightened up the girth. I had been having trouble with him being 'girthy' the last 3 or 4 times tacking him up. This was new to me, I've taked him up and tightened his girth before with no problem. Some people adviced that this could be due to someone yanking on the girth fast and hard when doing it up and therefore he is a bit sensitive or worried. That makes sense, except that his last owner didn't do that and myself or the training are he only ones riding him and I know we don't do that - so, why has this developed?!? I kept thinking it's dominance and he's not wanting to listen to me until one day....

I go to the barn, he does his warning, moves his head in towards my leg in the arena and I ignore him, then he does it again and I don't correct him but ignore him and continue tightening the girth (I'm doing this very slowly) and then chomp, he bites me or nips my leg - pretty hard. Hard enough that rather then discipline him immediately (a lot of importance is on timing and the timing has now passed) I grabbed my leg wondering if he broke the skin. He didn't, but it will surely bruise. As this is unusual I decide lunging him would be a better idea then to get up on his back. While lunging him I ask him to increase from a walk to a trot and he does so but with some attitude, at a trot I ask him to canter - then he explodes, charging forward (not necessarily me) snorting, a bit of bucking at one point I'm not sure he isn't going to charge me so I point the whip at him to move him out of my space - he is going so fast and I am getting dizzy and think I will faint that I forget to move my whip away so he's running, I'm trying to apply tension on the lunge line, but there's slack and I'm telling him to whoa but I have the whip pointed at him. FINALLY it occurs to me to drop the whip and just trust him, be patient and ask him to stop. So I do and he stops, but is sweaty, upset and snorting. I wouldn't say it was traumatizing but it was a real eye-opener. I am not communicating with my horse and we hare getting into arguments but nothing is going to be resolved unless we learn to hear each other out and LISTEN.

I had some time to think about things and whether or not we are the right fit, am I up to the challenge of work, is it too much for me or am I out of my league. The only 'gut feeling' that kept consistent was rather than what I thought, how did I 'feel' - they were two entirely different things.

What I THOUGHT was - this is too much, I'm not prepared I can't handle this horse, I don't know who he is and what he's capable of doing and he doesn't trust me.
What I FELT was - what am I not hearing, what is he trying to tell me, I trust him but feel he's frustrated trying to tell me something I'm not understanding. I can't communicate, I'm not listening it isn't fair to him, we need to work on trust and I have to stop stressing about riding - focus on communicating. This isn't fun if it's always so serious and I can't enjoy it and neither can he.

So, I decided to try a new girth. A thicker, fleece lined girth with elastic straps at each end. I incorporated stretching in with the change in girth. So after putting the girth on I stretch out each front leg in the barn, then again in the arena - this also pulls any hair under his leg that might be caught in the girth so it's not tugging while he's in a walk/trot/canter.

Since he's not attempted to bite me, he hasn't exploded on the lunge line and he's been overall a lot better. The next lesson I decided I didn't want to ride, but work on my energy and communication in a RELAXED state not taking it soo seriously (they can feel that energy) and he did much better. I DID MUCH BETTER! I'll ride him when i want to ride him, won't when I don't want to but will start treating this as a hobby and enjoyable rather than a job and a task. I am the dominant one who is in charge so why can't I be relaxed and take things easy? I can be a calm and still gain respect.

I look forward to our future relationship, good communication and understanding being the foundation. Watching the dynamics of a herd is good way to understand how body language is important to them.

Just worrying about riding is kind of like putting the cart before the horse.... 

HORSE VS PITBULL

Cleo rides Blaze

Horse and Cat

Valentine's Day

is coming up soon, February 14, 2013 ~ that would be next Thursday. I'm hoping that the weather is nice and if so I am going to bake some horse treats and head out to the barn for a visit.

Just for fun, as I'm not big into Valentines Day myself, I made a few cute pictures of Ella & Eli together. We know Eli loves Ella, but she seems to tolerate him more than anything else ha ha

Just thought it might be fun, but truth be told ~ if Ella's in foal then she's got some explaining to do to Eli because it ain't his baby... 

How important are lessons?

I went out to ride Eli and while practicing, seeking advice from instructors/experienced riders and while reading I accomplished a halt using my seat aids - therefore I didn't need to put any pressure on the reins.




Up until practicing and achieving this I was asking Eli to stop by putting direct pressure on the reins (bit) without using my seat. How confusing and uncomfortable do you think this could be for an ex- race horse that used to go faster when the jockey pulled back on the reins.

This thought made me think of other horse riding aids in relation to Jockey's and Thoroughbred race horse training. Seeing as how the rider is so high up, knees bent hovering or nearly standing over the horse, I don't imagine they use leg yields.

Then again the saying is 'All GO and NO Whoa' so I guess it doesn't matter much.

Luckily Eli's had plenty of re-training and I'm the one that needs to get up to speed with communication. Right now when I don't ask for something correctly he ignores me until I get it right - good teacher, but I don't want it to be at his cost i.e. pulling on his mouth with the bit etc.

OR, what about when they don't stay on the horse at all... check out the video by clicking on the link provided: Nate Hubbard ~ Hilarious jockey riding

Great Winter Weather ~ They're naked!

The weather in CALGARY, AB has been so nice lately that there has been no need for blankets on the horses. I am glad as it's been some time since I've seen them 'naked' ha ha and they look quite nice with their slightly furry coats. I'm sure they feel good to, especially when they get down on the ground and roll around.

YAY, NO BLANKETS MAKING US HOT AND ITCHY!!  

Update on Winter Paddock boarding

Thought I would note that the paddock boarding is going OK thus far. Being in the paddock opposed to out at pasture has allowed for Eli and Ella to receive daily feedings of grain - to assist in keeping their winter weight up, as well as to help prevent slips and falls on ice or hard snow. It has also made it easier on me when going out to blanket them during cold winter days, I don't need to hike through the pasture should they be far out in the field.

Eli walking around his shelter and Jolly Ball

The downside to paddock board is that it eliminates their ability to run, buck and rear etc (which could be a good thing when you take into account this is how they could slip and fall). Therefore, they aren't able to fully stretch out and exercise daily the same way they would in a field. We remedy this by turning them out in the indoor arena and making sure to ride and do as much as possible throughout the week in the indoor arena, such as ground work, riding and lunging.

The other downside is that being confined to a smaller area - the horses can or tend to get bored, mentally. If they aren't eating hay (there form of reading, watching TV, or working) and mentally stimulating themselves there isn't much as to do. They have each other for companionship, but not a whole lot in the form of fun.

Notice the hay net hanging to the right of Eli (full) Jolly ball to left

We had a jolly ball that we placed in Eli's pen as he's the one with the more obvious vices and he paid little to no attention to it. I've since hung it from a string in his shelter. The other night when I was out filling their hay nets I noticed that (although I thought it would spook him, or keep him from actually using the shelter) he quite enjoys it. He doesn't play with it the way I expected (at least not that I've seen) - I thought he would head but it, bite it, or lick it. He walks under it and backs up a bit having it bump him in various places on his back and neck, sniffs it, then walks under again and stops as it bumps him.

Glad to know that it isn't keeping him out of the shelter and that he is finding some form of stimulation from it - if all else fails it seems he keeps Ella entertained as she appears to stand and watch him. Ha Ha.

You can see Ella's hay net suspended on her side - she's watching Eli

Ella absolutely loves her slow-feed hay net. She prefers to eat out of it over the hay that's placed in her tire until its filled-up. When we remove the empty net now to refill, she stands and waits patiently, or is perhaps afraid we're taking it away. Once we put it back it she happily stands and nibbles at it.

Ella seems to be amused when Eli plays with the Jolly Ball (here swinging)

We knew Eli liked his and are glad to see Ella enjoys hers. I've since picked up two more, this way there is another option for them in two ways.

1. The second hay net is hung from a post - therefore in a lower position than the one in the shelter that is hung from the ceiling (higher up) 
2. The location of the hay net is off in the corner of their paddock opposite the shelter so they can nibble in privacy - should they want to (whereas the net hung higher up is in the shelter and they are next to each other aside from the fence railing separating them) 

So, in each of their paddocks they now have: 

• A high suspended hay net that can be found in the shelter underneath the roof providing a dry place to nibble should it rain or show and they can enjoy each others company
• A lower hung hay net off in the corner of their paddock where they can enjoy the nice weather and have some privacy while eating with their heads lowered
• Their routine hay feeding twice a day (loose hay in the tire on the ground) 
• Grain feeding once a day
• Easy access to fresh water
• Shelters
• Eli has a suspended jolly ball for entertainment 
• Ella has Eli for entertainment 
• They have Each other for company
• On cold days they're blanketed with a fleece sheet and waterproof shell
• On really cold 'winter' days they have their winter blankets and if need be the fleece sheet as lining

I have just started learning how to stretch their legs for them as this can help them in the arena prior to warming up (we don't ride on really cold days and on chiller ones we are sure they warm up prior to) and going for a ride as they can get pretty stiff. Plus a trick I was just taught - if you tack-up and lunge or ride your horse in the winter (when they have their longer 'winter' fur coat) it's best to stretch their front legs forward as this can pull the hair underneath their front legs (arm pits  from the Girth - should some be caught in there it can be uncomfortable and at times painful for the horse.

Sorry for the bad pictures, they were taken at night in the dark with minimal lighting and by an iphone camera - not the best quality camera!! 

Police Horse can dance