ATTICUS born 05|31|2013

Ella gave birth to a COLT on Friday. We named him Atticus, he's a bay standardbred and seems to be in good health and good spirits!!! YAY Ella, WELCOME ATTICUS. Visit the Facebook page to see video's of him learning to walk, trot, canter, rear and buck.. what a sweetheart!

Two days of rain

Yesterday was the second day in a row it's rained consistently and steadily. I stood in the wind shelter out of the rain and fed Ella her mash/Broodmare feed. 

Then I filled a hay net with dry hay and hung it inside so she could snack and remain dry. When I approached with her mash she nickered and it was the saddest sounding nicker, weak and raspy - I hope she's not getting sick. 

After she finished eating the mash she dropped her head as if she was going to sniff the ground, then turned in a few small circles ( I thought she would lay down ) but then she just stood and dropped her head again and let out a long raspy sigh. 

It's easy to tell she's uncomfortable, but hard to determine if it's due to being pregnant or illness. I hope she foals soon so she can get back to being comfortable, but then again a new born foal in this cold rain wouldn't be good timing either. Maybe she's waiting due to the weather and tired. 

We are going to bring her into the arena today and I've heard that it should stop raining soon. 

Unfortunately I can't put a rain sheet on her in case she foals ( straps can get caught up) and to leave her in the stall over night may only stress her out. 

Ella Update

Wednesday, May 22, 2013. No foal yet! BUT, Ella's udder's filling up more and more each day ~ obviously not ready just yet. Soon I hope. 

De~worming Schedule

Spring and Fall are important times to de-worm the horses. I'm going to try to catch Ella before she foals. If not then I'll wait until the foal is 2 months old. I've researched 3 brands of de-wormer's that are safe for pregnant mares and young foals.

• Eqvalan (ivermectin) 
• Bimectin (ivermectin) 
• Panomec (invermectin) 

All three are sold at UFA. Ella & Eli will be de-wormed for June and then receive their shots/vaccines when the vet comes out to see Ella and the foal.

Review of EQVALAN: Eqvalan (ivermecting), professional parasite control for horses, provides the broadest spectrum of control available against equine parasites. Eqvalan is safe enough that it can be used in all horses of all ages, including mares at any stage of pregnancy. Stallions may be treated without adversely affecting their fertility. Resistance has not developed against Eqvalan in the last 20 years.

This dewormer provides effective control of the following parasites or parasitic conditions in horses: large and small strongyles, pinworms, ascarids, hairworms, large-mouth stomach worms, bots, lungworms, and intestinal threadworms, as well as Summer Sores and Onchocerciasis.  

BE SURE THAT THE DEWORMERS USED ARE FDA APPROVED

EQVALAN ~ FDA Approved

Click below to learn more about Eqvalan dewormer:

EQVALAN FDA Approval and additional information

Report on BIMECTIN Dewormer ~ Overdose

Here is a link to the report a blogger posted on an overdose and the importance of monitoring your horse for the next 5 - 12 hours.

omranchstables.horses-overdose-on-bimectin-dewormer

The person who posted the story stated that Bimectin is not FDA approved and that only FDA approved dewormers should ever be used.

May 19, 2013 ~ No foal yet!

Ella had wax or dried milk on her teet. Still no foal, but signs are there.

She's starting to bag up quite a bit. Veins are noticeable around her stomach area and her belly is rock hard to touch.

Equine Health: 4 H Horse Project Manual ~ Health

Here is another great PDF document I came across online: Equine Health

This document was not created by me, it can be found and downloaded online: some IMPORTANT facts it covers are diseases and illnesses found in horses, whether transmitted by bug bites, exposure to other horses or not sterilizing tack and equipment when using on multiple horses. Here is an example:

Rhinopneumonitis (Equine HerpesVirus  I and EHV IV). A less common form of  Rhino is the neurological form (EHV 3). It attacks the brain and usually the horse will eventually die. It may occur alone or with the respiratory form. A vaccine is available for rhinopneumonitis. The vaccine may be given to horses over three months of age. Pregnant mares should be vaccinated at five, seven and nine months. The initial two doses should be given four to six weeks apart. Make sure to use the right vaccine for the type of Rhino you are
trying to protect against (or a combination of 1 and 4).

Sleeping Sickness (encephalomyelitis) Sleeping sickness is a virus carried by biting insects that affects the central nervous system of the horse and man. The horse and man are the final host in the life cycle of  the sleeping sickness virus. The virus starts in birds, rodents and reptiles, then it is passed on to biting insects. The number of cases of sleeping sickness that occur each year is affected by the size of the bird and mosquito population. There are different strains of sleeping sickness. We are mainly concerned with the Eastern and Western strains in Western Canada. People often question the value of  innoculating for sleeping sickness. However, the mortality rate for Western Sleeping Sickness is 30 per cent and 80 per cent for Eastern Sleeping Sickness. Horses that do survive may have permanent brain damage, leaving them disabled. Multiple vaccines against both strains are available. They should be given several weeks before mosquitoes become a problem. Immunity is not immediate, so it is several weeks before it will be effective. Because immunity is short lasting in the first vaccination, a second vaccination (booster) is given three weeks after the first vaccination. After that, one vaccination per year is given. A horse with sleeping sickness will show some of  the following symptoms:

• persistent fever
• eyesight problems
• inability to swallow
• depression
• paralysis
• drooping lower lip

Hay ~ Types and Qualities

Types and Qualities of Hay. Found a great link that explains the differences between types of hay and the quality ~ such as when it's harvested, how to match up the quality of hay to the horse you are feed:

for example: early harvested hay is better suited for growing horses, lactating mares, or horses that don't have a concern of putting on extra weight.

Alfalfa the's highest quality (protein) hay, I'm still looking into Brome and others mixes, grasses.

here is the helpful link: My Horse University ~ Resources (Hay)

Here's another resource PDF Document found online regarding nutritional factors: jn.nutrition.org

I also listed an ad on Kijiji

Did You Know? | My Horse University

Did You Know? | My Horse University

Eli the Nanny Horse?

What's a Nanny Horse? We were wondering what Eli would be like with foals or yearlings. Seems he's pretty good. He does chase them around periodically, but now seeing that he also takes naps with them, I'm pretty sure he's just playing. Can't wait for him to meet Ella's foal.

May 11, 2013

Jesse went for his second ride on Eli outside. All went well until I lost my footing trying to put the bridle on Ella (just to keep the familiarity) and she took off. She had the halter around her neck and lead line (I didn't have the bridle on, or the reins around her neck)

I tried to hang on, but having list my balance I was only rushing towards host as if I had the intention to attack - therefore she tried to get some distance between us and when I realized this (as I was stumbling) I thought it best to let her go, that and the fact ages incredibly strong and wasn't helping me recover my footing.

When I let go she half trotted, half cantered away which caught Eli's attention. Head up, ears forward he changes leads from a walk to a trott then to a canter. Jesse maintained composure, he stayed in the saddle and when Eli was close enough he came to a stop. At which point Ella came 'directly to me' - so I'd like to think, but I'm pretty sure she came over to Eli, I was thankful - saved me trying to catch her in the pasture. So I slipped her halter back on and Jesse continued riding.

Few things we have to work on,Jesse's got some ground work to do with Eli to correct his lack of responding, when he pulled back and said woah, he should have came to a halt. Secondly, him and I both have to practice our trot and build confidence, it was in this gait Jesse thought he was going to fall of - I can see that as I usually feel the same way, except when I get a good Rhythym in a post.

Goofy Eli

After taking Eli out to graze with Ella we put them back in their paddocks for the night and fed them their Beet Pulp mash. Eli gets really excited and tosses his head around like someone head banging at a concert, haha. Silly guy!

Enjoying the spring grass..

Went to the barn the other day, brought both Eli and Ella out of their paddocks to grave on the grass along the drive way. They did good, Eli got a bit excited to see Ella, but when I brought her over to say Hi she pinned her ears and made him walk away ~ after that he didn't bother.

Was quite enjoyable and relaxing, we are really looking forward to some nice spring weather and Ella should be due soon.

Check out the shadow her belly casts in the picture below: