erina
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Post by erina on Nov 9, 2007 16:00:51 GMT -5
Hmmm. If only I hadn't found Rusty first...I have just fallen in love with that guy. I can ask around at the barn though, does she have any health problems and what level rider would she be suitable for? thanks! Erina
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Post by schwung on Nov 9, 2007 17:24:14 GMT -5
She does not have any health problems but due to being young and off the track she needs an experienced rider.
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Post by Whitewolf821 on Nov 11, 2007 23:36:35 GMT -5
So, I'm not trying to be nosy or anything, but I was just looking at the financials. Why did Bella's farrier visit cost $190? Is she ok or is something wrong?
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Post by jaybird on Nov 11, 2007 23:40:31 GMT -5
thanks for asking, Crystal - I should have clarified that that was the total charge for three farrier visits that her foster home has just recently submitted for reiumbursement. I'll make a note of that on the financials! modified to add: Actually there were 4 farrier visits covered in that $190.00...three normal visits and one $20 for a reset. Bella currently has shoes on her fronts only. No problems!
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MrsBill
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Post by MrsBill on Dec 19, 2007 20:13:35 GMT -5
This is a short summary of the daily written journal I have kept as Bella's foster since May. I have sent a few photos to cardicorgi and schwung for posting, and I hope all of you will forgive me for not keeping you up to date.
Cardicorgi and I picked up Bella from winterlakesfarm on Saturday, May 12, 2007. Bella had been there for about a week.
Here, at my place in Oregon City, she was greeted by Giffy, Keisha the Dog, and my husband Bill. Until Bella is okayed for light work (August, I think), she’ll spend her days and nights playing and eating.
She seems pretty bored with the relaxed, 24/7 turn-out routine, and doesn't have much interest in eating unless she has a full day of rough-housing, running and playing with my chunky Quarterhorse mare, Giffy. Bella and Giffy wear the same size sheets and blankets since Bella is narrow and Giffy is, well, not, and they are wearing the same sheets that my Appendix Quarterhorse wore when he was two!
She did a bit of weaving and wood chewing on the first day she was here - I kept her in a stall. The weaving and chewing stopped when she was able to walk freely from the stall to the paddock 24/7. She lolls her tongue if Giffy is too far from her. I will have to work on the herd dependence as time goes along and Bella is settled in. (Giffy has become Bella's "goat," and Bella is the sister that Giffy loves to bicker with!) Bella and Giffy are turned out into a large pasture for several hours every day. I keep one of the arena doors open so that they can seek shelter in the arena.
In June, Bella had an episode of choke. I had just given her the midday hay when I heard and then saw the familiar signs. I was able to remedy the problem without a vet. Just as soon as the glob of feed cleared her gullet, she resumed eating as though nothing had happened! We were lucky, this time, but now I'm aware that she's predisposed to choke. I'll increase her oil a bit. On June 5, my farrier, Rob Allen, trimmed Bella's hooves. I didn't know what to expect from Bella, though I know how a lot of local track horses are handled during farrier work and I tried not to think about how Bella might behave. Rob is a very patient man who takes pride in starting and teaching youngsters that the session with a farrier is not scary in any way. His patience and experience were put to the test with this girl. Bella has figured out that she can free herself if she pulls hard enough. Her tongue lolling was loud, she threw spit off her tongue into every corner of my barn, and sat down numerous times while pulling back on the lead rope with all of her weight! Rob hopped around with her as she moved, never letting go of whichever foot he was working on. Rob and I finally worked out a compromise with Bella, finally tying her to a tie ring in her stall. Next visit will be better. So, with the exception of the choke incident and her behavior with the farrier, it was another boring month in the sun for Bella. So far, Bella has not kicked, bitten or struck out at anyone (I'm the only one handling her 99 percent of the time, anyway.) When she is was in season, which at first seemed to be all the time, she was kinda pushy and arrogant. Bella has become more attentive and respectful of our (puny little) space. Bella's eating habits fit right in with her breed. On a non-workout day, she seems bored and is not interested in eating anything except senior pellets, a mixed wet cob and hot beet pulp/rice bran mash. As her time here continues, I should be able to simplify her feeding, especially since she is in good health. If I put her pelleted feed in a bucket attached to the stall wall, in a corner feeder, or in a pan feeder on the stall floor, she will push all of the feed out of the bucket or feeder by flipping over the container or pushing the feed out of the container with her nose. She then paws through the mix, always with her right hoof. After a week of using buckets attached in different ways to the wall and the floor, I gave up. I now empty the bucket of mixed pellets, etc., directly onto the stall mat. She will also try to empty the two buckets (attached to the front bars of the stall with chain....) of beet pulp mash onto the mat, but the mash stays in the buckets. In July, Bella began the same basic, no-stress (physical) groundwork that a youngster would get (oh, man, I feel so old and tuckered out after each session - this groundwork stuff is for a younger, fitter person). She is wearing a halter with a snaffle for a while during the day, learning to lead and work on the offside, learning to stand tied for an hour or so, and learning the poll pinch cue. (Bob the Cat came to live with us early this month, and became a familiar zipping shape around the barn as she became the barn’s Head of Rodent and Marsupial Removal.) Farrier Rob returned on July 25 and Bella's front feet were ready for shoes. I had turned her out for a few hours, and she was pretty quiet for the trims, but seemed to run out of patience when it was time to set the front shoes. There were a couple of sitting down and pulling episodes, some tongue lolling, and a lot of moving around. Overall, though, Rob and I were pleased.
She “smiles” a lot, and feels really spunky. In the Thoroughbred Dictionary of All Knowledge, "light exercise" is defined as "head-long, screaming, free running with lots of bucking and hopping."
With medium exercise beginning August 1 (about 40 minutes, ending in a sweat - both of us!) this is her basic daily diet: 8 lbs senior feed (p.m.) 2 lbs Eastern Oreg or Wash orchard grass pellets (p.m.) 2 tablespoons loose mineral salt p.m. 5 lbs wet cob 30 lbs orchard grass or timothy (20 lbs a.m.; 20 lbs p.m.) [I will occasionally substitute alfalfa for an equal amt of orchard grass on a particularly long work day] 5 lbs alfalfa cubes (a.m.) 5 lbs timothy cubes (p.m.) 12 lbs dry beet pulp distributed in 2 buckets (late p.m.) (1:3; add ½ cup flaked molasses or brown sugar) 1 lb rice bran pellets (½ lb a.m. and ½ lb. p.m.) 1/3 cup wheat bran oil
I started two-line lunging in prep for ground driving. I used a flat (English) saddle the first couple of times and then a heavy, floppy-stirruped western saddle. She seems to work best with a medium mouth, loose ring snaffle. On August 2, Bella stepped on the heel of her RF shoe with her LR toe and pulled the RF shoe. It was a clean pull. Rob dropped by and reset both front shoes. This time, he didn't clench the nail heads so that the shoes had a better chance of staying on. Thick rubber bell boots are now the norm. No rubbing is evident.
September was "meet the neighbors" month. Bella, Giffy and I walk through the neighborhood every couple of days or so and talk to anyone we see (I do the talking). Of course, everyone thinks that Bella was an absolute goddess. In case either or both of the mares manage to get off the property (most likely a saddled, RIDERLESS horse), most of the neighbors within a mile will know where they belong (and to whom to send the landscaping bill). We moved up free lunge with side bungees, and more work on direct rein aids, neck rein aids, moving her front end and then her hind end away from pressure. Her heat was the strongest she had shown so far, so we didn’t start anything new. (I am not a fan of using OTC supplements or prescription meds to manipulate a mare’s hormones and attitude.) The nights are cool now, so both mares wear light cotton sheets at night. Farrier Rob came by on the 11th for his third visit with Bella. She was a quite a bit more cooperative than the last visit. Trimmed, with reset of the front shoes – nothing fancy.
On the quarter (Sept. 1) I gave her a set of 5 vaccinations. And, she has managed to gulp down alternating paste wormers every 7 or so weeks. Her last fecal at the end of Sept. was negative. Her next batch of vaccinations will be due about January 1, 2008.
October - as cardicorgi posted, an "old" riding buddy of mine, Lee Jorgensen, came by to ride Bella for her first under-saddle session since her career-ending frax. Lee is a very patient and sensitive trainer with a quiet demeanor. (http://cornerstonehj.com/lee_bio.html) Lee and Bella worked quietly one-on-one at the other end of the arena, without any interference from the gallery (Lee's sister Vicky and me). The first 35 minutes or so were on the lunge line (w/o side reins) at the w, t and c. Bella stood like a statute when Lee mounted, and they walked for about 20 minutes. After Bella volunteered a few long, slow sighs, it was time to ask for a trot with voice commands and by applying pressure where Bella might not have had it before (jocks' legs and stirrups are pretty darn high up on a horse's sides). Bella's reaction was everything we had hoped for. She scooted a couple of strides, executed a couple of crow hops (the judges gave her a "10" for the hops), and moved into a regular trot. She worked in both directions (using half the arena) for 2 or 3-minute intervals with a quiet walk for 2 or 3 minutes between each trot sequence. If Bella had broken into a canter at any point during the under-saddle session, Lee was going to encourage Bella to stay in the canter. Bella did not offer to open up into a canter while Lee was riding. Bella stood quietly for the dismount along a far wall, and walked in hand for an additional 10 or so minutes. I thought I was video recording the entire session, but I did not hit the darn Record button…. I am such a maroon.
Bella showed the great Thoroughbred work attitude we hoped for -- it seems that most of the good runners thrive with work and lots of hard play.
A few days after Lee’s visit, Bella and Giffy were racing around the large pasture and Bella suffered a mild sprain of the off hind ankle. They were eight hours, and by the time I brought them in, there was some moderate heat and swelling around the fetlock, and extending up about four inches. She was wearing hind ankle boots and the swelling “fell out” over the top edge of the short boot. She did not take a lame step between the pasture gate and the wash rack. I gave her a 20-minute cold hosing at 30-minute intervals for the next three hours (this is one of those times I need one of those wonderful teenagers who volunteer to groom and clean stalls in exchange for lessons!). I’ll skip the bute, if I can, because I don’t know her history with it (I assume that she rec’d lots of bute immediately following her frax). I’ll put a standing wrap on both hind legs for a day or so, with stall confinement (oh, crap); then paddock access with Giffy with twice daily liniment rubs and neoprene ankle boots. This plan worked out. Most of the heat and swelling were gone in about four days, and all signs were gone in about 8 days. It was a gloomy time: Bella, Giffy, Bob the Cat, Bill and I were pretty bummed out because Keisha the Dog was euthanized a few days ago, and it was obvious that Bella, Giffy and Bob the Cat were looking for Keisha the Dog who would hang out with them most of the day and protect them from the Evil Forest Coyotes.
On October 15, she had another choke episode. This one was a bit more serious than the last. The glob was palpable for awhile, and slowly moved along. The choke episode was over within the 30-minute limit I had set the first time this happened. I was concerned about the glob becoming an intestinal blockage, but her system processed the glob nicely. She doesn’t bolt her feed, and the episodes have occurred after both a dry pellet feeding and a hay feeding. I’ll make some phone calls in prep for the next time, though I already know how much I can and can't do during a choke episode.
Beginning about October 21, Bella spent the night in her bedded stall. (Giffy will use the second stall because the cement walls are exposed.) Bella's west-facing dutch door to the paddock and her stall door to the barn interior will stay open throughout the winter, I hope. The Fall monsoons are here and the horses prefer to stand in the mud and rain unless I lock them in their stalls at night. I can already visualize Bella's frogs after she stands on wet grass and mud half the day .... Yikes!!! On October 26, I began a daily decrease of the wet cob, alfalfa cubes and alfalfa pellets until these were no longer a part of her daily menu. I also decreased the senior pelleted feed by half. I booted her legs on October 30 so that her fetlock, pastern and hoof will dry more quickly after hosing off the pasture mud.
On November 3, I switched Bella from the light cotton sheet to a light waterproof sheet. I'll encourage a full winter coat in case she is outside quite a bit at her next abode. She can always be clipped later. BTW, she clips well, doesn't put up too much fuss over mane pulling, and of course bathes easily. She threatens to kick when I clean between and around her bags, but I hope she has learned to stand quietly so that unpleasant tasks can be done quickly. She hasn't tested a tie for quite awhile. Her weight is good. I have trailered Bella to the fairgrounds in Canby (a short, 15-minute trip). She quietly loads into and unloads out of my open trailer, and has been very quiet while in the trailer. It seems to matter that I keep a full hay net in the trailer; she stretches out her neck and looks into the trailer for it just before she takes her first step in. All I've asked her to do when we're at the fairgrounds is to walk and trot on the lunge line, and then go for an in-hand walk around the grounds to visit the boarders. We both enjoy the outing, though Giffy is left at home and is very unhappy about it!
I'm looking forward to December; I'll ride.
Regards, fatlady
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Post by Angel62197 on Dec 19, 2007 23:01:45 GMT -5
Wow... that is a no-joke update. Sounds like she's being very well taken care of.
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Post by leahlady on Dec 22, 2007 2:34:19 GMT -5
HOLY CRAP that mare eats A LOT. My mare of similar size and disposition eats 20 lbs timothy + 4 lbs LMF Showtime daily, and gets fat...!
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MrsBill
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Post by MrsBill on Dec 23, 2007 22:29:33 GMT -5
Hi gang -- Yeah; holy crap is right!! As long as her weight is stable on a diet that packs less fat and carbos than a month or so ago, I won't be making as many trips to the feed store! I think I'll resume the monthly fecal tests just to reassure myself that she's not housing any freeloaders. I just scored a ton of primo, sweet-smelling, second-cutting timothy from CBI, a local hay place on Redland Road. I didn't think we'd see any timothy around here for quite a while, so this is a terrific find. If I take the 10 or so BIG garbage bags of bottles and cans to Costco for return deposit $$, I can pick up a few bales of second cutting E. Wash orchard grass (and, I'll be able to park my car in the garage again!). I think that we (horsey enthusiasts) just like to take in the great smell of the hay and we seem to feel better when we have a good supply of hay in the barn. Apparently, though, there is some kind of precious compound woven into each bale -- hay ain't cheap. Earlier this month, I noticed that Bell's near side teat was the size of a softball, rock hard, and woodstove hot. No volunteer discharge, no expressed discharge, and a normal rectal temp. (My honey, Bill, can't read about this kind of stuff w/o choking.... he-he..) I took her for a walk and trot in the arena to get the bod's fluids moving, and held a hot, wet towel in place for about half an hour. There was some improvement that night, but the next morning the teat had retd to its hot and swollen glory, so I called Jenn Posey, Barb Crabbe's associate. Jenn dropped by and reassured me that this was probably an acute episode of fluid retention that was not due to an infection. I just kept the area clean and all symptoms disappeared within 4 or so days. For anyone who has handled this girl in the past: Bell is no longer trying to kick the crap outta me when I clean her bags. She's thinkin about it, though -- the ear on the side I'm standing flattens and I can almost hear her growl. Here are some photos taken on 12/16/07 in the arena. It was r-e-a--l-l-y cold, and ICE CRYSTALS kept forming on the lens -- they're the weirdo spots on the photos. There's also one photo of both mudwumps, Bell and Giffy, a few hours after the workout. My first ride was delightfully uneventful. Important thing for me to remember: leave Giffy in the barn when working Bell in the arena. Giffy's presence is way too much of a distraction. Now, we're (perhaps, just me..) really having a good time! Bell had another damn choke episode last week. It lasted only a few minutes, but it still freaked me out enough to keep me from sleeping that night. After that episode, I changed the time of day that I give her the mash. We'll just have to wait and see what happens next. Rob the Farrier will be here in four days. Yeah!!! Hope everyone has a good New Year! fatlady
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Post by slew on Dec 25, 2007 13:31:50 GMT -5
I never feed cubed feed or the larger sized alfalfa pellets to my TB's. I had regular "chokes" with one gelding and since I quit that type of food, I have had no more issues. Anything that has any type of pellets in it has water mixed in prior to any of my horses getting it. I don't like pelleted feed in general but if I have to use it......it gets watered.
just my two cents......you sound very experienced....and Bella is living the good life.
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Post by winterlakesfarm on Dec 25, 2007 15:21:44 GMT -5
Thanks Robyn for the pics!!!! Both she and you seem very happy!
Slew- I too have had bad experiences with cubes.....and just as with chopped hay they tend to be made out of "seconds" or the hay that is left behind on the floor of the feed mills. Titan's scary choke was from Equine Senior pellets and it took 45 minutes of continuous tubing to clear it. I have always soaked the old fart's feed as neither of them have any teeth to speak of but all of my horses get their feed soaked now.......
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Post by trillium on Dec 26, 2007 10:04:53 GMT -5
I agree with slew and winterlake, any cubed or compressed pellets shoud be soaked with a lot of water before feeding. To do a quick demo, put a cup of beet pellets into a bucket and add 4X the amount of water, let it set overnight and take a look at the volume the next day. Then imagine that amount trying to expand in the horses throat or stomach. I think it tends to soak the moisture out of the throat as the horse eats, causing problems for the horse. I also soak my hay cubes with a lot of water. They about triple in size.
Also fatlady, (Gosh, I hate to call you that, LOL) we must live fairly close to one another. We share the same vet and I do not live to far from CBI. They have great hay, although a bit expensive. This year we were good and put in about 20 tons of local grass hay for our kids. But I do not think it is going to be enough to get us through to next year, so I will be out looking for some more soon. Bella looks great too, by the way.
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MrsBill
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Post by MrsBill on Dec 27, 2007 8:39:22 GMT -5
Recounts of your experiences with the same malady are very welcome!!!! I have to admit that, starting about a month ago, I began to add the senior pellets to the shredded beet stuff (you do not need to soak the shredded stuff for more than five minutes - I still use hot water, though. So - into Bell's shredded beet mash bucket goes the loose mineral salt, the already-soft rice bran pellets, a big pinch of trace mineral stuff, a hefty dose of wheat bran oil (the dang stuff coagulates at 40 degrees F...), and then I'd stir and mix the entire feeding with a long hay hook (the near-perfect sous chief tool!). There was the added benefit that I no longer emptied any of Bell's pelleted feed onto the stall mat!! Yeah!!
Okeydoekey: I'll, ah, "enhance" the mish-mash of feed in that damn heavy bucket with a wee bit of sugerous brownis.
I have had good luck with cubed and pelleted feed over the years, and with the several acute episodes of late, I'm getting a little head-shy myself. I think I'll ask the Barn Staff to monitor the horses every two hours for the next 48 hours, just to be certain that Bell is tolerating the change in presentation of her fodder.
Dang it!!! I don't have a Barn Staff...... sometimes I forget these little details!
Ah, soaking hay cubes in warm water -- looks just like the shredded wheat that my grandma would fix us for breakfast. Hummmm.
HEY LAURIE - Wilco in O.C. and Canby are terribly expensive for feed, and Coastal (in the O.C. Shopping Center) seems to have better prices for everything. I haven't been out to the Red Barn on Redland Road for years. Well, heck, perhaps we'll wind up in the same isle at O.C. Wilco sometime. Robyn
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MrsBill
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Post by MrsBill on Jan 13, 2008 20:44:44 GMT -5
Bell and her foster family (Giffy, Bob the Cat, Bill the Big Guy, and Robyn the Fat Gal - soon to change name from "Fat Lady") - - - - wish everyone a safe 2008. Bell (aka "the little girl" here) and her foster roommate Giffy enjoyed a visit from Rob the Farrier on 12/27/07. Bell's behavior was exemplary. No fussing, no pulling, no wiggling, no sitting..... When Rob the Farrier left, I obtained Bell's temp because I thought she was way too quiet! Her temp was fine. I think Bell actually enjoyed the visit by Rob the Farrier, and she had a smile on her mug the entire time! After a meeting of the available minds (Giffy, Bell, Bob and Rob), it was decided that we'd keep Bell barefoot all the way around since her hind hoovies have proved to be pretty darn tough. Rob will be on-call in case we need to put hot shoes back on the front before Rob's next visit on February 14 (oh yeah!! Valentine's Day!). I have included some photos of Bell standing quietly with Rob the Farrier working - and my honey Bill in one photo holding Bell's lead, and me in the other two pics. THANKS TO EVERYONE
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MrsBill
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Post by MrsBill on Jan 13, 2008 22:05:27 GMT -5
Bell and her foster family wish everyone a safe 2008 - Bell (here, aka "the little girl") and her foster roommate Giffy enjoyed a visit from Rob the Farrier on 12/27/07. Bell's behavior was exemplary. No fussing, no pulling, no wiggling, no profanity, no sitting..... When Rob the Farrier left, I obtained Bell's temp because I thought she was way sick! Her temp was fine. I think Bell is relaxed and trusting enough now to enjoy the special care she gets from Rob. Rob suggested that we keep Bell barefoot all the way around; her hind hoovies have proved to be pretty darn tough so perhaps her front feet will also become tougher. Rob will be on-call in case hot shoes need to be put back on before Rob's next visit on February 14 (oh yeah!! Valentine's Day!). I have included some photos of Bell standing quietly with Rob the Farrier working - and my honey Bill in one photo holding Bell's lead, and me in one of the other pics. THANKS TO EVERYONE for your help with the choke episodes. We now mix everything (shredded beet pulp, rice pulp, super-duper senior feed and vitamin/mineral supplements and give it to Bell in two, separate bucket feedings. Okay - I'll try to insert some photos of Bell and Rob the Farrier...
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Post by jennywho on Jan 13, 2008 23:29:47 GMT -5
Thanks so much for all of the wonderful Bella updates. I absolutely adore her.
As far as farriers go, those TB mares know when they've got a good one. Thankfully (knock on wood), I've had the same wonderful farrier for 3 years, but when testing out new ones if Fil or Hope are bad for them I take their advice and don't invite them back. All of my TB's are barefoot sans Fil and they do just fine. Diet and good farrier work do wonders for those notoriously crappy TB feet.
As far as choking goes, it sounds like you're getting on the right track. I've been told that once a horse chokes they are more prone to it throughout their lives and it actually takes quite awhile for the throat to heal. They are a lot more susceptible to choke during the healing process. With my one mare that I've had choke problems with I soak everything to a slurpy mess and I stand watch the entire time she eats her grain/supplements just in case. It seems to keep her standing and me from having a major panic attack.
Thanks again for the updates. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with the beautiful Bella.
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