Question for everyone--or at least anyone with experience with horses that are sugar-sensitive / insulin resistant;

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So I am looking for other people who have dealt with sugar sensitive horses to weigh in with their experiences. My horse has only had episodes with warm hooves twice, about a year ago. None since he lost so much weight. I am icing him to be on the safe side, although I have not iced him every few hours as recommended. More like 3 times a day.

Thoughts? Advice? Comments much appreciated.

I have a pair of ladies 6 1/2 black zipper paddock boots for sale. They have no brand marking on them, but they are in really good condition, clean, and do not look like they have been worn.

They're $30, which includes shipping in the continental US.

If interested, please message me. :)

Thanksgiving is almost here for those of us in the US, and shortly after, christmas and new years. It snuck right up on me!
However, despite not having anything ready for myself, I'm already planning on how to spoil my horses.

I thought it would be fun to give them something special, like bake them some carrot & apple treats, and give them a good thorough back massage and grooming.

How do you like to spoil your horses on the holidays, to make them feel extra loved? ;)

A pic just because:

All fuzzed up for the winter, from caroling a couple years ago. :)

After four long months of searching, I have finally (hooray!) found a new barn for Lyric. At the new place I will be responsible for cleaning my stall, which I have many years of experience under my belt. However, I will also be responsible for purchasing bedding, which I have never had to do previously.

Lyric's stall is matted with an attached run. I have used both shavings and straw in the past and prefer shavings for ease of cleaning (!!) and think it makes for an overall drier stall. I've read the entry (plus comments) posted last month about using straw bedding, which reminded me why I hated it so, so much! I am curious about my other bedding options and everyone's experience with them. So...

What are your favorite bedding materials are and why?
Which do you hate? Why?

I will be moving to the new barn with some friends will be splitting bedding costs with them. Suggestions regarding buying bedding in bulk (however, storing loose shavings (i.e. a giant pile) or 50 bales of straw is not an option). I know some mills will let you bag your own shavings on the cheap, is anyone more familiar with this idea?

Any and all suggestions/advice will be much appreciated!

Hey all!

So, my standardbred rescue came back as a weak positive for EPM. We're deciding to undergo treatment to try and nip it in the bud. My vet recommended also increasing Vitamin E in his diet with a supplement. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations in terms of brand/distributer/etc.

Thanks!

Hello Everyone!
I am sure you all remember the posts about Miles the TB that we rescued who ended up needing tie back surgery. Luckily, as many of you know we were VERY lucky to be given a LARGE donation towards the total cost of the surgery from Miles' breeder themselves.

However, upon getting him to the hospital yesterday and re-scoping him things have changed and he now has a MASSIVE infection on the "flap" so instead of doing a run of the mill tie-back surgery he now needs to have the entire arytenoid cartilage and part of his vocal cord removed in order to completely take care of the problem. Unfortunately the added cost of this procedure exceeds our budget, but of course once he was there and checked in we weren't about to haul him 3 hours back home.

I know everyone is tight on money right now, but I also know a few of your expressed an interest in donating to Miles' surgery before we had the "gift" from the breeder. So, I will simply post a Donate button just in case anyone is still interested in giving something to help us cover the remainder (can be up to $600) of the bill. Every little bit helps! I am committed to keeping this horse healthy and comfortable so he can live happily with us forever!

I should be hearing from the hospital soon on how he came through surgery and I will be sure to update everyone as soon as I do!

Thank you in advance for your generosity!


ETA!! Just heard from the Vet and they said everything went well in surgery and the infection should be completely removed. He's awake and seems fine! So far so good!!

ETA2: So far 2 donations!! Thank you all very much!!

I don't think I've ever posted this fella. This is Hylke.



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Equin exhibition "Golden horse 2009"

Don breed
russian breed
Russia


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I need a very easy to trailer horse hauled 40 miles from Ridgefield Washington to Hillsboro Oregon on Sunday Dec 27th. Seems like most of my regulars are out of town for the holidays so I am looking for other options. I'm willing to pay $100. Referrals would be fantastic!!!

Thanks

Nicolle and Captain

So, I'm trying to figure out what to get my trainer for Christmas. This year, I really want to be more creative than adding some money to my normal lease, but so far all I have is getting a lot of Fly Spray for next summer. Lame, I know. I could totally use some ideas! =)

We're a western barn that rides in NBHA. It's my trainer's place an we have 10 horses total, 2 of which belong to boarders. My trainer is a classic cowboy (he's a professional roper), which unfortunately means he doesn't see the point in anything unnecessary. I really want to get him something he needs or something that would make his life a lot easier.

there's some stuff he could use, like a new bucket or two, or some new double clips, or maybe a new pitch fork, but I want to get him something nicer. I'm looking to spend somewhere between 50 and 100 dollars

Any ideas are appreciated. Sorry for being so vague, but I really have no idea where to go with this yet. ^^;

~Lore

Also, I already decided I'm buying a big bag of alfalfa cubes for the horses. =)

I am in the process of purchasing a new horse this fall, but he is very out of shape and his topine is severly lacking in muscle. I am going to need a fluffly half pad while I work on developing those muscles (hill-work and long and low is in our future) for saddle fit and his comfort. As I don't intend to use it forever, I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I don't want a junk pad either. I don't generally like to use half-pads becaue I don't like that much bulk between myself and the horse and I make sure the saddle fits so corrective padding isn't needed. However, in this case, it's not worh changing my saddle for what I anticipate to be a temporary back shape. Does anyone have any favorites that they would recommend? I'll post pictures once he's officially mine.


Thanks in advance.

We are never so strongly reminded of the raw and terrible power a horse possesses as when something goes wrong; and in those same breathless moments--or hours--they remind us how grace filled and trusting they can be as well.

Yesterday dawned sunny and crisp with only a few clouds filling the skies. The day seemed perfect for hunting, full of promise. Though Doc had spent most of the week lounging in the pasture, recovering from a soar hoof, and I had been breaking my back working extra hours to bring in money, I gathered us together and joined the hunt at a small farm in the middle of nowhere out in Zionsville. Turning off the beaten path down a worn country road, I watched for my next turn--down a gravel road and then to another. Truly, we were well away from civilization.

( Running a fine line )

Would someone please, if they can, help me try and figure this out? I am trying to figure out which is the best, most cost effective method to supplement my horses.

I feed a really nice, fairly expensive brand of feed (Seminole Wellness Perform Safe & Grow Right), and had been supplementing with 1 scoop of Grand Vite. Through Jeffers, a bucket of this stuff is $130.00. It lasted about 4 months or so with my 3 horses.

My feed store lady reccomended a product called Seminole Equalizer to use instead of the Grand Vite, since I'm currently out. It's $22.00 a bag and you feed 1/4 pound, 1/2 pound for yearlings. So I'm going through about 1 pound per day I guess, in a 50 pound bag.

Here are the links to the two products:

Grand Vite:
http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/assets/label_info/0027582.htm

Seminole Equalizer:
http://seminolefeed.com/ProductSheetsforWeb/Equalizer.htm

Which would be better to use, and ultimately cheaper/more cost effective? I super fail at math. =)

I'm toying with the idea of changing the barn I ride at. I love the barn I'm currently at but there are a few niggly problems there but I'm having a hard time of getting into the mindset of actually making the change and I need to make sure I'm not overreacting to something experienced horsepeople would consider small.

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I'm going to visit a potential new riding barn later this week. What are the major things I should be looking out for to ensure this next one could be a better fit for me?

Many thanks in advance
xx

Hi again...

This is something I made the other day, using a picture I had taken this past year at the Devon Horse Show. No, I am not the rider, I am the photographer haha, and this saying I found was from a Shakespeare play that I thought fit the picture....I also thought I'd share it with you.

Also, I was wondering if anyone is familiar with Andalusians? I've been looking into them and really love them, and maybe when I get back into the swing of things with riding in the Spring, I'll look into purchasing one. If you have any information about Andalusians from your own expierences, or just knowledge, that would be great! Thanks!

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Hello, Equestrian. Please forgive me for the second post in what, a week? I've come to a cross-roads of sorts, and I need some unbiased opinions. Or at least a little less biased ;]

( Read more... )Am I absurd in thinking I can afford to own my own horse? Is there something huge I'm overlooking? Thoughts, please.

What do you guys use to eliminate scratches? Gabe has had them for like two months, and they're getting worse and worse. I've been cleaning the legs every day and then applying Shapley's Original M-T-G at the instructions from my trainer. The more I've messed with them, the worse they've gotten.

I've looked around online and have seen a number of treatments from diaper rash cream to listerine. If they don't get better, I will be calling my vet, but I thought I'd ask...

What do you do to treat scratches?

ETA: Do you pick at the scabs or just leave them as you treat? I've heard both.

...and she knows it.

I've posted a couple of times about Libby (catchup: 17.3hh mare, recently had a foal, had at least a couple of years with several changes of home and ownership, currently underweight. I've had her now for two and a half weeks.) and now I'm asking for some advice. She seems mostly settled in her new home - she's putting on weight well, on a fibre based diet without anything that might heat her up, turned out with my other mare who she is definitely in charge of during the day, in at night in a large box in a small barn with my other two horses for company. Her coat is good, her eyes are bright, her milk has dried off well - physically her condition is good and improving. Mentally, I'm a touch worried.

We've no grass at the moment so if I put hay down in the field, she gets very agressive with my other mare, Millie. The rest of the time, she seems fine, and leaves her alone provided Millie keeps to herself. My two year old and another mare are paddocked next to them - the other mare is absolutely in love with Libby. At times, I see Libby seeking out some 'horsey time' either over the fence or with Millie - due to her being quite aggressive when she arrived, my two are very wary of her. At other times, I'll see Millie looking to come and stand near Libby, possibly to groom (Millie really likes the company of other horses) but Libby doesn't want to know. I don't have the option of turning her out with any other horses at the moment, but could seperate them if necessary. She's become much less aggressive in the last few days since coming in overnight.

However, her behaviour when handled is becoming really quite bizarre. Some days she will be completely blank in her face - stares into the distance, ignores me entirely. It's very similar to behaviours I've seen in abused horses or those who've not been properly socialised (either with horses or humans). I know she's not been abused in the last 18 months, and has spent plenty of time with both people and horses. These are the days when she's a complete swine to handle - barges me, swings her head (which is the size of my torso) in front of me, steps on me, refuses to stand still. On these days she absolutely will not give to pressure - she is very aware of her physical advantage, and pushing, voice commands, smacks, shouting all have no effect whatsoever. She will drag me out of the stable, through gates, and quite cheerfully crush me up walls.

Then we have days like today. She neighs to me as soon as she spots me, is incredibly affectionate and clingy as soon as I get in the field, then walks in beside me beautifully, waits (mostly) politely as I open and close gates, stands nicely to have her rugs changed and feet washed, and even lets me take her headcollar off before shoving her head in her feed bucket, without slinging me into the wall (this is a massive achievement lol!) She's fun and pleasant to be around, is respectful and careful and genuinely a pleasure to work with. She can sometimes be behaving like this, then without warning turn into a completely different, ignorant horse.

But there doesn't seem to be any trigger to her changes in mood. I don't even mind if she's having a bad day, if she's in a grotty mood, if something's spooked her and got her on her toes - I get that she's not a machine. But I need to install some manners that stick, even when she's having a bad day, because I will not have a horse of this size that is prepared to literally walk over the top of me (she would - she barged out of her stall the other day and almost knocked me over, and would have carried on over me if she had). What I'm struggling with is her sudden and inexplicable changes in behaviour, and her lack of response when she gets what I call her 'blank face' on. There really is absolutely no response - I'm fairly certain I could smack her in the face with a plank and she'd just stand there.

So has anyone encountered this kind of behaviour before? And any advice on how to deal with it, particularly on how to get her responsive even when she's in her bad moods?

Here it goes.
I posted a while back about my mare Mesha, and her lameness in her front right leg. After having an experienced vet out who works with lameness in horses for years and years this is what I got:

01. Blocked the problem to her right front hoof.
02. Took x rays of her hoof from every angle possible.
03. Explained that he does not know exactly what is wrong because there are no bone injuries, and ultra-sound does not work through the hoof wall.
04. Injected her with some anti-inflammatory, the joint had fluid - providing that the idea of her having a swollen joint was correct.
05. She was on bute twice a day for 3 weeks

now: three weeks is up, put her on a small lunge circle. she is still lame.

the option to find out exactly what is wrong would involve taking her down to Davis and spending surpluses of money to discover what is wrong. Financially this is not an option.

any suggestions? anyone else been through a similar problem with a inner hoof injury?

would much appreciate help. thanks.