When a Horse Chokes!

The scariest thing I have encountered in horse ownership is a choking horse.  I have been through colic, parasites, cuts and stitches, seizure, moonblindness illness, but next to a life threatening disease, Choke is the one that springs you into action.  The horse will have mucous and salivia, coming out the mouth and nose, they may thrash or just get up and down, Their ears may twitch from the discomfort every time they try to swallow.  Horses don't throw up or burp and what goes in must go through to come out. They are also nosy and touch things with their lips always looking for a morsel of food.  So one track minded the horse.  They can't even seen their mouth to know what they are putting in therir body.  Once they have been given treats, they will always be checking things out just in case their is some declicious tidbit just for them around every corner or every knook and cranny. I've had only two horses choke and they are both minis. 

Sparkle our oldes mini at 23 years had choked twice, both times we know the cause. Once was on acorns, which is her favorite thing to eat in the fall.  The next time she bolted her food.  Now she gets her food soaked and we keep her contained in the fall as acorns are not suppose to be good for horses due to the toxins they contain. Sparkle doesn't agree and she will still compete with the squirrels for acorns every fall. 



Mariah sharing hay with her best pal Dreamer

 Mariah is next oldest at 21 years. She has choked twice,both times we have no idea what the cause was.  Her teeth were blamed both times.  She has also suffered colic multiple times and her teeth determined as the cuase.  Mariah was born with split molars in the back of her mouth and that has caused her many problems. finally last year on set became loose enough for the vet to pull them out.  She still has the other side to go. Maybe when she has her teeth worked on this year.  Mariah is called the cookie monster around her because she will gladly take anything out of your hands and gobble it up, so you have to be careful wht is in your hands around Mariah.  She has to have her molar cleaned out when she eats fresh grass or alfalfa. She chews dry hay the best and loves her mush of senior feed. 

Around the Farm

We did it, bought some property. We've been clearing brush and picking up trash, getting things ready for the horses.  The addition of 5 acres is such a blessing.  We have all been coming together as a family; humans and horses to raise the funds to develope the land.  Our first goal was a survey which is done. We are going to have the water put in.  Oh, a fence first, we have had trespassers. The fence posts and gates are in. Now the draining and the excavation of the pond so it will once again be beautiful.  The site has been chosen for the barn, right in the middle of the most treed and grown over part of the property.  A good high and dry location with protection from the elements and privacy. An arena is in our future. There is a mama coyote living behind the property. I'm grateful for the donkey that guards the mares. Last night we saw the biggest tree frog, about 8 inches long and 5 inches wide, huge.  Draining the pond and clearing brush has caused alot of snake activity as well as other creatures as I witnessed when I saw the frog.   The only fish we have found so far was a large alligator gar.  A few mailboxes and tires have been found in the pond also. I'm still hoping for catfish. The port a potty is in place which I was grateful for. The property used to be the community park, for 30 years.  It has been neglected for more than 10 years. Each week it looks better than it did the week before. It will be awhile before I can set a date to move horses but we have the property and the right day will surely come. This 5 acres is the beginning of a dream that started many years ago.

John Henry Magee IV

He's a little older now.  Henry is always faithfully waiting at the front door for me whenever I return. He's quiet most of the time, When we take him somewhere with other equine (mostly horses, we don't know any other mule people) he must always bray/nicker his own unique sound, I don't get to here that sound often enough.  The kids ride him everyday. He is very headstrong, literally and will pull the reins right out of your hand if your not ready for it.  Not a better mount for the kids exists.  He would protect them, teaches them, and is very aware of where his people are.  Henry is losing his eyesight and he has a little more grey than last year. I've already decided that when Henry has his final days, he will get a Big Mac and a Chocolate Shake plus all the alfalfa he wants,soaked of course! My friend John Henry, if only I would have known him his whole life. I worry now that his sight is going, he doesn't have a specific buddy. He has been with every equine on the place,he gets to go where he pleases, but not one friend does he seem to have that hangs out with just Henry.  John Henry likes all he meets, even if they don't like him.  We have to talk to him now when we are behind him,as he is always ready to get out of the way or kick out at one of those minis that are always picking on him. Even though they are a group of mostly seniors, they still move pretty quick and feel they should boss Henry around.  I have added the younger donkeys to the group hoping he would pick a pal amongst them but he seems to stay with each of them equally.  Maybe that's it, he has many pairs of extra eyes.  My mare Mariah has had vision problems for a while and she stays with her best pal Dreamer most of the time.  Henry hangs out with whoever is doing what he would like to be at the time. I couldn't take enough pictures of my beautiful mule, who was once unwanted and definitely not appreciated!  I am honored to know him and look forward to many more years together.  If the kids let me I hope to still get in a few more trailrides with my favorite pal before he peacefully retires, as is Henry's style, peaceful.

Parade with 4-H
I will never know why silly horses spook at Henry,
he is only 12.3 hands tall and is very docile.

Little Girl's Dream

We went to a party this weekend and the cutest little girl ever loved the "pink pony".  She wanted me to take her and the pony to the store so she could buy her carrots.  "I wish I could." I replied.  The little girl wanted to pet her and ride in the carriage over and over.  That is the best compliment. she asked if the pink pony could live with her and I explained we were there only for a short visit.  I would miss the pink pony terribly if she didn't come home with me.  I told her that the pony could be hers in her Dreams.  She said she would sleep and dream the pony was hers. 

My Beautiful SnowBelle

I imagined as I walked that she woke up and her dream had come true.  There was that pony in the backyard next to the bounce house and party decorations strewn about. she raced down the stairs to touch the pony and see if it was real, oh it was! I must feed her the little girl thought.  Oatmeal and apples! We'll have breakfast together.  In the warmth of the sunshine of a new day they shared a meal.  A good brushing was next. The pony has such soft hair. It just glistened with every stroke of the brush.  Then she heard her mother calling but didn't want this moment to ever end, so she kept quietly petting and brushing the pony.  Then she heard her mother calling louder and now she was being shook. As her eyes blinked she looked up at the ceiling above her bed and then at her mother.  She jumped out of bed and raced to the window, looked down at the backyard only to see the bounce house deflated and no pink pony. It was only a dream but it seemed so real.  The pony really was hers in her Dreams!  Now she looked forward to bedtime every night to the pony that could be pink, purple, or just white.

Dream Boat



Dreamer and Mariah in the trailer



 Dreamer is the sweetest horse I have known!   He is inseparable with his friend Mariah.  He loves treats and attention.  Always looking at me with a questioning face. He is my Hollywood.  It is very rare that Dreamer is seen dirty.  Always a gentleman, lowers his head for babies to touch.  Loves to lick hands.  Such the charmer, has stopped parades while children pet him..

Mariah has been his companion for 4 years and they are never far apart.  He is her eyes as she has moon blindness.  They spend every afternoon napping together between the pastures where the breeze is the best.  He is very rarely challenged for herd position as he runs his own special herd of mares mostly seniors and those that has been most neglected

Maraih following the cart

when they came in to our life.  Destiny weighed 80# on a weight tape when she came to live with us.  She should have weighed 150#.  The other lead gelding who has a wild nature tried to kill her and tore through fences to get to her. Soon she put on weight and joined the herd and became strong enough to find her place in the pecking order.  Destiny found her place in Dreamer's herd.  She has mellowed in the last year we have had her and she is no longer in recovery.  She follows his lead mare Sparkle who is 21 years old.  Destiny is 5 years old so she has bonded with Sparkle as her adoptive mother.  Never too far from this quiet gentle group. Dreamer has been a carriage horse for about 11 years and can also give saddle rides to toddlers.  We visit handicapped facilities and nursing homes and they even let him come in the building.

Dreamer was the first mini to bolt on me in harness.  I bounced out of the cart when he got scared of a pit bull in a fenced yard.  Horses don't reason and they react lightning fast.  My daughter who was 5 at the time was still in the cart so I couldn't let go.  He drug me several hundred feet down the street when I finally got my arm around his chest and pleaded Whoa.  I was scraped and bruised but otherwise OK.  Dreamer to this day is still very afraid of large dogs.  He must have had an experience before I owned him.  He is small and there are definitely dogs bigger than him and we have seen some together.   He is still the most wonderful mini to drive with his elegant movement and pleasant attitude.    Six months after I bought him his previous owner asked if she could buy him back and regretted his sale.  I couldn't part with Dreamer ever, and he will live out his life with me and his best girl Mariah.                                      

Dreamer

Country Pony

We had the opportunity to go trailriding on some new trails.  A drive through the city and we end up at a park that has equestrain trails.  It was so peaceful and was a setting right out of the 1800's....to look across the wooded field my  thoughts wandered to the pioneers that may have settled in this place at one time and those that may have fought and lived or died here during the civil war.  Maybe this place has always looked like this and no-one has ever appreciated the serenity that lies here with the hustle and bustle of progress only moments away.  I forgot my reins so I constructed some Hillbilly reins out of rope I found in the toolbox. One may have done something similar long ago? Hmmm

For the horses this was something we don't get to do often enough, enjoy adventures together,human and horse as one looking upon this land for the first time.  For  most people looking at a place for the first time is usually done out of a windshield.  Looking at something new from the back of a horse (or behind one) is so different. There's no back ground music. The sound is of insects and the chirping of an occasional bird.  The sound is of the wind as it blows through the trees.  I look at the hoofprints, no tire tracks, no human footprints, only hoofprints.

Hoofprints in the Sand

Little Prince was the smallest horse on the trailride at 10.2 hands (not counting the minis).  He didn't know it and kept up with the big guys, climbing up steep hills, walking (and galloping) through the shallow creek. Sliding down the embankment.  I think he ended the ride with a smile and a kind of tiredness he has not known. Like when we exercise and feel exhausted but exhiliarated at the same time. The trails boasted a time from long ago when people rode with a purpose.  To get their mail or supplies. To get frompoint A to point B. 

Now we just ride to capture that feeling for a short time.  Where are those endless trails?

City Pony

 

What a lucky girl...rides her pony (just to the trailer) on a pony in an upper class neighborhood.  Little Prince is such a great guy! The weather was perfect,not too hot, cool breeze, the street so quiet almost as if these large houses were vacant.  The party was so large that we had to park a block away and by the time we were leaving there were just a few cars left on this quiet street.  Staight ahead was a beautilful pond that just added to the serenity of the surroundings.  All that was missing was a pony until this moment which was only to last a few minutes. Little Prince goes places that no pony has ever been before and sometimes will never be again.  Watching my daughter ride Prince to the trailer while I was leading the minis, I remembered my youth and riding all over the county.  So, many kids these days tell me how much they wish they had a pony.  Most will never get the opportunity and some will be fortunate enough to take riding lessons to be around horses.  The larger percentage will ride Big Horses only the lucky few getting to enjoy the smaller ponies. 

My first horse was actually a welsch pony named Bonnie Belle, a smart red roan pony standing 11.2 hands tall.  She taught me more about living with a pony than I will probably ever learn from another pony in my lifetime.  Maybe it was because she was my first or maybe it was our special connection. I remember her now in my dreams and my thoughts and have probably said her name a trillion times since we parted.  I had a step dad that thought it was time for me to move up to a larger pony and sell my beloved friend.  This was the saddest moment I have ever known and horses were never quite the same to me.  I was not old enough to speak my mind about the situation and still to this day will never understand why I had to part ways with my best friend, my pony, Bonnie Belle. 

All the kids that say to me I wish I had a pony, how many would actually stick with it and enjoy a relationship with a pony that could last 30+ years?  How many people actually do that with their horses?  So many of the equine that live with us have had multiple owners.  Some not even given a chance to get used to their new surroundings only to be wisked away to a new location.  Equine can form lasting friendships that can last up to 40 years. 

I watched Little Prince walk so carefully and slowly such a gentleman. My daughter with the biggest smile ever.  My thoughts went to all the city girls that may look out their windows and dream they are riding a pony down their street. Breeze blowing their manes, warm sun on their faces, and smile so big they almost hurt. I wish I could capture all the fun rides and adventures I had with my pony and share it with kids today.  Some would be content with just one ride, others would realize their dreams and that dreams can be possible....so never stop dreaming because they might come true even if for a little while!

Accidental Lena AKA Fanci Bar O' Lena

What a Sunday, woke up a little late, hoping it was warm for a change, which it was.  Not long after we started feeding, my son comes running up and says part of Lena's cheek is hanging off. We ran back to the pasture and sure enough she had a serious wound on her face.  Our immediate plan of action began, my mind was groggy only moments ago, but now  it raced with thoughts. 

Lena came to us with a scar on her side from an injury that definitely had stitch marks.  She also had a large growth on her elbow.  We had the growth removed and biopsied, no cancer, whew! Lena loves the sun, not a lazy shade dweller, she is always playing and basking in the sun.  So, to prevent future growths on her pink skinned body, sunscreen is in her daily routine when needed.  Lena always smells like she's going to the beach or pool.  Thank goodness for Lena's sake they carry spray sunscreen with a 70 spf and it's waterproof, her next favorite thing to do. 



Fanci Lena spent most of the day Saturday playing with the donkey guardians, a standard and mini Jack, that are to be gelded this spring.  The kids remember late in the evening seeing Everette the mini palying rough with Lena and somewhat hanging on her face?! HMMMM.  Neither of them are talking, but $300 later Lena is not phased by the incident and Everette spent the day in his pen.  Lena had torn muscle which took an internal stitch and the outside flap of skin matched up perfectly,  Staples all the way around finished off the Doc's good work.   Several injections for, tetanus, an antibiotic, and bute sent her home feeling pretty good.  She felt good enough in fact that she was playing with Paco the standard Donkey.  Lena was put in her own pen for the night and Paco sleeps with Everette.  Alls well that ends Well......  



Lena's Home



Clover

Clover is a POA. She came to us as a kid pony, but a kid pony she is not yet.  Trust issues are certainly her biggest problem.  After a long turnout and time to get used to the routine and our smiling faces she is finally coming around.  She was willingly caught and moved to the training pasture with the donkeys, they are sweet and calm which spills over to their herd mates.  She still longs to be back with the mares doing as she pleases but it's time for some education.  Clover from the best I can figure went through 2 auctions and 4-5 homes and/or traders in about a years time.  She is 7 years old so what must the first 5 years have been like?  She is small about 13 hands.  I think what a cute baby foal she must have been how could someone not have wanted to touch and love on her?  Maybe someone did she just forgot the feeling of love. We will never know her story and past but we can strive each day to make her future better.  I'm pretty sure her fear proved to be too much for someone wanting a pony for the kids.  Her catching problems..well..it's not fun to have a horse that runs the other way when they see you coming with anything other than a feed bucket.

She has gained some weight this winter but with consistent training and exercise she will look really fit soon. In a month's time her ground skills should greatly improve and our hope is she will learn to trust again.

Surprisingly, I had someone tell me recently they thought some horses needed/deserved to go to slaughter.  This wasn't just any person but a trainer with lots of skill and experience. I have pondered on this knowing I have a several horses who are afraid which has made them dangerous at times to them selves and others.  Do they deserve a shortened life because they are afraid of something that did or didn't happen to them in their past?   I thought if I had the credibility to back my skill as the trainer does I would want to share that skill with those horses that really need it.  That is why each of us unique and no two dreams or thoughts, likes or dislikes are exactly the same for the same reasons.  My dream is to take the knowledge I have gained and share it with Clover, take the time she needs to become a more willing partner.   She deserves the chance, as many as possible do.  Time is something they need but not always readily available to them.  Time can be a few days, months, even years.   Time does heal wounds of all kinds, physical and emotional.

The Herd Shall Rest

After much rain the herd rests under sunny skies.  The full moon is incredible this month.  I enjoy going out when its high in the sky and watching the light of the moon cast a cool glow on the horses.  The white and grey ones shimmer.  There is something soothing about watching the horses sleep together under a clear star filled sky..Peace!  After breakfast in the mornings they will stretch out and soak up the sun.  I believe they enjoy the rain after coming out of a drought.  They roll and like to get dirty as soon as the first rain breaks. The downfall is the pastures are now muddy a typical winter problem.  This spring will require the french drains to be cleaned out.  Already the spring to do list is growing. The chickens will be getting a new coop this spring as well, the framework has already begun.  Fences repaired, automatic waterers hooked up again, run in shed walls repaired from flying hooves, etc....All the while the herd shall rest.