SCREAM

Severe Congenital Reactive Equine Abscence Melancholia

If you're a horse person, you know this dreadful disease all too well. And here I am, a week and a half since my tumble, and talk about suffering! This has to be the worst case of SCREAM I've ever had. To say I'm miserable would be a serious understatement...

Not only am I in constant physical pain, I'm in even worse psychological pain due to this dreaded affliction. It doesn't help matters that it's been almost impossible for me to get any sleep because of the excruciating muscle spasms in my ribs. I haven 't dared even try to visit the barn for fear of something happening that will prolong this agony and keep me away from my horses even longer.

In fact, today is the first day I've felt significantly better - not great or normal, but at least better. That makes me feel a little more optimistic, because believe me, I'm ready to totally freak.

I am lucky that I can see Indy and Ami out the kitchen window, and that's certainly better than nothing, but it's not enough. As I'm sure my fellow SCREAM suffers know, seeing is just not enough. You gotta touch and smell. You gotta have horse hair and horse sweat all over you. You gotta have green slime on your shoulder... I have to stop - I'm driving myself crazy! I need and Indy-hug. I need to be snorted on..... Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Please excuse that outburst. I better stop now...

On Great Horses Saddled With Lop-Sided Riders

I did it again. After a lovely half hour ride last Sunday afternoon - with an equally super half hour on Saturday - Indy was standing quietly while I thought about what to do in the last couple of minutes before I went back in, when he got stung on the belly by something and bounced once - mostly out of sheer surprise - I and went sliding off to the left, as usual, bruising my ribs, as usual. Heck, Indy didn't even go anywhere. He was just a few feet away, nibbling grass while he waited to see what I wanted to do next. He looked pretty puzzled, and I don't blame him.

This is a problem that has dogged me from the first day I ever rode down to this. I'm lop-sided. Of course, most people - and horses - are to a certain degree. With people, the right side is usually a bit larger than the left. So it is with me - except it's more than a "bit." It's not the first thing that strikes people about me, certainly - well, unless they glance at my feet and notice that my right pants leg just touches the top on my foot, while the left is sprawled all over my foot to the point of dragging the ground at the heel. Yeah, more than a bit. Even though I'm left handed, my entire right side has always been much larger and stronger than my left. If I wore anything with straps, I was constantly fighting the left one to keep it up on my shoulder.

I just took all this for granted - like, what was I gonna do anyway? - until I started riding, and began noticing the problems my conformation was causing. By the time I realized that, in order to make my stirrups feel even, I was not only sitting off to the left, I was also carrying my right leg ahead of the left one. Beautiful!

To make matters even worse, my right ankle is stiff from a sports injury in high school. It won't flex as much as my left, so that pushes me even more toward the left. I've been riding for over 30 years now, and I can't remember even one spill that wasn't sideways and to the left. No wonder my ribs are fed up to the point of having even a relatively easy fall making them scream bloody murder for days. My body has always insisted - much to my disgust - on carrying 99% of my weight on my hips and thighs, so my ribs have no padding - skin over bone.

Maybe if I'd been working under an instructor instead of basically teaching myself to ride, I could have overcome this - somehow - before it became so ingrained, but then again, I've had years of dressage lessons since those early days they haven't helped one iota. In fact, I don't remember anyone else ever even noticing.

Anyway... it seemed to me even the last few years with DJ that the thing was somehow getting worse. In fact, I was now getting the saddle off the the left - not much, you understand, but enough that I was constantly "hitching" it back to the center of DJ's back. He didn't seem to care, but it was extremely frustrating to me, not to mention making it even easier for me to lose my balance to the left and not be able to recover.

Indy's saddle was a touch off to the left Sunday, but I can't "hitch" it over on him like I did on DJ. Firstly, Indy hates that, and besides, with the Tacky stuff pad liner I use under his saddle, once you have the cinch properly tightened, that sucker ain't gonna hitch over anyway. You get it right the first time, or you get off, loosen the cinch and straighten it - Indy doesn't mind this at all. And, that's exactly what I should have done, but I didn't. Next time...

All this post mortem soul searching can't alter the fact that I'm here at the computer instead of out riding right now, but, I have thought of some things to do that possibly can prevent - or at least tip the odds - this from happening again.

Number one thing is to get some protection for my ribs. I tried a regular "body protector" earlier, and not only did I feel like a was wearing the top half of a space suit, it was catching on my cantle. That darn thing would make me fall. Scratch that. What I have come up with is high impact foam. I was able to get some rectangular pieces which I can make into a rib protector which will be quite comfortable I think, and be quite adequate for the type of riding I do. I have no plans to be taking 5'6" jumps at full gallop.

Also, I'm going to put just a little extra padding on my left stirrup. My stirrups have removable hook/loop pads on them already, and I think I can add just a little more under the left one. It doesn't need much - nothing like a hole or even half a hole on the leathers. That's why I've never been able to adjust my stirrups. Never found anything that wasn't over kill. It's funny how something so small - 1/4 inch, probably even less - can make such a huge difference. Anyone who's ever ridden knows that it sure does though.

What's especially frustrating to me this moment is that Indy was doing so super. Saturday he didn't even think about giving me any static when it came time to come back in the paddock. He just strolled in, stopped where I told him and stood perfectly still while I dismounted. I even closed the gate myself with him standing beside me. He never seemed to consider making a break for the field. He just stood there.

He is also becoming lighter and more responsive to the bridle every ride. He just gets better and better. So, now I don't know how long it will be before the next ride. My ribs are sure not ready yet, and even when they are, there's always the weather. I know Indy won't forget, but I want to RIDE!!!!!!!!!!

Oops, sorry about that... Guess I'd better close for now. My ribs hurt.

A Birthday And An Adventure

Indy and Ami had a very nice day on which to celebrate their birthday(s). Of course, the weather wouldn't matter to them as long as they got their gifts - apples and extra carrots. One must keep one's priorities straight after all.



It was a lovely day and Mr. Scratchaholic got a super birthday scratch. Ms Ami is not that crazy about scratches, but apples - she's that crazy about those.




Indy is 10 - May 28, 1998

Ami is 17 - May, 1991



I took a lot of pictures - like the ones on this post - and even made my first video. It's at the bottom of this post.



Indy and I had a very nice 30 min. ride the next day, and the day after that... We finally made the leap to riding out in the field. That's quite a story in itself...

On my first attempt at mounting the dang saddle turned. I'm not sure why, because I had it in the same hole as the day before. Indy hates this, and he had to stand while I loosened the girth, fiddled with straightening the saddle and re-tightening the girth. But, he did it. He stood stock still for the entire operation - a praiseworthy act in itself!

Then I remounted and walked him around. Since I was hoping to go out into the field, I was wearing the body protector I purchased some time ago for this occasion. After that excruciatingly painful rib bruise I got when I came off that #%&*#@! Wintec saddle, I didn't want to take chances.

As we walked around the paddock though, I got the uncomfortable feeling that the thing was seriously interfering with my balance. I guess these things are made for a different kind of saddle, because it kept hitting the cantle of my saddle.

I rode back over to Mike and told him it wasn't going to work. I decided to just take it off and hand it over to him to put back in the barn. That is, I tried to take it off. The @#%&*! thing was so thick and hard and stiff that I couldn't get my arms back through the arm holes. Mike and I almost had to take the darn thing apart - think new Velcro rrrrriiiiiiipppppp! - to get me free of it. This while Indy stood quietly thinking no doubt that there was just no end to the nutty situations people got themselves into...

We then walked around the paddock a bit more. Indy was still perfectly calm, so TA DA! Mike opened the gate! And out we went.

Indy was really very good considering we were walking through clover up to his belly with grass even taller. I didn't expect - or even want - to keep him from noshing. I just wanted to keep him more or less moving - in the direction I wanted to go of course. I had him in his soft leather sidepull, and I was a little concerned about steering, but I needn't have been. He was quite responsive considering the distractions.

At one point however, he started to trot down the hill toward the front, and I'm afraid my reflexes took over. This was exactly what happened when I took that disasterous fall off the Wintec saddle - through no fault of Indy's - and I stopped him. I'm sure he wasn't going to take off bucking. After all, he didn't do that the first time. But... We'd been out for a half hour anyway, so I decided to end this first ride before my reflexes did anything else stupid.

Then, for the first time, Indy and I had a real difference of opinion. He didn't want to go back to the barn! The paddock gate was open, but he wasn't planning to go anywhere near it. When I put my legs on him to go forward, he started backing up. I turned him completely around in a tight circle, and asked him to go forward again. This time, he pawed furiously at the ground. I had to laugh, even though I didn't want him to know it.

Again I asked for forward. I had my hands planted with light contact. When he tried to turn away, I closed my fingers on the reins, and just kept my legs on. After only a few moments, I felt him relax - i.e. give up - and he strolled into the paddock just as if that was what he wanted to do all along.

I was impressed. As soon as we got inside the paddock, I leaped off and started telling him what a good boy he was to obey me even when he didn't want to. I gave him a handful of carrot bits and petted him even more as we walked back inside the barn together to untack.

I understandably gained a lot of confidence on this ride. Indy and I faced some tests we hadn't incurred before, and he passed with flying colors. Naturally, since we're both looking forward to our next trip out, it's been raining/threatening ever since, and today was extremely hot and humid. I'm afraid it will be a few days before that next ride happens.

Still, Indy and I are both enjoying the even closer bond that our little adventure led us to.



I love this picture, but somehow it makes Indy's back look much longer than it actually is... Oh well, it does show off his incredible coat.

A Walk On The Mild Side

What a great couple of days Indy and I have had. On Saturday I rode him for about a half hour, and he was even more responsive to the sidepull than the last ride. I think he's figured out that if he's good in the sidepull, he won't have to wear a bit. Since he much prefers the sidepull, that's a powerful incentive!

We had a great ride - heck, it wasn't even hot, not even for Indy. For some reason, Ami got quite perturbed every time she looked up and Indy wasn't immediately in sight. She would come crashing into the barn so she could look out the back window and see us around the corner. I could tell Indy was thinking, "What's with her?" I guess it could have been the fact that Mike was mowing with the tractor, plus the kids next door were racing their ATV all over. Whatever, it didn't bother Indy. As usual.

Yesterday, I decided to take him out into the open field for only the second time - with the first time being over three years ago. With me on the ground for this initial time. I wanted to make sure I knew what he would do if Ami started throwing fits. After the way she acted the day before, when we were just in the paddock like always, I figured his going outside might bring on some real fireworks.

Ami did not disappoint in the fireworks department - she threw a real hissy fit! Running, bucking, squealing, you name it. Indy was startled enough to look around when she started, but ignored her completely after that. I guess I found out what I wanted to know!

Indy was just about perfect on this tour. Oh, he was scarfing down the edibles, but I couldn't blame him. The pasture is almost ready to cut, and there was clover that was knee high. I considered trying it myself...

He never pulled on me or tried to go his own way, and he came back inside the gate with no fuss at all. Of course, as I was trying to get the gate completely closed, he was trying to push it back open with his nose, but all was well and he let me secure the gate. I think he felt better about the whole thing when I started telling him what a good boy he'd been.

I rode him for just a very few minutes, and he didn't try to insist on going out again or anything. He was just his usual self - "What, me worry?"

Next time we ride out. I know, I know. I've had Indy for 6 years, he is Mr. Cool, and we still haven't ridden in the open field. It's incredible to me too. I intended to go slow, but not this slow!

Sigh.... Many factors, most of them quite unlikely, went into this delay. But, that's a whole other post.

The Best Of Times; The Worst Of Times - Plus Six

I can hardly believe it's been six years since Indy first set foot on this property. It seems impossible to me that it has been that long. May 5th, 2002. I had lost my precious DJ on March 6th, and I was very much still in shock.

I'd spent my time - day and night since I couldn't sleep - searching the Internet for another Morgan. I knew getting another horse was the only thing that would get me and Ami through, just as finding DJ all those years ago got me through losing Sirron. Normally, I would have looked for a different breed like I always did with dogs, but being with DJ for twenty years had convinced me that it had to be another Morgan. Not a flaxen chestnut though. DJ was my flaxen chestnut.

Since I was looking for a different color, I was surfing the Rainbow Morgans web links and happened to find myself at Valley Stables in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It so happened that they were reluctantly offering for sale a green coming four year old colt named VS Golden Desperado.

The more I read about this horse, the more something inside said, "Yes!" It was eerie - I felt exactly the way I had when I set eyes on DJ. DJ was only a few weeks older than Indy when I found him; he was very green - with only the basics under saddle - just like Indy; the month was May when I found DJ, and both horses were foaled in May as well. DJ was foaled in 1978, Indy in 1998. I bought DJ without having ridden him myself, and the same would be the case with Indy if I purchased him. I watched DJ's trainer ride him; I got a video of Indy's trainer riding him. The similarities go on and on.

Now, I'm quite the skeptic when it comes to the paranormal and all that, but Indy hooked me like a fish on the line - just like DJ. After seeing the video of his first ride under saddle - as a three year old stallion in mixed company! - I was more convinced than ever that he was Mr. Right.

His breeder, Brenda Vincent, was being extremely careful about who she sold her precious Indy to. We talked on the phone several times and exchanged a number of emails before she agreed that he and I were meant for each other. However, she asked for my word that if the time ever came that I couldn't/didn't want to keep Indy that she get first refusal. That's what I call responsible breeding. Too bad more breeders aren't as conscientious regarding the horses they bring into the world.

Of course, I could not leave Indy as a stallion - no matter how much Ami screamed and cried - so Ron and Brenda had him gelded after my purchasing him was a done deal. Then they would deliver him themselves after about a month.

Those weeks passed quickly, and before we knew it Ron and Brenda were at the gas station where we had agreed to meet them and lead them on to our place. I looked into their trailer, and there he was. He looked at me as if we'd known each other forever, totally relaxed and peaceful.



It only took a few minutes, and we were pulling into the field and up the hill where Ami was anxiously waiting. She missed DJ as much as I did, and her cries for him were unbearable. Now she watched this trailer on high alert.



She stood like a statue as Ron unloaded Indy and Indy started to calmly munch on the grass.



When Ron took Indy over to meet her, they both acted as if they had known each other forever - just as Indy had acted with me. There's just something about Indy - he seems to love everyone and everything, and it never seems to cross his mind that he might have anything to worry about.



Ami was obviously interested in making Indy's acquaintance.



And he was equally interested in making hers.



Ron let Indy graze for a few minutes to let everyone settle down. In all honesty though, no one seemed to need to settle down, because they weren't worked up in the first place.



After those few minutes, I lead Indy into the large paddock, and he and I walked up and down in our first walk together. Except for one big look at the huge rock by the outer gate, Indy was perfectly relaxed.



Then we turned him loose to graze in the big paddock and watched as he and Ami continued getting acquainted over the fence. No squealing or kicking - they just continued to sniff and get to know each other.



And, that's the way it's been for the last six years. Indy has more than lived up to his promise - for me and Ami. He is sweet, intelligent, mischievous but willing. He has an overwhelming curiosity that gets him into everything, and he seems to fear nothing.

I was still very much in grief mode for DJ, but no one could fail to love this golden stinker, and he soon made his own place in my heart.

The Rights Of Spring (And A Couple Of Wrongs)

Ah, SPRING! My favorite time of year! Really now, isn't this picture a lot better



than this one? Come on!



Isn't the sight of Indy and Ami grazing with their dear, deer friends lots more inspiring than all that snow? I realize the horses love cold more than heat, but I'm willing to meet them halfway. Well.... maybe not halfway, but I don't require 80s. 70s maybe. Heck, I can't even groom when my hands are freezing, and Indy especially wants his grooming, scratchaholic that he is.

Spring, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

No more electric water buckets. Those buckets are a godsend, no doubt about that. I don't know what we would do without them - too horrible to contemplate. Still, they are bigger and heavier than regular buckets because of the false bottoms enclosing the heaters. And then there are the long cords to gather up or else step on/trip over when you take the buckets down to clean.

We can leave the water on instead of having to turn it off and on under ground every time we need it. We keep a small heated tank to top off the buckets, but the water still has to be turned on/off and the hose connected/disconnected and drained at least once a day, and often twice a day to keep the buckets clean and full. A bit of a pain, to be sure.

I can go outside without having to spend twenty minutes getting dressed. Not only is dragging on all those layers a pain in itself, their weight makes my back hurt, the heavy gloves make my hands hurt and the heavy boots make my legs hurt.

Although it was fairly cool today, it's getting warm enough that even Miss Ami will consent to having her body groomed by her Personal Attendant (that would be me). Since it stayed cold so long, and I got a late start getting them shed out, it's quite a challenge for my hands and wrists to get the job done on both of them at the same time. Not that they are concerned about that mind you.

All the cats are enjoying the weather too. They're all over the place. Every time you look out the window you see another set of kitties lurking, trying to sneak up on birds, butterflies, blades of grass or each other. They are seldom successful in any of these endeavors, but they love life so much they don't care. It's the journey after all.

Of course nothing is perfect, and I'm afraid that goes for Spring too. Sometimes there is scary weather. And the bugs - face flies, gnats, deer flies, horse flies, fly flies. I've already started using the fly masks on their faces, and soon I'll probably be getting the full fly sheets out. And, then there's the spraying before and after riding and before turning out for the night. Fortunately, they both understand what the spray does for them and stand well for it.

Worst of all, there's the fact that they have to stay in the paddock until late fall instead of being out in the full pasture. The paddocks are quite large, but it isn't the same, I know, I know. Still, it's better than obesity and/or founder. Even they have to agree with that.

Even with these minor glitches, Spring is the most glorious, beautiful, wondrous season of all. I mean, how can you beat this?

Warm Days, Spring Vaccinations And More Great Stuff

I can hardly believe it! Every day this week has had highs in the upper 60s/low 70s. What a change! I groomed both horses yesterday and today, and got bales of hair. Horse hair mattresses, anyone?

Also, Dr. Conley came out to give the guys their spring vaccinations and generally look them over. That all went well, and Dr. C was happy that both horses had lost some weight. They need to lose more I know, but at least we have progress.

Dr. C had a bit of very exciting news. He and his associates and planning to build an equine clinic - with full surgical facilities - between Ft. Wayne, where Dr. C is based now, and Columbia City, which is out our way. That would make it something like 30 to 45 minutes away! Right now, the large animal hospital at Purdue, 100 miles away, is the only option. Not that Purdue isn't fantastic, because they are. But 100 miles could be a long way with a very sick horse. Dr. C is an excellent vet, and I'm sure his associates are of equal quality or they wouldn't be his associates.

Not only is this great news in itself, it also relieves our worrying about Dr. C deciding to retire or go teach at Purdue (he's been invited to do so) or something else equally devastating. I guess you've picked up on the idea that we don't want to lose him as "our" vet!

When we moved here in 1992, I had a difficult time finding a vet. In Dallas, I'd always had "equine only" practitioners. I found out quickly - with some very bad experiences - that I wanted the same here. There aren't as many to choose from as there were in the DFW Metroplex, but I found two - Dr. C and Dr. Jensen. I want to keep both of them!

And, to continue my paean to spring's arrival, we actually had to get out the fly masks for the guys this morning! I thought they were being bothered yesterday, and sure enough, they stayed our much more today with their masks on. Will fly sheets be next?

Everybody Talks About; No One Does A Thing About...

The weather. Oh yeah. I hate to keep posting about the darn weather, but it's about the only thing going on. It was 28 degrees this morning. Thank goodness Indy and Ami love this weather and were apparently outside most of the overnight hours since there was nothing to clean up in the stalls. Even the cats must have been out all night.

We did have one fairly warm day last week, with the afternoon temp being almost 70 degrees. Unfortunately, the wind speed was up there too - gusting to almost 40 mph. Just a bit much. In fact, it seems to happen that way quite a bit - reasonably warm day with wind speeds to match the temperature.

That situation does remind me of the comment made by one of the saddlers at Down Under Saddle Supply where I got my Aussie saddle. The first saddle that I ordered was the Wizzard Poley, which has stuffed panels similar to an English saddle. I had done quite a bit of homework on Aussie saddles, and I knew that for very wide backed horses, the ones with a fleece panel, like a western saddle, were recommended. With that in mind I had intended to put the Snowy River Legend - which has the fleece panel - as a second choice. But, of course, I forgot.

A couple of days after I mailed off my order form, I received a phone call from Lance at Down Under. He had called because after seeing Indy's withers tracing he was concerned that the Wizzard Poley wouldn't be comfortable for him. He suggested that I might want to change my order to one of the fleece panel saddles.

Well! I was impressed. I mean, he could have just sent the one I ordered after all. I told him that I had intended to put the Snowy River Legend as my second choice on my original order, and it would be just fine since I really liked both saddles.

Lance said okay then - he's get the saddle made and shipped out that evening. I told him that he didn't really have to rush because the wind had been so strong I couldn't have ridden anyway.

Then he said that he didn't think the horse that went with this withers tracing was in any danger of being blown over! I had to laugh out loud at that one. Of course, it wasn't Indy I was worried about in the first place.

Acute Spring Fever

Is spring finally here? I cannot remember a winter more miserable than the one (I hope) just past. That's quite a statement from someone who's always hated winter anyway.

It wasn't just the cold - although it was very cold very late in the season - which is always hard to take - it was me, my body and mind. My back, always touchy due to congenital lumbar stenosis, decided to have a fit at the worst possible time. The heavy clothes I had to wear to the barn made my back scream, which made my legs scream, which made it difficult just to walk back and forth to the barn, let alone do anything when I got there.

Twenty-five years of making a living using a keyboard have left me with severe tendinitis in both hands and carpel tunnel syndrome in both wrists - both of which are quite sensitive to the cold. The extra effort of working in heavy gloves greatly exacerbates the tendinitis, making gripping anything very painful.

Definitely not helping matters was the fact that there was so much stall cleaning to do, especially in the morning - my very worst time. No, it wasn't Indy and Ami. They are pretty darn neat in their stalls, even in very bad weather. Rather it was the barn cats. Yes, I said cats - about 20 of them using the stalls as litter boxes. Ewwwwwwww!

Not only did we have to practically sift the stalls to find it all of it, cat poop makes horse poop smell like Channel #5. Not great exactly the greatest on frigid mornings when one already feels like Dead Person Walking - under 15 lbs. of layered clothing. The worst of it was that all this took so long that it was almost time for their lunch by the time we finished.

Several times I was so exhausted when we finally got back in the house that the only thing I could do was crash so I would be able to fix Indy's and Ami's lunch and take it out to them - which of course involved getting all dressed again. I was truly miserable. There were mornings when I honestly questioned whether I would be able to get dressed - no small feat at 10 degrees - stagger to the barn, clean up, mainly after the cats, stagger back to the house, get undressed, rest for maybe an hour before lunch.

So, on those mornings while I was lying in bed wondering if I could make it through another bone chilling morning, did I wish I didn't have to go out in the cold? Certainly. Did the thought that I might be better off without horses ever cross my mind? Certainly not.

Why not? Because my life would be so empty without them. Because, for me, horses are Magic. No matter how bad I feel and for whatever reason, the moment I'm with my horses I'm fine. These glorious creatures are as necessary to me as the air I breath - air preferably wafting the warm, earthy smell of horses my way.

I was born addicted to horses, and I will die addicted to horses. It's no more under my control than the color of my eyes or the fact that I happen to be left handed. It just is. And I am so grateful for it.

Well, then, what about all those cats? What can I do? I mean, I couldn't get along without Princess, or Precious, or Zip, or Cudzy, or Tab, or Ranger, or Scout, or Pepper, or Blue, or Bobby, or Scritch, or Frosty, or Nose, or BK, or Speed, or Mr. Gray, or Bash, or Bunny, or Boots, or ...

Oh well. They hardly ever use the stalls when the weather is decent.

The Gift

My farrier, Matt, was over Friday to trim Indy and Ami. Neither of them wear shoes, but they need their regular trims just the same.

Matt is not only an excellent farrier, he's a great friend, and he only lives about ten minutes away. Over the years that he's taken care of my horses, we've come to know each other very well, and we discuss everything under the sun.

Friday we got talking about the whole slaughter/unwanted horses/owner responsibility thing. We agree that slaughter is not - or at least it shouldn't be - the answer to "unwanted" horses. We've both felt for a long time that owner responsibility - or the lack thereof - is the root cause of all these surplus horses, and that's what needs to be addressed. Owner education is the only real and humane solution.

Then Matt said something that I'll never forget. He said that we - that is, horse owners - seem to have forgotten what wonderful gifts our horses offer - the gift of riding them; the gift of working with them; the gift of just watching them; the gift of smelling their breath.

I think it was that last one that got to me the most, because it is a gift, just to smell their warm, sweet breath. I know many of you horse lovers know exactly what we mean.

What then is our responsibility to these unsurpassed creatures who give us so much? Is it - as Matt and I think - to keep our horses for the rest of their natural lives, or, failing that, make sure they go to a good home? At the end of their lives, is it our responsibility to ensure that they have a peaceful and painless exit from this world?

Or, is it okay to "dispose" of a horse that can't/won't fulfill the purpose we envisioned on purchase in any way available? Should we sell them to anyone who will meet our price without regard to what that person might have in mind for them? Should we send them to slaughter - with all it's attendant frightful possibilities - instead of providing them with euthanasia by a veterinarian? And, if slaughter is the best we feel we can do for our horses at the end of their "useful" lives, should we ever have owned them at all?

I've already stated my own opinions about these questions. I offer this post as food for thought.

Where Is Global Warming When You Need It!

Cold? Who's Cold? It was a balmy 29 degrees when we went out to feed the horses this morning. Balmy compared to the last few days when temps toped out at 10 or 11 degrees that is. Yesterday we started out with -4.

The footing was so bad that even Indy was reluctant to venture out into the field. It was so warm and so wet just a few weeks ago that the ground was unusually torn up - and then it froze that way. Indy just doesn't like it, but poor Ami gets foot sore. She always did that. I've had her since she was a yearling, and her soles always gave her problems on broken, frozen ground.

It will be better for them today though. Not only is it a bit warmer, we're getting snow. It's surprising how much cushion just an inch or two of snow can provide.

Besides, Indy especially loves snow, and not just to romp in either. He eats it. I've watched him at his outside hay feeder take a few bites of hay and then a mouthful of show. It's just like the sip of water he takes every few bites at the inside feeder. Well heck, hay is dry stuff.

We all had an interesting adventure on that -4 morning though. I was preparing the inside portion of Indy and Ami's breakfast - couple of soaked alfalfa cubes and their Omega 3 supplement - when I glanced out the kitchen window and there was a deer in the backyard! Actually, there were two deer in the backyard, just a few feet from the window. I got my Mike's attention, and we started watching them.

I know they could see us in the window, but they didn't seem to care. They just looked around, occasionally munching a bite of grass. Then one of the barn cats started coming to the house. When she saw the deer, she stopped short and hunkered down. She stared and the deer and they stared back - ah, predator and prey! Well, not exactly.

In fact, one of the deer started toward her to check her out. The deer wasn't worried, but the cat was. She hunkered down even further, but the deer stopped, distracted by something more interesting.

I peered around toward the barn to see if Indy and Ami were catching any of this. They hadn't been there the last time I looked, but they were there now, standing side by side at the fence, ears forward in interest but hardly alarm.

Finally, the deer got bored and wandered away. I'm sure this scenario has happened before, even if the dumb humans didn't see it.

Like I always say, never a dull moment!

I'm Not Making This Up - Honest

In my last post I was moaning about how cold it was and Indy getting cast - which bothered me a whole lot more than it bothered him.

Well, yesterday it was over 60 degrees. And it had been in the 50s for several days before that. It was 55 today. Yes, this is northern Indiana in January. We were even under a tornado watch last evening for heaven's sake!

All this warmth of course quickly melted the considerable snow pack we'd been accumulating - and then it started raining. Yes, rain and lots of it pouring down overnight and this morning.

Half our back field is under water, but that's a long way from the horses, and the barn is high and dry. I'm sure many of my friends can't say the same however. I think this is the worst flooding I've seen since Mike and I moved here in 1992.

I groomed Indy yesterday. You can imagine what a waste of time that was! Today he was sopping wet and looked as if he hadn't been groomed in his life. Ami was the same. Oh well. I didn't groom Indy because I expected him to stay clean. I did it because it was record breaking warm and he's in full winter coat. Naturally, he had itchy spots that he wanted scratched.

Indy directs me to the spots he especially wants taken care of. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out where the spot is - humans are so slow to catch on - but he persists until I find all of them and give them a vigorous currying. I may have trouble finding the spots sometimes, but Indy leaves no doubt when I finally get there.









See what I mean?

Oh, and yes, these are all pictures of the same horse. The first two in the spring/summer, the second two in the fall/winter. Indy's a regular chameleon.

Worst Nightmares

After heavy snowfall throughout New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, Mike and I went slogging through the snow yesterday to give Indy and Ami their breakfast on the coldest morning yet this winter. The temperature was all of 9 degrees with a stiff north northwest wind that drove the wind chill well into minus territory.

Wearing my heaviest boots that make me look - and feel - like the Frankenstein Monster, I galumphed behind Mike along the mercifully short distance from the house to the barn. Once inside, we found Ami standing in the front stall, and Indy lying down in the back one. But wait a minute - he's upside down. He's not lying down, he's cast!

Having no idea how long poor Indy might have been trapped like this, Mike and I rushed to help him. In so doing, we ignored everything we both know about working with a cast horse - we grabbed his feet with our hands instead of using ropes. Mike took the back and I took the front. Since Indy was lying with his head almost to the back wall, there wasn't a lot of room for me to get out of his way if we did succeed in getting him free. My left brain was reminding me of all this while my right brain was screaming that Indy was in trouble and we had to help him!

Even considering our saddle fitting adventures, there are times when being round is a good thing. Indy rolled over on his fuzzy barrel as easily as rolling a, well, barrel. He contemplated the situation for a moment, then got to his feet as calmly as if he'd been taking his normal pre-breakfast snooze. Well, this is Indy after all...

I worried that he might be sore from his ordeal even though there weren't signs of a significant struggle in the stall when we found him. And, in true Indy fashion, he said, "What? Me worry?" He was fine, and nothing showed up today either. He was plowing around in the snow like his usual self, obviously enjoying the sun we had today.

All's well that ends well as they say, but I think another little homily might be appropriate as well - Do as I say, not as I do!

Bullseye!

We here in Warsaw, IN certainly dodged a bullet with the ice storms that have plagued so much of the country. We only had one day when it was really slippery, and we never lost power at all. However, we weren't quite so lucky with this last winter storm. It was snow instead of ice - thank goodness! - but little ole Warsaw saw some of the heaviest snowfall of the entire region - some 14 inches, and that's not counting the fact that there was a lot of blowing and drifting...

Even though it wasn't bitter cold, the wind continued to howl the next day, and even Indy seemed a bit intimidated by it all. Later in the day however, I saw him venture out to the gate even though he didn't go outside the paddock. They both seemed content do stay up by the barn and munch hay.

I knew Indy couldn't contain his curiosity for long though. Sure enough, today he was venturing all the way to the cross fence - and there was Ami right behind him. Some of the drifts were knee deep even for him, and he seemed to take pleasure in galloping through them. The more practical Ami just walked.



Actually, the most difficult part was just getting to the barn the first morning. The drifts were impossible to walk through, even for Mike. He couldn't even dent them with a shovel. Finally, he had to pick his way, clearing a path around the drifts. It wasn't the most direct route to the barn, but under the circumstances we weren't complaining!

The barn cats however were complaining. There was a snow drift blocking their regular "kitty entrance" in the front door of the barn. There they were - all 28 of them - sitting right behind the door when we opened it! What a cat-tastrophe!

Even when the kitties got out of the barn, the drifts were too deep for them to maneuver - they just sank! It didn't take them long to discover our path though, and they've been frolicking up and down, to and from the barn ever since.

By now of course, Indy and Ami have their weaving trails all over the pasture. Viewed from upstairs it looks like a bunch of drunks have been wandering around out there. Horses are constitutionally incapable of walking in a straight line. It must be a prey animal thing. They have been enjoying themselves, and that's the important thing. Indy - who was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - says this is the first decent winter he's seen since he moved here to the southland.

Snow Day

Overnight we had our first real snowfall in this crazy winter - some three inches or so. Enough that snow lover Indy was galloping up and down the paddock, flagging and snorting. In other words, having a Total Blast. Even Ami was doing a bit of steam blowing herself.

I'd been planning to start introducing them back into the full pasture soon, and today seemed like the perfect time to start. It's been cold and cloudy for days, and they can't get nearly as much grass under a few inches of snow as they could otherwise.

After we had cleaned the stalls and given them their breakfast Mike went out and opened the gate. Since this gate hadn't been opened since we started keeping them in last spring, it took him a few moments to unfasten it through the snow and ice. Meanwhile, Mr. Indy had lost interest and besides, his hay was calling him. Then Mike got the gate to swing free.

Indy knows to follow my finger when I want to direct his attention. When I pointed he looked back over his shoulder. His ears popped forward, his eyes widened and off he went in a high stepping trot. Ami, who had stayed over nearby had already shot out into the pasture. Whoopee!

And whoopee it was. Almost every time I looked out the kitchen window, there was Indy, galloping up and down, round and round. The whole pasture was covered with their swirling trails in the snow. What utter joy it is to watch them romp and play - just acting like healthy, happy horses.

When they came up for their dinner, we closed the gate for the night. I let them stay out for most of the day, and will do the same tomorrow. If all is well after about a week, they will be completely free for the winter.

They'll have to come back to the paddock in the spring, but for now just watch 'em go!

The Stray

A stray wandered onto our property in the wee hours of Saturday morning. But who hasn't had a stray dog or cat wander onto their yard once in a while? This stray however was a horse - a very small horse.

When we examined him in the daylight, I was sure he was young, but not knowing whether he was a horse or pony made it harder to estimate his age, and I don't claim to be an expert in baby teeth. He was bigger than a mini, but not by a lot. He was a very pretty bay with four white stockings, and he was very friendly. I was worried we might have trouble catching him, but he came right up to us, obviously glad to see us.

At first, we just put him into the field, since Indy and Ami were in the paddocks. They all seemed quite chummy, but I still didn't want to turn a totally strange horse into the paddocks with them - for all kinds of reasons. He ran around a bit at first, but very soon came back close to his new found buds, and they all grazed along together with only a few pesky strands of ElectroBraid separating them.

Later however, I got worried about the amount of grass he was getting. He was already quite chubby, and I know all too well what too much grass can do to certain horses. By now, I had decided he must be some kind of pony, and they are notorious for foundering on grass.

We put Indy and Ami in the large paddock, and brought the little guy into the small one and gave him some hay.





My hubbie, Mike, was trying to put hay in the feeder, but the little guy just couldn't wait. As you can see the little fellow - he's a gelding - was so cute!

We had called the sheriff's department and all our horsy friends, hoping they would know something. No one had reported a missing horse, and none of our friends knew anything off hand, but they all said they would try to find out something. That's one of the many things I love about being a member of the "horse community." Everyone sticks together like glue, and we will do just about anything to help one another and our horses.

Naturally, it was a weekend, and we were afraid the Kid's owner might be out of town or something. We thought surely he hadn't wandered far from home, but it's very rural out here, and he could have wandered accross the fields without being seen from the roads.

I figured he was probably an "only" horse, because horses with pasture buddies almost never wander away from them. He seemed to have formed a bond with Indy and Ami, and he appeared to be perfectly happy just staying here. Unfortunately.

Don't get me wrong - I would have loved to keep the little cutie. But he belonged so someone else, someone who might be as frantic as I would be if it were Indy or Ami that were missing. Besides that, we don't have good shelter for more than two horses, and, global warming or no global warming, it gets cold and nasty here in the winter. Not to mention hot and buggy in the summer. And, last but far from least, I would not able to care for three horses the way I feel they should be cared for - the grooming, the personal attention, and for this baby, the training. Heck, I'm still training Indy under saddle, and that's about all I can manage these days.

Speaking of Indy and Ami... I was so proud of the way they handled this situation! They both befriended the Kid and neither one ever showed a trace of aggression or jealousy. They were a bit excited of course, but not nuts, and even that settled down quickly after the Kid moved into the small paddock.



Indy is only 15.0 hands, but next to this kid he looks like a giant.



Ami is only 13.2 hands, but even she looks big beside the baby.

On Sunday afternoon, Mike decided to take a drive around the "block" - out here that's about an eight mile trip - to see if there were any "lost horse" signs up. I'll bet he hadn't been gone five minutes when the phone rang. It was a guy who asked me if I were "Suzy." When I said I was, he mentioned the name of a mutual friend of ours who thought we might have his pony. He said, "Does he have four white stockings?" and I said, "He sure does!"

He and his brother were there in minutes with a trailer - in fact, they beat Mike back by a few minutes. They had been out of town, and had returned to find the pony missing. They were certainly glad to see him alive and well!

So, that's the saga of our little weekend guest. Since he doesn't live far away, I will probably have the opportunity to see him again. I hope so anyway. As for Indy and Ami, things quickly returned to normal - as you can see.



Oh yeah, Baby is three years old.

Total Meltdown

I'm sure it will come as a surprise to no one that it has been hot here. In fact, this past week has had the most miserably uncomfortable days we've had since we moved to Indiana in 1992.

With the ambient air temp over 90 degrees and the humidity around 90 as well, the heat index has been above 100. Even with fans going in the barn, I get dripping wet, and I'm not a heavy sweater. It just saps the life out of you.

Both Indy and Ami have seemed to be pretty comfortable though. They've been damp, but not dripping, and their hay feeder is in a nice shady spot in the paddock. Well, Indy was dripping one day, but that was because he was galloping up and down the paddock trying to get our attention so we'd come out. Honestly, that boy...

My new saddle will be delivered next Tuesday. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been riding anyway. I think there has been one day since our little "accident" that would have been suitable for trying a ride.

Now, what does one do with a saddle with a broken tree? I certainly wouldn't sell it to anyone. Mike says we should perform an autopsy. Well, why not?

No, I'm Not Making This Up.

Since I last posted, Indy and I have had three great rides - two for 40 minutes and one for 30 minutes. He was super all three times. He's even starting to walk straight to a target instead of weaving all over the place. A great time was had by all.

Last Monday however, things went a little bit wrong... I had Indy all saddled, and he was standing beside me - as he always does - and I looked a way a moment to say something to Mike. In the meantime, for some reason Indy decided he needed to go to the back of Ami's stall. Ami was still tied there, so she backed up and Indy went under her tie rope.

Don't ask me how he managed this - I have no idea. It only took a second and there he was, the saddle horn hooked onto her tie rope, pulling it into a V with Ami on one side and her tie ring on the other. She pulled back, the fuse on her safety halter snapped and it was all over before Mike or I could even try to grab the quick release knot and untie her.

Ami then strolled on out of the barn, and Indy didn't seem to know anything had even happened. All's well that ends well, right? Unfortunately, this wasn't the end. As I took Indy out to start our ride, I noticed that the saddle looked a bit, um, odd. The cantle and pommel were much too high and the seat was considerably shorter and deeper than it was when I put it on him.

Yep, the tree was broken right behind the foregirth. I couldn't believe it! Just the right combination of pressure and torque, jerking the tree against the unyielding foregirth. Unbelievable.

For those non-horse people, a saddle with a damaged tree is like a car with a damaged A-frame. Totaled. Period.

Since I do love this saddle, and besides, it's the only one I tried that fit Indy, there's nothing to do but get another one... At least I won't need the pad, fenders, leather stirrups and Bates rig. One must look on the bright side - if one can find a bright side that is.

Just kidding - sorta - since Indy and Ami were not only OK, they demonstrated what Cool Characters they both are. Plus, it's been way too hot to ride the last couple of days anyway.

Another Nice Ride

Last Friday Indy and I had another very enjoyable ride. It was about 85 degrees, but it didn't feel like it. The humidity was low and there was a nice breeze. Too bad we can't seem to have more days like this.

The heat's been on ever since. We're nothing like what's been happening in the West, but 97 is close to record heat for this time of year in northern Indiana. It was really miserable today because the humidity was up due to clouds moving in to give us a 40% shot at rain this evening - as well as Tuesday and Wednesday.

I certainly hope we do get some of the predicted rain, because it's getting to be a real drought situation around here. The pastures are the hardest hit. First cutting hay - including ours - didn't produce as many bales as normally, and many folks won't even get a second cutting if we don't get rain - and soon.

We have about enough for the winter from our first cutting, but many don't, and even grass hay may be in short supply - even here where we usually have hay coming out our ears. We certainly won't have any to sell, and neither will many others.

Still, I certainly can't complain. It could be a lot worse, and in most of the rest of the country, it is.

Saddle Time

Since my last post Indy and I have had three rides of about 20 minutes apiece. What is the main thing I have learned from these rides? That I'm much more out of shape than he is.

The Aussie saddle I'm using weighs about 26 lbs. That's the same weight as the saddle I used on DJ for almost 20 years. DJ was something like 2-3 inches taller than Indy, and I had no problem lifting the saddle onto his back. Now, I struggle and push and sort of slide the saddle up Indy's back instead of lifting it up as setting it straight down as I always did before. SHEESH!

My first saddle - 1978 - weighed 36 lbs! I guess I couldn't even pick that one off the ground these days. Have I gotten soft of what? Of course I am older...

We had a couple of interesting things happen on these rides - mostly concerning my efforts to find a way to make the saddle stay put without having to girth so tight. On the first of the three rides under discussion, when I dismounted to quit I decided to see if I could get back on if the girth were just one notch looser. The answer is NO. When I put my weight in the stirrup, the saddle turned a full 90 degrees.

So here we are, the saddle is now on Indy's side, and he's looking at me with a "What the heck?" look on his face. Fortunately, he decided it was just one more thing that goofy humans do, and he stood quietly while I struggled to hold the heavy saddle up with one hand - lest it slide completely under his belly - while trying to loosen the girth enough so I could boost the saddle up on his back with the other. I thought for a few minutes that I was going to have to call for help. The saddle wouldn't budge without the girth being looser, and the girth strap was almost out of my reach and didn't want to give an inch either. Finally I managed to loosen the strap and get the saddle on his back again. I also assured Indy that he was indeed a good boy!

I've often heard about people with round backed horses using the rubberized mesh non-slip shelf liners under their saddle pads to prevent slipping. It always seemed to me that wrinkling would be a problem with such thin material, but what the heck, it's cheap and I decided to give it a try.

It does make quite a difference, and since I ride an Aussie saddle with a fitted pad, I tied the thin liner to the straps at the front and back of the pad. This keeps the stuff from wrinkling much - enough, I hope. We're still in the testing stage with this stuff. I'm not sure Indy likes the feel of it next to his back as well as he likes the sheepskin. We shall see. It's up to him of course....