Horses of Follywoods

In Real Life

2012-01-29T15:34:00.000-05:00

Meeting A Fellow Blogger

Stacey, who writes Behind the Bit, is in search of a new saddle for Riley, her young dressage horse. As matter of course, I recommended she try and Ansur, and sure enough, she got in touch with me to arrange a demo ride.

I drove to her farm yesterday. Stacey is as genuine in real life as on her blog. While I'm not sure about the rest of the Internet world, I have a feeling most other horse bloggers I know are as real as they are in their writings too. There's something about the connection to horses here. If we talk about our relationships to them on an everyday basis, I think it's kind of hard to pretend to be someone else. Our horses will never let us be anything less than honest.

I'm sure there are some charlatan horse bloggers out there somewhere, but I don't think I have any on my "reading list."

But back to Stacey, Riley and the Ansur. She may well post about the experience, but on the whole it was a good one. But as a representative, I have a problem. As with many riders who are not 100% convinced that treeless is "the way to go," one demo ride is really not enough. Ansur does have a policy where, after you order and pay for your saddle, you have a seven day trial period, but that's only after purchase.

That makes it a bit frustrating for riders who need more time and more rides to make a decision. I have one client who has now had two test rides and would like a third. I understand completely. An Ansur, and most any good saddle, is a big investment. The trouble is, she is a nearly two hour drive away for me. I will definitely go there for her, but it would be so much nicer if there were a way she could borrow a saddle to try for herself for a week or so.

Most saddle companies do not offer that option. Liability, lease contracts, etc. are just to complicated. There are tack shops that offer trial periods, for sure, mostly on used saddles, but Ansurs do not show up very often in such places, nor do a number of other excellent saddle brands out there.

I keep thinking, if I had the money, I would buy another Excel--the Ansur dressage model--and create some kind of leasing arrangement for clients. I'd certainly have to look into all the ramifications, but it would help people more easily "take the leap of faith" to treeless saddles if they could ride in one for more than just the few hours of a demo ride.

For now, we just have to deal with the situation as it stands.

Regardless, I am glad the Ansur saddle allowed me to meet my fellow blogger. That, in itself was well worth the trip.

Having a Ball, Part 2

2012-01-25T16:47:00.000-05:00

The Weather Turns Again

Once again "Spring in Winter" is here. All the snow melted within about two days except for an odd pile here and there mostly left by the plows.

I substituted on Monday and then had the day full of doctor's appointments on Tuesday, when it was about 50F. Today was sunny and in the mid 40's F, so I went out in the afternoon for some "play time" with the Boys.

But first, I needed to clean the stalls and poo pick the riding arena--part of their turnout area. I realized once I started that it had been well over a week since the last pick and the Boys had been hanging out in the sand based arena quite a bit because of the iffy footing elsewhere. That meant a good bit of work to do.

I filled the wheelbarrow with cleaning about 2/3 of the arena and just managed to push it out to the manure pile. Since the ground was wet, the poo was wet and heavy, and there was mud on the way to the pile. I kind of made it all the way...sort of. But it's OK. There is more to clean up, but the area where I ride or work the horses is clean.

Then I got "The Ball" out for a play session. I had a pocket full of peppermint treats and two very interested horses--Tucker and Chance. Toby still thinks "The Ball" is "Killer Ball."

Chance was not really interested in the ball, but kept focusing on my pockets where the treats were. If I rolled the ball at him, he just let it careen off his legs and made no move to interact. Tucker, however, seemed to remember that somehow touching the ball had earned him a reward in the past, so it didn't take long for him to make contact. This time, though, he did not get any praise or a treat for simply touching. He had to actually push the ball with his nose.

All it took was about three tries with rewards and the game started to fall into place. Each time I rolled the ball to him, he gave it a shove with his nose and got his praise and a treat. Step one complete. I need to reinforce that and then start getting him to actually roll the ball back to me so we can play "catch."

I'm not sure what to do to get Chance into the game as a three way would be a ton of fun. I do think I'd have to get him alone in the arena without Tucker nearby to get him to think about perhaps giving the ball some attention. Right now, Tucker's very focused and determined attitude about both ball and treats kind of backs Chance off.

Once the ball game was over, I got out the lunge line and lunged first Tucker, then Chance for just a bit. Nothing much except perhaps five minutes of trot and canter--a little in each direction. Both Boys looked nice and sound and fairly willing to move along for me.

Chance does, however, have the most relaxed little "rocking chair" canter I've seen in a long time. While it does get a bit "up and down" instead of forward, it is just amazing that he can canter that slowly. I'm not sure what the pleasure horse class judges are looking for nowadays in the show arena, but there was a day when he would have been a star. If only he were a Quarterhorse.....*lol*

I thought about riding, but my knees are just a little sore this week. I'm not sure why, but the exercise of pushing the wheelbarrow for the stalls and arena was enough of a workout for now. Perhaps on the weekend or next week. The weather appears to be pretty calm for a while again, with rain in the forecast, but nothing more dire.

Once again, as it often is in the winter, we'll just have to wait and see.

Well, It's Finally Here

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

Winter, That Is

We have several inches of snow on the ground. But that would not be too bad. The "bad" is that it is already starting to rain on top of that and the rain is mixed with sleet, so we may be in for a coating of ice.

Ice is not good. My biggest worry is the Boys. If the footing gets dangerous with ice, I will have to keep them in the barn until things thaw. This happened a few years ago just before Christmas and the Boys were in for three days or so. We also had bad ice one year when I was boarding out and that was dreadful. I finally made a path all the way to the indoor arena by lugging buckets of extra sand from the arena. It was a long haul, but at least the horses were able to get out for a while to stretch their legs.

Here, I have no option like that. It's either in or out. So right now it's just a matter of wait and see.

I also need to make a decision about whether or not to plow the driveway. Once before, I let the snow sit and it froze over and all I had was a mess of ice for at least a week.

On the plus side, it's supposed to go up to 53 F on Monday, so there is a good chance the worst of whatever falls will melt quickly. Tonight is the bad one as it's predicted to be around 18F, so frozen is definitely the norm. Tomorrow, it may go up to 36F or so, and if there is sunshine, that's good too.

Ah, well. My other problem is that I will be doing some substitute teaching next week so I will not always be here to monitor the Boys or see to their needs. I'll just have to see how the whole thing plays out. For now, all is well.

The Boys are fed and have hay to keep them content.

But, all three of them were coated in snow and little icicles when I went out to feed. As usual, instead of sheltering during the little storm, they had been standing outside somewhere. They are all dressed in their winter blankets, so that's not a problem except for their icicled manes and wet necks. You'd think they'd take advantage of all the roof options they have--three run-in shed roofs and the barn itself.

One of my former trainers said when the weather is bad, horses actually want to be outside because the noise of wind and rain falling on the barn roofs upset them and they needed to be out where they could see what was going on. I suspect a part of that is true. As prey animals, horses would not want to be trapped if there was danger about. They would want to be free to run. As well, when it snows, in particular, visibility is limited and being out gives them a wider range of vision to see any predators that may try to take advantage of the weather's cover.

Could be.

The Boys too tend to take shelter when it rains--at least some of the time. I suppose I need to monitor exactly what kind of rain brings them in and what kind of rain keeps them out as there have been many times I've seen them standing outside as well.

It's all just another one of those mysteries of horse behavior we simple humans cannot fathom.

The Shredding Continues

2012-01-18T19:38:00.001-05:00

But This Time.....

When I went out to feed this morning, I saw a puff of white stuffing by Tucker's outside stall door. Aha!! The Boys were all dressed in winter blankets. The detective in me suspected the worst, so I first examined Tucker's blanket.

Fine. Nary a rip.

Then I checked Toby.

Fine.

That meant...yes, Chance, sporting a brandy new (Rhino) (Edited it's an Amigo) midweight I had just purchased about two weeks ago.

No longer is it a brandy new Rhino. It had a large, L shaped tear in the left side.

*sigh*

Fortunately most of the stuffing is intact and the rip is pretty clean, so a stitch up job is quite possible. I now have said blanket on the back porch awaiting my tender loving care and the sewing machine. Meantime, I put an old Roma thinsulate on Chance since it's not supposed to rain until tomorrow night. (Romas are not waterproof.)

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, then went to get my hair cut and ended up at a friend's house to see his new kittens. (Shy little ones but cute as bugs. They were born in the wild and are a bit wary of strangers, so all I really got was fleeting glances and one quick pet.)

All this occupied the better part of the day, so the blanket still waited for me. I just did a straight stitch job on it, with the seam on the outside since there was now way to sew the top layer with the seam underneath since the lining was still intact. It's not the best job in the world, but it will do fine provided no one decides to strike again.

I can testify, Amigos are not indestructible, despite any ads to the contrary. They are not the top of the line in the Rambo family, but I would have hoped it would have lasted more than a couple weeks.

But, these are my Boys.

I think someone bred a little shark into my equines.

What a Difference a Day Makes

2012-01-13T16:15:00.000-05:00

Winter Makes a Move

Seems the winter blogs turn into weather reports more often than not. Same here, I fear.

I woke up to the sound of sleet--heavy sleet--hitting the skylight in the sunroom. Once fully conscious, I could hear it beating down outside my window as well. Weather forecast called for rain. Darn it.

Yesterday was in the mid forties F with calm, still air. Today? Sun in, sun out, snow showers now and then, the sleet attack, of course, and then wind. All off and on, reminding us all that winter in New Jersey is a fickle visitor, not sure whether to sit down to make a statement or to hurry through with quick comments.

I'm not sure which I prefer, sometimes. I switched the Boys back into their insulated blankets this morning, putting the sheets aside for the time being. Each Boy poses his own challenge. Chance simply refuses to stand still when he is free in his stall for a clothes change. He walks about in a circle or makes a break through the gate into the barn aisle to meander about with straps hanging before I've managed to do them up.

Now, I could to the right thing and put each horse on the crossties to change blankets, but it's just as easy to do the work when they are eating. And, for the most part, they tolerate it pretty well. I've always made it a point to bother my horses now and then when they are eating anyhow. While I can understand that they do like to focus on the food, I also want them to know that I am in charge and though food may be their priority, accepting both my presence and my control at all times is a part of their lives.

Toby and Tucker take a rather dim view of this idea. At least Tucker does. While I try to buckle blanket straps on him, I get his "snake face," a tossing head, and some pretty good efforts on his part to bite me. Biting is not his option, of course. I correct that by "biting" him sharply--usually on the neck--with my stiff fingers. If I can get a little pinch in there it makes the point even more effectively and he usually stops. The best reward is when his ears go up and he assumes an innocent expression as if to say, "OK, Boss! Who, me? Nope, I'd never bite you."

Toby, if eating is fine, but when he is engaged in his cribbing, as he was this morning, he too will react with an annoyed snap at the air in my direction. Depending on how much he's actually aiming, and how much of it is intentionally in the air, I will either use the finger bite or a simple verbal reprimand. He is herd boss and understands the responsibility of power, so he does not challenge me as much as "wannabe herd boss," Tucker. And, Toby has a much more sensitive personality than Tucker. He will overreact to things much more quickly.

It is an interesting contrast in personalities and reflects each horse's reaction to "The Ball."

Chance was not at all intimidated and though he spooked a little from it at first soon just ignored it, even when it bounced into his legs. Instead of interacting, he just kind of wandered away, off on his own "walkabout," despite "The Ball's" presence.

Tucker, was at once fixated on "The Ball" and alternately spooked wildly or did repeated approach and retreat. He simply could not leave the strange pink thing alone and needed to touch it and eventually push it around, taking charge of its presence in his life.

Toby wanted nothing to do with "The Ball." It spooked him and still spooks him. It is "something dangerous," to be watched out for and avoided. But, I am sure that if "The Ball" went after him in earnest--say if it trapped him in his stall or a round pen--he would try to kill it. That is exactly what he did when Kenny Harlow challenged him with a mylar balloon. Despite the fact that Kenny introduced the balloon and got Toby to accept it, when he turned his back and the balloon trailed to the ground on the end of its string, Toby attacked full force with two incredibly quick and accurate forefeet and blew the balloon to smithereens.

It's for that very reason, that despite all his super ground manners, I always use a little extra caution when working around Toby. The key is not to corner him so that neither he nor I have an escape route. Kenny told me to always be careful if there was something Toby was afraid of, and I am. "The Ball" will eventually become something Toby accepts, but I am not pressing the point. So far, he has eaten a carrot off "The Ball" even though his body was in "I am going to fly back in a split second of that thing moves," but I have not challenged him further.

Today is not the day. The wind would make "The Ball" a lively adversary.

I'll wait until winter decides to leave the room again.

Rain Here

2012-01-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

But Not Cold

It's kind of "Springy" outside with rain and fairly warm temperatures. That, of course, curtails the horse activity, although the Boys were out frolicking before breakfast. I'm guessing that standing in the stalls or under the run in shed for most of the night inspired some activity this morning when the rain let up.

I had to take Tucker's orange sheet off and put on another waterproof one--fortunately I found a spare that was not too torn--because all the repair work I had done, including the rip in the side, had been undone. The surcingle was gone again as well. I did get the sheet off before it got wet, but it's lying on the back porch for now until I figure out just what to do. I am wondering if using the zig zag stitch on the sewing machine is the problem. This time I will used a smaller straight stitch to see if that holds better.

I just saw the garbage collect truck drive past and suddenly realized it was actually Thursday, pick up day, instead of Wednesday. This is a sad state of affairs, but not totally shocking for me. When I was teaching and had the summer off, it often happened that I'd lose track of just what day it was. Now that I am retired, the whole concept of the week can get "misplaced" pretty easily. Without a set schedule dictated by outside forces, what day it actually is really doesn't matter.

All that being said, I did have appointments this week and should have realized that I was at the eye doctor for a check up yesterday--Wednesday, and not Tuesday. Ah, well. My garbage and recyclables did not go today so I will have another week to collect a more impressive amount. And, I will remember to go to choir practice tonight as well--Thursday......

Of course, the Boys don't care what day it is. Seven days a week, they still need the same care and regular feeding. There is now weekend sleeping in late for me, although I have made the morning feed a little later than it was when I was teaching every day. Having animals at home is a big responsibility with some drawbacks well outweighed by the advantages.

At least that's my opinion. I don't have to drive anywhere to check up on them and I know exactly what they are being fed and when. I am aware of every aspect of their care and maintenance from veterinarian to farrier to trainer and handler. Nothing is left to chance--well, aside from Chance who has his own agenda in life including ripping Tucker's blankets. But it also ties me down or challenges me to find alternatives if for some reason I can't do some of the chores.

Thankfully, I have found a wonderful horsesitter, Debbie, who took care of the Boys after my recent knee surgery and so far has been available on short notice for a day here and there. She took care of the Boys on Christmas Day so I could go to my cousins's house for the day, for example. While I do have to pay her, it is well worth the money to have someone I can depend on in a time of need.

Meantime, it's all up to me, no matter what day it is.

Even if it is Thursday.

Grin and "Bare" It

2012-01-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday Through Monday

Saturday was at least 60F, perhaps more in the sun. I took the Boys's sheets off and let them go bare.

We started off with a little photography session, and some ball play, neither of which merited much action. I do, by the way, have a movie option on my digital cameras and I have a camcorder as well. I just haven't taken the time to fool around much with either of them. Without an extra camera person here, it's kind of hard to get much good stuff and I always miss the action when the Boys are playing on their own as the camera is usually somewhere else. By the time I get it, the games are done.

At any rate, even working with the still camera, it's not an easy task to get pictures of my little herd. Every time I hold the camera up to get a shot of someone, said someone turns and walks directly to me. It's as if the camera were some kind of horse nose magnet. I did get a few OK views of naked horses, though, so here they are:

Toby, heading for the camera.....

Toby showing what he thinks of having his picture taken.

Tucker thinking about entering the arena while Chance mugs the camera.

Chance, encounterint "The Ball."

Chance, starting to turn towards me for another camera "assault."

Tucker and Toby caught in a candid moment. Note the missing fence rail. Surprise!

Tucker, front shot as once again, he heads towards me.

Tucker and his new best friend, "The Ball."

OK, enough nude photos. I hope you aren't blushing.

I need to add.

I rode.

I saddled up Chance on Saturday and meandered around the arena for about five minutes. He was rather wiggly mostly because not only did he want to go out on the trail instead, but I was using Toby's bridle and bit, not his. Chance goes much better in a single jointed snaffle instead of the lozenge bit He broke part of his bridle when I fell off and I just haven't gotten around to fixing it yet. Why not? Heaven only knows, but since I wasn't riding, it didn't seem a priority. We walked and trotted a little and despite being very fussy in his mouth, he was a good boy.

Sunday was a bit more brisk and I didn't really do much outside at all. Then today, Monday, I headed out in the early afternoon to do a bit of ball playing.

Once again, Tucker was the most interested in the ball and by rewarding him with treats, I got him to push it around just a little. I don't know if he connected the pushing the ball with the little carrots, but he surely was involved in the whole affair.

Then, I put the ball away and saddled Tucker up for a short ride in the arena. Since he stood quietly at the mounting block until I was seated, I offered him a peppermint horse treat as a reward.

Error. Did you know Tucker cannot walk and chew treats at the same time? *LOL* At least that's what he tried to convince me to believe.

We soon sorted that out and walked around in a few simple patterns before going into the trot for some experimental work. I did a little sitting trot now and then, did figure 8's, serpentines, leg yield and then a little half pass in each direction. As usual, the left half pass is a little sticky compared to the right, but both of them were certainly acceptable at this point.

Then, I decided to try just a bit of canter. We are talking perhaps 20-30 strides on each lead. I am pleased to report that from the trot, he struck off in both directions without any fuss. This is a good sign as the canter depart is where he shows any discomfort in his hocks. These were, of course, not fully engaged, rock back on the haunches canter departs, but nice prompt relaxed ones, so that is a fine start for us at this point.

My knees felt fine when I was riding with just a tiny bit of soreness now and again at the posting trot, but it's so much less than before the replacements I hardly notice. They are less stiff than they were when I first tried to ride, but not yet as flexible as they need to be. The main issue is when I swing my leg over to mount. Fortunately, my horses do not seem to mind if my foot brushes them on the rump as I get on or off, so no real problem.

I don't know how much I will ride now. The weather will be a factor as will the rather long list of doctor appointments I have this month--three this week. But I will take one day at a time.

Meanwhile, we do have the ball to play with.

Oh, yes. Here is one more picture. This is Peppercorn, the barn kitty who now lets me pet him when he is eating and upon occasion elsewhere. He is a well fed little critter.

Having a Ball

2012-01-06T16:42:00.001-05:00

What's That?

I bought a big play ball for the horses today. The saddle shop had a pretty good price compared to what I have seen advertised on the Internet. And, it turned out the only one in stock was already inflated and covered, so it was even better for me not to have to assemble it all.

We did have to let a little air out to stuff it into my car, but we managed and home I came.

Reactions from the Boys were mixed, but curiosity won out in the end--except for Toby who never did quite manage to touch the ball. To my surprise, the boldest moves were made by Tucker. Chance, though, did not seem at all concerned about the ball when I pushed it into him, so he gets good scores for the "scare" factor.

Tucker, though, was really interested. Several times he pushed the ball across the arena and later, when the other two Boys had left, he pushed it around a little on his own. There was no real play interaction going on yet, just inquisitive tests of what the ball would do if approached and touched. I decided to leave it out for a while longer and bring it in later tonight. The weather has taken a turn to the warm side again, and I am hoping to ride a little tomorrow. So having the ball out there will be a good diversion to keep the Boys occupied and maybe even a little exercised.

Here are some pictures of the introduction to the ball:

Chance checks it out.

Tucker takes a look from a distance.

Tucker approaches.

Contact!

Toby watches from a safe distance, just in case the ball attacks.

Tucker's not so sure as Chance takes charge.

But once again, it's Tucker's turn.

And later, all on his own, Tucker pushes the ball across the arena.

I think this is first introduction again, but you can see that Chance is not at all intimidated.

The colorful array of pink and orange is kind of dramatic. *LOL* They had two covers for sale. The other one was blue and red. I might have gone for that, but the ball was already "dressed" in the pink cover, so I was quite content to get it.

Now we have a toy. All I need to do is figure out some fun games to play.

Training Thoughts on a Cold Winter Night

2012-01-03T18:06:00.000-05:00

My Brain Does Work Even When I'm Shivering

Cold here in New Jersey. I put winter blankets on the Boys for the night. Hopefully they will be comfortable.

But, on to the topic of the post.......

Interesting comment from Muriel on my last post about the western riders and flying changes. She noted that they do not worry about collection and such for training or teaching the exercise.

I am in total agreement. In fact, aside from a few of the upper level dressage movements that might require collection to be done properly—piaffe and passage, in particular—most of the “tricks” of dressage do not require the horse to even be on the bit.

Now, hardcore dressage riders/trainers may scoff at that. There is a certain mystery to teaching the horse according to the “training scale” and at each level of expertise, there are specific exercises that should be mastered. According to their theory, a horse cannot master, for example, a walk/canter transition when it first begins its training.

But, horses walk/canter in the field all the time. They do flying changes, as Muriel noted, and some of them even passage across the pasture. They are certainly not “on the bit” and the only collection they offer is whatever their bodies need to do to maneuver. Why should it really be any different under saddle once the horse is comfortable about the idea of how to carry a rider on its back?

I remember being taught and reading about how to get a horse to take the correct lead at the canter. It’s a rather complex process according to some experts. The cue to canter must be given as the off hind leg strikes off to encourage the inside hind to take a larger stride. The horse must be positioned “just so,” with a proper half halt to gain balance for the depart. You support with your inside leg and cue the lead with the outside leg (some people do use other cues, by the way) and if you do everything just right, you will get the lead you want.

Out in the field, horses take the correct lead for turns all the time, and if they change their minds about direction, most often will fly the change to make the new turn. Why not? They want to be in balance on their own and would much rather do it right than do it wrong.

Yet, we get in the saddle, and suddenly, we can’t canter on the correct lead at all. In all my serious riding experience, I can only recall two horses that posed a problem for me about taking their leads. One was my friend’s horse that turned out to have a permanently injured stifle, so he was actually too lame to take the lead, and the other was my very on PJ, who had apparently broken a bone in his front hoof at some point and had developed the habit of never taking that lead. I overcame PJ’s issues with lots of training, but other riders who rode him often could not get the right lead for “love or money.” Otherwise, I have never found getting the correct lead to be a big issue. Sometimes, it might require a little mental work to find the right exercise to encourage the correct lead, but that’s about it.

I think too many riders—dressage riders especially—make too much of what needs to be done to simply ride. Certainly, creating a beautiful Grand Prix test does demand all the “magic,” but for just plain old riding?

All it really takes is the proper cue to ask the horse to do what comes naturally.

Resolutions

2012-01-02T18:24:00.000-05:00

Just A Thought

I don't, as a rule, make New Year's resolutions.

I am not a "far into the future" planner and never have been, usually letting life kind of take its course as it comes.

All that being said, when I was competing my horses, I did plan, especially for eventing. I knew then that my horse's fitness was an essential ingredient to both success and safety. And, back then, even if I were not eventing, I assured my horses' fitness by riding a varied program 5-6 days a week.

I still have to laugh about the time I attended a jumping clinic with a prominent trainer. My horse, PJ, was a bulky Thoroughbred and the trainer began his group clinic with a lecture about how most amateur hunter/jumper riders never really had their horses fit enough for competition. He railed on about that for a moment, then walked over to PJ to poke his shoulder muscle to prove his point, planning to demonstrate just how "soft" my horse was.

He almost broke his finger on PJ's solid, well developed muscle. "Well, I'm not talking about this horse," he said, finally.

That was then. This is now. I have not ridden my Boys since last Spring--except for the ill-fated after surgery week before I took my tumble. They are far from fit, but do benefit from 24-7 turnout with lots of playtime. (As their sheets and my poor fence prove.)

I plan on riding, of course, so that means I need to give my Boys some basic fitness.

For that, I do need a bit of a plan. Trouble is, January in New Jersey is not exactly the time or place to start a fitness regimen for horses when you don't have an indoor.

But, I can think a bit about some training goals. I'm not at all sure about what Tucker can do since he has shown some chronic soreness in his hocks. Still, I would think that we could master flying changes this year. So, once I get him in shape, that's a plan.

Chance just needs a good solid foundation in all the basics. I'd like to have him trainer to at least first level competence, with, perhaps some flying changes as well. The first level competence is not a problem but the changes might be a bit much, depending on how he progresses.

Toby? Hard to say. He deserves his retirement, but I think being ridden now and then is good for him. He's definitely a "take it as it comes," fellow at this point. He can be very obvious about not wanting to get caught sometimes, so I guess I can just let him tell me what he wants to do.

Nothing grand here. There may be an opportunity for a "despooking" clinic in the Spring that would be decided fun for Chance and there is the outside chance I may decide to show him a little. I really don't have any ambition in that direction, though. Shows have gotten super expensive and there don't seem to be too many fun little schooling competitions around any more. We'll see.

So, that's it. No real resolutions, per se, but some goals. I am hopeful that my new knees might spark some more ideas once they are fully recovered. And I also hope that new legs will help me get myself more fit and even lose some weight.

Only time will tell.

Fly Update

2011-12-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

And More Sheet Work to Do

Spaulding Labs emailed me with an explanation that their billing/order system had gone completely haywire with orders their customers had placed for the fly predators. Apparently, it was a software error that went, as they said, "from bad to worse." They sent me a corrected copy of my order which was fine and promised to follow up with a standard confirmation.

Good company, and, as far as I'm concerned, they sell a good product. I'm sure from what I heard from other horse stable owners last year, that I had far fewer flies because of those little predators. They are worth the money.

The Boys are enjoying the nice weather we've been having, but what the heck does Tucker do to his clothes? I finally got my sewing machine's bobbin straightened out so I brought Tuck's turnout sheet in and sewed up the rip. That's fine. But, when I went out last night for late feed, I saw that his sheet was lopsided on his back. So I straightened it, only to find that the front surcingle was missing.

I don't see a tear in the sheet, but the darn thing is not there.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to rescue some pieces from sheets and blankets I've had to dispose of over the years, so I have an extra surcingle I can put on. That means I have at least one afternoon project.

When it warms up, I'll go out, take Tucker's sheet off and bring it inside to repair. I'm beginning to think I need a sewing room right out there at the barn. Come to think of it, if I had the money to build a gorgeous, full service barn, I would. Or at least I'd have a nice, well appointed tack room with a huge washer and dryer as well as a nice sewing station and a heavy duty machine.

Alas. I do not have the money and probably, my Township would wrap the building permits into so much red tape that even if I did have the funds, it would be years before I'd get the darn thing built.

The New Year is creeping up upon us all. Here's hoping it will bring better things for everyone.

For me. All I need right now is enough thread to sew on that surcingle.

Oopsy! Super Fly.

2011-12-30T00:19:00.000-05:00

What in the World?

I ordered my fly predators the other day, taking advantage of the early order form to get the special double shipments twice during the fly season.

For those of you who don't know, fly predators are teeny tiny wasp critters that feed on the stable fly larvae. You get a shipment of little ready to hatch eggs and spread them about the stable areas where it's wet or near the manure pile. The little bugs hatch and eat, cutting the fly population considerably. They are not a 100% cure for flies, but they surely do help around here.

I just received an email from the company indicating that there had been an error in my order and would I please check it and notify them as to how to remedy.

My goodness!! According to the order on the email. I bought about 10 or more "subscriptions" to fly predators for 2012! Somehow, my order had multiplied worse than stable flies.

Hopefully, their email shows the company clearly understands this was wrong and it will be easily fixed.

But things like this make me nervous. It's one of those moments when using the Internet as opposed to a face-to-face transaction gets a bit risky.

I do a lot of business and shopping on the Internet myself. As a matter of fact, I find shopping on line a great way to get bargains and save the time of driving all over to find just the right purchase.

And yet, this little incident pulls me up short now and then. It's a good reminder to shop carefully and from reputable sellers all along the way.

Hopefully the Boys and I will not be buried under fly predators this summer. At the size of my erroneous order, we'd have every acre of land covered with them.

Then again, I guess I really would have no flies around here.

'Twas Days After Christmas

2011-12-27T11:14:00.000-05:00

And All Through the Farm....

Peace reigns. The Boys are fat and happy and so am I.

Well, not too fat, yet. What is it about the holidays that brings out the appetite? We had my cousin's delicious lasagna Christmas Eve, along with cookies and candy, of course. Then on Christmas Day I went down to my other cousin's house--at Ship Bottom which is on Long Beach Island at the Jersey Shore--for a sumptuous ham dinner. I ate and ate.

But, I also took a three block walk to the beach before dusk. Not the biggest deal, normally, but with my knee replacements, a potential challenge. Walking in the sand is not the easiest effort for muscles and joints. New Jersey beach sands tend to be fine so when they are dry, you sink in several inches. With my own bad knees, it was hard to make it across the top of the beach down to the water. Christmas Day, new knees? No problem! Again, my knees are still a little stiff and, depending on where the swelling has decided to rest for the day, a little sore, but they are stable and for the first time in years really feel as if they can hold me up just fine.

So, I walked all the way down to the water's edge and dipped my hand in the ocean. Not normally a big deal, but I haven't been down to the ocean in about two years, so it was an "event," for my fingers. I was rather surprised that the water didn't feel a lot colder. It might be that it is salt water, of course, but it was not a feeling of "instant freeze" even though the air was rather chilly--not icy cold, mind you, but hovering around 40F or a bit below with a breeze.

I'm not a big shore goer, even though it's one of "the things" to do in New Jersey. I get sunburned easily and getting thrashed about by waves was kind of hard on my knees. But perhaps this summer I will go down at least once to my cousins' house to take a dip. I much prefer the pool for real swimming, but the ocean does have a unique allure and with new legs, I will probably enjoy it.

Meantime, the Boys have reaped the benefit of the season as well with apples in their feed and the traditional carrots with green tops--I think I noted that before. I did finally manage to stitch the rip in Tucker's sheet so he doesn't quite look like a ragged orphan any more as well.

My friend Stacie was supposed to bring her lovely little mustang mare, Rosie up here to the mustang trainer who lives on the next road over. Stacie has only done the basics with Rosie who is now coming four years old, so it's time to start working on getting her under saddle.

This is Rosie. She was adopted and handled at Rutgers University in their equine program as a baby. They auction the horses off at the and of the school year. She was two in these pictures and the handler is the student who was her caretaker.

So, back to the story. Around 9AM or so, Stacie called me from the emergency room. She had been sick all night and in pain. Turned out she is OK--drink plenty of fluids and just wait it out--but the call gave me quite a scare. I was afraid something had happened when she was loading Rosie for the trip up. Whew!!

I just spoke to her on the phone a few minutes ago, and she is doing much better and was even able to do the barn chores this morning. Of course, as we all know too well, that horsewomen, in particular, do not "know the meaning of pain" when it comes to taking care of our horses. I know that I, for one, have dragged myself out to the barn despite a fever, nausea, weakness, and even a non-supporting knee more than once to see to the Boys' care. But, I'll take Stacie at her word and accept that she really is feeling better.

I am ever hopeful that the New Year will bring better things for us all, particularly my friends who've not had the best 2011.

In the meantime, I am doing all I can to enjoy the rest of the holiday season, even if it means a few extra pounds. With my new knees, I should be able to work them off anyhow. *lol*

Merry Christmas To All

2011-12-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

'Tis the Season

I have carrots with tops for the Boys as well as apples for their Christmas feed. I got each one a new flysheet--for the summer, of course--and a new halter.

I plan on doing a little extra barn cleaning to make the manger suitable for the Christ Child and have some extra special wood shavings on store for bedding.

My family presents will be wrapped and ready for Christmas Eve and my outdoor lights will be shining brightly.

So, to all, a very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Follywoods--kitties, horses, and me!

Merry Christmas To All

Rituals and Routines

2011-12-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

Just How Do Animals Tell Time?

It was just about 8:30 this morning, the time I've been feeding the horses. I had just rolled out of bed and was headed towards the kitchen when I looked out the window to see Peppercorn, the barn kitty, heading for the house. This was not a random stroll, but a direct walk with a mission--to meet me at the door as I was coming out to feed.

The house is too far away for him to have heard me roll out of bed and I hadn't turned on any lights or made any kind of noise he could have heard. And yet, he knew it "WAS TIME" and I would be on my way. Some internal clock had struck "breakfast" in his brain and he was acting on it.

Feeding the Boys is a routine, of course, but when I see those faces waiting for me to appear, I begin to wonder where the routine ends and the magic begins.

I enter the barn with hay first, open Toby's stall door, put his hay in the corner and go into Tucker's stall from the outside door to put his hay in as well. Toby is always fed first, in deference to his alpha horse standing in the herd. Then I cross the aisle to put Chance's hay in his stall.

Each horse, in turn has to pee. I'm not at all sure what that is all about, but it's part of the routine--or the ritual. Sometimes one, or all three will go out to the paddock to do this duty, or stand just inside the stall door looking out as they do. Wet spots are almost always in exactly the same place in each stall when I muck out, so that too is part of the whole scenario.

If I leave Toby's inside stall door open as I often do, part of his routine/ritual is to come out into the aisle and stand at the feed room door, watching me dole out the feed. It's apparently important to him to both be out, in charge, and supervising my work. One quiet reminder "Back in your stall," is enough to send him back in where I dump the feed in his bucket, then Tucker's and finally Chance's. Same order, every feed time.

Toby a long time cribber, gets caught in another habitual behavior as he eats, stopping after a bunch of bites to windsuck on his stall wall. If I don't catch him Tucker takes that as his cue to sneak into Toby's stall from outside to grab a few bites of Toby's grain while Toby is lost in the euphoria of his vice. Most of the time, I see the sneaky Bay Boy and once again, "Own stall," is enough to send him back home unless Toby rouses himself and chases him out with snaky ears and an alpha horse warning.

It's the same every feeding. A routine we all share like clockwork.

And most of the time, Peppercorn joins in, insisting--as cats are wont to do--that I feed him first of all. Alpha cat--only cat. He lets me pet him as he eats now and is thinking perhaps it might feel good to get some stroking at other times, although he's not quite sure yet.

He led the ritual this morning, but was clever enough to wait under the shed roof, nestled in the leftover hay in the wheelbarrow as the rain drizzled down this evening.

Apparently, ritual can be dependent upon the weather here at Follywoods.

Diversions

2011-12-20T12:18:00.001-05:00

How To Waste Time

I am playing computer games again. I haven't done this with any kind of dedication for years. Most of the games I've played have been mere diversions, not obsessions.

But, "back when" I played the Sierra adventure games with a serious vengeance--for hours and hours at a time. These were not "shoot 'em up" arcade games, but legitimate adventure games where your character moved about in a virtual world and had to solve puzzles to move the story along. The avatar would need to find objects along the way to use in various places, interact with various characters, and actually move through life as his/her story unfolded. Sure, there was combat at times, but nothing that I--somewhat "speed challenged" on the mouse or cursor--couldn't handle. I didn't need a game controller or quick fingers. All I really needed was my brain. The games? Hero's Quest, King's Quest, the old Leisure Suit Larry, and Space Quest.

Then "adventure" games moved to arcade mode. I had to shoot fast at targets, kill, maim, destroy, all requiring physical skills I just didn't have. My fine motor skills just don't suit that kind of action.

Time passed. I played FreeCell, a lot. There were a few little short adventure games--mostly Scooby Doo--online. Then, I discovered Angry Birds and a number of other "physics based" games online. Basically, you shoot some kind of object--birds, rocks, etc.--to break or move obstacles which then supposedly react as they would in the real world to collapse or knock things about in order to reach a goal.

Fun stuff. I found and played Zombie Drop, All We Need is Brain, and, of course, the Angry Birds series. I have since spent hours happily smashing zombies or leading them to their deaths and crunching green pigs.

Then, I discovered some more old fashioned adventure games from Big Fish Games. These are not the "find the hidden object" games with time restraints, but the kind of games where you wander about solving puzzles in order to reach an objective. I spent a good part of the day finishing up Spirits of Mystery: The Amber Maiden, and have already spent hours working out the puzzles in the Drawn series.

I am sure I could be spending my time more productively. I'm still not quite ready to ride again, so that's out for the time being. The outside chores beckon to some degree, but the colder weather has put me off a bit. I did do the laundry and I have to wrap my presents. There is some house cleaning calling to me again--as it so often does--but I'm having fun.

Sometimes there's really nothing wrong with that.

I do need to go shopping to get the Boys their traditional carrots with tops for Christmas. The rest of my shopping is done.

I guess I have a little extra time to waste.

Picture Perfect--Well, Not

2011-12-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

Introducing....

My friend Christina has a new Border Collie puppy, Jake. I visited them today at the barn and also met, RC, the new barn kitty. RC was "making moves" to play with Jake and the pair were adorable. So, enjoy a few moments with the cutie pies.

RC batting at Jake.

Jake eating his carrot.

Jake, crashed as only a puppy can crash! He took a nice long nap.

JC planning his next move.

And, for those of you who need some bad Christmas lights pictures, here is one of my house and one of the barn.

It is almost impossible for me to get good focus on these, but at least you get the idea.

I put up all the lights and garlands. The front fence is done as is the back porch. So, I have completed my decorating once again.

And I wore myself out. I still have feed to unload from the truck, so that will exercise me tomorrow. It is supposed to rain at some point, so I don't have any other big plans for the day.

I guess Christmas has come to Follywoods.

Partially Lit

2011-12-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

No Deed Ever Goes Smoothly

What is is about jobs around the house and barn that always makes them filled with drama?

I put the lights up on the front porch--lighted garlands around the pillars, a green spot light, and a lighted wreath on the door. Plugged everything in and...nothing. Checked the switch inside--on. Checked the fuse box in the basement--OK. Something has gone wrong with the outside outlet on the porch.

I will not try to fix electrical stuff. I can rewire a lamp and do the wiring on my horse trailer, but house wiring repairs--Nope. My Dad was an electrical engineer and did all the electrical work around the house as easy as anything. He did the plumbing work and carpentry work too. I cannot aspire to his heights, although I am willing to tackle a few tasks.

But electrical? Nope!

So, what to do? There is an electrical outlet in the basement by the basement window at the side of the house. I already had the window fixed to things could be pulled through it. So, I hooked up an extension cord from the basement to the front porch where I put a surge protector so I could connect several cords.

That left how to turn the lights on and off. Needless to say, I didn't want to have to hike up and down the basement stairs to unplug things. Nor was I too keen on having to go out to the porch to trip the surge protector all the time. And, while an automatic timer was an option, I'm not too keen on losing control of when the lights go on, especially since I sometimes like them to stay on longer or shorter depending on what's going on here.

Enter the remote control device. I had one here already, but there was another good brand on sale at Target when I visited today--in search of red bows. I've hooked it up and even from the living room upstairs it seems to work a treat. So I can now turn the outside lights on and off with the touch of a button! Too cool for words.

Tomorrow is going to be another nice day weatherwise, so I hope to finish up the garlands and bows along the fence--probably add the lights, decorate the barn, and put some more lights on my little tree. Then I am all set.

For ideas about wrapping presents. I have, for the second time, come up with what I think's a really good one. I am using the fabric reusable shopping bags they sell in the markets. I had to do a bit of searching, but I found some very pretty green ones and some lovely red ones that don't have huge advertising images on them. instead they have nice, attractive trees. I simply put the unwrapped present inside, add a bit of tissue paper, some ribbon, and the tag. They look pretty, they're practical, they save a lot of work wrapping, and they save all that wrapping paper.

Meanwhile, the Boys are just hanging out. I did get a good buy on bagged apples yesterday, so each horse got one for dinner. When I shop, I count how many apples are in a 5 pound bag and usually it's only 11. Since I have 3 horses, that never divides evenly. However, these apples were a bit smaller and there were more than a dozen in each bag. So, it still might not divide perfectly, but I do get at least three sets of treats out of each bag before I have to start cutting something up to share.

I am a bit obsessive, I fear, about making sure that the treats are always given equally to each horse. Sometimes Toby does get the biggest carrot, but never two if everyone else has only one. I guess even if my Boys are not altruistic or fair with each other, I can set a good example.

After all, isn't that what a "parent" is supposed to do?

To Light or Not To Light

2011-12-11T17:56:00.000-05:00

How Holiday Should I Be?

OK, the horses are settled all snug in their beds as visions of carrot tops danced in their heads. (I always buy each Boy a bunch of carrots with the green tops still on. Most of the time we get carrots here with the tops trimmed off, so tops on ones are special.)

I am just back from the annual choir Christmas party which began after church this morning--actually about 1 PM. My church has changed the annual tradition of an evening musical vespers service to a morning service of "lessons in carols." All the musical groups of the church participate, singing and playing songs to illustrate a reading of the Biblical Christmas story. I do miss the beauty of the evening service with the candles, but this was nice. And our chorale/choir held an after service brunch/party afterwards. I hung out longer than the others to chat with our host and hostess--we are good friends--so I was later coming home.

On the drive, I passed dozens of houses all lit up for the holiday. Colored lights were everywhere.

My house, as I pulled in, was dark and dreary. I do have my little tree in the bay window, but it was not lit, so there was no sign of holiday spirit anywhere.

So, do I light up or not? The decorations are in the basement, waiting. I am certainly capable of climbing up and down the stairs to drag them up. But then I need to go outside and put them up. Once again, I am physically capable, but do I have the will and energy?

I could do a partial version and only put up the basics, but I know myself too well for that. Once I start, I will have to string the garland along the fence, add the red bows and then the lights after I've decorated the front porch with garlands and lights.

And then, how can I leave out the star, garland and lights on the barn? Or the garland and lights on the back porch?

I fear it's another one of those jobs I cannot do half way.

So, to light or not to light, that is the question.

Then again....it's supposed to be a nice day tomorrow.........

Quiet Days at Follywoods

2011-12-09T09:24:00.000-05:00

No Snow, Though

We had heavy rain over the last two days and despite predictions that it might change to snow overnight, it didn't. Of that, I am glad. Snow, in moderation, is OK, although I am not fond of it, but over top of all the water that was already lying about, it's just a mess. This scenario would have been rather dreadful.

I am, obviously, not yet riding again. My knees are nearly back to how they were before the famous fall, but I think the colder weather is making them a bit more sore than they might be if it were warmer. Not bad, however, so I am not complaining. And most of the time, when I get up to do something, I don't really think much about how I am going to walk. I just walk.

I think the Boys were grateful for their rainsheets the other day. As noted, it was pretty miserable out there and more than once I saw them all gathered under the run in shed. Well, sort of. Chance usually ends out being half in while the other two Boys hog the better part of the protection. There is plenty of room on both sides of the barn for three horses to fit, but it always seems that it's "third man out," and Chance is at the bottom of the pecking order.

It is kind of curious to me as to why that happens. There is no physical reason why the two older horses cannot move a bit further under to let him fit comfortably under the roof. But herd protocol seems to be that the alpha horses get all the benefits and the omegas must be reminded of their lower status. You'd think there'd be an urge to support the common welfare. It's not as if the three of them are not good friends.

When I went out to feed on Monday morning, all three were romping and frolicking in the front paddocks. Tucker was galloping around while Chance and Toby played horse volleyball--or whatever--over the paddock fence. They were rearing and biting at each other, having a grand old time. Once again, my camera was in the house, but I probably wouldn't have gotten any good pictures anyhow. Either they would have been blurry, empty as the horse galloped off just as I pressed the shutter, or I would have ended up with close ups of horse noses which is usually what happens when they see me with the camera. *lol*

If I want good horse pics, I have to sneak around like one of those paparazzi hiding in the bushes to catch shots of celebrities.

Maybe I'll go out later today, since the sun is shining, and try to get a few pictures of my little herd in the orange sheets. Everyone is rather dirty from rolling about in the mud, but they certainly are happy.

Chores and the Escape

2011-12-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

Taking Advantage of the Weather

Nice day today, so I decided to get some outside work done. The big task was getting the big tree branch off the lawn and out to the woods. For this, I needed the tractor. And the tractor needed to get through the gate into the paddock with the branch dragged behind. And that meant the gate had to be opened for a little bit with me in the tractor seat instead of in control of the gate.

Of course, the Boys thought this was all great entertainment. They were all hanging out in the front paddock, watching my every move. This time it was Toby who took advantage and made for the gate as it was swinging shut after tractor and tree were through. It was almost closed all the way when my clever boy shoved it with his nose and made his great escape out onto the back lawn. Tucker and Chance were quite miffed about that as there is at least a little nice green grass out there and Toby immediately dropped his head to graze.

Since I do have the gates across the driveway and Toby still respects them--as long as Chance is not taking the lead, I left him to enjoy himself while I dragged the branch out to the field and rolled it into the woods. At that point, Tucker and Chance galloped out to the front paddock where I'd put some flakes of hay and settled themselves down to eat and keep an eye on Toby.

That left me to make another trip back and forth to get the rest of the tree limbs out to the woods without worrying too much about the gate. Once I finished that, I cleaned the loose and wet hay out from under the run in shed--only one tractor bucketful and pondered my next move.

I decided to cut it short--stacking the manure pile was one option--and go back out to the lawn to pull the arena drag back into its proper parking spot where the tree branch had been lying.

I was about to park the tractor back under the roof area by the tack room when I realized that the hay had piled up there pretty badly and the whole area needed a cleaning. Once again, I discovered that baling twine reproduces like rabbits. Nearly every forkful of old hay had some twine in it, even though I had been putting the twine I'd pulled off the baled I'd fed the horses into the garbage can. I am quite convinced that two strings of twine have a litter of about ten as soon as you allow them to lie about instead of being properly contained.

At any rate, the garbage can is now full of twine, the hay is pretty much cleaned up, and the tractor is once again parked where it belongs.

Toby was quite willing to come back into the barn for his dinner and all's well with the world.

I have a feeling my knees are going to complain about all this work, but so be it. They need to earn their living too.

Taking Small Steps

2011-12-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

Impatience Doesn't Always Pay Off

I am not a patient person about most things. I like to get a job done and I don't like to wait for things to be done. I often take my time starting a task, spending a lot of time thinking and planning on how to tackle it and that often leaves a lot of work never even started. But once I begin, I am driven to "get 'er done, " ASAP.

Riding and training horses has taught me a lot about taking things a bit at a time. But I must admit, through a lot of my training, I would battle out an exercise with my horse in order to accomplish it--often pushing both of us beyond our emotional and sometimes physical limits. As long as the exercise was something we were both capable of, it was OK, but I'm not sure it was always the best approach.

Over time, I learned from my horses that taking things more slowly and breaking down larger goals into smaller, more easily accomplished steps worked a lot better. Half pass is considered an upper level exercise at the trot and canter. It's really hard to teach a horse to half pass at first effort if he does not understand first how to move sideways off the leg. Moving sideways off the leg requires that the horse understand to move away from pressure in the first place and that is an even more basic concept. Then too, a horse that cannot balance itself well at the trot is going to have trouble balancing sideways, so that is an even more elementary skill.

That idea is where all the steps on various training scales have developed over the years. While I don't necessarily follow one set pattern of training my horses, I have learned that nearly every goal needs to be reached through a series of steps designed to prepare the horse both physically and mentally. I'm not always great at it, but at least I've learned.

So, now, I am trying to apply the same thinking to my own life/recovery. Need a bale of hay? If you can't carry a full one, open up the bale and carry a few flakes at a time. Cleaning the stalls? Don't fill the wheelbarrow to maximum weight capacity. Better to make two trips you can manage than struggle to push too many pounds through the mud. Fifty pound bags of grain? Open the bag, empty a bucket or two out and then dump the much lighter bag into the feed bin.

And then theire's the big tree branch still lying in the back yard. I've been sawing off the limbs a little at a time. Saw until you're tired, put the saw away and save the rest for another day. I am pleased to say the limb is at last ready to be dragged off by the tractor. The too wide limbs are off, and I should be able to move it out to the woods as soon as I get around to it.

No hurry. I'm just taking this job one step at a time.

Carrots for All

2011-11-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

Back to the Routine

I am back to doing all the feeding and cleaning as of tomorrow. I have to go get some bedding and do a few minor chores as well to keep me busy for the day.

I have a lot of tree branches I need to get off the lawn at some point, but they may just have to wait for a while. The big one in the back yard has some priority and I am sawing parts of it off a little at a time. It is stull currently to wide to drag through the paddock gates to get it out to the woods with the tractor, so I have to trim it down. Since I am not brave enough to try a chainsaw, I am sawing by hand. That does take a bit of time and effort.

I am slowed by my knees, of course, and a cold. Bummer. I went to the doctor this morning just to be sure there was nothing else going on, and according to her, I have a viral respiratory infection, so there's nothing to do except the standard, "Drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest."

OK, so I take natural supplements as well including vitamin C, zinc, ginger, and other herbal formulas. If anyone out there has a brilliant suggestion I haven't tried yet, please let me know. At this point, I need to be able to sing for the church service on December 11, so a cure by then would be good.

The Boys are not neglected. Today they were hanging out in the paddocks near the barn, so I gave each one a nice fat carrot. I love watching them enjoy treats like that. I the scope of things, a carrot is a very small offering, but to a horse, it is a treasure to be savored. We should all learn a lesson from how much pleasure and satisfaction our horses can show for simple gifts.

Life for us humans often seems too complicated for us to "stop and smell the roses." A horse, a cat, a dog, just doesn't see the world in all that complexity. To them, the here and now is what really matters, and they use all their senses to perceive and appreciate the world around them as it happens.

I think that's why I like feeding time in the barn so much. The bucket of grain and flakes of hay are always anticipated and appreciated with such equine delight. To my horses, every meal is a thanksgiving feast.

It's just something to think about.

Slowly But Surely

2011-11-28T10:13:00.000-05:00

Getting Back to Normal As I Can Be

Note the "I can be" part of the title, please. My knees are still not perfect. Both of them still have some stiffness and a bit of soreness in them due to the internal swelling and, of course, all the "stuff" done to them during surgery. I don't want anyone to think that going on three months from my surgery I am 100% free from any discomfort. I have been told that it will be at least 6 weeks before my left knee is fully recovered--that from my surgeon. But I'm not sure what that means. Already, my knee is nearly where it was before I went off the horse. Does that 6 weeks mean it will be wonderful?

I'm walking a little slowly still, and I'm certainly not ready to run. However, I did push the nearly full wheelbarrow yesterday and it was OK, although my knees complained a bit more last night than I would have liked. But, like exercises in rehab, that is the consequence of using muscles that just aren't in shape. To some degree, the phrase, "No pain, no gain," does apply. But that does not mean you should be feeling pain during the exercises. Pain is a warning that something is being overstressed. But "soreness" after proper exercise is expected. Muscle tissue has to be stressed, and often 24-48 hours after exercise will experience soreness. (We need to remember this for our horses too, by the way!!)

The good thing about my knees is that, in general, if I start off again slowly and get the blood flowing into the joints, most of the soreness goes away and I am able to continue on my merry way. I have already noticed that each day, I can do just a little more with each leg. For example: My right knee was always the worst one of the two before surgery. As a result, I became very "left leg dominant." After surgery, my left leg was the better of my two legs, so the left leggedness continued. Now, however, because I fell on my left leg, my right leg has had to "take over" as the strong leg. At first, depending on my right leg was a challenge. Now, however, my right leg pulls me up the step into the barn just fine, even with a few flakes of hay in my arms. Then too, I caught myself using my left leg to go up one of the steps as well, meaning that my left knee is pretty well recovered from the fall. And all this after being back off the crutches for less than four days.

Another bit of interesting information is that standing up taller and with good posture also helps walking. The same is true when using the crutches, which is why the elbow crutches work so much better for me.

I am much less likely to bend over using them and I have much more mobility than with crutches that go under my armpits.

And....I have also found that Skechers Shape-Ups are really good shoes for my joints. I discovered this on a shopping trip many months before my surgery when I was so knee sore after walking a lot that I was about to give up on going into the last store I needed to visit. I'd bought a pair of Shape-Ups and decided to give them a try. Suddenly, I was able to walk again with hardly any pain. Amazing. Now, they also seem to make a big difference with my new knees. The rocking/rolling action of the foot really seems to help ease the concussion of walking.

I have these in several colors at this point and wear them all the time. They are not exactly the most elegant "dress shoes," of course, but for slacks and jeans, they are perfect. I know pointy toes and heels are the fashion, but I'd rather sacrifice in order to be stable on my feet, safe, and comfortable. Obviously, they are no good for riding--might even be dangerous in the stirrup--but my Ariats work well for that and have built in support too.

I still have my horsesitter coming in the afternoon to clean the stalls and feed the Boys, but as of today, I am doing both morning and late night feeds again. I'm not sure the Boys missed me, but I'd like to think that my appearance out there means just a little more to them than buckets of grain and hay. *lol*

I brushed everyone off the other day, but it's kind of like trying to hold back the ocean. They looked just as muddy as they'd been by the next day. I guess rolling in the dirt--fortunately mostly the sandy arena--just feels too good. The problem is that with their winter coats, the dirt gets pretty deep and it's almost impossible to get them really clean. Tucker, the bay, seems to be the easiest to make presentable. Chance is in second place, and Toby is in third tending to look like a "dustball" no matter what I do. I do have a horse vacuum I can use if need be, but as long as they are happy, what's a little dust?

Soon we will be into blanket season anyhow and then I stand a chance. We're not planning on going anywhere formal anyhow, so it's just fine.

After all, what's a little mud between friends?

Back On Two Feet

2011-11-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

And So I Start All Over Again

Right now, both my knees feel about the same, so the left one has pretty much recovered from my fall. I'm not sure how it will be after I go out to feed the Boys, or after a bit of walking around, but so far, so good.

I did find the last couple days rather interesting. Not doing a lot of walking for the two weeks of my recovery was not good for either leg. My right one had gotten pretty stiff and gave me so pain again. Nothing too terrible, but certainly a setback from where I was before I went off my horse. Just goes to show how quickly our muscles will lose their strength if not properly exercised.

It makes me think of horses...what doesn't? In particular, of horses kept in the stall for most of the time. I've heard of many situations where perfectly sound horses are in the barn all the time except for the hour or so they are exercised or ridden. Aside from being incredibly boring for their minds, what does it do to their bodies?

In a natural setting, the horse is a grazing, relatively nomadic animal. Even on the lushest grass, you will see a horse move about from place to place as it eats. You will also see a horse take off an run for no reason at all except to move at speed. I was told my PJ used to walk all the way to the far end of the pasture at one boarding stable and then gallop back several times a day, as if he were engaged in some kind of self-exercise program.

Now, I do understand that some horses need specialized turnout--individual or limited--due to personality or physical issues, but that is most often the exception. Personally, I believe a horse needs to be in a herd situation, or at least with a buddy, turned out for the better part of every day in order to be healthy, sound, and content. Otherwise, it's just not natural.

And here's where the lesson of my knees come into the equation. If two weeks of limited activity made my legs weaker, what would days of confinement in a stable do to a horse's legs/muscles? Somehow I can't imagine that an hour or so of exercise can quite make up for hours of freedom and movement in turnout.

My Boys have 24/7 turnout here. Sometimes they are muddy messes, sometimes they just hang out in the stalls and run in sheds instead of wandering about the paddocks. Tucker loses shoes, and turnout sheets get ripped. Now and again we get hoof abscesses (this year was a bad one), and dings and cuts and scrapes. My Boys rarely look acey deucy "show ready," on an average day, but they do seem happy.

I'd rather have that than a perfectly groomed horse any day.

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

2011-11-24T13:16:00.000-05:00

No Matter Who You Are, or Where You Are

Thanksgiving is a US holiday, but its wishes should be shared throughout the world. We need to remember the blessings we have and give thanks for all the good things in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

"Only Those Who Never Ride....."

2011-11-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

"....Never Fall"

That's an old horseman's saying that always echoes in my head after I've gone off. And in my riding career, I've gone off a lot of times.

I've been hurt a few times too, with a broken wrist, some kind of damage to my shoulder, back pains, cuts and other bruises, and the worst injury of all, bruised pride. I've had some embarrassing moments on the ground for sure, most of the time with only my horse as witness. One of those moments came when Toby pulled one of his fast sideways spooks. I rode with it, but when he slid back into place I simply slid out of the saddle to end up landing softly in the briars with Toby looking at me as if to say, "What the heck did you do that for?"

More spectacular moments included having my horse fall with me, leaving me not much more option than an unplanned dismount. I've gone off over fences, gone off because my horse has bucked me off, gone off due to spooks and bolts, and just generally for no reason at all.

The key to riding is keeping the horse between you and the ground. Generally, keeping one leg on either side of the horse works well. (Something I should have remembered this last time when I decided instead to swing off Chance's back instead of trying to ride out his reaction to the minibike.) I did ride sidesaddle for a while and never did go off that way, although I didn't really try too much exciting riding and stayed in the arena on my "hunter on the flat." Some people claim it's really easier to stay on a horse sidesaddle, but I'm not so sure, unless being kind of "hooked in" by the upper and leaping pommels really does give you a more secure seat. (Never got the hang of jumping sidesaddle myself.)

The fact is, once you climb on the back of a horse, seating yourself five or so feet above the ground and then decide to move the both of you, falling off is always an option. My trainer used to tell me not to think of falling or getting bucked off when I rode Tucker. He felt the power of negative thinking was not going to help either of us get any training done. When I really focus on my training and riding, I don't think about falling, actually. And, for the most part, I don't ride with fear as my companion.

But as I've gotten older, I also know I don't bounce quite as well as I did as a youngster. As much as I loved jumping, that's one of the reasons I gave it up. Now, I try to avoid the situations that might get my horse and me into situations where one or both of us might run into more than we can handle.

That's why I was out riding on a Wednesday afternoon. The woods should have been quiet and free from the scary weekend, after school and holiday ATV/Minibike riders.

But alas. The best laid plans.....

I'm off my crutches in the house and will soon be walking outside on two functional legs with no added support--I'm a little cautious of my balance and muscle security on my left let still. That means I'll be back in the saddle in a few weeks.

This time I plan on staying there once I mount up. *G*

Getting Around on Crutches

2011-11-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

And I Can Drive Just Fine

I went to church on Sunday and sang Bach's "Gloria" from his "Heiligemesse," (Joyful mass...sort of.). At any rate I love singing it and didn't want to miss the chance. It turned out to be perfect for the service as the minister's sermon was about singing LOUD to God. And, the our choir did a beautiful job of singing it.

We are a relatively small group--fewer than 20 voices (Often many fewer) but everyone is a good vocalist and we have a pretty full sound for so few. I'm glad I managed to get there to join in.

The big breakthrough was that a managed the whole trip using my crutches. My left knee is finally able to support my weight with minimal pain. I wouldn't want to have to move suddenly on it, or twist it too much, but it's working again. I know people manage to get around on crutches all the time on only one good leg, but it was a rather daunting challenge for me. Part of the problem was that my injured leg did not want to stay behind me, but rather seemed to "have a mind of its own" to swing ahead of me with every step. This throws off my balance so that I am in constant danger of falling backwards--scary. I don't know if I needed more practice or whether there was something about the knee pain itself that was causing the problem. That's why the wheelchair was such a lifesaver.

I figure I will be out feeding the horses again, at least in the morning, before the end of this week--maybe tomorrow. I still will not be able to push the wheelbarrow--probably by next week, though--so I will need help with the afternoon chores. And, at some point, I need to get some hay to hold me over for the weekend. Again, I can get the hay loaded into either the car or the truck, but getting it unloaded when I get back home is an issue.

Ah, well. There is always a solution to a problem. You just need to look for it.

Right On!!

2011-11-18T17:11:00.000-05:00

The Knee is Just Fine

My doctor looked at my Xrays, looked at my knee, and declared me just fine. "Go ahead and do anything you want and get back to riding," he said....with only my pain to stop me. He figured I might want to wait a while to ride again, but there was no physical reason I couldn't if it didn't hurt too much.

I love this guy.

His intern thought the boss would tell me to get out of the wheelchair, but the doctor himself said that if the chair helped, it was perfectly OK. He also said I wouldn't do any damage by walking on my leg either, so it was all up to me.

On the downside, he did say it would be probably six weeks before the knee would be fully healed. No biggie on that either because "Good" is rather relative at this point. I will definitely be walking on it with no crutches much sooner than that and then we'll be back to just stiff and sometimes a little sore like the right knee is now.

As to the ligaments...I was 100% right. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are gone (my ACL was gone anyhow, so that's no loss) but the medial collateral and collateral ligaments are there and I probably strained the medial collateral (Inside of the knee) in the fall. Everything else is perfectly funtional and my knee bends and straightens just fine. The rest of the pain is either from bruising or interior swelling, as I figured.

I was easily able to get down the two steps out of my house on my crutches and can walk pretty well on them, so I now feel able to get out and about on my own. Since it's my left knee and my car is an automatic, I can drive with no problem. I did have a friend go with me today since the drive was very long and I wanted the option of the wheelchair. Mark was a big help and we had a lot of laughs on the trip. Fortunately I had a minimal wait at the doctor's office and it took less than an hour for Xrays and the consult.

More later about my discoveries traveling about in a wheelchair. Despite claims to the contrary, "Fully handicapped accessible" is not exactly an accurate term. I have a lot more to say about this, but I will save it for a later post.

For now, I have the "all clear" to get into more trouble. (I'll try to be good, Muriel. *S*)

Aha!!

2011-11-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

Maybe I Understand

OK, so I have new knees. While I will wait for my doctor to confirm, I may well still have some ligaments left--collateral ligaments. These are the ones on the side that help stabilize the knee side to side. If I do, that explains the pain I have now after my fall.

I am quite puzzled otherwise, because my knee feels almost exactly as it would have felt before the replacement if I had fallen and twisted it. Of course, added to that feeling is the extra soreness from some already damaged and not quite healed soft tissue there and "voila!" I have an explanation for what I feel.

Now, of course, I am going to the doctor who will confirm or deny my assessment.

I can now put weight on the leg and step a bit with the crutches, although I don't feel sure about pushing off with the hurt knee or any kind of sideways motion. Still, slow progress is better than none at all, so I am hopeful the next week will bring some noticeable improvement.

While I could navigate about without the wheelchair, I still think it's a good idea, mostly because ligament and soft tissue injuries do not improve by being overused, so the less I stress them, the better--for now. My doctor may have another view.

More when I find out what's going on.

I catch glimpses of the Boys outside now and then. They look fine and happy. Have to wonder sometimes if they miss me--I mean as long as there is plenty of food. *G*

Barrier Free???

2011-11-15T16:31:00.000-05:00

Not

Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to learn about how well my house is set up to be barrier free. If I am to stay here into my old age, this is a lesson well-learned.

Area rugs can pose an obstruction to wheelchairs. My larger ones are OK, but if I were stuck in a chair for a long time, I might want to get rid of them.

Furniture is in the way. Passages from one place to another are made difficult by chairs or other pieces of furniture in the way.

Other "stuff" on the floor is a barrier. Anything set on the floor that might get in the line of a wheel poses a problem.

Narrow halls and doorways at angles are a challenge. I have a narrow hall to the back bedrooms. The bathroom and one bedroom are at the side of the hall. It is very hard to turn the chair in the hall to get into these doors.

My bathroom is not accessible. A very narrow space, my bathroom is not wide enough for the wheelchair.
Now, I can use my crutches at the door to get in. I have no idea what I would do if I were stuck with just the chair. A remodel would be the only option.

Stairs are problematic. My house is one floor of living space, so that's good. But the furnace is i the basement as is the washer/dryer. Obviously, I cannot get to either. The furnace needs water every couple weeks in the heating system. I need to get someone else to fill if for me if I cannot get downstairs.

The house is on one level, but there are two small steps up to the back porch so I can get in. I haven't tried to go outside since the day I fell. I'm not sure just how well I will be able to go down them to get to my doctor's appointment. (Yes, I am going to see the doctor just to be sure everything is OK.) I will have a friend here to lean on. My head is roiling with ideas. I may come up with some method to get down the stairs without walking, but I will see. I don't think getting back up them with the crutches will be an issue, but "down" is a bigger challenge.

So, I am gradually understanding the challenges of mobility in an unfriendly world.....

I got a call back from the doctor today. We decided an X-ray would be worth the effort just to be sure I didn't wreck anything in my knee. Actually, it's a tiny bit better each day, so it's probably fine, but having an expert look at it is a good idea.

Stay tuned for that adventure, currently scheduled for the end of the week.

I Have A Wheelchair

2011-11-14T22:44:00.000-05:00

Need a GPS

I bought a wheelchair on eBay for $40 US. It is virtually brand new and I have it already.

How? The seller lives about 3 miles from me. I plugged in an eBay search for sellers within 50 miles and the first listing was the next town over. They had a low starting price and since it was local pickup only--no shipping--no bids other than mine. The auction closed at just after 4 PM today. I paid by PayPal and my friend picked up the chair two hours later.

A regular wheelchair is much better than an office chair on casters! However, navigating around my little house is a challenge. There are a lot of sharp turns, doorways, and narrow passages. I am learning how to manage the driving, but it does take some skill. Maybe an indoor GPS would help!! (Turn right....NOW!)

I'm pretty sure most of the problem with my knee is soft tissue strain/trauma, so resting rather than trying to limp around on it is probably better.

I did call the doctor today but no one was in--I think Monday is one of his surgery days. I am mostly interested in how long I should expect having trouble walking before I really need to have someone look at it for me. Every day it has gotten a bit better, but it's hard to assess what kind of recovery I should expect.

Meantime, the weather has been gorgeous and I am stuck inside. I catch little glimpses of the Boys when they are near the barn, but that's about it.

Frustrating, but part of the whole mess.

One more test of patience.

Reviewing the Situation

2011-11-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

A Disability Is an Interesting Thing

Nothing like an injury to remind you of how hard it is to face the world with a disability.

Getting around on one "sort of good" leg is not easy. Actually, it's proof positive that doing both knees at the same time was wise as neither one of my natural knees could ever have done the job my new right knee is doing now while my left leg is essentially non-functional.

I can put some weight on the left leg, but as soon as I try to move with the weight on it, it hurts like h---l.
But I can bend it just fine and there is minimal swelling, whatever that means. If I don't see significant improvement tomorrow, I will probably call the doctor again, just to see if I might need to have it looked at. Since I don't quite completely understand what tendons, muscles, or bones might have been traumatized, it's hard to tell what might be wrong.

Meantime, I have eased my getting around the house a little by using a wheeled office chair for transport. A Small wheelchair would be perfect about now, but I don't have one. The elbow crutches work much better than the under the arm ones, so I use them to navigate the narrow way into the bathroom. For the kitchen, my office chair works great. All I've been doing it traveling from couch to kitchen to bathroom to computer and hardly anywhere else.

The biggest challenge of the day was when I went out to the kitchen, still on the crutches, to find the floor covered in water. A bucket I'd left by the door during the power outage---leave it to me not to empty it out--was spilled all over the floor. (Kitty adventure, I presume.) Trouble was, my crutches slipped like crazy on the wet floor. Fortunately, I discovered that potential disaster way before I fell into it.

The water sort of mopped up with a dishtowel and some paper towels, but not dry enough to make the crutches safe, so there I was, banned from the kitchen until it dried. That was what inspired the office chair.

Hopefully, it will only be a few more days before I can actually get around with enough weight on the left leg to move at a pace even a snail would consider slow.

Heck, I can even type faster than that!

Bummer. I am Cursed

2011-11-10T18:49:00.000-05:00

I Take a Tumble and Land...on my Knee!

I took Chance out on a trail ride yesterday. It was perfect weather and all was well until I hear the sound of an engine from somewhere behind us on the trail home. My brain went into survival mode and I decided to get off, not at all sure what Chance would do if confronted by an ATV and equally not as sure my seat in the saddle was up to par to ride out a big spook or buck or whatever.

Mistake. The motorcyle appeared around the bend, Chance bolted, and I fell off. Of all the body parts I could have landed on, fate chose my left knee. OK, there I lay, there went Chance galloping off for home, and there came the totally distraught cyclist, full of apologies.

Note here. The cyclist did not do anything wrong, except that riding on State property is illegal...He shut off his bike as soon as he saw us and was really upset about what had happened.

I bent my leg a few times--the knee still worked just fine--and managed by kind of doing a "plank" (for you Muriel) managed to get back to my feet. But as soon as I was upright, I knew I was in trouble. It hurt like the devil to put weight on my left leg.

With the cyclist's support, I managed the what seemed a really long walk home and sent him on his way after he let hysterical Chance back into the arena from the woods where he'd been locked out. The bridle was broken, but he looked none the less for wear. I took the broken tack off, leaving the saddle on only because all I really wanted to do at that moment was get into the house to call my doctor.

My surgeon's lovely nurse was pretty confident I hadn't done any major damage. As long as my knee was bending OK and there was no huge swelling, it was probably OK, but I'd be "Seeing stars " for a few days from the pain.

With my crutches, I managed to get back out to the barn where I took the saddle off and then took nearly 20 minutes to get it safely inside as carrying something while on two crutches and only one functional leg was nearly impossible. I fed the Boys rather painfully, and dragged myself back inside.

My night was misery. I resorted to the full crutches as my left leg would not bear any weight at that point. It wasn't and isn't easy. As a matter of fact, just to add insult to injury, at one point as I was turning to leave the bathroom, I fell down.

Cute. I had to scoot myself out to the living room so I could plank myself back up onto the couch where I ended up spending the night.

Curses. I simply cannot do anything right now except hobble precariously about the house.

I have called the horsesitter to come back to take care of the Boys for a few more days and my neighbor will be doing the late feed until I recover.

Hopefully, I will get better and not need to go to the doctor. My leg is a tiny bit better tonight, so it just might be OK.

Nothing like a major setback to ruin a lovely recovery. *sigh*

Tucker Wants to Hold Hands

2011-11-08T17:13:00.000-05:00

Rode the Big Horse

It was a stunningly beautiful day, with temperatures in the upper 60's F. and plenty of sunshine.

I had to be careful not to be captured by the lure of all kinds of outdoor stuff. It was Election Day, so I went to vote in the late morning. Before that, the electric company guys came to trim some branches off my wires.

As much as the residents and I have complained about their customer service communications during the storm's power outages, I must admit that when they are not in emergency mode, they are really responsive. I was afraid I was going to have to hire a tree surgeon to get rid of the branches, but a call to PSEG (my electric company), brought a same day response. A workman came by to look the situation over. He then called the central office and was told they would send tree trimmers to take care of my problem. That was yesterday. Today, the trimmers were here and sure enough, they took down the offending branches and trimmed a few more that might be a problem later on. I am delighted and it takes a big worry off my mind for the time being.

Voting done, I decided to hold in my enthusiasm and limit my riding to one horse. Yesterday, my knees were rather sore and "tight," probably as a result of my trail ride on Chance. No biggie, but definitely some protest from the joints. As much as I might like to ride more, I am trying hard to be conservative here. The exercise of wrapping my leg around a horse, flexing and using my muscles to either post or absorb the horse's movement, and just the general exercise of riding is surprisingly taxing. I've never quite stopped riding and stopped some kind of vigorous exercise (such as swimming) for so long before. I have to face the fact that I need to build my overall fitness back up gradually. (Speaking of swimming, I think I may go this week. Have to be careful not to overdo there too!!)

So, today I decided to get on Tucker. Interesting. My knees are not quite as comfortable on him as on Chance. They have to work a little more to shape themselves around him. But I didn't have any major seat or balance issues.

I was a little less confident on him, mostly because of our long history of rather "explosive" rides. He's been a good boy for quite a while, with just minor protests about cantering due to his chronic hock issues, but those bad moments are never quite erased from my memory. I just take a deep breath when I get on, focus on relaxing so I can ride the horse I am on today instead of worrying about yesterday. As usual, it worked out just fine and Tucker was well behaved.

We worked quite a bit at the walk, and I added some leg yield and half pass to the mix to keep it interesting. Then we began to trot.

Tucker wanted to "hold my hand." He was not at all content to go around on a loose rein, but pushed out into the bit looking for contact. Once again, interesting. I took the rein, with some fairly heavy contact, and he pushed forward with some energy in the trot.

He was using my hand for balance to some degree, so I would not give him high marks as a properly working second level dressage horse, but his wanting to be on the bit was a positive. In the trot, we did a little leg yield, and shoulder-in on each rein. He was very willing to give me lateral movement off my leg in both directions.

After about 15 minutes or so, I dismounted unsaddled him, gave him his obligatory carrot, fed everyone, and then went out to do some chores. I set two goals: to poo pick the arena, and to trim some of the weeds and branches away from the interior of the arena fence. I guess I spent an hour or so trimming and picking.

The falling sun reminded me of how much I dislike that change back to Standard Time. When I was still working, I'd have to rush home from school to catch the last of the daylight for a quick trail ride every fall. Now, of course, I can ride almost any time of the day I choose. But, like the memories of naughty Tucker, the memories of racing to beat quick sunsets lingers still.

Sometimes it's not so easy to forget.

Happy Trails to Me

2011-11-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

And Chance, Of Course

I took Chance out for a short trail ride (hack) today. The weather was nearly perfect and he was quite a happy camper. He'd made it quite clear yesterday that he really wanted to go out of the arena on an adventure, so I decided to indulge him.

We walked the whole way except for a little bit of trouble in the cornfield. A huge tree had fallen at the edge of the woods,blocking the dirt road. I had two choices: to go around it from the woods side through the underbrush, or go around it through the uncut corn stalks. I decided on the corn. Maybe that wasn't the better choice since the darn stuff flapped and wrapped itself around Chance's legs and body, riling him up a bit. He wanted to run, but held back to a bouncy trot as he hurried along. He settled back down as soon as we were out of the corn, so no big deal.

There were a number of trees down in the woods as well, but they were not hard to get around. Chance was totally calm about them, even though they changed the landscape quite a bit. He just moved along at a nice forward walk and enjoyed himself.

When I got back home, Tucker had knocked down a rail to get into the arena and was working on getting through the gate out into the woods himself. Toby was on the other side of the arena fence, running back and forth, whinnying hysterically. He was sure he was forever separated from Tucker and that Chance had simply vanished into the trees. He is very herd oriented and really worries if he doesn't know where the other Boys are. He could have easily stepped over the low rail where Tucker had gone into the arena, but apparently, it never occurred to him. To him it was "fence" and "barrier" not to be crossed.

Once I was back, and he was able to join up with his pals, everything was again quiet and calm at Follywoods.

My trail ride was lovely, but strangely enough, I was really tired afterwards. I certainly didn't think I was doing very much, just sitting on a horse for 20 minutes or so, but I guess riding, by nature, requires a lot more physical effort than I think it does.

Good ride. Good day, and once again, a good horse.

Back in the Saddle

2011-11-05T14:15:00.000-04:00

Chance, the Nearly Perfect Horse

I rode. That is nearly enough to say. I am so delighted.

The weather was nearly perfect, and I decided today was the day. I did not have someone else here to help, but I did take my cell phone out in my jacket pocket, so in case I needed help, I could call someone.

I picked the nearly perfect Chance as my mount of choice. He is by far the quietest of my Boys and hardly every gets too excited about things. I fit him well too, which makes a difference to my knees. When they were still bad, I was most comfortable on him.

He was a little fussy about standing next to the high mounting platform, so I had to work him just a bit to get him where I needed him to stand. That platform is really a little high for mounting him as I almost have to go down to get on--not quite but it's definitely not up. Next time, I will do some thigh stretching before I get on as I had a little trouble swinging my right leg over his back. Bless his heart that when my foot brushed his rump, he didn't even flinch.

Once in the saddle, I had to find the stirrups and that too took a few seconds. But Chance's motion massaged my legs just enough and by the time we were on the other side of the arena I had both feet in the stirrups and felt just fine. I've ridden enough without stirrups that it's usually no big deal, but I didn't want to risk too much of that first time out in a while.

I did not feel any pain in my knees beyond the little ache from their stiffness--still a little swelling in there. My surgeon had told me I might feel pain on the inside of each knee, but it just wasn't there. I fact, I felt pretty darn good.

We walked a few times around in each direction and then I decided to try some posting trot. Wonderful! My knees worked perfectly and it felt like just the right kind of exercise for them. We only went around in a large circle twice in each direction, but it was just right for a first time out.

I worried a bit about dismounting, but the little bit of riding had loosened me up and I was able to take Chance to the center of the arena and do a proper dismount with no problem whatsoever.

I gave him a huge "Thank you" hug and a second later, burst into tears. The enormity of the whole thing--bad knees, the decision for surgery, surgery, recovery, and now riding again--hit me all at once. And here was this sweet, gentle horse, unridden for perhaps five months, behaving like a perfect angel for me. (Well, I fib here. Twice Chance slowed WAY down when we got to the gate to the woods. He wanted to go on a trail ride, and I had to persuade him we were only going to stay in the arena today....maybe a short one tomorrow??)

After I finished up with Chance and gave him his first carrot, I captured Tucker and gave him a very short lunge session. I'm sure he will be fine to ride as well, but he is a little more unpredictable than Chance so I will wait a bit until I feel a little more certain about my physical abilities.

After the lunge session, everyone, including Chance, got a carrot. I told Tucker his was for being such a good boy, and I told Toby his was just for being himself. Chance? Well, one more "thank you" seemed appropriate.

The Snowstorm Helps Out!

2011-11-02T16:46:00.000-04:00

Early Farrier Visit

Since the storm knocked out power to so many places and so many tree branches were still down, Scott, my farrier had open time yesterday (Tuesday). He was planning on coming on the weekend but when he called me and found out I had both power and a clear span to the barn, he came right over.

Perfect timing. It was exactly what Dr. Klayman had hoped for. That meant Tucker's hoof would get a good going over, trim, and treatment. Sure enough, Scott worked on the hole in Tucker's sole, trimmed much of it and medicated it. He then said turning Tucker out was fine. I should wrap the hoof first--even knowing a wrap would not stay on--then clean and wrap it again when I brought him back in.

Then Scott pulled Toby's shoes so he'll be barefoot again, especially for the winter. I will have to watch him for any signs of laminitis or soreness, but he was fine before, so I am not really expecting any problems. I'll just pay special attention to him.

That left Chance. Scott was half way through the trim when he called me over to show me a hole in Chance's sole--near the front hoof wall--in almost exactly the same spot as Tucker's abscess. Chance was fine for the hoof testers, but the hoof was decidedly "squishy" there and now we think his lameness was indeed caused by a hoof abscess--just like Tucker.

I am now theorizing that I have a magic hoof boring parasite on my property who has a taste for right hind feet only! I will be on the alert in case it makes another assault. *VBWG*

Since I'm pretty sure the hoof issue was the cause of Chance's lameness, and he was already allowed some turnout, I surrendered and put him out with the other two for the bulk of the day. I've closed them off in the riding arena and pasture so they will stay out of the mud. They have both water and shelter, so it's a good situation.

There hasn't really been any running about either. I spent about three hours out there doing some chores----and no horse even so much as galloped a stride. It is a lovely, sunny day and I think they were just enjoying the freedom.

Kubota and I

My tractor and I spent the afternoon working. First order of business was to remove the huge tree limbs that had fallen on, around, and in front of the horse trailer. I am ever impressed with Kubota's power and, if I attach the tow line just right, how efficiently it can move some pretty big objects. I dragged the limbs out to the west paddock and pushed them into the briars and bushes that have overgrown my fence. I can't clean the undergrowth out as it starts on my neighbor's property line and is an extension of his heavy undergrowth. In this case, the tree limbs will serve as additional fencing along that side. *sigh*

I then decided to put some sand around the water trough in hopes of getting rid of some of the mud there. I also scooped a drainage path so water would run away from the trough instead of just in front of it. I'm not sure if the sand will do the trick, but I made it pretty deep so if the mud does dry up without water to "feed" it, the sand might work. I really need some gritty quarry screenings for places like this, but at the moment, I can't afford them.

Then, I used the front end loader to clean out under the east run in shed. It wasn't bad yet so if I keep cleaning it maybe I can keep it from becoming a huge job the way is usually does.

On the way to and fro from the manure pile, I began pushing the more spread out sections of the pile into the center. I didn't do as much as I need to in order to satisfy myself, but it was a start and I was having fun tackling a bunch of different chores rather than sticking to just one.

Which then led me to hook up the arena drag to groom my riding surface. I had moderate success here because in a number of places grass and weeds have grown up since I hadn't used the arena all summer. But, if I keep at it, especially as winter ticks on, I should be able to clean the bulk of that out.

So, my little farm looks a bit tidier, my arena is ready for me to finally ride, and apparently, I have at least two horses sound enough to ride. (Toby's back seems OK, but I don't want to push it.)

Amazing.

Power's On

2011-10-30T18:40:00.000-04:00

Twenty Four Hours Later

Thank goodness the traffic lights were out on my road's major intersections, because I am not at all sure there was any other incentive for the power company to get us up and running before Wednesday. Apparently, there are a lot of homeowners still waiting for electricity while we are finally back on the grid.

I had already called the police to ask if there was any way I might be able to get water for my horses if the outage continued into the week. I figured I could make it through Tuesday morning, but that might have been it. As it was, the Boys were drinking rainwater stored over the last month or so--not exactly the freshest.

I used part of my household emergency stock to wash my hair and take a sponge bath so I'd be presentable for church this morning. Blessedly, I have a gas stove, so I was able to heat the water first. I also have the gas fireplace in the living room and took good advantage of it to stay warm through the long night.

Of course, non of my animals had any idea we were in an energy crisis. I do think the horses are a bit put off by my headlamp--my nighttime chores' illumination--but other than that, they all expected total care on my part.

But I did skip part of the job. Tucker has an abscess in his right hind hoof and should have been soaked in hot water and rewrapped with Icthamol. Since his wrap from Friday was still intact, and he was nearly sound, the darkness, cold, snow, and miserable conditions put me off on that task. Fortunately, he was quite sound today when I heated some water up on the stove--before the power was back on--soaked him while I cleaned his stall, and then wrapped his foot up again. One missed day didn't seem to cause any problem for him. Could be that my vet got the abscess opened up enough that it burst out through the hole relieving the pain. Since I am a little limited in how much thorough hoof examination I can do--the knees don't quite last too long holding up a hoof--I did not really explore the bottom of his hoof before I wrapped it back up.

Poor Chance is desperate to get out. Dr. Klayman says he looks fine but wanted him on limited turnout for the week. I don't have a small paddock for that at the moment, so the compromise was for me to start lunging him. One day was fine, but then came the snow. It is now sloppy, wet, and slippery out there. I think in a day or so the afternoon temperatures will warm enough to melt the horrid white stuff and all I'll be left with is wet, so I'll probably be able to get Chance out soon. In the meantime, he is just going to have to be content with strolls in the rather short aisle of the barn (30 or so feet) as I don't want to risk him out in the yucky mess outside.

Toby has a sore spot on his back and I have some DMSO/Cortisone to rub on it. Dr. Klayman thinks it's from some kind of trauma. Either he rolled on something or....somebody's hoof might have hit him there. X-rays are an option but for now "wait and see" is a far better approach.

It was such a relief when the power came back on. Out here, when I lose electricity, I lose water as my pumps do not work. How nice it was to fill the Boys' buckets with fresh, clean water!

Power's Out

2011-10-29T16:49:00.000-04:00

Snowstorm

Much to report, actually, but it will have to wait until I have proper power. I need to conserve energy.

Chance is recovered on limited exercise and Tucker has a hoof abscess,

Snow has downed power lines somewhere and we can't get any info from the power company. The roads are quite slippery and a number of cars have ended up in the ditches.

Not a pretty prelude to winter, I fear.

Back when electricity and perhaps Internet is on again??????? Working on not very charged batteries.

Rollicking Good Time

2011-10-26T09:08:00.000-04:00

Not Exactly What the Doctor Ordered

I was supposed to walk Chance in had for a while every day. I've done so, but not as long as would be ideal. He'd been in his stall for about two weeks now and, on the surface, appears quite settled about it.

So, I took him out on the lunge line yesterday just to let him graze and walk a bit.

Mistake.

Something set him off and before I knew it, he bolted. Now, my knees are pretty good, but not yet good enough to either set against the power of a bolting horse or to run with a bolting horse in hopes of being able to stop him. The line slid through my gloved hands and off he went, galloping through the arena gate and out to the pasture.

Then he came galloping back through the paddocks, around, back out to the pasture, around....well, you get the picture. I'm not sure which was more appalling; waiting for the trailing lunge line to trip him, or wondering what kind of damage he might be doing to his possibly injured ankle.

There was no way to either corner or capture my wild man until he decided to settle down a bit and munch some grass. At that point, I got a bucket of feed. managed to get a hold of the line and walk him back into the barn.

He was quite pleased with himself. Fortunately, his leg looked none the worse for wear and shows no sign of any real heat or swelling. I can only hope the exercise didn't do him any harm.

Dr. Klayman is coming tomorrow morning and I will let Chance wander around in the barn aisle for his exercise session. No point in repeating the same mistake. *sigh*

Meanwhile, Tucker is back out and so far looks OK. He stayed in for about three days with his foot wrapped and seems to be OK. Toby looks OK too, but I haven't done much testing of his back to see how that is. I'd really rather have the vet look at it.

So much for my "bedside manner." Not exactly what the doctor ordered. *G*

Time to Buy a Lottery Ticket

2011-10-21T17:19:00.000-04:00

What are the Odds?

I own three horses. You'd think, on a day when everything else was just right to try a short ride with my new knees, that the odds would be with me. Stacie was on her way home from a saddle fitting and my house was in between, so she arrived to help supervise. The weather was lovely with a slight breeze and cool, perfect riding temperatures. There were essentially no flies.

Chance was, of course, out of the equation as he is still not quite sound from whatever lameness he has. That left two options: Toby and Tucker.

I opted first for Toby as he is the best trained of the three and usually pretty reliable. We brought him in but as we groomed him, Stacie found a bit of a bump on his back. At first that's all it seemed to be, but as we tested around it, he flinched and sank down. Since the saddle could put some pressure there, I decided not to take a chance.

That left Tucker. We brought him in and as he came through the barn door, he was a little hesitant stepping along. There was some mud there, so at first I thought he may have slipped a little. But as we were grooming him on the crossties, Stacie told me he just didn't look right in one hind leg when he moved. We took him out to walk him and, sure enough, he was "off" on his right hind. The lameness was slight, but definitely there. That ended his riding afternoon, and mine.

I've called the vet--no emergency in this case. Dr. Klayman will be coming back on Thursday anyhow to look at Chance, so unless something more severe shows up in the other two, I will just wait and see. I did notice some bit of ragged frog in Tucker's foot and Debbie, my horsesitter, thinks there was heat there. So I have put some Icthamol on it and a light wrap.

Toby is on his own for now. He looks just fine on all four legs and was leaping and bucking quite happily when I took Chance out to hand walk him so he certainly isn't in any significant pain. It could be just a skin thing or something simple. No biggie as long as he's happy.

So, I did not manage to get into the saddle. I am a bit disappointed as I really did want to see how it felt, but it's OK. Fate was not smiling on me this time.

However, my horsesitter had far better luck. She has been looking for a driving pony for her son for a while now. Just the other day, I was able to talk to a good friend who has driving ponies and from her, got the name and address of a reliable pony guy out in Pennsylvania. Debbie was preparing to get in touch with him when.....

An adorable little Haflinger gelding showed up at the local horse sale: Camelot Sales (They are involved with dozens of rescues around the country and save dozens of horses each week from the "kill pens") Bob, the Haffie, was advertised to ride and drive and had even been used to mow lawns by pulling a mower. I saw him on the Camelot Facebook page and figured he'd be a super prospect for Debbie. Fortunately, Debbie happened to go on the Facebook page early Thursday morning herself and, in short order, called in, staked a claim on Bob and withing a few hours had him trailered home with her!!

From all the evidence, Bob--renamed Blazer by her son--is going to be a star! She long lined him yesterday and said he was a good as gold. I should think if he was pulling a lawnmower for the Mennonites that he is a solid driving pony with a good mind--perfect for a young driver who hopes someday to do combined driving.

Fate is a strange lady. The stars lined up just perfectly for Bob, that's for sure.

Maybe Fate had an ulterior motive in mind for me too. I just wasn't supposed to ride today.

An Answer for Stephanie and Everyone

2011-10-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

When to "Do" the Knees

I hurt my right knee when I was about 14 and my left knee some 40 years later. I did not know until I hurt the left knee that my ACL was blown in the right knee. That fact made my doctor and I decide I could cope with no ACL in my left knee as well since my right knee had been pretty functional for all those years.

So, I ended up having arthroscopic surgery on both knees within the last 10 years and various alternative treatments--prolotherapy and PRP (platelet rich plasma injections) that allowed me to continue on at a pretty good functional level.

My knees ached and there were many things I could not do. Climbing stairs could be hard on a bad day, and walking long distances was not always comfortable. I could not do anything that required movements similar to running or jumping, but I could ride my horses. I might be sore afterwards, but I was able to ride and train three horses in dressage, managing to train two of them to the FEI level.

But last year, a PRP treatment had minimal effect, and I was finding myself riding less and less. Finally, this Spring, I took a short trail ride and the next day, I could hardly walk. My knees hurt and I was miserable.

THAT was my benchmark moment. I had long ago decided that when I could no longer ride, it would be time to consider knee replacements. I am now 62, so my age suits the profile as well. Generally knee replacements do have a lifespan themselves and it's better to wait until you are a little older to have one in hopes you will not have to repeat the surgery in the future. (I may be on the borderline there....) However, I would not discourage anyone younger as long as they had reached the moment in their lives when coping with the pain, discomfort, and general disability of bad knees was no longer tolerable.

I had already evaluated the situation and knew what was going to trigger my decision. So, looking back and saying, "Gee, I should have done this sooner," as many people do, is not part of my thinking. Once my knees are 100% better--still in recovery phase--I may think that, but I honestly will have no regrets about waiting. My surgical decision was planned out well in advance and, as I noted, I did have treatment options that were keeping me relatively sound despite everything.

All that being said, my surgeon told me my knees were "really bad," which does add to the equation. Perhaps I am more tolerant of pain or better able to cope with physical problems and limits than other people.

As you all know, I also spent the summer swimming nearly every day, building up my cardio system and body fitness in preparation for the surgery. Since I could not do much in the way of good leg exercises on land, being in the water allowed me to use my leg muscles to build them up as well. Swimming also helped build my upper body strength, which was also a plus in my recovery, as I was easily able to push or lift myself with my hands and arms to get out of chairs or use walking assist devices.

I will not tell anyone that my recovery was pain free. The surgical incisions cut through muscles as well as skin and the new joints are inserted into my bones. For the first couple weeks, my thigh muscles ached and burned in various places and with varied intensity. Again, I may be more tolerant then some people are regarding pain. Pain meds in the hospital certainly helped but they did not make me pain free. My level rarely went below a 4-5 on my pain scale. However, to be honest, most of the time, it was no worse than the aches and pains I suffered in my old knees after a day of too much exercise.

I was determined to have a fast recovery. According to all the professional around me, I have. I spent four days in the hospital immediately after surgery--the standard for two knees--and then less than a week in the rehab center. In rehab, I only had four days of physical therapy before they decided I was well able to cope at home on my own.

The key? I was fit before the surgery. I already had learned skills to "coddle" my bad knees, so sore new ones were not a problem. And, above all, I kept a positive, cheerful attitude about the whole thing. So many people in rehab were depressed and obvious about their pain. I found that laughing and trying to lighten everyone's spirits was some of the best medicine I could take--and offer.

If you need replacement surgery yourself, here's my advice: First, set some kind of benchmark for yourself so you will know when it's truly time. Second, DO NOT wait until you can't walk or function anymore. That will only make recovery much harder. Third, research to find the right doctor. I ended up with only two consultations but was so blown away with the attitude and approach of the surgeon I selected that there was no question in my mind at all. Fourth, prepare yourself. Get your body into as good shape as possible. Eat right and exercise as well as you can within your limits. Do not neglect cardio vascular fitness either as heart and lungs are an important part of a good recovery. And do upper body exercise to build strength there. Fifth, plan ahead as much as possible for your hospital time so you will not be worried about what is going on at home with family and pets while you are gone. You will need to be selfish while you are recovering and totally consumed with yourself and not other problems. Sixth, learn all you can about your own care, medications, etc. so that while you are in the hospital, you can watch out for yourself. If you have a close family member who will be your care advocate, that's great, but if not, you will need to be ready to speak out on your own behalf if there are any issues regarding your care or treatment. Seventh, keep a positive attitude. The whole idea of replacement surgery is to make your life better. The road to recovery may have a lot of potholes and rough spots, but the end is well worth the struggle. Keep that in mind and learn to smile through the difficulties.

Yesterday, as I was walking in from the barn, for about five strides, all the stiffness in my knees vanished and I felt what it's going to be like an a few more months when I am further along in my recovery. All I can say is "Wow! That's what good knees feel like!!" It was more than enough to put a brand new smile on my face.

Slow Go, But Soon

2011-10-18T09:55:00.000-04:00

Now, The Weather

I hope to get on a horse before the end of the week but two things have to come together.

First is the weather. Rain is predicted on Wednesday, which was the first choice day on my list.

Second is that I need a fellow horseperson here to help out. I'm pretty confident all will go well, but one more person here to hold my horse and just be there "in case," is important.

Chris who has been helping me with Chance's hoof will be going on an endurance ride at the end of the week, so she will not be here. Stacie, is, thankfully, pretty busy with her saddle fittings and sales, so I am not sure she can help out. I have another option left, but I'll wait to see how the weather changes play out.

My right knee is still moderately swollen and does get more stiff after I exercise, so I am not quite ready to leap into the saddle, but at the same time I am eager to see how it all feels after so long.

Chance is still a bit lame but so much better. We've had no clear evidence that an abscess has popped, but as I recall from the last time he had a sore hoof--front one--it was never quite clear where it finally resolved itself. I was hoping to ride him first, but Toby may get the questionable "honor." Tucker would actually be the easiest to get on as the new mounting block suits his height--kind of just a "step into the saddle on a 17 h horse." But he is not the most reliable mount for "beginners" like me. *lol*

Chris's wonderful husband, Larry, put new fence rails at the end of my riding arena where Tucker smashed everything. Now, I have to go out and poo pick, cut the grass that's grown up in there since I haven't ridden in so long, and then drag the sand. I discovered that the Kubota tractor is not quite as high a step up as I thought and with just a little extra effort, I'm pretty sure I can get on and off it enough to do some quality work with it. To tell the truth, that tractor has turned out to be one the best investments I ever made for my little farm.

My car? Two bad ignition coils and many hundreds of dollars later cleared one of the "check engine codes." The other one, a bad thermostat, needs to wait. The bank account could not handle the full repair estimate.

Then, in a fit of genius, I headed over to the school where I taught to see the auto mechanics teacher about the whole situation. Good news, bad news. His students can and will change the thermostat and flush my cooling system. It will only cost the price of parts. The bad? They could have changed the coils as well, saving me at least half of what I paid--no labor charge, just parts. *sigh*

The only reason I went to the professional garage first is that last time I had a "check engine" light the school shop tried to fix it, but their diagnostics found an issue too complex for them to deal with at that point. Now, I'm kind of kicking myself for not going there first.

Then again, there is the plus that the coil work has a warranty on it and it's kind of a big ignition deal, so that might be worth it. I will drive the truck for now for most of my errands, just to be safe since the car might overheat, and take the car to school next week.

Strange how after being retired for just over two years now, I had already forgotten the huge benefits of working in a vocational school where I could get so many jobs done for so little money. I have to reconnect my brain to the whole situation.

I did have a nice visit at the school with a few old friends, but already, most of the rooms I passed had new teachers and I only saw one student who knew who I was. That ties the school with the shopping mall across the ball field where I ran into another graduation student who is getting married and was helping her mother select a "mother of the bride" dress.

One for one. Fun day, even if it was more expensive than it could have been.

Blown Away

2011-10-14T16:47:00.000-04:00

I Am Free!!

I visited my surgeon, Dr. Purtill, this morning and the news was amazing!! No more physical therapy. he believes just walking and my everyday activities will be the best treatment for me from now on.

I can drive. I can do anything I want to do and....

I can ride!! He sat down in front of me to show me how my legs would be when I was astride a horse and warned me that I might be sore on the inside of my knees--pointing to the spot--but said not to worry as that would be normal. Otherwise, go for it!

I can do barn chores including lifting grain bags if I want to, but my knees would "tell" me what I could and could not do, so I should "listen" to them.

He told me my old knees were REALLY bad and stressed it. Apparently it was kind of surprising I was able to do anything at all on them.

On the even more plus side, I am "Way ahead of the curve" as far as recovery goes and a "Superstar!" I think my surgeon is truly enthusiastic about my recovery status. My knees have essentially normal bend and the swelling will go away on its own so I should not worry about it. I will have good days and bad days now and then, so I should not get frustrated.

He did tell me it takes a year and a half before the knees are actually fully healed, so I can expect less than perfection until then, but overall, I have had an incredible recovery. He complimented me by insisting most of that success had been my doing and my determination.

What a refreshing and exciting appointment it was. Dr. Purtill has such and upbeat and positive approach to the whole experience, fully believing his patient can do almost anything with their new joints. He made me feel there was no limit to future activities.

I am no longer on the warfarin, so I don't need to worry about what supplements I take--including aspirin which does always seem to help my aches and pains. I do have another prescription pain medication if I need it, but it may well be I won't have to resort to that.

Dr. Purtill said further PT could actually hurt with the stretching of the leg, etc. so it was better to just stop now. I have one more appointment tomorrow so I will do the exercises and get a nice massage, but not have the therapist do any other work on my legs.

Chance is still lame, so I can't ride him, but I plan on waiting until I am a little more sure about the stiffness in my knees before I do try to ride. I want to do some exercises off the horse first to prepare and I will not get on unless I have a knowledgeable horse friend here.

Christina put a new poultice on Chance's foot today but there is no sign of any kind of abscess yet. Guess it's just a matter of waiting.

On the bummer side--I drove my car to the pharmacy and on the way home, the "Check Engine" light came on. Last time it was a major bit of repair work required. That is kind of painful at the moment because my budget is pretty tight. I hate to do it, but I guess I have to take the car in ASAP for a "health exam." *sigh*

At least I can drive it there myself!

Sympathy Pains?

2011-10-13T18:52:00.000-04:00

Chance is Off

Yesterday morning Chance was dead lame on his right hind. It was so sad watching him make his painful way into his stall for breakfast.

I did a quick check and found absolutely nothing as far as injury, heat or swelling. A gave him some Bute and decided to see how he was later in the day. When I went out in the early afternoon, he was still holding that leg off the floor so I decided to call the vet.

My vet called me in the early evening and told me to give him some more Bute. If if was a soft tissue or joint injury the Bute would improve him. If it was a hoof abscess, it would not do much.

By this morning he was better, but still favoring that leg. My vet came around 9:30 and after a quick exam decided the most likely cause was a brewing abscess in his hoof. She is not 100% sure, but flex tests on his main joints did not seem to affect his level of lameness and he was reacting to pressure with the hoof testers.

For now, his hoof is wrapped in animalintex and icthamol. My big problem is that I am not exactly sound enough myself to change the wrap. But, my friend Chris who has her horses on the next road over was gracious enough to come over to help out and will come to change the wrap tomorrow for me.

My vet brought her assistant who is just recovering from getting kicked in the jaw by a horse during a vet treatment. She was fortunate that her jaw was not broken, but she is still having headaches and a stiff neck. Today was her first day back in the field, so I was glad Chris was there to hold Chance for part of the exam. The assistant did lead him for the soundness check, but he was a very good boy and remembered his manners so she was OK.

All three Boys got their flu and rhino shots as well, so the visit served a dual purpose.

We are looking for some kind of improvement in Chance by Monday. I'm a bit frustrated that I cannot soak and treat his foot myself, but my knees are not quite up to that kind of bending and hoof holding yet.

Bless my exceptional horse friends who are so willing to help out. I honestly think of all the people I have ever known in my life, horsemen are the best in sharing and caring when it comes to any problem I have had with a horse. The love for our animals runs deep and there is a bond among us all the rest of the world might never truly comprehend.

Slow Progress

2011-10-11T10:45:00.000-04:00

Ups and Downs

The trouble with judging my healing progress it that day by day, things change.

My knees themselves remain stiff, mostly from swelling. Part of it may still be that my body is trying to decide whether or not to accept the artificial knees. There is a bit of a rejection process involved aside from the fact that my bones have new pieces inserted in them.

My upper leg muscles vary from day to day. Since I did some lifting out in the barn the other day, including a bale of hay, there was some extra stress which made them a bit more sore than normal. But yesterday's physical therapy pushed me through that and today, the muscles are not bad. It's the knees themselves that ache.

On the plus side, walking around seems to help. And, I can finally ride my exercise bike. Getting the right leg to go all the way around was the hard part, but I've passed that crisis. I was riding the incumbent bike in therapy, so adding some bike work at home will be good.

I visit my surgeon on Friday and hope he will give me the OK to drive. I plan on testing myself with the car in the driveway before I go, just to see how it feels. Since I did drive the lawn tractor with no problem, the car should be easier as it takes less pressure to move the pedals. Since it's an automatic transmission, my right leg needs to do the work. I'm pretty sure I'm ready.

The Boys were out in the pasture when I went to feed them this morning. I'm glad they were not hanging out at the barn looking for me since I slept a little later than I've been over the last week. I put all their feed--including grain, hay cubes, and hay--in the stalls and called them in. Chance came first, at the gallop, followed closely by Tucker and Toby, galloping in as well. Seeing them come like that when I call is always fun. I'm sure anyone would be impressed at how eager my horses are to respond to me.

Now, if they'd only come galloping in when I just want to work them. *G*

Back in Blue

2011-10-08T20:48:00.000-04:00

I Hike The Pasture

My legs were sore again today--typical after physical therapy--so I took it easy for most of the day. I did a number of my stretching exercises and decided walking was a good option.

It was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm, in the low 70's, it was exactly the kind of day I'd love to ride. But I am not quite ready for that. I actually figure I'd be fine on the horse, but the challenge of mounting and dismounting might be a bit daunting.

Well, mounting might be OK as I do have my nice mounting platform. But when I think of how stiff I was after riding around the lawn on the mower for an hour, I'm not sure I would be able to get my right leg to cooperate enough to dismount. Still....

Don't worry. I won't try until I am sure it will be OK, and even then I will make sure I have another rider around to help just in case.

What I did instead was take a walk around the pasture looking for Tucker's blue flysheet. I found it in the farthest corner of the field. Now, mind you, the flysheets my Boys are wearing have all seen better days and are largely held together or tied on with pieces of baling twine--a marvelously useful invention. In the case of Tucker's sheet, the front surcingle had been replaced with twine and it had broken, so he had just kind of stepped out of the sheet.

All three of the Boys accompanied me on the search, leaving the fly free barn to follow me out to the pasture. They were quite curious as to what I was doing and were very friendly about it all. I guess they are looking for some attention. Tucker actually walked back into the barn right at my side as if I had a lead rope on him.

Once there, I ushered him into the aisle and began working on getting him back into his blue sheet. Once I tied it back together and dressed him, I sprayed him with fly spray, sprayed Toby and Chance, and then emptied and scrubbed the water trough.

Trough refilled, grain bins moved back into the feed room from the aisle, and a few branches picked up off the lawn, my day of work was over. I wasn't a lot of work, but it was productive and at this point, I'm pretty pleased to have managed a few chores.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Recovery Continues

2011-10-05T19:25:00.000-04:00

Horse Care Routine Begins Soon

I will be doing the morning feed starting tomorrow and my horsesitter will come in the afternoons to feed and clean stalls. I'm not sure how long this new arrangement will continue before I take over full care, but it's not too far in the future.

I have an appointment with my surgeon next week during which I hope he will give me the OK to drive again. I have been depending on the kindness of friends to take me to doctor's appointments, physical therapy, shopping, and to choir. While I certainly appreciate all this, it's hard for me to impose upon others when I should be able to take care of things myself.

PT is going well. I cannot say there have been huge changes, but each time I go, I feel a little better. I am still not lifting extra weight with my legs, so the basic exercises are not too taxing. I am not sure I would be able to lift much weight yet anyhow as my muscles do ache when pressed too hard. I have to remember that they have to heal from the surgery too. My knee replacements were pretty invasive surgeries. It is going to take some time.

By the way, it is national Physical Therapy month here in the USA. My clinic is running a special raffle and has given all patients a tee shirt, a tote bag, and a water bottle as a gift. It's kind of fun and each time I go for therapy I get another raffle ticket. Guess I picked the right time to have my surgery!

My next adventure is to mow the lawn. Since I have the riding lawn tractor, the only challenge will be pushing the forward/backward pedal with my foot. The tractor has an automatic transmission, so there is no other trick to driving it. My Kubota has the same kind of transmission, but it's higher to get on and off of, so using it to drag the arena--another task on the horizon--might be a bit hard. But, if I can climb on and off, I'm willing to try.

When you are handicapped by physical limitations, it is always a problem to figure out how to do what other people would consider relatively easy, normal tasks. Those of us who are truly able bodied--or on the way to recovering out "ablebodiness" need to think of that now and then.

It is a humbling thought.

Bit of Good Work

2011-10-02T18:24:00.000-04:00

Stiff But Solid

I gave my new knees their first test today. The riding arena is in dire need of a thorough poo picking, so I decided it would be a good chance for me to see how things felt and if I could push the wheelbarrow.

Success on all fronts! I only did two almost full barrows. It actually felt good to push against the weight with my legs, so I figure they got a good workout. It may not be standard physical therapy, but it was exercise. And, I am most happy to report that the stability in my new joints is striking. My legs felt really solid under me! What a difference from what I've been feeling all these years!

It actually makes me quite excited for how I will feel in the future once all the stiffness and swelling are gone.

There is still some heat and swelling in my knee joints, and the muscles get stiff and sore if I sit or stand in one position too long. During exercises, including the therapy, my muscles do not hurt. (This for Claire.) It is afterwards, when they have rested for a bit. The muscle fibers need to stretch and contract repeatedly in order to get stronger and once I am done working out, sometimes they want to cramp up. Massage, heat, and moving definitely helps and I am already noticing that they are feeling better a little at a time.

The swelling in the knees is not extreme either, but after therapy that too increases. So the treatment is ice packs.

I have been trying to stretch each knee myself, but it's not quite the same as when my therapist works on it for me. If you've ever had an injury that needs therapy, I am sure you will understand.

While I was picking the arena, Chance came over to "help." First, he needed a snuggle. Then, he needed to knock the wheelbarrow over so I had to fork everything back in all over again.

Does that mean I actually cleaned up three wheelbarrows full?

Sore Muscles

2011-09-29T15:42:00.000-04:00

Physical Therapy

I am rather surprised at how sore my muscles are the day after physical therapy. There is a decidedly burning ache in several spots that my painkillers do not seem to relieve.

I really hurt on Tuesday, but I carried on with most of my home exercises anyhow--what horseperson wouldn't? Then by Wednesday, I felt much better, only to go to therapy at the center in the afternoon.

Today, Thursday, I am quite sore again, although it's not quite as bad. This is a hopeful sign that over the next week or so, things will get better. I am using heat on the muscles and ice on my knees and that helps but I will admit to being pretty darn uncomfortable a good part of the time.

But, I also have to remember that I had bad knees for a long time. My right knee's damage was nearly fifty years old and over those years, my body and especially my leg muscles adapted to a skewed carriage and conformation.

Now, my legs are straight with correct support and the muscles have to re-learn how to work properly, stretching or contracting in entirely new ways when I both walk and move my legs. It would have to be very much like what a horse goes through when it begins correct retraining after having moved in a stiff, inverted way for much of its life. Suddenly asked to be round, to carry itself with unfamiliar, unfit muscles, I am sure it too would experience some of the discomfort I feel now.

The only advantage that the horse might have over me is that its muscles would not have been damaged by surgical incisions, so it might recover a little faster than I am at this point.

This experience will serve me well when I start to ride again, both for me and my horses.

We are all going to have to retrain some muscles that just might decide to protest as we work through our new adventures.

"T" for Tucker

2011-09-26T18:07:00.000-04:00

"T" For Trouble

The two "t" words are synonymous.

Sunday, my horsesitter turned Tucker out in the riding arena with the sand footing because we still had mud and we need to be careful with his shoes. All was well when I left for church.

Sitting through the service with my stiff knees was a little challenging, but it was fine. And since I knew the anthem we were singing I was able to join the choir. The group went out to lunch afterwards and I enjoyed a nice salad bar meal.

I came home--I still have to beg rides from friends since I am not yet driving myself--in the early afternoon and relaxed for a bit.

But something kept nagging at me. I just had a feeling Tucker was no longer in the arena. I gave in to my sixth sense and went out to the barn. Sure enough, the arena was empty and Tucker was hanging out in the barn. What did I find in the arena?

Two possible avenues of escape:

In the first pic you can see the lower fence rail just hidden in the weeds behind the open gate. In the other two pictures you can see the smashed fence rails. They look to be sabotaged from the inside, so Tucker is the only available suspect. There are a lot of vines a bushes in the way there, so I have to think he got out by the gate, but you never know. He had no scrapes or scratches on him that I could see. *sigh*

So, with no rain in the forecast for a few days, he is on full turnout because the arena fence needs repair.

Today, in the early afternoon, I went out to put the fans on in the barn.

I was greeted by a naked Tucker! No flysheet. What???? Where???? No sign of it and I am not quite yet up to hiking the paddocks and pasture on a quest.

Now, he is dressed in one of the orange flysheets. It doesn't fit really well, but it will do until I find the missing one.

Some children just seem to get in trouble at every turn.

At least there is some grass to munch on.

At Last

2011-09-25T08:32:00.000-04:00

PT Begins

I had my first PT session yesterday and it made a huge difference. The biggest result was that my physical therapist did some deep massage on my leg muscle and got rid of the dreadful knots that were causing the muscle to tighten. It's not yet perfect but SO much better.

I won't bore you with the exercises I did, as they are fairly standard for knees and the same ones I did in the rehab center. I was pleased to find that I could manage some of them with my right leg that I could not do in the hospital, so there was definite progress, even before the massage.

Around the house, I am walking with neither cane nor crutches, but I do use the crutches when I go out.

This morning, my horse sitter put Tucker out on the arena for me--we have mud and he has his shoe issues. I went out a bit later to fly spray him and only used the one crutch on the way out and none at all for a little while when I was handling him. Needless to say, I was very careful, but it did feel good to get some real work done.

So far, the Boys seem to be careful with me, so that's good. I will have to be careful in turn as I cannot make any fast moves to get out of the way.

It's warm, damp, and just rather miserable outside, I must confess. Summer is lingering and it is not pleasant at all. Here's hoping we get some cooler fall weather sooner than later.

Still Waiting

2011-09-21T12:38:00.000-04:00

In Stasis

I am waiting for approval from my insurance to start my physical therapy. Strange system, but that's how it works.

In the meantime, I am catching up on my sleep and doing some of the exercises I was sent home with. The only thing stopping me is the stiffness and pain in my right thigh muscles which is a bit over the top at times. It feels as if that muscle was strained or pulled and I just don't know how far to push before doing damage....if any.

My staples are out which is good as the surgical incisions feel better now. But that persistent stiffness is rather annoying. Hopefully, everything will be squared away before the end of the week.

My farrier has told me he will be here tomorrow to put Tucker's shoe on and do Toby's and Chance's feet as well. Of course, now there is rain in the forecast again, so we will have to be guarded about Tucker's turnout until things dry up again. Poor boy. He is SO good about being locked in his stall.

The other day we put an Easyboot on him and put him out for a while but the boot slipped off as it still wasn't exactly the right fit for him. At least he got some turnout.

Not much more for now. Going to eat some of the onion soup I froze before I left for the surgery. Yummy.

Beauty in the Eyes of the Beholder

2011-09-18T15:34:00.000-04:00

Two Portraits

Remember how I said everyone at the hospital kept saying what beautiful knees I had? Trust me, they weren't talking about my real legs, but the apparently awesome staple job on my surgeries.

So, to them, this was apparently beautiful:

I think we measured them at about 7 inches or so, pretty straight and each held together with some 50 or so staples. Swelling is worse on the right than the left but neither one looks dreadful. There are some bruises in various places and I did have some blisters from some of the surgical tape and bandages. Those are healing nicely as are the incisions.

So, one concept of "beauty."

Somehow I prefer example #2, which is a beautiful "we 'k'need' you" bouquet sent to me from Carole and Don at Ansur Saddlery.

Lovely, lovely flowers that have managed to stay fresh looking for nearly 10 days now. And my catsitter best buddy Shelley put them out of kitty reach, so they have manged to survive getting chewed up.

Now that's what I call beautiful in both vision and sentiment.

Thanks to all of you who sent good wishes, good vibes and words of encouragement. I will catch up on responding on blogs I visit during the week but sitting too long at the computer makes my legs ache a bit, so I am doing a little at a time.

I did go out to the barn this afternoon to give each Boy some apples and some extra hay. Tucker is still stuck inside with his missing shoe as we wait for Scott who got backed up and busy these last weeks. I suspect as the show season draws to a close a lot of his clients who compete are needing shoeing jobs ASAP, and my retired crew is just having to wait a little longer than normal.

We'll get there. They all looked fine and were very respectful of my crutches, so that was good. Not scared, just careful around me. Hope that continues.

Actually, I can walk without the crutches but it's much safer to have them for added balance, especially outside. In the house, I have plenty of furniture, door frames and walls, to steady myself so sometimes I use only one and if I only have a few steps to take, might not use any at all.

Healing continues and each day it gets a little better. I am sure physical therapy will help, but it's not going to be easy. I'm resting up to get ready and doing most of the exercises at home. But it's just not the same if you don't have a therapist to encourage you.

And, boy, would a nice massage feel good about now!!

Sleep At Last

2011-09-17T11:32:00.000-04:00

Home Sweet Home

How lovely and quiet it is here compared to the hospital. I have caught up on some of my sleep, but there is much yet to go.

My pain is moderate and fairly well, though not 100% controlled by pain meds. It's mostly a cramping kind of feeling that might feel better if I could stretch and bend my legs completely, but there is some swelling so that's not quite in the cards. I've been using ice on the swelling and heat on the very sore muscles in my thighs.

Nest time I change clothes...in long pants now--I will take a picture of my sutures. Each leg has about 50 staples holding the surgical site closed. Every expert who has seen them has commented, "What beautiful knees!" Apparently, my surgeon's skills are quite impressive. I suspect the inside is as good as the outside.

I can feel a huge difference in the stability of the joints already although the soreness and swelling do impact how things feel. Still....wow!

I hope to start my out patient physical therapy next week. In the meantime, I have to discipline myself to do my exercises at home but right now sleeping feels so much better. Hopefully after another nice nap, I will feel more energized.

Everything here at home seems fine although Tucker is stuck inside after losing his shoe. He also cut his ankle a bit, but my horsesitter is treating it. He should be just fine.

Off for my nap.

Coming Home

2011-09-14T15:33:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow.

'Nough said.

Rehabbing

2011-09-12T12:57:00.000-04:00

Perchance I Am A Star

Apparently, I am progressing rapidly through all the rehab challenges and may well be going home before the end of the week. *hope, hope*

My physical therapist and I have pretty much decided on some elbow crutches as my best get around option. I have the other kind of crutches at home already so I will have a choice as for some circumstances, the regular crutches do give me more security.

Other than that, I have been able to handle most of the in home tasks well. The therapists are a bit challenged by my need to figure out how to take care of the horses, so that has been fun. We've spent some time discussing and brainstorming all kinds of ways to make my little horse set up friendly to my somewhat limited abilities.

I've gotten some cool ideas and will just need a little bit of hired muscle to implement them.

I might be home sooner than anyone expected, but we shall see. There is a meeting this afternoon during which the doctors and therapists will discuss my future.

Stay tuned.

Off to Rehab

2011-09-09T15:53:00.000-04:00

Well, That Was Interesting

My insurance will pay for my stay in rehab, but would not pay for my transportation to rehab.
A pittance compared to the expenses of the surgery, but because I was "ambulatory" I did not qualify for transport. I guess they thought I was going to walk here!

I called my friend Richard and he agreed to drive me from Philadelphia to Edison, NJ, for my next adventure. Nothing exciting today as they will not do rehab on me today, and I am waiting to talk to the doctor about my program.

Kitties are fine at home as are the Boys, so all is well. I have both a horsesitter and a house/kitty sitter. Good people all.

Pain varies, and today I have much more swelling in both knees, but the right more than the left. Hopefully the rehab exercises will help all that.

Off to explore the web.
Lost all my bookmarks, so I may not be visiting all your blogs. But I think I put links on my Follywoods side bar.

See you next time.

Doing OK

2011-09-08T07:05:00.000-04:00

Surgery Went Well

I am a bit sore but already walking down the hall with a wlker and a physical therapist. Pain is tolerable so I should manage OK.

Just got the bandages off and I have a rather long line of staples down my leg across my knee joints. Comes with the territory.
Using Hospital keyboard on the Tv and it's a bit strange.
Nurses are great here with super care and the food is pretty good.
All for now.

Not Much Really New

2011-09-04T13:43:00.000-04:00

Just Getting Ready

I good friend spent the morning with me going to the feed store to stock up on feed while I am in the hospital. He helped me unload when we got home which was really great as I am literally on my last legs.

I did, however, introduce him to the "antique" store behind the tack store. Antiques may be in there somewhere, but the "Used furniture" and used everything else part of the place is the focus. I actually bought a really nice rolling suitcase there last week for $5. And I've often gone in to get props for various plays at school. I have two cabinets in my living room I got there too. One is a china type cabinet to display my horse statue collection and the other is a corner unit where my TV sits. Prices? At most $100, as I recall.

If you want it, they probably have it somewhere in the store. It's a huge jumble of a yard sale that goes on 6 days a week. This time, there was a wind up Victrola with a bunch of records there. The cabinet was really cool, the Victrola worked and the whole thing was going for $225. I would think an antique collector would snatch that up. There was a woman there who was on the brink of buying it, so it may be gone already.

Horses are all set now as far as feed goes. I still have to tidy up the barn and finish a few things in the house. And, I still have to pack, although most of my things are sorted and ready to go.

Off to do some caulking. More tomorrow.

Might As Well Wear Them Out

2011-09-02T18:37:00.000-04:00

My Knees, That Is
I didn't exactly set out to do it, but I seem to be managing a fair job of using up what is left of my own knees before I replace them. They have been super aching the last week and I have been very busy on my feet, not giving them much rest.

Today, I spent some time sorting my jewelry for a special sale at my church and continuing some of the major cleaning in the house. Then I checked the weather forecast and realized we might get some more rain--just what we don't need--on the weekend, so if I was going to mow the lawn, I'd better get at it.

But, of course, the lawn tractor battery was dead, so while it was charging, I took advantage of the coolish day and did some weed whacking with my electric string trimmer. I did a good part of the front bank but hope to finish Sunday when there isn't so much traffic speeding by. I have to work along the shoulder of the road and these drivers simply don't bother to slow down if I am out there. It's scary.

Battery charged, weeds trimmed, I began mowing. It is a far from thorough job as there are some tree limbs down and I don't have the energy to clean them up at this point. Besides, my kind neighbor told me he'd do it while I was in the hospital. Thus, I just kind of mowed around the bigger limbs and moaved a number of the smaller ones out of the way.

Lawn mowed, I realized after I put the little tractor away that I'd forgotten to pull the arena drag back into its spot after I moved it to mow. Since I can't pull the drag by human power, I decided to start up the Kubota tractor to move it.

But once I got the Kubota out and about, I figured it was a waste to just put it back without doing something, so I decided to clean out under the east side run in shed in front of Toby's and Tucker's stalls.

Three hefty front end loads later, with some pitchforking on my part to get all the stuff that kind of rolls out of the loader, and that job was done.

Then I fed the Boys who had spent a good part of my work time "helping" by constantly getting in the way of the tractor. I had to cart a bale of hay over for dinner, and I honestly wasn't sure I was going to make it.

Chores done, I decided to go to the pool. I figured a short swim at the most and a nice ride around the Lazy River at the least would feel good.

OK, I ended up doing ten laps and my leg exercises.

But, I must admit the nice hot shower surely did feel good afterwards.

I am worn out and so are my knees.

But it was a good day with much accomplished.

Laptop Dying

2011-09-01T14:07:00.000-04:00

Battery or What, But Not Really Worth It

My laptop keeps hibernating and giving me a "critical battery" message. Then it tells me to switch to AC power, even though it is already plugged in. I suspect the whole power system has gone haywire.

Repair, or not to repair? $100 or so for a battery and a minimum of $30 just to diagnose the problem and who knows how much to fix it. H-m-m-m-m.

My Ansur commission check will just about cover the cost of a neat little Gateway Netbook---so I bought one. I may well end up taking that with me to my medical adventure instead of the tablet. The size is not a very much different and the netbook runs Windows, so it is easier to use. Works a treat with the WiFi too, so I am all set.

Bless the electric company guys for getting us back to full power, the cable guys for restoring all that soon after, and my wonderful hay man who came today with a trailer load to keep the Boys well fed while I am away. Things are about back to as close to normal as possible.

I am still cleaning house, after a lost day due to storm prep, but I will get just about everything done. I do need to do at least a partial lawn mowing and perhaps do some weed whacking before I go, but that's a Sunday job so I don't get run over on the road.

The barn and Boys are OK, but I do need to put out feeding directions and label things and I need to go to the feed store to stock up so there's plenty of feed on hand.

The Boys are, it seems, delighted to have their fans back on. It has not been excessively hot after the storm, but even with all my fly controls in place, there are some annoying flies about and the fans blow them away. All the rain has provided too much good fly breeding habitat. I'm sure they are worse at other barns, so I won't complain too much.

I am using the water I stockpiled to fill the water tub by the barn`so it won't go to waste. I am happy to find out that the two storage containers look to be able to fill the water trough twice. That's good to know. All in all, I probably had enough water to last the horses for at least a week. Yea!!

I took some of my thawed out frozen food over to a friend's house last night and three of us had a nice dinner. I ended up cleaning out the entire freezer as a result, so now there is plenty of room for new food. I hated to throw some things away, but it wasn't worth taking a chance. It seems most everything had thawed out during the storm, and even though it kept cool, it's not worth a risk of eating stuff that's refrozen. Some of it was probably on the brink of expiration dates anyhow, so cleaning out was due.

I did make a nice pot of onion soup and have put a container of it in the freezer. I've never tried that before, but it's worth a try.

Off to get the cleaning done.

Power ON

2011-08-30T19:19:00.001-04:00

At Last

Posting from my tablet as my laptop insists on hibernating.

Power came on while I was relaxing at the pool, finishing my swim with a nice hot shower.

Still waiting for the cable, Internet and phone service, but with my wifi, I will be fine.

The only news on the horse front is that my ground is dry enough for Tucker to be out again. I also am a bit anxious about getting a supply of hay before I go for surgery. My hay guy has not been there yet this week--no power.

Enough for now. Never thought having electricity woul be such a thrill.

Well, At Least I Know

2011-08-29T12:24:00.000-04:00

Why the Power is Out

These pictures are from about a mile down my road. The road is actually closed, but people keep driving past the barriers, including people in tractor trailers. A car can get past the downed tree, but there is no room for a truck, and worse, no real room for a truck to turn around. I called the police to let them know the barriers were down.
G The middle picture shows another tree branch just hanging on above the wires. Bummer. When I call the power company, they have a recorded message still on that says we may not get power until Sunday.

Then I headed to the next road over only to find that all barricaded. There are several spots with downed wires there, and a nice PSE&G guy who said there was no way they could predict when the repairs would be complete, or where my road was on the list.

I took some more pictures over there:

All in all, it looks like a mess, and we don't even have any major flooding here. There are some places in the State under several feet of water.

My cousin, whose house is at the shore on Long Beach Island called to let me know all was well there. They have power and managed to escape being flooded. And they are between the ocean and the bay! i am happy for them, and also surprised. But I think the storm took a turn inland and hit us instead, sparing the coast a lot of potential damage.

I have a generator that I'm running for several hours every day. I had to jump start it with my car as the starter battery is dead, but it's up and running and seems to keep my refrigerator working--sort of. I don't know if it has enough output to run the pump in the barn if I need water for the Boys, but so far, out there, so good.

Poor Tucker is restricted to the riding arena for now until the mud dries up, but that my happen pretty fast as we are having some lovely, sunny and dry weather.

My basement water is gone and while the floor is still wet, it's going to dry out quickly too. Not so at my aunt's house next door. Without power the sump pump does not work, and apparently she has several inches of water in her basement. I am charging her caretaker's cell phone right now so she will have a way to call out.

Chance was delighted to find lots of apples fallen off the tree--so many I had to collect some and put them in a bucket so he didn't get sick. My neighbor dropped by to tell me he would clean up my fallen tree branches while I was in the hospital and also check in on the horses.

So, there is a silver lining to every cloud, I guess. At least I can generate some power here and I am getting the house cleaned as a way of keeping myself busy.

I am hoping the pool may be open so I can go for a swim and have a nice hot shower. Sponge baths in cold water are not exactly fun. I can heat the water on the stove, but somehow, that seems like a waste of gas. Besides, what fun is a disaster if you don't suffer at least a little?

All is Well

2011-08-28T09:59:00.000-04:00

No Power,But Not A Total Disaster

I will be quick as I am running on batteries. The power has been out since about 11 PM last night.

We had lots and lots of rain, some wicked wind, but so far, no major disaster here at Follywoods. I had a battery operated radio on nearly all night. There was one tornado warning, but it was not in my area, thank goodness. Trouble is the radio died suddenly this morning and it was not the battery. I found another one, but it's only AM , so now I can't seem to get the NJ station I want to listen to. However, there is another one, so I have that on now.

Called the power company for an update, but they didn't even have an automated message on. I will check online to see what I can find out.

I finally decided to lock the Boys in the barn during the storm. If it continues to clear, I will let Toby and Chance out in the afternoon. Tucker will have to stay in due to his shoe issues.

My biggest upset is that I actually have water in my basement for the first time I can remember. Not sure where it came from. It is an inch or two deep and mostly on the east side. I don't really have a pump to get it out, so it will have to dry up on its own. The stuff that's wet will survive. It's just a bit disturbing to have water down there as it is usually pretty dry.

So, that's it for now. I will report back later or if anything exciting happens.

Prepped and Primped

2011-08-27T03:53:00.000-04:00

Ready for Whatever

I bought a really big grass/trash can at Home Depot. Not sure how big it is but I am suspecting it's about 50 gallons. I filled it with water right by the regular water trough, along with a muck bucket I bought a while ago to put water out in the pasture.

I also had three 50 gallon water troughs, but one of them was missing the plug.

Thus the search began. You would think that with three Rubbermaid water tubs, two with the drain plug replaced by an electric heater, that I would have the plugs I'd taken out. I have three cabinets in the feed room along with numerous buckets holding various hardware items.

On the upside, trying to find the drain plug required that I look everywhere, and looking everywhere meant that I couldn't simply rummage about without cleaning up as I went along. So, the morning of search became the morning of clean.

Cabinet one, no plug. Cabinet two, no plug. Nor was there a plug in any bucket, shelf, or place I looked. I did manage to fill five feed bags with stuff to throw away, and I found a nice collection of double end snaps along the way.

I called the tack store, and sure enough, they had the drain plugs I needed. I cleaned myself up a bit as I was covered in grime at that point, and headed off only to run into what looked to be an endless traffic jam on the way into the first little town I needed to drive through. So I took a convoluted detour and got to the store.

I figured I'd pick up some shavings for the stalls but they were out, so I drove to Agway, just a few blocks away and bought four bales there--they had plenty. Home again, I tidied up the barn, unloaded the shavings and, on the brink of exhaustion knee wise, decided to go for a short swim.

It was hot, humid, and sunny. The water felt absolutely wonderful but I only did five laps before riding around the Lazy River a half dozen time, just relaxing.

Dove home, stopping at the WaWa to buy some chocolate milk--just a craving. The gas station there was a madhouse, with tons and tons of cars. Everyone was buying gas before the storm.

Home again, I started the water hoarding. I filled all the tubs, buckets and new barrel out at the barn, as well as two buckets of water in each horse''s stall.

I'm guessing I have water for the horses for perhaps four days now. I may fill some more individual buckets in the barn aisle when I feed in the morning, and I still need to bed Tucker's stall. Of the three, I am going to have to keep him in as the rains blow in. The hurricane seems to be weakening as far as the winds go, but it's still going to bring some heavy rain. It the course doesn't change, we will be not far away from a direct hit, leaving us at the very least, in for a really bad soaking with pretty windy conditions.

I'm about as ready as I can be, so now it's just a matter of "wait and see." Besides, that's about all my sore, worn out body can do right now anyhow.

What Next, A Hurricane?

2011-08-25T20:01:00.000-04:00

You Got It...On the Way

Looks like we are going to get nailed by hurricane Irene. I am miles inland, but that doesn't help too much. If the winds are really bad, trees will go down and that means no power.

Out here in the country, that means no water, as my water comes from my wells and the pumps are electric. I do have a generator that, I think, would run a pump if it gets really bad, but I need to prepare regardless.

The house is not a big issue. I have bottled water on hand and extra water stored in 5 gallon containers. I have a gas stove, so that doesn't need power so I can cook. Food in the refrigerator will keep for several days if don't open it much, and again, the generator would run that for periods of time.

It's water for the horses that worries me. I will fill two outside tubs, add at least one manure tub of water, and fill all the buckets I have. Two, at least in each stall, and the extras, along with the water containers in the horse trailer. That should hold us for a few days, just in case.

I am sure I could find a way to bring water over here from the sandpit across the way if I needed it. All I'd have to do is get permission from the owner who happens to be my hay guy. They might even be able to help me some other way as far as water goes.

The trick of living in the country is to be as self-sufficient as you possibly can be. And that means being prepared for emergencies. I have candles, flashlights and batteries. I will fully charge my laptop, tablet, wifi and, of course, my cell phone so I have light and communication. The laptop might sound a bit strange, but I do get a lot of news and information through the Internet, so with the WiFi connection, I can get online. I won't waste the power posting too much, but I will let my blogging friends know that all is well here.

I keep hoping this storm will change course and go out to sea. It doesn't look too promising, but it's happened before. We can only hope.

Tucker is already stuck inside because we had some more soaking thunderstorms today. I'll put him out in the riding arena tomorrow, but from the forecast, he'll be inside for the bulk of the weekend. I feel bad for him, but I can't risk his losing a shoe at this point because his feet are already on the brink of being too short and if he breaks off any more hoof I don't think Scott would be able to get a new shoe on.

Fortunately, he does not fuss too much about being in.

Earthquake

2011-08-24T12:37:00.000-04:00

And I Thought It Was My Hardboiled Eggs

The earthquake in Virginia was felt all the way up the Eastern Coast, including here in New Jersey.

I was here, sitting at the computer when it hit, just before 2 PM, and I thought that either the hardboiled eggs I was was cooking on the stove and exploded in the pan, or that my cats in the sunroom had toppled something or gotten into a scuffle.

There was a kind of rumbling noise that lasted at most 2 seconds here. DJ, the kitty who was sitting on my lap leapt off and sat rather startled on the floor. As I looked down the hall, I saw Reggie also sitting on the cedar chest in high alert. That kind of clued me that it wasn't cat activity, because they were not looking anywhere that the other cats might be.

I checked the eggs to find that the water had boiled low, but not enough to make the eggs rattle about or explode. It was only later that I found out the earthquake had struck and that explained the noise.

After I thought about it for a while, I realized that shortly before that, Reggie, my black kitty had been sitting at my feet meowing and meowing. I tried petting him and playing with him, but he would not be soothed. I now suspect he was trying to tell me that the quake was about to strike. They do say some animals are very sensitive and that the earth itself gives off vibrations before an earthquake, so I am now claiming he was trying to tell me something was wrong. Bless his little furry face.

The horses were not at all upset when I went out a bit later, so aside from the noise, I don't think there was much action here.

Apparently, the bedrock on the East Coast is more solid than on the West Coast because it has rarely been shaken by quakes, so the vibrations travel farther. This theory is interesting to me because other areas of New Jersey--not too far away--were rocked far longer and with much more vibration than I was. My land lies above an aqufer, as I have noted before. There is a deep layer of sand not too far below the surface and below that rock layers and large underground water pockets. There is also an underground waterway of sorts. What I suspect is that much of the quake was absorbed into those layers of sands and water, kind of "cushioning" any more powerful vibrations.

We are not prone to earthquakes around here, so the big worry is always whether even a relatively minor quake will cause damage to any structures not built to withstand the shaking. I am sad to report that the Washington Monument did suffer some cracks in its upper stone work and will be closed "indefinitely" until assessment and repairs can be made.

Some of my online friends reported things knocked off shelves, but that seems to be about all. West Coast readers will, perhaps scoff at the "big deal" we are making here of the quake, but it is such a rare event on this side of the country that it does stir up a lot of talk.

Now, we are waiting for a hurricane. I am a little concerned about that because Irene's course has changed and it's going to hit New England after passing very close to the New Jersey coastline on its way towards land. While I am inland, the rotating winds on the outside of the storm are often some of the worst, so I am well within that strike area. The forecast is calling for a "Nor'easter" which means heavy rain and wind coming from the rotating winds. Rivers and streams around here are already pretty close to flood stage as it is, so the 6"-9" of rain possible from this storm will not be welcome.

Again, my land is high enough not to flood, but tree damage is a serious threat.

I am not looking forward to early Sunday/late Saturday at all. *sigh*

Pre Op

2011-08-23T10:54:00.000-04:00

Testing, Testing, One Two Three

I drove to Philadelphia yesterday for all my pre operation testing.

From here Philly is about an hour and fifteen minute drive, if you don't hit traffic. Remarkably enough, I didn't hit traffic until I was near the first set of city exits off I-95 and while that lost me perhaps 15 minutes, once I cleared the inexplicable traffic jam, getting to the hospital itself was not too hard. My GPS kept disagreeing with the written directions I had from the hospital, so I compromised between the two and pulled up to the valet parking garage with minutes to spare.

So, what does pre op admissions screening involve? Well, for one, lots of questions. Every nurse or doctor along the way asked me to identify myself with name, address and birthdate. This way, they are sure each time they are filling out paperwork for the right person. Then, an every stop, I had my blood pressure taken. Even with the stress of the moment it was fine each time--I am on medication for hypertension and it seems to work really well.

At the first stop, I had a lot of blood taken for something like eight different tests. I also had an EKG done to check my heart--good too--and someone listened to my lungs and heart. They made lists of the medications I was taking including any vitamins, and, eventually, the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me.

That was the low point of the day. Apparently, I will not be getting a general anesthesia as I've had before for surgery. My doctor is known for efficient knee replacements, so it usually takes him about three hours to do two knees. Despite his speed, this is considered to be a long surgery, so they prefer to go lighter on the anesthesia. Ugh. I will be getting some kind of drug to make me relax and then I'll get an epidural--injection in my spine--to cut off all sensation below the waist. Apparently, I need to be somewhat awake when they administer this. Great. Then, once I am both totally numb and unable to move, I will get some more "relaxing" stuff, and off we go. I may be partially awake during the surgery itself, or I may drift off and go to sleep. I am hoping the latter.....

Once I'm in recovery, they will bring me out of my "twilight" state and I'll be there for perhaps another hour--the epidural is supposed to last about four hours--unable to move as the drug wears off. At that point, I will start to "feel the pain" of the surgical procedure and I'll have my "pump" to use to administer painkillers as I need them.

Oh, Goodie. What fun....not. I must admit, I am a little freaked out about this aspect of the surgery.

When I had my hysterectomy, I had the morphine pump and used it on the second day, when my shoulder began to hurt so badly. By the third day, I was sick to my stomach all day. I'm not keen about taking morphine because of that. I also am pretty sure I had a bad reaction to it when I broke my wrist. So I guess I need to tell them at the hospital before I have my surgery that this might be a problem.

Anyhow, after that disturbing bit of news, off I went to the cardiologist for another consultation. He checked me out and said everything looked great for double replacement surgery. Apparently, all patients are not good candidates for this. He said my doctor is particularly conservative in selecting patients for bilateral replacements, and usually, once he sends someone for testing, it's pretty sure that patient will qualify just fine, and he said I was no exception. He said my swimming was a great idea and that most teachers were highly motivated people so that both were an added plus for a good recovery.

Nice. I needed an "upper" about then.

I stopped at a nice little deli for lunch--recommended by the nurse at the cardiologist--and had a really good grilled chicken an avocado salad. Since I was next going to donate blood for my surgery, I was supposed to be sure to eat.

That left nearly two hours before my blood donation. I'm not sure what sights or stores might have been in the area, but I decided to sit in the hospital lobby to read my book rather than wander about the city. My knees were bothering me anyhow, so if I'd gone too far, I might well have regretted it. After about a half hour, I decided to find the blood donation room to see if there was any way they could take me earlier.

A little "wending my way" about the hospital and I found the spot. Sure enough, early was fine, so an hour before my scheduled appointment I was hooked up and surrendering a pint of blood. The hospital was running an internal blood drive as well, offering tee shirts and meal ticket incentives to hospital employees, so I had plenty of company in the room. We all chatted a bit in between our book reading.

I was done and on my way in about 45 minutes.

Parking, even with the courtesy discount was still $14 for the day and I tipped the valet another $2. With lunch, my insurance co-pay at the cardiologist, and my iced tea and doughnut on the way home, the day cost me about $40. Not too bad since I managed to avoid any tolls on the road by the route I took.

My GPS had a mind of its own on the way home. Something must have gone a bit wrong when I first plugged in the command for "home." I was driving through city streets going no where. At a stop light, I reprogrammed the "fastest route" option, then hit "home" again, and suddenly, it directed me off to the right--where I knew Route 95 was lurking, and with a bit of a "take a U-turn" and a little sensible interpretation on my part, I finally made my way to Route 95 north and headed home.

I made it back in time to attend the EVA (our local conservation group) meeting where we were discussing our involvement in the future of the farm we helped preserve.

Then I drove home to feed the Boys and collapse on the couch to watch TV for the evening. Enough done for one day, I think.

Now it's a matter of getting ready for the Big Day.

Mixed feelings here. On one hand I am really looking forward to the prospect of actually having good knees again. On the other, it's a little scary.

Shoes On

2011-08-20T11:34:00.000-04:00

Tucker is Back In Action

Well, not exactly as he is still in his stall because the mud is still pretty muddy. Scott put his shoes on--not easy since one hoof was pretty broken in the wall.

I am going to wait a bit and then turn him out in the riding arena where there is sand for footing. Trouble is, we may have more storms coming over the next couple days, then a few days of dry and then more storms. I have a feeling his turnout will be limited for a while.

There is the run in shed out there and I will make sure he has water as well as hay available, so it won't be so bad, but it's far from being able to just hang around as he pleases. My big worry is the darn big flies. I don't know if they will follow him into the run-in or not. I guess I am just going to have to put him out there and keep an eye on him.

I will be keeping him in at night until the ground dries out. Usually, this time of year this is not a problem. But we have had over 10 inches of rain over the last week or so and the ground is saturated. Bummer.

And, of course I am not riding, so turnout is basically the only exercise the Boys get. I may, however, start to lunge Tucker just to make up for his confinement time.

At least I can do that now.

Barefoot Boy and Not Good

2011-08-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

The Attack of the B52

I put Tucker out on the lawn for a bit of a graze since he's been in his stall due to the missing shoe.

I had to wrap his foot in vetrap and duct tape to protect it since none of the boots I had fit. For some reason his toe is too long to fit even in the Cavello boot which usually is fine. I had two EasyBoot gloves as well, and neither of them went on either.

So out he went into the nice grass for, I figured about an hour. With a nearly two days of sun, the lawn was pretty dry, although I did expect he would make some hoofprints. No problem. I can cope.

What I did not expect was the attacking B52. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a "B52" is my name for one of those HUGE horseflies that bite like crazy. The darn things are at least an inch long, and, I swear, they have vampire fangs.

Desptite his flysheet and flyspray, Tuck went bonkers when the fly dive bombed him. He bucked off across to the paddock gate, I'd guess hoping to get into the barn for refuge, but, of course, the gate was closed. I guess that took the fly off course because then everything quieted down.

But, in that single spurt of drama...guess what? Tuck pulled his other front shoe off.

No mud--just a leaping buck or two or three.

OK, well at least he's even in front for now. That shoe had to be loose or it never would have come off.

I don't know when Scott is coming, but hopefully soon. I hate having Tucker stuck in and, at the moment, I don't even have hoof boots to put on him so he can get out a little.

Turnout is so important. I know there are many horses that spend hours a day inside the barn, but there is no way I can believe it's good for them. Nature created a wandering, grazing animal in the horse. Their bodies are designed to move their minds instinctively want to have the freedom to flee from danger--or simply to move as well.

Fortunately, Tucker tolerates "captivity" pretty well, so he doesn't fuss by being in. An this time of year, the Boys do tend to spend a lot of time hanging out in the stalls with the fans rather than wandering about outside, so it's not quite as bad as it might be.

Still.

Wish he could go barefoot, but everytime I have tried, he has come up with a long term lameness. He's just one of those horses that needs shoes and simply doesn't like to keep them on.

Shoeeet!

2011-08-15T21:14:00.000-04:00

Well, It Is Wet--Very Wet

And I suppose I should have kept Tucker in, but the first downpours kind of caught me off guard.

Still. I had to abide a lecture by my farrier, Scott, about turning the Boy out in the muck. Or shall I say the lakes. To say that we had rain is an understatement. We had torrential rain, and it's not over yet.

The weather information is that locally we had over 7 inches of rain. 7.45 measured in East Brunswick which is about a mile from here. I don't have a rain gauge out right now, so I cannot verify that, but from the looks of things, I'd suspect that's pretty close to what we had. And the forecast calls for more to come.

Once more, I bless my little hill and the good drainage of the sandy loam soil and the aquifer below. But there is enough mud to pull shoes, and, of course, that's what Tucker did. The combination of wet hoofs, mud, and his short backed conformation/slight clubfoot make for a difficult situation.

So, for now, he is in his stall, awaiting Scott, who is not too happy about it. Nor am I.

Every time it rains I have to watch Tucker's feet. And long time readers of my blog know that I tried the shoeless option with no success. We ended up with long term unsoundness from either bruises or abscesses.

Fortunately, Tucker does not fuss too much about being in his stall. Right now the weather is still unsettled with more storms coming in. And, in the summer, all three Boys tend to hang out more in the barn than out. I hate keeping any horse in, but in this case, there is no choice. Once the shoe is back on and it dries up he will be able to go out.

I guess I will be going back to restricting his turnout again. That will mean keeping him in the riding arena when it's wet out. The footing in there still gets soggy, but it is sand, not mud, so there's less chance of shoes off.

The other Boys don't care much. Toby is perfectly happy because he is out and doesn't have to contend with Tucker's trying to steal his grain when he's not looking. Chance is so laid back about things, he doesn't have an opinion one way or another, except that is just means more apples for him. I did see Tucker out under the apple tree the other day, so I suspect there was some competition for the fallen fruit. Now, unless Toby decides to join in, Chance gets the bulk of the spoils.

I hate to think that the kind of rain we've been getting is the norm in precipitation. It is, unfortunately, the same pattern we had through the winter months last year. And here's the worry--in inch of rain can mean as much as 10 inches of dry snow and 5 inches of wet snow. Even if you average that out at a 1:7 ratio, we'd be under a blanket of nearly 50 inches of snow from the last few days' precipitation.

This will be the last time I complain about the summer temperatures. (Yeah, sure.....)

No swimming today. I didn't need a pool anyhow. I could've swum in the air.

The Cost of Feed

2011-08-12T18:31:00.000-04:00

Prices on the Rise?

Hard to say for sure, but I bought alfalfa cubes today at Tractor Supply and the price had gone up $1.50 a bag since my last purchase...just a few weeks ago. Is this foreshadowing of things to come?

When I switched to Purina Healthy Edge--high fat, low carbohydrate--I expected to pay a bit more than for a less speciailized feed. I was first using the Country Acres feeds--also a Purina product, but more generic. Then I switched to Triple Crown Low starch, and eventually ended up with the Healthy Edge. I think when I first started, the feed was $12.99 a 50 lb. bag. I it up to $15.99 now.

I am not sure what is inflating the price the most. The field corn producers are selling their corn to agri fuel companies, which does have an impact on the animal feed industry. I would also guess that the weather in the midwest is causing some issues. And what about the cost of transportation? With gas/diesel prices rising, it costs more and more to ship the product.

So far, my hay prices are still at $6.75 a bale for a nice mixed hay. My supplier is just across the street and delivers, unloads, and stacks it for me. That makes the price a real bargain. There may be cheaper hay right off the field locally, but I'm better off with this price and arrangement. Still, I used to be able to get good hay for around $3.00 a bale and I was paying around $5.00 not too long ago. Of all the feed stuff, I guess hay is the easiest to shop around for bargains--at least here in New Jersey. Farmers do make deals sometimes, and even my supplier gave me a discount when he had leftover supplies last year.

I am sure some of my readers pay more for feed and some pay less. It does vary from one part of the country to another and here, even from one part of the State to another.

But the "sticker shock" of today's alfalfa cube purchase sticks with me. I went to Tractor Supply expecting a savings of about $12 for three bags over my closer feed store. That savings was cut to $4.50 instead and with the price of gas at $3.50 a gallon, I'm not sure the extra driving miles didn't cost me most of that.

Then again, I haven't priced the cubes at my feed store since a few weeks ago either. Maybe, when I do, I will discover I actually did save what I'd anticipated.

All I know is that the Boys were happy to get their cubes at lunchtime instead of with breakfast. And extra feeding always appeals to them.

But I made the mistake of leaving Tucker's interior stall gate unlatched and when I went out to feed dinner just now, I had to clean the aisle of the barn where Toby and Tucker had spent at least a part of the day knocking things around and generally "redecorating." On the plus side, from the looks of things, Chance was not involved in their efforts. If he had been, I would have needed to do a lot more work trying to set things right again.

Oh yes...and nothing was ripped up.....

Busy Bee

2011-08-08T18:09:00.000-04:00

Busy Me

Someone else said, "Why is it you go for weeks with nothing to do and then suddenly, you are busy every day?" Well, not quite, but I suddenly found myself finding things to do all at once.

I gave a concert on Sunday in Pennsylvania, so that took up a good part of the day since it was a just about a two hour drive out. It was at a senior center where my choir director's mother-in-law lives. It is a lovely facility. We were treated to dinner and then performed the "Child's Garden of Verses" songs. Fun stuff.

We rehearsed on Thursday night and I had a chiropractor appointment on Friday. Then, Saturday, I suddenly realized the County Fair was going on, so, of course, I had to go. It was similar to most years, with lots of nice exhibits including the 4-H horses, small animals, sheep, goats, some cattle, and even some llamas. Some of the crafts, artwork, and needlework projects on display were absolutely amazing. There is such talent in our local area.

When I got home last night from the concert, I got a call from a friend whose car had broken down. She needed a ride to do some errands this morning. So I was off again.

That left the afternoon for a nice swim. I've actually been swimming nearly every day, so that's not too much of a novelty, but it does add to the "busy."

I still have to get my truck registration renewed and then get the truck inspected. I need to go see my hay guys, go get some alfalfa cubes, and then go to the chiropractor again this week. Meantime, I am making some headway cleaning the house. I guess I will be read when it's time for my knees.

I am a bit surprised to see the Boys out in the pasture on some of these hot days. I'm glad, but they had been hanging out in the barn by the fans when it was hot before. I'm wondering if the "bug" pattern changes as the summer goes on. We've had a fair amount of rain, so it's certainly not what I'd call dry. For some reason, they actually seem happy wandering around outside.

Of course, Chance has an ulterior motive. The apples are falling from the trees now and then, and he's always on the lookout for a treat. Clever boy.

Nothing of Note

2011-08-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

Hot and Humid and a Bit of a Rant

Again the heat and humidity are building after a day or two of nice weather. It was nice for the County Fair that's been going on this week. I really need to drop over for a quick visit. Walking is worse every day with my knees, but I should be able to manage a hike around the fairgrounds.

Swimming's been good with nice water temperatures and not too many crowds. I guess families are on vacation this month. There are plenty of people at the pool, but not as many as were there in July.

The Boys are all fine as far as I can tell. When I went out for late feed yesterday, they were all out in the pasture and not at all interested in coming in. So I just put hay in their stalls and no grain. No point in putting hard feed out for free choice feeding. Tucker will find it and eat everyone's portion, and heaven knows, he surely doesn't need it.

I loaned my friends one of my Ansur saddles for a try. She rides endurance and, while she has a saddle that fits her horse well, she has had some saddle issues in the past. I will be interested to see if the Ansur works for her. She has two lovely Arabs--one for her husband and one for herself. They both completed a 50 mile ride last weekend and have one scheduled in another week or so. I can't quite picture myself lasting that long in the saddle, but I have to admit, every time I see pictures from one of their rides, I keep thinking how wonderful it would be to ride some of those trails.

I realize now that my knees have had more of in impact on my riding than I realized. I was often in pain when I was in the saddle. Mounting and dismounting were always a tricky deal, and walking afterwards hurt too. I am hoping that after the surgery, things will be a lot easier for me. I'm not very much interested in competing again, although I might want to take Chance in a dressage test at least once. Competition costs are expensive and all the effort it takes to just get ready for a show doesn't seem worth it, unless you have a horse that's talented enough to show well against the "big boys."

Frustrating, in a way. I used to compete in the hunter circuit and did really well. But as time went on, more and more politics started to move in as more and more money poured into the horses. People began to spend tons of money to buy horses that would win, leaving us "backyard" riders no divisions to compete in on a level playing field. I moved on to eventing, which was a lot of fun--winning again at times but mostly just enjoying the rides. Then, I started finding myself overfaced and I lost my nerve. At the same time, many of the "rider friendly" events fell to financial issues and the offering of "fun" competitions dried up. The rules changed, heights of jumps elevated, and I realized there was no way I could still compete with a smile on my face instead of a grimace.

So, I moved on to dressage.A moderately new discipline to the riding world around here, there were plenty of schooling shows, and once again, fun competitions to ride in when I started. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost, but all in all, I always felt that when I went into the arena, I at least had a chance to do well. But dressage grew in popularity too. And now, like the hunter circuit, it's become a "big money" sport. Expensive warmbloods dominate the arenas. My best test will rarely score as well as a good moving warmblood's test of the same caliber, "just because." While I have long ago learned not to ride for anyone but myself and to set goals other than pinning in a class, it does take the fun out of it when you know you have little chance at all of earning a ribbon in a show you've spent well over a hundred dollars to compete in. I mean, it's nice to hold up a 60+% score for a class as a mark of achievement, but that darn ribbon makes it even nicer.

I simply do not have the finances to enjoy showing at this point. Spending money to have a judge give me a "0" on a leg yield (It happened and I have a photograph of that movement proving I did do a leg yield) just isn't my idea of good value for a dollar. My horses are interesting to ride, interesting to train, but not that most talented dressage horses on the planet. And if I could afford one of the most talented dressage horses on the planet, I'm not even sure what I'd do with him.

Do you think Totilas or Ravel would make a good trail horse?

A Full Day

2011-08-03T20:04:00.000-04:00

In Between the Showers

I went to meet an Ansur client this morning. It should have been a relatively uncomplicated trip, but darn if I didn't get stuck in traffic in two of the small towns I had to pass through on my way. What should have been a 45 minute or so trip was more like an hour and a half. I ended up stopping for lunch on the way home--a much shorter drive.

Once home, I debated on my activities for the rest of the day. Rain was in the forecast, and sure enough, the sky clouded over and it started to sprinkle. But, it also got a whole lot cooler.

I've been putting off mowing the lawn because of the heat, so this was an opportunity not to be missed. Out I went to tackle what was beginning to look like a hay field. There is cut grass all over the place, but it does look so much better.

But then, I was overcome by "mower power" and decided to head out to the paddocks. I have lots of weeds. I drove around rather madly for another hour or so, cutting much, but certainly not all, of the weedy growth in the paddocks around the barn and bit in the front area of the pasture. My fence on the west side of the property is completely overgrown with weeds, bushes, briers, and even some small trees from my neighbor's overflowing property next door. To say things are out of control is an understatement. But as my fence man pointed out a few years ago, the undergrowth is an added security measure for the fenceline--if you could see the fence line. If I can ever get the money together, I would hire a brush clearing company to do all my fences, but for now, I have to surrender to nature.

The Boys thought the mowing was greatly exciting and put on a galloping bucking show. Chance seemed to delight in galloping madly in the places I'd mowed, I guess just to enjoy the weedless spaces. Tucker and Toby were not quite as enthusiastic, but they did a bit of frolicking too. Fortunately they stayed away from the mower and me, which was a good thing, as that might have become dangerous. I had my hand ready at the switch to shut off the mower should they come near, but all was well. They had started off in the far pasture when I was working, but I guess the allure of "something new in the paddocks" was simply too much to bear.

It was raining off and on while I mowed, and when I was done, I was feeling pretty soggy.

So, what better solution to being wet than to get wetter!! I headed off to the pool. No thunder or lightning so they were open. There weren't many people there, and the air had gotten downright chilly. But the water was wonderful! It was warm but not too warm and felt great. I did my laps and my leg exercises and headed in for a hot shower just as the rain started to come down again. Nothing bad, but enough to keep me wet.

Coming home to change into dry clothes felt pretty darn good this time.

Great Book Gone Digital

2011-08-01T10:52:00.002-04:00

Led by the Grey

Peter DeCosemo has written a novel, "Led by the Grey." It is an absolutely enchanting book and it kept me totally involved from start to finish. I just received a note from Peter letting me know the book is now available in digital format--hard copies are difficult to come by.

Here is his message:

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the novel has actually gone digital and is now available to down load in various formats. I know a lot of people in the U.S. didn't get to read it as the paper version has still not been printed there so they may be interested in this format.

For: Sony E-reader, iPad and iBooks.

http://www.ypdbooks.com/ebooks/444-led-by-the-grey-YPD00387.html

For Kindle;

http://www.ypdbooks.com/ebooks/445-l-YPD00392.html

Would be wonderful if you could pass the message on to any of your groups or forums.

Kind regards,

Peter De Cosemo

www.ledbythegrey.com

This is truly a wonderful read, and I highly recommend it to all.

Pondering the Future

2011-07-30T19:36:00.000-04:00

How to Run a Barn on No Legs

I am going to face some problems once my knees are replaced. Of course, when I first come home, I will need some kind of support to help with the horses. The big problems will be cleaning the stalls and getting the hay over to the barn. Currently, my hay is stored in the carport, about 60 feet or so from the horses. I am not sure how I will get hay to the Boys. If I am still using a walker, it will be hard to carry anything of substance. If I have a cane, I might be able to put hay in the cart and pull it over. But I certainly won't be able to lift a full bale into the cart to take over.

If I can depend on the kindness of friends, it would be possible to keep five or six bales of hay in the aisle of the barn as I do in the winter. But getting it into the aisle will be something I will not be able to do.

Depending on my mobility, I MIGHT be able to use the two wheeled wheelbarrow as a kind of walker to clean stalls, but that too will have to be explored.

Grain would be no issue, except that bags of grain weigh 50 pounds and apparently, after replacements, you should not lift more than 40 pounds. I do not know if that is a golden rule without exceptions, but I also have to figure out how, when I buy grain, I am going to get it into the barn and into the storage cans. Plan A, with no help, would be to open each bag, take out perhaps 20 pounds, and then take the bag in to dump into the cans. This, of course, will take twice as long as a normal unloading, but it may have to do. The alfalfa cubes are stored in the barn in their bags, so that presents another problem. It seems to me I would have to transfer 15 pounds or so from each bag into an empty bag already in the feed room, put the partially full bags in the feed room and tie them all closed until I need to use them.

I could, perhaps, pay someone to come once a week to do some of the more complex chores and to put the hay in the barn. But I certainly will need a way to handle things on my own should a snow storm snow us in so no one could get here to help.

Where there is a will, there is a way. Somehow,I will figure things out. And, I always have the tractor with the front end loader, so perhaps I can modify my storage system so I can use it to do my work.

I just have to think it through.

Thunderstorm!!

2011-07-29T18:57:00.000-04:00

Ah, Well

That means I can't mow the grass. Darn. And after I went and bought gas for the mower.

It also means no swimming. Kind of OK in that my chiropractor did some muscle work on me to help prepare me for surgery and kind of said, "No exercises today." I don't thin that meant no drifting around the lazy river, but the storm stopped even that notion.

The Boys are being really cute and friendly lately. I guess the boredom of hanging out in front of the fans makes my presence in the barn even more interesting than usual. And it didn't hurt that I unloaded some feed from the truck as well. I just don't recall their being quite this ready for a cuddle should I offer one. Somehow I have a feeling that down the road, when I have recovered from my surgery and am able to work them again that they will not quite be so willing to hang out around me. Work ethics have always been a bit lacking in my little herd.

Then again, Chance does love to go out on trails. Toby doesn't want to do anything, and Tucker occasionally shows an interest in doing something mentally challenging in the arena. But real work--dressage--is not high on the agenda. It's fine. It's not high on my agenda right now either. Love it, but at the moment, the payoff the next day is far too painful.

I will be very curious to see how long it will be before I will be able to ride with my new knees. Research on the Internet suggests it can be a long recovery. I plan on breaking all records at getting back to a regular life. That's why I am trying to be as fit and ready before the surgery as I can.

The chiropractic work is designed to loosen my leg muscles so they are less likely to stiffen after the surgery. My doctor says it should help. I am also doing leg exercises and of course, swimming. The ideal recovery would be to put me in a pool right away, but the surgical wounds have to heal first before I could take a chance in pool water--too much risk of infection. But what a great way it would be to start moving again.

I am typing this on my laptop, currently connected to the Internet via my wi fi. My power went out for three short spans during the storm and on the second outage, I turned most of my electronic equipment off. I didn't realize my wi fi card was on, but as soon as I turned on the laptop to play some FreeCell, lo and behold, it made a nice solid connection.

Cool. Technology is so much fun!

Little By Little

2011-07-26T20:15:00.000-04:00

I Learn

By the time I am in the hospital, I think I will have mastered my tablet. It's taking some getting used to and it certainly is not as fast as my home desktop computer--hooked up to Xfinity (Comcast) high speed Internet, but it will do.

I managed to load in the SlideMe application store and things from there load just fine. I'll have the software I need set up eventually. Right now, it's a bit of experimentation. Since the android programs don't work on the PC, it's kind of hit or miss. I've loaded up several applications I thought would be good and then removed them because they simply didn't work the way I wanted them to.

But on the desktop front, I had to get a new keyboard as my other one was getting wonky. I wanted an ergonomic one and ended up with the Mircrosoft 4000. Cool. It's got all kinds of keys to actually access and control the Internet interface right from the keyboard. There is even a "Zoom" key that let's me enlarge webpages without having to access my toolbar. It's kind of fun.

The weather today was a delightful break. This morning was perfectly lovely out. The sun showed up, but the humidity was much lower. The Boys spent quite a bit of time outside grazing and just relaxing. I have started giving Toby beet pulp in the morning again, and so far he's eating it. I will not go back to alfalfa pellets for him, though and I have to keep an eye on him for any signs of stiffness or discomfort in his feet. So far, so good.

I also got a nice swim in today with both the air and water at just perfect temperatures. I am up to fifteen laps with my leg exercises added to the program. Nothing like the swimmers at the world competition, however. I just found out I do have a TV channel broadcasting it live, so it's fun! Men's 200 meter freestyle. Those guys make me look like a snail!!

I also had a visitor in my side yard--a cute little red fox. I tried to take some pictures, but the screens on the windows post a problem. I'll look at what I got but I'm not sure anything is worth posting. The little critter was hunting for something in my lawn. I eventually went out the back door to sneak around to see if I could get a better picture, but foxy was too elusive and finally slipped out of sight--probably heard my tiptoeing my way towards him.

Maybe when I get my new knees, I can hone my ninja skills and get some decent wildlife pictures around here. That would be novel.

More to look forward to.

From My Tablet

2011-07-25T13:03:00.001-04:00

Just a test from my tablet. This is using Blogaway. Not too bad so far.

Sprinkler Failure

2011-07-24T21:41:00.000-04:00

Not Like the Video

There is a widely circulating video of a horse enjoying the sprinkler on a hot day. Great idea. So, I got a sprinkler, set it up, turned it on and....indifference. Chance kind of hung out in the vicinity of the spraying water for a while, but Toby and Tucker really didn't seem to think the whole idea was either worthwhile or even interesting. My hopes dashed, I unhooked the contraption and put it away for another day.

You'd think standing in a cool spray of water would be appealing on a hot day. I don't know if there was a mental disconnect going on or if they really didn't like it. Either way, I will try again, but I guess hosing will have to do instead. Bummer.

Meantime, I didn't even bother going for a swim on Saturday. On Friday the water was so warm I almost overheated doing my laps. I figured it would be even worse yesterday. Last night, though, it cooled down a bit outside, so I went over to the pool just around noon and sure enough, the water felt pretty good. Not exactly cold, but cool enough to do twelve laps.

Then there was a members' meeting at the pool and we sat discussing issues of concern. I've been pretty happy with how things are run, especially since the life guards have been really good about keeping the non-lap swimming kids and other non-swimmers out of the lap lanes this year. It's made it much easier to actually get some exercise without having to worry about collisions with people just fooling around. Everything else has been pretty good too, but I did suggest that perhaps they might post the results of the swim team's competitions. I see the kids practicing all the time but I have no idea of how they've been doing. Some other member complained about the lounge chairs being carried off to the far side of the park, and a few other minor issues, but for the most part, things seemed to be pretty satisfying.

I came home, had lunch and then spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to load the Blogger app to my tablet. For some reason, Google market refuses to recognize my device, but I am now beginning to think it's more a problem with AT&T denying access to download files.

I can post to Blogger through my email account, so that's good, but a direct post to Blogger would be so much nicer. I'll keep working on it, but either way, I'll manage.

Technical glitches like this can be so frustrating and only seem to increase as technology advances.

It's kind of like training a difficult horse......*G* (See, I got back on topic after all!)

Got the Tablet

2011-07-23T09:46:00.002-04:00

And the Heat Continues

I hosed the Boys yesterday afternoon for the first time. They have been generally OK every other day--but yesterday!! Temps over 100F got to them.

Toby was rather indifferent and actually seemed annoyed by it. Once done, he went off an rolled in the sand. Tucker was another story. Not only did he lean into the water, but he was making all kinds of happy faces and insisted I let him drink from the hose. Chance, who I've not sprayed much at all, caught on really quickly and seemed to enjoy it as well. Neither he nor Tucker rolled afterwards, so they stayed wet when they went back in to stand in front of their fans.

I am going to get a sprinkler today and I'll set it up in the front paddock for a while in the heat of the day to see if they go play in it. Not many other options left as air conditioning in the barn is out of the question.

My tablet came yesterday as well. I tried to set up my Internet connection through the ATT&T MiFi WiFi to no avail. The tablet kept giving me the message that it recognized the network and that the signal was strong and clear, but every time I put in the password code to establish the link, it told me it could not connect. Unlike PC operating systems that have lots of "back doors" to get something done, the Android tablet interface seems pretty direct, so I had no way of trying to configure the connection any other way.

So, I called the "Geek Squad" at Best Buy and told them my problem. Soon, I was on the road to the store, to get them to set it up as I'd been promised when I placed the order.

The Geek was a really nice young man. I explained the problem, and he started to work on the tablet. In short order, he did EXACTLY the same thing I had done, with EXACTLY the same results. Now what?

I knew the MiFi worked OK, because it connected my laptop to the Internet. Was the tablet OK? There was in in-store network active, so my geek tried to connect my tablet to it. No problem. Therefore, the tablet's wifi seemed to be working.

My geek tried putting in the password in lower case letters. He tried a different password. We looked at the instruction manual, and then had to just keep repeating the same technique over and over--find the network, click on the connection, put in the password.

As my very clever, intelligent geek said, "You know, this proves we are insane. We keep repeating the same action, expecting a different result." In the middle of our laughter--suddenly--CONNECTION!! The exact same technique, repeated, actually did produce a different result.

My geek (Chris, for he now had earned a name and my gratitude) saved the connection on the tablet, and, as we both held our breath, turned the tablet off. We let it sit for a few seconds and turned it back on. To our relief, the Internet connection was still active.

Now I am still a bit stuck here as I cannot seem to get the tablet to post to Blogger. If I can't fix that, I will find some other way to post from the hospital, but for now, things seem to be working OK. Could be there is some kind of issue about the posting protocol for Blogger?:

Anyone know. The tablet works as an Android, as far as I know......still learning. I have a month.......

Addendum: I think I have figured out how to post--by sending an email to Blogger. I will try later, mostly because I have burned out my techno brain trying to figure this out. I had, at one point, three computer devices running at once and was trying to use the mouse to control the wrong one. I think I have had enough geeking for one morning!

Too Hot For Words

2011-07-21T12:05:00.001-04:00

The Heat Wave Begins

Nothing really to report. It was simply too hot to do much outside, and it's only going to get hotter over the next few days, with hope that the heat will break on Saturday.

The Boys were out and about up until around 10 AM or so, and since then I'm pretty sure they will be hanging out in the barn by the fans. I was thinking of setting up a sprinkler in the paddock and may still do so, but I'm not sure where the sprinklers I have are, so that might require a trip out to buy one--dangerous move.

I and going shopping are a bad match. Yesterday I was supposed to have a doctor's sppointment--my 6 month cancer check--but my doctor had an emergency and canceled. So instead I headed out on a mission to find out what kind of Internet options I might have when I am away from my home computer--Comcast Cable (Xfinity) connection.

Nearly any way you look at it, it is an expensive proposition. First you need the device, and then you need to pay for some kind of service provider. I was going to get a Kindle as once you buy the pad, the Internet service is free. Supposedly, you can access the web just fine, but after some investigation, I found out that Web access if pretty limited as the Kindle does not read all kinds of programming languages, so a lot of Webpage content will not load.

Then, of course, there are all kinds of phone options, but then you need both an phone contract and a data contract, raising the overall cost considerably. I had a long talk with the tech advisor/salesman at Best Buy. There was a promotional deal going on with AT&T. $100 off on the device, a free personal WiFi connector (AT&T Moblie HotSpot) so that you connect through AT&T cellular service no matter where you are as long as AT&T is available, and data service for $35 a month. (A 2 year contract) Still pricey, but from what I could tell, the most economical option.

Then we found a tablet for under $200--there was an even cheaper one but we couldn't find a way to order it at the discount price. Best Buy gave me free shipping, and I'll be on my way as soon as it arrives--it's been shipping already.

Better yet, my laptop can also connect to the Internet through the mobile WiFi and I set that up in about 2 minutes last night. So, if my cable Internet should ever to out, I can still access the Web. Not bad at all, since I apparently can also set up my desktop computer to do the same. (The tech suggested I could do all my surfing through the AT&T device, but I am most happy with Xfinity, so I will not change that.) While my laptop is portable, it is still rather big compared to the tablet, so I guess I have turned into a real "geek" with all this.

The goal? I was hoping to be able to keep people updated during my knee replacement recovery. Not so much to let people know how I am doing, but to give everyone a good idea of exactly what is involved in the whole thing. I do not know how many horsemen have had double knee replacement surgery and my Internet searches have not been able to find out too much specific information, so I hope to take on the job of informing people myself.

I don't know how vociferous I will be. Not only will some of the post surgery stuff knock me for a loop, but I also don't know how efficient it will be typing on the tablet, but I will do my best. I've plenty of time to acclimate myself to the new technology as my surgery is not until September.

I will give my tablet review as soon as my new toy arrives.

Clean Fridge

2011-07-19T18:09:00.000-04:00

Good Deed On A Hot Day

I finished cleaning the refrigerator--at least the bottom half. I still have to sort out what is in the freezer, but I did that not too long ago, so there may not be too many expired items hiding up there.

The bottom was another story. I had a lot of half full/half empty jars and containers of various sauces and foods I definitely was not eating. As a result I now have three garbage bags full of discards. I a lot of cases, things are still in their containers--kind of a big break in my rule of really trying to recycle everything possible, but in this case to empty and clean all the jars was just too much work for me to manage.

The refrigerator as now nearly empty, with just the foods I am eating. It looks amazing. Hope I can keep it that way. I have stopped buying things I'm not sure I am going to either like or eat, so perhaps I can keep things under control.

So one major task is complete. I'm not sure what the next phase will be but I certainly need to tackle something soon.

I let Toby out at 6 AM for about three hours. It was not exactly cool, but the sun was just peeking through the shadows of morning so it wasn't too bad. When I went out to feed at around 9 AM, both he and Tucker were quite ready to come into their stalls. Chance was quite ready to come into the barn and investigate Toby's stall while I was cleaning it--or at least dumping the wheelbarrow. He was very persistent and I finally had to give him a prod with the handle of the manure fork to convince him to leave. Apparently there was a bit of feed in Toby's tub and Chance was determined to eat it.

Once again, all three Boys seemed fairly content to stay in the barn away from the annoying flies and mosquitoes. With all the rain we've had this season, the pests are flourishing despite all my efforts to keep them under control. I use fly predators, feed through fly control, and flysheets--with fly spray as needed. I really don't seem to have a lot of stable flies, but all the other outdoor varieties have had had a great breeding season. I haven't been in the woods, but I suspect it would be horrible out there with deerflies and mosquitoes. Ugh.

The fans help keep the flies away as well as offering a fairly nice breeze for the Boys, so it wasn't too bad inside for them.

A Little Out

2011-07-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

But A Lot More In

I put Toby out in the arena yesterday morning. He started to enjoy himself until he realized the other horses were on the other side of the barn. Then he started fussing and running around. Eventually, I put Tucker in with him and things quieted down, except that already, by a bit after 9:30, the flies were out in force, and both Boys were clearly bothered by them.

I cleaned the stalls, filled the water tub, put hay in and then brought the Boys in for breakfast. Everyone pretty much stayed in the barn for the bulk of the day after that. Toby was locked in, and Tucker and Chance chose to stand in, with their fans blowing on them. I hayed again around noon and fed around 5 PM, so being inside wasn't too bad considering it was a hot day.

This morning, I went out at about 6:30 just to let Toby out for a while--this time before the flies were fully awake. He just strolled around, stretching his legs for a couple hours until I went back out to feed. By then, the barn was starting to be appealing again--heat and the bugs--so he came right in for breakfast and is now closed in his stall.

Chance is out and about, mostly browsing under the apple tree for fallen apples--just a few little green ones--and nibbling at the grass. All is quiet and settled out there.

The vet is coming on Friday, hopefully to clear Toby for full turnout again. He looks perfectly sound, so I'm pretty sure he's OK.

There's not much action here, although I did start to do a really thorough refrigerator cleaning and I trimmed some more of the out of control weeds around the outside of the house. I did not swim yesterday as I figured a hot Sunday would be really busy at the pool. I will swim today, though.

Not much else to report.

Shoes On

2011-07-16T19:20:00.000-04:00

And Now the Recovery Begins

Scott came this morning to shoe Toby and Tucker and to trim Chance.

Tucker was first and Scott said he had a lot of punctures in the foot where he lost his shoe. I knew there'd be something evident as he had walked on the displaced shoe for a while and on the toe clip. But, surprisingly enough, he was quite sound after he had the new shoe set in place. I will still have to monitor him in case he abscesses, but for now, he's pretty comfortable.

Toby was even better, showing no signs of any discomfort when Scott used the hoof testers. And as he was being shod, he did not react at all to the nails being hammered in. He was actually almost dozing in the crossties as Scott worked on him. He now has leather pads with gel injected under them, and rolled toes on his shoes. I am a bit betwixt and between as Scott told me turning him out for a bit in a smaller paddock--the riding arena would be good for him. My vet had said he needed to stay in for the week after he was shod.

I did leave him in for now, and I will perhaps put him out for a little while tomorrow in the morning when it's cool. If the other horses are in, he may be less likely to run around. I don't want him getting too silly until we are sure his feet are OK.

Hopefully, both Boys are on the road to a good recovery. I will keep a close eye on them from this point on. I haven't decided on any metabolic testing for Toby at this point, and I will keep him on the magnesium/chromium supplements.

Chance, of course, looks just fine is quite happy to have Tucker out with him. Toby, still locked in, is not happy with that arrangement, but a little turnout for him will help.

So far, so good.

Out With Friends

2011-07-15T09:18:00.000-04:00

Me, Not the Horses

Status quo in the barn, although this morning, Toby and Tucker played musical stalls and changed places. So, since they are both stuck in recovering, I left them that way--Toby in Tucker's stall and Tucker in Toby's stall. I just have to make a mental note not to feed by habit when I go out, as Toby gets twice as much grain as Tucker.

I'm still waiting to hear from Scott for shoeing. My vet is coming back for a recheck on Toby next week on Friday, so I really do need those shoes on Toby for at least a little while before the vet sees him again.

Tucker looks pretty comfortable, but I haven't taken him out to check to see if he still has a limp. As long as he's relaxed in the stall, I figure he's OK and that foot is healing on its own.

That being said, I met my friend Stacie for lunch at the Chinese restaurant buffet yesterday. We had a nice meal and a good long in person visit. We talk nearly every day on the phone swapping stories about our horses and saddle sales adventures. (Stacie is a rep for Trilogy saddles.)

Soon after I got back home, the phone rang, and it was Don, my choir director and friend who'd decided to invite me and another friend over for dinner. I'm always up for a social meal so I accepted.

I went to the pool for my swim, but didn't ride the lazy river to save some time, came back home, fed the Boys and headed over to Don's house.

We spent a fun evening eating hamburgers, corn and broccoli and then just sat around chatting until after midnight. Although time was rather interesting as Don's grandfather clock has somehow gotten totally out of sync with the world and was chiming away the time an hour and a half late. Don said he'd just reset it and regulated it earlier in the day and is totally perplexed at what's going on.

Anyone out the have a pendulum clock who may know what's wrong that one should lose so much time within a few hours?

Miscalculation

2011-07-13T19:57:00.000-04:00

Lazy Swim

First, a report on the Boys. It finally cooled off a bit today, so that was good. I'd left the fans on the last two nights just because it was so hot. Tomorrow is supposed to be pretty nice.

Tucker looks pretty sound, but I really didn't take him out to test him as I don't want to stress his hoof without the shoe. For Claire, Tucker was wrapped with a "nappy," vetrap and a layer or two of duct tape. He still managed to get it all off. Today, however, the same kind of wrapping seems to be staying on just fine. I wonder if he stepped on his foot yesterday?

Hard to tell about Toby either as I've not had him out according to vet's orders. But he is eating better and seems quite cheery and interested in things in a positive way. I've put him on a magnesium supplement--Quiessence--which is both a calming and a metabolic supplement. Since he is eating his feed, he eats it up as it is pelleted and must taste OK.

Chance is alternating his hangouts among his own stall in front of the fan, the apple tree where the little green apples fall, the run in shed by Toby and Tucker, and the pasture.

I am in "accomplishing nothing" mode for some reason. Then, to top it off, when I went for my swim this evening, there was a swim meet going on and the lap pool was closed. There is a family pool, but it's nearly impossible to actually swim there, so I opted for a "lazy" evening. I rode around the lazy river about six times. Then, for exercise, I decided to go down the water slides. The exercise consisted of climbing 30 steps up the stairs to reach the top of the slides and then, a very short swim across the landing pool once I was back down. I did this circuit four times, so that was 120 steps up the staircase--quite an effort for my bad knees.

That was my rather short circuited exercise program, but I did get to cool off in the water and relax some more.

Now if I could only get some work done around here.........

Even Quieter

2011-07-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

Follywoods in a Restless Peace

Hot here in New Jersey, so I go out every few hours to make sure the Boys have water and hay. Toby is quite content that Tucker is locked in the stall next door and has started to eat better.

Tucker is a little restless in his stall but accepting the enforced recovery. I haven't seen him walk much, but he seems much more comfortable on his foot. Keeping the wrap on has been a bit of a problem. Tomorrow morning I hope I will be able to find the elastoplast I bought. That will work much better than vetrap in keeping the packing on.

My foresight paid off. When I shut Toby in, I tied his outside door latch with baling twine. Good thing. "Somebody" opened the latch to try to get his door open. "Somebody" failed because of the baling twine. "Somebody" took a "Chance" in trying to help Toby escape. "Somebody" also opened Tucker's door latch, but the eye hook held it closed. "Chance" had nothing to do with it. It was all well planned. *G*

Chance seems to be spending at least part of the day in the east run-in shed, by the big Boys' stall doors. I guess herd instincts are pretty strong. But he does go off to graze by himself, which makes his herdmates jealous.

Another week or so, and I hope this will all be resolved.

All Quiet

2011-07-09T19:34:00.000-04:00

Wrapped Feet

Toby is sporting the silver duct tape the vet put on his feet to hold his pads. Tucker is in bright orange duct tape on his foot. He has an Ichthammol poultice on his foot. They make a fine ad for duct tape, that's for sure. I either have to buy a new roll of silver tape or find the one I think I still have. I may have used it somewhere else besides the barn and--typical of me--misplaced it.

Tucker is really good about being in as he does not fuss much at all. He will try to get out of the stall into the barn aisle, but he does not get frantic if left in by himself. However, this time the east side of the barn is a hospital ward, so all is quiet. I do feel a bit sorry for Chance who was hanging out by the occupied stalls. Yesterday, at some point, he opened Tucker's door, but Tucker stayed inside, lay down and took a nap instead of going out.

I have since fastened the extra eye hook I put on the door for such occasions. I also have a piece of baling twine holding Toby's door shut. Chance is very clever at orchestrating escapes, so I have to plan ahead.

I gave Tucker some bute this morning and he looks a little less sore this afternoon. I hope that and the wrapping has made him at least a little more comfortable.

Toby looks fine but I haven't seen him move too much. With Tucker in, he is very relaxed and is spending most of his day either snoozing or eating hay. I go out several times during the day to check water buckets and give them each a flake of hay--one at time so they don't waste it by dragging it all over the stalls. So far, so good.

Went for a late swim today, so I would miss the bulk of the weekend crowds at the pool. People usually leave around suppertime. Going early, before noon, or after 6 PM solves the problem of too many people swimming in the lap lanes. It was still a bit busy, but I got my laps in without any "traffic" issues. It was quite hot today but I think the humidity was at least a little lower. With the thunderstorm ripping through it was almost like a tropical rainforest around here.

My weeds are very happy.

I need to do something about the ones on my front bank and the other side of the driveway so I can see when I try to pull out.

Maybe tomorrow....maybe.

Problem Solved

2011-07-08T18:05:00.000-04:00

With Another Problem

Toby was hysterical when I went out for evening feed this evening. Chance and Tucker were in the pasture, just out of sight and Toby was calling and circling in his stall.

I gave him some hay, got the feed and called the other two Boys in.

Along came Tucker, three legged lame, limping badly on his left front foot. When I first looked, I thought he had simply lost his shoe. But no. The shoe was twisted on his foot and he was walking on both it and the front clinch. I managed to get the shoe off completely, but he was still lame on that foot.

I didn't do anything with it for now as ideally, I'd like to have Scott look at it first, but Tucker is locked in his stall next to Toby for now. If his foot needs treatment, I guess the problem of Toby's being upset staying in alone has been solved.

Sometimes bad things have a bright side, depending on your perspective. Bad for Tucker, good for Toby.

Hopefully Tucker hasn't done any serious damage.....*sigh*

Bad News, Good News

2011-07-08T03:04:00.000-04:00

Vet Visit #2

Toby is doing fine and his feet barely showed any sensitivity. I am to lower his dosage of Bute.

My vet spoke to Scott and they discussed the shoeing, which I hope will take place next week. BUT, poor, unhappy Toby must stay in all week and for a week afterwards.

He is SOOOOOO miserable. I went out for late feed and he was distraught because Tucker and Chance were off in the front paddocks grazing--or nibbling on the very sparse grass. He got out of his stall into the aisle of the barn and trotted back and forth a few times, whinnying frantically. My aisle is only about 30 feet long, so it was just a short trot, but I do have to say he looked sound. Once Tucker came in for his snack, I ushered Toby back into his stall and he settled down enough to eat a little. He did clean up his food from dinner, so that's good and he's been eating his hay.

Two more weeks is going to be so hard on him. While I could take him out to graze, my Dr. McAndrews was very clear that he should not be moving around much at all so his feet can heal. Poor boy. Some horses are OK when laid up, but I fear he is not one of them. I did buy a supplement to help calm him and, since it's magnesium and chromium, it's good for metabolic issues as well. Perhaps it will make him feel a little better and less anxious.

Here is poor, sad Toby in his stall:

In contrast, by choice, Chance is here in his stall enjoying his fan:

And, outdoors, the little black kitty who lives in the garage actually sat still long enough for me to get a blurry picture:

I call him Peppercorn, but so far he does not want to be friends.

Thunder Rumbles and Toby Bounces

2011-07-07T02:16:00.000-04:00

All Day Long

Thunderstorms rumbled through off and on all day long. I'd gone over to visit my friend at a barn on the next road over and we heard thunder several times, but no rain. When I came home, it was soaking wet at the end of my road, but dry at my house, less than a mile west. Really rather amazing that rain had hit just one spot and not another.

But shortly after I gave Toby some more hay, my phone rang. It was Stacie my other friend calling to tell me she'd just seen on the Weather Channel that a huge storm was going to hit my area in a few minutes. Once more I heard a rumble and this time went out to the barn to get Tucker and Chance into the barn as heavy lightning was also predicted.

The storm hit shortly after with torrential rains--so heavy you could hardly see outside. That lasted about a half hour. Then things cleared up and the sun came out.

Every now and then afterwards, I heard little rumbles so I decided not to even bother going to the pool as they close the water when it storms.

Good thing. It turns out an electrical wire had come down over there and they'd closed the partk for the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Toby was in bounce mode. I have to feel sorry for him. He is so upset that the other Boys are out and about while he's locked in. He is bouncing about the stall, going to the door and whinnying to them. When I tried to give him is bute tonight I had to wait until Tucker came in for his late feed before I could even get Toby's attention.

On the good side, even though he is worried, he certainly does not look at all lame. Now, emotional upset might be playing a part here, but when he was sore on his feet, he did not care that he was separated from the other horses. In fact, the night I found him lying down, he was out in the run in shed while they came in the barn and he showed no concern for where they were at all. It may not be the best kind of enthusiasm for life that he's showing now, but it certainly is normal Toby behavior.

The vet will be here this afternoon. Scott called me yesterday to confer but he said we needed to wait to do any shoeing until we were sure the inflammation in Toby's feet was gone. He cannot be here when my vet is here, but hopefully he will answer his phone so he can talk to her about what to do next.

So Far, So Good

2011-07-05T17:59:00.000-04:00

Toby Update

While he is not exactly a happy camper by being locked in his stall, Toby seems to be doing well. He is moving about with ease and appears to be comfortable on his feet. Because he has the foam pads taped on to his feet, I have not taken him out to see how he is walking, but he does "bounce" around every now and then when the other horses go out to the pasture.

Hopefully, his calling to his herd has not disturbed my neighbors. He was whinnying last night when Tucker and Chance went out to the pasture to graze.

He is not eating well, however. With him, it's a pretty sure sign of emotional distress. He has never been a "stomach horse" motivated by feed. If Tucker were not eating that would be a different story, but Toby?? All he has to do is get a little upset and food is no longer on the agenda. He did clean up his hay, so that's good, and his water buckets were both down to about a quarter full, so he is drinking just fine.

We have a vet visit scheduled for Thursday at noon. I called to Scott, my shoer, to let him know, but I haven't heard back from him yet. My vet also sent Toby's X-rays and I forwarded them to Scott as well.

There is always a bit of consideration that needs to be taken when a vet prescribes a shoeing/hoof regimen that might not exactly agree with what the horseshoer wants to do. I have utmost confidence in both my vet and farrier, so the ideal situation would be for them to confer and reach an agreement. But I did tell the vet that Scott's opinion has highest merit in my eyes.

Guess we will just have to wait and see how it all works out. No matter what, I am sure all parties, including me, have only Toby's best interests in mind.

Laminitis?

2011-07-03T14:23:00.000-04:00

Toby and the Vet

When I went out for very late feed after midnight, Toby did not come into the barn. I checked and found him lying down in the sandy floored run in shed in the arena. He was looking at his belly and at first, I thought he was colicking. But then, I offered him some feed and he ate it. For him, that was a sure sign it was not colic.

I put a halter and lead on him, and encouraged him to get up. He did, but did not want to walk at all. He was very unsteady and unsure of every step, and finally refused to budge without my forcing him.

My first thought--laminitis. There wasn't much to do at that time of the night/morning, so I left him alone and came back into the house to spend sleepless hours until it was a decent time to call the vet. The new woman vet from the office called me back and after I told her what was going on decided she'd better come right away. She was nearly an hour away, but headed over and arrived by around 10 AM.

When we went into the barn, Toby was lying down in his stall in the bed of fresh shavings I'd put in. Dr. McAndrews immediately checked him for signs of colic, our first worry, but ruled that out. So, we got him up and eventually led him outside where her further exam with hoof testers showed him to be sore in both front toe areas, a pretty clear indication of lamina inflammation. She then gave him a dose of injectable bute.

Then the doctor took xrays of both front feet. Fortunately there was no sign of rotation, so that was good. And, with the bute, Toby was already looking much happier and comfortable.

Dr. McAndrews then decided to put some foam pads on Toby's feet which she secured with Elastoplast and duct tape. He will be staying in for the week with a restricted diet, bute and the pads with a follow-up visit on Thursday or Friday. The vet believes Toby will need a set of shoes for a few weeks--his soles are thin and she wants to be sure his hoofs heal well. However, she will also consult with Scott, my farrier, to see what he recommends. There are many options at this point.

It looks to be a very mild case, so far, and hopefully all will be well. I've been giving Toby a lot of feed--with the vet's approval and recommendation--so that could be the cause. But there are many other possibilities. I plan on adjusting his diet, so any suggestions are welcome. He is on a low carb ration with beet pulp and some alfalfa cubes now. I have a grass hay/timothy mix as well. My pasture is not lush, but with all the rain we've been having, the grass does tend to grow, although Toby has never had a problem with that before.

Still, he is older now and metabolisms do change. We may put him on some Cushing's medication any how, but for now we are going to see how he does by the end of the week.

Regular readers of this blog will recall I posted that I was a little concerned about Toby's behavior over the last week or so. Now I know why.

This is one more example of how important it is to really "know your horse." It is one of the advantages of having the horses in the backyard as you do get to see them all the time. When I boarded, was was at the barn almost every day and tried to keep an eye on how my horses acted at feed time, turnout, etc., so I would be able to spot issues before they became serious. Good barn managers will often do the same for each horse in their care, but I still believe it's the owner's ultimate responsibility.

I never could quite understand "absentee owners" who only showed up infrequently, yet claimed to really care about their horses. What a heavy burden that leaves on barn management.

Something to think about.

All On a Summer Day

2011-07-01T18:24:00.000-04:00

I Am Well Adjusted

I had a chiropractor appointment this morning, so I am feeling quite good at this point. I had my afternoon swim and my lazy river ride and I'm a happy camper.

Except that my car's air conditioning is not working right. I hope to take it in tomorrow sometime to have it checked. Hopefully it's just a minor problem as sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Could be it's just low on coolant or something simple like that....I hope!!

I have some catnip growing by the back door and I picked some for my kitties. Rather than a lot of excited play, the herb seemed to have a more calming effect. There was a bit of wrestling, and then Scooter decided to take command of the greenery.

This is Scooter, totally under the spell of the catnip. He spent the evening sleeping with his head on it. And again, today, with some newly picked stuff, he has taken control and once again is lying on it.

Maenwhile, outside, Chance is off by himself grazing in the paddock. As you can see, my grass is pretty sparse. It keeps the Boys occupied, but doesn't pose a "too much grass" threat.

Here is the mown lawn but you can still see the weeds that need some kind of tending. They are in areas where I cannot take the mower.

And, just for a bit of color, some of the lilies by the front paddock.

Basically, I have to let nature kind of take over around here as there is no way I can keep things trimmed to perfection.

I guess it's enough to try to keep the forest at bay.

Lovely Summer Morning

2011-06-30T23:27:00.000-04:00

So I Mowed the Grass

When I went out to feed the Boys in the morning, it was cool, dry, and lovely out. Rather a surprise, actually as that is not typical for New Jersey lately.

So I decided to take advantage of the weather and mow the lawn. It was rather a boring way to spend the morning, but I certainly do like the looks of my yard after a mowing. However, there are weeds and tall grass growing in all kinds of places where I cannot take the mower. I have a number of tree stumps, etc. around.

I came in for breakfast and then went back out to do some weedwhacking with my electric string trimmer. I didn't overdo this time, so the front bank still needs to be done as do areas on the front lawn. And in the back, where I used to put my garden--before the attack of the tomato eating groundhog--there is a lot of trimming yet to do.

As they say, I'll get around to it--eventually.

I didn't do much cleaning inside today, but somehow managed to use up the rest of the early afternoon until it was time for my swim. This time I fed the horses before I left for the pool. They seemed quite pleased by that. Of course, they are generally always pleased when I show up to feed.

Did my ten laps, my leg exercises, and then some turns around the Lazy River.

I finally ended up going to the supermarket to get some more onions to make soup. I am cooking it now, even as I write. After it's done, I will puree it...kind of an alternative texture for onion soup, but delicious. The pot will feed me for several days.

Yum!

No News Is Good News

2011-06-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

And Yet Time Marches On

I am getting in some nice swims every day. I look at the weather forecast to see if and when the thunderstorms are going to arrive and plan my trip to the pool around them.

Other than that, I sent to demo saddle back to Ansur yesterday and did some shopping on the way home. There were swimsuit separates on sale at JC Penney and I ended up buying something there. I now have an extensive collection of swimsuits to wear to the pool. I have lost count, actually, but I love to mix and match tops and bottoms and to wear "the color of the day" as the mood strikes me. Silly, but kind of fun.

It's hot here, but not overbearing. Still, I haven't mustered the energy to go out to mow the lawn. With the rain, it needs it badly. Instead, I am cleaning the house in stages, rather than all at once. This way it's not so overwhelming. And, I need to keep in mind that I also need to be sure things are arranged in a "handicap" friendly style so that when I have my surgery, I will not be too challenged.

Strangely enough, my knee surgeon's office just sent me a letter today scheduling a post surgery appointment in October. Talk about advance planning. It does make everything a bit more real, however.

And yet, I am actually kind of looking forward to it all. Not so much the surgery or recovery or rehab work, but for the ultimate results. I've been lucky enough to meet a number of people who have had successful replacements and are simply thrilled with the results. Of course, I want to be able to ride the Boys without pain, but I have another goal in mind as a top priority.

My goal? I want to be able to run again. I don't mean far, and I don't mean serious jogging. I just mean being able to run. It might only be from the barn to the house to keep from getting too wet in a rainstorm, or it might mean running alongside my horse for a vet exam or the farrier. Right now, I can manage one or two emergency steps at speed and even then I run the risk of having a knee collapse on me. Strangely enough, I have had several dreams where I run. I find myself jogging home from the end of my road, or somewhere else nearby. I don't know if it's connected, but I guess running...or not being able to run...is on my mind somewhere.

So, the day I can run again will be a big one. Here's looking forward to it!