Chance Report

You Never Quite Know

I am currently treating Chance for Lyme disease by using immune system herbs and colloidal silver.

I am not 100% sure that is why he was lame, but it's worth a shot here.

My farrier, Scott, came out and checked his front hoofs, trimmed and rebalanced his shoeing, and that also helped. When he pulled the shoes, he tested for soreness and found absolutely nothing.  I would have thought if it was navicular syndrome, there would be some heel soreness.

After listening to a lecture from Dr. Joyce Harman on the Internet, I realize that Lyme is a most sinister disease that hides in the body where antibiotics cannot touch it. The only way the body can rid itself of the bacteria for good an all is for the immune system to figure out what the invader is and finally conquer it instead of being led astray.

I am still awaiting an immune formula from Australia, but I am using colostrum supplement at the moment.

Colloidal silver is a very effective antibiotic that attacks bacteria that are immune to antibiotics. It disrupts their ability to function.  It has been successfully used against Lyme.

I gave Chance a course of bute for about four days and have since weaned him off. So far, as of this morning....third day without bute...he looked pretty good.

I'm keeping my hopes up. He is such a sweet horse and such a good trail mount, I really do want to be able to ride him.

But for now, I just want him to be happy and sound enough to enjoy the lovely fall weather roaming about the paddocks and pasture.

Good News, Bad News Again.

Back in the Saddle

I finally managed to take a ride today.

I knew as soon as I got on Chance that he did not feet super sound. He had lyme disease last summer and when he finally recovered, the vet was pretty sure he had navicular. We treated that with Osphos, he seemed much better and then we found out he had OCD in his stifle. That would not keep him from being a trail horse--and he LOVES trails.

So today, after working all summer to fix my own hip issues, I saddled him up and headed out for a short trail ride.

It was shorter than I expected because a tree branch snagged my prescription glasses about 2 feet out of the arena and I had to dismount to look for them. Since I really couldn't see to well, I didn't find them. So I headed back into the barn, cross-tied Chance and went into the house to put in my contact lenses so I could hunt for my glasses.

Fortunately, I found them hanging on a bush.

I remounted and headed out. Poor Chance felt like he was walking on rocks. He was decidedly lame on both front feet. Bummer.

I've contacted my vet to see if there is anything we can do to help him out.

Meanwhile, Tucker is still laid up and will be until at least January.

And Toby, the elder master of the herd is just acting strangely. I had to vet out to look at him when I thought he might actually be having a bout of laminitis. But he was fine. His blood work was fine, neurologic tests were fine, and he does not have Lyme disease.

He is sluggish come in for meals and is walking "funny."  I did start to paint his feet with Keratex just in case his feet are sore from the summer ground.

It's just strange.

So, three horses in the barn and I'm not sure I can ride.

At least the Boys are in my back yard, so I can easily take care of them with all their special needs.

*SIGH*

Medical Update on Tucker

Not The Best News For Sure

I've been icing Tucker's hock with frozen diapers/epsom salts twice a day now for over a week.

There isn't much change in appearance.

I contacted my vet to see how long this tendon sheath injury may take to heal.

His answer? 6-8 months.

Tucker will need to be confined for the whole time.

Holy moley!

I am going to need to find a way to entertain him. He does have the run in shed in addition to his stall, so he gets "out," sort of. And I have to admit Toby and Chance do spend a lot of time visiting him, so that's good.

I've been picking grass 2-3 times a day to give him with his hay.  But what I will do when the weather changes and the grass dies, I do not know.

In the meantime, after talking it over with my human chiropractor, I realized there is one option I haven't tried....kinesiology tape. I've used it with great success on my knees, and it is used on horses.

I found a website with some good directions for taping a hock to reduce inflammation, and I ordered the horse version of the tape from Amazon. It should be here by Thursday.

It is not a cure, but the support and stimulation the taping offers could speed healing.

I don't know if my vet is aware of taping, but I emailed him about it. It's a "no harm" treatment, so there should be no problem.

Now, do you think I need to get Tuck a TV?

Latest hock pictures:

No Significant Change

But An Escape!

I was in Tucker's stall, adjusting the ice boot on his hock and I left his stall gate open.

What I did not realize was that Chance's stall gate (Tucker's actual stall as he is rehabbing in Chance's stall and run in) was open as well.

Tucker made a break for it. Out he went into the paddock. The ice boot slid down around his ankle scattering the ice packs hither and yon as he trotted about, and even took a few strides of canter as I grabbed a lead rope and tried to catch him.

Fortunately, it was hot. Fortunately neither Chance nor Toby felt inclined to join in the romp.

Fortunately the water trough seemed more attractive to Tucker than a full breakaway. Besides the slipped hock boot and his not quite comfy hock gave him enough pause to stop for a drink and I snagged him with the rope around his neck.

Bless all the ground work I've done because as soon as I had the rope looped around him, he was under my control. I let him drink and led him back into the confined safety of the barn.

Whew.

He certainly didn't get any more exercise than he would have on the end of a lead line if I'd tried to walk him

With a potential tendon sheath injury some limited exercise is OK, such as walking about the little run in shed area, but trotting and cantering are not.  Bless his heart that he put his head back together and calmed down as soon as I caught him again.

I keep telling him I'm so sorry he has to stay in like this. I think he understands and is really trying to be good about it.

I may call my vet tomorrow just to give him a report on the fact that the swelling seems to be pretty much the same. I wonder if he has any other ideas to help ease it a bit.

Meantime, I've been watching the Olympic horse events on line, live streaming them from NBC Olympics.  If you have the NBC stations on your cable or satellite provider, you can watch too. If not, I don't know if the US offers any other way of watching. NBC has exclusive rights.

On the plus side, they do offer coverage of just about every event at the Games live without commercial interruption.

Oh, by the way, the announcers for the horse events---on the Internet feed, not on broadcast TV--really know their stuff. Good commentary for the most part and good analysis. On TV? Well one could wish for better.

Tucker Hock: Part 5

Ice and In 

My vet and the consulting vet both think the lesion on the bone is a result of part of the tendon sheath tearing away. So, rather than a kick or blow, it was likely a twist or bad step of some kind.

That kind of feeds into the fact that his front shoe was twisted off that day as well.

The current treatment is naqusone, which is a corticosteroid and antiflammatory. I am icing it once a day and still applying Surpass (in a generic form).  Tuck is also still confined in his little stall and pen.

He is being a good boy about it.

However, yesterday, I took him outside for a little graze and a roll in the dirt.

My bad.

I did not lock the other two Boys in their stalls and Chance decided to come for a visit--a rather energetic visit. He careened around us in galloping, bucking circles and Tuck rolled. Then, pulled a crash and burn of his own, slipping on some mud and landing on his side with a tremendous "whomp" next to the fence.

Fortunately, after he caught his breath, he leapt back to his feet and took off again.

That set Tucker into a rather scary fit of bucking and striking on the end of the lead line. While I would rather have ducked and run for cover, I managed to hang on, settle him back down and head right back into the barn.

He was remarkably self-contained back on the cross ties. Whew.

He is a BIG horse, about 17 hands, and I never quite know how safe he is when he gets riled up. So far, he responds to correction, but his size is pretty intimidating.

I guess the hand walking will only be done without the extra equine visitors.

My vet says it could take months for Tuck's leg to heal.

I just hope Tuck can be a patient patient in the interim.

Tuck and his Hock, Part 4

Pictures

Here are some pictures of Tucker's swollen hock. Dr. Klayman shaved it down to the skin to see if he could find a cut or puncture wound, so that's why it's so light colored compared to his other leg.

So far, aside from an X-Ray showing an inflamed bone, there is nothing else to find.

Hope we get some news this week.

Tuck and his Hock Part 3

Still Swollen

Tucker's hock is still swollen after a week of poultices.

My vet was out again yesterday. He is very puzzled. He did an ultrasound and did not find any damage to ligaments or tendons. There was a lot of fluid in the joint capsule area.

He drew some of the fluid out and took some to culture for an infection.

However, he just called to tell me there was no sign of infection in the blood or serum.

So, we are still sort of at square one.

Tuck is on one gram of bute a day and a Volteran rub on the hock for now. He is confined to the stall and a very small run-in shed area...about 10' X 24' to keep him from running around. It's better than just stall confinement and it's on the shady side of the barn.

My vet has sent the X-rays to a surgeon he knows to see if there are any other suggestions for treatment.

The hock is not quite as swollen as it was, but it is certainly not normal.

The adventure continues. (I might see if I can get some pictures to post.)

Tucker Update

Not Cellulitis After All

After a full week plus of treating Tucker for cellulits in his left hind/hock and getting really nowhere. I call the vet out again.

This time, after a thorough hands-on evaluation, the vet decided to take some x-rays.

Aha! One of the hock bones, on the inside of the joint was inflamed. Apparently, somehow, Tuck had either kicked or hit or somehow traumatized the inside of his joint.

So, protocol changed completely, from sweats to icing and poulticing.

Talk about messy. And, the hock is not an easy joint to work with as far as traditional bandaging it concerned. I have the Back on Track hock boot, which I used, but that helps generate heat.

Worse, using soaked brown paper on top of the poultice, is another mess.

Getting the old poultice off before treating with the anti-inflammatory ointment is another mess.

Icing the hock with ice packs is another bit of a mess.

Well, it's all a mess, but a manageable one. I did find a really good deal on an icing hock boot on eBay and I'm waiting for it to come. In the meantime, I've rigged up methods to keep the ice packs in place while I putter about cleaning stalls and filling water buckets.

I also discovered that those reusable paper towels work better than soaked brown paper and that the super long standing bandages I bought work really well to figure eight wrap the hock joint.  (Learned proper hock wrapping technique years ago but it used to need two bandages. Now it's just one super long one---and of course, one on the lower part of the leg for support.)

Then there is the bute, applesauce, syringe, and not too happy Tucker mouth I have to put it in. A seventeen hand horse can be really tall when he puts his head way up trying to avoid the medication.

Anyhow, as we all know, dealing with these challenges of horse care is just a part of owning a horse.

Just think of what the rest of the world is missing.

Adventures In Follywoods

All Was Not Quiet

Trouble for me started when Tucker came in lame on a hind leg. When the leg filled up, hock to pastern, I decided I needed to call the vet for at least a consult. I've dealt with swollen legs before, but something was bothering me about this one. Tucker had pulled his front shoe, with rather dramatic damage to his hoof, so I thought maybe he'd injured his hind leg in the process.

My vet was suspicious enough to decide a visit was worth his time.

Sure enough, after a flexing and feeling exam, he decided Tucker had developed cellulitis, probably from some small scratches in the pastern area.

Antibiotics, bute, anti-inflammatories, and a nasty leg sweat became the remedies along with leg wraps. I soon ordered a Back on Track hock wrap with one day delivery from Amazon--a remarkable shipping guarantee.  In the meantime, I bandaged up the boy with the sweat and hoped for the best.

Bute and other meds end up in a syringe with applesauce while the antibiotic is in its own syringe.

Fortunately, aside from being too tall when I approach him with the syringe--head goes up, and he's 17 h.--Tucker is an unhappy but well-behaved patient.

Scott came to shoe on Saturday, the day after the cellulitis discovery, and did manage to get two front shoes on Tucker, but he left his hind feet alone. Once again, Tuck was a really good boy for the shoeing. So sad.

Meanwhile, not to be ignored, Chance and Toby had their own attention-getting action. When I went out to feed late night snack at midnight on Friday, one, then two horses streaked by me on the back lawn. Toby was actually trying to get into the paddock through the locked gate. Chance was not far away.

I got Toby in, and Chance a bit later after I'd at least checked the front paddock area fence line by flashlight. All the fence was intact so I locked the stray Boys in their stalls and headed out to the pasture.

Soon I found two sections of slipboard fencing rails totally demolished. The rails were not knocked down, they were shattered. From the looks of it, once horse may have tried to jump, cleared the middle rail and smashed the top rail while the other horse had just crashed through all three rails.

What the heck? Smashing through the fence is not normal behavior.

The Boys had gone through the fence, then through my neighbor's yard and run back home.

Their frantic behavior back in my yard suggested something had panicked them really badly.

But what?

Investigation the following morning in the light of day offered no real clues. Coyote? There were no tracks I could find. Bear? Rumor of one in town, but on the other side of town over 10 miles away--a possibility still. Something else?

My friend jokingly suggested the Jersey Devil. http://weirdnj.com/stories/jersey-devil/

I walked the pumpkin field adjacent to the pasture today, and all I found were deer prints. Cloven hoofs, nothing more.

One must wonder.

Ah, It's Been Too Long

All Is Well At Follywoods

Nothing to report at the moment. All three boys are doing well and actually look really good.

I finally found a way to get more weight on Toby the oldest boy. He has Cushings and lost weight and musculature over the last couple years. I was feeding him three times a day with Purina Equine Senior feed, but it just wasn't adding weight. Maintaining, but not adding.

Finally, after some research, I decided to add beet pulp (no molasses) to his diet. I soak a little less than a quart of beet pulp pellets until they are total mush, and feed that along with the Purina as before. Once a day, I add a pint container of rice bran to the mix.  I feed this three times a day.

He really enjoys eating it and nickers for his meals. And he's put on a nice layer over his ribs.

Another plus out of a negative is that he is no longer cribbing. The reason's not so good, despite the good consequences. He has managed to wear away his front teeth completely, so that he only has gums on top from his cribbing habit. No more cribbing is good. The reason is not. The vet did tell me he'd still be able to eat OK, and he does seem to be happy grazing on my sparse grass.

Tucker is fat as ever--he could be a metabolic horse--and practically lives on air.

Chance, is, according to the vet, at a perfect weight.

I still haven't been riding. Not only do I lack an element of motivation, but I am a bit leery after my experience when I tried to ride after my hip surgery.

But, I am working on stretching and have been "riding" my iGallop with my old Ansur saddle on it. So one of these days, I will try to wrap my legs around a horse again.

Meantime, I've been keeping fit with swimming and lots of walking inspired by my Garmin Vivofit. It's like a FitBit, except that it's totally waterproof and I can swim with it on. It does record some of my swimming exercise, so I get "partial credit" for the exercise as well.

I am getting a bit addicted to the challenge of walking 10,000+ steps a day, though. It's interesting how wearing a little "conscience machine" on your wrist can keep you moving.

Snowzilla

No Pics. Too Tired

In case you missed it, New Jersey was hit with a blizzard on Saturday.

Here is my area we got somewhere around 26" of snow. All I know is that I shoveled the path to the barn--around 100'--three times during the storm. It was not drifting full. It was snow that fell. I suspect that was 8"-9" of snow each time.

This morning, Sunday, I got up at 8 AM, fed the horses quickly and the climbed up on the Kubota tractor with the front end loader to start clearing my driveways.

4 1/2 hours later, I dragged myself back into the house for a respite. I'd gotten some 200' of driveway cleared mostly by digging and shifting snow one load at a time.  It was nearly impossible to actually plow snow that deep. The snow was light on top, but the depth had packed the lower layers down and they were actually heavy. Kubota was brave, bold, and mighty, but not mighty enough to push more than about three feet forward at each swipe.  (A friend on Facebook posted that two snow plows had gotten stuck in her cul-de-sac trying to plow.) Suffice it to say, unless the snow removal equipment was really big, plowing was not an easy task.

I did want to try my snowblower--recently repaired and tuned up--but I could not get it started. Not sure I was doing everything right to get it going, I gave up to try again tomorrow. I re-read the directions on the Internet and will try again when I am not frustrated by just breaking through the piles of snow to get my driveway open.

A bit later in the afternoon, my new young next door neighbor's father was in my driveway. He had come to clear out the next door driveway so his son could get home with his partner and brand new baby. Apparently, he had to take his partner to the hospital during the storm to deliver a beautiful baby girl.

They have a snowblower next door, but the drifts were pretty big, so I stumbled back out to the barn, hoisted myself back onto the tractor and went over to help them out. I cut a swathe though the barricade by the road and then battered my way up to the house, getting the basic drive area open. They finally managed to get the snowblower running and spent at least another hour or so finishing up. Hopefully, father, mother and daughter will be able to make their way safely into the yard and house.

I am really tired. I did shovel a path to the manure pile for the wheelbarrow so I can clean stalls and another path to the squirrel feeder so I can keep my furry buddies fed.

Now, all I really want to do is just take a nice long winter's nap.

Enough snow for the season.  I will ignore dire forecasts in the future. Spring will come early instead.

Excuses

Not Really Excusable

OK, so the temperatures have been warm for December, and as riding weather goes, it's been perfect.

Have I ridden? No.

Why not? Somehow I have no motivation. I know for sure my inner thigh muscles are still not rehabbed for riding.  I have sat on my barrel a few times, but not with any kind of regular determination. That means that sitting in the saddle will still either hurt or be ineffective.

No reason I can't do the work necessary to get fit, but I just keep getting distracted.

Then, there's the horse. I definitely don't want to try to ride Tucker until I am fit again. He is neither and easy or reliable mount.

That leaves Chance or Toby. Toby is showing more and more age as time goes on. I am really having trouble getting weight on him. As a Cushings horse, he has muscle wastage as a symptom, something the Pergolide doesn't really help. I have upped his feed, added some Amplify and I bought some beet pulp to try. Still, he is sound and would probably be fine. I just feel kind of guilty considering riding him.

And Chance? My sweetie pie, reliable, love to go out on the trail horse? He'd be fine for walking and perhaps a little trot. The last time I was on him testing my own muscles, we trotted just a few strides and I could feel that unsoundness in his hind end. The OCD in his stifle is definitely a problem for him. Bless his heart, though, because he doesn't let it dampen his enthusiasm--he heads right for the gate to the woods as soon as I swing into the saddle and let him walk off.

Therein lies the rub. Unless I can effectively use my lower leg, which requires cooperation from my hips and thighs, all I can do is try to steer him back along the track of the arena with my hands--neither very effective or good for him.

I'm not quite ready to go out on a trail until I have some better body control, so I do need to ride in the arena first for a few times.

That would help me build myself up.

But there the circle is complete. I am simply not getting myself riding fit.

I do exercise in the pool, although I've taken the week off so I don't risk getting my head clogged with water. I am singing a difficult solo in church on Sunday and I've been battling either really annoying allergies or a wannabe cold. All I need to do is make it through the music, and I'll be fine.

So, the list of excuses goes on and on. All those years I dreamed of having my horse in the back yard, and now that I do, I'm not riding.

Hopefully, my desire to ride will rekindle. Otherwise I will just have some lovely pasture pets.

Caught the Cats

Time For Spay and Neuter

I had set the trap out for several days, with the trap trigger tied so it would not snap shut.

Mommycat, Dusky, and the kittens became pretty comfortable eating inside the trap.

I made an appointment to get Dusky spayed at People for Animals, a low cost spay/neuter clinic about a half hour away. They specialize in feral cats, so I knew they could handle my strays. They participate in the TNR, Trap Neuter Release, programs many of the cat rescues are involved in. The idea is to catch feral cats, neuter them and then release them back to the areas they were trapped to live in their colonies without producing more kittens.

The next trick was to capture her. I went to PetSmart and bought a new, fairly large dog cage/crate to hold her in overnight both before her spay date and for a day or so after for recovery.

I set the trap last night before dark. Within two minutes, I had captured both kittens. Since I was hoping to try to tame them a little, that was OK, so I brought them into the house and put them in the crate, locked in the sunroom. Then I set the trap again. It took less than ten more minutes for Dusky to get caught. I brought her in as well and the little family spent the night in the house.

I called the clinic to see if I could bring the kittens in as well. The woman said if they were at least 2 pounds in weight, that was OK to neuter but she didn't know if they would have time. (There are several clinics in the State of NJ and the one I was going to was closed on Monday, so I called one that was open.)  She did tell me it was worth a try.

So I pulled out three cat carriers and risked life and limb getting the two feisty kittens in. Hissing, spitting, biting little bundles of fur are not easy to stuff into a carrier, I can tell you that. I did have gloves and a jacket on so I manage to escape serious injury.  Then came Dusky. First, I tried to snag her, but she was even more dangerous. Finally, I stuck the open carrier in the cage and, lo and behold, she went right in on her own. I guess I looked like a safe hiding place.

Packed the car with cats and headed out to the clinic.

Bless their hearts, but they were perfectly willing to neuter all three of my little bundles of spitting joy.

The waiting room was filled with other people with cats. A good number of them were strays/ferals that had been either trapped or dumped. Two women had lovely black cats that had shown up at their homes as strays. Both of those cats were sweet and lovable. One rescue women brought in six she had trapped and another woman and one--she'd been trapping a family one at a time for several weeks. With about four more owners with pet cats there, the waiting room was alive with meows.

As it turned out, my little ones were old enough and big enough to neuter, so I left them for the day.

I picked them up at around 4 PM discovering, to my surprise, that the solid gray kitten is a female and the light gray tabby is a male.  I was totally convinced, just by observing them and never getting close enough to check, that it was exactly the opposite. Shadow works fine as a name for the little girl, but I'm not sure Slip is the ideal name for the boy.

I plan on keeping them in for a couple weeks to see if I can tame them and I'm hoping I'll come up with the perfect name for my little guy. According to the vet at the clinic, he was the toughest one to handle. He's gotten away from me twice now in the sunroom where there is no place to hide, so in one way, Slip is kind of an appropriate moniker. It does tend to slip out of my control pretty easily. Clever little dude.

I will take some pictures soon, but tonight I am just letting them settle down in the cat bed in the crate. I'll put some food in later.  Dusky needs to stay inside for a day or so.  So far the weather is staying on the warm side so I don't have to worry too much about putting her back outside to be my barn kitty.

I really can't adopt any more indoor cats as I already have seven.  Outdoors I have the barn, two garages, the hay storage area, and the igloo dog house I bought for them so they should be fine. I'm not keen about having outdoor cats, as I do worry about the busy road, but I will do my best to give them a safe haven, good food and, I hope, some solid human friendship.

Horses On the Lawn

Gotcha!

This time it's not the escapees. It's my Christmas yard decor.

I bought the winged Pegasus last year and liked it so much I decided I wanted a partner. I searched the Internet all year to no avail. Apparently the Pegasus is no longer for sale.

So, I started looking for another kind of lighted outdoor Christmas horse. I wasn't until early November that one showed up on eBay. (There are more now, but none like mine.)  I took the plunge and bought him.

Now, at last he is standing on the left side of the front porch while Pegasus--who needed to be propped up on the flagpole holder because his supporting strut broke--adorns the right side.

I'm pretty happy with the effect, despite Pegasus's lameness. Fortunately all he needs to do is stand there, so the injury does not impair his performance.

Here's the new guy sporting the red bow I added.

Here we have the two fellows without the added drama. 

The added drama? The StarShower laser lights. I've always wanted something on that peak area of the porch, but I am not brave enough to climb a ladder that high. The laser lights do the job and are just right as far as I am concerned. 

The fence on either side of the house is also strung with garland, red bows, and lights.

I'm just about ready for Christmas!


Oh, by the way, the real Boys escaped last week by knocking down the fence rails by the barn. Found them grazing on the back lawn by moonlight. Fortunately, they decided not to go adventuring. More about that later.

Happy Thanksgiving

May the holiday find you good grazing wherever you may be.

Sat in the Saddle

Good News.Bad News, Sort Of
 
Weather was warm today so, after about a 40 minute walk around the tree farm and cornfield--where I picked up left over corn for squirrels--I first lunged Chance to see how he looked.

Aside from the hind leg with the OCD stifle, he looked pretty sound. Now this is with just wedge pads and regular shoes in the front instead of the egg bar shoes.

So, I saddled him up and headed back out to the arena for a test ride.

Well, it was much better than the last time I tried. Pain still from stretching my inner thigh muscles, however. That limited how I could use my leg for any kinds of cues. Still, it wasn't agony, but I certainly would not have wanted to try a trail ride.

Now, I have been stretching my legs all summer, and within the last week stretching again in the pool. I also started using some of the machines at the gym, but only one day on my own. (The trainer set me up and had me work a little on Saturday.)  All is well and good with that...

BUT:  There is not a single exercise that I have done that really prepares the body for riding. Mind you, I am a bit limited with the exercises I can do with my replaced knees and still recovering hip but, it's simply not the same thing.

I am truly surprised at this. Having ridden for over 50 years of my life, I would think I would have a natural ability to sit in a saddle, but once again, that hip injury and the mode of recovery just wasn't "horse shape" friendly.  And not one of those darn machines in the gym requires me to use my "horse shape" muscles the right way.

So it's back to the barrel in the back yard.

So that's the half of it. The other half is Chance. He lunged pretty sound, but when I trotted just a little bit in the arena, He has a definite limp. Not being in shape enough myself to ride the trot long enough to sort it all out, I'm not quite sure if it's that hind leg alone, or some discomfort in the front. As I said, he lunged sound, so it's more likely my weight on his back and that hind leg problem.

Again, no point in making a huge deal of it at the moment. We only rode around the arena for five or ten minutes at the most, just testing things out. As usual, Chance headed straight for the gate out to the woods, telling me he was up for a trail ride.

So, plan B for tomorrow is:  Go for swim/exercise.  Sit on barrel and stretch. Then ride for a bit, perhaps going out for a very short jaunt in the woods in this lovely warm weather.

As Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day."

Kitty update:  Kittens are coming out to eat. The darker gray one is still much bolder. I am now suspicious they are much younger than I suspected and that they were not actually weaned until very recently. I bought some dry kitten food for them as well as more canned food today.  I'll just keep working on the taming process.

Cat and Hip Progress

Four Reasons to Smile

The stray cat and her two kittens seem to be getting used to me. Dusky, the mom, now greets me in the morning, meows and will actually eat the food while I sit about four feet away talking to her. She is "thinking" about approaching me, but isn't quite secure enough yet.

This morning, for the first time, the two kittens came out into the open to eat with her while I was there. The charcoal gray one, Shadow, is braver then the little light gray striped kitten, Slip, but both ate with their mom while I was there. (Will try to get some pictures soon.)

Slow but sure progress on the way to making them sociable barn kitties. I am hoping I will not have to set traps to catch them for vet/neuter/shots, etc, but we will see.  We're supposed to have some warm weather this week so it's good for sitting out there for taming.

And smile #4?

My doctor cleared me for "unrestricted" activity with my hip.  This sent me right off to the NewYork Sports Club to start my membership with a swim.

Now, I know I can swim at the County College pool for free, but it is some 15-16 miles away. The Sports Club is only 8 miles from home and I can use a back road to get there. The college? Heavily traveled US 1 and the very busy town of Edison, Route 514.  Of course, if I have a substituting job, I'll already be at the College, so I will swim there. Meanwhile the Sports Club is the answer.

The pool there has four lanes, and the whole complex is very clean and well run. There is another Sports Club--LA Fitness--with a pool just across the highway, but that one costs a bit more and most reviews give the NY Club better marks for cleanliness.

At any rate, I've been swimming three times so far and love it.

Yesterday, I got my complimentary trainer consultation and Mike, the trainer with a Physical Therapy background, showed me how to used the exercise machines he recommended. He also made up a fitness regimen for me to follow. I'm not sure I will be dedicated enough to do it, but I will at least try.

I would like to work with him once a week too, but I can't afford it. Personal training sessions are nearly $100 for each. When you think about what a good riding lesson costs here in NJ, that's not unreasonable. My Physical Therapy sessions are at least that much too, but my medical insurance pays for them. It would not pay for that--at least not yet. There are, apparently, some insurance programs that do cover some of the gym costs for senior citizens, but my otherwise excellent coverage does not. I am going to look into the possibility of perhaps one session a month, but so far, using the website, I can't find out how much that program would cost.

So, in the meantime, I am going to work out on my own.

And I plan on trying some riding soon, maybe even this afternoon. Right now I want to get on a horse to see how it feels. That way, if something hurts, I will know what I need to stretch or strengthen in order to ride.

As I said, we are supposed to get some warm weather this week, so it would be a good time to get into the saddle. Physically, the warmth will help my muscles and Chance will also be feeling good about it.

No plans to ride Tucker until I am fit again, although I will start working him on the lunge/long lines. Our trail riding days are done, I fear, but I will take him out for hand walks in the woods for a change of scenery.

Gone are the days of mad, frolicking rides in the fields and trails as I did when I had my Russell R. Older, wiser, and not quite the girl I used to be, I am a cautious equestrian instead.

Dumped Cat Update

The Number is Three

There are definitely three cats here. One larger light gray tabby and two kittens, one dark and one a light gray.

I have honestly not had a close-up look at the kittens. The larger cat is now responding to me when I put the food out in the morning. She--I suspect she may be the mother cat--talks to me and stays out in the open while I am there although she is still very cautious about approaching.

At this rate, in a couple weeks I will probably be able to touch her. I am hoping the lure of food and my quiet presence will reassure her.

The kittens may be another story, but if indeed the larger cat is their mother, then they too will eventually come around.

All three were out in the yard quite a ways away from the barn when I went out. All three took off and dashed under the floor of the feed room--their "cave."  But, as I said, the larger cat emerged as soon as I called and then, after a brief conversation with me, watched me put the food out and then waited until I went into the barn to feed the Boys before eating.

The kittens are much more elusive. They were nestled on the fuzzy blanket I put over the horse blankets at the end of the barn aisle last night, while the adult cat sat on the barn floor. Again, she did not run immediately, but the kittens slipped into the shadows behind the trunk.

Patience must reign. If I can catch the mother I will get her spayed ASAP.  I can set the trap for the kittens and might be able to get them too. I have a fair sized wire crate I can put in the sunroom for a while to socialize the little guys before I take them to get neutered as well.

As much as I would like to, I simply can't add any more cats to the indoor "herd" so these guys would need to become barn kitties. If so, I  will make some nice comfy, warm quarters for them.  There are two garages, a carport where I store my hay, and the barn itself where they can always find shelter, but I special shelter for them would be even better.

Meantime, as long as the weather holds, they will be just fine as they are. All they need now is to learn to trust me.

Well, It Happened Again

Cats Arrive Just In Time For Fall

The sweet little mommycat who I semi-rescued years ago disappeared the week before my surgery. She was one of the longest surviving outdoor kitties I ever had here. I am not sure how old she was, but she did have a litter of kittens in my carport soon after she arrived. Luckily, I was able to get a cat rescue group to take them and all of them were adopted to good homes. Mommy traveled back and forth from my house to my neighbors for a good long while. When my neighbor passed away earlier this year, she came back to stay with me. Ever since I took her to get spayed, she would not let me touch her, but she certainly "talked" to me and kept me company out in the barn.

With her gone, the world outside was a little more lonely.  But, I was pretty sure sooner or later another stray would show up.

Well, it happened in multiples. Once again, apparently some rude, irresponsible person decided my little horse farm was the perfect place to dump some unwanted pets.

My horse sitter, Debbie, reported seeing a cat a few days ago. She thought it was Mommycat, whom she had never seen. But this cat was light gray, perhaps with some tan. That night, when I went out to do late night feed, there was a sleek light gray tabby cat in the barn. It ran off as soon as it saw me, but I was pretty sure I was the cat Debbie had seen. I put cat food out in the cat feeding station and in another dish closer to the house. Somebody cleaned it all up, but it might as well have been the raccoon or opossum, but I am hoping it was the cat.

I saw the gray cat in the barn the next night, again skittering off when I came in. OK, one new cat. I can handle that.

Then, last night, at late feed, I turned on the barn light and saw a little dark kitten at the end of the aisle. It ducked under cover and disappeared. So, now there were two.

Tonight when I came home from an errand, I saw the little dark kitten near the food dish. It bolted for the barn when I drove up the driveway. Lo and behold, there was a little light gray shadow still at the food dish. As soon as it saw me, that kitten raced off to the cover of the barn as well. Now I am up to three.

Just before dark--I put more food out in the meantime--I saw kittens playing on the fence by the corner of the barn. They were a bit too small to make out clearly, and it was dusk by then, so I really couldn't see, but I am hoping it was still only two, but I can't quite be sure.  *sigh*

Now begins the hours of patience it will take to try to tame the little critters so I can get them neutered and decide what to do.

The selfish lowlife who tossed these little guys out probably figured, "Oh, there's a farm. They always need cats. And the cats will have plenty to eat with all the mice. I want to get rid of them, so here's the perfect spot."

Trouble, is, like most the horse owners I know around here, I am one of those responsible animal lovers who cares about animals of all shapes and sizes. That means I need to spend money, time and effort trying to see that these little ones are taken care of. That means food, shelter, and vet care.

Hey, you lousy excuse for a person who abandoned them here...may your car have two flat tires on a cold, rainy night and may you have to change them yourself and walk a dozen miles to a gas station for help because you have no cell service and only one spare. I hope you are wet, cold, hungry and miserable by the time you get the car fixed and my it cost you a ton extra because it's on a weekend.

Or, better yet, perhaps, somewhere in your life may you gain the wisdom and compassion you so sorely lack.

The Boys Hang Out

Still Waiting on My Hip

Bless my wonderful horsesitter, Debbie. Twice a day, she comes to take care of the Boys for me. I am now able to do the late night snack feeding, but I still cannot lift hay bales or bags of grain. Pushing the wheelbarrow to clean stalls would be risky at this point also. I am just starting the 4th week of recovery from having the metal removed from my hip and thigh so I need to be very careful what I do.

In fact, I attended my cousin's son's wedding yesterday and just sat to watch the dancing. Bouncing around, twisting and turning on my leg would not have been a good idea. So I "party pooped," and had a good time eating instead. It would have been nice to visit and talk to some of my other relatives and friends who where there, but the music was so loud, that was impossible. What is it about parties that demand blasting music the whole night?  Some peace and quiet conversation would have been a nice contrast.

No complaints otherwise. The weather was perfect so the couple had the ceremony on the hotel's veranda overlooking the ocean and the food was delicious.  It was a lovely, tasteful affair, even if it was too loud.

So, all that being said, The Boys are doing just fine.

Well. sort of. That is if you count the knock on my front door a few days ago. It was the my new neighbor's sister telling me one of the horses was on their back lawn.  Which one? "The black one," she said.

Well, Tucker is a very dark bay, so I semi-limped (When I first start walking my hip is sore.) out to the barn got a halter and lead and headed next door.

Tucker had dismantled the top two rails of the slip board pasture fence. Fortunately the other two Boys did not see where he had made his escape. So I hurried over to make repair just as Chance was starting to make his one beeline to the gap. I got there just in time, put the rails back up and led Tucker home.

I had to circle the chainlink fence between our houses at the edge of the road, and then lead him up the driveway.  Nearly every step of the way, I jiggled the lead rope to remind him to pay attention and walk with "best manners."  The last think I wanted was for him to push into me to knock me down. Fortunately, even though the other Boys were frantically running the fence and making a fuss, he stayed settled and I got us both back safely.

Then I close off the pasture--it was getting towards dusk--so I could fix the fence rails the next day.

With my rechargeable drill in hand, nails, and a hammer I nailed the slip boards in place both in the pasture and in a few other places where the rails were suspect.

By the time I was done, including traversing the rather steep hill in the pasture, I was pretty well worn out.  Simple tasks, when you have been laid up for a couple weeks, can be surprisingly taxing.

Once again, I'm really glad I spent the summer swimming and building myself up before this surgery. I have a feeling if I hadn't even six weeks of recovery would not be enough.