Boosters and Health Check

Last Friday was vet day again and I was prepared. I had a list of questions and could hardly wait to get them answered. Let me back up to the week before last. Almost 2 weeks ago on Friday night I went to feed Velvet her last meal of the day, but she refused her feed, she seemed very tense and I could see fear in her eyes. Needless to say I felt panic creep over me, but I did not lose my head. My first thought was early onset of colic even though she was not showing any normal signs. I thought what will I do, but then I knew, she was still standing so we went walking and walking turned into trotting and then trotting turned into a playful horse who was bouncing around at the end of the lead rope. Happy that she bounced back to normal, but concerned, because I still was not sure what had happened. I only fed Velvet a nibble of feed, since it could have been colic related and allowed her access to hay and water. I went to bed uneasy and went out to check on her 3 hours later and she was still fine. Velvet was fine all weekend and if you have read the previous post she was jumping off the foundation wall.

Monday morning I made an appointment with the vet to get Velvet's boosters and prepare my list. Friday morning was the big day! The vet came and I explained the incident and the vet's first thought was choke. As soon as she said that I knew that was it. I had seen that fearful look in my old mare years ago when she had choke. Anyway, the vet said make a warm mash out of her feed and then proceeded to check her throat. The vet discovered an unusual bump on the larynx tube. She went on to explain that she thought one of the rings on the Larynx may have been crushed due to a hard blow, so I will be feeling it periodically looking for any changes as time passes. Continuing with her exam, the vet checked her hernia situation and as I suspected it has not changed and there is a little fluid sac, very small, which may be permanent. The vet offered another option for hernia treatment if Velvet did not grow out of the hernia, so to speak. This treatment consists of injecting the area with an irritant causing the tissue to grow closed. I read about this and I think I prefer this option over surgery, but it has its own set of risks, but there is still time for the hole to grow closed, so I will just keep rubbing the area and hope that it closes on its own in the meantime. Alright 2 questions down and a couple more to go. Next was leaping off the foundation and will it cause damage? Velvet did not demonstrate while the vet was there, but we discussed the possibility of injury being so young, so we are resolving the matter by filling in the drop off. I already have it half way filled in and hopefully the rest of the way done this weekend. My other questions answered themselves just through normal communication with my vet. From day one my vet did not care for the name I chose for Velvet, but I liked it and it suits her well, so I did not care in the least. This was my vet's second trip to see Velvet and as she petted Velvet she rubbed her fur the wrong way showing the funny pale blue coloring under her sparse bay top coat and she smiled and said she had a beautiful color like her own mare. She went on to explain that her mare was the same when she was younger and looked so pretty when she moved, because the muscle movement was exaggerated by the hair movement which showed the light undercoat. Velvet got her boosters without too much fuss and we headed to the truck for the bill. While we were there my vet pulled out her phone and showed me her two horses and while she wrote the bill I sent to get the pictures that I had. First I showed her how skinny Velvet was the day I brought her home and then I showed her Velvet's parents, finally the best photo of all. The photo from the website that I chose Velvet from. She studied it for a moment and said what everyone says when they see this picture..."Are you sure you got the right horse?" I always say of course, there was not another foal on the website that had those black knees! Velvet has really changed since her first photo. Check out the slide show and the pictures in my blog for Velvet when she was still in Canada and what she looks like now.

Circus Horse, Eventer or Mountain Goat?

I am sure every foal owner wonders what their horse is going to turn out like. Foals can completely change colors as they grow into adults and they are almost always growing this way and that, but what about personality and performance? If you have an adopted crossbred foal with little to no background you have a guessing game on all counts. Velvet is rather dark bay in color right now with a very light under coat and some roaning, but last summer her photo showed her as a very light bay roan with a lot of blue and I was told she was born black. This summer I suspect she will lighten up considerably, especially since she is already starting to lighten up and it is only January. I can guess from her current build what she may be suitable for, but cannot say for sure what she could fulfill, well until today.

Today like any other day I did the morning chores and spent quality time with Velvet and the goats. As I watched Velvet doing her own thing she came to the edge of the old barn foundation, which I have seen her jump down from one other time. It is a short drop to the ground, about 25", but I would not have thought she would have made jumping off into a habit, let alone trying to climb back up the same way she came off, which I stopped immediately. She would surely hurt herself trying to climb up. She obeyed my action to stop her from climbing back up and all was well. I went into the house to do some work and as the clock ticked by it was time to make lunch. While I was making lunch I kept watching her out the window. The goats had all laid down to chew their cuds and Sunny just happen to lay directly below the foundation wall where Velvet has jumped from. The goats are all rather large, Sunny being the largest at 36" shoulder height and a very high head set. Velvet, likely bored with the resting goats stood at the edge of the foundation looking down. Then in a split second she jumped down right where Sunny is laying. All I could do was gasp as I watched her clear Sunny with no effort at all! Sunny never moved an inch as a matter of fact I am not sure that he even noticed. What a potential catastrophe that could have been if Velvet had landed on Sunny or if he became startled and leaped up. It turned out well and was quite impressive. She is unshakable and is appearing to be a natural of something, but that is the question. Is she a natural at imitating the goats jumping off the wall? Is she a born trick horse? Is she an eventer, fearless and brave? I guess I will not truly know for some time, but I do know I will not be setting any jumps up where she can get to them for fear she will free jump just for fun while she is still too young. I can say for sure that the unknowing is always exciting with Velvet. She is always doing something out of the ordinary. I can barely wait to find out what riding her reveals.

Unseasonably Warm

January south western Pennsylvania has been in the 20's and 30's for as long as I can remember, but not this year! The weather is unseasonable warm. We reached at least 56 F today and the air is really damp. By Tuesday we are supposed to hit 60 and back in the 40s the next day. I can't complain, because I am not a cold weather person. Velvet not only has a winter coat, but also baby fur. She was feeling a bit warm on her chest and oh my, she and the goats are just starting to shed! Seeing this makes e want cold weather soon, because we usually have rather cold weather from January through March. I have seen a foot of snow and below zero temperatures in mid March.

Seizing the moment, I spent a lot of not so painfully cold time outside with the horse and goats. Since it was wet the goats just hung around near the barn, but Velvet obliged and went out in the field with me to play a little bit. She was not as active as other days being that it has not been this warm since I got her. Since it was so warm I was able to spend quality time with Velvet, just sitting with her outside while she ate her hay and walked with her grazing. I want to create a deep bond with her. She is not just a horse to ride. I want her to be a faithful companion. I want her to trust me fully. Trust takes the human and horse bond a long way and is well worth it.

At 10:30pm I did my last feeding. At this point I bring Velvet inside for the night and the goats are usually already in, but since it was so warm the goats were laying just outside the barn, but as soon as I appeared they ran inside. Velvet on the other hand was outside somewhere and she was the one I needed to feed. I found Velvet as she nickered when she heard me call her. She was a about 150 feet away from the barn. I walked out to feed her and planned to walk her right in, but after she ate and before I could do anything she turned and hurriedly walked the other direction, so I figured I would bring out the hay, get Velvet's halter and bring her in. Normally, I just use a lead rope around her neck or nothing at all, but tonight was different. I got the hay and as I was putting it in the rack I noticed one of my goats was startled. It was Velvet, she came running back to the barn door and was standing outside. I walked outside with just the lead rope and she seemed startled and a little nervous. I brought her inside and she practically trotted in, which is unusual. Once the door was shut Velvet was still feeling edgy. I talked to her and she nosed me and started to relax enough to munch on hay. I guess she thought she was brave while I was out there in the dark with her, but once everyone was inside she was not so brave. I was very happy to see that she felt some peace once I talked to her and petted her. All is well now.

Mucking Fun!

Mucking out. What wonderful exercise, bending, stretching walking, pushing, pulling, fresh air, and lifting. I am a 5'3" light weight, but I am surprisingly strong, well I have to be or else I could never carry on the way I do cleaning the barn, baling hay and carrying 50 pounds of animal feed around. For some mucking out a stall or barn is a big chore, but for me it is a ritual. I clean wet and dirty spots every evening after work and then the weekend comes and I am out there doing a thorough cleaning and add new bedding to replace anything foul that I missed in the dim barn light. It is a part of what I do. This morning I woke up really quite tired and wondered how I was going to do my extensive barn cleaning, but once I got out there I forgot all about being tired. I feel very happy when I walk inside the barn after a thorough cleaning. What a great accomplishment!

Today I stopped to pick up some more bedding pellets and as I lifted the 40 pound bags I noticed they seemed lighter than before. It has been almost two months since I started using the pellets and when I first started lifting those bags they felt heavy, especially since I was lifting several in one session, but now my muscles have gotten accustomed to the weight making my life a little easier.

Velvet, my filly and the three goats love Saturday barn cleaning. First all four are sent outside to stay out until I am finished, otherwise I could not clean with everyone under foot. I tried that and it definitely does not work! They all take turns coming to the door and check on my progress. First the goats stand on the edge of the door frame and eyeball me until I pay some attention to them, then Velvet comes over, hangs her head over the door patiently waiting to come inside and roll. As soon as the door is opened they all rush in. The first thing Velvet does is lay down and roll, she really likes the pellets, apparently they make good back scratchers.

Overall of course I would rather be riding, but a clean barn makes for happy, healthy animals. Besides, I cannot ride the goats or Velvet for that matter being that she is just 9 months old. Don't forget the added bonus of mucking...focus and all your stress goes away!

Home Life

Since Velvet has come home she had a lot of adjustments to make. She was no longer a member of a herd of horses, but instead appointed the herd leader of three companion goats, Trouble, Sunny and Peanut. They had been impatiently waiting for a new leader after Snow my older horse went to Rainbow Bridge last spring. For the most part the goats feel very safe when a horse is around. Velvet does not seem to miss horses, but she does get bored and playfully taunts the goats.

These crazy goat critters find that it is an easy short cut to duck under the horse. I guess they know the concept of a shortcut being a straight line! They are adjusting pretty well to Velvet, however Velvet is quite rambunctious and they were used to the gentle giant. When Velvet gets bored and wants to play she goes in the barn and rounds the goats up, herds them out and gets all excited as the goats run for their lives (lol, not exactly). It is comical to watch and so far so good, everyone is happy and healthy. Velvet is 13 hands entering her 9th month and she has no idea how powerful she is, but she is learning.

In her new home Velvet has plenty of space to play and let off steam, however she tends to make a couple laps around the field returning to the barn and her buddies after each lap. While Velvet wants to return to her safety zone she has proven to be a reckless horse with more guts than she should have. She has run up a 4 foot pile of old hay run down the other side and jumped off the end of the old foundation, about 2 1/2 foot drop, that is in her pasture. Hmmm...She may be the ideal event horse when she grows up, if she does not get seriously hurt in her crazy play.

Let Me Introduce Myself

I literally have spent my entire life with horses. I feel I have a better understanding of the inter workings of horses than humans and communicate better with the horses also. I grew up on a small farm in Pennsylvania with a school teacher father and a nurse mother. I love my parents deeply, but they never quite seemed to understand my deep passion for horses, but they did their best to continue to allow me to have horses in my life growing up. I have three siblings, two older brothers and one older sister. My father purchased two ponies for the older siblings and the rest is history.

I was sat on a pony before I could even walk and have never stopped since. When I was 1 1/2 years old my oldest brother was holding one of our ponies by the lead rope with me on board. This was normal play time fun, but today had a twist in it that may have locked in my love of horses forever. My Aunt and Uncle had brought my cousins for pony rides, but were packing up to leave. Being an unsuspecting toddler I happily sat on my fuzzy steed watching them drive away. Within seconds my Fuzzy mount turned into a Thoroughbred race horse! She broke loose from my brother's hold and bolted chasing the car. I could hear chaos behind me with my mother screeching in fear and my father yelling stop the car!!! What I remember is seeing the lead rope flapping around, the wind on my face and fear of the unknown. I can still see my terrified father running to try to catch me and my runaway, Goldie. Then the car stopped and so did Goldie. My father pulled me off Goldie's back. Not remembering much else of the incident firsthand, my parents were able to tell me I never shed a tear that day and continued to beg to ride. From that day on I pleaded with my mother to let me ride on my own in the fields and finally that day came when I was 5 years old. A day I will never forget!

Some 30 odd years later I have devoted my spare time to share my experiences with horses, write horse articles and care for my newly adopted Premarin filly, three goats, three cats and my beloved Dalmatian. Currently, I am running a new website that I am filling with horse resources and information. My site is becoming over run with my journal of Velvet a Premarin foal I adopted on October 31, 2007, so I have decided to blog about her and continue to fill my website with informative horse articles. Feel free to visit my site for the early stories of Velvet and how she came to live with me. I will submit one more article about Velvet on the site and the continuing stories will be part of my blog.
www.ehorseplace.com