sick mare, sad mare

dear horsey friends, this is a call for help, ideas and insights!

Ember belongs to a dear friend, and is Jazz's BFF, and is like my step-fourleggedchild. We are so worried about her.

a little background info:
12 year old, 16h, TB mare
used for dressage, jumping and light foxhunting
pasture kept full time for three years
moved to new barn and pasture in april 2009- plenty of grass and timothy hay provided in pasture
wormed bi-monthly
always easy keeper, no supplements
see pictures here from june 2009:


We had a cold harsh winter for Georgia, so when she started dropping a little weight in December we chalked it up to being outside in the colder than usual temps and an increase in dressage training. She started being fed twice a day in the pasture and was double blanketed.

January- put a little weight back on and owner decided to move her into partial board (stalled at night, out during day weather permitting, starting Feb.) She is a voracious eater of her sweetfeed- gets four cups twice a day (omolene 200) plus weight builder supplement. Her coat isn't looking great, but it's winter and she bleaches out easily. Being ridden approx 3x per week.

February- came inside for partial board and changed to the partial boarders pasture, was missing her old pasture buddies and didn't integrate into her new herd for the first couple weeks. Spent a lot of time at the fence line waiting to be brought in. Gradually up to 8 cups omolene 200 twice a day plus 1 cup alfalfa pellets plus two flakes at least of fescue hay when in stall. We started feeding her lunch too- omolene/alfalfa pellets plus weight gain supplement. Was putting weight on and excited to get fed lunch. I am the lunch lady and she would literally canter to me in the pasture for it. Gets ridden still approx 3x per week. Went to a show and did well but owner stated she didn't seem "happy' at show.

March- integrated into herd, this month's shipment of hay was awful, looked like straw from a hay ride and was very woody- she ate it, but began dropping weight again. (My mare picks at it like its toxic and makes nests out of it and then pees/poops on it) Still a voracious eater. Ridden regularly still. Went to a hunter pace- did fabulously- owner decided she is much happier in the field and with company than at shows. Coat isn't shedding/blooming at this point but weather is all over the map. Most horses are starting to shed long winter coats now though. When she is brought in for a ride she seems "sad", but we think it's because she is finally integrated into herd and tends to get herd bound. Still eating feed voraciously and we are glad to see that she has befriended my mare. She seems in good spirits and is always very sweet- nickers when her owner or me comes near stall, approaches you in field, affectionate and curious and always "helps" when you clean her stall. Is now stalled in the stall next to my mare and has a big window to see outside. Shows no stress at stall change.

March 27- Bear Creek Hounds Point-to-point Races. Ember is a member of the relay team, she is asked to gallop less than .50 mile and does wonderfully. Was fully warmed up and cooled down, shows no signs of stress at event or later that evening when brought back to barn. Eats her dinner as usual.

March 28- sunday morning- owner goes out and immediately knows something is "off". Ember didn't touch breakfast, is nibbling at hay, and there is little poop in her stall. She is lethargic and doesn't greet owner when stall door opened. Hangs head and just looks sooo sad. Not herself at all. Owner starts walking her in case of colic and she begins phlemming (curling lip up), a classic sign of colic- vet called. Still interested in grazing/walking and doesn't try to roll etc. Still lethargic though. After 1/2 hour I am out there too helping to walk her- I think her tail carriage is "tucked" for her and her belly is tucked up a lot. Her hind end muscles seem hard to me but she's willing to walk- we begin to consider that she might be tying up. Vet still on the way at this point. Still walking/still phlemming, won't drink water or water with electrolytes.

Vet arrives, comments that she's super thin and takes a look at her hay- says its trash as we suspected (thanks barn owner for refusing to take it back), tubes her for colic and gives b-12 shot and banamine. Doesn't mention tying up, but mentions strange virus going around locally that is usually accompanied by extreme lethargy, fever and diarrhea- mare has neither at this point though but we decide to watch her closely in case she develops any symptoms. Vet says give her a bran mash in evening and remove all hay for now, if she doesn't eat mash, call her back.

Doesn't eat mash- we add molasses- doesn't eat it, we sprinkle her regular sweet feed on top and she eats a little bit (~ 1qt.) Seems to have perked up a bit and seems interested in hay and hungry. Owner calls vet back and she says after thinking on it- she thinks ulcers could be the culprit and the little stress colic could be from those or from her previous days activities which were not her usual routine. We think she fits the bill for ulcers- staring coat, weight loss, lethargy, unhappiness, off her feed but still grazing and eating hay. We wonder why though- she would go off feed so suddenly. Her stools are normal too.

Next morning (29th), I go out early to give her a mash, barn owner says she was "pitching a fit" for food when other were fed this morning (approx. 30 minutes earlier which is her usual demeanor at feeding time and good news it seems! I approach stall and she nickers at me, greets me and seems perkier. She eats almost entire bran mash and over next few hours two flakes of new good fescue- thank god the new load came in good. They are inside due to rain and she seems ok. I give her some face time through doors with my mare and she is social.


I check throughout the day and she seems ok and stools are regular for her. We concoct a new meal program for her per vet's suggestions:

Seminole senior
alfalfa pellets
rice bran
prilosec otc for possible ulcers- horse dose
mixed with old sweet feed for a week to change over

She is NOT historically a picky eater.
Today- turned out for day with herd- back off her feed tonight and not eating hay. Lethargic and sad again- see video:




Owner's next steps are blood work and vet back out, possible hay testing, but other horses on same hay are fine. She is worried sick and mare is steadily dropping weight at this point. Coat is dull and attitude is dull and sad. She's miserable and her owner is beside herself.

Please post any ideas/thoughts on coth bb's or comments section here. Thanks in advance for your help and kindness.

social injustices of the week

i know, i'm just a simple southern women with one and 3/4 bachelors degrees and a rather simple life, but let me tell you what- i have a soft heart for social injustices. here are a few things lately that made me want to say, "seriously?"

1. a little girl introduced herself to me as "kels" and i said, 'thats a neat name' and she said, thanks, its short for Sparkels- yes, spelled like that.

2. i overheard one of those cobb co. plastic moms say to another while lunching, "jean cut-offs are in this season- i'm only 43, thats not to old for cut-offs is it? Victoria's Secret has some really cute ones!" omg- please no.

3. ricky martin "came out" yesterday. shocking, i know. this is where i start to wonder, do people really have to "come out" of the proverbial closet anymore? do we not just accept people and their sexuality now-a-days? it seems like we would have come farther as an american culture than that. although i suppose he does need a little publicity these days now that we arent "livin' la vida loca" on a daily basis. if there's one thing i like about our current administration, it's the decidedly not BACKWARDS view on LGBT rights. good for ricky, and hopefully one day people won't have to worry that their sexuality would affect their career in any way. btw- his sons from a surrogate mother are absolutely PRESH... he's passing on those good looking genes!



4. why, does billy ray cyrus make perhaps millions each year and people like me can barely afford to pay our bills? that, my dear, is social injustice. watch one episode of hannah montana and you will agree- i assure you.

-e.

true confessions- weekend edition

1. Best joke i've ever heard:
"how do you wake up lady GaGa?" poke-her face!
omg...lol

2. I want to see that new Miley Cyrus movie that they filmed at Tybee. Who will go with me? RLG is going to veto it for sure :( And no, i don't feel like 26 is too old to want to see it. shut up- it looks good!

3. Marathons of HOUSE are detrimental to my productivity- please USA channel- stop it.

4. I have had my horse since December and today as I watched a friend go through a mild colic/tying up/ulcer episode with her horse (and I almost cried- even though she's not my horse), I realized for the first time that I love my horse- really love her. After losing my first horse in a traumatic fashion at 16, I decided that I wasn't going to let myself get that emotionally invested in another horse. Too late. She's awesome, and funny, and her attitude cracks me up, and I love her.

5. I was trying to be a workout badass today and I hurt myself. My lower back practically gives out every time I get up or sit down and it hurts really bad. Awesome. Then I decided to "cure" it with extra strength tylenol and coffee ice cream so now my pain is coupled with guilt. Great.

6. I need a horse trailer STAT. Anyone selling one?

poodle scarves, poodle cats and poodle panties

i have all of the above... oh lucky me! the poodle scarf presents its sweet little warm cuddly brown self every morning when the alarm goes off. rylie boo, like her mother, does NOT like repetitive loud noises at all and sometimes actually growls when the alarm goes off and my reaction is not quick enough for her liking. however, right after i hit snooze, the 11 poodle scarf begins her morning ritual of nestling across my face and neck in the sweetest fashion, although sometimes i can't really breathe. every since she was a tee tiny little brown puppy, she always liked to lay between my head and shoulder. i used to call her the "parrot poodle" when she was little-er. as i've said before, i am NOT a morning person, but this sweet little bit of poodle love is a nice way to wake up. sometimes, when husband sleeps later than me, heeeee gets the poodle scarf instead and i get jealous because for such an audacious active little doggie, she really does have lots of love to give!

the poodle cat is a new development in rylie boo's repertoire of bad habits. i assure you, if cesar milan ever came to this house, he would probably have a panic attack. anyway, the other evening, i was plucking my eyebrows while sitting on the edge of our bathroom counter (we have the typical double sink set-up) looking into my makeup mirror. rylie boo was pretending to be interested in something up on the bathroom counter and proceeded to begin her supersonic squealing noise in order to alert me that she needed something. she really just likes to sit in my lap when i put makeup on because when she was little, i always put her there to keep her from jumping the shower or peeing in it- but that's another story. i turned around and told her "no" in a very firm manner to try to dissuade her from the squealing. she was quiet and i thought to myself "ha- i won" and turned back around to take my contacts out. when i looked up, poodle cat had appeared... in one try- she jumped her little brown ass right up onto the counter and was smugly smiling at me while standing on the thin rim of counter top on the edge of RLG's sink. it was so funny that i couldn't be mad (which is why i am a terrible poodle trainer) and i realized that she was probably just thirsty. i turned the water on, she drank, and then jumped down and resumed her place on the bathmat looking at me like "mother, if you weren't so dense, you would realize that i know where the water comes from". so now, poodle cat appears almost every evening, sometimes for a drink, and sometimes to gain access to her favorite item in the bathroom- the q-tips. if we lived in china, i would send her off to train for their gymnastics team, because i swear- you have never seen a poodle pull of the variety of circus like feats that this dog performs on a daily basis.

this is probably more information than anyone EVER wanted to know about anyone else's dog, but i have never owned a dog before that is not spayed. i am afraid to get her spayed because her mother went to be spayed after her second litter and died from the anesthesia. in humans, allergies to anesthesia are somewhat genetic, so i am scared to death to spay her. so... the poodle panties have become a necessity. this is her second heat cycle and although she is small and its really not that terrible, the incessant licking of her girlie parts is too much to bear. since husband is out of town and not here to make fun of me, i put a diaper on her- which she removed in about .02 seconds- so i put doll panties on her and voila- she wears them. i might post a picture. especially if she pulls the poodle cat move with the panties on and i can get to my camera in time.

literally- life with this dog is ridiculously funny.
e.

20 meters never felt so long

for those of you that aren't "horse-y", fair warning, this one will be a yawn...

today i had a lesson on jazz, who is sometimes affectionately referred to as "mare", "snortalicious" and "busy bee". said lesson was with most excellent dressage trainer IMO Chris Erbskorn, who can read me and my horse like a book and is slowly redeeming us from our multitude of sins- mine are of the "no dressage background" variety and hers are of the "i'm a racehorse, let me run" variety which coupled together is probably a big pain in his boohiney to train. anyway, he is patient and communicates well with me using analogies i can understand because sometimes dressage language is about as transparent as the waters of any lake in south georgia in august. sooo- mare was behaving herself well today and keeping her "track trash" attitude in check for the most part but was most especially ADD and looky at everything around us. sometimes she even makes up things to gaze at while i try to get her to stretch her neck down and out at the trot. mostly, i think she gets bored with my mundane ideas about what she is supposed to be doing and is waiting for the race to begin. she is not spooky at all- but enjoys a nice giraffe impression on a regular basis and just HAS to see what in the world that other horse that is 700 yards away is eating. so chris tells me to make myself more interesting to her- which is a fun game and a really effective tool so far. she is learning that my aids mean business and one day i'm hoping will figure out that it is far easier for her to stretch down and use her back consistently, than to be constantly reminded by me to do so. i have to give her credit though- she has a great work ethic and she has NEVER been asked to do such things as a racehorse. so the trotting got better and better and then we decided to "cue the horror movie music" CANTER...

don't get me wrong, mare can canter, i know she can since she happily does so in a well mannered and comfortable tempo and carriage when we jump, but lately, our trot to canter transitions have been, about on par for training level, bad, awful, horrendous. i chalk part of this up to the fact that spring has sprung and the horses are feeling good, and also during the winter i have her on a very specific cocktail of foods/supplements to keep her weight on, muscle building and coat/feet nice, which when coupled with fresh grass of spring and plentiful hay is basically the equine version of meth. so shes feelin' good and trying to say "mom- i really need to show you my god given talent for speed out of the gate" j/k- she just knows to use the front end of her body in upward transitions as it equates to more speed, but i am asking her to sit back on her butt and carry herself from behind- so at the moment she's a bit confuseled... and damn, i'm sure it's hard to do things in a way that your muscles are unaccustomed to. like try to walk up your stairs backwards and see if your boohiney doesn't protest a little. as of right now, our transitions are quick and reachy- she flings her front end and shoulders out from under us for this ground eating stride and she not so subtly says to me "let go of my face/neck NOW" by flinging her nose up in protest of my light connection to her mouth which was moments ago at the trot- quite elastic and mutually agreed upon. chris tells me to sit my ass back and half halt with the gusto of a wedding guest trying to stop the drunken members of a conga line behind her (i assured him i do not participate in conga lines EVER, but can still decode the meaning of this statement) and lead her around the circle with the "eye" being my belly button since she is simultaneously doing something underneath me than i can only imagine is what a travers with her shoulder would feel like mixed with a half pass in her back end all while trying to balance herself using my upper body as leverage- interesting to say the least. so i stopped the damn conga line- repeatedly and repeatedly and repeatedly! first time our circle turned into like a 56.2 meter egg and we broke at the top, then second circle still turned egg but we got two really good strides and her back came up and i could sit down and she listened to my leg, then we took a walk break since my stomach muscles were burning and then last circle OMG- we got it- the transition and first two strides were muddy but then the waters cleared and we got a real live canter for one entire 20 meter circle and let me tell you it felt like it was happening in slow motion- it was GREAT and i was soo afraid to i would lose it! the balance was there, the connection was there, her back was up- the tempo was there and she was even using her neck muscles correctly (which i had to sneak a peek at since chris yells at me that dressage is not about where her head and neck are until she is relaxed and powering from behind...ok ok ok)! it was like the fairies that sit on top of the dressage training pyramid had sprinkled sparkles and champagne and rose petals on us. bottom line is- those little victories add up to big ones one day- and my horse is athletic and smart and fun and challenging- all of which adds up to perfection in my book!

even though my abs are sore and my quads are tight and i know a decent 20m circle is nothing to write home about, one day when we get a great score on a test, i will get to celebrate with her that we did this together and we worked hard for it and it will mean so much more to me than if i just bought a "made" horse and was along for the ride while someone else's training paid for my blue ribbons... just sayin'

e.

2010 things i love...

totally kidding, i am not going to write a list of 2010 things i love, rather a few things i love more since the beginning of 2010!

- my automatic dogfood delivery service that provides the girls with great wholesome food that is grain, corn and soy free! i dont have to go get it and they actually eat it! also its locally owned! love this!

- suave professionals humectant conditioner- yes, its as good as the commercials say- and its cheap and it smells like summer!

- my mascara- thank the Lord for mascara, really, or I would look dead all the time bc its often the only thing girly i get to put on all day!

-dublin river boots for the barn- awesome valentines day present from RLG- finally my feet are warm and dry and they look cute over my jeans too!

- oughton limited handbags- this is allll i want for my b-day (hint hint someone tell my husband who i assure you does NOT read this blog)

- off the track thoroughbreds

- black cherry grape juice

- champagne pajama parties with the girls- this is going to be a great tradition!

accidental hiatus is OVA

So I'm really not famous for anything to anyone in the REAL world, but in my world, I am famous for the following:
- procrastination
- allowing my jewelry studio to become so messy that it looks like one of those rooms from that show Hoarders (bc its the only place i get to be messy!)
- priorities that might not line up with what the "real" world expects of me
- taking on 32058694 projects at a time

the last point brings me to my next point- i am stupid for trying to schedule every moment of my life- but i have to or i wont get anything done. if i get overwhelmed, i tend to shut down, and RLG or bff will find me on the couch, crying, eating oreos and watching law and order svu until the wee hours of the morning. so since my last post, life has been a little crazy and i have had a few law and order nights and a package or two of oreos have met their demise, BUT- things are looking up as far as my schedule goes and blogging is back! i even had a few people ask me to resume which was surprising and flattering! so here we go with a mini recap:

December 9- pretty much the best day ever- I got a horse! Her name is Jazz and she's amazing. she completes the triumvirate of four legged children, all of which are females and have super fun personalities and attitudes! Who needs real babies when you can pick up poop all day anyway without having to wipe it off a hiney! :O More on the horse later.

Christmas and New Year's- flew by in the blink of an eye...

January- yucky weather and started my spring classes and OMG- there really should be some sort of warning system when you sign up for classes that does NOT allow you to take Organic chemistry and a lab and Anatomy and Physiology and a lab in the same semester. Especially when at least two of your professors surely have some sort of autism spectrum disorder and the other one seems quite post-partum and has the social skills of a feral cat. Needless to say I started studying constantly, pretty much discontinued any semblance of a social life, slacked on the blog, acted like a roommate instead of a wife (not fun) because i was so stressed and was not committed to a mental health facility because the new horse kept me coherent and smiling, my dear sweet husband kept the house in order, and i managed to still show up to work on time and do my job well. whew....

February- see january

March- is almost over- I made it through midterms, and for the first time in my life I had to ask the person sitting next to me if a 74 was a passing grade- which was traumatic to say the least considering I spent spring break studying organic chem while RLG stays in nice hotels with marble showers in TX on business trips and calls to tell me about how good his sushi was for dinner. Let me just stop right here and say that I am a BRAT sometimes and was/am super jealous of his paid for trips to perform "energy audits" while I feel like I spend my days with my face in a book or my foot on the gas pedal and get excited about things like making it to school without getting stuck at the really long red light. Although I know that although this semester may seem like a drag, it's all for the greater good when I have a kick butt nursing job and am doing something I love every day and get to come home to RLG, the girls, and a big soft kiss from a Thoroughbred nose! We are so very blessed that RLG has a job he's extremely good at and likes a lot and the long trips away will be over soon! The four legged children are really the best therapy ever for an overly busy woman who thinks going back to school for a nursing degree, having a job, two dogs, an off the track thoroughbred to retrain, babysitting on the weekends, designing jewelry, painting a few commission works, keeping up with a house, loving a cute boy named Ryan, trying out new recipes for dinner, taking up jogging, planning her summer veggie garden and keeping a blog, just might be enough to keep her busy.

Thank goodness for furry noses and warm weather on the way!

BRB- i promise this time...
e.