Monday...

I was trying to take a state exam... (I failed) what's new?  I'll get it done though... I am not one to give up BUT I am personally mentally challenged when it comes to test.  I'll take a verbal exam any day but I hate computers and test!   Enough about me...

I am going to the barn in a moment and I have had to make a decision about Navarre and his feet.  Why?   Because Rain is due in two day for the next THREE days and everything I have done will go to waste if I don't get this feeling better for him in the next 48 hours... SO...

While I have been keeping it dry... My next step is OFF LABEL! NOT something many vets ... will suggest you do... BUT I've got to get this going... I called several people for help and found one that will help me in a moment. 

I can say as soon as Bill and I drove up Navarre was jumping off all four and having a good time in the crisp air.  He would not have done this as of last week! So we are doing some good even if it still looks really bad. 

My plan..
Pick out the feet as normal...

DONE... REAR... ON...

As you can see it is beautifully dry IN the frog and on the bulb.  BUT it is seriously deep too... so I am going to put an antibiotic in all the HOLES! and pack it again.  What am I using?   A basic penicillin in sesame oil as good and as basic as it gets. 

Where does someone get something like this over the counter? EASY it is a basic mastitis tube... Used for cattle and their teats. Use the DRY label... GO DRY or TOMORROW are normally how they are marked... It will also say the milk but not be used for 72 hours ... etc...
The tip of the tube is small and soft enough to go into the teat of a cow, so it is the perfect form to go into the small areas and soft tissues being damaged by thrush.

Once I got the feet picked... brushed... I started putting the antibiotics in ANY CREVICE I could find.  In doing so I found a hole ONE INCH DEEP...

You can barely see the syringe at the top middle... but what you don't realize is it is ONE INCH into the hoof!  This is exactly what I keep talking about and why you can't see from the photo above this one that this whole is even there or that it could possibly be bad.  I am sure having found this one hole in such bad shape there are likely many more any every direction off all the wholes we can see.  So I am using an excessive amount of the contents as I want it FORCED throughout the hoof as much as possible without moving my syringe around and again not pressuring soft dissue so not to cause any damage.  Allow the liquid to do it's job.

I had not once packed this hole, it goes straight down and when I did pack it lightly tonight I had to use ONE side of the hemostats so I didn't make it any larger.  There are two schools of thought on holes and a hoof.  Used to be Vets dug out things and left it exposed.  I tend to use a TINY drill / dremmell ... and break the surface (of an abscess etc) and leave it as covered as possible so it does not get infected.  Either way... keep it as clean as possible.  So I did not pack the whole to its depths I only covered the opening so debre doesn't get in easily.

This is going to take months to grow out.. and our wet season is upon us... So ... Using the antibiotic now is likely my best choice ... Like anything else though once you start antibiotics you have to use up 7 days of it unless otherwise stated... as you have to clean it out and make sure you kill of anything after that would develop resistance. 

I have had to do this with Navarre two other times in his life, but my choice to do so was all the more clear after finding such DEEP crevices in this foot my first day with the antibiotics...

I packed it with clean cotton

I will unpack it in the morning... and repack it with thrush buster...
then tomorrow night I will do the antibiotics again... for the next week rain snow sleet or shine...
Our plan is still to unpack and clean twice a day... using antibiotics only at night, when he is less likely to be running around or digging in the mud.

Doing all I can!
Hope your horse does good if you have any of these issues.

My love to the world
AegF

I love the feed back I get from blogging! All the photos in this post are found on bing... however I could not find the source to give credit! Please know these are NOT mine do not associate them with my name... I did not take them, own them, only found them in search.    They are also NOT of my horse but used as examples for discussion.

Why?
Because this gives me a way to share information I have collected over years of having or being around horses.  And having learned from some great people... I think we should all pass on what we have, but again... we all have to keep an open mind, not take ANY ONE PERSON as a source or mistaken anyone for a VET when they are not... and I AM NOT A VET! I just do a lot of research...

Sunday Morning the cotton was nice, dry, and still mostly clean!   Life is good!

 

PLEASE NOTE ... I got this photo from... bing photos and could not find the source...

below is the diagram info...

I also found another I like MUCH MORE;  Another Barefoot BUT more concavity that I like in a horse! It is posted down further below...

I could NOT find the information on this one... but you can match from above...

I like this foot below a lot more as it has more of a natural curve (concavity)  in the bottom of the hoof, something I strive for in each of my horses. 

I did however get a comment from a barefoot lover who said I was doing my horse a dis-service by having shoes on him, him having no bar in the foot, and a shoe that was too tight!   Again ... I so appreciate all this!      Because ...     when in fact ... I have only recently put shoes back on this little boy! And the infection is the result of not having shoes that caused him to walk more on the soft tissues of the foot, the toe to grow beyond LONG and the fact he is still getting over an abscess that started just between the bar and the frog growing into the heal...

So yes I can see what was trying to be said, what we has horse people / and humans in general don't do is think about what else could have been going on. 

1.    I try to take the shoes off my horses every winter.  I have however decided NOT to do so for WR Prince Navarre this year as it has taken me 8 months to get his feet back in order AND then the abscess came about and I am still dealing with it! BUT my mare will go without shoes as soon as our wet season sets in...    I love a barefoot horse as well!      No big deal... but his weight, his angles and his feet never fair well when he doesn't have shoes.  I will however take all four off my little girl who is much more suited to barefoot although is a breed that rarely fairs as well as she.  I have to say she has the best feet for a Saddle bred that I have ever seen!

SO... Bars (on the closest picture above are #7) are cut down when the hoof is trimmed and cut more to the concavity of the foot, as the concavity supports the coffin bone, hoof wall, etc... remember a curve/ circle or arch has more tensile strength than a flat board/ square etc...  Normally we only trim the bars down not out like we did this time!(the abscess was on the edge of the bar; more like the collateral groove)...   Bars and Frog support and create the suspension of the foot.  So the bar is like that extra set of wheels tucked up on a dump truck... till he has a really heavy load, otherwise the frog and wall support the normal load.  

If I don't use shoes my little boy gets a very flared hoof with a long toe leaning back on his bulbs... This one foot with the abscess did exactly that.  Normally I keep a carbon fiber and resin poured in Navarre's front feet due to his weight and likely hood of foundering at any given time.  He gets visual veins in his hooves if he is not supported. (founders easily)  He is not a great horse to have as far as his... muscles, diet or feet so most I do is VERY preventative... otherwise he would need to be put down.

Navarre is a different case... so lets not judge all my decisions on one side of the issues!

Like I said... everyone has to make decisions about their kids based on their own information.  the point it to always be open to new things... I've tried barefoot... and I love barefoot... it just doesn't work for mine or my horses lifestyles right now, maybe later!

like a said an open mind is the key to children and animals...
Good luck everyone..
My love to the world...
AegF

What's the big deal?  So what's so worry some about this foot thing?  Why are you so worried it's just thrush?   Well get your horse out of the mud and put him in a stall! 


These are all things I am getting from the general public.  And truly I appreciate the bouncing of information, questions, and yes even the comments.

Let's make this one clear!  My horses are in a mud lot ... (as stated in almost every post) ONLY because Navarre has PPSM... in laymen terms it is ALMOST like us having diabetes but even worse add a muscular degenerative disorder into the mix and you ALMOST have an idea of what I deal with.    To JUST keep him alive he can never have apples, carrots, treats... much less GRASS.  So he has to stay on a dry lot.  a DRY lot turns into a mud lot when you get over 22inches of rain on average... BUT I have a 24x24 barn that is raised with DRY medical ready dry stall mats of which is open to my horses 24 / 7   Not only that I have another area of mats thrown down not attached ... but 4x6 mats 4 across and 5 deep... so another 20x24  out into the open sky not covered... not to forget the SHOWER MATS... that are before the non attached stall mats outside... just so the shower mats help knock mud out of their shoes etc... before they get onto or into dry area...

So all in all I've got a good 44 feet of stall mats open that are generally dry unless it is raining hard and further out at some points... So I do what I can!   and yes as life goes on... and IF the economy ever gets better I will.  a) purchase more mats b.) put them down permanently as in the barn as I can afford too.  c)  yes eventually I would LOVE to have the level areas bricked ... ? but life is not that easy right now so we do what we can!   Just like everyone else!

Thrush ...
It is going to occur at some point of having a horse. 
Normally ... You can control it by picking out the hooves, if not once twice a day.  I have two horses and while My mare is easily controlled with picking my gelding is not.  There are several factors.

IF my mare gets thrush it is normally in her front feet.  You know the feet that get the most usage, carry 2/3rd of the weight thus they get more of a pounding, packing, and suffer when conditions are wet. 

My little boy (gelding) is FAT! although I try to control his weight. 
He has LOTS of hair... so much I have to shave it from his coronet band in order for it to stay healthy, and too keep hair from the frog of his feet. 
His hair is another issue entirely BUT adds to a fungal issue which is what THRUSH is...

It is a fungus that thrives with OUT oxygen... so the best thing you can do it AIR IT OUT!
What ever means necessary keep the foot DRY at all cost! 

Thrush is not a big deal when controlled... but when it gets OUT of Control it will EAT THROUGH the hoof into the soft tissues and lame your horse.  ? sorta like a plantar wart that grows INTO the foot to the bone in your heal.  Or think of walking on a stone all day no matter what type of shoes you wear!   It is painful and can destroy a horse if it gets too bad.

Navarre had HORRIBLE thrush when he was a baby, he was stalled and I was not there to clean it twice a day.  The barn manager tended to him and allowed wet shavings in the stall as where I would not? BUT we each keep our children differently, and those with more than one know they are all different no matter how you want to keep them... SO... keep an open mind!  I have dealt with this with him already three times in his short 5 years... but I now have a plan of action which is what I was trying to share...

1. clean foot... HIGH PRESSURE WATER IF you have it... I don't  ( I have only gravity feed water)
so I pick, brush, and then I pour hydrogen peroxide into any openings in the foot, and allow it to sit on the hoof around the frog etc...

2. I allow that foot to dry... dry well...

3. Like today I had Navarre tied up for over an hour just to tend to his feet.  Yes I was doing other things with him... brushing his body, mane and tail... but those things could take all day.  I also have a short lesson and left him tied up!

While I waited for his feet to dry... I did drip some lavender and tea tree oil into the holes but mostly on the healthy soft tissues of the foot.  Yes may sound crazy but ... lavender, rosemary, and tea tree oils are natural antibacterials... cheap ... and are not going to hurt the horse.  The entire secret is NOT to damage any soft tissue... so rubbing the healthy with anti... properties can't hurt! besides doing so only increases the circulation to the area... thus helping the situation anyway!   If your going to do something you may as well do it well. 

4. This morning I packed the area very carefully and very easily with my hemostats everyone should have a some... WHY ? the tip is rounded the teeth are on the inside and make it easy to get the packing out.... WHAT do I use a packing? cotton balls!   Yep that cheap and that simple....

Some people pack with thrush powder... I like this stuff! but I find it is even easier for a beginner to pack too tightly so packing with a soaked cotton strip with thrush buster is best for beginners.  ONLY because if you pack too tightly the cotton is more likely to fall apart not pack the powder more like clay, and the powder gets wet over time and is hard to get out if you do not have good water pressure to force it out! Not to forget some of these holes are not going to allow something to move around enough to come back out unless pulled out the same way it went in! thus my cotton balls instead of powders...

5. At night... I went back to the barn... picked his feet AND pulled out the cotton I had packed... then I put thrush buster liquid IN the wholes... got clean cotton again and REPACKED it for the night.  Good thing is... cotton was almost perfectly clean  when I pulled it out, so the hydrogen peroxide had done it's job... and he wasn't just digging in mud with his feet today.    Tomorrow morning may be a different story, after all it will be a heavy dew in the morning. 

ok so this is his front left foot... Frnt ON...

Above is my horse....

ok... now this is what I do NOT want it to end up like!...

Below is Horrible case... but always possible....

So What's the big deal????

This stuff is more damaging on the INSIDE than what you see on the OUTSIDE... so while Thrush is not that big of a deal it opens the soft tissues to damage like a Canker...

While some think this is the heal of the horse it has actually grown up the heal into the bulbs... and beyond! 

Ok... so today is all about feet!

WHY? because Navarre has some MAJOR issues that could very quickly need vet assistance for his feet!

What is going on?
Well... If you will go to my Facebook Mobile uploads... You will Quickly see there are serious feet issues!

Mobile Uploads ,,,

Why did I let them get this bad?   Well truth is as posted previously... I normally have a FULL shoe on Navarre, which is a poured carbon fiber with resin that fits into every crevice of his precious little foot.  Time before last we had to pull the Front Left Shoe off, dig out a heal abscess ( they easily and quickly go INTO the foot instead of moving out)   We allowed it to grow out longer than normal BUT still had to dig out quite a bit and not sure of ALL of it being gone... SO well did not POUR his front feet this time allowing me access to dig, drill, and cut what I needed to.

This also allowed MORE moisture to be packed into the foot than normal and while I clean my horses feet twice a day... with all the rain we have had they are quickly packed and nasty with in 30 minutes of my picking. 

Why are my horses on a mud lot... Because Navarre can not tolerate ANY GRASS what so ever.  Most would have already put him down ... (as many times has he has tied up, been in the hospital, not to mention all the extra cost EVERY DAY< WEEK< MONTH< and YEAR!!!! this kid cost me a fortune! but I had him bred and thus he is my responsibility... SO ... I'm stuck with keeping him happy and healthy as much as possible!   Don't like it... go read somewhere else!   Not to just be completely  rude about it... but I get a lot of slack for keeping this horse!   I'm done with it! he is my responsibility and I will do everything I can do till I can't do anymore or find another way of dealing with it! )   Do you throw out your kids?  NOT!!!! so stop telling me to!

We have had so much rain this year my lot has rarely had chance to be dry.  It is dry today ... Part of the way at least so... It is time to address this head on.  Yes I pick everyday... TWICE A DAY... but not all the thrush buster in the world is going to dry a wet foot, on a mud lot.  Today

As I can only hope you can see with the photos  we... Lily and I ...
Picked out all four feet! Cut his hair back again...
Washed out three of four with water... then...
Hydrogen Peroxided ... three of four!
An Hour later I cleaned two out more with hydrogen peroxide
and then proceeded to pack them.  This morning I packed them with hydrogen peroxide... to help it eat the bad tissue... Tonight I will clean, unpack re clean... and repack them but this time over night with Thrush Buster...

It is DANGEROUS to pack a foot...
Not to the horse but to the tissue. 
It must be done easily, no force at all....
It must be done carefully so no good tissue is pushed, damaged or forced in any way...

If you have never had a vet show you how..
If you have never discussed this with your vet.  I suggest you do so before you follow someones advise you do not know, that does NOT HAVE A VET DEGREE!!!!!! and EVERY horse is different! ...

I have always said Horses are like kids... you can raise two the exact same way and they will be exact opposites as adults!   My parents did it with three... and My other horse has no issues with the mud lot!

This is one of those times a hemostat is good to have around... Tweezers are a pain with a horse so hemostats work perfectly getting the packed Cotton out of the foot!

I'll post more as the days progress... May post more on my facebook page. 

If we are not friends you can at least Subscribe and follow my photos as needed... Other wise send me an email  or phone in a personal message and I'll send them at your request!

No issues.
Life is good, my little boy is just down due to weather!
My love to the world.. .
Amber egF

I have shared this information before but I think it is important to do this again.

There are several horse blogs, places, and sites I like... BUT if you are a horse person have an extra stall, a paddock, a spare cot, and or a trailer PLEASE give back to your horse community by following and signing up for Fleet of Angels ...

Face book link is... FleetOfAngels

it is an important facebook site but also GO TO THEIR WEBSITE and sign up to share your barn, pasture or trailer on their active website... Fleet Of Angels web site

I am not normally someone who pushes something but YOU control what you do or don't do for or with these sites.  The website has a sign up page where you can offer what you have and how people contact you!

This next mention is for transportation.
There are times when we are moving and need help.
There are times when we can't afford to move our kids first class but want it done safely.

Facebook Link is... Hitch Your Horse A Ride

This is a site where people who have an open slot offer others a ride ...
You can ask for a ride, find a ride and check out what others say about a transporter.
again you control what info you want from them or just check in everyonce in a while.

If you are looking for a horse...
look local, BUT if you want to save a horse from else where

Facebook Link is... Home Seekers and Heros

I am just putting this out there but if you are a horse person ... give a helping hand when you can.  Life is only going to get harder so please! do something! even if it is just local....

My love to the world
AegF

Saturday morning as I was sitting drinking my second cup of coffee my text message dings on the phone.  I picked it up and ... it read ... shipper canceled?

This tiny message was enough to set me off!  I texted back, ... come with and well do it today!
It took 30 seconds for the phone to ring.

The person on the other end didn't know what to say... it was a ... Let's talk about it moment.  I was done!   The owner expecting the horse had to be "done" and everyone was on pins and needles trying to figure out the issues with delivery. 

I have a tiny trailer, a little truck, and I had the weekend to do it! I just require when I haul a horse the owner be with me so they know I'm doing what I can, when I can ... and if an emergency occurred it wasn't second hand message from a stranger.

Lets do it tomorrow?
Can you do it during the week?
You take care of the gas / diesel and lets just DO IT!

I knew I couldn't do it Sunday... and my week is scheduled to the minute... So I had to get it done if I was going to be the one doing it.   I hated to rush it all but... the issue had drawn on long enough and things get no better when dealing with an animal, do it or not animals feel the tension of non committal decision through any human around them.

Mike was already scheduled to help me start the gravely.. he showed promptly at 9:30 as asked.  We got the thing back together, but never got it started... I threw in the towel at 11am ... I knew I was never going to get it started, get it to the pasture, and know Mike was safe by noon.  So I paid Mike for his time, asked him to take care of the kids (my horses) while I was gone, and went to get my stuff together!

My trailer stays packed with emergency supplies  I only recently took out my bag of feed I normally keep in it. ( I rotate my feed bags to keep it all fresh) I some how am missing my broom and muck rake, but I will soon be replacing them.. thanks to people in this story!

We rushed... we got it all in the truck... I left my Motrin on the counter with the trailer keys? no real issue, but I hated that I left my barn lantern as well.  That was a big one!

We were leaving late... it is a 6 hour drive in a car ... with a horse that would be an 8 hour drive EASILY ... but once we got to the barn... I knew this was going to be... ? more than they expected.

No real issues...
BUT please if you are a parent! Understand ... Safety comes first! and your child should NEVER be in a trailer with a horse, any horse... I don't care if that horse is 40 years old (not really) bomb proof, and been a perfect gentleman all his life... things happen and in a trailer someone will get killed!

The horse was an easy load, but not a safe load... there is a difference.
An easy load is just a horse that will get on.
This horse was hesitant, but 15 feet back with a little visual pressure is all she needed.  No issue!
But the previous own had gone in the trailer with her and that worried me, as I never do that and I LOVE my kids, trust my kids, and think it would be no real big deal BUT IT IS!!!!!!

The first training I ever got for SweetPea was trailer loading!  I was NOT going to have a horse that would not load themselves on the trailer without it being a safety issue for her or me!   Get a professional to do it! but DO IT! is my point!

A five year old should be able to load your horse if it is a safe load! Keep that in mind with judging what I am saying!

She was a easy load!
She was VERY aware of her surroundings and as we drove off her heard was upset at her leaving! No out cries but racing the fence and following the trailer was the action of the herd.  They could not have cared less when we drove in.

Pretty horse, we put shipping boots on her... she started to get hot after we got out of the mountains, not too hot, just she was working more than she needed to, to stay still in the trailer.  She wasn't sure about using the bumper pads to lean on at first.  She never ate or drank so we had to stop and hand feed her.  We got her started with a small piece of apple and a horse cookie that was larger than the fruit piece.  Then I dunked hay and fed it to her little by little.  She would not get her back end off the butt bar our first top.  She ate more the second stop, Started eating out of the hay back the third and by the forth stop she was eating as if we had starved her intentionally.  

We had to stop because of her being hot, not drinking, and barely eating... The boots came off! As we noticed she never even moved her feet! She was frozen in a wide stance,so there was no worry of a cornet band bruise from the haul and she needed less to be cooler and more comfortable.

We did have to get her out, she had not pooped in 5 hours. We were lucky enough to find a hidden area perfect for noise protection, very little car activity, and nice grass for us to run around in.  We ran in circles, she did some lunging, and finally a little poop made me SO happy I can not tell you how much.

Life was better thanks to horse poop... if you are new to horses this is now your life!

The new owner spooked the horse by accident.  It wasn't the owner! It was the ride that had put the horse on edge.  I had seen for myself only hours earlier the previous owner shaking a black plastic trash bag out right in front of the horse and she barely flinched.  You never know what a spooked horse is going to do... My worry was safety for the owner... I yelled for her to get out of the dressing room in case the horse reared in my extra tall trailer and caught the dressing room window with her front leg.  NONE of this happened but it is ALWAYS a possibility.  I had actually asked earlier than the new owner stand only at the empty side emergency door of the trailer before we got there, BUT life never goes as planned and she did NOTHING wrong.  I just knew this horse was going to be wired when we arrived and ? she was...

Once we got her out of the trailer the horse was fine! A comical snort every few minutes but still no more poop.  ? A few whinnies... cries of help and hello to the new brother and sisters but nothing out of control. 

We delivered the horse safe, but still no more poop, running walking, walk, trot, no canter as I can't go that fast... please????

At midnight I had to draw the line... the horse had been delivered safe, but I wasn't positive on how she was going to settle, poop, eat, drink etc... She started eating as soon as we put her in the stall, it was wet hay from the ride on top of dry hay ( so that would help a little) on her freshly swept padded floor.

We left ... HE drove us back to NC... I was spent, I was WAY past my bed time, and way past driving anytime soon.  He was pumped on how happy his little girl was, how well we got the horse there, and how wildly unexpected but perfectly emotional it was for everyone. 

My life revolves around horses...
While I do not remember getting my first pony.I was barely three.. I will be forever heart broken from the day I had to see him leave.  I remember that second horse, third, and so on... There has never been a horse in my midst that I didn't have a print on my heart from them being in my pasture.

To this day smelling of my horses is enough to calm my fears, wash away a bad day, and allow me to dream of a life so easily communicated as theirs.  Horses bring out who you are.  Watch how you treat your horses, how they treat you, and how the world respond to that same emotion. 

My thanks to the family that owns this beautiful TB Mare!
My thanks to the entire family that allowed me to share in a first horse event!

Their gratitute was passionate
Their emotions ran thick and bright in a night that exected to be dark.

I enjoyed the care package on the way back, and tonight!
I enjoy my painting at my desk each day as I type!
I have your cards and letters hanging on my board!

Thank YOU all for sharing such love with me!

Getting hay is normally something I get a few farm hands to help with.  Normally Mike, Robby and one other.  Never fails the third gets to drive the truck, while Mike and Robby throw hay up to me on the truck and I stack it.  We can get 125 bails in two trips no problem. 

This time I paid more for the hay but they brought it to the barn.  Mike was the only one available, we had another person scheduled but... he didn't feel like it... but didn't tell me till it was time to do it!   I was more than upset and lets just say he is not longer on my menu of hand choices. 

Mike and I double teamed the hay for the first 100 bails.  There was someone that was going to help us load the elevator but he couldn't get it just... right so Mike did it.  That left me getting the hay off AND getting it to the stack area, something that takes me twice as long as it should and I'm better at getting it off or stacking  not so good at carrying it for long distances. 

So I doubled everything, touching each bail at least twice.
Off the elevator...
Over to my stack...
Over to create my stair case up the hay stacks...
 five on the bottom ( side lay, short cut side up and down)
Four... Horizontal  normal... (wider side on the ground)
Four... vertical ... THEN...
Four but;ONE vertical TWO horizontal and again ONE vertical THEN... switch that up too...
Four but; two horizontal and two vertical... and again a switch...
Four but; One vertical TWO horizontal and again ONE vertical...

that leaves us with 25 bails a stack... and easy enough to count with a glance...
5 on the bottom and 5 stacks of 4 is 5 and 20+5 is 25...

Not a big deal but all those switching of Horizontal and vertical really tie them together... otherwise you get the stacks separating in the middle and falling away over time.  Tie them together good and it will last as long as you need it too.

I am lucky the barn is almost open air, second floor so very rarely is the wind going to blow IN and on my hay, but I do keep an eye on it! As it does get really close if I truly have 400 bails at one time, which RARELY happens as I normally go through it as the year progresses, but sometimes I can have that left over several years in a row and like this year... it allowed me to get through most of the year with next to nothing... as the 125 bails I got in April should have been gone by.,.. Aug and it is Sept with a few bails left (only 50 plus 25 at the horse barn)... but no one needs to push it!   No matter how well off you are, it is not a matter of getting hay it is always about having it when you need it!   So use it wisely! and never allow your supply to get below 7 days as it takes that long to work your horse into a new supply.

You think food from another country messes up your stomach... hay from a new pasture wreaks havoc on your horse just as bad! 

Colic is most likely when feed, water, or hay has been changed within a two week period! So only change one thing at a time! not everything at once....

This is why even in an emergency I ask people to bring as much from home as they can possibly afford to bring.  It helps the horse settle, and not get sick.

We got the first 100 ... it was a killer but we did it.
I asked if he had another 100 and YEP! he did... so Mike and I went to get two more men to help, as I was about to pass out from the heat in the barn and double teaming the hay...

We easily got in the second 100 bails, put the west wall back up, ( I had allowed the horses in... )
Sowed the west pasture with seed... and now it has rained the last two days...

All so perfectly!
One plan that worked out for the week.

Yep much more to come!
Saturday is a hoot! I'll post it next.

Life comes at you from all sides... and so it happens to us all.

I have not been writing as I was studying and trying to settle my horses for the winter.  I always get all my hay for the year during the spring.  I try to get first cuttings so there is less trash (weeds) in the bails.  But if the pasture is treated with a broad leaf second cutting can be just as good, rarely is that going to happen around here.

Life in NC has been wet, So wet in fact we never got a second cutting from my normal, local supplier, he treated his fields for broad leaf and wanted to have it rolled for cattle due to chemical issues that could occur.  The cattle / roller lost three cuttings due to all the rain.  When normally we have at least three cuttings a year for horse bailing of which I try to collect at least 400 bails for the rest of the year.  about 125 per cutting is my standard from my local guy... Not this year... got my 125 and then no more came about.

I have two horses and need 365 for the year, IF it is a good easy year.  Last year was and not so sure about this winter! So I like to get my 400 leaving me 35 bails for the worst nights of winter allowing my horses another 1/2 bail each on VERY cold nights.  While we horse people understand why; those whom have run across this page write and ask what it has to do with anything.    Horses create their heat from what they eat.  So they need more hay on nights it is excessively cold.  And it happens up at Three Thousand feet with a negative wind chill so... You have to be prepared.  Also with that extra hay I pour a little extra Corn Oil on their hay at night.  Yes at night only as Corn Oil helps give them heat but it also blocks the absorption for Vitamin D if used over time.... Just as we humans need our Vitamin D so do our horses.  They get Rice Bran Oil during the day... and for as long as I can afford it through out the year.

Oil is required basic with the PPSM Navarre has... he gets 4oz every morning and night but this is a basic and not his winter supplement.  He gets 8oz during the winter morning and night....

This year hay was sparse, but the weather perfectly cool, plenty of water... just too much rain each day so we didn't have three days in a row to cut, dry and bail...  so I have less than 100 bails in the barn and it is September... this is CRITICAL! So I got 200 more bails Friday and will need another 100 by Oct to make sure we are ok for the winter and into the first cuttings of next year.  I am hoping my local supplier will come through with one more cutting.  If not ... I'll have to purchase some really expensive stuff to get my kids through to next years cuttings.  ? And you can't trust when that will be in the Appalachian Range.

More abou the week tomorrow!  Lots to tell...