re-posting photos

I reposted these photos, because in the previous blog they would not enlarge.

for the Antonsens

This post is for the Antonsens. Click on the pictures. They get a lot bigger!

Deb, I forgot to tell you that also at our raffle in Hartford on June 20, we drew your name and you won some CDs by Brule'. Have you ever heard them?

On June 13 we had a photo shoot here, and the horses got baths. Here, photo above, is Prince looking oh so handsome. Heidi's sister Sadie was taking him for a walk, so you can see her hand.

Princess got to pose with Miss July for our 2010 calendar. So of course it was all red white and blue. Which was perfect for Princess. Since she is red & white, and she has a blue eye.

This is the little kitten who found its way to our home the day before Father' s Day. I made this picture into a card and gave it to my own dad on Father's Day.

3 Generations of Knobes

For Father's Day, young and thoughtful Sara Knobe gave her dad Brian the gift of coming to DoubleHP Horse Shelter and doing horse chores! And then they got in a little riding. Below is a picture of Sara's Grandpa Rick Knobe, riding our Flicka. Rick has been here several times doing chores. Helping with special events. Taking horses to the Vet clinic. And then helping out at the Vet clinic by unloading feed sacks there too! And he knows how to ride too! The photo below is Sara and her dad Brian Knobe riding our Moonshine and Flicka.

Sara all pretty in pink on Father's Day.

The new kitten appeared the day before Father's Day, all alone in the road ditch by the little barn. As friendly as can be. It probably came from the neighbors (who do not spay and neuter) or got dropped off by someone who decided they really didnt want a kitten. Or both of those scenarios. It is a very nice and smart kitten. Sara and I tried to convince her Dad & Grandpa that she should own this kitten. But her Dad didn't think the Husky dog at home would be the best friend for a little kitten. Probably right.

update on Baylee

How in the world do you blog every day!

Baylee's Vet appt went about as I thought. Xrays in Baylee's front feet showed good bones. No rotation. Very thin soles though, which we knew. And Hero's lump/knob is a mystery thing. Does not seem like a sarcoid. I think someone just got tired of his shenanigans and decided it was time for him to grow up and follow the rules like the rest of the herd, and gave him a good bite to encourage maturity in this independent brave little colt we call Hero.

As for Baylee, she and Flicka are quite satisfied to call the barn area home. They are "good wanderers." At our place, this means they can roam around in the barn/stall area. They don't pull too many halters off the hangers and really never ever mess with anything. And they get along great. So, they have an outside pen but can go in the stalls too. During the day when the rest of the herd is in the pasture, they get to go out in the riding arena too when no one's in there riding. The herd here only gets to graze for about 3 hours a day. We just don't have enough pasture for them to be on it more than that and last. This way, they get some grazing into October/November, whatever Mother Nature decides. And so we feed a lot of hay year round. Just a little less now that they get a few hours in the pasture.

When the herd is brought in from pasture, Baylee and Flicka get to be with them out in the big horse yard. So they really are doing fine. And luckily our grass hay from last year was really good. So they have good grass hay to eat. Baylee was running today. We did put just regular shoes on her fronts. She has gained weight though since we have not been riding her. So tonight we decided to cut back on their flakes of hay. 5 each per day, instead of 6.

Flicka is pretty much just being Baylee's friend. But she too showed some of this soreness last fall. She came out of it no problem though. but with these 2 gals, I just need to be really careful of what they eat now.

oh, and also, Baylee gets these little bumps on her neck and shoulders and also on both sides of her butt along her tail and down her back legs. I thought they were bug bites but can't remember her getting them before. they can be there in the a.m. and gone in a couple of hours. The whole thing is very strange. and if any one out there has experienced this or parts of this, I would love to visit with you about this. how any or all of this is related. the bumps, heat & humidity, thin soles, trimmed hooves, and what they eat.

Baylee will come out of this just fine. like I said, she was already running today. But I just have this feeling that no matter what I feed her, this will happen to her when it is hot & humid. And I so hope I am wrong about that. I hope that if I just don't feed her any of the good stuff, monitor her weight, and start riding again once she is not sore, that she will be fine.

Lovely Lily, on the Trail

This is Lovely Lily, rescued from starvation. and now learning to be a trail rider. This is at Newton Hills state park near Canton, South Dakota. In May or June 2009.

Laminitis? and abscesses.

Today I am taking Baylee to the Vet. Last year at this time she was sore in front. it would come and go. In October we finally decided to treat it as some type of laminitis. And she did need to lose weight. So we put her on a diet of grass hay. a little bit of dry alfalfa to help her through the cold part of the year. Volunteer Bridget began to ride her two or three times a week once she got over her soreness. Baylee lost weight, she was 100% sound, she was back to her old self. All winter long. We kept her on her diet but began to let her graze for 15 minutes. we would increase that every few days. We stopped increasing when we got up to 2 hours of grazing. She continued to stay 100% sound. On June 1 she had her hooves trimmed. The very next morning she was very sore. And she has been sore off and on, mostly on, since then. The hot and humid days seem to make it worse. Needless to say, Baylee gets no more grazing. She is on a diet of last year's grass hay. I don't know how much of her problem has to do with what she eats. I suspect a big part of it. But I also know it has something to do with the hoof trims.

I have used the same farrier for more than 20 years and I don't mean it has something to do with "his" hoof trims. I mean it has something to do with Baylee's feet when she gets her hooves trimmed. She has always been very tender on gravel. And sometimes does get sore for a few days after her hooves are trimmed. Until the last couple of years she has had shoes on during the summer. So maybe nothing has changed except that she doesn't have shoes on. Maybe if she had shoes on she wouldn't be sore.

It is hard to know. But I suspect we will do Xrays today to see what kind of damage has been done. And I suspect we will put shoes, and maybe pads on.

I also suspect she will be ordered to stay on her last year's grass hay diet.

I hate to do that to her. But I dont' want to have her sore either.

Wish us luck.

I am also taking Hero in. mostly just for a trip to town in the trailer. But he does have this lump on his shoulder area. It's been there for more than a month. I did think it was a bite mark. But someone suggested that it may be a sarcoid. So I think I'll have the Vet take a look at it. It doesn't seem to bother him any. But it is pretty noticeable.

I'm going to make a note about something else here too.

Hoof abscesses!

We have had one here and there over the 17 years we have been here. But this spring we had three! We treated Flicka for 2 months. She is now back to riding and is 100%. We treated Butterscotch for 2 weeks. By now I am really good with abscesses. So, when we noticed Prince walking on tiptoe, I immediately did a sweat wrap overnight. The next morning, just like magic, the abscess had blown out along the coronary band. So, we did not have to have a hole dug into his foot. We treated him for a few days. Soaked, tried to keep it clean. His abscess did not come back. Another thing I noticed is that Butterscotch's abscess was on her foot that she favors anyway. Her back left, where she has an OCD lesion in her stifle joint. And Prince's abscess was on his right back, where his arthritis bothers him the most. In his hock.

I am just making these notes so I can go back and look at them next year at this time.