Cold and colder

It's been darn cold in Colorado!  Negative 12 at night, single digits during the day.  Usually Colorado has pretty mild winters in my opinion.  We'll get cold spells and snow but then plenty of days in the 30-40's...even in the 50's!  I've had to drive into work on the slick icy roads while friends that work in schools have had several snow days....Grrr!

Dani doesn't mind the snow so much.  I think I the blanket has been good because of the wind and the sudden drop in temperatures.  David has been blanketing his mares but other horses at KCRC aren't blanketed.  I wonder if I'm just over protective.....  She hasn't been sweating under the blanket so that's fine.  With her blanket and under blanket she has about 400 grams of warmth.  That's the Rambo Duo.  I'm getting a new under layer soon, one that is only 100 grams so I can blanket her at 100, 200 or 400.  I don't think I'll need anything else....those blanket weights will cover us for most temperatures.  

I've only blanketed Dani one other time this year so far, it was right before Thanksgiving I think.  Snowy and windy....I would have liked to have used a lighter weight but didn't have the 100 under blanket yet.  She's been doing great though.  Much more fuzzy than she was last year.  I'm letting her fetlocks grow out of course, she gets little feathers in the winter.

I haven't been able to ride or work her much since I don't feel it's safe with the ground as it is.  While cleaning and feeding I've let her out for some turn out.  She's had some naked time too so she can roll in the snow some and I can check her blanket isn't rubbing.  Thank goodness static guard doesn't freeze.  I was going to spray a light mist of the coat conditioner on her and the inside of her blanket to reduce the static but that was frozen solid!!

Winter always has it's challenges.  The frozen manure or poopsicles are harder to find in the ground and harder to get up.  Urination freezes and can make clumps too so sometimes I feel like what I toss in the wheel barrow isn't necessarily what I really mean to throw away.  I do the best I can to get the hard, round poop balls out of her pen so my lady doesn't twist her ankle.  So I don't twist mine for that matter!

My water heater and filter is working well and keeping the ice off the water.  I've been adding salt to her supplements to make sure she drinks enough water.  Seems to be doing her good as her water level is going down like it usually does each day, perhaps a little less.

It's supposed to warm up later this week.  I'm so looking forward to that and I'm sure Dani will love having the blanket off for a while.  I'm definitely missing the indoor arena now but who knows.  I may have still been a wuss and not ridden even with access to the inside riding area.  At least the days will start getting longer here in a bit, December 21st!!  I want to get back in the saddle and work on more trotting.  I've been having so much fun!  Last time was right after Thanksgiving I think...feels so long ago.  Snow makes time pass slower, I truly believe that!

Tools to Make Life Easier

I'm all for tools!  The water trough filter was one that I'd hoped would pan out well.  While it does move the water I know of better filters that could be tasked to do a better job.  I've recently purchased the lighted hoof pick.  Now, at first when I saw this item I wondered whey someone would get one.  I always pick hooves in a lighted area.  Dani's stall area has lighting but it's spotty and my head or her body often shadows the hoof where I can't see if I'm doing a good job of picking it out.  I just got this thing and it's awesome!  I can see into the deep crevices in the evenings when I get to the barn and it's pitch black with only the spotty lights to help me do my evening chores.

Another tool is the Riders Rasp.  I love it!  Sure you can get a cheaper deal on an actual farrier rasp at Big R or heck, my farrier gave me one of her older ones but for me I just don't have the coordination to work that thing.  I'm gonna hurt myself!

This Riders Rasp is perfect, it's easy to hold and is made for just rounding the edges of the wall to maintain a mustang roll and to work on small cracks that may develop as it gets closer to farrier time.  I'm working hard to maintain Dani's hooves so they don't crack or chip at the quarters.  I'm applying hoof oil more readily and have had her on a supplement for three months that includes proteins needed by hooves.  It only take a little bit of time and I feel her hooves stay more balanced between trims!  I'm hoping it will also help with keeping her feet in a condition to fit hoof boots next year.

Lastly another fun tool, well fun is an odd word I guess, is the fine tined manure fork.  Sometimes when Dani trods over her piles they break up into such small pieces that a regular fork just can't do the job.  This thing works great!  It's also basket shaped so holds a lot more manure in one scoop.  I love things that make life easier!

Lazy Pony!!

Sometimes Dani will run around the arena with her tail up and all snorty.  Each time I've not gotten my phone camera out fast enough or didn't have my phone with me.  I tried to get her running around the other day but she wasn't really that interested.  I'll get a good video of her prettiness someday or perhaps get a helper husband to film while I get her running a bit.  

You can see how fuzzy my girl is though!  What a silly little pony she is!

Serene Sunday

Fuzzy pony with twigs in her forelock

Serene Sunday

I've not had pony posts lately because I've been a bit distracted with a furry kitty.  Dani is doing good, staying warm in the winter storms we've had and getting some turn out time.  Hopefully with the Thanksgiving holiday and warmer weather I can get some riding in!

So about the kitty, Little Miss Stubs is very vocal when asking for her food.  I listened to my husbands advice and on Sunday went out with a carrier to try and coax her with food into it and then close the door.  I must have closed the door too soon or when she wasn't far enough in because she backed out really fast, bumped open the door and ran off about 10 feet.  She came back but didn't get too close to me, she did go back into the carrier to eat food when I was far enough away.

I'm trying a live trap very soon.  We've had some cold, cold weather and I hate having her out there without a good place to sleep.  She has a bed out of the wind but she's a domestic critter that should be taken care of as I've said before, I'm not sure I'm an advocate of feral cat colonies.  I'm not against outdoor cats; I plan to have barn cats but be able to provide a really nice location for them to stay and regular vet care just like my indoor kitty.  At my previous barn the cats stayed in the laundry room...nice and warm.  

Wish me luck with catching her and that the transition into our house will go well.  Hopefully it will work well for her, I really don't want to bring her back to the barn where I know her life could be shorter and where she's all alone


UPDATE: Stubs was successfully trapped after many in and outs in the trap....she was almost too tiny to set it off!  She is now warm in our guest bedroom under the bed with food, water, bedding and a litter box.  Over the next couple of weeks she'll adjust and we can start to really love on her.  Now I won't be so worried about her when I go to the barn!!!  I can just concentrate on Dani!

COWS!!!

KCRC had their maintenance day last weekend.  We did various clean-up chores around the grounds and moved equipment into storage for the winter.  That same day the ranch that is just north of us utilized our sorting pens to haul their cattle (I'm assuming the adults are going to slaughter...."coming to a dinner plate near you!").  The cows live on several hundred acres of land so these pens are only for them to sort the animals and then load them up on the trucks.  Man they make a raucous!  

 

I'm not a country girl, and I'm not a cowgirl so it was fun to see the cowboys herd the moo's into the pens and do this cowboy work.  Someday I think it'd be great to have a miniature Jersey Cow as a pet to graze with my horses.  No interest in raising my own dinner.  I like buying my organic steaks at Wholefoods...pre-cut and ready to grill!

A Little More on Hay

Being a self-care boarder I've had to learn a lot about hay since May.  I still have a lot to learn.  My biggest issue has been with mold.  The recent 100 bales I received from the West Slope of Colorado have been good but a little inconsistent; some have a little bit of alfalfa and then there are some so compact that mold is an issue.  I'm still doing some research on hay producers for next summers hay purchases since I'm not 100% satisfied.  Still the bales that are good are good and Daenerys approved.  I've only had about 3 so far with issues or partial issues.  Maybe I'm just really particular or picky being so new to horses but as I've said before, I'd rather through away a $11 bale than have a huge vet bill from feeding bad hay.  I'd also rather throw away hay I'm just not certain about...no sense risking it!

I need to find a good consistent producer of hay for next year; one that I can rely on and if I do find inner moldy flakes perhaps have the guarantee to bring a bale back...though that seems like it could be a pain for only a bale here and there.  I do have the guarantee where I bought this hay, it's a charity I'm supporting, but it's not their hay, it's hay they purchased and sold for a small profit to help with their mission.  I don't feel right bringing a bale here and there back, they don't have this hay supply anymore and may not have a replacement bale...hence I'd be taking money from them in a sense.

Is it really worth bringing back one or two bales $11 here and there to a distributor if you consider gas and time?  A large amount of bad hay is one thing; that could be thousands of dollars.  A large bale that is moldy is worth exchanging since they are several hundreds of pounds of hay and cost around $100-200 a bale.  When is it actually worth it to get a small hay bale exchange?  When is it easier to just chuck the small bale?  So far I've just tossed them as I've been mostly happy with this load.

My husband has asked about what moldy hay looks like; I saved him a flake once to show him but when I had about half a bale of issues I decided to whip out the iphone to make a short video; it is easier to see in video I think than some of the photos I've tried to take with my iphone.  Sometimes mold is subtle.  Sometimes it's pretty obvious.   Here's a quick video about a bale that had a large section of mold that was pretty obvious.  

 

 All hay has a bit of dust from the ground in which it was grown and from tiny bits of hay created from processing, moving, storing etc.  The plume from a moldy section actually looks like poofs of smoke when you open up the section.  I try to be cautious of every bale I open and look for any signs of mold.  Brown bits of hay do not necessarily mean it's moldy but a lot of it should make you look at the hay a little closer.  I think the biggest give away for me is a really compact and hard to separate flake.  I don't have a good sense of smell but if my nose is right up against the moldy area it does smell a bit musty.  I can't rely on my sense of smell alone.  Hopefully this video will help others understand what moldy hay looks like.  Make sure you have good lighting where you feed your horse so you can see the hay well.

Next year KCRC will get the hay committee in full gear I hope.  Those that had a good deal this past year I'll touch base with and see what they really thought of their hay.  If we can get a co-op together that will rock.  I may have two horses next year so it will be even more paramount to find a good source of hay.

I Was Mewed At!

If a cat meows at you, mews even, ever so faintly it's a compliment.  Stubbs is saying I'm hers and she wants something; needs something from me.  The other day she was waiting for me in her little spot.  She was ready for dinner.  I gave her the can contents in her little bowl and then put the empty can on the old waterer (it's that yellowish thing next to the hay bin).  I then went about cleaning up and feeding Dani.

Well Little Miss Stubbs wanted to get the little bits still in that can so she jumped up to the waterer and began licking the inside of the can, it slipped onto the ground and so she jumped off and finished up on the ground.  She is acting braver around me ever day.

Yesterday she was only about 4 feet away, I was squatted down turned to the side and glancing at her; trying not to threaten her in any way.  She made several moves towards me like she wanted to rub against me (Armani does this all the time but actually follows through and loves on me, almost to the point of me not being able to move!).  She took several steps but then stopped and turned and moved back to where she was before.  She looked at me, head cocked eyes wide in longing almost.  She mewed faintly.  She made several moves towards me; she wasn't really sure, there was a mini battle going on inside her.  Was she ready to fully trust me yet?

She will get a bit of a shock when I take her home and to the vet for neutering and all that fun stuff.  It's hard to explain to a precious little feline that it's in her best interest.  That's why I don't want to do the catch, spay and release right away like feral cat programs do.  She's not a feral cat, she's a stray of which I know the origin.  I want to keep building the trust.  Who knows she may decide she'd rather be an indoor kitty and stay with us.  I've warned about this possibility Steve but we both agree that it's up to her.  We have Armani and the pups to worry about too, everyone has to agree to the arrangement.  Either  way I want her to be happy.  It's fun having a little feline friend at the barn though!

The interactions between her and Dani are cute.  One time Stubbs was sitting on the matt watching Dani and I.  Dani saw the little cat and with her head down low and ears pricked forward went to go say hello.  Their eyes were locked and curious but as the large equine moved closer to the tiny kitty, Stubbs bolted a couple feet to the other side of the railing.  "That's close enough thank you!"  I often wonder how long Stubbs hangs around with Dani after I leave each night.  The time is approaching when I'll be setting the live trap....early December is the plan, AFTER a party my hubby and I are hosting don't need to traumatize the poor thing even more!  Who knows if I'll need the trap by then.  

Anyways, that's my update on the kitty, she's getting braver, coming closer and is still just as precious as ever!

Veteran's Day Parade 2013

First I would like to start this post with a solemn than you.

Thank you Veterans for your sacrifice and service.  Our country is made stronger by you.  You deserve more honors than we can bestow upon you.

And though this is more for Memorial Day, my thoughts always go to a high school friend 

Sgt. Scott Kirkpatrick 

who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country to uphold  our American ideals.

Now onto our parade!  I joined the KCRC group on Saturday November 9th for the Colorado Springs Veteran's Day parade.  There were 96 entrants and KCRC was dead last.  So we did lots of waiting.  We arrived early downtown.  We had about 9 riders I think and then Loren and Julie's wagon pulled by the beautiful buckskin Angel.

I was signed up with Ann as a pooper scooper.  In Monument Marie and I pushed a wheel barrow for the manure.  In this parade....we had an ATV!!!  Ann didn't want to drive it so I drove and she sat "side saddle" in order to jump off during the parade for clean up.  Since I didn't have a horse to get ready I took pictures and helped Loren untangle the fringe on his horse wagon.

We gathered up and walked to the start of the parade and waited on a side street.  We waited, and waited and waited.  Horses pooped, Ann or I ran to clean up the pile.  Our bucket was beginning to fill and we hadn't even started the parade yet!  Angel was loving on her momma while we waited in the shade.  Below she was trying to find a cookie that Julie just ate and Julie was saying "All gone!"  The horses were a bit impatient just standing around so many of the riders walked them up and down the road.  

We headed over to where the parade was passing by....not the official start but at least we could listen to the bands and see the motorcycle groups (wow there are so many!) drive by.  The noise was loud and echoed downtown.  The horses were great!  Some were a bit irritated or scared but nothing major.  One of the club members mentioned he doesn't bring his guy to the larger down town parades.  His horse was freaked out by cars chasing him and revving their engines....so freaked out he backed up through the crowd.  I can understand why he's not a fan of the larger parades.

I knew Dani would be freaking at the really loud sounds from the parade.  She'd need a lot of work with desensitizing!  There are parade sound CD's you can buy and lots of other exercises you can do to get your horse calmer and prepared for parades.  The smaller town parades are where we'll start I think!  For now I'm fine with being the pooper scooper.  I'll eventually get Loki in the parade with a dog cart to haul the poop...perhaps over my Christmas vacation I'll work on that project!

The parade finally started for us...or I guess more accurately, finally finished with us.  Ross and  Laurie lead our group with our banner.  Then Angel followed with a bunch of members in the carriage.  Flags for all four branches of the Military were displayed, the American flag, Colorado flag, and our club flag.  It was a great turn out!  Of course I had the rear view as you can see above!

Below are photos from a parade watcher, thanks Robin!

Unexpected Company

What a fun day Sunday was!!!  First off it was gorgeous, I only needed to wear a tee shirt.  I started Dani out in the round pen.  Since I hadn't ridden in a bit I figured it was best to see that she was in a good frame of mind. The canter to the right seems to have some issues, Dani keeps breaking into a trot.  I'll have to keep on that and see if she just doesn't use that lead as much so it feels awkward.  She didn't show any signs of pain or physical issues at least, perhaps she's just lazy on that side?

Anyhow, Dani is so fuzzy now!!  I tried to get as much dirt off her as I could without washing her.  I took a damp sponge and tried to get the fine dust that always seems to cling to her hairs.  When she rolls around here it just clings to her and brushing just creates more static cling.  The water worked okay but I also used a coat spray to help move the dirt.  It's an unending battle!  

As I was leading Dani to the arena I saw Gina and Barbara in a truck coming into the grounds.  Elaine followed shortly after with her rig.  Barbara was at the Veterans Day parade with me on Saturday (post coming on that!).  I waved at them as I walked into the arena to mount up.  I hopped on and did a slow loose walk around the outer edge of the ring.  Then I did small circles at the trot.  I felt good and in rhythm.  Dani was going at a nice pace so I extended our trot down the long side of the arena.  It was nice going!  I had NO fear, no worries and turning wasn't squirrely like it'd been before.  Dani's a sensitive gal so I don't need to ask her very hard at the trot for the turns, when I've first started trotting I think I was too tense and asked too abruptly.  Today we were in sync.  It was fantastic.

The gals joined me in the ring and worked on trots themselves.  Also lopes.  Their horses are certainly western as they can do the jog quite well.  Dani has a big trot, I don't know if I'll ever want to work on a slow jog with her.  We all gathered in a small area to chat.  The two mares ears would pin back but Barbara and I corrected our girls and they behaved themselves.  Gina and Elaine had gone to a jumping clinic and wanted to set up some poles to practice over.  They dismounted and started getting supplies from the shed.  I did a couple trots down the arena and then joined them.  Dani stood untied near the other horses in the middle of the arena while we all moved poles and jump stands.  What a good girl she was!  Her ears were pricked forward as she watched me.  I was delighted she didn't decide to walk off and try to roll with her saddle on....what a tragedy that would have been.  Nope she was perfect.  

I watched at first as the gals trotted over the poles, I just had Dani walk over them and step over the mini jump.  As the jumps got higher the gals were cantering over the poles and then the two jumps.  They were working on 2 point.  It's interesting to see the interest in jumping in a western saddle.  It's all because of the EXCA since that competition includes jumps as an obstacle.  After the session I helped them get their equipment stowed away.  It was so much fun riding with them and chit chatting about riding.  Dani was such a great girl and I felt so happy about our trotting; we felt really connected.  We had sooooo much fun!

Later while cleaning Dani's run I got to see Stubs at a earlier time than expected!  It was still bright out and she's getting closer and closer to me each day.  What a pretty little girl she is!!  Today was such a fabulous day!  Great trotting, no worries, easy posting and hanging out with KCRC friends....topped off by a cute little kitty friend.  Sometimes unexpected company just makes your day!  Happy rides!