Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-07

March 7th, 2010, posted in General

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All kitties to the vet tomorrow

March 5th, 2010, posted in Cats, Horses

All of the kitties are going to the vet tomorrow morning. Ambush and Stella are having fluids. Kiesha is going to be tested to see if she has a UTI like the other two, and if so, she will needs meds.

The farrier is also coming out tomorrow morning for Isis and Kasane. He’ll check Prize’s feet to find the best way to get her on the same schedule as the other girls. (Her feet look great.) Chris at the barn is going to keep an eye on the girls and let me know how they are for the farrier.

After finishing with the kitties, I’m going to head to the barn and spend the day with the girls. It’s supposed to be really pretty. I can’t wait!

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OK Go (Music video)

March 3rd, 2010, posted in Just Silly, Tech

Remember the game Mousetrap where you put together a trap that was triggered by a ball and wound through counter weights?

Here is that same idea on a huge scale — it seem to take up a warehouse. Really cool. Coordinating this must have been a nightmare.

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Update on Ambush

March 3rd, 2010, posted in Cats

Vet called me back with the results of Ambush’s blood panel. He is showing early stages of kidney problems and needs to start getting fluids like Stella. He only needs them once per week instead of twice per week.

He dropped three pounds since August. That is a lot of weight. :(

I may be asked to start doing blood glucose levels on him at home my pricking his ear. Will find out more on Saturday.

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Update on Stella and Ambush

March 3rd, 2010, posted in Cats

Stella and Ambush had lots of quality time with the vets today. Stella got fluids and a urine test. Ambush had a urine test, spot glucose test, and blood pulled for a blood panel. The vet did preliminary urine analysis on both kitties and they both came back with UTIs.

Ambush and Stella both got antibioitics injected. Stella is very difficult to give pills to and any liquid antibiotics cause her to froth at the mouth. Ambush gets the runs from clavamox pills. Kiesha gets to go in on Saturday morning to see if she also has a UTI. Chances are she does. Last June, all three of the kitties came up with UTIs.

The vet said something interesting. Apparently when a set of kitties are well bonded and one of them gets sick, the other kitties can pick upon this and the walls of their bladders can become inflamed. Not sure if it’s a stress hormone release or what.

Stella is curled up on my lap right now, purring. Kiesha is at my feet. Ambush is some where.

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Two peas in a pod

March 2nd, 2010, posted in Horses

Prize arrived on Saturday. It’s hard to describe what it is like to having a horse come back after so many years. I couldn’t stop smiling all day at work on Friday. Saturday I was bouncing off of the walls and wanting to make everything perfect. I had Prize’s halter, photos of her as a yearling/weanling, and her old tack box with her name on it with a backwards Z (from when I was in high school).

Prize arrives

Prize backed off of the trailer like a champ and looked around. Gena walked Prize over to Isis so they could meet. Isis arched her neck. Prize didn’t look impressed. They both squealed and struck with their front legs.

Isis and Prize

Isis and Prize meet for the first time

What I wasn’t expecting was how much they looked alike: same build, same rumps, and two back white stockings. It says volumes considering their ages: Isis is 17 and Prize will be 25 in May.

Prize’s first night was spent in a paddock with Isis in an adjoining area. They went nose to nose again, turned and kicked at the same time — and both hit a board in the fence in the same location (at a knot of course) and split it. No damage to either horse (just impressive noises). I spent most of the remaining daylight helping fix the fence. Silly girls.

Before I left on Saturday, I helped Chris, the barn manager, throw hay. We were walking through Isis’ paddock to give the horses hay in the field next door. Chris gave me some flakes to toss to Prize. I called to Prize and Isis immediately walked over with her “you are my Mommy why are you near HER?” look. She squealed at Prize (20 feet away on the other side of the fence) and Prize squealed at Isis (20 feet away on the other side of the fence).

By Sunday afternoon, the two of them were walking the fence with each other and acting like a little herd.

On Sunday, Prize walked along the fence when I free lunged Isis. Not trotting or
upset, just staying with us while we worked. When I took Prize to the round pen
to play with her, she hollered and carried on for Isis. Isis hollered back. Prize ripped around the round pen like a mare half of her age. I caught her and we did some walk and whoa and basic ground work. She remembered so many things that we used to do (including standing up in halter). I couldn’t stop grinning.

You can always tell if a horse is happy: their eyes, their demeanor, and their body language tell you volumes. Prize looked fabulous and happy. It is so obvious how much she has been loved and cared for. Prize gives Gena kisses. :)

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Sick Stella

March 1st, 2010, posted in Cats

I went to take a nap and Stella curled up next to me under the covers. She jumped back out from the covers, went underneath, and came back out. She couldn’t settle in one place. She kept on stopping and then meowing almost like a bark. I put her in the bathroom with food. I’m going to take her to the vet first thing in the morning. She curled up in the cat bed in the bathroom and didn’t protest when I closed the door.

Ambush is also going to go to the vet tomorrow. He needs to have his blood glucose levels checked. He’s lost weight over the past two weeks or so and his coat isn’t looking well. I’m wondering if maybe all of the kitties have UTIs again like they did last June.

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Almost riding

March 1st, 2010, posted in Horses

It’s been a while since I wrote about Kasane’s progress on the Great Path Towards Riding. She’s learned quite a bit this winter: left/right/whoa/back while ground driving, bits aren’t nasty when given with treats, and dressage saddles aren’t scary.

All of the exercises Kasane and I do build towards riding. Voice commands when lunging teach her the words so when I’m behind her ground driving she’ll understand walk or whoa. Ground driving teaches left and right so when I get on her she will know steering and stopping cues. Standing up on a panel on the round pen shows her that it’s not scary if I’m taller than she is (which I would be when I’m on her back).

Last weekend we did the usual routine of free lunging, in-hand ground work a la natural horsemanship, and ground driving with a halter and two long lines. The hardest part when ground driving is getting her to stop in a straight line. She wants to keep one eye on me when we stop so she swings around to look at me (an action that would turn over a cart). Getting her to stop square means I’m behind her (at least initially) so it takes a few tries to keep her straight when we whoa.

Two weekends in a row, I added something back in that we hadn’t done in a while. I stood up on the round pen panel so I was taller than her and guided her parallel to the fence. From there (and while hanging on to the panel), I rubbed my foot along her back, slipped my leg over her side, and just rubbed her. It didn’t bother her at all. If something had upset her, I could quickly be back on the rail. The last time I stood on the panel, I slid my leg over her and had about 80% of my weight on her back. Her response was to bite my boot.

We still have more work to do with ground driving. She needs to have more time with the bit (once she has stopped teething) and actually use it with reins. (Fruit roll-ups on a bit — brilliant!) I figure we have about another month of work before the true first ride (taking in to account daylight savings time is next weekend).

It’s been so long since I started one under saddle. I hope she turns out as well as Prize and Isis.

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-28

February 28th, 2010, posted in General

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Prize is coming home

February 26th, 2010, posted in Horses

It has been almost exactly one year since I got to see Prize for the first time in 12+ years. Since then, I’ve been out to visit Prize a few times. Last time she even nickered at me.

Last weekend, I met Gena, Prize’s current owner, and her Mom, Rody. (I’ve met Rody several times.) They are great people and have such love for Prize. They met me at the Isis’ and Kasane’s barn to see what it’s like there. Both Gena and Rody were impressed and really liked the barn and the people. I also really like them both.

This is where it turns into a fairy tale (Gena’s words). Gena and Rody are blessing me by giving me Prize. (It is through the generosity of Jon and Chris at the barn that this is even possible.) Prize will most likely arrive this weekend. I know how hard it is giving up Prize. I cried for weeks and never got over feeling guilty about having to sell Prize to pay for back board. (Yay bad post-college financial management! Not.)

I am almost in tears thinking about having Prize back home. The Original Bay Wonder Mare home with the other two Bay Wonder Mares. (How odd is it that since Prize, I have had only owned bay mares with three white socks?)

I know how difficult it is for Gena and Rody and I will do everything I can to take care of this grand old mare. She will have love and lessons with people discovering horses for the first time. And lots of pampering.

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