May 27th, 2009, posted in Horses
I took a friend out to the barn. He had a new Pentax K10D DSLR and wanted to try taking pictures of the horses. He ended up with the picture below of Kasane. It’s probably one of my favourites of her so far. She’s making a face because I’m scratching That Spot on her belly.
The flies are out again, so both girls are wearing their fly masks. Or at least they are turned out with the masks on. Kasane keeps losing her fly mask out in the field. Isis is just annoyed by hers. Two Houdini horses getting out of their various contraptions.
I had brought my own camera, and took some pictures of Isis. Isis is also now wearing her grazing muzzle and her fly mask. She is Not Amused. She walked over to the paddock fence and pestered me to remove something. Normally she asks for her grazing muzzle to be off. This time, as soon as I removed her fly mask she was happy and went back to grazing.
May 24th, 2009, posted in Horses
The vet exam showed that Isis’ left side is weaker than her right. To correct this, I am supposed to work Isis at least every other day, weather permitting.
When she first trots, her back legs track wider then normal and eventually straighten out. It’s like watching someone with back pain try to jog. The last time she trotted like this was when we had our riding accident several years ago.
I am supposed to work her for at least two weeks to build up her hip strength. My vet also wants a chiropractor to examine Isis and hopefully adjust her before I get on. Hopefully the chiropractor will call me back soon…
May 23rd, 2009, posted in Cats
Stella turned 20 this month! She’s the oldest kitty I’ve ever had and is still going strong. She’s eating a new food called Orijen and is back up to about 5 pounds.
I never thought Stella would last this long. 
She has some kidney issues, but the fluids have helped her. She definitely feels better than she did last year at this time.
Here’s hoping that if you have pets, that they live to be a grand age with few medical issues.
May 22nd, 2009, posted in Horses
Isis ad a lameness exam today. She has been moving stiff since early April. Not enough to where she was lame or off, but just enough that she wasn’t moving right. She was unhappy when I rode. When I ride, she falls in on the right side.
The vet came out today and did a thorough lameness exam as well as x-rays of Isis’ back left and right hocks. Lameness exams take some time: over two hours in this case. She found some soreness on Isis’ front right leg and stiffness in Isis’ back left hock.
The vet did two nerve blocks on Isis’s heel and pastern to make sure the soreness was not caused by something deeper in Isis’ foot. I’m still not sure what caused her soreness there. Maybe it is because she has to compensate for her back left hock hurting?
The vet had a digital x-ray machine: she took the x-rays and then immediately developed them. Pretty spiffy. The x-rays showed that Isis has some arthritis.
The vet is going to make a recommendation for treatment early next week. Possibilities include intramuscular Adequan, IV Legends, or hock injections every six months. Adequan and Legends both are given every week for the first 3-4 weeks (at $50-60/dose) and then once a month after that. The hock injections give HA directly into the hock joints. It’s about $400-500 each time, but it’s only that once. (The bad part is what if something gets into the hock joint when the injections are performed.)
And then there is the whole question about how Isis’ IR might react to these treatments… The vet wants to do more research for treatments and how they might interact with Isis’ IR.
I felt relieved when the vet told me that it was arthritis. It’s not comfortable for Isis but at least it isn’t some strange complication from the IR. It’s just part of my girl getting older.
May 20th, 2009, posted in General
Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures were not always plain white marble. And now Italian researchers are giving the Trajan Column a fresh coat of paint – with light. Rossella Lorenzi reports.
read more | digg story
May 20th, 2009, posted in General
A previously unrecorded Roman piece that is the largest known silver Roman coin will be up for auction at the Ira and Larry Goldberg Coins and Collectibles Pre-Long Beach Sale slated for May 24-27. The apparen tly unique coin of Valentinian I (364-375 C.E.) is dated 369 C.E. from the Mint of Antioch.
read more | digg story
May 20th, 2009, posted in General
Science Daily has a good article on the domestication of horses.
read more | digg story
May 17th, 2009, posted in Horses
My stepfather woke me up this morning and said that my Mom’s favourite mare, Farah, had died during the night. Farah was a sweetheart of a mare: multichampion Arabian in halter and performance, dam of five or so babies, and an unchallenged lead mare. She was one of those grand matron mares who knows she is beautiful and incredibly gentle with all of the kids who took riding lessons on her.
She got my mom back in the saddle after many years of not riding.
She was my Mom’s favourite girl and my own mare’s sister.
We don’t know yet what killed Farah. She was fine last night and gone this morning.
Rest well in green pastures, Farah.
May 16th, 2009, posted in Horses
I quit doing regular updates here when things in real life exploded. Isis’ insulin resistance flared up, my job stress went through the roof, and my back (then knee and hip) all had problems.
During the middle of March, Isis’ crest became more pronounced and she looked like she wasn’t feeling good. It took a few days to really register it, but the subtle symptoms of insulin resistance were back.
My first priorty was to get Isis’ IR under control by investigating her feeding program and upping her exercise. I started by reviewing the factors that had recently changed:
- Warmer weather so she was using fewer calories
- Isis was moved to a new barn in mid-February with different hay, but was still on Nutrena Safe Choice, a low-starch pelleted grain.
- Her exercise program was inconsistent.
- She was off grass and keped in a dry lot (a good thing).
May 15th, 2009, posted in General, Horses
I’m visitng my parents this weekend, so I’ll be possibly posting. Depends upon how exhausted I am from working at the barn. It’s a good exhaustion.
Mom has Isis’ daddy, Sirdar, and several of Isis’ sisters. She also has Kasane’s sister, Kenya, who is by the same sire and out of Isis’ sister, Farah. I am looking forward to seeing how Kenya looks compared to Kasane. Rajiyyah is also there. Sweet grey mare that she is. She’s getting ridden more and may be used in lessons.
I took a friend out to the barn. He had a new Pentax K10D DSLR and wanted to try taking pictures of the horses. He ended up with the picture below of Kasane. It’s probably one of my favourites of her so far. She’s making a face because I’m scratching That Spot on her belly. 
I had brought my own camera, and took some pictures of Isis. Isis is also now wearing her grazing muzzle and her fly mask. She is Not Amused. She walked over to the paddock fence and pestered me to remove something. Normally she asks for her grazing muzzle to be off. This time, as soon as I removed her fly mask she was happy and went back to grazing. 
