Mom Mom sent me a link to a new product from Platinum Performance, called Platinum Metabolism Support. The ingredients, Magnesium and Chromium, are common in metabolic support supplements like Quiessence. Platinum has good research info available, including a study of Glucosamine in metabolically challenged horses. I didn’t know about the Glucosamine study, for example, showing that feeding metabolic syndrome horses glucosamine had no adverse effect. Isis is currently on Quiessence (for Mg and...
Continue reading...Isis
Saddle fitting suggestions, part 1
A friend of mine just bought her first Arabian mare. A fine bay Arabian mare with white socks and a star. She asked me to help her with choosing a saddle for her mare, Sarafina. Sarafina is currently ridden in an older Wintec dressage saddle (the type before the changeable gullet and CAIR system). Instead of writing my suggestions in a private email, I thought I would post most of the discussion here...
Continue reading...Kasane’s pre-show ride
She was fantastic even though we had a lot of crazy stuff going on. The neighbor (who lives in a rental trailer behind the two back pastures) decided to start shooting practice just when Kasane and I were starting ground work. We ended up doing a series of sessions: ground work first so she got used to the guy sporadically doing target practice. We also did some desensitization work with the big auto-pop-open...
Continue reading...Rides, saddles, reins
Tack shop sale was dangerous. Picked up some gorgeous, comfy Stubben reins. They are rubber reins but the rubber is soft like silk and no thicker than the half-inch reins. The ends of the reins have clips on them: perfect for training rides (but not something you’d want to show in). These reins had been marked down but were still pricey. Apparently, when I brought the reins to the check out counter, the...
Continue reading...Good news from the farrier
Farrier came out today. The weather has been so dry all of the bits of foot crud (thrush) that the mares had were gone. Their feet looked great. Isis and Prize were very well mannered with the farrier. Isis rubbed his head with her lip, which the farrier thought was sweet. It’s okay when she does that until you hear the distinct sound of her mouth opening. She won’t bite but some times...
Continue reading...Stella: Little kitty is smaller
Stella had her regular appointment for fluids this morning. She is still down 4 ounces from three weeks ago. She now weighs 4 pounds, 4 ounces. I don’t know if there is anything I can do to help keep weight on her. She’s lost a lot of muscle in her hips. It’s hard for her to coordinate things. She still jumps on my shoulder while I’m sitting, so some things are still normal....
Continue reading...Update on Isis’ lumps
A while back, I wrote about Isis’ odd lumps behind her front legs. The vet came out in mid-July and biopsied one of the lumps on the right side. Test results finally came back last week: the lumps are granulomas. In other words, the lumps are scar tissue from an allergic reaction or injury. They should go down on their own. Granulomas was the best possible outcome of the biopsy. For once, Isis’...
Continue reading...Update from vet visit with Isis
The vet said that the lumps on Isis’ sides might be three things: allergic reaction that turned into hard bumps, sarcoids, or lymphoma. The vet gave Isis a local pain block so the lump on her right side could be biopsied. The test results should come back in two weeks. The biopsy site has two stitches in it. No real special care for it: just Swat around the wound to keep flies away....
Continue reading...Isis feeling good
Last weekend the weather was gorgeous and Isis, who has trouble dealing with the heat, was feeling frisky. I free lunged her in the big ring and after a few minutes, the tail came up and she started snorting. The snort, the prance, and the bounce in her step all show how good she was feeling. This is the bay mare that takes my breath away. Miss Charisma sure that she is the...
Continue reading...Lumps and bumps on Isis’ skin
Isis has always had skin issues: rain rot, fly bite allergies, scratches, etc. For the most part, these things last a little while, are treated, and then resolve. For the past two months or more, Isis has had lumps under her legs, right where the girth goes. Initially, the lumps did not interfere with the position of the girth. The lumps were slightly in front. However, wearing the girth irritated the lumps. The...
Continue reading...[2003] Dew poisoning on Isis’ legs
Just before I started this blog in 2004, Isis had a record year for Bad Things. Okay, not as bad as later years, but up until that time it was Bad. Laminitis, rain rot, sprained tendon, and dew poisoning. A reader asked a question about Isis’ February 2006 case of belly gunk. In addition to her gelding having the same belly gunk that Isis had, he also has a bad case of scratches...
Continue reading...Riding lesson translates to regular riding
I had a riding lesson up at Mom’s on Saturday. I rode Piccolo (Hanoverian warmblood schoolmaster horse) in a dressage lesson with Lauara, one of Mom’s new instructors. She was very good. She explained how to do a half-pass properly by pushing with my inside leg every time I felt his inside back leg move (i.e., when his belly swung towards the outside). She had me cantering this huge warm blood without any...
Continue reading...Back at the barn
After over a week of being away from the barn, I finally got back out there on Sunday. Sunday morning I realized just how much stress I’d been living with because I felt shaky and off kilter. The best solution when I feel like that is to go to the barn. Not to ride, but just to see the girls. Just putting my hand on Isis washes away the stress and everything is...
Continue reading...Lessons from riding
I’ve had a riding lesson for the past two Saturdays. It has been a roller coaster where my riding skills fluctuated from newbie to advanced. Had my skills degraded? Muscle tone wasn’t as good as it had been in 2008 when we were able to ride more. In 2009, riding time was minimized due to Isis’ and my medical issues. Even though it was hard to ride when Isis tripped several times every...
Continue reading...Lunging two horses at one time
Yesterday I did an experiment: I lunged Isis and Prize together in their paddock (which is also a backup ring). A few nights ago, I did a similar experiment except I lunged one horse at a time and swapped between them with both of them loose in the ring. It worked pretty well. How would it work with both of them being worked at the same time? Surprisingly it worked out pretty well....
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