Horses

The Bay Wonder Mare(tm) strikes again! It has been well over a month since I’ve written and a lot has happened. I baby-sat my neighbor’s horses for a month and that took up a lot of time so my posting time was greatly reduced. Let’s see… during September I started riding Isis again after we got her front shoes to stay on with some glue and nails this time. The shoes definitely helped...

The Amazing Bay Mare(tm) appears to have figured out how to not only get her grazing muzzle off, but also how to pull shoes off within 72 hours of them being glued to her feet. My farrier has applied the shoes twice, and both times she has gotten them off. Best guess is that she is over-reaching, hitting the back of the shoe, and eventually ripping them off. The first set of shoes...

Isis has been steadily recovering from her fall in the spring. We both have been. My knee and ankle are doing better. She is losing weight and back in regular workouts. She still periodically trips. The chiropractor pointed out that Isis probably trips when she steps on a pointed object, even a small stone would be enough. Most of the time when I’ve noticed Isis mis-stepping, there is a stone in a hoof-print....

We found the swelling on Isis’ legs on Sunday, 6/12. When I cleaned her back hooves, she held her leg at an odd angle — rather like a dog lifting its leg on a water hydrant. She has never done that before. Two days later, she was still sore and was holding her leg a little out, but not nearly as much. By 6/16, she was holding her legs normally when her feet...

Have you ever lost a family member? A family member whose impact and friendship was felt most keenly once he or she was no longer there. The same is true when a horse at a boarding stable dies. My mare’s pasture-mate, Zargo, died early Saturday morning. He was fine, and then 30 minutes later, he was down… His owner did everything she could. Here’s to the big Grey Gentleman, the stately senior gelding...

How many horses do you know who have a full staff of professionals? Isis does. I need to make t-shirts that say “Team Isis” for her farrier (podiatrist), chiropractor/massage therapist, veterinarian (doctor), trainer, and owner (me). Five people trying to make one mare sound. My friends think I’m a little nuts working so hard on my mare. “It’s just an animal,” some of them say. They have never seen the soft glow in...

We had our riding lesson, to mixed reviews. It was a bi-polar ride: we had the best ride we’ve ever had — and we had the worst ride at the very end. My instructor came out and we saddled Isis up and rode instead of lunging first. For some odd reason, I put on my half-chaps and left my glasses in the car. Put on my hard-hat, mounted, and away we went. We...

Riding lesson will be next week. So another week to work with Isis and try and get some more training in. She has been doing well, but I really don’t feel like we’ve made progress. Maybe I’m too close to the situation to clearly see what is going on with her training. Riding lesson next week. Stay tuned! Related Images:

Another moving site… It honors the bond between horse and human. There are moving tributes to equines who have passed over from their owners. In Praise of the Horse, Tribute to the Equine/Human Bond Related Images:

Kim McElroy’s paintings are amazing. I’ve never seen an artist who truly captures the connection between horse and rider. Mutual friendship, shared delight at riding, and the bond of trust. It’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced yourself. Kim McElroy’s Spirit of Horse Equine Art Gallery – Article: The Immortal Horse Related Images:

Riding lesson tomorrow! I’m a little nervous. Well, not nervous. More like aware of how rusty some of my riding skills are. The pain killer is already in my purse because I know how sore I’ll be afterwards. It is a good soreness. Isis did pretty well in her workout today. Lunging (where I have lots of confidence in what I’m doing): perfect. Rounded, good movement, responsive to the lightest pressure on the...

I called the animal shelter this afternoon. The horse is doing okay and is not available for adoption. Apparently horse people came out in force with donations to help care for the horse until he/she is either returned to the owner or sent to the local horse rescue/adoption agency. I’m really glad the horse is doing okay. It was strange that the horse’s name was never given, nor was it’s sex… Related Images: