The Amazing Miss B (aka Breezy) earned her nickname while recovering from the surgery to remove the bone chips from her front left fetlock. She has to be confined to a stall for 6-8 weeks. We’re allowed to hand graze her as long as she remains calm. When Isis was on stall rest after colic surgery, she was not a happy camper. She only threatened to jump out of her stall when she...
Continue reading...Horses
Riding through grief
Grief does weird things to your head. It makes you feel fragile, as if any little thing might make you react in a way that might not be appropriate to the situation. That first week after Kasane died, I visited with Breezy a lot. Mostly just stood out in her field with her or groomed her. Just to be near my girl but not putting myself into a situation where I might not...
Continue reading...Long time no type
It’s been a very long, muddy winter. And fall, and most of the previous summer too. I had a curious confluence of events that kept me feeling slightly overwhelmed. You know, that feeling where you are juggling everything but can not add one more ball to the mix without dropping everything. So I didn’t blog. I have a lot of things to write about, including Kasane, Breezy, kitties, old job, new job, more...
Continue reading...Long, slow summer of the Mares
It’s been a long, slow summer. For the past few weeks, I’ve felt like I was holding my breath waiting for Kasane to reinjure herself. She hasn’t. But she might try, like the times she put her back feet through the stall wall and almost needed stitches. (She demolished that wall when she rolled in the stall and got cast.) I’ve had three mares to work with: Kasane’s rehab cycle (3-5 rides per...
Continue reading...Nominate Fudge’s EPM Blog
When Isis was diagnosed with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis, one site provided answers and informative discussion about this disease, current treatment options, and tests: EPM Horse.org. One of the keys to successfully treating EPM successfully is early detection. The more people know about EPM, the better chance they will have of recognizing the disease and treating it sooner. Fudge’s Mom, the owner/writer of EPM Horse.org, is taking an unconventional approach to promoting awareness by...
Continue reading...Memories of horses past
A dear friend of mine lost her mare, Cedars BlueMoon, today. Blue was 23 and, in her day, was a mischeivous, playful, smart little Arabian mare. She was also a 3/4 sister to Isis’ dam, Cedars del Taliah. Blue was a bay with four white socks and a pretty white marking on her head. I tried to explain to a friend what it is like to lose a horse. There is nothing that...
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...Saddle fitting for the Courbette Bernina
When the chiropractor came out in early November, she pointed out that Isis’ spine near her withers had sore points. The sore spots were most likely caused by a saddle that didn’t fit properly. I knew my old all purpose saddle (the Zaldi in the image gallery below, first picture) did not fit properly. When Isis first came here last year, I rode her in it a lot during jumping and lessons. When...
Continue reading...Been a while.
Wow. So it’s been a while since I last posted. I’ve managed to land (mostly) on my feet. I went from being unemployed to being over-employed, but in a good way. My old freelance contacts paid off in the best possible way: I was given enough work to get me through until I located a (hopefully) contract to hire position at an excellent company. I’m currently working about 50 hours per week, but...
Continue reading...No riding for a while
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...
Continue reading...Sad news
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...
Continue reading...Out of town this weekend
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...
Continue reading...Archaeologists Find Earliest Known Domestic Horses
An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the earliest known evidence of horses being domesticated by humans. The discovery suggests that horses were both ridden and milked. read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...Directions to Prize
I just received directions to where Prize is stabled. I really will get to meet her tomorrow. I’m going to take plenty of pictures. Wow. I think I’m still in a little shock. Related Images:
Continue reading...Day at the barn
There was an informal natural horsemanship session at my barn today. One of the ladies started a three year old filly under saddle. The filly is a buckskin, Quarter Horse/Arabian cross. She is a rescue case and has not been handled much. She knew how to lead and not much else. It was amazing watching how the filly responded and learned what was being asked. She is a smart little girl. She picked...
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