Arab Horse Lovers - Take a Look!

Looked at this horse today. Reserved Champion, did halter show, arena work, then endurance.











Here he is today, at 10 yrs., considering him as a competitive trail horse (NATRC).

Max just can't cut it.

Clicker Training Horses to Take Their Meds!

When I moved horses into a larger turn-out together, I ran into the problem of dosing specific products in appropriate amounts to individual horses. I had to address the feeding of Solitude IGR pretty quickly, because any break in that product and the flies would start breeding like....flies!!! Living in a residencial area with ten horses requires a certain amont of tact and vigilance with regards to smells & flies!

The solution was pretty easy: a doggie treat pouch and clicker! Everyday I strap the doggie treat bag filled with Solitutde IGR onto my belt and go into the turn-out. I call each horse by name, and when the named horse comes to me he gets a "click" and a treat (his fly meds! -yum!) This is working really well! At first, I had a crowd of horses around me, but now they wait their turn!

Flies....................................................................0 (almost!)
Solitude IGR (60 lbs x $285/20 lbs)........$855 (does anybody know a cheaper way to get rid of flies!!??)


Horses in new turn-out.

Tommy Boy - Feelin' Better! Lame horse kicks up his heels again!

Holly was here today to work with the horses.

She decided to give Tommy Boy a bath - he needed it! And being white (grey!) and a past show horse, he was good for his bath - though he did get a little nervous.


After, when we put his sheet on and then the hooded sleazy, he got very nervous! I think he thought he was going to a show!

He sure looked good enough!



Tommy Boy in the arena, kicking up his heels........



Does this look like a horse who could barely walk yesterday!!?? Look at him go! Towards the end of the clip, you can see his lameness becomes evident a little bit.

Max - holding his own in new turn-out

The horses are really enjoying the new turn-out we recently built for them. It's about one quarter sloping acre with trees! The group that gets along best is Tango, Flash, Zim, Star, Sugar and Emmy. Jack gets in and tends to bully everybody - everybody ends up with bite marks on their backs. Tommy Boy was alittle too anxious when he went in, so we didn't leave him there alone yet - he's back in his roomy 24 x 24 paddock. Connor is too old and infirmed and even gets beaten up by the minis! Max was too sick up until a few days ago, but he's in there now and enjoys running with the herd. He still needs to add weight.

We're continuing to clear a path around the perimeter of the property to make a totally circular turnout so the horses can run continuously (and escape the bullies). I'll have to scan a blueprint of the proposed turnout. It's going to be very cool!!

Tommy Boy - Hoof Care w/EquiCast

We worked on Tommy Boy's hooves this evening. Over the last several weeks, it's been evident that he is very sore and has difficulty walking. (He was on bute 3 times a week, and had joint injections prior to coming here - which wore off and left him struggling to move).


Left Front - his feet are practically flat due to false sole flush with wall - no concavity (1/4 inch depth at apex of frog); evidence of dropped coffin bone from chronic laminitis (He was wearing full shoes with pads on front when we got him about three weeks ago.) Sole sounded hollow when tapped. First, Joanna trimmed sole and frog, then packed with EquiPak CS (the neon blue stuff!). Adhere Equithane (black stuff) is then applied to hold a 3/4 inch foam pad in place on the hoof for added support while the hoof grows out. The whole hoof, pad and all, is wrapped in EquiCast. Entire procedure is repeated on the right front.

Right Front - again, sole appears flat; build up of sole is due to a combination of shoes and pads- there was nothing abrasive to naturally wear the sole. Possible causes are diet related, lack of circulation in hoof from limited movement, enzymatic and mechanical forces which all contribute to hoof wall failure. Peripheral loading is the mechanical force that tears the wall away from the coffin bone.. i.e. pressure or weight bearing on outer wall of hoof only; weight bearing not distributed to sole and frog as nature intended.

Tommy Boy will wear the EquiCasts for three weeks.

For more information on natural hoof care and hoof rehabilitation check Pete Ramey's website - Hoof Rehabilitation Specialists.

One Sweet Horse - Four Incredibly Bad Hooves!

As you can see, Jack has quite the hooves! No wonder this poor guy was tripping over his feet constantly! We saw a huge difference when his four shoes came off a few weeks ago. At that time Joanna gave him a quick trim, and left his feet to settle in to their new feeling of freedom!!

Today she was back ready to continue trimming and shaping his hooves. It will be a long, slow process to bring his hooves back to a more natural, balanced, healthy state.

Left Front - very grossly misshaped - extreme flaring; laminar failure, stretching of the lamina. (Perhaps a mechanical failure due to over compensation from soreness in the right hoof) What is so pronounced is the heels are under run, weight of horse is moved forward; instead of being shared equally by sole/frog/wall. Weak walls - (sound hollow when tapped) - disconnected toe. This hoof measures 6 inches at it's widest; 6 1/2 inches long; 4 inch toe length; 3/8 inch sole depth. Joanna trimmed dead sole.

Right Front - Hoof wall is flared at toe and pulled away from wall by one inch!!! Disconnect! Totally infected white line. Will soak for 4 hours in a vinegar solution tomorrow, then pack with poultice.

Right Hind - very deep thrush in central frog; excessive sole and toe length. Also, notice how hoof has been shaped oddly pointing out! What is that, duck feet?! No wonder he can't walk!

Left hind - not so much thrush. I was so overwhelmed with information, and frustrated to see how badly his hooves had fared under shoes!

Backyard Horse - Yes! Rider - No!

It seems forever since I've been riding, what with Max sick; Tommy Boy, Connor and (now) Jack on hoof convalescing; Star is over worked already, and Tango...well, if I just had more time! Mucking, lessons, parties, camps; planning, organizing - and that's just at the barn. I got a whole household to run with 2 teens and one pre-teen, (cats, dogs, birds....the noisiest, messiest, neediest Green-winged Macaw)

I wish I had more time...

Make that Dental Appointment (for your horse) Today!

Get your horse's teeth floated at least once a year; more if you suspect dental problems might be at the core of training or behavioral issues.

A couple of things I learned this time around:

1. The term floating comes from the fact that once the teeth are properly rasped, the filing tool should "float" over the teeth.

2. Some Equine Dentist Specialist may go too far in smoothing and filing down the teeth. There needs to be some roughness and irregularities or the horse will be unable to effectively grind his food and it will dribble out.

3. In some states (not California) it is a felony for anyone other than a licenced veterinarian to float your horses teeth. And this is a big issue!!

4. In fact, there is a petition to keep it free and safe for non-veterinarian types of equine dentists to work on your horses teeth. (Read the petition - people are very passionate about the issues - although I think this petition has been allowed to languish.)

I've used a DVM that has specialized in Equine Dentistry and then I've used my regular vet to have dental work done. I've never actually used equine dentist that wasn't a DVM, but apparently there are alot out there!

5. If they ask you to hold the tongue to one side, you can ask for a discount! (you may not get it, but you can ask!)

Max - Almost All Better

The GastroGard appears to have done the trick!! Good thing, too, because the next step was to take him to San Luis Rey Equine Hospital for a fiber-optic endoscope (Gastroscope). Wow!! And I thought the GastroGard was expensive!!!!

I did have a few offers of psychic readings - and I was honestly thinking seriously about that!! I was desperate to help Max!

Luckily, Max seems to have responded (slowly) to the GastroGard. He's eating his own food now, and he prefers the tender, green leaves of the alfalfa - I'll give him just about anything as long as he eats!! He probably lost 50 -75 lbs! Everything seems to be coming out the other end just fine, too!

Phew!!

Diatomaceous Earth -Everything Good...Nothing Bad

Tired of rotational deworming? Or just like to try something that is perhaps less chemically invasive? less prone to resistant-buildup? In all my years of being around horses, and struggling to keep on a good deworming schedule or dealing with a horse (Max!!) that would rather flip over backwards (almost) than take a dewormer paste, I can't understand why nobody ever told me about diatomaceous earth as a mechanical/physical internal parasite control!!

This stuff does just about everything good and nothing bad!! You gotta love that!!!

Diatomaceous earth is the remains of microscopic one-celled plants (phytoplankton) called diatoms that lived in the oceans and lakes that once covered the western part of the United States. Apparently, it works by slicing open the internal parasite with microscopic razor sharp edges, then the powdery diatoms sucks the life out of the parasite leaving them dehydrated and dead!

I have started top dressing soaked beet pulp with one cup of diatomaceous earth for each horse. This is all part of my move away from processed, sugary feeds and towards formulating a more natural feed based on the horse's individual needs.

Up-date on Max

Max is still on Gastroguard - sixth day now - and doesn't have the up and down, turning around episodes anymore! Yeah! He is still not eating much, and what little he does eat, he prefers to steal from his neighbors! He has a whole trough full of food untouched, yet he will squeeze his head through the pipe rails (at the expense of his beautiful mane) to pinch a bite from Connor's trough! There must be some psychological battles going on here as well!!

Horse People! Any Idea What's Wrong with this Horse?

Yes, this looks like your standard case of colic, and he certainly is suffering from some sort of major stomach ache, but I don't think this is your typical "colic".

This horse does not have a history of colic.


Max is a 20 yr. old American Saddlebred; he's been in my care for 8 yrs. Prior to that, he was a lesson horse at L.A. Equestrian Center (or so I'm told). He's had a nice cushy life with me; I've used him on lazy trail rides, and low key arena work - he's high spirited and an alpha horse. Until recently, he was on Bermuda grass and Creekside Life Stages only. With the coming of Joanna the Holistic Natural Hoof Practitioner, his diet has been modified gradually over time to cut out sugars, and move more towards formulating for specific dietary needs, i.e. still mostly Bermuda grass with a mash of soaked beet pulp, biotin, sea kelp, Red Cell.

It started about three weeks ago...



He was out for a lesson and something just wasn't right - he's a fast, forward moving horse, and that day he was notably slow, sluggish...off!

He was put on paddock rest and observed. He hung his head and licked his lips alot. Doctor called out; vital signs all checked out good.

Within a few days, green snot began running out his left nostril. His stance was odd - he stood with his nose almost on the ground with his head tilted to one side. Doctor called out; again all vital signs checked out good, sinuses not terrible congested; and he was put on sulfur based antibiotic SMZ (Sulfamethoxazole 800 mg and Trimethoprim 160 mg) 16 tablets twice a day. In a few days, the green rheumy nose cleared up, but his stance got worse. His eating was off, he began to go down and lay completely flat several times a day. He was still passing good manure and still eating alittle.

Doctor called out; took a blood sample on June 1st (Max had hepatitis about three years ago with similar symptoms); I'm thinking maybe he has hepatitis again, 'coz he's just not getting any better! We got the results the same day - all blood levels normal! Vital signs still normal; gut sounds still fairly normal - considering he's now not eating and looking very gaunt! Doctor thinks maybe ulcers.

On June 2nd, yesterday, we started dosing Gastroguard. This video was taken today, after a second dose of Gastroguard. No improvement in his condition. He's up and down like this several times an hour; and stands with his head to the ground, tilted to one side. Not eating - no manure at all today.

I gave him Banamine tonight after calling the doctor; tomorrow we will oil him. I'm wondering if there is such a thing as chronic colic and if so, what causes it, or more importantly, how do you control it?

Has anybody had similar symptoms with a horse? And what did you do about it? It doesn't really seem like a standard colic, but what else is there that manifests like this?

Update on Max

Test results on Max's blood work show no abnormalities; liver looks good, so not hepatitis. We're going to try Gastroguard for ulcers.
Max looks awful - he's up, then down completely supine, 2o times a day. He's not eating. Stomping. Looks very gaunt! I hope this Gastroguard works.

Don't Look A Gift Horse in the Mouth...

Tommy Boy got his teeth done today. Dr. Bender of Creekside Veterinary Services was out late morning to do the honors. We were told his teeth hadn't been done in 4 - 5 yrs., and they were pretty sharp.







Couple of other noteworthy suppositions:

Judging by his teeth, he is more likely 20 yrs. old. Not an exact science, but fairly close.


Also, he may have suffered a broken lower jaw a some point in his life. The gap between his lower canine teeth and third incisors was much larger on the right side; it was also uneven side-to-side.

I'm thinkin' since he was a jumper, well, maybe he fell on his jaw!!

Not so! Could have been from cribbing and pulling back quickly from being startled (Has anyone ever had a horse break his jaw from cribbing?); or maybe he got kicked in the jaw by another horse. Anyhow, you can see from the photograph of his lower jaw how asymmetrical it is and I guess that's pretty atypical.