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Month: September 2006

Horse Myths

Horse Myths

Horse myths

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of things about horses that I assumed to be true. Some are just silly, others seem to make sense. As it turns out, a lot of them are bunk.

For instance, the myth that a healthy horse never lays down. You know, like a shark has to keep swimming or it will suffocate? Well, if you believe this, the first time you go by a field of resting and sleeping horses you’ll think a horrible horse massacre has just occurred. Horses not only can lie down to sleep, they need to. Another reason to keep your horse’s stall clean.

Here’s one of my favorites: a horse is just a big dog. Now, in some ways, this is true – they are furry and four-legged, can be very playful and curious, and depend on their owner for their care. However, there are fundamental differences between dogs and horses, all relating to the fact that dogs are genetically predators and horses are genetically prey. The biggest difference here is that a dog can be happy-go-lucky and have a good time – he’s at the top of the food chain! A horse has to be a lot more wary, always on guard for something that might want to eat him (a dog, a tractor, a tree blowing in the wind, a plastic bag blowing in the wind, the wind…). So, unlike your goofy, fun dog, a horse is easily spooked. They’re also not so good at playing fetch. Ha ha.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase healthy as a horse. Where on earth this came from, I have no idea, because – and I don’t want to scare you away from horse ownership here – horses are remarkably fragile. Well, take a look at that very large body on top of those spindly little legs. That’s a recipe for disaster right there! There are a million ways a horse can injure one of those legs. Horses also have a tendency to spook easily, causing them to act in ways that are harmful to themselves and others. They also will eat things that are not good for them and are susceptible to a host of diseases carried by insects, parasites and the inappropriate things they will put in their mouths. A horse owner must be ever vigilant for dangers in their horse’s environment: Keep the pasture free of debris. Don’t ever use barbed wire. Keep the stall as clean as possible. Follow a strict deworming and vaccination schedule. Keep an eye out for signs of injury or illness and treat promptly, consulting your veterinarian sooner rather than later if you’re unsure.

A myth that used to be true but is no longer is that a horse with a broken leg must be put down. Advances in medical technology have made it possible to treat some horse leg fractures with metal rods and other methods. Thank goodness for science.

Another funny little saying is that horses don’t like their ears touched. It’s true that some don’t, but you should be able to touch your horse’s ears – after all, you’re going to be putting halters and bridles and such over those ears. You also may need to clip around the ears, i.e. for a “bridle path” (the part of the mane where the top of the bridle or halter rests), or administer medication. If your horse is sensitive around the ear area, you need to work to help him get over it.

So don’t just assume that things you’ve heard for years are true. Do some research, read some books, watch some Horse TV. Even risk sounding like a newbie by asking an experienced horse person a dumb question. I usually keep that one as a last resort.

Just like Gene and Roy

Just like Gene and Roy

The Old West movie poster“I should have been a cowboy…just like Gene and Roy,” as the country song goes (Toby Keith). A few weeks ago we found ourselves in a little country diner in east Tennessee, seated at a table surrounded by memorabilia from the 1950’s and earlier. For 10 minutes while I waited for my lunch, I marvelled at all the old stuff, especially a poster about a Gene Autry western called “The Old West.” I knew who Gene Autry was and had seen his name all over the place out west but I don’t remember ever seeing any of his movies. Stick with me because this really is horse-related. I rented the movie on DVD and last night we sat back and took in scenes from a simpler time…1952, and sometime in the late 1800’s, as portrayed in the film. Now in westerns, horses play a major role and The Old West was no exception. The movie has horses in most of its scenes including Gene riding, a stagecoach race, bad guy chase scenes and even Champion, World’s Wonder Horse, helping Gene pick some wild horses for the big stagecoach race.

Seeing Gene Autry in this old western made me even more thrilled to have the privilege of owning a horse of my own and deepened my desire to strap on a saddle and go riding.

Here are some interesting notes about Gene Autry and horses:

  • There were 3 official “Champions,” Gene’s trademark horse. 3 other “Champions” were used for television appearances, touring and personal appearances while a few undocumented horses served as stunt doubles and stand-ins.
  • “Lindy Champion” made aviation history in 1940 by being the first horse to fly on an airplane from California to New York (for an appearance at the World’s Championship Rodeo at Madison Square Garden).
  • Lindy Champion was a registered Tennessee Walking Horse (just like Valentine!).
  • If you visit Graumann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, you’ll see “Touring Champion’s” hoof prints next to Gene Autry’s hand prints. Could this be the only horse hoof prints on the walk of fame?
  • According to geneautry.com, “Original Champion” could “untie knots, roll over and play dead, bow, shake his head ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ and come to Gene’s whistle.”
  • Although the original Champion lived to be only 17 years old, “Champion Jr.” lived to be 35 and “Champion 3” lived to be an amazing 41 years old, dying in 1990! Wow!
  • As an officer in the Army, Gene Autry was allowed to wear cowboy boots as part of his uniform. He was the only officer in World War II to be allowed this privilege, though I’m not sure if he wore them only for ceremonies or for day-to-day duties as well.

For more info on Champion, World’s Wonder Horse, check out:
http://www.geneautry.com/geneautry/champion/index.html

For more info on Gene Autry, America’s favorite singing cowboy, visit:
http://www.geneautry.com

And for more infomation on The Old West movie, visit:
http://www.geneautry.com/musicmovies/dvds/oldwest.html

No, you can’t sleep in on Saturday

No, you can’t sleep in on Saturday

Sleeping in

I slept in today. It felt great and I really needed to catch up on my sleep. But when I woke up at noon I jumped out of bed and rushed to get my shoes on because I realized the horses had been in the barn since the night before and knew they must be out of hay and water by now. Sure enough, both horses were anxious to get out of the barn and graze and I felt bad for leaving them there so long without food and low on water. This reminded me that even if I stay up too late, I can’t sleep late.

Caring for an Injured Hoof

Caring for an Injured Hoof

As I posted a couple of days ago, Moonshine got an owie. We still don’t know exactly how she did it, but she did a good job of it. We’ve been caring for it for almost a week now, and (knock on wood), it’s going okay. Per our farrier’s instructions, we washed it out, coated it with antibiotic ointment and tried to keep her in her stall for a few days. The last part didn’t go so well – she HATED it and didn’t care who knew. She was inside all day Tuesday and part of the day on Wednesday. We freed her Wednesday afternoon and let her out again on Thursday, since she was caterwauling so loudly and because the pasture seemed just as clean as her stall…maybe cleaner than after she’d been in long enough to refill it with poo. On Thursday afternoon I noted some white goop around the top of the wound and decided maybe she’d better stay in after all. So she was in her stall again on Friday and part of the day on Saturday. By 2:00 p.m. we couldn’t take the ruckus anymore – and were afraid the ASPCA may be called – so we freed her. She shot out of the barn-like a rocket. Poor Valentine, we think she may have given him what-for out on the back 40, for not hanging out at the barn with her.

Cracked hoof

So here’s what we’ve been doing, per advice from the farrier, our vet-assistant friend and a couple of nice people on Horse City: Every morning and evening, we spray out the wound really well with a hose (boy does she love that – especially since it’s icy-cold well water). We douse it with iodine spray and let it air-dry for a few minutes while we walk her around the lawn. As a bonus, she’s getting really good at obeying lead-rope signals because of this walking time! Then I slather on a wonderful substance called ichthamol (or ichthammol) – it looks and smells like tar, just not as thick. Then she’s free to go out to the pasture for the day or into her stall for the evening, as the case may be. We also observe her carefully for any limping (none; she’s not even favoring it, and actually galloped across the pasture today) and feel the area for heat (a sign of infection) and inspect for pus (ditto). The injury itself looks bad because the hoof is actually separated, but the wound seems to be healing nicely.

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