Mikki

With Horses, Fences Really Do Make Good Neighbors

June 29, 2007 Mikki Comments 1 comment

*Photo by Robin Jonathan Deutsch on Unsplash*

Our neighbor down the hill, Buddy, rode his lawn mower over yesterday for a visit. We talked about a lot of things, including gardening. His garden is directly downhill from, and shares a fence with, our pasture. Apparently, our horses like to stick their heads over the fence when he’s gardening. He thought they were just being friendly, but we know better. They’re wondering what he’s growing for THEM. “Hey, Buddy, got any carrots? Apples? Blackberries?” (They do like blackberries – we discovered this while picking wild blackberries in our pasture yesterday. We’re lucky we escaped with any blackberries at all.)

Buddy is a nice guy, and we know he wouldn’t bother our horses. He probably wouldn’t feed them anything, either, and if he did I’m sure it would be something safe, like a carrot. But on the other side of the pasture are the neighbors my dad affectionately calls “The Bumpuses” (yep, another “A Christmas Story” reference). They do not have a bunch of hounds – just the two – but they do have three, ahem, rowdy children. They also share a fence with us, and apparently said children routinely played in our pasture when the previous owner lived here – whether they had permission or not is kinda unclear. In any event, they’ve caused us worry ever since we brought our horses into the pasture. Some concerns are horse-related, some are not. Since this is a horse site, let’s talk about the horse-related concerns that neighbors can bring.

Fences. Fences are notorious for needing mending. If you share a fence with someone, who’s in charge of that fence? Sometimes there’s no question; last summer, our bush-hogger knocked a fence post down while bush-hogging our pasture. Obviously, we fixed that one. But sometimes it’s not quite so clear. Also, the fences we share are barbed-wire and we want to replace them. Do we have to get permission? Maybe they like the barbed wire, because they’re sure it’ll keep the horses out. Which brings us to:
Horses damaging neighbors’ property. What if our horses decide Buddy’s garden is just too irresistible? I think you have to ensure your horses are contained as well as you possibly can, to keep the neighbors happy. And the horses safe, of course.
Neighbors feeding your horses. For the most part, I think people have common sense about what you can and can’t feed horses. But there are some things you can feed a horse that seem pretty safe that really aren’t. Some plants, for instance. It’s entirely too easy for your horse to be fed something bad without you even knowing.
Landscaping. This is even touchier. We want to block our view of the Bumpuses’ mobile home. This in turn will block their view (of our pasture). I think we have every right to plant some privacy-ensuring trees or hedges, but I’m sure they won’t be happy.
Children in your pasture. We’ve gone back and forth on this one. As I said, the children were accustomed to playing in our pasture, and now we’ve asked them not to. I know this also doesn’t make them happy, and I also know that our requests have been repeatedly ignored. How far should you go to let them know you don’t want them over there? Is a verbal notice okay, or should you send a certified letter or something? Because sometimes you need a legal trail. Which brings us to…
Liability issues. I remember being a kid. I remember being around boy children. I knew a great many kids, particularly boys, who would not have been able to resist the urge to ride a horse that lived practically in his backyard, as my horses do. I can tell you that neither of our horses would take kindly to that. Or a child could get stepped on, or kicked, or bitten. Most of all, I don’t want anything like that to happen to anyone, but also I really, really don’t want to be sued by a neighbor for something I tried to prevent.

So the point here is that, in addition to the many other responsibilities horse ownership brings, there is the added burden of trying to be a good neighbor. We do what we can…but I’m pretty sure the Bumpuses don’t like us.

Who Was That (Fly) Masked Horse?

June 24, 2007 Mikki Comments 0 Comment

Fly mask We are battling the flies again. In some ways, I don’t think they’re as bad as they were last year – probably because of a late frost that killed off a bunch of our normal pests – but the ones that are deviling our horses are really bad. Last year, we had a three-pronged approach to fly control: Equispot on the horses, feed-through fly control in the horses, and fly parasites in the horses’ environment. This year, we just weren’t prepared. Between the weird weather (One day, “It’s spring!” Then, “Wait, it’s winter again.” A week later, “I think it’s summer already!” The next day, “Nope, winter again…”) and our traveling, the flies kind of got the jump on us. Our poor horses are really suffering.

We are in fact using the fly parasites again this year, and I think they work really well. Unfortunately, without investing in a really big supply of them, we can only effectively treat the barn area. So the barn is virtually fly-free, but the pasture, where the horses spend most of their time, is still pretty fly-infested. That’s where the feed-through fly control would work. (Both the fly parasites and the feed-through fly control work by stopping fly larvae where they are laid – in the manure.) We like to get ours from a local feed store because it’s very economical, but haven’t had a chance to get over there (“local” for us means within 75 miles; this place is about 50 miles away). In the meantime, we’ve been using fly spray, which our horses hate and which doesn’t seem to work all that well anyway. We’ve also applied SWAT to their bellies again, which is very nasty and messy but does seem to help.

Since the flies seem to bother their faces the most, we decided we’d give fly masks a try. We got just one yesterday to see if they would even consent to wear it. We bought a SuperMask II without ears. Since my horse is was a fancy show horse and therefore seems to be more open to weird things being done to him, we thought we’d try him first. We put him in the stall, got out the mask and brought it over to show him. He backed away like I was holding a snake! Not a good start. But after letting him sniff it all over and giving him lots of reassurance, he did actually let me put it on with no trouble. He wore it for a couple of hours out in the pasture and didn’t seem to care at all.

One reason we didn’t try the mask last year is that we were concerned that it would affect their vision. All the fly mask companies claim that their masks don’t obstruct vision, but since “keeping an eye on things” is so important to a horse, we didn’t want to impede their sight in any way. So we tested it on the way home to make sure you really can see through – Bill wore it while driving. 🙂 He says he could see just fine. So I don’t think there’s anything to worry about there. Isn’t he a devoted horse owner?

On the down side…it sure looks goofy. On the horse, not Bill. Well, okay, on Bill too. It’s a hard look to pull off.

Book Review: Beautiful Jim Key

June 10, 2007 Mikki Comments 2 comments

While I was visiting the kids/grandkids in Arizona last month, I read 5 books. I love to read! One of the books I read, which I highly recommend, is Beautiful Jim Key by Mim Eichler Rivas. I had never heard of this horse, and apparently not many people these days have, but after reading this book, I can’t believe he’s being forgotten.

I don’t want to give away the whole story, in case you want to read the book yourself, but here’s a synopsis: Jim Key was a Arabian-Hambletonian colt bred by a former slave, Dr. William Key, in 1889. His dam was “Lauretta, Queen of Horses,” a purebred Arabian said to have been owned by (and stolen from) an Arab sheik. His sire, the Hambletonian, was a very successful pacer, and that’s what Jim was bred to be as well. Pacing (a form of racing where the horse pulls a small cart) was very big at the time. Jim was very sickly when he was born, and not expected to live. With tender loving care by Dr. Key, who was a self-taught veterinarian, he not only lived but turned out to be a very special horse. He showed an unusual aptitude for learning, and Dr. Key ended up teaching him to read, spell, do arithmetic, file letters in a filing cabinet, memorize Bible verses, and give political opinions, among other amazing feats. He ended up on tour, showing millions of Americans his amazing talents at fairs and expositions around the country.

Preview the book right here (affiliate link)

The biggest contribution Jim Key made, though, was to the animal rights cause. Animal abuse was rampant and accepted at the time, and by showing people how intelligent animals can be, he raised awareness in people and became a kind of ambassador for organizations that were the forerunners of today’s ASPCA and Humane Society.

Beautiful Jim Key retired in 1906 and lived a peaceful retirement until he died of natural causes in 1912. He’s buried in Shelbyville, Tennessee. We’re going to visit the memorial someday when we go to that mecca of Tennessee Walking Horses.

The book was well-written, though in my opinion a tad on the political side, and it dwelt far too much on the relationship between their promoter, A.R. Rogers, and the humane societies. I also wish that there were more pictures, but of course, it was just at the turn of the 20th century, so photography wasn’t nearly as common then. But on the whole, it was a very interesting, moving book and definitely worth reading.

Someone Un-Spoiled My Horses!

June 8, 2007 Mikki Comments 0 Comment

Bill was kind enough not to mention it, but I abandoned him and the livestock again – for 28 days this time! I was in Arizona with my older son and his family for the birth of their second child. Our granddaughter, Bailey Brooke, was born May 11. She’s beautiful – of course! I really enjoyed spending time with my son, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter, but it was hard being away from my family back in Tennessee (2-legged and 4-legged) for that long. I even missed Valentine’s birthday, on May 18.

I’m back now, and although some people may scoff, I know my babies missed me. Okay, the dogs were more open about welcoming me back, but Moonshine and Valentine were happy to see me too, I could tell. It was something about the look in their eyes, and the way Moonshine tucked her head into my shoulder and just left it there.

That, and probably that Bill instituted a no-spoiling policy while I was gone, without my approval. Our friend took care of them while he joined me in AZ for 10 days, and she does NOT spoil her horses – so she didn’t spoil ours either. No sleeping inside all night with hay and water, they just stayed out in the pasture all day and all night, with about 10 short minutes in the stalls in the morning for oats. I think her no-frills way of caring for our horses (perfectly safe, by the way) appealed to the lazy side of my dear husband. I have to admit, it’s sort of appealing to me too – I haven’t had to shovel poo since I got back – but I still don’t like the idea of them being outside all night long. It still makes me nervous. But we’ll see. Paranoia may win out in the end.

The Incredible Disappearing Horse

May 23, 2007 Mikki Comments 2 comments

Okay, I admit it. I struggled with certain subjects in school, such as math and physics. But I’m pretty good at spatial relationships and figuring out what can fit where (I’m a mean packer – especially after 10 moves in 12 years – and I can fit more in a freezer than the average person can). But this one stumps me. Take a 16.2-hand, 1200-pound horse and put him in a 12×12 stall with a bucket of feed. Let him position himself in his favorite spot in the corner. Now standoff to the side of the window about a foot and say “Abracadabra!” (Okay, “abracadabra” is optional.) And ta-da! No horse! It’s amazing!

I don’t know why he has to hide to eat, but there you have it.

Funny Horse Things I Didn’t Think Up

May 7, 2007 Mikki Comments 0 Comment

Laughing horse I hate to have to click on a bunch of links to get somewhere, and I’m sure you do too, but rather than steal from other people AND have a post that’s several pages long, I thought I’d just give you links to some funnies I’ve found that you might enjoy. They’re worth every click:

“How Many Horses Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?” from Bridlepath‘s blog

“If Horses Were Software” also from Bridlepath

“What Breed Horse Are You?” from a link on HorseApproved‘s site. Not technically funny, but interesting for sure.

“The Famous Squirrel Story” – this one will have you giggling out loud, so if you’re at work, you’ve been warned. From Shady Acres , the website of Susan Evans Garlinghouse, a veterinarian and equine nutrition expert.

“Mr. Hand” – this entertaining take on sheath cleaning was written by Patricia Harris and has been extensively reprinted Web-wide (including here on this site), so I’m not sure where the original posting might be. But thank you, Ms. Harris, wherever you are, for an hysterically funny yet very educational piece of horse lore.

I’m sure many of you have found some too. Bring ’em on!

The photo above is by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

Snickers

April 23, 2007 Mikki Comments 0 Comment

Here’s a little bit of trivia for you. The Snickers candy bar, first introduced in 1930, was named after the company owner’s family horse.

What a cool name for a horse, don’t you think? Maybe our next horse.

One Year With Valentine

April 23, 2007 Mikki Comments 5 comments

Well, here we are, one year (and then some) after Valentine came into our lives. I can tell you, he has changed our lives in ways I couldn’t even imagine.

When we first thought about moving to Tennessee and we were looking at properties, we were only looking for a quieter, simpler life. When we saw this place, it just clicked for all of us: me, Bill, Mom and Dad (if you are new to this blog, or just haven’t read all the way back to the beginning – this place is my parents’ retirement home as well as our home. They’re just not here yet). I’m not really sure what everyone else liked about the property, but for me it was the barn. I love that barn. As soon as I saw it, I dreamed of long afternoons spent up there…doing heaven-knows-what because I’d never actually owned a horse. We planned to get horses after we got here, but for me it still seemed kind of like a dream still.

Apparently, for Bill it was a dream that needed fulfilling. Again, if you haven’t read all the way back, Bill surprised me with Valentine on Valentine’s Day 2006 (hence his name). A couple of months later, Bill couldn’t stand his horseless state any more, and Moonshine joined us. Now, a full year of horse ownership later, I can share some of the things we’ve learned.

Some things were not all that surprising. Horses are big; they require care every day; they poop a lot. They eat hay and oats; they neigh; they like carrots and apples. They require a lot of equipment. You can’t just plop them in your barn and forget about them. Their manes and tails are fun to brush (at least for me, but I’m a girl). Oh, and they look really cool in that barn I loved so much.

Now, some surprising things:

They require a lot more equipment than a newbie could bargain for. Halter, lead rope, and grooming supplies to start. Feed bucket, hay feeder, water bucket and feed storage for the barn (luckily, these were left by the previous owner). Water trough for pasture and preferably a hay feeder for out there too (not left by previous owner). Saddle, cinch, saddle pad, bridle, bit and reins for riding. A supply of first aid items for emergencies. Fly control of various types.
They require a lot more time than we bargained for, too. We knew we’d have to keep them fed and watered, and keep their stalls clean. Those things alone took more time than we’d guessed, but there were a lot of other things we hadn’t even considered. That list is surprisingly long. The biggest thing is the maintenance of all the horse accoutrements, such as fence maintenance, pasture maintenance, barn cleaning, bucket scrubbing and leather care. The other is the time it takes to keep your horse trained and obedient. You really can’t just keep the horse in the pasture and see him twice a day for food and water. You need to work with him, from little things like making sure he respects your space when you’re around him, to spending time with him on a longe line several times a week. We haven’t been doing that, and consequently our horses are not currently safe for us to ride. Now that the weather’s nice again, we will work on that, but it will be more work since we’ve let it go.
It’s a really good idea to have a friend nearby who knows all about horses. In fact, I would say that if you’re thinking about getting a horse, make sure you get some “horsey” friends too, if you don’t have them already. You can’t keep bugging your vet and your farrier for stupid little questions. And it’s always better to have a friend amused by your antics rather than a professional or a perfect stranger. Then again…
Horses can get into more trouble than you could ever guess. I always thought of horses as kind of harmless, grazing creatures that wander around a field, eating grass and ignoring anything that’s not a threat. That’s true, for the most part, but they have an alter ego – and it’s kind of the equine equivalent of Curious George. Ours, at least, cannot resist checking out anything new or remotely interesting: from sticking their noses into piles of debris (hello! We have poisonous snakes here!) to trying to taste my new boots, to risking green noses by “helping” us paint our gate. In fact, whenever we plan a project in the pasture, we also plan to leave Nosy and Nosyette in the barn.

But the biggest surprise, for me at least, is how much I enjoy having a horse. We haven’t ridden them in months; we spend hundreds of dollars a year paying for their upkeep; we can’t travel anywhere without making elaborate plans for their care in our absence; and we shovel their poo every day – rain or shine, hot or cold, sick or well. It doesn’t sound like a very good bargain, when you look at it that way. But I just love watching them gallop across the pasture. I love petting their velvety coats. I love their horsey smell. I love the sounds they make, from Moonshine’s neigh of frustration when she’s in the barn and Valentine’s out, to the soft little nickers they use to greet me. I love the way Valentine takes a big old drink of water and holds it in his mouth until I walk too close, then drops it all over me.

Yep, they’re a lot of work. They’re the most expensive “pets” I’ve ever owned. But they are also one of the most wonderful gifts God gave us, and we are so grateful to have them. Love ya, Valentine!

Make your own horse birthday cake

April 14, 2007 Mikki Comments 1 comment

First of all…HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOONSHINE! My beautiful horse just turned 9 years old. Sniff, sniff, they grow up so fast. Mikki made a birthday “cake” and I dragged everyone up to the barn to sing Happy Birthday to my favorite horse. She made a mess but ate it all. Mikki also made one for her horse Valentine because, she figured, he wouldn’t understand why he didn’t get any treats, too. He pretty much inhaled his. We missed both of their birthdays last year but wanted to make sure we made it a tradition of it, much like we do our own birthdays. After all, at our house, our animals are pretty much part of the family and we love any opportunity to do something fun.

If you’re like that, why not celebrate your horse’s birthday? If you don’t know the exact date, make one up. I’m sure there are other recipes out there but Mikki came up with a simple recipe for a do-it-yourself horse birthday cake using oats, carrots, molasses and a sugar cube. No horse can resist this treat and there’s no reason why you can’t make your own in 3 minutes or less.

3 Minute Horse Birthday Cake Recipe

1 cup quick oats (we used Quaker Oats)
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup of molasses
1 sugar cube (optional)

Mix ingredients well by hand and place mixture into a small dessert dish to give the “cake” its form. Stuff the sugar cube into the mix, if desired. Flip dessert dish over until the cake releases onto a plate and refrigerate until hardened.

When it’s time to celebrate, put on a party hat, light a candle and sing happy birthday to your horse. Those neighbors that point and giggle are only jealous so never mind them. Just make sure to remove the candle before handing over the cake.

You might also like our Christmas Figgy Pudding Cake for horses. Our horses sure did!

Do you have any fun horse birthday traditions?

Barn Entry Mud Abatement – Part 1

April 9, 2007 Mikki Comments 0 Comment

It’s time to deal with the clay and mud mess we have in front of our barn. We’ve written about this mud before, back in October as we were preparing for the winter mud. Over the past year we’ve tried a few things and are finally starting to see some results. The best thing would probably be paving the area we have trouble with, but we just don’t have the $2,000 or so in our budget. In looking for inexpensive solutions, here’s what we’ve tried so far:

1. Sand amendment.

Our “soil” is mostly clay here and when it gets wet, it’s a goopy mess. Because clay doesn’t drain well, the goopy mess sticks around for several days after a rain. In fact, some pockets of water are around for weeks after a rain. We’ve accidentally stepped in these pockets and had old smelly water spray all over. Ick. So it seems to us that the key to improving this situation is to amend the soil so that it drains better. We’re not going to stop the mud when it rains but we want it to dry up as quickly as possible.

Since this is an experiment, we’ve selected a section of our barn entrance and every couple of weeks or so we poured and spread a 50 pound bag of play sand, purchased inexpensively at our local hardware store. Each 50 pound bag cost around $5. And even though fifty pounds sounds like a lot, each bag only covered an area about 3 foot square. Over the last 6 months, we’ve added about 200 pounds of sand to a six foot square area. Now obviously for a large area, the best way to bring in sand would be by truck and not by bag. But this was an experiment.

2. Organic material amendment (mostly hay).

Adjacent to the 6 foot square area we used for the sand amendment experiment, we selected a larger 10 foot square area for our organic material experiment. Sometimes our horses don’t eat all their hay and when it’s left on the ground we don’t like to use it for feed anymore. Cost is zero. So we scoop it over the gate and gradually the horses walk on it so the hay gets mixed in with the clay. And sometimes we throw some grass clippings on top, too. In nature, all this organic stuff breaks down slowly and it seems logical that eventually this material will improve the soil composition.
Six Month Results – what’s working?

It’s been about six months since we started this little mud abatement experiment and we have some interesting results to share. Surprisingly, the sand has worked very well. Take a look at the before and after pictures:

To the left is before and on the right is after. The “after” picture was taken a few days after rain. The “before” picture is obviously a muddy mess. Six months later, the area closer to the bottom of the “after” picture isn’t as muddy and is much smoother than the area towards the top of the picture. Below is a picture from the side:

Organic material amendment is represented on the left and sand amendment is on the right. It may not be so obvious in the picture but the difference is huge. A nice benefit of the smoother soil on the right is that the horses don’t trip on it like they do the area to the left. When the clay dries it hardens, creating rock-like clumps next to hoof-sized holes filled with stagnant water. Smooth is the way to go.

The experiment continues but sand is winning so far. We’re going to step up our sand amendment effort and expand it to a wider area. I titled this post “Barn Entry Mud Abatement – Part 1” because I intend to continue reporting on this experiment. I’ve posted in a few online horse forums about our mud problem and quickly learned barn entrance mud is universal and no one seems to have a good solution beyond paving. I hope this information helps those of you who are in “low budget” mode like us.

The entire mud abatement series:

Mud Abatement, Part 1 (this post)
Mud Abatement, Part 2
Mud Abatement, Part 3

Our First Horse

A family's experience with first-time horse ownership, since 2006.

Browsed by
Author: Mikki