Our First Horse

Wood chewing habit update

April 27, 2007 Bill Comments 14 comments

As I’ve mentioned before, Moonshine has a wood-chewing habit. She’ll nibble on our fence, especially after a meal or a snack and then she’d latch on and suck in air. Weird. One theory on why she was doing this was that maybe she was bored. Our horses spend several hours a day in a stall in the barn, after all. So we got her some horse toys, which she entirely ignored. We cut down on how much time she was in the barn and nothing changed. Eventually I had to protect her stall door with some stainless steel just to keep her from chewing on it. That worked really well (I’ll post an update about that soon) but she was still chewing on our wood fence. Another reason horses chew wood is because they’re lacking in minerals. Some horses will even eat dirt, though I haven’t ever seen her doing that. But I think we may have found the cause for Moonshine’s bad habit. For about a month now we’ve been feeding our horses Purina Strategy. For about $12 per 50 pound bag, it’s more expensive than the local feed store’s sweet oat blend but we had a coupon from the last Purina Horse Owner’s Workshop and decided to give it a try. Purina doesn’t pay us anything (we’re not connected with them in any way) so this is our honest observation. Since we started Moonshine on Strategy, I haven’t noticed her chewing wood. She’ll still lick it some but I don’t see her chewing or sucking air anymore. Purina claims Strategy provides all the necessary nutrients pleasure horses need and maybe our local feed store’s blend was missing some things. There have been some other benefits but I’ll cover those in another post.

I’ll keep an eye on her but at the moment, it seems we’ve mostly licked (haha!) this bad horse habit. If your horse has a similar habit, I suggest trying some changes to its feed mix to make sure it’s consuming a good blend of minerals.

Au naturel, hairy legs and all

April 24, 2007 Bill Comments 6 comments

I recently read that horse fetlock hair shouldn’t be trimmed. It seems the fetlock hair we think looks untidy actually serves the purpose of channeling rain water away from the horse’s hooves. Think of it as a tassel. I’m told those frilly tassels cowboys wore on coats back in the cowboy days served the same purpose.

I’m noticing a trend towards letting horses go au naturel; skipping all the aesthetic trimming to allow the natural features of our horses to serve the purpose intended by nature. Another example of this is whiskers. Our horses aren’t show horses so I didn’t know this was happening but “horse whisperer” and special events speaker for Purina, Sam Powell, said that some horse owners trim their horses’ whiskers for shows. The trouble is, Sam explains, whiskers serve the purpose of keeping horse faces out of trouble. When a horse gets its face too close to something, the whiskers alert the horse. Think of them as “curb feelers.” Of course, many animals have them, including cats and dogs. Some horse owners trim their ear hair but Mikki pointed out today that all that ear hair probably helps keep the flies out of their ears. In addition to serving as a fly swatter, I’m told horse tails also provide a wind break when it’s cold. Sam said that in cold wind, horses will often turn their backs to the wind and the tail keeps the cool air from blowing into their nether regions and belly.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t give your horse a trim. Unless someone gives us a good reason not to do it, we plan on trimming some of the beard Valentine is growing. He looks like Abe Lincoln! Well, a horse Abe Lincoln. We’re also planning on trimming the bridle path to make it easier to put on a bridle and more comfortable for the horses. The bridle laying across a clump of hair looks uncomfortable.

So if you see our horses with ear hair, untrimmed fetlocks, long eye lashes, whiskers and hairy legs and armpits, you’ll know why. They’re just going au naturel.

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!

The predicted extinction of the horse

April 19, 2007 Bill Comments 4 comments

Horses predicted to become extinct The other day I came across an article from the Ladies Home Journal, dated sometime in the year 1900. It was an article of predictions about what might happen in the next 100 years. An interesting read, some of the predictions were right on, like telephones being ubiquitous and color photographs being sent all around the world quickly. Others were WAY off, such as the ability to have stores send you things via pneumatic tube right into your home. But to me one of the more interesting predictions was that horses would become extinct. John Elfreth Watkins, Jr., the author of “What may happen in the next hundred years” expected that the invention of the automobile would eventually lead to everyone owning and using them for transportation. He was right about that. But he also guessed that the automobile would “have driven out the horse”. Furthermore, he said there would be “no mosquitoes nor flies” (if only). “The extermination of the horse and its stable will reduce the house-fly,” Watkins said.

As much as I’d love to see the mosquito and house-fly disappear from the Earth, I’m glad horses weren’t “exterminated” or “driven out”, as he puts it. I suppose horses in 1900 were seen mostly as beasts of burden; probably the most common animal used for transportation and work at the time. If you had a horse, it was for work of some kind, compared with today when horses are mostly used for recreation in this country. People in 1900 also didn’t have the common comfort appliances we take for granted today, such as air conditioning. I can imagine people looking forward to horses being replaced with machines, if only to reduce the pestilence of flies that no doubt annoyed every homeowner when the weather was warm and the windows were open.

Anyway, I thought it was an interesting read for contemporary horse owners. My how things have changed!

There is some more text about horses in there, too. If you’d like to read the article yourself, click the title below. It’s about 450KB:

What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years Ladies Home Journal article (PDF)

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?

Man arrested for slapping horse

April 11, 2007 Bill Comments 5 comments

A man in Tempe, Arizona was arrested for slapping the rump of a police horse. Mounted police were there to help control a crowd of 200 people, several of which were being rowdy. The Arizona Republic reports that the man “admitted to knowing that horses jump or run when slapped, but told the officer that it was ‘no big deal,’ according to police.” There is no word on what the horse did upon being slapped but I’m guessing police horses are very well trained. Even so, THAT WAS STUPID. I’d be surprised if alcohol wasn’t involved.

That same night in Tempe, a more violent attack against a horse led to another mans arrest. Police were called to a club where a fight was taking place. An officer tried to detain the man but he didn’t want to be detained and “began violently swinging at the officer and his horse, according to a report”, the Arizona Republic says.

I’ve been in crowds where mounted police were riding around to keep the peace. I’d say in most cases, horses are quite intimidating and do a good job of peacekeeping by presence. I can’t imagine walking up to a horse and attacking it. Both of these guys, especially the last one, are lucky they weren’t on the receiving end of some equine panic.

Sources: Arizona Republic – Article 1 – Article 2

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

Horseback with a cell phone

April 6, 2007 Bill Comments 7 comments

Cell phone on horseback I just got back from another great trip from Arizona. My last trip there was in January when it was quite a bit colder. Even so, the quick horseback riding trip I took back then made all the shivering worthwhile. On this recent trip, my new friends Gary and Jennifer once again invited me over, this time for a much warmer horseback ride. My equine host was Buck, the same horse I rode last time. I feel like I’m getting to know him. We rode off into the sunset again, for a leisurely stroll around rural Maricopa, Arizona. It was a beautiful ride, with the sun setting over the mountains nearby. Gary and my stepson Chris, more skilled than I at riding, both piloted more spirited horses. Old Buck and I held back a little and enjoyed the view…and entertainment. Buck seems like a great horse but every once and a while trips or stumbles so I held the saddle horn with a ninja death grip.

I was having such a great time, a thought occurred to me. This would be a great place to call Mikki (she didn’t come with me on this trip), as part of my ongoing “call people from cool places” project. I’ve called from beside a track at a Nascar race, from an aircraft carrier and from the top of a few mountains, so why not while horseback riding into the warm desert sunset in Arizona? I whipped out my phone with one hand and opened the cover with my thumb. It would be so easy to drop the phone to it’s destruction from that height. I had to try a few times punching buttons. It’s a little bouncy up there. Finally I got the right number, pushed send and held the phone up to my ear. Since Buck neck reigns, it was difficult to do this because one hand held the steering wheel (the reigns) and the other hand didn’t want to let go of the ninja death grip it had on the saddle horn. My plan was simple. “Hi honey, calling you from on top of a horse. Gotta go, bye!” The phone rang and rang and rang…I try again. Same thing. I never did get through so I can’t prove I actually made the call but I swear I really did make a scary, dangerous cell phone call from atop a horse!

With more confidence, I’m sure I could have pulled it off more gracefully but making cell phone calls from horseback doesn’t seem like a great idea, at least for new riders. For me it was just a novelty but I wonder if experienced riders and real cowboys do it these days.

First Annual VSMCRF Ride Against Cancer

April 3, 2007 Mikki Comments 2 comments

This was submitted to us via contact form – I thought it should be shared with the class. I bet it would be a lot of fun, and of course it’s for a good cause!

First Annual VSMCRF Ride Against Cancer
Benefit Trail ride to raise funds for cancer research

On May 5th, 2007, friends of BlackHawk will host the First Annual Van Stephenson Memorial Cancer Research Fund Ride Against Cancer benefit horseback trail ride at scenic Long C Trails in Westmoreland, Tennnessee.

The ride will take place from 10am-4pm, with a silent auction, raffle, and campfire sing-a-long as added events. Light refreshments will be provided, as will special pins commemorating the ride. Trail maps are available for those who have not ridden at Long C in the past, and all trails are well-marked with signs and colored tape. A $20 donation is requested for participation.

Long C Trails will have breakfast and supper available in their kitchen for an additional fee. Unlimited primitive camping is available; stalls and picketing for horses, and some campsites with RV hookups are also available with reservations recommended one week in advance. Additional fees apply to all camping.

Country music fans may remember Van Stephenson as the high harmony singer from the band BlackHawk, or as the hit songwriter behind many of their hits – and other bands’ hits like Restless Heart’s “Bluest Eyes in Texas” and “Big Dreams in a Small Town.” Van enjoyed cuts by artists as diverse as Dan Seals, Reba, Kenny Rogers, and Eric Clapton in his twenty-year career as a writer. Van lost his battle with Melanoma in 2001, and the memorial fund was one of his last wishes – that his friends help find a cure for cancer. 100% of the profits from the charity go directly to the Vanderbilt University Cancer Research Labs in Nashville.

For more information on the First Annual VSMCRF Ride Against Cancer, please call the hotline at 615-884-0276 or email littlebayroan@netzero.com.

For more information on Long C Trails, please visit www.longctrails.com.