Lots of deer at the farm tonight. There were 3 in the front field, and I lost count in the back fields! Oh well, as long as they're not jumping in front of my car, I don't care!
Tonight was my first bit of "quality time" with Daniel in a week! I was in Kentucky last week visiting my brother and his family. I got home Saturday night and was going to ride on Sunday morning, but it POURED rain. I spent most of Sunday with my cousin who's in end stage liver cancer... and now his kidneys are shutting down. :-( I drove out to the farm to see Daniel and drop supplements off on Sunday night, and again, thunder, lightning, and RAIN! I dropped the supplements off, and left. :-(
On Monday, I went out with some carrots, just to say hello, fly spray him, pick hooves and go home to continue working on the dreaded Leadership paper...
Tonight, quality time!!! Dawn came out for Daniel's hoof trim. I got there early, helped with PM feed, and brought him up to the barn. I turned the water on (there's been a leak at the barn, and we're waiting for the plumber... have to turn the water off and on from Jill and Mark's basement... sort of an "On Demand" system.) Dawn said that I've been doing pretty good with his trims. His abscess on the LH that popped last December is finally growing out. Yes, that abscess that had me thinking that I was the worst horse owner EVER... How much I've learned in a few months!
I told Dawn that he's been a brat when I work on the RF, and I put my head against his side last time I trimmed him and just asked him what he was trying to tell me. Then it dawned on me: something hurt, and that RF is the one with the mild ringbone. So, I asked her to work with me on positioning his RF to make him a little more comfortable when I'm working on his RF. We experimented with raising and lowering the stand... and found that he just does best with lots of breaks when I do the RF, in addition to extra support, like keeping my hand on it and giving it support so there's not alot of back and forth movement (that, and make SURE he's getting his MSM and glucosamine/condroitin.) My boy's such a saint to put up with a newbie owner like me!
Anyway, learned lots of new things tonight. First of all, Daniel likes Diet Coke!! I stopped at the Wawa on the way. I needed a Diet Coke, and I know Dawn is a fellow addict, so I bought two. When I was a kid and wanted something, my Grandmother would always say, "Buy two. One might kill you." So, Gram, I didn't want one Diet Coke to kill me so I bought two. Didn't Dawn let Daniel drink hers! And didn't he LIKE it!? Goofy horse. Of course, when we tried to get a picture of said goofy horse drinking the Diet Coke, he wouldn't do it!
The other thing I learned is that Daniel trained me, but I beat him at his own game. Whenever I would put him in crossties to groom or do hooves, he would drop like he had to pee. I'd untie him and hustle him out, so he didn't flood the barn aisle, thereby stopping the grooming or trimming session. Jill suggested a bucket. Yes, I keep a 5 gallon bucket nearby. Anytime he drops, I stick the bucket under him. Once or twice, he filled it halfway... so I dumped it and kept doing whatever I was doing. Never taking him out of the crossties, and only stopping momentarily to make sure the bucket was in position. Now, Daniel doesn't pull that anymore! He puts up with hoof trimming and grooming, without threatening to pee!
Here's a picture of some of those new little chestnuts that are all over the place!
Tonight was my first bit of "quality time" with Daniel in a week! I was in Kentucky last week visiting my brother and his family. I got home Saturday night and was going to ride on Sunday morning, but it POURED rain. I spent most of Sunday with my cousin who's in end stage liver cancer... and now his kidneys are shutting down. :-( I drove out to the farm to see Daniel and drop supplements off on Sunday night, and again, thunder, lightning, and RAIN! I dropped the supplements off, and left. :-(
On Monday, I went out with some carrots, just to say hello, fly spray him, pick hooves and go home to continue working on the dreaded Leadership paper...
Tonight, quality time!!! Dawn came out for Daniel's hoof trim. I got there early, helped with PM feed, and brought him up to the barn. I turned the water on (there's been a leak at the barn, and we're waiting for the plumber... have to turn the water off and on from Jill and Mark's basement... sort of an "On Demand" system.) Dawn said that I've been doing pretty good with his trims. His abscess on the LH that popped last December is finally growing out. Yes, that abscess that had me thinking that I was the worst horse owner EVER... How much I've learned in a few months!
I told Dawn that he's been a brat when I work on the RF, and I put my head against his side last time I trimmed him and just asked him what he was trying to tell me. Then it dawned on me: something hurt, and that RF is the one with the mild ringbone. So, I asked her to work with me on positioning his RF to make him a little more comfortable when I'm working on his RF. We experimented with raising and lowering the stand... and found that he just does best with lots of breaks when I do the RF, in addition to extra support, like keeping my hand on it and giving it support so there's not alot of back and forth movement (that, and make SURE he's getting his MSM and glucosamine/condroitin.) My boy's such a saint to put up with a newbie owner like me!
Anyway, learned lots of new things tonight. First of all, Daniel likes Diet Coke!! I stopped at the Wawa on the way. I needed a Diet Coke, and I know Dawn is a fellow addict, so I bought two. When I was a kid and wanted something, my Grandmother would always say, "Buy two. One might kill you." So, Gram, I didn't want one Diet Coke to kill me so I bought two. Didn't Dawn let Daniel drink hers! And didn't he LIKE it!? Goofy horse. Of course, when we tried to get a picture of said goofy horse drinking the Diet Coke, he wouldn't do it!
The other thing I learned is that Daniel trained me, but I beat him at his own game. Whenever I would put him in crossties to groom or do hooves, he would drop like he had to pee. I'd untie him and hustle him out, so he didn't flood the barn aisle, thereby stopping the grooming or trimming session. Jill suggested a bucket. Yes, I keep a 5 gallon bucket nearby. Anytime he drops, I stick the bucket under him. Once or twice, he filled it halfway... so I dumped it and kept doing whatever I was doing. Never taking him out of the crossties, and only stopping momentarily to make sure the bucket was in position. Now, Daniel doesn't pull that anymore! He puts up with hoof trimming and grooming, without threatening to pee!
Here's a picture of some of those new little chestnuts that are all over the place!
