The Horse (Dodge I think)

Here is my plan of attack:

1.) talk to the owner and see what I can work out with her. I can't move the horse for 1-2 months

2.) Joe likes her and wants to change the name... so that is something to think about

3.) Get a freaking farrier out there, she isn't lame yet but how long until she is..

4.) Get her stall cleaned out and try to get some shavings or straw over there for not only her but for those hooves

So that is my plan of attack. I gave her the bath of her life, bless her heart. I did not do her head or 100% of her legs because until I got to pick her hooves I was wary of how she would react. She was actually really easy going, she just ate the entire time we bathed her. I think that's why Joe likes her. I think she will be an bitch once she is back up to shape but for the moment she is got that f-you attitude. We had lots of respect talks. She's funny like that. She tried taking off on me once and got a prompt smack on the neck and a gruff talking to. She tried it once more and that time the same but I took away her food. She didn't do it again after that point.

I figured she would "dance" once we started the water and bathing. It didn't even phase her. I showed her the hose, started at her feet, and she could care less. She seemed to enjoy that bath soooo much. She smells funky now, kinda like horse and iodine but thats ok. She was SOFT once she got dried off. I'm really proud of myself.

I really really like her. I am going to try to get the owner to let me just take over and then move her in a month or two. I'm getting a second job to take care of her. How sad is that. I don't think the owner will care if I provide all the food, clean the stall, make sure she is groomed, pay for the farrier, and get a vet out there or me take her to one. The horse is almost out of hay so that is my first priority right now. She has plenty of hay pellets out in the shed so I'm good there. Need to get her ass wormed though! Hopefully today I can get to the feed store and pick some up.

She did step on me but there was no talks or discussion or smacking there. I'm pretty sure she is in pain on the back feet. Further neccesating my need to get a freaking farrier out there. Her two front feet were horrid. The smell that came from them was unreal. There was rocks, sticks, and manure just packed into her misshapen hooves. I know she had to feel somewhat better with them picked out. I avoided the frog though, I was afraid it was going to be sore so I didn't pick all that hard around it. I'll wait for the farrier.

Her backs were a little different. Once I started picking picking she wasn't as happy and kept trying to put her foot down. That is where she stepped on me. The one back leg I gave up on, too much of a fight. I got some picked but not quite like the other three. I know that is just going to make it worse but hopefully I can get the farrier out there next week. My trainer gave me the one she uses so I will try him first. Since her horses feet always look really good.

Then there is the stall..... I am not 100% sure how to tackle that. It's a dirt floor. I will have to ask the owner how she had done it in the past. I'm pretty sure when it was up and running the owner did an awesome job... not so much anymore. I'm more than happy to take over ;)

So here is my life coming up.

Stop lessons for the time being
Get a second job (already have one)
Look at boarding stables with pasture board for the summer
Begin to take over the care of this horse

I have dove into horses in a totally different way than I ever thought possible. I even fed her last night! She is just too freaking sweet. I feel alot of new posts about her in the future.

Love.

ack

Lost my help tonight. Tis ok, hopefully I can get Joe to go with me out there. I've at least gotta get a bath on her and then clean out the stall somewhat.

X-Posting

http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/2009/04/one-down-way-too-many-to-go.html

I know I have mentioned her blog on here several times. Above is a link to todays entry into her blog. Good lord it is sick sick sick. I just do not understand people sometimes. If I ever sent any animal off to training, be it my dog even, and I got a scummy feeling from the get-go, my animal is not going there. I don't want a trainer to be best friends with my animal, but the trainer needs to be able to train not beat into submission.

I question what his techniques even had to do with training. It sounds like he just ran the horses to death and beat the shit out of them because he could. Looks like daddy didn't love that guy enough so he needed to take it out on something that wouldn't take him to court. Sad Sad Sad.

Buck is not limping quite as bad today. I am going to clean and treat tonight after I get home from dealing with that horse I'm working on. I really did get a bad feeling from the lady I talked to yesterday and I don't think she took to me too kindly either. Asking to ride the mare when the mare is not in the condition to do anything? Really? I question if the lady will take proper care of the mare in this case. Or what she actually knows about horses. Not that I am the expert, I am not at all. But I have the common sense to know that riding is not an option till I can get some food in her, wormer in her, and her feet looking halfway decent.

That is not to say people don't ride horses like this all the time. I've seen the pics... I'm just a little nicer than others and have more brains in my head. People kill me.

That's all I have for today!

Fun weekend, Horse updates

Friday I went to the wedding I had talked about in Thursday's post. It was humbling. I at least now know how my guests are going to feel at a far away wedding. It does suck in that sense because your guests do have to travel so far to just see a freaking wedding. Then again it was a quaint chapel and a cute little reception hall. I hope it was everything they both wanted and I hope that they both stay happy for a long long time. Congrats to them both, I am past happy for them.

We went camping this weekend! Woke up Saturday and did a couple things in the morning and headed out Saturday afternoon around 1 or so. It was gorgeous! I have attached some pictures, courtesy of Josh, for your viewing enjoyment at the bottom of this whole post. I met a new "friend" of David's and am not sure if she liked us or was in culture shock. I have yet to figure that one out. I had to kill a baby rabbit this weekend as well, which I feel slightly bad about. Buck had found it god knows where and he wasn't hurting it. I think he thought it was a game. He would walk with it for a few feet and drop it, only to watch it run away so he could catch it again. Shadow though, badass that she is, decided to end the game and really hurt the poor thing. I had to put it out. :( Oh well, guess it was for the best.

Buck also somehow did a nice job in slicing a piece of his paw off somehow this weekend. He is limping pretty bad. I tried to get a rag and clean it out a little with soap and water but he screamed so bad that I quit. I filled it full of antibacterial and wrapped it up. I think he kept it on for an hour before he got it off. I'll have to clean it and reapply before I go to work in the morning. He should be able to heal from it, I really don't want to run to the vet for this, but we'll see. He is so dumb.

Tomorrow I go clean up the horse and try to feed her more food. Hopefully I can muck her stall out a little and put something down in the stall. My trainer thought she had found a lady to take her but I am wary of this lady. I mean the horse is not in riding shape and the first thing this lady asked me was if I had been on the horse. UMMMM NO. She then asked if she could come ride the horse. UMMMM NO. The lady sounded miffed at that? Why in the world would you try to ride a horse when I am telling you that it's not in good condition for life let alone riding. Geez. We'll see what happens.

And like promised, I will end this with farm pics.

NM, it won't upload them and I am feeling way too lazy to redo it. Tomorrow...

Oh the light

Getting closer. Have a new recruit that is going to help me with this horse. She is 99% positive if we can get this mare up to speed, then she can place her at her barn for a lesson horse. That is excitement like no other. That means this mare will have no worries and never go hungry. Lot's of little kids to groom her and love all over her. I hope to god we can get her health back up. I pray we can.

Monday we are going to go out there and start cleaning up. If I can get out there on Sunday I will but Monday is looking alot better. I am so happy! I can't wait to see what she looks like when she is tip top shape! EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Other than that, tonight I have a wedding to attend of a good friend. I hate weddings and I think I have made that clear here before. So blah. 30 minute ceremony, 45 minutes of waiting on the pictures to get done, chicken and beef buffet (seems the norm to serve that), a dance floor, tables, and a whole lot of people that don't know each other. I'm not calling out this wedding, but all weddings in general. Every bride, including me, strives to make their wedding "different". In reality, they're all the damn same. I always thought I would love weddings and when I got invited to my first one I was so excited. And then so let down. For some reason I just have never felt that magical moment in them and it just let me down.

I'm such a bitch. I think this is why I am striving for more of a family bbq than a wedding in what I'm doing. I know what I hate and I'm trying to avoid it while conforming to the "wedding" stigma that everyone has in their heads. Sigh. I don't know. I'm just rambling. I need to call my trainer and tell her that I won't be there tomorrow. Gotta get that done today.

How to become emotionally attached to something:

1.) Have something you have wanted since childhood dangled in front of you.

2.) Know you can change it for the better.

So my horse in a previous post is being helped out right now on many levels. I've called my trainer, an owner of a polo barn, and a lady in Indiana I know that rehabilitates horses. My trainer is calling people she knows that deal with the breed and it helps that this horse is registered. In the meantime my trainer has given me some advice on stuff to do now to this very sweet pretty mare to help her get back up to health. This is at the owners ok. I have talked to the son who is more than happy to have me help and I think he sounds a little upset and relieved all at the same time. I like the owner even, she is a really nice lady, in fact I'm smiling as I type this. I'm too nice of a person I think.

My list of stuff to get for this horse:

1 MTG for the skin issues
1 Tube of wormer for the next few weeks to clean her out
1 bale of good quality hay

I am also going to see if making her hay pellets into mash don't help her put some weight back on. I am going to give her a good bath and brushing and pick out her hooves. I'm also going to clean the stall out.

I'm obviously on a mission. I will help this mare. I will hold no grudges. And a secret goal of mine would be to see the joy on the owners face when her horse is back up to speed and having a purpose again. Who knows, in three months I'll have another job to afford the board for her....

Who loves their dog?

Oh that's right, I do.