Changes

Hi friends, I hope all is well in your corner of the world! There is some crazy weather going on around the country which is quite scary. I hope that you, your loved ones, your equines, and your other 4-leggers critters are all safe and sound.

We have still had some last attempts at snow, yet I feel that spring is around the corner. The horses are beginning to shed their winter coats!

Stop trying to take our photo and just feed us please!!

I am going to purchase a 15-day supply of Regu-Mate for Loretta next week. I have done some reading online (message boards can be addicting!) and have noticed quite a bit of information about "mare" issues and behavior and heatcycles/estrus, etc. While I can't find anyone that has had a mare with the exact symptoms as Loretta, I am hoping to help her by trying this first. Why? Well, the veterinarians can not tell me (by no fault of their own, as horses can't talk!) which of the two issues could be causing her symptoms and discomfort. Not even the ulcer scope was not 100% accurate due to water present in her stomach. Treating the ulcer first would be highly expensive. I will keep you updated.

As many of you know, catching My Boy has always been a huge issue when he's in a pasture, so as much as I hate it, I leave a turn-out halter on him. The other day one side got up over his ear and of course when I unbuckled it to fix it, he pulled back and away he ran, the halter left hanging in my hand. What a stinker! Ranch Boy and I have devised a way to get him haltered, though. It was my master plan and has worked twice. I am sure my smart pony has figured us out and it won't work again. I hate to use this method as it feels like cheating but let me tell you, this 18-year old is a piece of work when it comes to being caught. If he was young enough, I'd apply for him to be in a Clinton Anderson clinic!

So here is what we do. We use the white woven hot wire tape to create a smaller corner of his pasture. I feed hay as usual, then give him grain. We unplug the hot wire, tie one end on a post, then walk behind him to create the smaller corral. Now, My Boy is smarter than that and the first time he saw this space becoming smaller he took off running to escape but luckily Ranch Boy waved him back before he got by. He does not figure out the tape is not electrified (just shaking it a little is enough to keep him from it.) My Boy has always been respectful of fences. We shorten this triangular space little by little, until he is forced to stand in his run-in shed. Once he is there, he will stand parallel to the wall and look away from me in defiance, knowing he is trapped yet still not wanting to give in.

Here is what I did this time. I stroke his shoulder and just talk to him quietly. Then, I hold the halter to his head. The second he lowers his nose to smell it or even look at it, I pull it away. After doing this a few times, he actually would turn his head and follow the halter (almost taking a step.) I even had him dipping his nose in it. I would then pull it off and just pet him. It is interesting to me how this "pressure and release" method really works with horses. It is so frustrating to me that the minute my horse sees me approaching him with a halter in his pasture he won't let me near him, but when he knows he has no where to go, he dips his nose right in the halter. Due to his arthritis he is not the kind of horse I can keep in a confined space but if he was, I feel like we would not have this catching issue at all. But I love that he has plenty of pasture to roam around in all day.

I got my new necklace-making supplies today. I am really excited to start creating!! I also just finished a temporary job. I have next week off and then I will be starting a new job the following week. Lots of exciting changes going on!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!!

Ranch Girl

Howdy Folks

Sorry it's taken me so long to post again! I have been busy with a new temporary substitute position at a local school which has kept me busy, between dealing with my sick pony and making jewelry!




Paint Girl is busy in Scottsdale for the big Arabian show, woo-hoot! I am sure she is working on her tan. Stinker.

Meanwhile, we got another round of fresh snow last night. It's kind of wet but awfully pretty this morning, when I went out to feed.

I really appreciate everyone's comments on Loretta and her tummy troubles. She is more the same. I notice symptoms more frequently, but they are less severe and dramatic. I got a quote on GastroGard~ $900. Yikes!

I also got some advice on using Aloe and Cabbage juice. Brown-Eyed Cowgirls also mentioned this so I am going to explore it further. I am open to all options yet I feel I need to get something going.

Part of me was just hoping that the heat cycle issue would resolve itself and I would notice the tummy troubles leaving, too. However, I am still seeing that she seems to be in discomfort around or after feeding, which really points to the ulcers being the cause of her pain. I did pick up some Ulcer-Rid (to help with ulcer pain, not rid them, ironcially) and some Mare Magic to hopefully temporarily relieve some pain but of course I am having problems with her eating them, even when mashed into a bit of grain (which I had taken her off of for the last couple of weeks. Before that, she'd eat anything I'd put in a mash!)

I have some really fun new cowgirl necklaces that I am making for an upcoming event! Whatever doesn't sell at the 3-day event will end up in my Etsy shop. I was inspired by this necklace which I bought from a gal named Dani, she has an Etsy shop she calls LeonaRose Designs. It is a soldered glass necklace with a bling heart in it. I loved the big chunky style and wore it on Valentine's Day.







I don't do soldered glass jewelry, but I found these glass and metal frames which are super cute when filled with cowgirl images!!

 

As you can tell, I am kinda obsessed with bows right now. Who says a cowgirl can't have a girly side?

 Ihope all is well for y'all, enjoy your weekend!!

Ranch Girl

Loretta

My poor mare had quite the day yesterday.

She got it from the front (camera scope up her nose and into her belly.)

She got it from the back (rectal exam including ultrasound of ovaries and uterus.)

And she got it from the middle (abdomen fluid sample taken from middle of underbelly.)

We spent over four hours at the vet. She was in the stock sedated most of the time, except for an hour she spent in a stall trying to absorb the water in her stomach so that they could scope her again. They tried flushing out the water but that didn't work.

The reason she had this appointment is because her symptoms, although better, have not gone away.

Here is what we found out: Loretta is stuck in a heat cycle. She showed a lot of edema and follicular activity on one of her ovaries. Sometimes mares can't ovulate due to the shortened hours in the winter, it's like she went into heat this fall and never got out!



The view this a.m. after I fed the horses....a peaceful snowy morning.

Although difficult to assess ulcers below a certain line in the stomach because of water in stomach, there were signs of a stage one ulcer (the yellowing corn looking scabs, some reddish skin.)

They were concerned that her secum (fermenting area between guts) was very full. They also thought it odd that her stomach was not moving the water out into the intestines.


My poor baby eating her breakfast this a.m.

My poor girl looks so thin and her stomach is very tucked up as she could not eat for 24 hours before this appointment. The last month and a half have been tough for her. Are her symptoms related to the stuck heat cycle, or the ulcer? Is one causing the other? The vets had several recommendations. GastroGuard treatment- which is very pricey but will get rid of the ulcer. Another suggestion, try taking her off all grains and starchy foods, limit stress.....see if the ulcer/s will heal on their own. Try Regumate hormones to help with the heat cycle.

At this point I am going to think about it and discuss options with other professionals that have helped me with this mare. I never thought Loretta to be a nervous type of horse but these vets said that in the time they spent with her they felt she really fits the ulcer profile (age, body type, personality......) she also had a pretty big move this past November (leaving the ranch and moving to our place with My Boy....) perhaps this was just enough to set off an ulcer.

When she is having an episode, we don't Banamine her any more. We just watch her and make sure her colic symptoms don't involve anything that could hurt herself. She usually works through it in about 24 hours (off and on symptoms. during that time.) They have seemed milder the last few times.

What is your experience with ulcers? Or mares that have become "stuck" in heat?

Another strange thing I noticed Loretta doing this past week while eating her hay....every few bites she'll take a crunchy bite of the ground (which is packed frozen slushy snow/ice.) Has anyone seen a horse do that? Is she craving a orchard grass snow cone?

So although I got answers, I am still asking questions.  Thank  you for your advice and thoughts and prayers for Loretta!

I will keep you posted. Have a great week!! Next time I will tell you the story of how we had to catch My Boy last week!

Ranch Girl