my interview

I hope you will all participate! Cut and paste into your blog and have fun answering these horse-related questions!!

1. What is your favorite breed/s of horse, and if you could purchase a new horse what breed would it be?
When I was younger I was all about having "favorite breeds." It was Morgans, Appaloosas, Quarter Horses....and 50 others that changed on a monthly basis. But after being with Ranch Boy and working with his 30+ horses, I have come to realize it is not about the breed as much as it is about the horse. Sure, certain looks and personality traits of some breeds are more attractive to me than others. But my next horse won't be a particular breed just because, rather, I will look at all breeds and try to find the horse that best suits my intended discipline and personality. That being said, I think Friesians are one of the most beautiful breeds out there, and I still love Appaloosas! 

2. What is your favorite personal tack item?
I have a headstall for Luna that is special because her former owner made it. I am attached to my Circle Y western saddle because it was the first thing I bought when I got back into horses after a 16 year hiatus. I'm going to sell it but I'm kind of sad to.

3. Horse products you swear by?
I'd have to say joint supplement. I use a pellet form called Legacy Senior, but have used a variety of brands over the years for my 20 year old gelding who has some arthritis in his hocks. I wasn't sure it worked so I took him off of it one fall and he became quite off in the hind. After a few months of being back on it, he moved much happier and was his old self again. So, I believe!

4. Rider products or items you swear by?
Hmm.....obviously good footwear! I love my Muck brand boots for muddy or wet horse care. I like SSG deerskin gloves for riding and lounging. And I really like Ariat cowboy boots for riding. I'm just getting into English gear so I'm assuming I'll build up my favorites there too! I'm discovering that breeches are super comfy and why would anyone every want to ride in jeans?

5. Favorite tack catalogs to shop from?
I love to browse and dog-ear catalog pages! For western I like discount tack like Chicks, Jeffers, or Valley Vet. For English, Dover or Smart Pak are my new favorites. I got some great boots from Riding Warehouse Western/English (online, they are located in California.) They had a year end-sale and I called to ask about the boot sizing and got a real person that answered! She actually had the same boots and gave me some great advice. Not only were they on sale, there was no tax or shipping. Score!

6. Is your home decorated "horsey", as in western or equestrian-themed?
In some spots it has a few western and equestrian touches. Like barn wood frames, etc. Ranch Boy Jr.'s nursery has a few cowboy touches. But overall the home is pretty vintage and rustic chic.

7. Do you wear horse, Western, or equestrian-themed jewelry?
I did before I had a baby! Now I wear no jewelry because he wants to grab everything. My jewlery style has evolved. I made jewelry for several years and some of it was horse or western-themed. Then I became a Stella and Dot stylist and that jewlery is more trendy, vintage inspired. I really just like jewelry but am pretty eclectic, depends on my mood, where I am going, etc. 

8. A style of riding you'd like to try sometime?
Four years ago I took saddle seat lessons because I always wanted to! Now I'm doing dressage. Someday I'd love to learn to rope and move cattle.

9. Biggest lesson you've learned about horses?
That they are not big puppy dogs or pets. Yes I love them, but they can dangerous,  and need to be well-mannered and respectful. I think too many people spoil their horses unintentionally. I am guilty! By spoiling I don't just mean feeding them carrots and cookies. I mean letting them have an inch in a variety of situations when handling them on the ground and riding that build bad habits.  I don't think horses intentionally set out to take advantage of us and our bad habits, but over time if they find release and comfort in our little mistakes, they will settle there and become more difficult and then we've got problems on our hands! We can't really blame them when it was our fault to begin with by sending mixed messages.

10. Is your significant other a rider too?
Ha Ha! Ranch Boy's livliehood is centered around horses but he is not a horse lover or passionate about them like I am! I always called him a basketball and rap loving cowboy. I wish he would take some lessons or attend a clinic with me and try to understand horse nature a little better because I think the things that frustrate him about horses in his job could be a little easier if he could understand how a horse learns, rather than just expect the horse to do what he wants it to. That being said, he will trail ride with me and supports my interest and love in horses. It is the only hobby I really care to spend time or money on!

11. What horse issues bother you the most?
Where do I start? The biggest ones are abuse in training, whatever breed. Especially in the show world, it blows my mind what people do to horses to get the win. Do they even really love or care about horses, their welfare, and how they learn? I can't imagine. I'm talking those in the gaited horse world with soring and huge shoes, Arabian halter classes, head tying, etc. Every discipline has their share of bad and abusive trainers who want quick results. Other than that, domestic horse overpopulation/breeding and the BLM management wild horse issues are troublesome, too.

12. Favorite horse magazines to read, or do you just read blogs/online sites?
I love horse magazines and have since I was a kid!! I enjoy Equus and all of it's great health tips. I also get Sidelines, Cowgirl (that was a Christmas present from Ranch Boy) Practical Horseman and Western Horseman. I will pretty much read any horse magazine, when I can find the time. I usually have a stack that I am behind on! I love blogs/online reading but always will prefer the feel of a real magazine in my hands!

13. String along some thoughts that summarize your involvement of horses......
Sweet smell of horse sweat and leather.......feeding my horses no matter what the weather.....Jean Slaughter Doty books "Winter Pony" and "Summer Pony"......a beautiful dressage horse dancing across the arena.......leaves crunching under hooves on a fall ride.....the excitement of getting a new horse magazine or catalog in the mail....or better yet, a FedEx delivery of a horse product I ordered....browsing through tack shops.....talking "horse" with anyone who will listen!

14. Do you ever look on Craigslist or Dreamhorse or Horseclicks.com for horses or tack? For fun or real?
Yes, love these sites and "dreaming" on them! I've been dressage saddle shopping on all of them and look for horses for the ranch on Craigslist, or just to see what is out there.

Thank you everyone! I hope you will participate so we can learn a little more about you. Please let us know by leaving a comment if you are participating so we can link over to you and read your interview.

Happy weekend!!

Ranch Girl

help! with saddle fit!

I couldn't have chosen a worse time to trial a saddle. After a mild winter and the excitement that I could start riding, the ladt few days and in foreseeable future we've had bitter near blizzard temps and blowing snow. I technically only have the saddle until tomorrow but I'm hoping they will extend the trial for me.

My lesson was canceled Monday so my chance to have instructor see me sit and ride in the saddle didn't happen. The more important thing was to see if it fit my horse which I was doing alone as he is not my lesson horse and I had no way to haul him to the barn as the trailer is out of commission. I was able to bring him into my relatively dry hay shed and saddle him.

This is an older Passier dressage saddle it is in excellent condition for it's age, hardly broken in. I love that it is brown- not a fan of the black these days but my horse is sorrel and I like him in brown.

I've read a lot online about people loving these older Passier dressage saddles although apparently they don't rave reviews on comfort.  They aren't deep-seated or have tons of thigh blocks and knee rolls. I did email Passier the serial number and got back the specs on the saddle within 24 hrs which was cool.

I can see daylight along the spine between saddle and pad. I can get a hand comfortable between horses shoulder and flap. There appears to be no bridging. But it is the pommel that is throwing me off! It had a cutback pommel and it just looks odds the way or sits on him. I'm not even admitting the saddle is placed right on his back I'm just learning how to saddle a dressage horse too, the first lesson I had it far too forward like a Western saddle.

If you can help from a few photos, which I know is not ideal, please share your opinion on how it should fit. Thank you in advance!!! Practically every saddle I see for sale is listed because it "does not fit my horse" so I'm not pretending this was going to be easy. The gal I am borrowing the lesson horse from has 5 dressage saddles and that is because she had continually struggled with fitting her horses and herself.

I have a fun interview/questionnaire coming up in the next few days I hope you will all participate!

Ranch Girl

snow day=colic day

My excitement for our snow day started with Ranch Boy and I taking Junior for his first sled ride. I couldn't stop smiling because he was all bundled in his snowsuit with his arms sticking straight out. He loved it and fussed every time we stopped!

Horses love watching silly things like babies on sleds! 

The fun was cut short when Ranch Boy and I went out to feed the Ranch horses. We drove the truck into the field. The horses were hyped from the snowy night and snortin and buckin' and eager to eat. Except one. 

She was laying down and did not get up when we drove in. Ranch Boy walked towards her and she jumped up and walked off to another area about 100 get away and laid back down. Not a good sign. 

We fed the horses, haltered the mare and led her out.  I put one of my horse's turnout blankets on her and RB started walking her as I called the vet.  The snow had started falling again. 

{Luna in the background watching. }

We'd lost a mare to colic a month ago and by the time we found her she was in poor shape- low pulse, no gut sounds, gray gums, hardly able to stand and walk, and throwing herself down. However, this mare seemed uncomfortable, but was fairly calm. She walked and rested, only trying to go down on her knees twice. She wasn't sweaty or looking at her side. 

The vet arrived and assessed her. Some gas  sounds. Didn't feel anything unusual during the rectal. He went to tube her and the reflux concerned him. Quite a bit of water came back out of the tube from her stomach and it was discolored. He didn't feel comfortable putting more fluid in on top of what might be there which would cause her for more discomfort. 

She got the sedative and banamine and he gave us a tube to administer later doses. Rest, walk, no food, monitor. 

This continued for 24 hrs. Even on banamine the little red mare spent most her time down. Either lying quietly or rolling gently on her side, but not all the way over. Just quietly down. 

The first night I got her out at 7:30 pm and walked her in the snow. I was encouraged

Add she walked briskly. On one pass from our walk to the barn I thought I spotted something in the snow.

Poop! Now we'd seen her poop some since the beginning, but it is always encouraging to see poop in a colicy horse. In fact, she even found some spilled hay in the snow and was nuzzling it like she wanted to eat.

The next 24 hrs was more of the same. At times she was up and looked better, other times she was down. RB went out at midnight both nights to give her banamine and walk her.  We went to check on her the second morning and it was obvious she was much worse, much more severe agitation and signs of pain, more rolling, up and down, and looking at her side.  Darn it. 

The vet came back out and the assessment was not good. Despite an intravenous dose of banamine her heart rate and agitation did not improve she pawed the ground while standing, wanting to lay down. The vet felt a pretty severe impaction this time. Her eyelids were blood red from toxins in her system. Without intervention at a clinic to possibly hydrate the bowels on IV, there was little we could do but end her pain. 

It is never an easy decision, whether the horse is a champion, a young horse with years of potential, or an older 21 year old mare like this one. Because of the length of her symptoms and severity, the decision was made to put her down. You don't know what is going on inside- there could already be a compromised bowel, rupture, tumor, etc. We'd only had the mare a few years and although she hadn't coliced before, we didn't know her history. 

Marey was laid to rest at 2:00 yesterday afternoon.

I feel bad that I never got to know this mare better.  She was one of those easy keeper horses. No drama. She just did her job hauling kids around. She wasn't very big- maybe 14.1 hands. She had a low head carriage and ears that kind of flopped out. She looked very uncomfortable to ride- she had stiff gaits. She was never prancing or running around the pasture with her trail flagged. In fact, you hardly noticed her at all. But you could count on her. She was reliable and never wavered. She was just good ole Marey.

I hope she's running with her tail flagged
In horsey heaven now.

Ranch Girl