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Thread Six: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1414401/posts |
Posted on 03/21/2005 7:18:04 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.
I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!
I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.
So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
Previous threads:
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!
I'm so sorry for your loss, but at least she's free from all the pain and suffering she was in. There'll be a big comming home party in heaven for her today. Just think of all the family she'll get to see that she hasn't seen in so long. Thinking of that always makes me smile. :o)
I got the fillies moved in with the geldings yesterday afternoon, so now Truly and Bluebell are in a maternity pasture by themselves. It went better than I'd expected. First I put the boys in the barn, tied to posts, with the gate closed. Then I let the girls check out the pasture by themselves and they ran around for about 10 or 15 minutes. Then I let Tennessee in there with them and they all three ran around for about another 15 minutes. There was a little squealing, but no punches were thrown. Tennessee hasn't gotten that kind of exercise in quite a while. When he got tired and came beck to the barn, I put him back in and let Bob out with them. He was the one I was most concerned about since he's just been gelded 2wks, but he was more tentative than I expected. Just young I guess. After about 10 minutes out with the girls, who by this time were pretty well "run out", I let them all out together. It was funny coz Blade was trying to keep Bob away from the girls and they had several little scuffles, but nothing more than is normal for them. All in all, I guess they ran around and around for about an hour and a half before everybody got tired enough to stop. Hope was calling for her mother quite a bit. It was kinda sad coz she'd see Bob from across the pasture and because of his color, think it was her Mom and come running, then she'd get close enough to see that it wasn't and she looked SO disappointed. Then she'd run back towards the trailer and call for her there, then she'd see Bob again and the whole cycle started over. Poor girl. But at least she's got plenty of company 'til she gets over it.
It sure can be a complicated orchestra moving horses around and trying to figure the best introduction sequence. Glad it went well with no major scrapes.
Weaning is a sad shock for a babe... are they out of sight and sound now? Or can they still hear each other where they are? Was momma more than OK with it?
Always fun trying new horses together.
Weaning is difficult. I've heard a varity of ways, but none are easy. I could never get Dot and Belle out of hearing range of each other but could get them out of sight. It never bothered Belle, but Dot was sad. I've heard, but haven't tried successfully, that it is less stressful on the baby if the mother and foal can stand in pens together where they can see and sniff each other but foal can't nurse. I tried it here but Dot managed to get her head thru the panels to nurse, and Belle let her.
I thought it odd that Belle had a bag for over a year after Dot stopped nursing. her bag was full but not enough to cause pain, but she had milk. Is that normal?
Becky
Yeah, they are 3 or 4 miles apart. I think it's probably better that way. I started to just move them across the highway to my husband's older brother's place since there are no cows there right now, but I was afraid if they could see and hear each other they might get to pushing the fence or try to jump it and get out in the road. It's a very busy 4-lane highway and they wouldn't last 30 seconds, so I opted for putting them in with the boys.
Bluebell was fine with it after I put some grain in her bucket to keep her busy until I got out of sight with the trailer. Truly didn't even look up. She weaned Grace herself back in the summer and Grace had already been hanging with Hope, so it was no big deal for her either.
I figured that the fewer bodies there were in that pasture when the babies came, the less likely it would be of somebody getting hurt. I'm beginning to think that Truly's gonna hold out for the full 340+ days even though she was early the last time (her first). Maybe since she's already "sprung" she's got more room in there for the baby to hang around a little longer. Who knows, but we're both tired of waiting! ;o)
I think it's much safer if they can't see or hear each other too. Good thing you have so many options!
My friend is working out how to do hers, including possibly bringing her baby here... but I told her I didn't have extra shelter, so if she does that, it will have to be later in the summer when there isn't risk of bad weather.
Just as a FYI. I heard a horrible story yesterday from Tina about an experience by someone I know. I'm sure everyone one here would know better, but i thought this girl would have too, so I'm just passing it on.
This girl had a foal 3 months ago. She is friends with the people who own the stud she used. These people IMO, break their horses the "cowboy" way, not much finess, more just buck em out, whup and ride type. Any way the girl with the foal called her friend who owns the stud and asked what she should be doing witht the foal now at 3 months. Tina was not sure if the foal had had any handling, halter broke and such.
She was told at 3 months to start ponying the foal. So, she "tied" the foal to saddle of the foals mare whose name BTW is "Spook". I guess it spooked her to have the foal tied to her, when the girl got on, the mare took off, and she couldn't get her stopped. The foal had to be put down. Broke it's back.
Sounds like a really sad sad deal, with alot of mistakes.
Becky
Horribly sad. I wouldn't have tied off the foal to the saddle, but the fear would have been injury to the foal from the ~foal~ pulling back. I wouldn't have predicted the mare's behavior.
They are the sneakiest little buggers when you're trying to wean them. I took Grace away for a month and she was right back to nursing as soon as I brought her back, and she was over a year old then. THEN I tried a spiked noseband on her halter. Well that didn't work either. She figured out how to hold her head so that the spikes would more or less lay down and wouldn't stick. She was at least 18mths old before Truly finally weaned her herself. I'm sure it would've been sooner if Truly had been having another foal right away. I checked Bluebell's udder the other day and even though she has a huge bag and I saw Hope sticking her head under there like she was nursing, I didn't get any milk out when I squeezed, so I think she had stopped giving milk in preparation for the new baby. I had wondered if that would happen and was worried if it didn't if there would be colostrum for the new baby when it was born. I guess it's like what Deaconjim says to RoS about worrying over things that God's already taken care of. Horses were having babies long before people came into the picture.
I think my friend Tiff is trying that... she doesn't have a good way to separate them except by stalling one of them and switching them back and forth.
Of course, she tried this for a couple weeks, it was a hassle, the two seemed to be over crying over each other, so she put them back together... they went right back to nursing.
It took us a long time to get Dot weaned. We moved them down to the pasture, and I think Belle took care of it herself, even tho she still had milk.
Becky
I tried to pony Blade ONE time off of Tennessee and that was enough to cure me of ever wanting to do it again. Tennessee was fine with it, but Blade kept on wanting to climb up there with me, or to bite on Tennessee, or pull my arm out of it's socket, or get on the wrong side. It was a comedy of errors let me tell ya! I was riding in my normal english type saddle so I had no horn to begin with, but I wouldn't have tied to it even if I had. Too many bad things can happen.
I really think it takes a full 3 months of being seperated unless the mare weans the foal herself.
Becky
When I was ponying Cadence with her momma, the paint mare you've seen pictures of, when she got strong I would tie a big lead rope loose around the mare's neck that would hang right at the shoulder. I wouldn't tie the foal to that, but I would run the foal's line through it, so that the foal wasn't pulling me off if she was lagging back. If I needed to, I could still just let go.
I look like "The Bug from Outer Space" in this picture...Tennessee looks like he's saying "Hey! Listen-up here!
When he wasn't lagging behind, he was all over me. Too much trouble! 
I'm not using the line in this pic, but it's at about this age that I started. They just get so strong.
I know I've showed this pic before, but I don't know if folks remember. That's a young Bay at 10 yrs old on the right ;~D
I started ponying Dot when she was 2months. But she was halter broke, would lead very well, and I did it in our arena. Belle was OK with it, so I did dally to the horn, but did not tie it. If I'd have had a problem it would have slipped off when I let go.
This girl did NOT start in an arena. I guess they went thru creeks and over rocks and across a road, where people in cars stopped to try and help. before she got the mare stopped. It sounds like it was truly as bad as it could get.
Becky
Did you notice the dates on the pictures:). That was 2 years ago today.
Becky
So scary to even picture it. It's when things go horribly wrong with horses, and they are totally out of control, that we realize, they are only ever under ~control~ because they want to be. When they truly panic, there is no way to stop it.
Yes, lots of things went wrong here... the foal should have been well halter trained beforehand, the first ride(s) should be in an enclosure, and the line should never be fastened to the horse, or to yourself. If you're in a pen, or even if you aren't, there is less harm in letting go, than trying to hang on if either horse fights it. Just grab them up and start again. Even when we were out on trail, I had to let go of Cadence a couple times... with a babe and the momma, most foals who find themselves disconnected, as soon as they realize it, they want right back. They don't go far.
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