FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 12

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - (very out of date) Who's Who *pics*

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, usually about our horses, sometimes about our dogs, gardens and other stuff we do. :~)

I have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will ping everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list.

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.

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
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread TEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 11

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[BladeRider]

Thanks on Bay, I’m fighting tooth and nail to keep him as young as I can! He’s my once in a lifetime horse. He’s still a lot of horse at 28 at I wouldn’t take him any other way, I don’t want to see him slow down. :~)

Hi Hair, I know what you mean about keeping him as young as you can. My old girl Queen is 27 this month, Friday actually. She is still full of herself when I take her out to ride. We don't take her out on the trails much anymore but still ride behind the camp to keep her in shape some. Other than a lot of graying ont he face she is still in pretty good shape.

[BladeRider]

Well, my vet says that there are a lot of perfectly happy dogs running around with X-ray evidence of dysplasia who never even limp. And even more dogs who have it and are never X-rayed, so nobody knows, including the dog.

I think you mentioned she is not 2 yet? I have stopped doing preliminary x-rays on my dogs. I have found that they are so gangly and loose before they are 2 that often times the vet says these hips won't clear and when x-rayed at 3 they get a good OFA rating. OFA requires dogs to be 2 years old to certify hips, I have my Irish Setters done at 3 years when they are done growing, I have had 75% Excellent ratings in the last 10 years. I am glad the Breeder is standing behind his guarantee, he should replace her.

[AnAmericanMother]

I have hesitated to do a prelim on this girl, because she DEFINES the word "gangly". She's not loose jointed, but she is very, very lanky. She runs absolutely straight and VERY fast, and she hasn't done a lot of jumping (unlike No. 1).

Maybe waiting til she's 3 would be a good idea.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good morning.

We had some pretty good thunderstorms again last night, so every thing here is wet, muddy and sloppy again.

I measured my first parking lot yesterday by myself:) It was for a Best Buy, so it was a fairly large lot. Lots of red curb and red line showing a fire lane/no parking zone. I haven’t learned yet how to figure price, but Charlie said I did well with the measuring. I think I will enjoy doing this. He was working on a 6 story parking garage that has been built here in Bixby for our new Civic Center. So this will work out great for me to go do the measuring when he is on a job. If you don’t get them bids quick they move on to other strippers. He won’t always be able to pull off a job to do the measuring so I feel I’m really helping:)

Today it’s back to work on the house...bathrooms I think today, and maybe some clearing out of Larry’s desk of all the old records he has filed. Today will be a good day to burn, since everything is wet.

I’m glad Barkley is OK:)...he looked so miserable that one time.

Duchess..so sorry about the news of Belle...sounds like tho it may not really be a serious problem. Hoping Bob didn’t take it too hard.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

If you don’t get them bids quick they move on to other strippers.

Heh... Becky, if you're gonna be in this business, you need to be clear whether you are stripping or striping! LOL :~)

I'm cleaning stalls and house today, we have poop and cobwebs in each :~\

And it ~might~ snow tonight.

Good luck with your projects.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oops:)

SNOW!!!! EWWWWWWWWWW....

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I ride every year like it’s Bay’s last, but he keeps hanging on, so far, and wanting to keep going!

I’m having the vet out soon for his spring check, and there is a new issue this year I can’t put my finger on, but it’s only affecting him in the canter. He’s always had such an easy canter, and now he’s all disunited in back. I think it’s his right rear. I’ve watched him in the trot and he’s 100%, but in the canter, I think he has to use his rear more, and he’s having trouble. I don’t think it’s in the lower leg, I’m wondering if it’s some arthritis in the hip or stifle.

[HairOfTheDog]

SNOW!!!! EWWWWWWWWWW....

I don't believe it. :~) The current record for latest snow is April 17 from 1972.

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh... midday update...

Day started with a sad note from ecurbh, he thought he saw one of our calico feral kitties dead on the road behind the house, so I went out to check, and to take her off the road if it was.

Well it wasn’t one of ours, it was a dead possum, but it was pretty obliterated by then so it was a little hard to tell! :~[

Well, I decided as long as I was there, I’d scrape it off the road, and I’d brought my manure fork to do that. So I scraped it off and tossed it in the bushes on the side.

Then I started thinking I’d just gotten possum blood and guts on my fork and what if it was an EPM carrier? I shovel stalls with it and sometimes even rake hay with it.

Phooey, so I start googling to find out if there is much of an EPM risk in this area, which I didn’t find, and whether it would live on my manure fork. And if it would? What would kill it? I start trying to google what might kill it and disinfect the fork, and I can’t find that either. I couldn’t find anything I needed to know!

So I end up calling the Animal Disease Center at WSU Vet school, and they transfer me to a vet there and I warn him that I was about to ask a silly question, told him about the possum and the pitchfork and asked him if I should clean it or toss it, or stop worrying about it.

He said “Don’t toss it, you might hurt somebody!” ;~)

He said it was a good question (he’s nice) and that I should soak it in a bucket with some bleach. He also said EPM is not real common but good to be concerned.

[Duchess47]

That is great that you can do the bids yourself now - that’s got to be a big help for Charlie, as well as something interesting to do. I doubt that it will be long before you can start pricing the jobs also.

Bob was pretty upset but he’s feeling better about it now. He was just so anxious to get a litter :) (like we need any more animals around here)

[Duchess47]

Sounds like maybe Bay is getting some arthritis, hope the vet will be able to tell and also let you know what might help ease the pain.

[Duchess47]

Well - I’m really glad it wasn’t one of your cats. I’m hoping they decided to make your place home and won’t roam.

That’s good that you thought about the possible contamination of the fork - I would think it would be. Good old bleach -my answer to just about everything :)

[HairOfTheDog]

Check it out... This morning!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh wow!!! I guess it’s pretty. Funny, we have sun shine and warmer today. You think it will be around long? Around here snow this time of year is usually gone as fast as it showed up.

I’m glad you got rid of that possum, EPM is some nasty stuff. I can’t remember if I mentioned it, Charlie and Kristy had to have Rowdy put down this winter...he either had a relapse or just never recovered enough for him to be rideable.

Busy day here, the guy is coming out to start on my ceilings, this will be interesting to watch, and see how much it changes the house. As he finishes up rooms, I’ll come along behind and paint walls.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

It’s supposed to be a weird weekend, snow, rain, hail, thunderstorms, very unsettled.

I don’t remember knowing about Rowdy being put down, I do remember that he had it. I’ve never heard of a case around here, but that didn’t stop me from being worried about it after I got his blood all over my fork.

The ceilings will be a MAJOR project and quite a mess before it’s over, I imagine! Take pictures and show us as it goes!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

OOO....well, stay safe, hope you don’t get the winds like we’ve had with the unsettled weather lately.

Yeah, this ceiling thing is going to be a major project...hopefully this guy knows how to do it without too big of a mess...He’s going to go ahead and paint them too, might as well since he’ll have everything draped. Painting ceilings has always sounded like a real chore to me..walls are bad enough.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

I want to see all the pictures of the process. :~)

Good grief the snowflakes falling now are big as dinner plates.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

It’s still falling!!! That’s about the only part of snowing I think is pretty, is when it is coming down, and the flakes are big.

The crew just got here, and are taping up sheeting.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - just started comin' down again with gusto. :~) Snow falling on ponies :~)

[Duchess47]

Well shoot - it’s predicted for this weekend here too - I am sooooo tired of winter. My kitchen is full of seedlings, I want my garden started outside. Both my peach and apple trees have blossoms already and a freeze will get them.