The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!

[HairOfTheDog]

Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?

A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can 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 last thread we had a great time and were a great help to each other working through lessons and training, horse lamenesses and illnesses, questions and challenges and always just our stories we like to tell.

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 last thread, 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.

[Duchess47]

Maybe I had better rethink wood then. Maybe some type of wood look. Just can't get the dirt and cat hair and dog hair out of the carpet, and need something I can keep up more easily.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'd call a vet... and get them off of that area during the time acorns are freshly on the ground. From what I could look up briefly, they are considered moderately low risk becuase most horses won't eat them as a first choice, but they toxic in large doses if your horses develop a taste for them, especially, like you say, when there isn't anything else to munch. They can lead to serious complications and death. More insidious is if they don't get overtly sick, they are still damaging their Kidneys.

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine - ACORN, OAK, POISONING IN HORSES

And 98 AFIP Vet Pathology conference (scroll down to Case 2) This is from the bottom of the findings:

Oak toxicity causes signs of alimentary and urinary disease in both cattle and horses. Gastrointestinal signs usually occur early in the course of toxicosis, and animals may be depressed and lethargic and present with anorexia, tenesmus, constipation, and colic. After a few days, constipation is often followed by diarrhea, and fragments of acorns may be present within stools. Urinary dysfunction usually follows intestinal signs, and may include polyuria/polydipsia, dyspnea due to hydrothorax, hemoglobinuria, oliguria, and dependent edema. Mortality rates are often high, with animals surviving acute disease eventually succumbing to progressive renal failure. Gastrointestinal lesions may occur subsequently to renal disease, and uremia and renal failure may have caused the necropsy findings in the stomach, jejunum, and tongue.

The most consistent clinicopathologic findings in oak toxicosis are related to renal disease. Grossly, the kidneys are enlarged, pale, have petechial hemorrhages, and the medulla is congested. There may be perirenal, mesenteric and dependent edema, and fluid accumulation in various body cavities. The most consistent histopathologic finding is renal tubular necrosis, and proximal convoluted tubules often contain proteinaceous casts. Adjacent tubules may be unaffected. The glomeruli are unaffected, and except for congestion, the medulla remains nearly normal. Common serum clinical chemistry findings reflect renal failure and include elevated blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia, hypochloremia, hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, and hyperphosphatemia.

[HairOfTheDog]

Hey Becky.... don't you have a lot of Oaks? were there acorns on the ground when Rusty stopped eating?

See above. Long shot.... but I thought I remembered seeing Oaks.

[CindyDawg]

My Dad lives in a town about an hour west of Houston. He said they got 16 inches of rain. His barn a foot under but it stopped about an inch or so from coming in the house. He said it's down now but they have more water coming:'(

[CindyDawg]

Who knows? I think she just likes the babies. She has them all over the place and even takes in orphans. I offered at one time if she paid expenses I would think about it if she would take the colt and she told me no, she couldn't do that because it should belong to me. Financially it could be another boarder for her but she knows eventually we are going to move. She thinks Sarah Lee would make"pretty babies" She's not pushing me. It's just fun talk for us about what we could throw in and come up with. An experiment :')

[deaconjim]

I heard they had a bunch of rain. Our prayers are with them.

[CindyDawg]

You should be my next door neighbor. I figure if I'm not using something at the time, there is no sense in not letting someone else.

[CindyDawg]

Thanks. So are you all set? Have you done this before?

[deaconjim]

This is my first time. My trainer is coming by in the morning, and I'm going to get him to walk me through it.

I may be off on the timing by a month. We're positive she was bred on Christmas eve last year, but not sure it took. If not, then both mares will be due at about the same time.

[CindyDawg]

Well then, that gives you time to get a phone line to the barn:') (We will need a live thread and pictures)

[deaconjim]

I thought I had a lot to learn, but about horses! Live threads may take more than a month. I still haven't figured out how to post still pictures.

[CindyDawg]

:')

[HairOfTheDog]

Ask them what kind of game!?

[HairOfTheDog]

We were out grooming and clipping horses today, and I thought to take pictures of the white scarring on the pony that I suspect is old rain rot. She had it when I got her, so I really don't know, but it makes the most sense for where the scarring is, I think. What do you think?

This is the top of her back....

[tuffydoodle]

There were some tornado warnings in that area today. Did your dad see anything ominous?

[CindyDawg]

He's a "tuffy":') He didn't see what all the fuss about. That area kind of tornado alley. We lived in a double wide and it got spooky sometimes. One night at the last night of the county fair they were touching down all over the place.

[Duchess47]

This is what I found out about the game. If there had been computers around when I was a kid, I would have loved it I think.

http://www.whinny.org/simgames.htm

Hurricane Farms SIM Horse Club, or HFSHC, is quite possibly the leading SIM game on the internet today, with nearly 500 members and endless possibilities for people of all ages. HFSHC is a club designed to educate members while they participate in enjoyable activities, and is structured to be as realistic as possible in a SIM game. With a constant goal to achieve the best technologies and competition, HFSHC includes an online banking system, constant activity on the message board, and shows for every kind of horse. Hurricane Farms is intended for members 13 and up, with many members into their twenties and beyond. This is a game for people who truly love horses, whether they own them or not in real life, and is the perfect place to live out your most incredible equine dreams!

[HairOfTheDog]

Seems harmless! Did you say yes? Is a Sim kid now going to be able to sim-own your horse? ;~D

[Duchess47]

Yes, I emailed her back. She's going to own four of my horses. I told her she had good taste :)

[HairOfTheDog]

I hope they do well for her and are treated well!