Remember the TV program “Friends 90210?” Well this is Friends 21203. Never watched the show the first time around, but the name stuck with me.

How many of you, when you were young, would go places and instantly make new friends. Whether it be at the park, beach, playground, or neighborhood, wherever there were other children, you made friends. Children would run up to parents and say “this is my new best friend.” It didn’t matter if they only played with them for a short time, or that they would never see them again, it was their new best friend. Now we used the term BFF.

We all know that horses are a herd animal and love the social end of being together as much as the protection of the herd. However, within that herd there are always best friends.

Separating two horses that are BFF can be tramitising. It doesn’t matter if the friend moves to another barn or pasture, or if the separation is caused by death. Their reactions can be simple or off the wall. Some horses go into deep mourning for long periods of time, some will accept it and try to move on, just a little depressed.

Friends come in all shapes sizes, and species. Age doesn’t matter either.

I have a 9 yr. old Thoroughbred whose best friend is a 27 yr. old Quarter Horse. To watch them play (hard) makes me a nervous wreck. The TB will rear and buck and annoy the old dude. The old dude makes faces at him when the TB is not looking, and when he gets too annoying will just reach out and bite him. The old dude just goes right back at him, but they truly love each other. The TB will protect the old dude from anything.

The QH will only do one lap to the TB’s 3 or 4 around the pasture, then he will just stand and watch until the TB is done being silly. When they are in their stalls, the TB puts his head over the divider and watches the old dude until they both go back out.

Of course meal times are a different story. Then it’s every horse for himself. The old horse will share. The TB is not good in that department.

I watch them interact, and sometimes I wonder what’s going on in their minds and conversations. They are both very smart horses. The lines of communication are always open. They are like two bothers who fight, but would do whatever was necessary to protect the other.

We all wish we had friends like this. There is more to this story, but I’ll save that for next week. It’s quite amazing and I still can’t believe it myself.

Surprise! No picture.

I’ve told you that years ago I got into a habit of looking over a horse to see what tell-tale signs I could find.  Like injuries, conformation, scares, etc.  It’s become a game ever since.

Well did you ever do those hidden picture, or games that you have to find objects.  I love those things.

Well a friend sent me a message to check out her new post on the “Horse Boarding In Florida” Facebook page.  I did, and had some extra time so I looked at all the current posts.

Now we all love our barns and think they are just the best.  I have had many different barns over the years, and loved each and every one of them.  They were all different and each barn served the needs, and money, I had at that time.  So I decided to look at these posts as if I were looking for a barn for my horse, and did one of those hidden picture/find the object games at the same time.  I did this with the safety factor in mind.

Somethings that don’t bother other people are red flags to me.  So many of the barns had stuff in the aisle ways.  This drives me absolutely insane.  Especially the ones with narrow aisles.  Have you ever had a horse freak on a cross tie or in an aisle way?  You better be sure there is some place to get out-of-the-way.  You get a thousand pound animal who is in panic mode and you don’t want to be caught in the middle of that nonsense.  A lot of barns allow tack trunks in front of each stall.  I understand it is a convenience for the owner, but it is also an obstacle to a person or a horse.  Saddle racks in the aisle way can put a nice gash into a horse.  Any kind of nails are surely going to be found by a horse.  They are like magnets to anything that will slice or dice their bodies.  Buckets are easy to fall over, or get your foot caught.  Halters or bridles laying on the floor will grab your feet as you walk by.  Yup, they just jump right out and “gotch ya!”

There were barns that only had 6, 8 or 10 foot isle ways.  How do you even get a horse out of the stall and turned into the aisle without hitting their hips on the doors?  I’ve had an aisle way that was 12 foot, and now I have one that is 14 feet wide.  I much prefer the 14 ft.   I don’t care how much room you think you have, when it comes down to a dangerous situation, there is never enough room.  You have your nice quiet horse on the cross ties and someone’s horse gets loose and runs into the barn right up to your horse and the games begin.  Get out of dodge and let them sort it out. Or wait until it settles a little before you jump into the situation.

I put a loop of bale cord on the ring and then have the cross ties attached to the bale cord.  It breaks easy with no damage to anything.  Cheap and easy to replace.  No broken clips, or halters, although I use break away halters, but you still have to replace the leather crown piece.

Be a thinking horse person at all times.  It will save you and your horse from a lot of bad situations, vet, and doctor bills.

And when you get a chance, play the game of what is wrong with this picture.  It’s a fun learning experience.  Makes you take notice because we are dealing with those suicidal horses that we love so much.

We’ve all been on planes and heard the Flight Attendant go through the safety talk at the beginning of the flight.  Where the exits are, how to use your cushion as a life-preserver, don’t forget to put your mask on first, etc.  Most of us tune it out, but the people on the flight that landed in the Hudson and survived will tell you how important it is to listen and check where the exits are.  They have a new perspective on flying and life.  Actually, checking on where the exits are anywhere you go is important.  Stores, restaurant’s, etc, in case of fire you have a head start.  My self-defense teacher always taught us to be aware of our surroundings.  Most woman know where the bathrooms are in stores, but do they know where the exits are?  Everyone is going to run to the main door, but are there other exits that lead to the outside, and safety?

Well last week I heard people complain about how our Governor had implemented a State of Emergency for the Panhandle prior to Michael hitting land.  They said “what a waste of money.”  Really?? Are they still of that opinion?  The towns where it landed were leveled.  Brings to mind Hurricane Sandy several years ago in the New York, New Jersey area.

It started out a simple Tropical Storm, then a category 1 or 2.  No big deal.  Don’t worry about it.  Surprise!  It was 10 mph short of a cat 5 when it hit

Now it was headed up to the Panhandle, and people in our area were not worried about it at all.  Well I don’t trust any storm until it hits land somewhere else.  I watched Charlie coming straight for Tampa Bay several years ago.  We thought we were going to get nailed.  I kissed the horses on the nose and said “I’ll probably never see you all again.”  Many people ran their horses inland to Orlando, and some went up to Georgia and the Carolina’s.  So what did Charlie do?  Made a sharp turn and destroyed Punta Gorda and head right up the middle of the state to Orlando, then on to Georgia and the Carolina’s.  Surprise!!!!

We are located inland, half way between the west coast and Orlando and usually don’t get the full force of a storm.  Erma last year hit us direct and we did just fine, but are you mindful and prepared?  Do you even think about it?  Or is it “oh it won’t happen to me.”

Yes Hurricanes are something in the forefront right now, but what about the people in California and Montana that have been dealing with fires?  What about the states that deal with Tornadoes?  Earthquakes?  We are all vulnerable to some kind of natural disaster, and some not so natural.

No electric, no water, or if you have water, it’s contaminated.  Feed stores gone, hay gone.  Vets can’t get out to help an injured horse.  Are you really ready for this kind of situation?  Oh, I have a generator, but do I have enough gas to run it for any length of time.  You’re not going to be able to get gas even if the stations have it, because there is no electricity to work the pumps.

I’ve filled troughs and bath tubs during some hurricanes, but the amount of debris in the trough really made them undrinkable, great for flushing the toilets though.  What I did find out was that my bathtub does not hold water overnight.

Then after the storm you have to deal with all the standing water, which is usually contaminated.  They are having a tough time in the Carolina’s with pythiosis.  Cuts from debris leave an opening for this dreadful infection which eats away the horse’s skin, so hard to treat, if not impossible.

As horse, and pet owners we have a lot of responsibility placed on us.  Always be mindful of possibilities.  Be active in your thoughts and plans.  If it doesn’t happen, well then it was a good safety drill, but if it does at least you had a plan in place.  Put First Aid supplies in water proof containers.  Gauze, cotton wrap, or even quilts and leg wraps aren’t any good if they are soaked with disgusting water.  Not to mention grain that must be kept dry.

Also you need an after plan.  What if your place is totally destroyed?  Where are you and your animals going to live?  Give some thought to where you can relocate your horses.  There are people on the internet, right now, trying to find houses, barns, and property here in Florida.  It made me think, how can they just leave their jobs and relocate to another state.  Well chances are their jobs no longer exist either.  Do you have friends who will take in your horses?  Maybe at least for a short time until you get your act together.  It’s hard to focus when your home, barn, furnishings, clothes, and memories are in a heap being carted away by dump trucks.  There’s way too much to think about after it happens.

When a bottle of water becomes a precious item, don’t get caught in a bad situation, there may not be any help available for a long time.

Tag, your it, be prepared.

I’ve said many times, “not my circus, not my monkeys”, but I’m not so sure about that.

There are days that I feel like I live in a circus or zoo.  A three-ring one at that.  I can’t believe the stuff that goes on around here.  How boring it must be for people who don’t have what I have.  Some days, however, I would like to try boring.  Just for one day.  Or maybe a vacation.  Either way, if you keep an open mind, it can be very entertaining, except when you are tired, at the end of your rope, and someone pushes your buttons one too many times.

In the movie Forest Gump there is a line that says “Life is like a box of chocolates.”  Well mine is full of nuts, and it’s rubbing off.  I have the biggest assortment of clowns who are in disguise as horses.  (By the way, I’m not fond of clowns.  They frightened me as a child and it’s still there in my mind.)  But I love my horses.

My old horse Desert was a clown.  He always made me smile with his silly ways and expressions.  Yes horses have facial expressions and they are very good at reading yours.  Not my words, but studies have been done recently to back that up.  I miss him so much, but even looking at pictures of him brighten my day.  Now I have a whole barn of assorted nuts.

Nut number one.  My Zoey.  She’s really a very quiet, stays in the background kind of horse, until you walk in the barn and you are met with a whinny and the pee pee dance.  Zoey doesn’t like to pee in her stall, and you have to take her out to pottie.  Just like a child, left foot, right foot, back and forth, bouncing her head, swaying.  Let her out she runs out into the field not far from the gate and you can hear her go ahhh.  She sat on the rope the other day that I keep across her stall door.  The clip snapped with her big QH butt, and she was free.  She knew she’d be in trouble so she went and stood next to Fridays door waiting for the consequences of her actions.  Now she had the opportunity to leave the barn, go and annoy the other horses, go into the dogs stalls, or the best, the feed room.  I leave the door to the feed room open with the fan on to keep air flowing.  Not one bucket of soaking Beet Pulp was touched, which was right on the counter by the door.  Nor did she go in and open the tops to the cans with all the sweet feed and help herself.  The bags of Beet Pulp which were against the wall were not bothered, she just didn’t go near there at all.  Sweet girl.

Nut number two.  Friday the Grinch.  Ears forward, ears forward, ears back and snarl, repeat.  She was the princess to her last owner and doesn’t like being just one of the herd.  She looks like she would eat you up in a heart beat, but she’s just conveying her displeasure of not being number one.

Nut number three.  Copper the worrier.  He’s the sweet boy.  Shy, timid, had been abused in the past.  Turn him out with his best friend and this 26-year-old pussy cat becomes “Copper, King of the Wild Stallions.”  Rearing, biting legs, spinning to kick, just like in the movies.  Speak his name and he drops back to the sweet innocent puppy dog.  Walk away and he and Lou go back to their play acting routine.

Nut number four.  Lou the bad boy.  He’s like your typical angelic child.  Sweet expression.  Gives you hugs, and then a nip.  His head shoots up in the air waiting to get reprimanded.  He’s a nudge.  Always into something.  He got yelled at for kicking the wall when he eats.  So now when you turn your back he still taps it with his foot,  Then looks up as if to say “who did that? not me, it was him next to me, he did it.”  I shake my head and say it was not Copper.  Then Lou will say “then it had to be Cory, because I didn’t do it.”  And as I walk away, tap again comes from his stall.  He has to have the last word.  He just wants your attention.  Like some children, even negative attention is appreciated.  I smile as I walk away.

Nut number five.  Sky the quiet one.  He’s the least of my clowns.  He looks like the poor old soul that you just want to feel sorry for.  Until you come at his face with anything, even a wash cloth.  Then it’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  The sweet, poor me innocent turns into Conan The Barbarian.  “I can take anyone on, just try me.”  Oh my!  Not one of these horses like getting the Flu Internasal, but Sky really insists that anything to do with his face is off-limits.  We are working through this and he even let me worm him several weeks ago.  However, flu is coming up in September and we’re back to square one.

Which brings me to nut number six.  Cory aka Coronado.  Now I’ve been in the business for fifty plus years, but I have never seen a horse who begs for treats like this one.  He sticks his tongue out and flaps it in your face.  I was told about this when he came in so it didn’t come as a surprise, but Cory thought I wouldn’t understand his gesture so the first time, he was facing me because I was going to remove his halter, he picked his head up so we were nose to nose, and out came the tongue and he kept flapping it at my nose.  You can’t help but laugh, and he will keep it up until he gets a treat.  Did you ever see those old movies where the inmate will take a tin cup and run it across the bars to get someones attention?  Well Cory will take his upper lip and run it back and forth across the bars in his stall.  I felt bad that he would hurt his upper lip so I gave him a “Sunny D” jug and sometimes he will run that across, but he prefers using his lip.

Nuts seven and eight are really no problem,  I don’t spend enough, one on one time with them, and they seem really sweet and normal.  That would be Diva and Mimi.  I guess they just haven’t been at this funny farm long enough to join in the fun.  But then maybe the craziness down by the barn hasn’t made it to the hill yet.

This wasn’t a very informative post, but sometimes girls just want to have fun.  Just gives you a little insight as to why I’m like I am.  I guess it speaks to how I allow the horses on this farm to express their whole personalities.  They’re happy and having a great time, wish you were here.

There’s always something to worry about when you have a horse.  Now we have to worry about weeds too.  I guess we always did.

What are weeds?  They are wild flowers that grow where we don’t want them to.  Sometimes they are just weeds.  Annoying weeds.  Hard to pull weeds.  But sometimes they are poisonous to our horses.

Now if your horse doesn’t have beautiful pasture they will sometimes just eat the weeds.  Sometimes when they do have beautiful pasture, they will just eat weeds.

Sometimes it takes a lot of one particular weed to kill a horse, and sometimes it doesn’t take that much to make them sick.

We have two that I see a lot of.  One is Coffee Bean, but I was told it takes a whole bag of them to really do damage.  The other one is sneaky.  It’s Creeping Indigo.  It creeps under the grass and you don’t notice it until it blooms.  The leaves look like clover, and it has the prettiest coral flower.  Horses absolutely love the sweet taste, but it will kill them.  I’ve found two little patches and I’ve been working on getting rid of it for 3 years.  But they pop up and yell “Surprise!” every once in a while.  It is in an area where the horses don’t graze, but I don’t want it anywhere, because it will spread.  There is an Indigo plant that grows upward, that is not poisonous.  Same pretty flowers.  The bad stuff creeps under your grass, or along the ground.

Are you aware of the poisonous weeds and plants in your area?  Do you even look for them?  Do you know what they are?  Do you even know how to dispose of them?

I know there is a book out on Poisonous Plants for horses.  A lot of them we wouldn’t even consider to be harmful to our horses.  When we moved here I did all this landscaping to pretty the place up, it was barren.  Boy did I have to rethink my choice of plants when I got that book.  “Do Over!”

It might be a good thing to invest in that kind of a book or look up on the Internet to find out what plants are poisonous to horses and what are especially common in your area.

It’s interesting to find out if you’ve been lucky so far, and will make your horses life a whole lot safer in the long run.

This for your consideration.

Red headed people have sensitive skin, so do horses.  It’s not something you automatically think about.

I have a beautiful, copper-colored gelding at the barn, who is allergic to everything.  At age 26, he is getting worse.  It wasn’t so bad when he was by himself, he would stand under the trees in the summer and stay cool.  If there was a tree in the pasture he would rub so I kept him in a pasture without trees, but there were branches hanging over the fence.  He was terribly lonely.  He had been out with another old horse and they made the perfect pair.  They both enjoyed taking naps and hanging under their favorite tree.  His friend was sold to a young girl who needed a horse like him.  Then depression set in.

So for several years we were hoping for a friend for him.  Well the six-year-old came in and he had a friend.  One who would rear, run, chase, and play.  I wasn’t keen on that idea, but he loved it.  The six-year-old looks like swiss cheese, but they both have a great time and Copper is in charge.

However, they go out and play and graze all day.  They are both good sweaters, but it’s taking a toll on Coppers skin.  Where he is sweating on his back, with the sun baking on it, he is losing his hair.  I’ve had horses with sunburn on their nose before but this is a new adventure.  Because there are two of them they are in a bigger pasture with trees.  I feel so bad for him.

I’ve been rinsing his coat and applying a skin conditioner, but the vet will be here in two weeks and once again she’ll give him an allergy shot.

It’s been a really hot humid summer so far and they are all sweating, thank you God.  What I am noticing is that where they are sweating, they are getting bleached more than usual.  I guess it has something to do with the salt laying on their hair.  Don’t know that for a fact, just seems that way.

Putting him back in his old pasture is not an option, its only two and half acres and is not big enough for two to graze for nourishment, they will take it down too quickly .  I have another old horse I can put him with (which would be more quiet like he used to be) but those two bad boys would not accept being separated at this point.

I think I’m more bothered by his condition than he is.  His owner is fine with it, as long as Copper is having a good time.

So things go along as they are until the fall gets here.  This happens in December, so I have a long way to go.  Even in Florida they start losing their summer coats and start getting their winter coats in August, so we’re almost there.

His coat has always been on the thin side, but with a beautiful shiny copper glow.  He’s pretty much bald on his back so I have to watch him closely.  Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you realize you haven’t.

I know, many of you are thinking, I wish my horses had two and half acres, but this is what they eat, with a little grain on the side.  Hay only when they are in the stalls, which is only during a storm.  They are pasture fed.  We fertilize, and they really maintain their weight.

So onto the next adventure.  I wonder what that will be?  Don’t ask.

Whether you are looking for a new barn to board your horse, or someone to care for your horse while you’re away, what do you look for?

I know I’ve spoken before about people you hire to horse sit, but it’s worth revisiting this subject.  We all like to go on vacation, but we all worry about leaving our fur and hair families with strangers.  Even if we know this person personally, they still aren’t us.

Now being far, we know that some things are right, somethings are wrong, and somethings are just done differently.  No one is going to do things exactly like we do.  If it isn’t life threatening, we can clean up the mess when we get back.

My friend was looking for a new barn recently and her biggest concern was if the people who would be taking care of her horses knew the difference between colic, and lameness.  It sounds pretty dumb, but so are a lot of people.  But I didn’t say that, and you didn’t hear that.  Well that’s a broad spectrum.  It’s easy when you walk in a barn if you know they are getting fed and cared for.  You look around.  If all the horses are fat, hydrated, and free from cuts, you know they are pretty well off.  If the barn is clean and safe, you know they are on top of things.  If the property is neat and cared for, you’ve got a good idea.  If the horses let you walk up to them and you can pet their heads, you know they are not roughed up.  If they fly backwards, you may have to look deeper.  Yes some horses have been abused in the past which leave a lasting impression, but if they all want to escape, that should be a red flag.

Check water buckets and troughs.  Make sure they are clean and the water is fresh.  Look in the feed room and make sure there is no evidence of rodent activity.  Make sure the feed is stored well.

Ask a lot of questions.  If people have nothing to hide they will be willing to speak with you about anything.  Ask how long they have been caring for horses.  Do they have a local vet and farrier (get names), and how often do they come to the farm.  Call that vet and farrier and ask them their opinion of the persons reliability.  If they keep a regular schedule on shots, and shoeing.

Ask the person how many cc’s of Banamine they would give a thousand pound horse? (Thank you Louise that’s a wonderful question).  Ask what signs they would consider to be a colic.  It’s your horse, and you are paying them, so don’t hesitate to ask.

Personally, I would think very highly of a person who cared enough to ask and check out that I know what I am doing.

If you are a person who is not going to visit your horse at least once a week, these questions, including the detection of lameness, are important ones.  I know every time I see a horse walk across the pasture I’m looking at his movements.  Every time I walk a horse in and out of the barn I listen to his foot fall on the concrete.  The one mare I have places three and slides one.  No lameness to be seen, but there is a difference in her movement.  I watch them run in the pasture and note what leads they are picking up.

You want to know that this person is observing your horse.  That they learn what is a normal and what is not.  What time they lay down to take a nap and how long they stay down.  How much water they drink in their stalls.  If they have finished their grain.  If they didn’t finish you want to make sure that the left over is removed and not laying there  to get moldy in the bottom of their buckets.

Ask about their worming schedule, how often and the rotation of wormers.

Ask about what feed they use, where they get it, how often they get it.  I know that my feed is made here in Florida.  I pick it up every two weeks, it’s stored in heavy-duty garbage cans, and it was made within a week of my purchase.  I know that the feed company does not make cow feed so I have no worries about the cow antibiotics getting into my feed by mistake and killing my horses.

Look to see if things are posted and up-to-date.  What horses get how much feed, and what supplements each horse gets.  Shot records are kept handy along with Coggins.  If anything happens to the person in charge, know that someone else can come in and pick up where things were left off.

Walk around the property, and as my friend said, especially to places that the owners don’t want you to see.

There are things that you have to take into consideration, like fencing.  It seems we repair things daily around here.  Especially with new horses coming in.  We have to reach an understanding of what is acceptable.  We don’t turn the electric fence on automatically, but when a horse stand there, takes the wire in his teeth and snaps it, it’s time.  You will be able to see if a place is being kept up, or just let go.  Now that’s a red flag.

If you are going away make sure everyone is on the same page.  Give a date of your return, but tell the person caring for your animals to keep taking care of them until you call them and tell them that you are home.  Miscommunication almost cost two horses their lives.  They were in their stalls, in the summer, and the person caring for them thought that the owner would be back in a week.  So after a week she stopped going to care for them.  The owner was to be gone for two weeks.  Horses had no food or more importantly, no water.  They were just short of death when the owner returned.

Be proactive in every detail of your horse’s life, don’t worry about what other people think, it’s your horse and you have to be able to sleep at night knowing that whoever is taking care of them is doing the best job possible.

We got past winter.  Yay!

So much of the country had a hard time shaking off this past winter, but everyone is now into summer.  But what happened to spring in a lot of these areas?  My friend in Michigan was still fighting to stay warm and now the heat index is over 100 degrees.  So I guess this becomes my yearly Public Service Announcement.

Horses in different parts of the country are feeling the effects of no spring too.  So what do we do?  Pay attention!

We need to make sure that they have plenty of fresh cool water available at all times.  With the rain and the heat in Florida our troughs do not stay clean.  If your trough is dirty, clean it.  You may think, I just cleaned it three days ago, but monitor it closely, it can turn green and funky real quick.  Everyone enjoys a glass of cool water.  If you look in your trough and you wouldn’t drink out of it neither will your horses.  They will drink enough to stay alive, but not hydrate the way they should.

Make sure they sweat.  A non-sweater is a very dangerous thing.  Horses, like people, sweat to cool their bodies.  As the air passes over the water on them it cools them down.  If all the other horses are sweating, and yours isn’t, do something to correct the problem.

If you ride them and they are over heated, which is another major problem, hose them down until their body temperature drops.  Don’t just rinse them and throw them out.  Hose them until you can feel the difference.  Don’t forget to scrape the excess water off of them.  You may think you are doing them a favor by leaving it on, but with their body heat, it just becomes hot water on their already hot bodies.

If you are planning a ride, hose them before you tack up.  It gives them a head start on sweating and the cooling effects.

Remember the Heat Index.  When the humidity number is higher than the temperature, they can’t cool themselves.  Be mindful.

If they’ve been sweating during the day, hose them off in the evening.  The salt on the hair and skin will irritate them, and what I’m finding is, it will help make their coats bleach, and dry out.

Watch those horses with pink skin, especially on their nose.  Sunburn hurts, I’m sure you’ve all experienced it yourselves.  I had a new horse come in two weeks ago and I noticed a small patch on his nose was getting burned.  I didn’t have a long fly mask to put on him so out comes the zinc oxide (found in Desitin baby butt cream) and I put it on his nose.  I told him he looked like all those buff life guards at the beach.  He didn’t mind it at all.  We used to use it to keep flies away from the horses eyes.  We would paint a circle around the eyes (but don’t put it so close that you get it in the eye) and our horses would look like Indian ponies.

Keep an eye on their feet.  To much heat and dry ground will suck the life out of those hooves and too much wet will soften and cause them fungus or just plain hoof rot.  Watch for white line disease.  Know exactly which product will dry, which one will moisturize, which one will heal, and stay on top of that.

Fly Sprays.  There are so many different ones on the market these days, and there are so many different bugs attacking our horses.  Know which one works for you.  Some say they will work for days.  I’ve never found one that does.  I also alternate between two different ones, a water based natural one and an oil based spray.  If I’m going out trail riding, or the bugs are really bad, and my horse is going to sweat while working, I reach for the oil based.  If the bugs are light and the horses are just hanging in the pasture I go for the water based.  Remember, don’t over use and don’t be stingy.  Watch for any signs that your horse is allergic or gets a skin irritation from the spray.

Fans in the barn – make sure the wiring is safe and the rodents haven gotten to them.  Clean the dust and dirt out of them before using them.  Fires happen and kill horses.  With all the flammable contents in our barn we must be extremely careful.  Get those cob webs down, they burn and help fires to spread.  Our bedding, and our hay makes it an inferno.  Fire extinguishers should be placed by each door, so you can grab them as you walk in.  Halters with lead lines should be accessible.

Okay, now that I’ve totally unnerved you – have a great summer, and don’t forget to stay hydrated along with your horses.

My girlfriend, from my teenage years, called this afternoon.  She needed to sound off about a person we have known for 40 years.  This woman has always been a “loose horse.”  She had many wonderful horses over the years, but they have all crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  She is horseless and not happy about it.  I know this woman well, and you just can’t please her or reason with her.

Now we are all getting longer in the tooth, but this woman is 79.  Would never pass a vet soundness check.  But she wants a 10 yr old horse.  Doesn’t want a Chestnut, I don’t know why, she’s had them for years, and is more particular that ever.  My girlfriend found her several nice, sound, horses, but one is 14 and one is 18.  No!!! she won’t go look at them.

Now I just had a boarders horse that came in and he just turned 6.  He’s retired due to injury.  It really stinks when reality sets in.  I sat here and thought –  if he lives 30 more years, like so many of them have when they come here, he’s going to out live me.  Nothing is cast in stone that I would not leave this world tomorrow, but what a sobering thought.  I’m taking in a horse, guaranteeing this woman that I will care for her horse, and I can’t add – for the rest of his life.  She will have to rehome him again down the road.

I know I stopped breaking babies for myself awhile back because they would out live me.  We didn’t pay for a 25 year roof when we had the new roof put on the house.  First of all roofs don’t last 25 years in the Florida sun so why pay for that, but I really won’t care about the roof in 25 years.  I just bought a new truck.  My Road Side Assistance is good for 5 years or 100,000 miles.  Well I stand a good chance of making the 5 years, but the truck I traded in was 7 years old and only had 43,000 miles on it.  Don’t think I’ll make 100,000 miles.

This woman needs to take a good look at herself and her life.  It’s time to deal with reality.  Nobody wants to look old, act old, or admit old, but it happens to all of us.

I told my dear old friend to just not get involved.  You are not going to win.  This woman is a little short of a six pack and you are not going to find any horse to please her.  Sometimes you just have to listen, smile, and nod, as my vet always says.  Reading this woman the riot act is just upsetting my friend and not even registering with this woman.  Like I always say – It’s like teaching pigs to sing, it just wastes your time and annoys the pigs.

We all want to help people out.  The people who are buying, the people who are selling, and especially the horse.  But sometimes it’s just best to “Step Back and Bow Out.”  No hurt feelings, no craziness, and no waste of time.  You’re not going to win anyway.

By the way, reality stinks.

Just ran into this a few weeks ago with another horse, and now I have some one looking at the trees and not the forest again.

My neighbor, who leases one of my pastures for her two brood mares, called and told me the water wasn’t working.  Now I love this neighbor.  She’s a knowledgeable horse woman, and just a nice person on top of it.  Whenever we get together we can spend hours talking horsey stuff.  So as usual, we stood over the watering trough and just hashed out stuff that’s happened in the last month.  Some people meet for lunch, at bars, we meet at the trough, in the pasture, at sunset.

So we’re talking and she mentions that her daughter started barrel racing this particular mare again.  Legged her up, took her to a show, and she ran the best set of barrels ever.  However, the mare has been off since.  She’ll go fine and then not.  They had her hocks injected, no difference, had x-rays done, didn’t find anything.  So I asked if she had checked her back?  No, did I think that could be a problem?  Could definitely be an issue if something is out.  Then she mentioned this mare is a total witch, and has horrible heat cycles.  “Light bulb” moment.  I have gone through the same thing with Zoey every summer for the past four years.  Her ovaries!

I explained that Zoey will walk fine, trot slightly off, but when it comes to the canter, she will either not pick up the lead or hop on three legs.  This woman’s mare is doing the same thing.  She said the thought had crossed her mind about her heat cycle (which seems to be constant), but figured it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with lameness.  Oh yes it can!

I left her with a feeling of this could possibly be the problem.  There was hope.  I explained that first I would have her back checked by a neighbor of ours that is my horse chiropractor.  She would be able to tell her if it’s her back or ovaries.  Then it’s off to acupuncture and Chinese herbs.  It’s always worked for Zoey.  She was going to make two phone calls today and get right on it.  It’s like night and day.  One day I have a dead lame horse and a week after treatment, I have a horse that never had a problem in her life.  Go figure.

Now this may not be this mares problem, but all the signs say that there is a good possibility that it is.

We have to share our knowledge and experiences.  It may help someone else or it may not, but it certainly is worth a try.