It’s an old saying, but sometimes it’s true.  You’re sitting right on top of the problem, but with all the stuff around it, you don’t see the obvious.

This horse came in several weeks ago for a lay-up.  The woman has had him for three years, and for three years she’s been trying to find out what is wrong with him.  He doesn’t want to pick up his left lead.  No big deal, a lot of horses are right or left-sided just like people who are right or left-handed.  He gets sore behind the withers.  Okay so she had a custom saddle made for him.  When he runs in the pasture he has the leg motion of a Freason.  He is a Thoroughbred, but when he is ridden he travels with his nose to the ground like a Western Pleasure Horse (which is not normal, so don’t get me started).  Now a horse with a sore back usually will put his head up and hollow his back, not raise it.  Humm…..  But the worse problem is that he falls at a canter.  Yup does a nose dive and plows the ground with his nose.  He’s 17 hands and tries hard not to fall on his rider.

She’s had him to numerous vets.  Had three different chiropractors treat him.  Many x-rays.  Everyone is treating what they see but not finding the cause.  They have treated him for EPM and other things, but nothing has changed.  She felt if she gave him some time off he would straighten himself out.

I told her if she brought him here we would find out what was wrong with him, but I didn’t guarantee that he could be fixed.  Since no one has been able to fix him, we both agreed that we thought it might be nerve damage.  She’s put way too much money into this horse, that is now dangerous, and no better than when she started.

After a week here, he was no longer back sore, and he was comfortable with me, so I put my hands on him and had a good close look.  Kind of a long pencil neck, and a scapula that was way too high on the left.  He was a little under weight, his ribs were showing, there was a lump but not anywhere that would be in the way, I didn’t give it much thought, I could get the weight on him.  He was only six.

Just a complex of red flags, but nothing added up.  So whenever I’ve had a training problem or a health issue in the past that the vets can’t put their finger on I call my friend Myra who is an Animal Communicator and an Equine Medical Intuitive.  Learned this years ago when Bobs horse was having issues and three vets, twenty-one x-rays, acupuncture, and a chiropractors couldn’t figure it out.  I told the vet at the last clinic I went to that I was ready for Physic Friends Network and he gave me a number of a ninety year old man in California to call.  The vet said call me and let me know what he says.  Seriously!!!???  But I did and that’s when I believed.  He told us stuff that he couldn’t have possibly known.  So if you find a person who is legitimate, they can be a big help.

It turns out that this horse was in a bad wreck, but this we assumed.  So the pain behind the withers is being caused by a broken rib that did not heal right.  If you follow that lump up to his spine, that’s exactly where the pain is when he is ridden.  Instead of dropping away from the pain he is pushing the saddle and rider up away from the pain. The pencil neck is caused by extensive damage to his vertebrates.  There is no muscle above or below them.  The vertebrates are larger than normal with arthritis and putting pressure on the nerves that lead to that shoulder.  He goes to move that left leg forward and it just doesn’t go past a certain point, because the nerves do not tell it to.  He picks his legs and knees higher so he doesn’t fall, since he can’t move that shoulder forward.  The scapula is where it is because the tendons, ligaments, and muscles are not working or holding it where it belongs.

It’s been four years since the wreck so the chances of him getting those nerves to work are not good.  But we are doing therapy with him with special supplements to encourage the nerves to regenerate, but the best we can hope for is a trail horse.  Right now he is dangerous to ride and he knows it.  When walking him down hill he is very slow and careful.  It’s such a shame because he is beautiful with a sweet personality.

So we had a situation, just like people are with doctors these days, the doctors treat the symptoms, but do not always find the cause.

So sad, but at least we know what the problem is and what the prognosis is.  I promised her that I would get to the bottom of this and I did, even though it’s not what I wanted to hear.

Don’t let those trees get in the way of seeing the forest, and don’t settle for not knowing.  If this horse had been treated after his wreck he would have been a beautiful TB show horse.  But because OTTB horses have just become throw away or recyclable, you don’t treat them, you just dispose of them and breed again.

Don’t get me started.

Remember that cereal commercial where the kids are trying a new cereal and they were afraid so they said “give it to Mikey, he’ll eat it”, or something like that?  For years we walked around saying “give it to Mikey.”  Now cereal is mostly sugar and even chocolate.  When I was a kid it was just good for you.  It didn’t matter how it tasted, it was good for you.

It’s pretty much the same with horse feeds.  When I was a kid (yes I was a baby goat), the horses at our barn got oats, just oats.  It was blown into a big storage bin in the loft, came down a shoot into a machine that crunched it.  I’m not sure now if it crimped it, cracked it, rolled it, steamed it, but it did something to it to make it easier for the horses to chew and digest.  The horses at that barn were fat and in great condition.  They worked six days a week, sometimes a good six hours for the day.  Some barns fed whole corn.  It was whole grain, no additives.  You could tell what it was by just looking at it.  Now it’s pellets and for all we know it could be ground up cardboard.  Horses back then worked for their keep.  They did their days work and the fun days were when they went to horse shows which was just a couple of times a year.  Pretty much all of them lived well into their thirties.

They weren’t pets, companions, show horses, or lawn ornaments.  They worked like the rest of us.

So many things have changed in the last 50 years, and I’m sorry to say, not for the better.  Yes we have a better understanding of nutrition, health care and medical attention, but horses are not necessarily living healthier, longer, useful lives.

Most of the horses lived in straight stalls back then.  Big enough to lay down, but not good for turning around and watching the world go by.  They weren’t pure bred anything, they were “grade” horses.  Strong and healthy horses.  Only remember one horse out of hundreds, that passed through the barn, with Navicular.  Never heard of EPM.  None had ever needed shots in their joints.  None of them had ulcers.

What have we done to our horses?  We’ve bred them to have small feet and by three years old they can’t carry their own weight.  Okay I’m off headed to my soap box.  Back to my point.

Now what was my point?  Oh yes, I remember.  The older horse and his nutritional needs.

For fifty years I have been dealing with older horses.  And in the last thirty there have been feeds specially formulated for their needs.  There is only one problem.  In the last thirty years the older horses didn’t find them palatable.  They made then extruded so they would be easier to chew when the teeth were gone or gum level.  They put everything in those feeds to keep the Senior horse healthy, with a balanced diet.  Again I say there is only one problem, they don’t eat it.

I’ve had two horses come in here in the last week.  Both a little on the thin side.  One was 27 and one 6.  The older one, I was told, was not a good hay eater, picked at his grain, and didn’t graze much.  The younger one was just under weight and was put on Senior and another designer feed to put the weight back on.  They both got Beet Pulp also.  They had both come from different barns in the last couple of months to the barn that was sending them to me.  They had put on some weight but still needed more.

Now when my mare was thirty-two she had dropped weight and muscle.  I am now experiencing the same muscle loss, but the weight is coming and not going.  Age does strange things to the body.  Anyway, I tried pumping food into her.  Her teeth were gum level and things were hard to chew.  I bought several different grains and supplements.  I put each grain in a separate bucket on the lawn and let her choose which one she preferred to eat.  She was more or less healthy and happy, but just plain old.  About twenty years later they came out with a Senior Feed.  Since I’ve always had old horses, I tried it.  They didn’t care for it.  They’d pick at it and walk away.

What is the point of giving them what is good for them and watching them walk away from it.  It does them no good if it sits in their buckets and you have to throw it out.  So then and there I learned that whatever you can get an old horse to eat, is what is good for them.  Scientifically not, but getting something into their bellies is not a bad idea.

This theory has held up for the past fifty years.

So here I get this older horse, who is not a good eater.  I had a bag of a Senior feed that came in with the younger horse.  I had examined the feed and it looked like it was coated with a lot of molasses.  Should be palatable and good for them, but when I put it to the test it didn’t hold up.  So I started with small amounts of my Sweet Feed added to the Senior and Beet Pulp.  All of a sudden this horse, which was not a good eater, in two days started cleaning his bucket and looking for more.  Over the past week I have been steadily increasing the sweet feed and decreasing the Senior and now I have a horse that is waiting by the gate for his meals, and eating it in one shot.  He’s still not big on hay but we have enough pasture that he grazes and naps throughout the day.  The Beet Pulp will cover the fiber and help put weight on him.

My point is that “Mikey” won’t always eat it.  It doesn’t matter how good something is for a horse, Or a person, if they won’t eat it, it won’t do them any good.  Over the years I have found this to be true every time.  No matter how good and healthy Senior Feed is, they just don’t like it.  I don’t care what brand it is, they just don’t like it.

If I’m on my last leg I want to be able to eat the foods I really enjoy.  Not because they are good for me and will keep me alive, but because it gives me great pleasure to eat them.  So as much as I’m not supposed to eat shell-fish (cholesterol), I will cheat once a week or so and have just a little.  And at the end bring on the Clams, Shrimp, Oysters Rockefeller, Muscles and especially the Lobsters.  I’m going out in style.

We really do not know what goes on in a horses mind.  We have to take the expressions and body language and assume.  I don’t like to assume anything, but we just put the pieces of the puzzle together and go from there.

A woman called me two weeks ago and said that her instructor and vet recommended that she retire her horse.  He’s a 27-year-old Thoroughbred with injury and old age issues.  He’d never pass a soundness test, but he’s what I would consider “serviceably sound.”  Things just don’t work like they used to, but he could go on a trail ride.   He protects what aches.  He’s like many of us.  We don’t walk like runway models any more, and we don’t walk with an even gate, but we get along just fine with a little hitch to our giddy-up.  So we discussed her bringing him up here for retirement.  She told me she’d like to bring him in on the following Sunday and would call me at the end of the week to confirm it.  She wanted to take him on one more trail ride with her barn friends before closing the book on him.

Well Friday came and went.  Sunday came and went.  No call, no horse.  This happens often.  People think they are ready to retire and let go of their best friend, but when it come time to do it, they just can’t.  So I don’t give it any thought and just go on with my life.

Tuesday comes and I’m working in the garden and I get a call.  Could you please unlock the gate?  I realize it was the same stableman who brought the other Thoroughbred two weeks ago.  So I asked “are you bringing someone or picking up someone?”  I’m bringing Sky.  Well my reply was one of confused shock.  I told him that I had spoken with the owner but never heard back from her and wasn’t aware that the horse was coming.  Of course his reply was that he thought all the arrangements had been made.  So we brought him in and turned him out.  We had a nice conversation about his health, feeding, and any odd behaviors.  I like this guy.  The horse came with nothing but a halter, lead, Coggins, and shot record.  All the gentleman was told was to load up Sky and bring him to Dade City.  He asked “where Lou is?”  Yes.

When he was settled I went in and called the owner.  I told her I had a surprise guest.  Well she was as shocked as I was.  Okay, that made me feel better.  She had talked about bringing him up, lost my phone number, but just didn’t get to it.  She said she’d be up the next day to bring his things, and pay his board.

The horse was interesting.  He immediately, upon being turned out, dropped his head and started eating.  This after the gentleman told me he was not a good eater and didn’t graze much.  He recognized Lou (the Thoroughbred from the week before)  from his barn so making friends became easy.  He wasn’t sure about what the pig was, and he acknowledged Copper.  He kept looking around, which is normal.  But he got really upset when the other two horses (Copper and Lou) in the next pasture would get out of sight.  That falls into the normal category.  He didn’t want to come up for dinner, so I brought dinner down to the bottom fence so he could eat near the others.  I walked him up to show him the water and he took a mouthful and went back down.  He was very worried.  He paced and screamed all night when he couldn’t see the other horses.

I can only imagine what was going through his mind.  We don’t know how much they think, but I think that they piece things together to figure out if they are safe enough.

Okay lets look at what he might have been thinking.  The person that brings me my food has just taken me and put me on a trailer and brought me to this strange place with strange humans, dogs, and horses (not to mention a pig).  I know one of the horses here that was taken out of our barn and never came back.  My owner has not been seen.  Will I ever see this person who brought me all kinds of goodies again?  She was a nice person who loved me and took care of my grooming.  Is it going to be like the last time when I was put on a trailer, taken from my home, and I never saw those humans again?  I’m alone in a strange pasture with the sounds of Coyotes in the distance.  Am I safe?  I’m old and don’t see as well as I used to.  My legs are sore and I can’t run away from danger like I used to either.  Will the other horses tell me if there is trouble?  It’s dark and all the new humans are not to be found.  Somebody help me!

He was still worried the next morning.  Ate most of his breakfast but was still walking around unsettled.  He calmed down a little by lunch time and started grazing when he saw all the activity by the barn and the other horses, dogs, and pig (which he still wasn’t sure what it was, it smelled funny and made strange sounds.)

Then came the turning point.  He thought he heard his owners voice.  That familiar voice that called him and brought him treats.  He picked his head up and his ears were straight forward, but he didn’t run to the gate like he always used to.  She told me that he used to call to her as he came.  She was horribly disappointed, but he stayed by the fence with his new horse friends.  We had to walk to him.  He circled her before coming to take his treat.  He loved on her for a while and then walked back to the fence to show her his new friends.  He grazed a little and then would come back for another treat.

She asked me if he was mad at her?  I’m not sure.  I’ve seen this reaction before.  Do they get mad at their people?  Disappointed?  They don’t scream at us and tell us how we upset them by sending them away alone.  By not explaining that we will still be here, and that they are not sold or discarded.  Tigger did the same thing when he left and went back to my friends sale barn.  He became very depressed.  How many times do horses get sold and sent to different places?  Some of them do better, and some of them worse.  Do they feel abandoned?  Sad?  Do they feel the loss of the people they knew?  The barn they knew?  The other horses they knew?  They are a herd animal, and they’ve been ripped from the known, and thrown into a place and situation unknown.  What are they thinking if anything?

The bottom line has a good ending.  When the owner was leaving, she kept calling him and taking to him.  She was telling him everything was alright, that he would be fine, and that she would be back.  Did he understand and believe her?  He didn’t come and follow her like she expected.  He put his head down and grazed.  He would pick it up every now and them and listen to her voice.  He then went and rolled.  Everything was going to be okay.  He finally relaxed.  She was a little heart-broken because he didn’t come running after her, but then she realized that he was happy in his new home, with his new friends.  She will be back to see him and take him for a little trail ride.

So what do I see from all this?  When I came home last night from Church and went out to feed, he was waiting for me at the gate.  I didn’t have to bring his food down by the other horses.  He ate by the gate and cleaned up all his food.  So much for a horse that picked at his food and took hours to eat.  He drank and grazed up by the house all evening before I went to bed.  He occasionally looked to see where the other horses were, they were off in the distance, but he was okay with it.

I think he knew that everything would be alright.  That his person knew where he was and it was okay with her.  This could be his new home now.

This is what I experienced with this horse and others.  They are just expected to go along with whatever we humans choose to do with them.  No explanations.  They have to figure it out by themselves.  The sight and touch of the people who are familiar is so important for giving them confidence that everything is safe and okay.  He’s at peace and so am I.  Some settle in right away and are just fine.  Some who have been bounced around and sold time after time just accept it and go on.  But some worry and question “Why!?”

I can only observe and imagine.

Here we are, horse people.  We belong outside with our animals.  Riding, caring for them, just enjoying being with them.  This has got to be the winter from hell.  This is the type of winter that made me move to Florida.

Now in the fall, the meteorologists said that it was going to be a warm dry winter.  A La Nina.  Oh really now,  Where????  If Florida goes into the 20’s with a wind chill bringing it down to near zero, what hope does the rest of the country have?  The only good thing about living here is that it will only last two-days, and zero is a night-time temp.

I got a call late last week, my friend was going up to teach a clinic in North Carolina, could I blanket her horses at night and take them off in the morning.  Sure, no problem.  But my mind drifted back to when I used to teach up north.  Twenty degrees and I was not standing on the ground giving a lesson, I was going to be on a horse moving around too.  It conjured up a lot of memories.  Packed ice and snow in their hoofs.  Sliding down icy roads with their legs going in different directions.  Or that could even be in your yard.

One winter, when I had my horses up in New Jersey, we had a frozen wonderland for a month.  The horses were stuck in the barn.  I had an ice skating ring between my house and the barn, and I freshened it every morning.  You know the routine.  First you lose your hose.  Have to drain it every night, but eventually you lose the faucet.  I got one of those hydrants that drain it out through the bottom.  Lost that.  So I hand pumped water from the old well.  Lost that.  Started bucket watering from the cellar in the house.  Would get half way to the barn, slip, fall with the water, add another layer to the ice, go back in, change clothes, and do it over again.

My husband decided that he was going to let his horse, who was born in Texas out onto the ice.  (I know I’ve told you all this before.) Toy came out, about 10 feet, his legs slid into an X and there he stood.  He wouldn’t move.  So we pushed and slid him back to the concrete and into the barn for the remainder of the “ice age.”  Now my Quarter Horse who was born in South Dakota, walked out and across the ice like it wasn’t there.

We can look back and laugh at all the times in the past where we had to deal with winters like this, but when they are happening, it’s not much fun.

So what do horse people do when you can’t do what you want to do?  Well first we get really ugly.  We dress as warm as we can and go out to the barn.  Vogue?  I don’t think so.  We each have our own way of staying warm.  It includes putting on everything we can get our hands on, whether it’s ours or someone else who isn’t wearing it at the moment.  We wobble into the barn with just our eyes showing.  We greet the next round ball of material hoping that when we hear their voice we can recognize who we are speaking to.  We fumble through gloves, mittens, and hand warmers to reach into our pockets for a frozen carrot or treat for our horse.  You know the horse that is looking at you like “what were you in your first life?”  Then they snort and go into their thinking of “What is it?”  “Will it hurt me?”  “Should I run?”  “Can I climb into my hay rack?”  “Can I eat it?”  But then they hear your familiar voice and think “I know that voice, my person is in that thing somewhere.”  “Oh no!, it swallowed my person!  Run!!!!!!”

This is the best we can do.  Just laugh at the old times, and even the new times, and wait it out.  We can read books, watch videos, and plan on all the things we are going to do with our horses when the next season of “mud” arrives.  We’d take mud right now.  Even the suck you boots off type of mud.

Well there was a country/western song that says “all I want for Christmas is a real good tan.”  Sounds like a plan right now, but I’ll tell you, you’re not going to get it in Florida this week.  Frost bite yes! (last week)

People look at me and tell me that it’s not that bad, I’m sure people have said it to you too.  They go from a warm house, to a warm car, to a warm office or store, and back again.  They are not out there trying to navigate the icy terrain just to get their animals fed and watered.  Hack away at frozen manure, or chop at their grain which is now one big lump.  Don’t you just hate people who tell you that?

We are the true heroes.  We are the brave, diligent horse owners who take on the elements so our animals can be comfortable and fed.  We are those crazy people who jump on our horses with their winter blankets on to get our fix, slipping and sliding as we go.  And come summer we won’t think back about this at all.

So stay strong, stay warm, and fight onward.  This too shall pass.  I hope you got a laugh out of this.  That was my intent.  If not, frost bite has already set in.  Oh My!

I always think that I would like to be the person my dog thinks I am.  And sometimes I think I should be more like my dog.  Don’t you just feel so special when you come home, and your dogs are so excited to see you that they leap in the air with joy and happiness written all over their faces.  The tail is doing 90 mph, their whole body shakes and wiggles with excitement.  Even if you only went into the bathroom, they are just so happy you’re back.  (They also believe there is a back door in there, and that you are going to escape, never to be seen again.)  There are people in your life that would like that kind of welcome when they get home (maybe its you), now they may have you committed if you start wiggling and jumping (although young children do).  But you get the idea.  Sometimes we don’t even stop what we are doing, or look up, we just say “oh, your home, Hi!”  If your dog just picked up its head, looked at you, and went back to sleep when you came home, you’d have him to the vet immediately.  Where did we lose that childhood innocence and become boring adults?

Okay, now who are you to your horse?  Some horses are happy to see you and greet you with a nicker.  Most don’t even look up unless it’s feeding time.  Are you the person who brings treats?  Are you the person who brings feed?  Are you the person who grooms the itchy spots that they so love being scratched?  Are you the person who just pays the bills?  Or are you the person who rides the snot out of them on the weekends, and then doesn’t show up for a week until you do it again?

Seriously, who does your horse think you are?  Who do you think you are to your horse?  Are they the same person or do you both see things differently.  Are you the person who paints their hoofs with purple glitter or are you the person who, repeatedly, puts a dirty saddle pad on his back.  Now those are two extremes, but most of us fall somewhere in the middle.

Now let’s switch gears.  Who would your horse like you to be?  Different horses have different wants.  Some like the personal attention, and if they don’t get it they get really ugly.  Some horses don’t like being groomed at all.  They also get ugly.  Some horses like when you show up with carrots, and then wish you would just go away when the bag is empty.  Some just want to hang out with you for hours.

Have you ever really thought about any of this at all?

I had one horse who loved his job, and did it well, but he wasn’t the – lets snuggle and talk over our day together type.  When he was done, he was done.  He would take his carrot and leave.  But as I would walk away, feeling very rejected, I would peak over my shoulder and he’d be looking at me with his ears up.  I knew he loved me and I certainly loved him, but he wasn’t into one on one time after hours.  Now my Zoey loves just hanging out together.  Whether it’s just hanging out and watching life go by, or just standing with me as I give a lesson.  Friday on the other hand, loves being groomed and fussed over.  The more fussing the better.

They are all so different.  If you have more than one horse you may have to be a different person to each of them, but they will love you for attending to whatever their needs are.  They also know the difference between the stable owner that feeds them, and who their own special person is.

Since it’s still bad weather in most places, it gives you time to consider – who am I to my horse, and what does my horse really want from me?  You may be surprised at the answers you come up with.

I know I was not happy with the answers I came up with.  There just aren’t enough hours in a day to do the things you really want to do, are there?  So here goes one more New Years Resolution.  Quality time with my horses as individuals.

Your turn.

I’m posting this early because we haven’t had internet for a week, and we only get it for a few hours a day if we get it at all.  They put a new switch in and something didn’t go well.

Seriously!  Where did this year go?  How did this happen?

I know when I was young my mother told me that years would go faster as I got older.  She wasn’t kidding.  It seems like yesterday was just January and I was burying my Jack Russell.  Then it was March and I was burying my chow and my last Clydesdale.  Along the way I’ve been to many funerals and memorials.  It seems like this has been a monthly, put it on your calendar thing.  This can’t be happening to me.  Where did this year go?  I still can’t figure out if we had a summer.  (It’s hard when it’s December 5th and it’s 81 degrees and your still out in the barn at 9:00 p.m. in a tee-shirt.  But other than mowing I don’t remember summer.  The end of this week I will remember it’s December, we are getting a cold front.  It’s going down into the thirties for a week.  “Oh My!”

So my New Years Resolution it to enjoy everyday, and every season.  When we were kids we didn’t put things on the calendar and rush the weeks away, we lived each day to the fullest.  Especially summer vacations.

This year let’s not make resolutions that we won’t keep.  Let’s be realistic and only make resolutions we will not only keep, but will totally enjoy.  Live each day like your horse will.

Have a happy, healthy, safe, New Year!

Well the shopping should be done, but probably isn’t.  All the decorations are up, and it’s almost “Show Time.”  It’s time to get excited because “Santa Claus is coming to town.”

No matter how old you get, you still get the butterflies in your stomach when you think of that.  Unless you have 17 grandchildren, have been shopping and wrapping for weeks, and you are so done with Toy’s R Us, you can’t stand it.  I was there 20 years ago.  To this day I still don’t wrap anything anymore.  Everything goes in gift bags.  The grandchildren are grown and just prefer money.  Shopping is so much easier now.  But I do miss Christmas morning at our house.  If you could find the floor under all that ripped up wrapping paper.  It always looked like Toy’s R Us threw up in my living room.  But their happy, smiling faces made it all worth while, and Bob and I got to play with the toys again.  Now the most exciting thing, beside clothes, are the dog treats.  What is wrong with this picture?

Please enjoy your Christmas, especially if there are small children involved.  They don’t stay small for long.

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

It’s almost here!  When I was a child I’d dream that Santa would bring me a horse.  Oh I got many horses over my childhood years, all toys, but I did get to go riding and have lessons.  Now I get many horses over the years, and they are not that easy to store.  Somehow I can’t keep a new one out of Bob’s sight very long. I’ve been working on him lately, but it’s not going good.  I’ve turned this horse down five times, but he keeps coming back.  I figure God is trying to tell me something.  Wish he would tell Bob. I really don’t want to take on another expense, but he just won’t go away. So what’s on your list this year?  Clothes, tack, another horse?  This really is a disease.  Instead of AA do they have HA? Oh I used to go through all the catalogs and just pick out stuff I would love to have for my horse.  Now I go through and pick out what they must have.  Cosequin, quilts and leg wraps, hoof dressing, Coggins Test, EWT.  It’s like when you finally crossed that border and toys were no longer an option, you would get clothes.  I hated when that happened, and I’m not to crazy about it now either. I still decorate their stalls and the barn.  I still put bells and holly on their halters, but the magic of youth is gone.  “Once you pass its borders, you can never return again.” Bing Crosby can still be heard singing “I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas”, so am I, but that’s not likely here in Central Florida, but that’s why I live here.  I spoke with my girlfriend the other day in New Jersey and it was 20 degrees with a sheet of ice covering everything.  That’s not a dream, that’s a nightmare. So we are getting down to the wire.  Make sure your letter to Santa is ready to go.  Look through all those catalogs and make your list, check it twice, but mainly just enjoy what you have and dream about what you hope to get. “May Your Days Be Merry and Bright, and May All Your Christmas’ Be White.”  Miss you Bing.

I don’t care if they are horses, dogs, cats, children, I just want to save them all.

I went to Rural King to pick up Beet Pulp (great price) and in front of the store they had cages with dogs that needed forever homes.  Some of them were happy and jumping up to catch your eye, but there was one small Chihuahua dog.  A little plump, a little older who just sat there and watched everyone pass by.  My heart broke for all of them, but this little one held my heart.  Obviously someone had to give it up.  The owner may have been an older person who went into a nursing home or who had passed.  I don’t know, but I’ve been thinking of him/her ever since.  My new little Jack Russell puppy from hell would not appreciate another dog in the house.  She stands at the door to block the Catahoulas from coming in.  I know that the little one will find someone who can give it all the love it deserves, at least I hope it does.

Right now I am fostering four, not quite adult, kittens who are looking for a home.  They are so timid they just live in their covered littler boxes.  Took the covers off today and told them they had to become more comfortable in the world around them.  They are in a stall in large dog crates.  Two cats in a litter box does not work for me when I have to clean the litter.

I’ve had horses come in who were down on their weight this past year and even though they now have owners who are trying to do right by them, I just want to keep them all.

It’s like a sickness, a disease.

My friend works at a shelter.  She plays with the dogs and cats and takes them for walks.  I couldn’t do that.  I couldn’t walk away from them until I knew they were safe with their own person.  It would break my heart.  It’s very hard for her when the time comes to put one down.

We are in a terrible bind since the hurricane.  Horses, dogs, cats, are overflowing the rescues and now they are bringing them in from Puerto Rico.  These poor animals didn’t sign on for this.  Some of the owners have lost everything and can’t care for their pets anymore.  Some were separated and have never been recovered by their families.

I heard one older couple say that when the storm was coming, they didn’t know what to do with their pets, because the shelters wouldn’t let them in, so they just turned them loose to fend for themselves.  Seems cruel to me, but there was no choice in their minds.  At the end, all shelters were told to take animals, because some people were endangering their lives trying to stay with their pets.  Well I just heard the other side of the coin.  A lot of schools, that weren’t supposed to be, became shelters.  The ones that were designated as pet friendly apparently don’t have carpeting on the floors.  the ones that were designated as “no pets” did have carpeting.  So in my mind, so what?  Well it seems under the circumstances with the storm,  a lot of pets didn’t want to go out to the bathroom, and just squatted on the rugs.  Now these schools had to remain closed after the storm until they could get the rugs shampooed before the children were allowed to return.  After a storm that had flooded so many houses, it’s not easy to get Stanley Steamer or any other cleaning or repair company.

Animals have become just disposable, thrown out like a toaster that no longer works.  These are living, breathing, creatures with feelings.  Have you ever witnessed a dog whose owner has passed, they grieve.  Have you ever seen a horse loose it’s best friend.  They grieve.

In all your spending this holiday season, or when you look in your dog or horses eyes, see all the animals who don’t have a home, or someone who loves them, and make a donation to an animal rescue.  If you can’t afford to send a gift or drop off a bag of food or kitty litter, see if you can spend an hour a week going to a shelter and taking a dog for a walk or just spend some time petting them.  Volunteer make a difference in an animal’s life.

It will bless yours.

Last year my husband told me, when I was going to my local tack shop, to pick out stuff I wanted for Christmas.  He hates shopping.  So being the good obedient wife, I did.  I told the owner what I would like him to purchase for me, and she said she would direct him to the right items.  Well the time came and she couldn’t remember all the things I had suggested.  So I told her that next year (being this one) that she needed “Dear Santa” letter forms.  The wife fills one out, and when the husband comes in he just gives the shop owner the name and she pulls out the “Wish List”.

Now I thought that was a great idea all the way around.  The husband doesn’t have to look around and guess what the wife wants.  The wife gets everything she wished for, and the store owner makes a killing.  No brainer.

Well I went to the tack shop on Saturday, two weeks ago, and asked if she had her “Santa’s Little Helper List” ready to be filled out.  The answer was no, not yet.  Hello folks, we are rounding the final turn and moving down to the wire here.

Years ago I always needed so much stuff.  Mostly because the horses kept breaking stuff.  Now they just damage themselves.

Do vets have “Gift Cards”?  I’ll have to ask.

Black Friday is tomorrow – let the games begin!