Are you ready for fall? Some are and some not so much.

Down here in Sunny Florida we are in the middle of a heat wave. Yup it’s like August. It was 100 yesterday with a heat index of probably 110. The horses are not dealing with the heat with their winter coats. It’s hard enough on them in the summer in their bikinis.

Then there are those in the path of the next hurricane in Louisiana. They haven’t finished cleaning up from the one they had six weeks ago.

Not to mention the wild fires burning in California. They had a suggestion list for those who did not evacuate in time. Pretty much the same as what we use for Hurricanes. Spray paint your number on the horse. Tie it in their manes and tails. Turn them lose and close the gates and barn doors after them so they don’t run back in.

I personally can’t imagine having to turn my horses loose in the middle of the fires I have been seeing on TV. Animals who have been burned. Hello folks, Get Out Of Dodge ahead of this stuff.

For the rest of the country who are having cooler weather – get out and enjoy it, it won’t be long before the snow and ice set in and you’ll be in hibernation (much like we are here in Florida now).

It’s also time to think about making sure you are ready for what’s coming next. Winter blankets, tank and bucket heaters, you all remember the drill.

Enjoy the lovely colors, and the frisky horses. Hope we will join you soon. We did have one week of 80’s and 60’s. It will come again.

Tons of stuff going on right now and I need to get a handle on it. I’m going to take a few weeks off.

While I’m away, get yourselves ready for beautiful fall riding.

I have a friend, for many years, and in all the years I’ve known her, you can’t tell her anything. She will come up with every reason known to man not to agree or take your advice. She has horrible back pain, but will she listen to the doctor and take pain pills, no. She’ll come up with many reasons why she can’t. So for 30 years I listen that her back is screaming. You kind of lose compassion when you know she could do something about it, and doesn’t.

Now when people are paying me for my knowledge of horses and riding them, they usually will listen and at least try. If for some reason they, like my friend, come up with reasons why they can’t do it or just won’t try, I suggest they might try working with a different instructor or trainer. I tell them that another person might be able to explain things where they can grasp, and apply it. It’s very frustrating to an instructor to see a problem, know that it might be dangerous, explain how to correct it, and have the person just shrug it off. I always tell them that we don’t say “I can’t” here, but rather that “I’ll try.”

Now when it comes to a purchase of a horse, that’s a whole different ball of wax. (Now where did that saying ever come from.)

I know that vets are not supposed to tell a person to buy or not buy the horse the client is looking at. They are just supposed to supply the facts of their findings. If you explain what your intention is for this horse, they can say that the horse is physically capable of doing that particular job, or no it would be unable because of certain findings. If a horse has side bones it’s not a good idea to barrel race them, or do any other discipline that would require them to make sharp turns consistently.

As for me, I’ve always tried not to get involved with the sale or purchase of a horse. First of all I’m too honest, but I usually do have an opinion, just keep it to myself. I will make an exception if I feel there is going to be a dangerous situation involved. Most times I go by my gut feeling. Of course I’ll listen to the vets report, if there is one, but unless you’re paying big bucks, most people don’t get a full vet exam.

One of my lesson kids was buying a horse. First red flag was her name, Luna. (I’ve mentioned this before) I asked if it was short for lunatic? Her answer was no Luna as in moon. She really wanted this horse. I was just brought in to trailer this horse. I didn’t feel good about this horse, but went along with it. Second red flag was when the horse kept running away with her. Now she was a good rider, so we worked with the horse for quite a while. Still not good feelings. Then when the horse started running through the fence with her on board. I told her the horse had to go. Of course she felt she could work the horse out of this. I went to her parents and said that the horse was dangerous and needed to be sold. It was.

So when another friend went to purchase a young filly, you know, the one of your dreams, and the deal just kept falling through I told her that I didn’t have a good feeling about it and she should pass. Her reaction was “no, I know this is right, I want this filly.” Well she’s taken it slow with the training for a year or two now and the mare keeps losing it. She’s afraid of any loud noise, like rain on the roof, has to wear ear plugs in the barn, and when she is being ridden. Now she kicked my friend and broke several ribs. My friend is contemplating selling her. She has a habit of not making wise decisions when purchasing horses, or keeping them. I recently found out that two other people were not on board and thought it would be a better idea for her to pass on this filly, one being a vet, the other an animal communicator. I’m glad I’m not alone in my feelings. If she doesn’t believe me, that’s one thing, but when you don’t listen to a vet or communicator, there’s not much I can do or say.

I get the whole idea of not believing a friends concern, but if you are paying someone for an opinion, and they are knowledgeable, I think you should listen, or at least save your money and their time, and just not ask at all.

So why don’t people listen? Why do they ask at all? I guess it’s because they just want someone to agree with them, and if you don’t, you’re ignored.

My theory – Don’t ask me, I may tell you what you don’t want to hear.

I know I’ve recently written about the insane heat we’ve been having this summer. A lot of you are leaving summer for the wonderful days of fall. But there is always Indian Summer to go through, and for those of us in the South, summer is alive and well.

We talked about horses that aren’t sweating and the possibility of over heating, and a friend just had this happen.

Now let me tell you she is a very knowledgeable horse woman. She’s an animal communicator who works with a vet. Her horse stopped sweating. The horse was also a 29 year old. She set up a sprinkler for the horse to stand under, but the old saying “you can lead a horse to water…..” didn’t work. The mare would just stand outside of the sprinklers reach. My friend would try to get back by 11:00 a.m. to make sure she could hose the horse down, but sometimes work, or traffic, just didn’t allow it.

The horse did overheat and it hit the brain. She was alive, but the brain suffered damage. She knew it and realized that it was probably time to let her go. Just like with the rest of us, it was a hard decision. She called her vet and the vet confirmed the fact.

We try to do the best for our horses, but sometimes we fall short. Just be aware that this can happen, and does happen.

I also want to throw in something that is going on, just for you to keep in the back of your mind. I’m not going into great detail, but I do want you all to be aware. There is a force, atmospheric, demonic or otherwise that is affecting some animals (not only horses). They are reacting in strange aggressive ways. Animals that have always been kind and gentle are now reacting without cause or reason. I’ve heard this from several different people in different areas. Gee my quiet mare just kicked me and broke my ribs. My two dogs, who are older and have been together since birth, got into a major fight and ended up at the vets. My Peahen, who never bothered anyone, is now attacking people. A filly who was totally normal, now can’t stand any noise and has to wear ear plugs.

If and when I have more information on this I will get back to you, just observe your animals for odd behavior and be careful not to be the recipient of their actions.

We are just crazy (fill in the blank – horse dog, cat, bird)____________ people. That’s how some people view us. We love our animals like our children. We care more for them, than we do ourselves, in most cases. My animals see the vets more than I see my doctor, dentist or whoever. What they really don’t get is when we lose one of them how much we grieve. I don’t always understand how much I can grieve.

I’ve buried 20 horses, 9 dogs, countless cats and assorted other animals both wild and part of the family. It never gets any easier.

Now I board older retired horses and horses that have been injured, and will never be sound again. I love each of them as though they were my own. They are all my children. So when I lose one it devastates me.

I lost one a week ago. The youngest of the bunch. No reason. I run a series of emotions – pain, hurt, sadness, anger, confusion. You know the big old WHY? Most times I think I take it harder than the owners. They know their horses are done with their useful lives and just want them to be comfortable until they cross the Rainbow Bridge. They all have new horses to play with and when the one horses crosses the Rainbow Bridge, they are sad, but can put more into their new horse.

Of course I have all the others to care for and love, including my own, but there is still a hole. There’s one less bucket of feed, one less horse to care for and love. In this case one less horse to nudge me for “just one more carrot” nuzzle me and lick me. He was a happy horse. Loved to play, loved his buddy, he spent his days rejoicing in life. His celebration of life always lifted my spirits. He was also the bad boy of the bunch. He loved attention whether it was caused by positive or negative means. My instant reaction was no! but I couldn’t help but smile and love him anyway. It’s just who he was.

His owner will miss him because he was up front and in your face for attention, after a really bad start, but now she can afford to give her new baby the attention and help she needs.

Oh sure I know another one will come my way, but just like all the others, he was special. They are all special in their own ways. I will always smile when I think of him, and he will always be with me.

There is nothing in the Bible which says that our pets will be there in Heaven, but I truly believe they will. God knows every sparrow that falls. God does not tell us everything about Heaven, but as Pastor Cole once said “when you get there whistle and if Rover comes running, you know they are there. If the animals were in the Garden of Eden, why not Heaven? We know there will be animals in Heaven, why not ours?

In Honor of Lou.

We get so used to doing things, and seeing things, but don’t really “Pay Attention”. I get so into the habit of feeding and caring for the horses that my mind wanders while I’m going about my regular routine. Sometime I just do things automatically and don’t remember doing them. Has this ever happened to you? Wait, don’t tell me.

We know we have to “Pay Attention” when working around horses; watching their body language and movements. That’s not really what I’m talking about. Did you ever ask yourself if you put that supplement in the one horses feed? I have. My mind was already racing forward onto my next step.

This has been an unusual year so far. With the virus and riots, nothing is the same and we are caught up in the “what ifs.” Don’t get me wrong, if you need to freshen up your board that holds all the information on what each horse gets and when they are scheduled for shots and worming, do it. What I’m talking about here is have you noticed that the weather has been weird? I know we’ve had August weather for months now. At least it feels that way to me and the horses. We’ve had a 100 to 110 heat index for at least a month. I know the north has been getting that too. As my friend Linda said to me the other day, “but you’re used to it.” Yeah for a couple of days here and there in August, but not for this length of time. Another girlfriend in New York had to dunk her cat in a sink full of water the other day. It was overheated.

So you look at your horses and see that he/she/they are not sweating yet today. You think, okay they are handling the heat better than me. Or Not. Maybe they are shutting down, they’ve stopped sweating. I know I’ve mentioned that when the humidity number is higher than the air temperature number a horse cannot cool themselves. Bells, whistles, and alarms should be going off in your head. “Danger Will Robinson!” Check for other signs that they are overheating. Labored breathing is the first one I notice. Spotty sweat marks. You know what your horses are normally like. If they are not themselves, game is on. Wetting them is your first step. Drop that body temperature. I’ve had horses that I have left a sprinkler going and they will stand under it all day. Then you have to watch for skin rot. Make sure they have shade, and plenty of fresh, clean water. Make sure they have salt and/or electrolytes available to them. Then think about jump starting their sweating again. I’ve tried 1 AC and have had no luck, some people have. The only thing I’ve found is acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Keep them hosed off and definitely keep an eye on them.

Don’t ignore this. If things are bad – call your vet.

An added note – watch yourself too.

We assume so much about people and horses. We see what we think is the perfect horse and then you have him vetted and oops the deal is off.

You get a full picture of what you think a person is like, then you get to know them and boy were you wrong. The old – don’t judge a book by it’s cover thing.

We look at all these movie personalities and athletes and form an opinion of who they are. Sometimes we believe they are really like the characters they portray. Most times we are wrong.

Hopefully when we look at a horse, and we see a rank horse, we can take the time to learn why they behave the way they do. We’ve discussed this many times over the years about being tuned into what the horse is really saying to you. “I’ve been really mistreated. I’ve been hungry, I’ve been beat on, my mouth had been hurt, people are just plain mean. I’ve been hit with buckets, whips, tortured. No one has ever been kind or loved me.” Some horses become fearful and some just have had it and are now getting even, it doesn’t matter who did it, you are going to pay and never will I be hurt again. Now we know, with time and patience, we can over ride this. We can form a lasting relationship, show that horse love, attention, and become the greatest team on this earth.

Sometimes people are like that too. I think we take more time understanding our animals than we do people. We figure people can speak up and take care of themselves, animals can’t. However, not all people will speak up. They’ve been broken too. Here is the Children’s Minister coming out in me.

If you’ve been on my Facebook page lately you’ll know where I’m going with this. If you haven’t, games on. We’ve all witnessed the people who have money and either they, or their parents buy them the best of everything. Horses, clothes, trainers, barns. We, on the other hand, rummage through the ads or auctions and try to find a horse that we can turn into a winner. We usually are on a tight budget so going out and buying a $50,000.00 made horse is not going to happen. Along the way we most likely will fall in love with this horse and it doesn’t matter if the world thinks he/she is the best horse in it’s class, we do and that’s all that counts.

We see the special people at shows or in the papers and magazines and we either hate them, or are jealous, or hate them because we are jealous. But really how much do we really know about these super stars of the horse industry. How many times have we looked at their beginnings. Sometimes they don’t even let on about who they really were. Now don’t get me wrong. Not everyone who was blessed to have wealthy parents, who supported their adventures, is flaunting it, nor are they snobs, but some are and that’s how we see everyone.

Many horses like “Seabiscuit” or “Snowman”, are auction rejects on their way to the killers. Some people in this world are on a like road, and without intervention will come to the same end. You know all the horse movies I’m talking about, of the horses who had their lives turned around because someone took the time to care and give them a chance.

So enter into my life again, someone from my youth. Jessamy Rouson and I got our beginnings at the same hack stable. She had a dream and a goal. I had a dream and a goal. Both in totally different directions. “Jessamy left her home in New York City at fourteen years of age to ride horses professionally (not always getting paid for her effort. I threw this in). She has had a lifetime of success within the International sphere of show jumping and has found it to be a passport to the world. Jessamy has ridden, trained, developed and sold some of the most famous horses in the world, including some Hall of Fame horses. She has also trained with the United States Equestrian Team and has written for the well-respected Barron’s Financial paper regarding the syndication of show jumpers.” Except for my added note, this is from the back cover of her book “From Where My Strength Lies. The Life Of A Horse Whisperer.”

Now I looked at her all these years since our days at Clove Lake Stables, and realized that I had believed she was so lucky, her parents supported her through her beginnings. Mine wouldn’t. Boy was I wrong. I’ve since then apologized to her. She rode anything that no one else was capable of riding just to get to ride and have the experiences. Her trainers were the horses with major problems and attitudes. She lived on boiled eggs because that’s all she could afford. She lived in war zones, her story is truly amazing.

I bought her two books and I was just going to read a few pages but I couldn’t put it down.

It’s an amazing story of how she got to the top. It’s a story that any one of us could have lived if we had the determination and guts to do it. It’s a story of rescued horses that were on their way out. Bought for prices less than we probably paid for our horses. Horses that had no hope and became Hall of Fame horses. Her love, compassion and instincts saved these horses and made them World Class Champions. Even if you aren’t into show jumping, it’s a wonderful read about someone beating the odds. One of us.

We parallel in many of our philosophies and training methods. I haven’t finished the first book yet, but can’t wait to do so, and start on her other book. I will never, especially at this age, rise to do what she has accomplished, but I can appreciate her for who she is, and what she has done. It’s not so much of a how-to-book so far, but like a novel of her life story, and we all love great horse stories.

If you get a chance try it, it’s a wonderful summer read, or something to read by the fire in the winter. It’s heart warming and real – just like us.

My farrier came yesterday and we got to talking about what horses can get into. He came home the other night and went to bring his mares in for dinner. They were waiting at the gate, but the wrong gate, the gate in the boys pasture. Of course like us he asked them how they got there? And like ours, they didn’t answer. So he took them out, latched the gate, and went to bring them in. As he’s going into the barn with the two girls he hears the pitter-patter of thundering hooves. We’ve all probably been there too. Here comes the rest of the herd who took down their gate also. They were, after all, just trying to help him after a hard days work. You know what happens next – chaos. Horses running all around in and out of stalls, up and down the barn isle. The “Mayhem” commercials on TV have nothing on a bunch of loose horses.

People often ask me how the horses are? My reply is simple – “they were fine when I left but who knows what I’ll find when I get back.” We are all familiar with that thought too. Own a barn and it’s F.O.R.D., Fix Or Repair Daily.

Now when I go into the house after feeding at night I pray “please keep all the animals safe tonight.” This horse slaughtering has got everyone nervous. Between the Corona Virus and the Slaughtering I’m on edge. I give it to God every night and just go on.

I was reading an article in Horse and Pony, which I am going to quote, about the people in South Carolina, they wanted answers as to what was going on in their area. They wanted to know “just who or what vicious animal was killing their horses?” “Five or six horses were victims of either a very sick individual with a sharp instrument (like a sword or machete), or of animals so vicious their likes have never been seen before. The wounds were not ragged but deep, and became infected immediately. They ranged from slashed leg wounds to deep chest and gut punctures. Some were so severe that intestines and bones were visible. Some had to be euthanized, and some the vets were able to treat.”

“After weeks of investigation and forensic tests, the consensus was that savage attacks on the horses were caused by wild boars. South Carolina’s growing feral hog population where some weigh in at 400 to 500 pounds with tusks up to a foot long and razor sharp, enabling them to come up underneath and gut the horses.” Now I’ve run into some wild pigs here in Florida while Fox Hunting, they were just like large pot bellied pigs that people turned loose in the park. They crossed the trail in front of me and never gave us a second look. They make a mess when they root, but never bothered any of us. We recently had one here in the neighborhood who would come and hang with the horses. He liked to stand under them for shade with his head between their front legs. They played with him and he was a sweet boy, that is until my great white hunter neighbor decided that he would look better on his dinner plate. Bob and I are still very angry with him. Hamlet didn’t harm anybody. Okay he may have rooted a little, but my neighbor is………

So once again, just when you think you’ve seen everything, you haven’t. Surprises are new every morning, and even sometimes in the evening. It’s just how it is when you have horses.

You know sometimes you think of things that you need to remember. You know them, you’ve updated them, but time just gets away from you, and you forget. Actually I forget a lot of things lately. But this one is important and we need to remember and revisit it again.

Loved the movie Karate Kid. For some reason that line comes to me often. It came to me this morning when I was deciding whether to leave the halters on or to take them off in their stalls.

Normally they are off, especially now with the horses being removed from pastures and being slaughtered. I know I’ve talked about that in the last couple of weeks, but this morning there was a different spin on it.

I came in from the barn the other night and Bob was watching the Black Stallion series of movies on TV. Actually they were running all horse racing movies until 6:30 a.m. on TCM. It was the second in the series where the barn was set on fire. Now Alec had heard The Black carrying on before the fire and he went to put the halter on. He had no problem, but we’ve all stood there and and fumbled to turn it right to get it on (especially when you drop it on the floor or ground). That goes back to my post on always hanging and folding a blanket the same way all the time so you know, when you pick it up in the dark, how it’s hanging. The same goes for a halter. Always hang it the same way so you don’t have to figure out which end is up (or in this case front or back).

Just a quick word on halter safety. Nylon doesn’t break, but necks do. Saw a picture on Facebook about a week ago with a back shoe caught on a halter from when the horse went to scratch his face. Neck was broken. Shoe and halter were still connected.

So lets combine two thoughts here. Halters and Fire. Have you given much thought to what would happen if your horses were in the barn and it was on fire. Do you and your family have a clear plan on how things should go? (I’ve touched on this before) Does everyone know their jobs? You all will panic. Yes we know that we should have an extinguisher at the front, back, and side doors. How about halters? How about lead lines? Do you keep halters on the horses when they are in a stall? I don’t. I’ve seen horses with halters on get them caught on the strangest of things. Yes, hopefully they have break-a-way halters and they break when they are supposed to. So you grab the lead line that is hanging on their doors and lead them out. Now remember that your horse is going to feed off your anxiety, not to mention that they are usually afraid of fire.

I’ve seen, in movies, people placing rags over a horses eyes so they can’t see the fire. Well they can still smell and hear the fire. Don’t know if it really works in this case. You have to build that trust with your horse before you get into a situation. I used to do that with all my babies. I’d blind fold them and ask them to let me lead them through and over obstacles. It paid off many times in the trust issue. With fire, I think it will depend on the horse. My mare was terrified of fire. Back then I never even thought of working her through that. She hated gun fire and trains also. We just avoided those things. That was back in the 60’s before I got to focus on making my horses the best they could be. I just loved them and enjoyed them.

Do Not just turn them loose when you get outside the door, they may run back in. Lock them in a pasture or tie them somewhere away from the fire. If you have someone you can hand them off to that’s even better. If you don’t keep a halter on, and your halter and lead are hung properly you can just grab the crown piece and slip it on your horse. Now some horses don’t like fire much and may not be all that quiet to get this job done. Leave longer lead lines by each outside door so you can just slip it around the horses neck (or make a quick halter out of one) and get out of Dodge. If you have a long barn you may not have time to get them all out, depending on where the fire is and where the exit doors are. Grab the horses closer to the fire first. Now every fire department agency is going to tell you not to go in the barn. These are our beloved animals and we are not going to even think about not trying to save them, we will just do it, but do it as safely as possible. Your instinct is going tell you to grab the horse closest to the door, and you will save that one, but a lot of things will factor in when it comes to getting the others.

You must think about what else is in the barn that is flammable and possibly explosive. Hay and bedding burn real fast. Old wood buildings burn real fast. What above you is burning that is going to fall on both you and the horse. So much to think about, so little time. Let’s try thinking about this stuff before we have to. And here is a thought, changing what you can.

I know you may have halters and leads on each stall, but sometimes there just isn’t enough time. Extra halters and lead lines left at the entrance can be a blessing. Sometimes it’s a negative thing too if someone comes in trying to steal a horse. You may have to weigh your options.

You could leave a spare halter and/or lead line by the back door of your house to grab on your way out. After all – loose horses can happen at anytime, and if you have to run to the barn and get a halter and lead line first, they may be half way to the next county before you get to the barn.

Come to think of it, I used to always carry a lead line in my car. I was forever finding loose horses running down the roads in Staten Island. I was never one to wear a belt but I always had my trusty lead line in my car. Now I carry several dog leashes. They take up less space in the door or glove compartment.

Silly things pop up in my brain. I just pass them on. Food for thought, but could come in handy some day. Wax on, wax off. Halter on, halter off.

I think we need to check and recheck things often. I know I do.

Sometimes we see things differently than other people. My Uncle and I argued about the color of my mothers flowers. I saw white with a hint of yellow and he saw a hint of purple. There are people that are color blind. When my brother-in-law went to take his drivers test, and they asked him what color the light in the middle of the stop light was, he said yellow because he knew that’s what his brother told him it was at home. He couldn’t tell Red from Yellow except by the location of the brightness. We always tell our Pastor what a great color that is on him, and it compliments his wife’s outfit. He has no idea what color he is wearing, his wife picks his clothes out, he’s color blind.

I saw someone post a picture of a very skinny horse. She commented on how bad a certain barn was at caring for the horses. Another person posted a picture of the same horse, who was no longer thin, and commented on how wrong the person was.

Things are not always what you think. You can’t just make snap decisions and ruin the reputation of someone or their facilities. You really have to inquire as to the circumstance.

Perhaps the horse just came in from another barn. Perhaps the horse was a rescue. Perhaps the horse was old or had health issues. You can’t always assume. I’ve had many horses who were in their mid 30’s. You’re just not going to put weight or muscle on an old horse. They may be just fine physically, and mentally, but just old.

When I lived in New Jersey, we did rescues. If it were a backyard horse, we’d stop and talk to the people. If no one was home, we’d leave a hand print on a piece of construction paper in their mailbox asking if they possibly need a helping hand with their horse. We’d leave a name and a phone number and hope that they would call us. If they didn’t we’d try catching up with them at some point. Many people had no idea how to take care of a horse and really appreciated any information we could give them. In some cases we’d offer them food for their horses, or help them re-home them.

Now if you pass a farm and there is no hay or grass, the horses are bones, it’s a different approach. We had people sneak in and check for water, hay and grain in the barn (yes it was trespassing), we’d speak to neighbors, and then we’d turn them in. Different states have different views on how this should be handled, check the laws before you proceed.

I know I’ve told you before that my vet told me it was my responsibility to turn in my neighbor for starvation. I did and my neighbor was grateful for the help with regards to the knowledge of how to take care of the animals and the help in re-homing them. They were his wife’s and she walked out leaving the kids, the dogs, and the horses.

You just never know what the circumstances are. Don’t assume that someone is intentionally starving an animal. Don’t spread false rumors about a person or a barn until you know the truth and try to help. Someday you may have an old horse, or rescue a starving animal. You may be the one people whisper about behind your back.

Things aren’t always what they seem.