Hives

 Yesterday when I brought Rally up to work with her, she was covered in hives. 

So that meant no saddling. One step back... 

I did do some sacking out getting her to drag the tarp, no issues there. I also managed to get her to lift her right hind enough to nip and rasp some. 

Today, those hives had erupted overnight. 

They were heavily encrusted and it took a bit to get them cleaned up. 

Poor girl, they are quite sore. I put calendula salve and Melrose oil on as well as lots of fly spray all over her. 

I figure these are deer fly bites, and she sure did have a reaction to them. I am going to the vet to see if I can get anything for her over the counter as well as lots more fly spray. 

The other horses don't seem to have any bites or issues at the moment. 

What's up

 When I brought the mares in a few days ago, i coukd see that Gussie was favouring her left hind a bit. There was some puffiness right in the ankle joint but no heat. I checked her hoof for any signs of puncture or abscess, no visible issues there. So I put the Streamz bands on her to see if that could help. Next day the puffiness was gone and she didn't seem sore, but this was happening :

It looks like what the stifle joint does when a horse has string halt.  Her vet appointment is in 9 days so I am hoping that he can help me understand what is going on. Either way, it looks like her riding days are over, so she will retire to being a mom for a couple of years. 

In other news, Shayla is taking over Dallas for her mare herd, so I found another mare to check out locally. I like her bloodlines and so I went to see her. 

She is a big mare, around Gussie size or a bit shorter

Her owner is an elderly rancher who raised her, but at 10 years old, she has slipped through the cracks. I like her build, and the fact that she was standing tied- although he said she is hard to catch, that doesn't really bother me. 

She reminds me of Jayne, but totally different pedigree

Her feet are in horrible shape, I think they have never been done and have just been allowed to wear off in pasture. The rancher said he will get his daughter to work on her getting better to handle her feet.

I handled her a bit, she was very light on the halter, never tried to pull against it either tied up or in hand, although I could see she was a bit worried about what all this attention was about after 10 years of being on her own. Overall, I think she will be a nice mare, and I may go into a breeding lease on her- pending the results of her DNA disease panel test. I pulled hair on her and sent it to Animal Genetics, so once I have that info it will determine whether or not I go ahead with taking her on. The rancher is thinking he may have made a mistake in not starting her under saddle when she was a younger horse! Her pedigree is a mixture of run and cow, so if I do go ahead with her, she should cross well on Shayla's stallion. 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy happy

One of the good things that has happened this year is that Beamer's soundness has improved. He is no longer foot sore, and his arthritic knee seems to be holding it's own, no further advancement in the calcification. The biggest improvement came when I started him on Protandim, aka the Little Yellow Pill aka Nrf2. Literally within 2 days there was a marked improvement. Before that I was trying Prevacox- and y'all know how much I distrust pharmaceuticals; but I was at the point that something needed to change. 2 weeks of that treatment did absolutely nothing, so I switched to Protandim. I had been taking it myself for a couple of months and was pleased with how it helped my overall wellbeing, so figured I had nothing to lose.  I am so glad I switched! Other than Protandim he also gets 2 ounces of Camelina oil on his morning feed, and as a topical dressing on his knee I mix 4 drops of Clove essential oil with about 2 times as much of my homemade sticky bud oil. (The sticky buds of poplar trees mixed with Camelina oil or olive oil for a couple of weeks and then strained). All of these have anti inflammatory properties. 

Anyway... here is the proof about how good he is feeling.

This is the river crossing that I took the girls to on the beginning of our last ride. I didn't want to overwork Beamer's knee, so I kept the ride short. Probably about a half hour. He was happy, I was happy and it was a great day!

Riding day 53

Relief for the red head

My equine chiro came this morning to work on Gussie. Wow.

There wasn't one spot on her body that didn't need work. Her pelvis was twisted like I figured, and pretty much every other bone on her body was out of whack. Not surprising as this is her first ever chiro adjustment.

She has the most expressive face of any horse I've ever had.  I will give her a day or two to adjust to her new configuration, and then it will be time to start conditioning her.
I went down to check on her mid afternoon- she was having a yawn fest! I asked her how she was feeling, and she started yawning....

and yawning.....

Yes we did get some snow today.....

and yawing some more! But look how bright her eyes are, I'm sure she feels so much better!

What a goober!

She still has uneven nostrils but it varies with her expression whereas before her whole nose was on tilt. I will probably get him to adjust her again next time he is out, and meanwhile I can ride her and do some stretches and other body work to keep her limbered up.
It will be nice to have a happy horse!

Gussie's program

As you know, I was dismayed at Gussie's condition when I bought her back. She wasn't quite the horse she was when I sold her 4 years previously. So I am keeping track of her progress here on the blog.
She is on free choice grass hay. She has been dewormed and her feet trimmed. 4 days ago, I started her on a supplement called Tribute Essential K, at the rate of 3.5 to 4 lbs a day. This is a video I took today.

Her muscles are like jelly, no muscle tone. I expect that riding her regularly will be what is needed there. She is still gaunt in the flanks. She isn't skinny, she just isn't thriving. Very slow improvement after 5 weeks here compared to Belle at 5 weeks when I brought her home. So I am hoping the Essential K will give her the boost she needs. Another point is that I feel that I wasted my money taking her to the local vet to get her teeth done. She still can't hold her feed in her mouth, it dribbles out when she eats her ration, so I have to make sure she keeps her mouth over the bucket; and she is still getting wads when she chews her hay. I can see them in the water tub after she drinks. The other horses don't do that. That might be part of the problem of why she isn't gaining like I thought she would. I'm pretty sure it's because he didn't touch her incisors and I would bet the molars are not quite touching. So I guess I'll have to find someone else and get her redone, I won't take her back to that vet.

Way too gaunt for my liking. I'll do a weekly update on her and hopefully we shall see improvement!

Herbs and natural remedies for horses

Please note: This post is not intended to replace or downplay good veterinary advice.

Some of you know that I have been giving Beamer burdock root, nettles, cider vinegar and alfalfa pellets for his arthritis. The only place he has arthritis is his left knee, where Coyote Belle kicked him years ago- the hazards of live cover.
I tried Turmeric for him, just as a powder added to his ration but he hated it. So I decided to try it again, but this time as Golden Paste. So many health benefits! Studies have been done on arthritis:
"Turmeric and Arthritis: In traditional Chinese and Indian Ayurveda medicine, turmeric is used to treat arthritis. A 2006 study found the turmeric helps reduce join inflammation. A different study from the same year found turmeric to have anti-arthritic effect. And a 2012 study provided evidence that curcumin might even be more effective for rheumatoid arthritis than anti-inflammatory drugs."
So- golden paste is now included in Beamer's num nums.
It's very simple to make.

Half a cup of Turmeric powder, a cup (or more as needed) water, simmer for 6 -8 minutes until it forms a thick paste, let it cool to lukewarm and add 1/3 cup coconut oil and 3 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.

Store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  There are lots of ways to use it for yourself too, I'm not a fan of the taste but I think I'll have to suck it up and start taking it too. Can also feed it to dogs so Tess will get some too. If you are interested, there is a plethora of info on the internet.

Another thing I'm doing for Beamer is making sticky bud oil; now, I googled it by that name to look up the health benefits and had to laugh because it's all marijuana sites- but this is actually the sticky buds from poplar trees. Another simple thing to do: pick the buds while they are fresh and sticky and put them in a glass jar and cover with oil- I made one with coconut oil (which I keep in a warm place to keep it liquid while it infuses) and one with olive oil. Use enough oil to allow for the buds to expand, usually 2 times the oil to the volume of buds. Should be ready to use in about 2 weeks.

It's just an infusion, very simple, but can also be made into a salve.  Here is a bit from that page:
"One of my favorite plants to gather in the springtime is the bud of the poplar tree. These resinous buds are rich in salicin, which your liver converts to salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. An infused oil made from poplar buds will reduce pain and inflammation and is excellent for sore muscles or rheumatic conditions. It is also excellent for simple wound healing and used as an expectorant rub on the chest when suffering from a boggy spring chest cold."

Fixin'

I finished Gussie's front feet today. Now, I'm no professional but I think they look a lot better than they were.
This is the left front....

This is the right front:

I didn't manage to get a heel shot that was in focus on this one. They aren't perfect but it's a good start.
Side views: left and then right

That left front looks like there is a lot of toe flare, and it's the one with the most false sole and bruising between the frog apex and the hoof wall.

I should be able to finish up the hind feet tomorrow. She was pretty agitated today, her right front she did not want to hold up for long and was literally quivering. I let her have lots of breaks but did insist that she stand still and behave.

Gussie seems to be emotionally agitated, which is understandable as her life has been turned upside down, again. Last time I brought her home she was like this too, it took her about a month to settle in and I expect this will be no different. She is, after all, a red headed diva!

So- the last 2 days, I worked on Gussie with the Masterson Method. It's something I am physically able to do. The first day, I only did the bladder meridian, and found many spots that needed releasing. If you are interested, here is a video of Jim Masterson about it.

Yesterday I did it again, and went through the next 2 exercises in the book.

I borrowed the book and dvd from Shayla. It is an easy to follow system. I plan to do this at least 3 or 4 times a week until I feel that Gussie is getting right. Her neck is so out and there are hard spots that feel like her muscles are as hard as a board. Hopefully this will help- I got a lot of lip licking, yawning and neck shaking by the time I was done.  I do have a dental appointment for her, which will really help; I checked her side to side jaw movement and there was literally none. I will try to get photos of before and after when she is getting the float.
But- the good news is- she is looking better! Starting to put on some weight and her coat isn't as coarse- she is also getting Hoffmans minerals and is eating a lot of it.

And- compare this eye photo to the last one- so much brighter!

That's my girl!  I plan on trying her out in the bosal this weekend, maybe do a little ride around the pond and down to the dyke. 

Oh- and I let Beamer visit with her today on the way into the barn....

I think he was a little disappointed that she wasn't overly interested!

The issues... you knew there would be some....

Whenever I buy back one of my horses, there are always issues. This is what I am finding with Gussie, so far:
She has lost body mass. She isn't skinny, just lean, and it isn't just because she is fit. Here are some comparison photos,the first one was the year I sold her over 4 years ago.

This next photo is now:

With these photos it isn't as obvious as it is in person.

Secondly, look at her lips in that first photo, and then these close ups of her now:

Thanks to my friend Tara for figuring this out- this is vitiligo, and after researching it in horses this is what I found; that it is nutritionally related.  I know they were feeding her alfalfa, as I saw it at her pen when I picked her up- and I expressly told the guy who bought her to not feed alfalfa as she was allergic to it. I think she must have been eating it for a long time which would explain the depigmentation and partially explain her body issues- which brings me to the third thing:

Her teeth were done the year I sold her and I am pretty certain, looking at this, that they were not done since. She was boarded at a training.horsemanship barn, how could they not have noticed? I have a call in to the fellow whose care she was in, I sure have a lot of questions for him. This issue probably has contributed to her body condition. 

I have checked her for ulcers using the Depaolo method and fortunately that doesn't seem to be an issue. 

Then we get onto the last thing..... and there is no excuse for this.

When I picked her up I noticed she had big snowballs on her feet, so I picked them and saw that her heels were about an inch high, and she had bar growing all around her frog, and what looks like false sole around her toe. I asked when she was done last and he said 3 weeks ago. 

I trimmed her fronts yesterday afternoon, and right away there was a lot of licking and chewing as soon as I lowered the heels, and even more as I worked on her bars. She was pretty fidgety, so I think she was super uncomfortable as she adjusted- at one point she was lifting the untrimmed foot as if she didn't want to stand on it any more. Poor girl. I will touch up my trim before I post photos of it, as we had both had enough before I had it completed. 

So my plan for her is to get her teeth done asap- hopefully I can get her in this week. She will go on Tribute Ultra for now, and Essential K when it's available here. All the grass hay she can eat, and she is really going through the Hoffman's minerals. I will wait to ride her until her teeth are done.

This is the dull look she had the first couple of days... I am going to bring back the life into her eyes as soon as I can.

The menace response

Do you suspect your horse has trouble seeing things or does it get startled by things you think it has seen many times? If the horse's vertebrae or axis are out of alignment it can put pressure on the optic nerve which can affect its vision.
 I did a little video to show how to test the menace response, which is simply chopping your hand towards the eye making sure it isn't the air flow he or she is responding to, start from a position back towards the neck and move up to the corner of the eye to see where they perceive the motion. The horse will blink when it perceives the "menace".
A chiropractic adjustment will usually fix the problem unless there is an underlying disease.
I used Coulee for this demo, and you can see that she has excellent vision with both eyes, as she should since I have had the chiro work done on her.

Preventative measures

West Nile Virus has reared it's ugly head in our area. Horses within a 60 mile radius have contracted the mosquito borne disease, which is reported to be fatal in 1/3 of the cases. At least one horse was euthanised, 3 others have died or been euthanised showing the same symptoms but the bloodwork was not done.
Those of you who remember my little Stella Belle will know that one of the things I considered with her was whether or not she had a neurological disease, and had the bloodwork done- which all came back negative. People, if your horse shows neurological signs, get the bloodwork done! At least that way the vets and other horse owners will know if there is anything going on that could be preventable!
Since I don't know the vaccine history on my 2 mares, and I know I haven't done Beamer in 5 years, they all got vaccinated today, and will get their boosters in 3 weeks. Cost for my peace of mind? $214. Worth every penny.

What we found with body work

Last night's body work session proved quite interesting. Dustin Hewett adjusted her poll, several ribs on both sides, relieved some tightness in her sacral area with stretches of her hind legs, and the most interesting part was her jaw area. Specifically, he said where her tongue connects was out of alignment on one side and it was putting pressure on her pituitary gland, which controls a lot of things including hormonal balance. After he adjusted her there by pulling her tongue out to the side and having her work her jaw, she released for about 5 minutes, yawning and licking and dropping her head low and relaxed.

I bet that feels much better!

I asked him about her mental/emotional state and he said that she is very guarded, not willing to let anyone in. Past issues? Most likely. We found an oil that she wanted- Angelica. I thought maybe Release but that was a definite NO! Here is what my book says about Angelica: Known as the "holy spirit" oil or the "oil of Angels" by the Europeans, angelica's healing powers were so strong that it was believed to be of divine origin.

It's uses include throat/lung infections, indigestion, menstrual problems/PMS and symptoms of dementia. It's fragrant influence assists in the release of pent up negative feelings and restores memories to the point of origin before the trauma or anger was experienced.

Very interesting that this is the oil she wanted!!! I sure hope it helps her get over what troubles her. He said to apply it 3 times a week on her neck about 4 inches behind her ears.

It is going to be very interesting to see how she does when I work her today. Can't wait!

Sunday Stills- Bitter

Sunday Stills challenge today is the word, bitter.  We don't get bitter cold here in the Creston Valley- at least, not like we did back in the 70's. And I don't have any bitter disappointments or bitter people in my life. What I do have, is bitter herbs; in particular the ones I feed Beamer for his arthritis.

Every morning, I take a teaspoon of dandelion root, 

and a teaspoon of burdock root...

Combine them and add some boiled water; then I let them steep until the afternoon.

My kitchen is starting to look like an apothecary

In the large jar is stinging nettles; he gets a handful of that on top of 2 cups of alfalfa pellets; then I add the steeped herbs and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. A bitter concoction, to be sure!

I also make myself a tea of a tsp. of dandelion and of burdock

I let it diffuse all day, and drink it in the afternoon as a cold drink that I can just chug back. I actually don't mind the taste.

Trouble, and trust

Over the last few days. Clancy has been lame on her right front. There were no apparent causes; I thought she might be a bit foot sore from our ride to the river, but she was good for 2 days after that. So I think it is an abscess working it's way out. It seems to happen, when you are transitioning a horse to barefoot and you clean up the overlaid bar that once things start working internally the way they should, that they can abscess. After about 4 days of lameness,  (no heat anywhere and no tender spots on sole, heels or coronet band) a slight swelling developed just above the fetlock. So I really think an abscess is brewing, and have been treating her accordingly. It will pass, eventually...... but. But! The Buck Brannaman clinic is this week. I spent all that money on getting her international papers and now this. Sigh. So what I have done, is decided to leave her at home, and borrow a horse from Tracey Westbury (Mustang Diaries blog)- and that horse is Doxie, the little bay mare  that I was thinking of buying before I found Clancy. I am happy that Tracey will trust me with this lovely mare for the 4 days of the clinic.

Tracey lives about 3 and a half hours from where the clinic will be held, so she is bringing her over - and I am excited to finally get to meet Tracey and her daughter, Katie, as I have been following them on blogs and Facebook for years. There are also going to be 3 other blog friends coming to visit for the clinic, so it should be a lot of fun. I will be taking photos, and making notes, but probably won't blog about it until I get back, as I won't have anything but my phone, and no data plan to blog with. We leave on Thursday, and come home Monday night.

DMSO

Here is a link to a very good article about DMSO. This will be a pinned post on my sidebar for future reference.
http://equusmagazine.com/article/harnessing-the-power-of-dmso

Delia's follow up body work

Melissa came over yesterday to do another session on Delia. The first session was all about the things that were going on with her head and neck, some of which were affecting her vision. The preliminary testing yesterday showed that that is pretty well cleared up, just a little tweaking was all that was needed there. I guess that layer needed to be done first before moving on to the next issue. What Delia wanted worked on yesterday was her hind quarters. Her sacrum was sore, and a lot of muscles associated with it needed massage. We had a really good session, Delia made it really plain where she wanted to be worked on and exactly how long too!

Another thing about Delia- she really loves the essential oils and will sniff the bottle from each nostril. The ones she doesn't want she will turn away from, and the ones she wants get a good sniff and soft eye.

There was one point during the hind end massage where she brought her head around to her side and self adjusted a bone in her neck- we could hear it pop. Very cool! When Delia decided that Mel had done enough, she walked away and began eating her hay, like "okay, thanks we're done now!" It was about a half hour session.
Josie was standing by watching, and it seemed that the good energy Delia was getting was reflecting in her.

After Mel was done with Delia, Josie stood right by Mel, almost begging for her to do a little work on her too- of course, she obliged with a little work on Josie's poll. She said that horses with a busy, inquisitive mind usually need work on their poll area, and Josie apparently agreed.

I got a side pull yesterday, and the bosal is shaped and ready to use, so today I haul to the arena and I'll try both of them out and see which one works best. Yay- saddle time!