Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: Back to January 2011. The three wearing blankets are all gone to greener pastures with the sun shining on them. Our South Dakota winters are tough on the older horses so we do everything we can to ensure they stay warm on those bitterly cold days.

Queen

Babe

Brego and Sam

National Horse Protection Day

Today is National Horse Protection Day! Totally not on top of it or we would have done some type of fun activity. Maybe next year (of course I said that last year too).


But here's to all who help keep our horses safe!

Sightings

I stepped outside this morning at 5:30am. The sky was filled with stars and Tommy let out a whinny to say he was ready for his breakfast. As I looked over to the barn to see if anyone from the big herd was standing their patiently waiting for their morning grain, I saw Sam, the Belgian. I knew it couldn’t be but he was there.

I’ve had it happen before. It seems to happen more often now than ever before. I guess it’s due to the number of losses we’ve had over the past few years. A quick glance turns one horse into another horse. It always causes me to do a double take because I know my eyes are deceiving me. It’s simply my brain registering what used to be rather than what really is.

What I saw this morning was a combination of King and Dude in the yard light reflection. I’d seen a two-toned horse. With the light shining the way it did and the combination of how King and Dude we standing made it look like Sam was still with us. It’s hard to believe that today marks the one month passing of Sam. I didn’t realize it until just now. Maybe that’s why I thought I saw him this morning. I never did see a sign for Sam when he crossed over, not like I did for Dick the Percheron we lost back in August (when I saw a shooting star that night). Maybe Sam was giving me a sign, I don’t know.

I’ve had the same double take happen a few other times. Earlier this summer I was in the blind pen and I happened to glance up and see my very first horse, Tiny Dictator. I did a double take. Of course it wasn’t Dictator, it was Ivan. If Ivan were to sport a star and a huge snip, along with two hind white socks and a brand, they’d be spitting images of each other. Oh sure, the body shapes are a little different but it’s still fairly the same.

Same goes for Maverick. I’d taken a picture of Maverick at a weird angle. When I was flipping through the photos, I thought it was my beloved Arabian, Ace. Again, I had to do a double take, almost the exact same coloring and almost the exact same stripe. Maverick’s is a little straighter than Ace’s was. Ace also had a little white on his back leg which made his hoof a different color. But at a quick glance, my heart skipped a beat.

The double takes also happen with the dogs. We lost an amazing dog a few years back on Christmas day. Knowing Farley couldn’t be alone, we went to the Humane Society and adopted Gypsy. She has very similar markings to our beloved LeRoy. I guess I have a thing for black and tan dogs. I was cleaning the stalls in the barn and looked up to see LeRoy standing in the doorway. Again, I did a double take. Of course it wasn’t LeRoy, he’d been gone for a few months. It was Gypsy checking out my progress and doing her imitation of supervising.

It’s those quick glances that sometimes make my heart skip a beat. It’s those fleeting images that make me remember those that have gone before us. The other day I was thinking about one my fears. I know, it’s silly. But one of my fears is being forgotten. What will happen when I am gone? Who will remember me? But then a very calming thought came over me. It won’t matter who remembers me on earth, because I will (hopefully) be greeted by all the wonderful animals and people that have gone before me. It’s a little hard to explain; my logic doesn’t always make sense once I type it out.

I’m taking the “Sam Sighting” as a sign that Sam has settled in to Heaven and that he’s found all his friends that have gone before him. It is never easy saying goodbye but knowing that we were able to give them a safe home, love, and a dignified passing is all that I can ask for in life. I only wish that we had the capacity to do the same for more. I’ll be thinking of Sam today.

Goodbye Sam

We said goodbye to Sam this past Friday. It was a dreary day but Sam was snug in his blanket until the very end. We spent hours pulling cockleburs out of his mane, tail, and winter coat. I love our vet. He's so understanding of the lose I go through each time. I'll also admit that I'm impressed. I noticed it this time because Dick's passing was so fresh on my mind. Each time my vet is required to put a horse down he says these little words "Horse, please forgive me."

Friday night's chores were a blur but last night doing chores it just felt wrong. There wasn't the hour long wait for Sam to lick out his dish. I've been waiting on someone to finish their meal for years, starting with Ace, then Bob, and then Sam. Last night I didn't have to wait on everyone, they were waiting on me.

I know Sam is with his old Amish Belgian teammate(s), Bob our Percheron, and his QH buddy Bubba.

I will miss your goofy whinny and your banging on the barn door demanding to get in the barn for your evening meal. The herd doesn't look right without the two-toned blonde color in the mix.

Goodbye my sweet Sam Man. You are missed. You have a very special spot in my heart.

I'll try to post more pictures of Sam during his stay at Borderlands but blogger is giving me fits again.

Happenings Over the Past Few Days

Seems I haven’t really posted much over the past couple of days. Life at Borderlands has been a whirlwind for a little while with the simple day-to-day activities. We spent most of the week prior to Christmas getting ready to have Christmas and hanging out with family. It was so nice to spend time with family. It’s been a rough year for all of us so it was nice to join together and simply enjoy each other’s company. I caught a little bug right after Christmas. Mom if you’re reading, don’t worry; it could have been that I needed a day to recoup from all the excitement.

I haven’t had much time to spend with the herd over the past two weeks other than their standard chores. I can’t think about what tomorrow will bring, otherwise I’ll start to cry. I spent over an hour pulling cockleburs out of Sam’s tail (and that is with the show sheen detangler). I’m sure I’ll spend another hour pulling cockleburs out of his mane and wooly coat tonight. I don’t want to do it and I keep thinking maybe I’m rushing. But last night, Sam kept looking back at me while I worked on his tail. He needed to go outside and walk around to relieve the pain from his ulcers. He’ll never be over the ulcers even when he’s only on beet pulp and hay. I know it’s time to let him go and it’s a good thing I already made the appointment because I’m simply too exhausted now to make that decision. I keep thinking there is something more that I can do. I know there isn’t and I don’t want him to suffer and lose any more weight. We’ve been blessed with a super mild winter (it’s crazy to have 40 degree temps for Christmas!). If we didn’t have this mild winter, if we were to have a winter like we did the past two years, Sam would be in much worse shape. So I know it’s the right time, but it’s hard to let go. Knowing that I’m losing Sam is part of the reason why I haven’t posted much (besides the Christmas hubbub). I don’t want to bring anyone down during a time that should be filled with joy.

This morning when I went out to do chores, Thor was curled up snoozing away. This is only the second or third time that I’ve seen Thor lying down. The last time I saw him down was due to a hoof abscess last fall. Of course, he was in with Babe and Queen at the time too. It seems Thor is finally adjusted to life with his disability. I can finally breathe knowing that he’s adjusted. Watching a horse try to adjust is tough when you can’t explain to him everything that’s going on. But Thor seems pretty content. He took a love nip out of Queen the other day. And now that he’s curled up sleeping shows he’s pretty comfortable with his two ol’ gals.

When I pulled Queen out, I changed up Flower’s feeding. I think she may have dropped a bit of weight now that her BFF isn’t in with her any more. I’m going to have to go back to her old feeding ration to see if that helps any. I’ll be keeping a close eye on her to make sure she packs the pounds back on. I don’t think she lost much but it’s enough for me to notice. Poor girl. If she hadn’t started harassing Queen as much as she had, I probably would have done a different setup. But I’ll go back to the feeding ration that she had this fall and I bet she’ll bounce right back.

We did think Mayhem was colicing the other evening. Just what I wanted, a colicing filly on Christmas eve! I think instead Mayhem was simply being lazy. But I didn’t want to take a chance so I pulled her out of the pen and we walked around for a good half an hour. She was farting and had gut sounds when we noticed her down (not rolling around but curled up). We walked for a little while and she started getting a little feisty. I figured that was a sign that she was just fine but was being lazy and eating while lying down instead of standing up. What better way to protect your food than to lay on it so no one else can get to it. Not sure where she learned that one. When I realized she wasn’t colicing but being lazy, we did a little bit more walking and a lesson on standing near the garage. Yup, she pooped on the lawn so there was no doubt that she was simply being lazy. That girl drives me nuts some days.

I’m trying to think of other activities or events that have taken place over the past few days. The last few days have been a blur with not a lot of horse activity. We’ve had some fantastic weather lately and I still haven’t had a chance to do any riding. Of course everyone is covered in cockleburs from head to hoof so the idea of pulling a horse out to groom (aka pull cockleburs) and then go for a ride seems like a lot more work. I guess I’ve gotten lazy lately. But pulling cockleburs when I could be riding is irritating. And the worst part is that I know once I pull the cockleburs out, the darn horse will go back and roll and pick up more cockleburs. It’s a never winning battle. I’ll be happy for about three to six inches of snow.

Please keep Sam in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. The appointment is scheduled for 9am. I’m sure I’ll be a wreck. I’ve been in denial so I expect it’s going to hit me pretty hard tonight and tomorrow morning. Sam will be reunited with his old Amish teammate(s), his QH buddy Bubba, and his Percheron friend Bob. I’m sure Sam will be excited to see all his old friends again but I’m sure going to miss that goofy guy.

Appointment

I couldn't bring myself to make the appointment for this week. Seemed too cruel to put Sam down two days before Christmas, especially with all the losses we've been experiencing lately. I made the appointment for next Friday at 9am. So I'll have two weeks to enjoy Sam's company. I know I'm putting off the inevitable. I'm being selfish. If the weather turns bad before next Friday, I'll reschedule for sooner.

But it gives me an extra week to recover from the other losses and prepare my heart for another loss. I am hoping that 2012 will bring no more losses and only heartfelt joy.

Sam

Sam gave me the sign I've been looking for. It's not the sign I was hoping for but I have to listen to what he's telling me. I had hoped to wait on calling the vet to make that awful appointment. But tonight Sam told me he's ready.

I'd given Sam his nightly beet pulp (slightly frozen because I didn't bring it in overnight) and he didn't polish it off like he normally does. Not sure if it was because it was cold or because he's simply giving me that sign.

After rejecting most of his beet pulp with ulcer powder, I let Sam out of the barn. He promptly went out passed the horses and laid down. He rolled a little (I'm guessing to relieve the ulcer pains) and decided to lay prostrate on the ground. When I approached he curled up into as small of a ball as a draft horse can. He actually looked small that way.

I sat with him for a little bit, talking about nothing. He decided he wanted up so I moved out of the way. But when he went to rise, he couldn't get his back end under him. He was on a hill so I assume the incline was a large part of the problem. But it took him three times to stand. We have no snow. The minute there is snow, he'll not be able to rise on his own.

I will call the vet Monday morning to see when we can make it in. It's not a phone call I want to make, especially after just recently losing so many other family members. I knew it was coming but had hoped that Sam would be able to enjoy a little bit longer. I need to let him go but with all the losses we've had at Borderlands lately, one more blow is just that much more devastating.

This next week is going to be a solemn week at Borderlands. I will enjoy the few remaining days with Sam and then give him the dignified end that he deserves (as do they all deserve). He will be surrounded by loved ones and will be greatly missed. If I don't post much in the next week, it's simply me trying to spend as much time as possible with Sam before I say goodbye.

As the hustle and bustle continues for this Christmas, remember the true meaning of Christmas and keep close those that you hold dear. Tell and show them that you love them. Time is precious.

Wordless Tuesday

Did someone say treat?

Bo's Dismay and Babe's Delight

Much to Bo’s dismay and to Babe’s delight, Bo is in with the big herd. I’m a bit nervous because the big herd is a bit daunting. But Bo has met everyone over the fence. It’s just a matter of figuring out the pecking order. Poor Bo will be at the very bottom of the herd. Bo spent most of the night behind the manure pile (yes, I have a manure pile in the horse pen. It’s going away soon, fingers crossed.)

Babe seemed much more relaxed having Bo out of her pen. She had a look of contentment the minute Bo was out of the pen. Hopefully she’ll be just as relaxed when I put Thor in the pen with her. We’ll see how that goes. I’m still a little too chicken yet to try it. Maybe tomorrow.

We moved Savanna from her stall to the leanto. I want her to stretch her legs a little bit more. Being cooped up in a stall is no good and just increases her cribbing habit. She was also starting to get stocked up standing in her stall. I think having a week of low/no stress helped. I can’t tell if she’s started putting on weight or not. Usually it takes a week for the body to stop eating away at itself. So hopefully now that we’ve had Savanna for a week and a half she’ll start gaining weight. I brought her out last night and hand grazed her for a little while in the front lawn. I wanted to be close to the house while Mike repaired shingles from our terrible winds from last weekend.

Back to Bo. I still need to get pictures of him. It’s hard to believe that we’ll have had him for almost two months now. He’s really looking good. He looks terrible in with the other horses (he’s still so skinny), but from where he was to now, he looks fantastic. I can’t wait to see him all plump and sassy. As long as the herd lets him eat, he’ll do ok. I’ll pull him into the barn stall to let him eat and let him devour a sliver of hay too just to make sure he gets all the food he wants. He is such a pretty mover. He was trotting around the pen, just floating along with no effort even in his skinny state. He did a little bit of loping too. I can’t wait to see what he’s like once he’s at the proper weight. I’m betting he’ll be a handful. I keep picturing him under English. He’d be rather stunning. Of course, there isn’t enough leather for my fat butt to ride English, so we’ll just see how things progress.

I’m itching to play with Mayhem. She’s such a doll. I was messing with her last night just hanging all over her. She wasn’t very happy with me but she needs to learn. This morning when I threw hay, she was standing next to Queen. Queen waddled up and Mayhem followed. I busted out laughing. Mayhem was acting exactly like Queen. I really like putting a very young horse in with an older, more experienced horse. I did the same thing with Chaos when he was a baby. It seems to be working well for Mayhem. Of course Queen is digging every minute of it. I’m contemplating putting Sahara in with Queen. But I need to start working with Sahara to actually halter break her. She’s very skeptical of people these days. Of course, I don’t blame her.

And have I mentioned that I have the greatest family? My niece and nephews (along with their mom), went to Campbell Supply and bought fly masks for the horses. The oldest nephew picked one out for King. My niece chose one for Queen, and my youngest nephew picked one out for Chaos. Those kids have a heart of gold. Queen and Chaos are definite rescues. I pulled Queen from the Kramers auction and I took Chaos in before he headed to Kramers. King is the only possible non rescue. I bought him for a personal horse but he’s since come up lame due to muscle issues (sore muscles all the time). Had we not kept him, I’m betting he would have been tossed from one owner to the next until he ended up in the slaughter pipeline. I’ll be talking with the vet again to see if there is a different method we can use this summer. The meds we used last summer didn’t seem to work.

Speaking of meds, Sam finished his ulcer meds up this past weekend. It was for 30 days but I missed a couple along the way so it took a few extra days. The 30 days were to treat the ulcer. We are to do an additional treatment for maintenance. I haven’t gotten the meds yet but I’m already noticing that Sam is starting to not feel well again. I have a distinct impression that Sam will be on an ulcer regime the rest of his life. We’ll just do the “maintenance” portion but it’ll add up. I’ll do the “maintenance” treatment for 14 days. But I’m going to place an order to keep the ulcer meds on hand at all times. I also need to throw in meds for Rabbit’s heaves. Her heaves stay under control for the most part but the warmer the weather gets, the harder it is for her to breath. She really needs to go somewhere where it’s cold all the time. The crisp air seems to really keep the heaves down.

We are three weeks behind in the weather. I’m concerned that the pasture won’t come up in time. What worries me more is that I’ll be out of hay by early next week. I need to make a run to Madison to pick up one or two bales I had stashed at mom and dad’s just for a situation like this. I’ll also see if I can’t buy a few more bales to get me through until the herd is out on pasture. It’s never ending but now that we are getting down to the wire, I’m starting to feel the pressure and stress.

Happy Day

Life has been so crazy lately. Everything has been such a blur for the past two months. It's hard to keep track of all the stuff I wanted to blog about.

Today was such a nice day that I decided I would take at least one horse out for a little spin around the farmer neighbor's field. I decided I would take Jim out since he's one of my "go to" horses. We started out at a walk but I couldn't keep him down out of his pacing trot the entire time. I'm afraid he's herd bound so we'll be working on getting that bad habit fixed. We weren't in the field for very long, but last fall the neighbor did a "deep rip" on it so the field is pretty worked up even this spring. I tried to stay out of the wet areas to make walking through it a little easier. We weren't gone for very long but Jim was worked into a lather.

I decided since the evening was still young, that I would take Zeke out (a non-rescue). Riding Zeke is almost like riding Ace, my beloved Arabian I really learned to ride on. I sure do miss that gelding. Zeke is so well trained. He knows more than I do about riding. I can only hope that I can learn so that I can show off all his knowledge. Zeke is the type of horse that can go into a lope and drop back down in just a heartbeat. I love that boy!


Today is Sam's last day of ulcer treatments. I missed a couple of days here and there but he got his full 30 days of ulcer meds. We are going to do an additional 14 days of maintenance. I only wish I would have caught Sam's ulcer sooner. I'm betting it flared up last fall but it didn't get bad until this spring. I'm going to start him on an ulcer maintenance plan in the fall and the spring so that we can avoid another major ulcer again. Sam has come out of this ulcer pretty well. I'm really happy with his weight. I'll have to get some pictures of him to show off his weight. He's probably looking the best I've seen him in years.

I've taken Chaos to a few riding clinics. He's getting a lot of experience. I'm hoping to use him as a spokesman for rescue (along with Bo). At our clinic on Wed, K rode Chaos. She said he wasn't stupid just dumb. Now don't get upset, what she means is Chaos is broke but he's not trained. She was on Chaos for about 10 minutes and new everything about him that I knew! I am totally amazed. Now the hard part will be for me to find the time to continue riding him and teaching/training him on the things K taught me.

I know there is more to blog about but I'm coming up blank so I'll just leave it that we are busy, busy, busy. Hopefully the weather will hold so that I can get more riding in!

Tuesday Thor, Bo, and Sam Update

I want to thank everyone for their moral support. This past month has been a little stressful and knowing that I have such great friends brings me to tears. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thor seems to be adjusting. He still bangs into things but he's getting the hang of his little pen. He's discovered that he can reach over and drink from the automatic water. We are on a close watch to make sure he doesn't slip into a depression. But he is eating his grain mash and alfalfa like there's no tomorrow. We are simply taking each day as it comes. He's such a gentle soul. He's a little standoffish but I'm guessing he's just trying to figure out and learn all the new sounds that are lost when you have sight. He isn't yet as observant as Babe but he's picking up quickly how to handle life without sight. He is carrying his head the same way Blondie used to so I'm wondering if he can see shadows. Bo was all worked up last night. I'm not sure if it was the weather or if he is just feeling great. I fed him his grain mash and then took him for a walk. We've been going on short hand walks up and down the driveway to gain strenght in his legs. At first we wouldn't even make it down the driveway because he seemed tired (tripping over his feet). But now we can make two laps and he doesn't take a wrong step. He did spook last night as we rounded the house (there's something about the house that spooks all the horses). Bo behaved like a dream. He spooked and side stepped away from me but never once pulling on the lead. The prints Bo left in the gravel would make you think that we had a wreck but he is all legs so I'm sure he was just trying to keep all four legs under himself. As we were walking it started to snow. Bo is snug in a blanket to ward off the chill and damp from the snow. We did hand graze for about five minutes by the house. We'll have his teeth checked out but from the way Bo was powering through the grass not leaving a morsal, I believe the state in which he arrived to Borderlands wasn't because of teeth issue (not like Dick who leaves wads of hay behind) but to lack of food. Speaking of Dick. He has settled in for the most part. I moved him to a temporary pen by the red shed. He's next to Rabbit and I swear he and Rabbit are girlfriend/boyfriend. I'm a little hestiant yet to put Dick in with Rabbit just yet. I'm also not sure that Dick is ready for the ponies. I'm keeping a close eye and we'll see how Dick and Rabbit handle each other over the fence. Two nights ago they were standing side by side with the fence in between. Last night Dick reached his head over to touch Rabbit who let out a small crow hop and a squeel. ...silly mares. So maybe putting Dick and Rabbit in together is an option but for now we'll keep them seperated with a fence until the weekend. Sam seems to be improving by leaps and bounds. This time during the last medication he wasn't near as far as he is now. Of course, I'm following vets orders and feeding him twice a day. I feed everyone hay twice a day and grain in the evenings normally. But with Sam's ulcers I've taken to feeding him beet pulp both morning and night. That way the "hay shelf" as the vet calls it, is always there andt the beet pulp coats the ulcers so the grain has time to work its way through Sam's system. Luckily Sam has been powerng through the beet pulp in the morning so when I'm about ready to leave for work, I just let him out of the barn. We are only on day four of Sam's 30 day ulcer treatment but it seems like he's feeling better already. Sam's mustache is coming back in full. I guess Sam has decided to wear a mustache these days. When we first got Sam, he had a mustache but he decided that it wasn't the "right look". But in the last few months he's been letting it grow out. I swear we could make a handlebar mustache out of it. I need to get a pic of it so you can see how funny it looks. Everyone else is doing well. I know my focus has been Bo, Thor, and Sam but everyone else is doing well to. I will be so happy when the grass is here and I can let everyone out on grass instead of feeding hay. The wind has been out of the east for the past 24 hours and I swear I had more hay down my shirt this morning than other mornings. Of course the hay bale was kicking my butt last night. Hopefully the snow that fell will melt quickly today and the sun will soon shine so that we don't have to deal with mud! I am very much looking forward to spring. I do need to take a look at spring shots. For those of you in the Minnehaha County Saddle Club, I just got the Valley Vet catalog so I can get prices on shots. I still need to see what Sioux Nation will charge for shots. I will try to get something emailed out to the group before the monthly meeting. It might be nice to do our spring shots clinic after our first trail ride? And a big Thank You to Stacy A. She did some research on worming a starved horse. I haven't had a chance yet to read the article. I'm always looking to learn more so even if I might have known the information (and I'm not sure that I did), it's good to reconfirm and remember. There's always room for more knowledge. Lord knows these horses are teaching me new stuff every day.

Sam and His Ulcers

Sam isn't over his ulcers. We had him on ulcer meds for 14 days. I should have called the vet immediately after we ran out to see what the plan was. Sam isn't back up to snuff and you can tell.

I called our vet this morning and we are putting Sam on ulcer meds for 30 days. Youch! I am not going to like that vet bill.

We are supposed to give him the ulcer meds for 30 days at full dose and then do another 30 days at half dose. Double Youch!

And when I say youch, I mean 14 days of ulcer meds cost just over $100. So there's the 14 days that we did already at $100, there's the 30 days at full dose at $200 and another 30 days at half dose so that'll be another $200. So to get Sam back up to snuff, we are looking at a $500 vet bill.

I'm going to have to do some additional research as one vet said feed alfalfa and remove senior/calf manna and one said take away alfalfa and keep with the senior feed. I wish there was a better diagnosis for ulcers. Better yet, I wish Sam didn't have ulcers altogether.

We'll be starting ulcer treatments tomorrow after getting the medicine. We could buy the over-the-counter Gastroguard or Ulcerguard but the vet has their Gastrogaurd compounded with pepto to help the horse feel better faster. The cost is almost the same as far as I can tell.

So here's the plan. Start Sam tomorrow on Omaprizal (I'll get the true spelling later). Give him meds for 30 days at full dose (aka half a tube). Then we'll go for another 30 days at half dose (aka a quarter tube). We'll see where we are from there. Hopefully we'll be on to pasture so life will be easier and the ulcers will be gone, gone, gone.

But there is one additional caveat. Both vets I've talked with recommend continuous feeding. That means evening graining isn't good enough. I need to spread it out throughout the day. I'm not sure how that'll work but I'm betting I'll be getting up earlier to get Sam eating in the morning. If I can feed him half his beet pulp in the morning and the other half in the afternoon, that should keep the "hay shelf" covered and the ulcers will heal faster. Or so I hope.

So that's the plan. Early to rise to feed Sam some of his normal grain ration and afternoon feeding with a dose of ulcer meds. Not sure if this will be the new routine for the future or just for the next month. I know with Sam, it should be for the rest of his life. We'll see how I handle it.

Classic Case of Ulcers

Talked with the vet. Sam has a classic case of ulcers. Well, on the bright side, at least it's a classic case. I will get the meds and start administering them this evening. He'll be getting half a tube each day for 14 days (sorry, writing this more for me than anyone else).

Sam really is a high strung horse (for a draft horse) and we're guessing he brought on the stress himself. I thought I was doing ok with keeping him stress free but I guess not. I'll have to come up with something to keep his stress levels to a minimum.

I'll keep everyone posted. If I would be a good blogger I would document, photograph, and blog about getting Sam back up and running. We'll see how it goes.

I'm just glad I was able to catch it early. The last time his ulcers really kicked in he was a hurting guy.

Poor Sam. Used most of his life as an Amish work horse and now he's in retirement with ailments. I want to go give Sam a great big hug right now.

Sam Watch

We're on Sam watch. Sam went off his feed completely last night and this morning. He didn't touch his beet pulp and barely toughed his soaked senior and calf manna. Thought maybe I could tempt him with some soaked alfalfa pellets this morning and it was a no go. He wouldn't even eat the Tums I offered last night either.

He picked at the hay last night and wasn't interested at all in the hay this morning.

I haven't been able to grain him Tues or Wed because of other activities going on. So I haven't been able to tell if he's eaten anything since Monday. He was sort of off his feed on Monday but he's been slower to eat his beet pulp as of late.

I called the vet but they were on the road. It doesn't sound like I could even squeeze a visit in since they are jam packed with work. I have to call back in a little bit to hear more.

I talked with the vet assistant for just a little bit and we're guessing it's Sam's ulcers. I thought I had them under control this fall with the alfalfa pellets but I took him off when he didn't seem intersted in them any more. Maybe that should have been my sign. He was only interested in alfalfa leaves.

So I may be putting Sam on some ulcer meds. I'll be running up to Madison if that's what the vet rules this is. I'll keep everyone posted after I talk with the vet again this morning.

I swear, these drafts are going to be the death of me yet.

Sam's Weight

I wanted to do a post on Sam since he struggles to keep weight on. It'll be more of a post in pics.

The following two posts are when we first brought Sam home. He had a very thin neck, could see ribs, and what I call the "table" was showing (aka, his spine was sticking out). The first two pics are after we'd had Sam for one month.



The following two pictures are of Sam the following spring (2010). The previous fall (2009) he caught a cold (from who knows where). AND his ulcers flared up. I didn't even know he had ulcers. I was very worried because he dropped weight FAST. But we put him on a grain mash and that seemed to help some but not as much as I'd wanted.



Here's Sam so far this winter. His ulcers did flare up this fall but I started him on soaked alfalfa pellets and Tums. Surprisingly that did the trick. I did read that alfalfa has calcium (and so do Tums) and the lack of calcium is what causes some of the ulcers (or something to that affect). After awhile Sam didn't want his Tums any more and I knew it was a sign that he was feeling better. We still have him on a grain mash but he seems to be doing better. His neck is HUGE compared to when we first got him or even from last spring (after a winter recovering).

I wish I would have had a camera yesterday. Sam doesn't typically cock a leg and snooze. But yesterday he was standing in the sun with a cocked leg, snoozing away. He looked at the proper weight and happy, and that's all that matters!

I'll try to get better pictures but he's wrapped up in his blanket to ward off the coming storm.

Sam

Forgot to put new batteries in the camera so only got a few pictures. Here's one of Sam. I need to get a few more to show the difference between the years.

Guyliner and Mustaches

I love King's partial blue eyes. I have to admit that when we went to look at him back in April of 2007, I never even noticed his eyes. The pictures don't do his eyes justice. He's got the prettiest partial blues with guyliner.
King isn't a rescue. I was specifically looking for a trail riding horse. He does have some health issues that would most likely have sent him to auction. I'm still trying to come up with a way to remedy those issues. During the summer, his muscles get soar for no apparent reason. We took him to the vet because he came up lame one summer. I don't remember the scientific name of what's wrong but the vet explained it as such:

You know when you run and then stop without cooling down. Your muscles build up toxins that without proper stretching, etc. can't be released so the next day you're really soar. Well, that's exactly what King has although he doesn't do anything. There's some buildup of toxins in his muscles which I believe is caused by the heat. It always looks like he's lame in his front end but it's really soar muscles.

We have medicine for him during the summer. I'm hoping to come up with a better solution so that we can actually use him as a trail riding horse instead of a pasture puff during the summer months.

If you look close, can you see Sam's mustache? When we first brought Sam home, he had a huge mustache. It was the cutest thing! But ever since we started feeding him a grain mash (which was right away) his mustache disappeared.

This year's mustache is much smaller but it's cute to see that he has one anyway. Sam is such a character and really brightens my day (except when he rushes the barn door at feeding time). Sam is keeping the weight on this year. Luckily someone told us to try calf-manna and that seems to be the trick.

We have him on soaked beet pulp (which is an acquired taste), soaked alfalfa (to keep his ulcers at bay), soaked senior (to try and keep the weight on), and soaked calf-manna (to help keep the weight on). No wonder he gets excited for feeding time.

Slippery Sam

Nothing takes five years off my life like seeing a horse go down. I few weeks back, Jim was being nasty to others and slipped on the ice/snow. Luckily he recovered himself with no harm.

This morning I went to let Sam in the barn but he was fighting with Jim. Jim is a kicker and has a big attitude. What he lacks in size, he makes up in pure attitude.

Sam is always so excited to get into the barn for morning alfalfa that he practically takes the door off. He rushed the door this morning because of Jim, lost the footing on his left hind, and DOWN he went! It was all in slow motion.

Sam lost the footing on one hind foot and then the other. Which meant he went toppling down. He landed on his side and then rolled with all four feet waving in the air. I figured he'd go down hard but wouldn't roll like that. I think he was a bit shocked but luckily he didn't hurt himself.

It was all in slow motion and I can still see the scene clear as day. I swear these draft horses take five years off my life every time they get sick or do something silly. Sam is too old to be falling like that. Luckily he had his winter blanket on to take a small portion of the blunt fall.

I need to figure out something in front of the door so that Sam doesn't fall again. I can still see Sam rolling almost onto his back with his legs straight in the air.

Sam - Description

It all depends on how you look at life. Depending on how you look at the situation, Sam may be considered a rescue.

In November 2007 an ad appeared for an 18-20 year old Belgian who was located in Mitchell, SD. I desperately wanted to look at him since we’d just gotten Bob the Percheron in October. Unfortunately we never had the chance as the horse was bought by someone and the ad removed. Not more than a few days later some friends told us they had purchased Sam.

I don’t know all the details about Sam’s past. I do know that at one point he was used by the Amish. He has the scars to prove it (on his neck and hind legs). I’m unclear as to how he ended up in Mitchell or what other owners he had between the time he was with the Amish until he went to stay with the friends. As we are finding out, many Amish horses are uncomfortable around strangers and since we were strangers at the time, he flinched every time we touched him. I made a note to try not petting him so that I wouldn’t make him flinch. Poor guy.

Jump to spring of 2009. The friend’s other horse became sick and was eventually euthanized, leaving poor Sam alone. The friends were looking for a different riding horse and put Sam up for sale. I was shocked to see a picture of Sam and instantly sent an email saying we would purchase Sam. I was disappointed because I remember hearing that these same people would keep Sam forever. Circumstances change and I understand. But if you make a promise, you keep it, especially when it’s a promise to a horse. The asking price was low and we were worried that he would be purchased and then sold around until he ended up in the auction circuit and eventually the slaughter pipeline.

At the end of April 2009, we drove to Madison, SD and picked up Sam. I was shocked at his condition. Sam was thin. I was even more disappointed to see how thin he was because at one point he looked so good. I knew money was very tight for these friends but I was still angry that it appeared “fun” costs came before the care of their horse. Sam had not had his teeth floated in two years. I’m sure that for some, their horse(s) receive the best care they can afford and when money runs low/out, the “fun” horsey stuff stops. But the standard care to feed and maintain a horse should never be compromised and it looked like Sam’s health had been compromised.
We originally put Sam in with Brego since Brego is pretty passive. Within hours Sam and Brego became best friends. It’s a sight to see, tall Sam standing with petite Brego.

We let Sam gain weight and just be a horse. It took the entire summer for Sam to gain weight. We had planned to float Sam’s teeth in the fall after he’d recovered from his weight loss and was feeling better but in October 2009 Sam came down with a cold and ulcers. He dropped a drastic amount of weight. We were worried. We decided to increase Sam’s grain ration and Sam soon discovered that he likes eating beet pulp.

Because of Sam’s weight loss and struggle to gain it back, we purchase Sam a blanket (since Bob’s was too large). We wanted to make sure that Sam spent his time gaining weight instead of trying to stay warm all winter. It’s a good thing he had his blanket because the winter of 2009-2010 was rough.

We have come to the conclusion that Sam will always be a hard keeper. He loses some weight every fall/winter and it takes the entire spring/summer to gain the weight back. We’ve come up with a number of different grain mashes to try and think we’ve found the best one yet! Every evening Sam gets his grain and he not so patiently waits at the barn to be let in. If a horse requires grain, they go in the barn so there’s no competition and no fighting. At first Sam was uncomfortable being in the barn. We were forced to bring his best friend in the barn until Sam finished his meal. But as the same routine continued on, Sam became more accustomed to the barn and now bangs on the door demanding to get in (thanks Bob for teaching Sam that bad habit).

We have permanently retired Sam from all work. Sam is the happiest when standing in the barn eating his grain. He is such a character. For being such a large/tall horse, he has a fairly high pitched whinny. Before we started feeding him a wet mash, Sam used to have a mustache. It was the biggest mustache we have ever seen on a horse. But Sam has decided to keep his mustache to a minimum.

Sam really is a clown. He has such large ears that when he walks, his ears bob. For all the hard work he put in and all the different demands others have put upon him, Sam is still a happy go lucky horse. We are blessed to have Sam with us. And if you recall we mentioned that Sam originally flinched when we would pet him. He’s since gotten used to use and loves to be brushed and hugged (and given treats)!

Now you decide if Sam is a rescue. He was given a promise that was broken and not provided adequate food when he really needed it. He could have found a good home after being placed through the local ads or he could have wound up in the slaugher pipeline. You decide, is Sam a rescue?

Finally Some Pictures

Figured since I haven't posted many pics that I'd better finally get some on here. These were all taken Saturday when I put the mare and filly out on the lawn pasture. The herd came up and was very interested. Zeke at the salt block and Sam insisting that he get his grain. He's taken to coming up to the barn right when I get home instead of waiting an hour for his grain. I think he must listen for me to pull into the driveway.

Dude and Chaos watching the mare and baby. Dude is a lady's man. Chaos is just curious. These two are probably the most photogenic of the entire herd.

Sometimes when Chaos sticks his head over the gate he reminds me of Bob. Bob used to hang out in the leanto waiting for his grain. Oh how I miss that old man.

Dude and Chaos in front with King lurking in the background. He's not the pushy type to push someone out of the way to see what's going on.