Autumn Snow, Hay, Pumpkins, and Trail Rides

What a year! We had snow in September and early October...

which hasn't happened in September for almost a hundred years.

Then it disappeared and Autumn returned: pumpkins, yellow and orange leaves, crisp sunshiney days.

We have a tradition of going to the pumpkin patch together--and we continue it, but in a more adult fashion--stopping for beer, wine, and hard cider.

The vet came for Cowboy.

She gave him the RX for Equioxx, but she wants me to give it to him in spurts with sections of rest in between to allow his body time to cleanse itself.  I'll definitely give it the night before and after a ride.  But, overall, she thinks he's doing pretty well and not in need of a daily dose yet.

We got our hay.

Fourteen round bales and about 10 tons of small square bales that, unfortunately, we've been going through way too fast already.  I can't find normal square bales anymore.  Instead, I'm seeing hay sold in rounds and squares.  I purchased 3 rounds at $95 per round.

3 rounds is about 1650 pounds, so you can see it's an expensive proposition.  I was paying $200/ton delivered and stacked. Rounds work out to a bit more, and we had to pick it up in my horse trailer.

The traditional "round" bales are about 750 pounds and run $45 a bale.  Our supplier puts away 42 for us.

Well, heading back out on the trail with some friends and my Cowboy!  And my sweetie and I are getting ready for that super romantic Maine and Boston trip I was telling you about earlier!  I'll share that adventure when we get back!  Happy Autumn!

The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak

What to do when our older heart horses are slowing down. It's a dilemma.

On the one hand, we know if they don't use it, they'll lose it. So, I had my farrier put shoes on Cowboy this year so that I could work to keep him going.  The year started out great.  His engine was revved up and, it appeared, with the help of Cosequin ASU and a little Bute before a ride, he was as good as new.

But mid-way through summer, the umph went out of him.  I began to wonder how much time I had left.  I blogged about it.  I was given a suggestion to introduce Exioxx, an anti-inflammatory you can give safely every day.

I did some research and filed that suggestion away.

Fast forward to last Tuesday: I went on a bareback ride with Cowboy at the state park, and he did pretty well.  The next day, I had a ride scheduled at Palisades Park--more steepness--water crossing--but a park Cowboy has rode a million times, and one that he is quite comfortable leading through.  (Which I needed because the other two horses didn't have the experience there.) 

From the start of the ride, he didn't seem like he was tracking right with his hips. I had  my friends look at him from behind, and they couldn't see it, but I could feel it here and there. I'm used to a little of that, especially when a ride starts out and they're not paying attention, but this felt different.  As we rode, it got better, and I started thinking he just needed to warm up, but when I hit some steep descents, you could see it.  I got off and walked him down those.

Looking back, I attribute that to some residual soreness from the day before.

So, my third ride, yesterday--I opted to leave him back and take Leah.

That ride was pretty flat--and in retrospect, I should have given Cowboy Wednesday off to recuperate and have taken him on this Thursday ride.

But in any case, I didn't.  I took Leah--who also has a tough time tracking with her hind end at times.  Oddly enough, she has problems in the exact same hip that Cowboy does, even though she's only 14.  (She will probably also benefit from Equioxx.)  Off the point just a bit here, but I think it's common for horses to have issues in their back right hips, if they're going to have hip problems at all.  I've seen many who do--for whatever reason.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, this is tough because Cowboy still has a heart for the trail--and he needs to keep moving.  His spirit has the strength of a ten year old in his prime.  His body, not so much.

I have been at a crossroad for some time now, so I scheduled an appointment for this Thursday with the veterinarian to assess him for Equioxx.

If I have to be honest, the Cosequin doesn't seem to be doing anything for him anymore, and it's more expensive--or at least, equally expensive, as the RX. (CosASU = 80 days for $150) I can get a 180 day supply of Equioxx from Allivet for $213-$223.   It works out to $1.18 per day.  I would also need to have him evaluated by my vet every 12 months.

Will it drastically change his situation?  I hope so.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could get another few years out on the trail with Cowboy?  Live the dream, just a little more?

Wish us luck.

The Precious Day by Day of an Older Equine Companion and Heart Horse

It seems that since we drove to get our new puppy, my life has been a blur.  First, it was the puppy--just getting her settled.  Then, it was back to back family vacations and family coming to stay.  I fit in a couple of rides through it all, and that one lesson with Tumbleweed, but I really had to set all that aside.

But now, we're home, and we don't have another trip planned until October, when I will finally return to the place I have sworn to return to since I was 16.  I'm 52 now, so that's a lot of years wanting something and not doing it.  Every January 1st, I'm reminded when we pull out little slips of paper from our family box of resolutions and someone reads:

Return to Maine.

And, I have to admit that, no, I did not do it.  Yet again, I DID NOT return to Maine.

You'd think it was the moon or Mars, rather than a state within our own country.

We have our plane tickets and all of our reservations made.  It appears, if all goes well, I will finally touch ground in the place I loved so dearly.

For horses this year, there is a definite theme, and it is Cowboy, my heart horse. I feel like he's at the end of his life in many ways, and my time is running out.  Even today, I saw him from the window holding his previously broken front foot out, and I ran to put him up and give him another dose of Cosequin. The more he moves, the better he does, but I'm losing ground.

I had shoes put on him this spring, and I'm taking him out on every ride.  If it gets too steep, or a log too high, I hop off and walk him.  We're both fighting for his life at this point, thirteen years post fracture and displacement into the coffin joint.  But the arthritis around the area where the bone enters the joint, it gets worse and worse so that every year is a blessing.  I've known, and lived with that knowledge, for a long time.

It's all about quality of life now. I want him to enjoy himself--my older equine partner--and to trust me.  As I said above, I don't hesitate to hop off his back and let him navigate down a hill or over a log without having to carry my weight, too.  I explain this to my friends when they see me swinging to the ground. I don't care if I have to walk the whole way, but he does need to keep moving.

I value every second we're together.  I tell him that, too, and give him lots of huge hugs.  Hey Cowboy, we're together today!  hug hug hug. I can't stop hugging him.  I know there will be a time, soon, when I can't.

Ride after ride.

I feel bad that I'm not riding Leah, but given what I feel in my heart--what I see happening with Cowboy--I don't even feel like there's a choice.  It's all about riding him NOW.  Enjoying every minute NOW.

I don't want to have any regrets when the time comes. I want to know in my heart that I spent as much time as I could with the horse who has been my companion and comfort and strength and healing. I absolutely cannot stand the thought of losing him.

Yet, in the wings, there is Tumbleweed--brought here to take over what will be a huge, gaping hole in my life.  (Not to put any pressure on him or anything.)

Here he is heading back out to pasture yesterday, before my ride.  He had come to the gate and whinnied at Cowboy, loaded in the trailer.  (They're big buddies nowadays)  I jumped out of the truck to snap a photo as he was heading back out.

I love that Cowboy is able to overlap and be a part of his life, and that I will always know Cowboy is in him.  Not biologically, of course, but in the environmental effects--the nurturing part.

Tumbleweed is growing fast.  He is very smart, and he is very well loved by the entire herd.

Like everything, I enjoy each and every day, and I take them one at a time.

Tumbleweed, Turning One

May 16th at 3:00 am, Tumbleweed, aka Midnight Tumbleweed, will turn one.

Mr. Tumbleweed is a product of Shirley's heart- horse, "Beamer" (Isle Be Midnight) and "Rosalee" (Solano N Jac).

He comes from a long line of athletic horses: Mr. San Peppy, Isle Breeze, Dolls Union Jac, and Solanos Peppy San--his great-grandfathers.  Also pictured below is his grandfather, Doll Docsan.

He was born on May 16th at 3:00 am, and "tumbled" into Shirley's arms. You can read about that day here.  And this is what the little angel looked like.

I had been planning on breeding one of our mares, but backed out at the last minute.  Shirley let me know that she did not plan to keep Tumbleweed, and that he would be available to me.

Within a week, I was up in Canada.  It was my first time meeting Shirley face to face, even though I'd followed her blog for many years.  And, of course, it was my first time meeting Tumbleweed.

It was love at first sight.

He was a mama's boy, that's for sure!  (Rosalee was a good mom.)

As the summer went by, I made several trips to see Tumbleweed and Shirley, and got to participate in his training. (Just a little--Shirley did everything!)

But mostly, it was his summer to be a baby with his mom and herd. (Following photos are Shirley's)

Back at home, I had work to do to get him across from Canada to the U.S.--it required a recorded wire transfer of payment so that I could prove to the border agents he'd been paid for.

Soon enough, the day had come, and I was in Canada picking up Rosalee and Tumbleweed to bring  here.

 Loading up. (He still loads great!)

 At the border.

It was a nail-biting trip (for me), but Rosalee and Tumbleweed were actually very calm.  It helped tremendously that we were hauling them together.

They settled right in.

Rosalee was here for only a week, and then her new owner wanted to pick her up early because of the holiday. Tumbleweed was completely weaned and on solid food, but we needed a surrogate mare to socialize him.

Foxy came to our rescue. She's been a mother before, and when she was first introduced to him, that was that--

she was IN LOVE.

It was like they were a real mama and baby.  Still, to this day, even though I've separated them, they are deeply bonded and tuned into one another.  (In two weeks, once the sperm is supposed to be all gone, they'll be back together.)

However, back in October, tragedy had struck, and Tumbleweed came down with what we think was a virus.

I was up with him day and night, rain & wind, but as he got weaker, I grew more and more concerned and really felt like I was going to lose him.  Rather than relying on the sporadic vet visits, I wanted him in the hospital on IV fluid and 24/7 care.

I was alone here during the first week of his illness. My husband and I had a trip planned for the day he got sick, so I stayed back and he had gone on by himself to visit our kids and grandkids.

His time in the hospital gave me a well-needed opportunity to catch up on my sleep.

I believe that IV fluid is what turned him around.  His recovery took three weeks, so if we hadn't given him that boost on day 3 &4, I don't think he'd have had the strength to make it. (I highly recommend IV fluids for EVERYTHING--colic, virus--anything that looks bad.)

But he very much DID make it and was stronger and more beautiful and ornery than ever!

In fact, he was so ornery to Foxy (who would let him do anything to her) that we had to introduce him to the gelding herd and give her a break.  

He fit right in.

He was finally gelded a week and half ago, on May 3rd, and it was extremely easy.  He healed up immediately, and his studdy behavior was gone just as quick.  They told me it may take a month, but it did not.  He has settled right down.  He has even become Cowboy's herd leader.  He acts like he's one going on twenty.  When I go to get him from pasture each evening, he always stands and waits to be haltered, and walks back like a gentleman.

And, our adventures have begun--trailering to the state park, ponying, standing tied, everything half-grown horses are expected to do.

To say this has been an exciting year with Tumbleweed would be an understatement. I feel so blessed to have this boy in my life.  Everywhere I take him, people oooh and awww--and ask, "What are you going to do with him?" 

What am I going to do with him?  Well, for now, I'm going to have fun with him and get him ready for whatever we decide to do in the future.  I'll be ponying him on the trails, loading him to new places, grooming him and working on his manners, working obstacles--yep, we'll be having some fun this year!

Happy Birthday, Tumbleweed!!  And, thank you, Shirley, for raising this special boy!