Happy Birthday, Cowboy, My Crazy Heart Horse

Happy birthday to my crazy heart-horse, Cowboy. He was 22 on March 7, 2017.  As far as I know, he is the oldest in our herd now.  Penny may be older, since she's a non-registered horse, and most non-registered are likely to be a little older than they say when they sell them to you.  But as far as papers are concerned, Cowboy is officially the oldest.

Cowboy was born on a ranch in St. Maries, Idaho.  His birth occurred when the family was out shopping, and when they arrived home, they saw him out with another mare who had stolen him from his mama.  A month later, his mama died after getting her neck stuck in a feeder, and Cowboy ended up being a bottle-fed orphan.

Bottle-fed orphans are unique because it's not the natural or best way to raise a foal, but he has the biggest heart and loves people.  In his best moments he is the most amazing horse. Though, he'll never be a kid's horse because he does have that unpredictable, scaredy-cat side.

Cowboy is a survivor--he's 10 years past a broken and displaced front coffin bone.  There is arthritis in the coffin joint, but Cowboy pushes through and still carries me on the trails.

Last weekend, I was bringing home some of the horses from the clinic next door and Cowboy came running along the fence line whinnying at them--just like Old Red used to do.  My daughter and I couldn't believe out eyes.  Is Cowboy stepping up into Red's role?  Time will tell.

Here's to Cowboy--my golden (almost) oldie.

New Horses & A New Chapter

Losing Red was hard and, in fact, it set off a couple of health issues which I went to my doctor for this morning, but all is well.

Last week, I told my friends to keep an eye out for an older horse for us to add to our herd--a grand kid type horse.  I was thinking down the road, but one of those very friends, to my surprise, was needing to find a home for her heart-horse.  He's a 20 year old, very well trained & gentle Paint named Little Joe.

I went out to meet him last Friday, and he was a sweetie.

(Right before he mauled my camera.)

In between snow storms, that very day, I brought him home.

His only issue is that he has foundered before.  My farrier trimmed him yesterday, and he thinks he will be just fine.  But because of that, he has to be on a limited all grass diet, which makes him a perfect companion for Leah.  I'll be playing with him on my day off Friday.  Being thrown in with a bunch of mares initially made him really nervous, even though he's in a stall and run. You know how mares are--total hussies! Anyway, I think he's getting used to them now.

And, at the exact same time I was getting Little Joe, my daughter, Shiloh, found a horse for her husband, a beginning rider.  She's a 17 year old, ranch-trained Quarter Horse.

Meet Foxy:

I went out with them to ride Foxy and she was golden--very smooth, willing and responsive.  She's only ever been ridden in a hackamore, which they sold her with. She has done lots and lots of trail riding and a little rodeo.  My farrier went over to meet her, pushed back her long, raven-black bangs, saw one swirl on her head and said, "Easy!"  Which she was and is.  I'm really excited for my son-in-law.  He had a small amount of money to spend on her, so he made them an offer. They had a woman coming to see her the next day that probably would have given them their full price offer, easily--but the owner wanted to sell him to my SIL.  

Our herd is now back up to eight horses.  No horse can replace Red--that's for sure--but they are helping us to turn the page to a New Chapter. Even Cowgirl is going to start a new chapter this year, if all goes well.  Because she lost Red, Shiloh is ready to breed her and let her raise a baby.  It's something she has put off and put off, not wanting to pull Cowgirl away from Red, but now it's time.  

Do you think this is crazy?  When I used to go out to the pasture to bring Red in for morning and evening feedings, I'd always call for him.  I'd say things like, "Hey, Handsome. Come on, Big Boy. Let's go, Red. Hurry Up." (Red never hurried.) And, variations of that.  Now, when I go out there, I envision him with the others and I say those same things out loud, as if he's there, and it makes me laugh.  I know he's not there, but I like to remember it, and the whole scenario cracks me up.  Is that totally nuts??  

Cowboy is a good sport.  Yesterday, he looked around like, who you talking to.....me?  And, he came over for some mom time.  I think it's his turn to get the special treatment.

More photos of the newbies and the day they arrived:

A Horse to Make Your Heart Sing

Last weekend, I took Cowboy and Leah to the barn next door for a day of fun.  First, I worked with Leah, and she did great, but when I switched the saddle over to Cowboy and hopped on--my heart sang! He's NOT a better horse than Leah--he's just the one I have the most time with, and I believe TIME makes all the difference.

You may wonder why I decided to divide my time away from my sweet boy--and sometimes I even have to remind myself--but it's because 10 years ago Cowboy broke his front, left P3 and I thought he was never going to be 100 percent sound again. He'd been mis-diagnosed by his vet for 3 months.  She thought it was an abscess, even though the x-rays showed a clear fracture and displacement--x-rays she took on the FIRST day.  She took more x-rays later, when he didn't get sound, but they weren't as good as the ones on the first day.  She just kept coming to the house and digging deeper into his hoof--drawing blood each time--swearing it was an abscess.  Eventually she consulted and they decided to make a removable plate and had  me pack sugardine inside to "draw out the abscess."  That plate inadvertently cast his foot, so in that regard, it was helpful.

(I had to take off the bolts and repack it twice a day with sugardine--sugar and iodine mixed together. My farrier was the one who took the measurements and nailed the plate onto his hoof.)

When I finally got my 2nd opinion, I brought those x-rays to the new doc and he saw the fracture with a flashlight in a dark bathroom at the barn.  It was clear as day.  (Moral: always look at  the x-rays and don't take your vet's word for it.)   We sent those x-rays, and new ones, to WSU and had the vets there give us an opinion.  They thought his prognosis was very poor because of the time that had lapsed (3 months) and the severity of the displacement.  They recommended that any treatment we did should be "conservative."

During his convalescence--which took a year--I didn't have a personal horse to ride, so I rode my husband's horse, Shadow, but he was already pretty arthritic and trippy.  I looked for another horse and ended up finding two--Leah and Beautiful Girl.  Then, Cowboy surprised us all and had almost a full recovery. He'd made it 6 months in a 12x12 stall--I visited him constantly because we had set it up right next to our house.  Then, he moved to a 24x12 stall for another 3 months. During the whole stall-rest process, he had not been allowed out....at all, which would have been cruel for some horses, but Cowboy had been an Orphan Colt, so he seemed to like the attention and be okay.

Cowboy and I have been through A LOT together!

Time is key to a singing heart, and to that end, with all three of my horses, I'm devoted.  So, I don't have any time to waste.

I asked my husband to dig out my horse trailer with the tractor.

I loaded up Leah on Saturday and went next door to the barn.  (The only place safe to ride in this weather.)

I've only ridden her once--bareback in the snow--since our last clinic.  Saturday was day 17, but most of those days were spent riding Cowboy and working with Beautiful Girl.  Leah was a little wound up, but we worked on the walk, trot and lope.  She doesn't have any pain in her feet anymore, but I think she still does have issues in her body that exercise and massage will slowly work out.  She used to overarch to the inside going left, and she barely does that anymore.  It used to seem like a pinched nerve, but whatever it is, it's almost completely resolved.

On Sunday, I took Cowboy and Leah both to the barn.

I rode Leah first, then switched out the saddle and rode Cowboy.  He had been pretty bothered by the fact that he had to wait, so when I hopped on him, he was ready to go and as responsive as he's ever been.  Riding him was pure joy.

We set up a few obstacles to play over.

And, afterward, I rode bareback which, as you know, is much WARMER.

My heart did begin to sing a little bit riding Leah bareback.  She was happier than when she's saddled.  And, her trot is like floating on butterfly's wings.

All and all, I was at the barn for four wonderful hours that day.

I'm going to be trying a few new saddles on her in the coming weeks to see if I can replicate that bareback feel.  A friend suggested a cut-away--and another, an English trail-style saddle.  Whatever it is, it needs to fit around her broad, muscular shoulders.

Finally, today, Day 19, I took Leah over to the barn for more of the same work.  I hope that riding her more will help her lose more weight and stay in better shape.  My farrier suggested I ride her every day to get her moving good again.  That's not always possible, but with the arena, I can ride her quite a bit.  If I didn't have the arena there is no way I'd ride in the snow and ice.  Too dangerous.  I feel very lucky to have the arena.

Hope you're all getting horse time in, as well!

Restoring the Soul--Horse Time Heals the Wounds

Two days after the most shocking and painful election of my lifetime, I had a ride and picnic with my two Cowboys at James T Slavin conservation area.

We ran into a friend who took our picture and later she shared this photo below of the Trumpet Swans that were there that day.  I couldn't get a good photo on my cell phone camera!

Above: Photo copyright Cindy & Gary Miller

I asked my husband to take a picture of the same spot we were in last summer to show the difference between the seasons.

July 8, 2016

November 10, 2016

Leah and I have been working on walk trot transitions on as loose a rein as possible. I hold the reins in a position where I'm framing in the outer-boundaries of where she can place her head, but they are loose.  If she decides to put her head down or up, when I ask for the trot, she hits the bit.  That area in between is quite large--not overly collected or tight.  As soon as she gives me a few relaxed steps, I stop and praise her.  So far, we have only been successful in a large circle.  And, as we move through the circle, I have to lift the rein and direct her, but as soon as she responds, I give it all back to her.

There were two days last week that were just awful for me--and I did not attempt to work with Leah during those times.  I felt like I missed out on two sunny, beautiful days--and I did--but my soul hurt so badly, it wouldn't have been fair to her.  It's a reminder to me--do everything you can to limit your exposure to toxic people. Sometimes, it's difficult, especially if you work with the public, but you still need to do all you can when you see those early warning signs of a cruel temperament.  If you don't heed the signs, you will most certainly lose a little of what is most precious and that cannot be bought back--not even with all the money you can make in a lifetime.

Horse Husbands

(Sunday Ride--70 degrees and sunny)

I have to give a shout-out to horse husbands.  If you have one, be thankful, not everyone does.  They are built-in riding partners and a big help at the barn.

I had to laugh about this though!    

(Saturday Ride: 55 degrees and raining hard)

I asked my horse hubby to saddle up 3 times this weekend.  THREE times!  And, he did so happily.  One of the rides was a fund-raiser for Free Rein Therapeutic.  It's our local charity that helps kids, and veterans with PTSD, through working with and riding horses.

After the ride, we were serenaded with some live country music.  They also provided a yummy BBQ! The comfort food was so darn comforting because we were drenched and cold when we got back.

Some of the volunteers.

The upside to riding in the rain was the smell of wet pine and the increased activity of the birds.  We saw a bald eagle soar down the middle of the Spokane River for quite a ways.  It was stunning with the rain hitting the water, the dark backdrop of a gray sky and mist--stunning.  Of course, where's your camera at a moment like that?

 (Up on the bluff)

We saw a bunch of activity on the other side of the river, and it turned out to be a WEDDING!  What a beautiful spot to get married--even in the rain and cold.

We even got a free t-shirt for riding!

You may notice, I'm riding Cowboy and not Leah.  I had my farrier put shoes on Cowboy when he was out since Cowboy has been called back to full-time service. My farrier has been handling Leah's lameness issue for me. (He's coming out weekly or as needed.)  Because of my history with veterinarian mis-diagnosis, I tend to trust my farrier more than anyone else.  He is the reason Cowboy is sound 10 years post-P3 fracture. If I had continued to rely on my vets, Cowboy would be dead these last ten years.  (And that is NOT an exaggeration--he was scheduled to be put down.)  So, if there is an issue with one of my horse's feet--my farrier is the one I go to.  You may call this minimalist, but since I started down the minimalist road, I've had FAR less problems with my horses. If it progresses, though, my farrier will tell me when it's time to get x-rays and proceed to the next step.

From his tests, it appears she's slightly laminitic.  Not enough to limp or shift weight, but enough to test for some pain in the toe area of all four feet.  We think it was caused by her obesity, so our plan is to use an anti-inflammatory and take the weight off of her.  She loves to eat, so she's not happy with the calorie restriction, but it's for her own good.  In truth, she's getting a normal amount of food--like most horses get.  I was killing her with kindness before.

Interestingly, she was most sensitive in her left foot, but it is her RIGHT that she fights going to.  I think there are multiple issues we're dealing with--not just the feet, but the feet have to get well before we can proceed to the rest.  I'm quite hopeful that she will be sound--in the feet--very soon.

(Thursday's Ride: 80 degrees, hot & sunny. My TWO favorite COWBOYS!)