For Your Eyes Only

I caught that! Small Blue Cat- about 3#. WHOOHOO!

Snake Bite Questions

This sweet young Paint mare, purchased by our clients in December, came to them with an old snake bite wound. They are estimating the bite to be about a year old, and still are having troubles with it being slightly swollen (under the bite, you can see a bit of swelling still,) and the bite site itself will ooze pus every day or two. She is not painful, eats well, is ridden, and is a very happy horse, but... something is just not quite right there with that bite, and her owner is seeking more information. I did give them the name and number of the new area horse vet, and they plan on talking with him as well. But, since this blog reaches lots of folks, I'd love to be able to pass along as much information as possible for this mare, AND to have it tucked away for future knowledge for ourselves.

Anyone? Insight? (Mikey, I am sure this is like, the LAST thing YOU want to think about today!!! For those who don't know, Ol' Thelma managed to get herself out in the middle of the night with some buds and go getting herself into trouble. Mikey was headed to the vet to get the silly fart looked at... Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Thelma, and a Night's SLEEP for Mikey!!!)

Friday Tutorial

Since I spent the other day, venting my spleen about skinny horses we have seen in our travels, and encouraging people to freaking FEED their horses, I decided that maybe- just MAYBE- a bit of a tutorial might be in order here.

Feeding your horse does NOT have to be Rocket Science. If you keep it simple, you will have better results. There are a multitude of feeds out there for every stage of growth/ age in your horse. I suggest sitting down for a few moments with your local feed dealer, to discuss what might be the best option for your horse.

Hay on the other hoof, is a bit of a picky subject with me. There are custom blends of alfalfa, orchard grass, timothy, alicia, coastal bermuda, russell, bahaia, perennial peanut hay... First cutting, second cutting, third... you get the picture. Why is hay a touchy subject? Because so many horse owners are STUPID about it.

I can hear it now- SOMEONE out there is rolling their eyes at me, shaking their head, and getting ready to cuss me out. Go for it- your comment will be allowed, I promise.

How are horse owners stupid about hay? Let's do the math here.

You've heard me mention "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish" here before when talking about hoofcare. It applies to hay, too.
First: You Oh So Seriously Get What You Pay For with hay. If you are happy to be paying $4 per square bale, I am willing to bet that one or more of the following will happen:
A) The bales weigh about 40#
B) The bales have a questionable smell
C) The supplier runs out in the middle of winter
D) Your horses just don't look all that great on it, and you are feeding more feed to compensate for poor quality hay.

Second: If you bounce around from hay supplier to hay supplier, getting consistent quality is tough, and your horses pay in the long run.

Third: By not getting consistent quality, YOUR WALLET pays in the long run. (Because You Have To Feed MORE.)

Horses are an animal meant to graze all day long. By not keeping something in front of them to chew on, (ie: HAY), you are increasing the risks of the following:
- Obviously, weight loss
- Ulcers
- Behavior problems
- Uneven/ improper wearing of the teeth
- Increased fighting in the herd, as the stronger beat the weak to the available food, which causes increased injuries (again- a good possibility that your WALLET will have to open to pay the vet bill.)

If you do Nothing Else for your horse, buy a $2 tube of Ivermectin wormer from one of the online equine supply places, (Jeffers, Valley Vet, Country Supply, etc,) and give it to them, have fresh clean water for them, and have hay out for them to eat 24/7.

Oh- wait-- I hear it!!! Galloping up the path!! "But Hay Is Too Expensive To Have Out All The Time! They Eat Too Much!" Or, "They'll Waste It!"

Hmmm.... Let's see here now. When we have had rehab horses come in, yes, they DO tend to eat more in the early stages of recovery. Why? They Are HUNGRY. As they gain weight, and muscle, they slow down to a "normal" pace, and don't go through THAT much hay. By feeding a quality grass hay, and MINIMAL supplemental feed, the horses gain healthy weight, and their overall health improves drastically.

So how is it penny wise, pound foolish to stick with that $4 bale, over the $6, 60 pound, tested, green, fresh smelling hay?

What would YOU rather eat? Something that is kinda funky smelling and brownish, or something fresh smelling and green?

There is a 20 pound weight difference there too. Two dollars for 20 additional pounds seems pretty darn cheap in my book. Why? Because to feed as much as your average horse needs, you will *probably* have to feed more hay, plus feed, and lots of folks feed supplements in the feed as well. So for $8 you get 80 pounds of hay that will need additional supplementation, OR spend $12 dollars, get 120 pounds of hay, and for your average pasture pet, you don't have to worry overly much about additional grain. (Yes, older horses NEED Senior feed. Growing horses NEED feed formulated for their growth needs. Heavily working horses NEED feed formulated for their jobs. Gestating and lactating mares NEED additional feed to fit their unique needs.) But your average, stand in the field, take a ride on weekends, hit the trails now and again, look handsome for Mommy horse will maintain good weight on QUALITY hay alone.

So, skinny horse owners, find a steady supply of QUALITY grass hay, and Feed Those Horses. Please. I beg of you. The horses will thank you. The horses health will thank you. Your wallet will thank you. Your VET will thank you, as an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Shop around online in your area for a good supplier. Feed stores are great, but know what? They charge a LOT. (I saw a sixty pound bale of lovely alfalfa the other day in a feed store- for $25. That same hay can be had from a farmer for around $10 around here.)

Look for fresh, GREEN color. Smell it- smell for a sweet scent- NOT a dusty musty scent. Look for dust- there should be no clouds of dust (or mold) as you shake the hay. Stick your arm in the middle of the bale, and feel for heat. It should be cool to the touch- hot hay = increased chance of mold growth. Ask how long it dried for- two days here on the coast is average, and produces beautiful hay. Ask about test results, and if you are lost when you look at them, take a copy to your local ag extension agent, and ask them for help understanding the results. My rule of thumb when looking at hay is simple: Does It Make ME Hungry?

Sounds squirrely, but spend as much time around horses as I have, and good hay makes my belly rumble. Go figure...

There you have it. A mini-tutorial on feeding hay. Eat with your eyes first, smell it, shake it, and test it. But above all, FEED IT. Please.

Thankful Thoughts For Thursday

Sweet, soft donkey noses that love attention.

Hard NOT to be thankful for something like that!

Mikey, this is Big Blue. I'm thankful for him, cause he is a RIOT to watch!

(In case you were wondering, thats a very big catfish, sticking his mouth out of the water, telling us to FEED HIM. NOW.)

Pecan Groves. We get to see so many cool things in our travels...

And last but not least, these two clowns. Son Bunz and the Rock Star Pony.
(OTB- there's your Sonny Fix!)

And those are some of my thankful thoughts for this fine day.

~MM

Someone Got Some 'Splainin To Do

This is NOT going to be a pretty post. So if you don't want to read some strong thoughts, you might want to head over to some of the nicer Wednesday Posts.

What In The Hell Is Wrong With People? No- Seriously Now. We have spent days covering various portions of the state here, admiring the countryside, admiring HEALTHY looking herds of cattle, a few fat horses, lovely flowers, rolling GREEN grass pastures, GREEN, FRESH, LOVELY hay ALL OVER THE FREAKING PLACE, and freaking SKINNY horses. How skinny? Skinny enough that at 60 MPH, *I* can see ribs, spines, and hips poking out. WTF? Why? WHY are these horses- standing in the MIDST of this freshly cut 2009 hay, these to die for HUGE pastures, LOADS of green grass, and TONS OF FREAKING HAY? With NO hay in front of them?

Do NOT give me the bullshit excuse that, "Oh, it's hot, and he's a hard keeper when it gets hotter." Or the, "Oh, he's OLD. He is 18 afterall, old horses are SUPPOSED to be skinny." (I swear, I am totally going to BITCHSLAP the next jagoff that pulls that shit on me. Dude. For real. Rasp Enema here I come, baby.) Oh- wait- its a backwoods dumbass that owns the horses? Well, GEE- here's an idea- LOOK ONLINE FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO FREAKING FEED YOUR HORSES. It's even FREE! What have you got to loose? You're on line all the time anyways, surfing sites best left unseen, and talking about your horsies. Try taking the time to LEARN how to properly care for them for a change.

Hay is too expensive? Bullshit. See that flag waving away there? Yeah- that's the one. The one that says "No Bullshit" on it? Yeah- that one. Hay is available all over right now. A round bale that measures 54" tall will yield you about 18 good sized square bales, at a much lower cost. Take that fricken bale and chunk it out in the paddock for those horses to EAT. Average cost for that bale here RIGHT now as I type? $50 to $65. Too much money? Try cutting down on your McNuggets, smokes, etc for a couple days. Still can't afford the hay to feed them? Then freaking get RID of them. Put FREE ads up online to find them a home- and do NOT think you will get gagillions of dollars for them kids- oh no. Put them up for FREE, cause ain't no one around going to PAY YOU to save your starving to death horse. Shoot, YOU may have to PAY THEM. (Like, maybe in the form of FINES to the county animal control. Or to the dudes who remove dead animals.)

Dear Lord people, smell the fresh hay here and freaking LEARN how to feed. Get OFF your Lazy Asses and put hay out there- if nothing else, have hay and clean water for them.

And the NEXT person I see RIDING one of those severely skinny horses is going to get yanked off by their freaking mullet and I am going to have the HORSE ride THEIR fat ass.

And thus ends today's PSA.