Freedom Is Not Free

Below are a few images that I have gotten from time to time, in emails.

There are at least another 30 or so images in my files.

I do not know who took them,

Where they came from,

Or who is in them.

What I DO know is I feel a strong need to say

Thank You.

God Bless You.

And Keep You Safe.

We support you,

And Remember You!

K. Jenkins, if you read this, stay out of trouble ;)

Hats Off To Bradley Walker of TN!

Anne at Smellshorsey! put up a great link to an interesting story here, about a high school student and his horse. Bradley Walker of TN, if you read this, Damn Fine Job! I love the sign he has his horse wear too. His handsome black and white colored pinto/ paint horse is eye catching, and the addition of the DayGlo green sign she wears has got to get attention. It reads: "Solution To Higher Gas Prices".

Now quite a few of us here in the Equine Blogosphere have been joking (?) around about using our horses to go to town. Here we have one example of someone DOING it. There is also another student in TN who rode to school, and of course, the farmers using Mule Power.

I got to thinking; what if this becomes more popular? Anne brought a very valid point up- many people are worried about using their horses on pavement and hard surfaces. I am NOT ... *N-O-T**... going to get into the whole barefoot versus shod/ shod with borium/ shod with Smooth Walkers, etc debate. It's neither the time nor the place for that. Right now, I feel it is more important to pass along a few tips that may wind up really coming in handy to help keep these horses sound and comfortable SHOULD we come to needing to use them in this manner. (Hey, my motto these days is BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING. Hence my other blog, "Why I Carry".)

A few things to think about as you head on down the road:
- The concussion created by WALKING a distance on a hard surface is going to take some getting used to. (Which is why the carriage horses here are shod with Smooth Walkers.) There is a WIDE variety of pads available to help absorb concussion (MIKEY!! Chime in here-- you do the shoe stuff! I like nekkid hooves, so heres your chance to educate me, please!!) A primary concern with a lot of people is going to be "Road Founder"- or concussion induced laminitis. How can you prevent this?

BE SMART: condition condition condition!!!! Slow and steady wins the race here folks, slow and steady. If your horse is out of shape, and you hop on to stroll 10 miles round trip on pavement to the store, you are most likely asking for a problem. If your goal is that 10 mile round trip, start working him now to be ready for a sound horse. LSD (Long Slow Distance) has always been my favorite- starting with walking for about 10 or 15 mins, and building up slowly from there.

Preventing an episode of concussion founder is going to be your best bet. Condition slowly, investigate what method is going to work best for you- barefoot with a BAREFOOT trimmer, shod with Smooth Walkers, shod with borium (which BTW- I have seen ruin more horses than not from Owner Stoooopidity), or hoof boots.

- Cold Hosing. Teach that pony to stand for hosing those legs, as this will also save you in the long run. Or stand them in a nearby lake, creek or stream if you can. Stand them in a bucket with cool to cold water on their feet and lower legs. The cooling action of the water helps to reduce the effects of the concussion, and Dr. Chris Pollit of Aus. has proven that cold water can in fact reverse the initial stages of a laminitic incident IF you catch it right at the beginning. I mentioned before that cold hosing kept my horses (and the race horses I learned it on,) sounder for a very long time.

- Linament: a good rub down will not hurt. Many like Absorbine (I LOVE that smell! LOL), and there are a whole SLEW of commercial linaments available these days. Over the years, I have found that you can "cut" Absorbine with rubbing alcohol, to help it go a bit farther. After a good cold hosing, I would think a good rub down would be enjoyed by the horse. In a pinch, Listerene will work too.

Now, heres a tip that most of you probably know already, but I am going to pass it along anyways. When you apply linament, ALWAYS rub WITH THE HAIR, DOWN the limb. Rubbing against the grain will cause irritation to the skin, and tick off your horse. Same thing applies when you rub other areas- like a back, rump, or neck. Rub with the grain of the hair, from the highest point down. Put some muscle into it- just dumping a handful on the area and smoothing it on is not going to do much. By applying some pressure to it, you are going to do a heck of a lot more for the horse. (Just like someone rubbing your back- that light rub feels nice, but does little to soothe deep pain. However, in the hands of a good masseuse, a deep tissue massage does WONDERS.)

Thats pretty much it- the important high points have been covered here. Condition slowly and carefully, cold hose those legs, and apply linament with the grain giving a strong massage. Keep yourself hydrated, and your horse as well, and this could turn out to be a lot of fun for us horse folks!

It's A FILLY!

Meant to pass this along earlier:

For all of you who donated to the shelter fund for Whisper Ranch, you can take a bit of pride in helping "Mia". We may have been too late for "Kelly", but we were just in time for Mia and her New Filly! Shannon Smith sent me these this morning. Whisper Ranch is now celebrating a new life. Everyone, meet the Filly. (Wish I could go and see them, as well as the crew at Harmony Meadows, but they are all over four hours north of me!)

Without Further Ado.......!

My Name Is Mrs. Mom, ....

And I am a "Mommy Blogger!"

No, wait... I am an Equi-Mom Blogger.

(That's better.)

That's right all, I Am An Equi-Mom. I admit it- it is an addiction. Instead of standing in front of you all now, (or, rather SITTING) and announcing in a hushed and humble voice, I am going to Celebrate being An Equi-Mom Blogger.

Apparently, Mommy Bloggers are all the rage these days. MiKael posted a link to one recently, and Of Course, I had to take a peek. I must say, it was pretty much run of the mill commentary on everything from Orgasms to Poop.

This lady was on national news all over the place, being touted as Queen Of The Mommy Bloggers.

*Ahem*

As MiKael pointed out, there was not One Single Solitary Horse with all of her Poop talk.

Ladies, it is time. It is time that we Equi-Mom-Bloggers stood together. Let's face it girls, (sorry gents, I know there are a few of you who brave the elements here,) We Have Everything That Queen Mommy Blogger Does, And MORE!

You all want Poop?

We have MOUNTAINS of it, and we are seemingly ALWAYS discussing it! Color, consistency, scant amounts, or copious amounts, We Have Poop.

You Want Boobs?

We have BOOBS, Baby! Lots of 'em! Ever been in betwixt a couple of lovingly endowed ladies who ride? If you want a stimulating conversation, listen in to cup size, feel, support, comfort... and let your imagination run wild!

You Want Sex?

We have that too! Stallions, baby, S-T-A-L-L-I-O-N-S! Ladies-in-waiting, new babies, fences being jumped and illicit love affairs occurring. (insert Will Smith, singing "Nah Nah Nah Nah, Gettin Jiggy Wid It...")

You Want Drama?

We have Drama! Ask ANY of the amazing Mustang Challenge Trainers if there is any drama involved in their day! We have routine segments of "As The Stable Turns". Can't get much more drama than that!

You Want Love?
We have that as well! In limitless amounts!

We cook, clean, (play) doctor/ nurse, love, laugh, cry, and share our passion with the World. We have births, deaths, love lost, and all the highs and lows that those poor unfortunate non-horsey souls do. We care for our charges, be they two legged or four, in a manner that rivals all others, as we know the TRUE meaning of unquestioning, devoted, and life long love. And You Can Not Beat That.

Face it World, we Equi-Mom-Bloggers have everything you do, and more with our love and passion for horses. Equi-Bloggers are growing every day, and will soon be a Hot Commodity. Well, about the only thing we do not have, as I saw on the front page of the Queen Mommy Blogger's site today, is the possibility of a dildo named Dooce. I just can not go there.... Orgasmic is one thing- there is nothing quite like a food-gasm, or the sheer thrill of a ride gone really, really well, but stepping into the adult entertainment sphere is just not for me.

What do you say, Ladies? Shall we Unite, and take the Mommy Blogger World by Storm?!

I'm With the Farmer!

Anne at Smellshorsey! put up a post about a farmer in TN using his mules for making hay and other farm jobs. He cited that it would cost him about $70 per day in fuel costs to farm using tractors, so he switched to using his mules.

Now, up in Tundra Country, it was nothing to see the Amish driving along in their equine powered buggy's, and using heavy drafts to plow the fields, make hay, and harvest with.

Me thinks there are some lessons in this, ladies and gents.

Such as:
- I admire the self reliance of the Amish. In times like this, when prices are continuing to skyrocket, I find myself regretting my reliance on store bought items. My solution? I am going to learn to can; peaches, corn, carrots, anything I can stuff in the jar. Growing our own, plus purchase from local farmers. (Wanna bet how many things I blow up in the pressure cooker?)

- We are big bread eaters here. While I KNOW that right now I have neither the time nor the patience to make bread from scratch, we DO have a bread machine. Bread mix is about a buck. A loaf of bread is over $2.50. Tastes better too, when you make it yourself.

- Gas saving... I don't know how much more we can do to save fuel. Dear Husband services the Big Green Beast on a routine basis, keeps the tire pressure up, keeps the air filter clean, and we drive AT or a tad below the speed limit. (Dude, THAT was a hard one for me... I like SPEED....) Routine servicing will help keep things running right, and save you on mileage.

If I had more room, I would probably have a few chickens scattered about for eggs, and probably a beef cow or two as well. (Forget it- I am NOT going to milk by hand, churn my own butter, or anything along those lines.)

We still have a dilemma with clients- and Thank God we do not rely on hoof care as our sole income. (Mikey, girl, I am feelin it for ya...) Fuel goes up, the cost of tools goes up, supplies go up.... and when horse owners feel the pinch, one of the first places they cut back is hoof care. That regular six week client? Calls to see if we can maybe go 8 weeks... or 12. (Remember-- we are barefooters... 12 weeks is not totally unheard of.) Of our 20 head, only one client can haul in to us. One client has 7 head, and a two horse trailer, and is 40 mins away. (Can you say a $300 gas bill?) Several clients do not have trailers. Actually, I don't think the rest of our clients have trailers at all.....

Hmmm.... it might just be worth a stop in at the store that is two miles down the road, and seeing if there is someplace we could put a horse so I can go get that part time job....

Hang in there folks- this is The One Thing that can completely FUBAR our country, and we get ring side seats to watch it happen. Sure makes ME feel wonderful to watch us be flushed down the toilet...