I was abducted by aliens!

No, not really.  But, minus the anal probing, wouldn’t it be really cool if that was my excuse for not blogging in so long?  And just think of the things I’d have to tell you upon my return!   Unfortunately, my only excuse is that I was sans computer for awhile. 

 

I have a lot to share, but my brain is somewhat discombobulated today (worse than usual).  It could be because it was 54 degrees and sunny out for most the day today.    After weeks of single digit and teen temperatures, rain, snow, and forgetting what the sun looked like, we finally had a nice day.   Did I get to ride?  Well, no.  Maybe tomorrow…

 

 

Everyone is doing well here, which is more than I can say for a breeding farm down the road.  I’ve mentioned this particular farm before, but have recently found out new information.  The woman has been breeding her same two studs for years and just found out from a buyer of one of her horses that the horse has a bad heart murmur.  Doc went out and determined that all her babies have heart murmurs because both of her stallions have the same problem!  ARGH!

 

 

Now she has 20 or so horses, with more broodmares expecting in the next couple of months, and no more outlet for her babies.  Will she stop breeding?  Will she lie to unsuspecting buyers that don’t know about a pre-purchase vet exam?  Will she put down the ones with extreme heart murmurs before they suffer from starvation any more than they already have?

 

 

Only time will tell, I suppose.   Maybe I’m a skeptic, but I foresee that situation getting a lot worse before it gets better.

TICKED OFF!

This has got me so riled up that I’m ready to throttle someone.  This is one reason why it’s so difficult to do any good rescue work here in WV!

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/public-shelters/article/1136

 

There are so many counties here without an animal control officer that many complaints of neglect and abuse are ignored and the horses continue to suffer.   But to actually have an animal control officer AND a county-controlled shelter for horses that is neglecting the horses is just going way too far!!

No shelter for the horses??  Leaving a halter on a horse that’s so tight it’s leaving imprints??  How can you call yourself an animal shelter?  And why in the world are Jackson County people putting up with this?  Your tax dollars are paying for these idiots to neglect horses and toss dead dogs in the trash bin and you’re not doing anything about it?

I am a private rescuer by all accounts.  I’m not a 501© charity, nor have I ever pretended to be one.  I do not whine and complain about how much of my hard-earned salary is spent keeping these guys fed and vetted.  I do not beg for donations.  I have three barns for all these horses, with ample room for everyone of them to get in out of the weather.  Both of my troughs have working heaters in them and are kept full all year round, even though I have to travel 12 miles one way to town to haul water several times a week.   There is hay in my pastures 365 days a year.  Any horse that needs a blanket, gets one.  Not one horse on this property wears an ill-fitting halter.  I even have two horses living in my yard right now so that I can keep a close eye on them and make sure they are fed five times a day.

I’m not trying to blow my own horn here.  But if one person with a separate full time job can do all of this, WHY THE HELL CAN’T A COUNTY-RUN SHELTER TAKE PROPER CARE OF TWO HORSES??

All about the Mav

Maverick was having way too much fun today.  I don’t know if he was riled up because the sun was shining and he was just feeling good or if he’s happy that his budding manhood has been confirmed and he managed to land the prettiest girlfriend on the farm.

Whatever the reason, it’s a real shame that me and my camera were having a little tiff today.   I had it set on the athletic setting (or whatever that’s called), so I could just hold down the button and try to keep up with fat boy as he ran around the pasture like his tail was on fire.

I got a lot of shots with him in the frame…

 

 

 

but I’m not sure where he was in this one.  There’s hoofprints, see?  He was there at one point.  I swear.

 

And I couldn’t begin to tell you what happened with this shot, but it would kind of look like he were swooping down out of the sky if it weren’t for that Spruce tree right beside him.  If I had any skill at all, I’d Photoshop some wings on him.

 

Then I finally managed to get a few fuzzy, but fairly decent shots.

 

I wonder if he ever thinks about those days when he was locked in a stall with no food and water.

 

 

What do you think?  Do horses, or animals in general, think about the past as humans do?  Do you think Maverick and Traveler stand around the hay roll at night and compare horror stories?  Or is that just us silly humans anthropomorphizing them?

No Guarantees

Late last March (ish) we had a heck of a thunderstorm one night that knocked down a tree that took out the fence between Maverick and the main herd.  I found him the next morning, after a night of merry-making with the girls.   No problem, that’s why they make Lutalyse shots.  You have to wait 45 days after exposure before giving the mare the shot, so in June when Doc was out to castrate Marbles and vaccinate everyone, he also gave all the exposed mares a shot of Lutalyse to abort any fetuses that might be brewing. 

Now before you pro-lifers judge me on this, think about the alternative.  I’d be responsible for bringing a few more grade and hungry mouths into a world that doesn’t want them.   I’d be no better than the backyard breeders that produced most of the rescues here on the farm now.   It doesn’t matter how adorable Maverick is, he’s simply NOT breed worthy. 

Doc had given Willow the Lutalyse shot in June and I have the vet records to prove it.  So why does she look like a beached whale???   Doc said he’s had several cows that have needed more than one shot to abort, but never a mare – Willow was the first.  I think the brat  just did it to spite me.

Why didn’t I notice earlier, you ask?  I did notice that she was putting on some weight, but she’s been a very easy keeper and a little plump around the midline ever since we bought her two years ago.  Besides, she got the shot.  How could she possibly be pregnant?  Doc said it was 99% effective, so she’s got to just be fat, like Meghan.  I just kept telling myself that and hoped it was true.

Doc was out tonight to check on Timmy (that’s another blog post, poor guy) and I had him palpate Willow while he was here.  Sure enough, the promiscuous little slut is pregnant.   She’s between eight and nine months, too late, in Doc’s opinion, to abort.

I called Glenn to let him know he was going to be a grandfather in a couple of months and he actually sounded pleased.   Someone remind me of that the next time he comes home so I can beat him senseless.  I did tell him that this foal will stay here FOREVER.  We are responsible for bringing it into the world so we’ll be the ones responsible for the next thirty years of it’s life.  He was ok with that, too.  Damn him for being so amenable!

Once she starts waxing up, we’ve got about three weeks until baby makes an appearance.  She’ll go into the back pasture with a buddy (probably Kita) at that time and I’ll close off 3/4 of the run-in shed for her “stall”.  It’s close enough to the house so I can keep an eye on her from a window all hours of the night, and right now the back pasture is empty anyway.  I can also run extension cords out there for light and heat lamps, if necessary.

So while I wasn’t expecting a foaling this year, at least I don’t feel like I’m completely unprepared.   Been there, done that at breeding stables where I worked in my younger days, and with Semi when I rescued her with a Kitabun in the oven. 

But I don’t think any amount of preparation will get me used to the sleepless nights spent waiting on the munchkin to pop out.  And knowing Willow, she’ll do everything in her power to make those nights stretch on for as long as possible.

Hussy.

Ranger Goes Home

Happy New Year!

And a big happy birthday goes out to Madelyn, who got the best birthday present ever!

 

As I had hoped, Patrick’s family fell in love with Ranger and he went home with them today.  Another happy ending to start the new year out right!