Blog

The Lisbon Old Fashioned Horse Parade

Barn tales
[caption id="attachment_1708" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mounted police![/caption] What can I say about the Lisbon horse parade. Its billed as an "old fashioned horse parade" and they sure aren't kidding. Especially if by old fashioned, you mean before organizational skills were needed in setting up a horse Christmas parade. That doesn't mean it wasn't wonderful and amazing because it was in fact both those things but it was also a mess. A hot, hot, mess. [caption id="attachment_1709" align="alignright" width="300"] Robert Taylor, hunt master of the Goshen Hounds[/caption] Maybe 500 horses were in this parade. Mounted police (the only police presence at the event I might add), eventing farms, horse rescues, the Goshen Hounds hunt club, local schools and so much more participated. It was a spectacle and being that the weather was good…
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Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred Auction

Barn tales, OTTB
I went to the Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred auction the other day. I had never been and it was amazing! It was all you would expect from an auction where horses were going for the tens of thousand dollars. It had the podium where the auctioneers were doing there thing, the stage where the handlers would bring out the horses one by one and the spotters in the audience who would call back bids to the auctioneers. Two TV screens with the horses hip number and the ever rising dollar amount. Considering the amount of money changing hands it was a very relaxed atmosphere. I will chalk that up to racetrack people. They are their own breed and were a pretty friendly crowd. Everyone was nice from security to horse handlers.…
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The days of winter

Barn tales, Life with Circe, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_1695" align="alignleft" width="200"] Rep and the better half before the bad eyeball[/caption] Stuff has been happening even things besides me bitching about the cold a tradition with me as soon as it gets below 40 on a regular basis. Interesting stuff, boring stuff and of course the daily grind stuff. Rep was hauled back up to New Bolton for his eyeball recheck and the results were giant big two thumbs up! He is healing great and that makes me very happy. My better half is happy too because hes been unmounted since Rep's eye took a turn for the worse right when they were of course really doing well cantering around and doing walk trot transitions and poles. In a couple weeks Rep can get back into work and…
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Spending all my money

Barn tales
[caption id="attachment_1685" align="alignleft" width="300"] With mangers![/caption] When I make a decision, things happen. I don't mess around. I decided after the stress of trying to get Rep to New Bolton in an emergency situation without owning a trailer, that I needed to just go out and buy one. So I did.  I am now the proud owner of a Featherlite 2 horse, straight load with a dressing room. Its a pretty awesome trailer. Its a couple years old but was barely used and its in amazing like new condition. My SUV though rated to pull it with one horse in it is having issues with the whole getting the hitch installed (Mercedes wtf!)  As a result Sammy is going to get her hitch upgraded and then we can pull one…
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The blahs

Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
Circe got kicked and has a sore muscle and is off. Jez is still off from the mystery leg scrapes and her possible extensor tendon strain. She just finished her course of SMZs. Reps is getting his around the clock meds at home (every four hours, yo!) The only horse without issues in the barn right now is Luna, the pony. Its been cold as hell and I cant find my base layers that I packed away over the summer and I need more smart wool socks. I've been looking for excuses not to go to the barn cuz well winter... I hate it. The good news is we have an official working student and shes great and I love her already.
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Rep is home!

Barn tales, Off Farm, Vet
[caption id="attachment_1677" align="alignleft" width="225"] Ready to go home![/caption] Rep is home. He came home last night. His eye is sutured shut and medications will be administered though a subpalpebral lavage. He will need meds every few hours for about a week. Sammy and I meet up today to coordinate schedules to make sure Rep is covered and gets his meds on schedule. He will go back to New Bolton in a couple weeks to get everything removed. Right now i'm just happy hes home and that the surgery to save his eye went really well. It is also mad crazy expensive. Sammy set up a GoFundMe so please pass it around to all your rich friends!
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Friday night emergency

Barn tales, Vet
[caption id="attachment_1671" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sammy and Rep[/caption] The vet was scheduled for a Friday at 1:30pm She was scheduled for Rep my trainers horse who has been battling any eye issue. The right eye has had issues for the last couple of years. Usually its controllable, this time not so much. The vet has been out several times trying to figure out why hes not getting better. Turns out along with his chronic problem Rep also has a strange bacterial infection that eye and the regular antibiotics were not fixing the problem. Add to that a new ulcer and day after day the eye got worse. On Friday the vet said he needed more specialized care and he needed it now! Then the race to get Rep to New Bolton…
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Colder weather

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_1659" align="alignleft" width="226"] Let me in or I will shoot laser beams out my eyes.... oops too late![/caption] Its getting colder so the ponies are coming inside some nights, though theres not a strict schedule were trying to give them as much turn out as possible. Weather permitting the are outside night time. The weather decides the turn out, not some arbitrary schedule. (which is awesome!) Soon it will be too cold for overnight turnout for but for now they are outside at night while we can. On cold nights though they know they come in and wait by the gate.    
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Fall horse maintenance

Barn tales, Life with Circe, Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Vet
[caption id="attachment_1652" align="alignleft" width="300"] Jez loves jumping the coop[/caption] It  was that time of year again, fall shots. I also had my vet float the girls teeth. My vet does a hand float and though i was thinking id use a dentist this time around seems "horse dentist" in this area is synonymous with "never return voice mails" Since my vet does a bang up job and she was out for shots anyways i decided to go with her. Jez did almost all of her float with no sedation, we only had to use a little bit to get the way far back. Seems my girl has a narrow but highly arched palette. Which might facilitate a bit change for her in the future, well see how she goes over…
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