Horse Chestnuts

Support the Horse Plate Certificate

2009-01-31T09:23:00.000-08:00

Support the Horse Plate Certificate

The special plates bear the image of a horse and the words, “Support the Horse.” Proceeds from the sale of the plates will benefit the Colorado Horse Industry by education and other programs of value to the horse industry in the state.

Plates became available starting January 1, 2009.

Senate Bill 178, sponsored by State Senator Jim Isgar, and State Representative Marcia Looper, provides Colorado horse enthusiasts a new license plate with a horse logo.

Gov. Ritter said, “This bill creates a special license plate that acknowledges the unique contribution the horse industry makes to our economy and our culture. Fees generated by the sale of this license plate will benefit the Colorado Horse Authority and the Colorado horse industry. The Colorado horse industry accounts for more than $440 million in economic activity.”

The Colorado horse industry has a total economic impact of $1.6 billion across the state. The state has more than 256,000 horses owned by some 55,000 owners across the state, accounting for more than 20,000 related jobs.

Source: Colorado Horse Council

It feels like spring

2009-01-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

Weather here in Western Colorado has turned from wintery to spring like. Time for a good trail ride.

My buddy and I are planning one for tomorrow.

It's about time.

Dash's Horse Chestnut Tree (repeated)

2008-12-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

Dash’s Horse Chestnut Tree:

There is a new tree in our yard this fall, right next to the corral fence. It is a horse chestnut tree – Dash’s horse chestnut tree. Part of Dash’s tail and mane are comingled among the tree roots, along with those of our old mare, Hannah, who passed on last spring.
Dash came to his end in July, the day after my birthday. He was in a hurry, as always, to accomplish the task at hand and move on to the next endeavor.
I realize I am not the first person to lose a treasured equine friend. And I make no claims that my loss is greater, or that my horse was better, than anyone else's. But because I am a writer by vocation and avocation, I type out my anguish. It is a form of release for me. This essay is both catharsis for me and homage to my Bud.
His real name was Tazmania Cash, AQHA registered and a grandson of the great Dash for Cash. I know he was born in Oklahoma and raced in Arizona, where he established a lackluster record of a couple of wins and showings over two years of track competition. But running remained in his temperament until the very end. Two weeks before he died, completing a two-hour trail ride, we found a straight stretch of dirt road we both knew well, with a mild uphill grade, and I let him go. I made my 6'4" frame and 235 pounds do as good an imitation of a jockey as possible and we ran with abandon for a little more than a quarter mile.
I acquired Bud when he was seven years old. My daughter, then in high school, declared that I could not call him Taz based on his registered name, but Dash would be all right. That became the name use when talking with others about him. But when I talked to him, it was always Bud.
His track career was long since over when I bought him, but the woman who owned him previous to me had used him as a barrel racer. At 16.3 hands, with long thoroughbred legs, that seemed to me an unlikely undertaking for him. But I learned over the years how quick he was with his feet and those long legs, even in awkward circumstances.
I was in my late 40s then, fulfilling an aspiration I'd had since I was a youngster -- to riding jumping horses. But the Quarter Horse I had at the time was too small and to tentative to be a good jumper and, especially, an eventer. I traveled from Colorado to Arizona with my trainer to look for young prospects within my price range and, after riding a half-dozen different horses, decided to take a chance on Dash. The trainer who was selling him on consignment had lounged him over some fences in a round pen, and said he seemed willing. But he had not been jumped under saddle.
Even so, he took to jumping with a passion after a few weeks devoted exclusively to ground work. He was bold and athletic, even with a large, barely experienced rider on his back. His only fault was that he had learned well the lesson of his two previous occupations: Speed was the answer to every problem.
Although I'd written bucking horses in rodeos as a young man, and had my share of horses who tried to take the bit in their mouths and run, I was intimidated by Dash at first. He was so large and so strong. But I soon realized that while he wanted to go fast, he wasn't going to run away with me. He listened and responded, as long as I didn't hang on the reins or make stupid requests.
I did.
The closest I came to being seriously injured riding Dash came one day when we were schooling in the jumping arena. He was, as usual, charging each fence. I decided to teach him a lesson. When he rushed the next fence instead of staying steady and collected, I pulled him up hard. Then I hauled back several times, demanding that he back up.
Many horses have reared up on me over the years. I even had one gelding I tried to teach the trick -- like Roy Roger's Trigger -- until my mother caught me at this back-pasture training one day. But every horse that had reared on me did so at a reasonable pace. When I thought about it afterward, these scenes would run through my mind in slow motion. I could see the horses stand and recall my own reaction to them, whether I responded with fear, anger or pleasure.
That wasn't the case with Dash. I don't remember him rearing up. I only knew that one second we were stopped in front of the jump, with me jerking on the reins; the next second I was falling backward onto the sand and Dash was coming down on top of me. My riding companion would tell me later that he just seemed to launch himself up and backward, faster than any horse she had ever seen rear.
The deep sand of the arena saved me, along with the fact that Dash didn't land squarely on top of me, but rolled slightly to the side as he fell. Even so, I feared for a while I had cracked my pelvis. I was seriously shaken.
This was, of course, a case of pilot error. I mention it, not to show how terrifying Dash could be, but to show how inexperienced I was with truly athletic horses. I learned a lot from that incident about how to work with Dash -- it didn't involve spurs and big bits. Most of our jumping career together was a struggle for me to remain balanced and relaxed while Dash did his job. If I rode that way, he relaxed and took the jumps at a steady collected pace. If I didn't, we rushed.
I also learned how different he was from other horses I'd ridden since my childhood days -- ponies, cowhorses, long-legged runners -- none of them had the speed or reflexes that he did.
As I said, Dash had a mediocre racing career, but he was the fastest horse I've ever ridden. It's hard to imagine what it be like to ride a spectacular race horse.
If Dash's athletic ability came close to causing serious injury in the backward-launch incident, it came far more often to my assistance, especially when jumping or going cross-country.
More than once, he bailed us both out when poor positioning or ineffective riding got us in a jam. Once, in a tight stadium course, I was much too far forwarded when we landed after a jump. All that weight above his neck and shoulders pushed Dash almost to his knees as we hit the ground. We were set up for fall or, at the very least, to crash through the next fence a stride away.
But it didn't happen. Somehow, Dash collected his hindquarters under him as he pushed his front legs to keep from going to his knees. More amazing still, he cleared the next fence with me flopping around like a very huge rag doll. There was enough room to the next fence that I was able to bring myself back into some semblance of balance, and we had a clear round.
It wasn't just Dash's athletic ability that made him special, however. Lots of horses, especially in the eventing world, are amazing athletes, even if that kind of equine ability was new to me. What I really grew to appreciate was Dash's temperament and focus.
Once, at a small jumping show near Aspen, I was third in line for my round. We had warmed up well and Dash had a slight sweat on that warm summer morning. But as we stood at the rail awaiting our turn, Dash dozed off. The gate keeper asked me whether I thought my horse would be able to jump. I said, "Just watch." When she opened the gate to let us in the arena, it was like a switch was turned on. Dash went from dozing nag to adrenalin-spiked athlete in a split second. We jumped a clear round, sending us into a jump off with several other horses and riders. We exited the arena and walked a bit to cool down, then took a spot at the rail, where Dash again dozed off.
It was on the trail, however, that I came to appreciate this aspect of Dash's character most.
I'm not sure if Dash had ever worked outside an arena or race track before I acquired him. He seemed surprised by the world outside the arena, and a little tentative. But not spooky or balky. Taking him schooling on several cross-country courses would rid him of being tentative, and he soon came to enjoy being on the trail -- even overnight trips in the wilderness and on some pretty hairy trails.
Several years ago, while riding in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area of north-central Colorado, my buddy and I were caught in a heavy thunderstorm. The trail we had to ride out to get back to the horse trailer curved for a mile or more along the bottom of a steep draw, with the skeletons of burned pine and spruce trees on either side. Because of the rain, the trail was now a creek bed -- only about a foot deep but rushing with muddy water, sticks and other debris. And because the steep sides were bare of most live vegetation due to a recent forest fire, riding along the sides above the trail was not an option.
My friend was in the lead on his horse, a half-mustang, half-Morgan mare with plenty of trail experience. But she balked at stepping into the rushing water on the slick downhill grade of the trail, while the rain poured and the thunder crashed. I said, "Let me try," and Dash and I moved to the front. I clucked once, squeezed my legs slightly, threw the reins at him and said, "Take us home, Bud."
He stepped into the water carefully but with determination, and kept his eyes focused on where the trail had been, stepping cautiously over rocks and deadfalls. My friend's mare followed and we made it out, soaked to our skins, but without other problems because Dash ignored the thunder, lightning and other distractions until we got onto more solid footing.
Rarely were our rides together so eventful. Mostly, we enjoyed a walk in the mountains, and exhilarating gallop and perhaps some collected trot work, then returned home pleasantly tired. Even if we were with a group, and some horse and rider were having difficulties, Dash remained unruffled and dignified.
And, like many a horse, life with Dash wasn't just about riding him.
I rarely claimed I owned Dash, only that I had acquired him. I think he viewed our relationship as something more like a partnership, and he frequently objected to the way I was holding up my part of the bargain.
Did I think I could sleep in on a weekend morning? Dash began whinnying loudly at feeding time, and perhaps banging a foot against the water tank to let me know that was not appropriate.
Did I think the two small pastures where the horses grazed had another week or so to green up in the spring before the horses could be turned out? Dash clearly disagreed. While the other three horses would peacefully eat their hay, Dash would stand by the pasture gate with that same demanding whinny, letting me know the gate needed to be opened. Now! He would only trudge petulantly back to his hay when it was clear I was heading to the house and the gate would not be opened.
The year I acquired Dash, we had a foal born on our small farm. Turk arrived just a few weeks before Dash, and I was somewhat nervous about how the new arrivals would get along. My neighbor had an older gelding, quiet in all respects, which nearly killed a young foal the first time he was allowed into the same pasture. I kept Dash separated from Turk and his mother for a few weeks, but they became acquainted through the fence rails. When I finally opened the gate to allow them together, they took to each other like Pancho and the Cisco Kid. Dash never tried to harm Turk as a baby, although as Turk grew older, they both would frequently display nicks from their rough-housing. As a baby though, Turk quickly learned that Mama was the place to go for food, but Dash was the source of equine fun. Turk grew up with Dash babysitting him. He learned to lead while ponying beside Dash, learned about the trail by following Dash. After Dash died, Turk cried pitifully at the main gate for several days.
Dash had colicked once before, about a year after I got him. As is too often the case, there was no clear indication why. His diet hadn't changed, nor had his daily routine. Perhaps a change in the weather was responsible. In any event, a rubber hose through his nostril and some oil resolved the problem in a few hours, and he was back to normal in a few days.
So, when he displayed signs of colic this July, I was anxious, but not particularly worried. I called the veterinarian, but since it was 5:30 a.m., I got only the answering service. But a young veterinarian who had been awake most of the night dealing with another colic, called me back quickly. She suggested I haul him to their clinic, about 30 miles away, saying that a trailer ride will frequently relax a colicky horse and allow the problem to pass naturally. We did so, and arrived at the clinic about 45 minutes later. After sedating Dash, palpating him and running the inevitable hose through his nostril the vet quickly determined the problems were more serious this time. She decided to monitor him and give him fluids, while I headed off to work.
Not long afterward, the clinic's main colic surgeon showed up. He examined Dash and agreed with younger vet that his situation wasn't improving. In fact, when he palpated the horse, he found the small intestine in worse condition than it had been a few hours earlier.
I arrived at lunchtime and we began discussing options. Non surgical medical care was failing to produce any results, and all indications pointed to surgery. Because the Fourth of July weekend was coming up, much of the clinic's staff was gone, and the surgeon feared he didn't have enough people to provide adequate post-operative care. There was a clinic 100 miles away that could perform the surgery, and others in Fort Collins and Salt Lake City -- each requiring trips over the mountains of more than 250 miles. And all of those options would be considerably more expensive. Finally, the surgeon said, unless I wanted to put him down, the best option was to perform surgery there. He was going to be around most of the weekend, so he and the techs on duty could provide the required post-op care. I said, "Let's do it." Putting him down was not an option for me then.
It was not a routine colic surgery. There was an impacted large intestine that had to be cleaned, the doctor said, and a portion of the colon that had become entangled in other tissue. But the surgery appeared to go well, and by 6:30 p.m. Dash was in the recovery room and the surgeon was upbeat about his chances. So was I. Dash always had a lot of heart, and I was sure he would use that will to get better, regardless of any potential complications.
The anesthesia began to wear off shortly thereafter. Dash tried to lift his head, his eyes attempting to focus. Then, before anyone expected it, he made an abortive attempt to stand up, banging into the door, cutting his lip and falling awkwardly against the padded wall. The surgeon rushed in, grabbed Dash's tail to steady him and tried to calm him. But Dash was impatient as ever. He wanted to stand. And so he tried once again, despite the dizzying effects of the anesthesia.
This time things went terribly wrong. His left hind leg was twisted under him and he stumbled, the bulk of his weight falling against that leg. It snapped, just below the hock, and there was no longer any chance of saving Dash. Amid tears and curses, the surgeon and his team euthanized Dash as quickly as they could.
I have lost other pets, not to mention human friends. Some had lived long lives and their time had come. Others seemed far too young to die. All were heart-breaking experiences, the kind we must all deal with as part of living.
Dash’s death was devastating because of the way it went down. After a long day of agonizing about what to do, then waiting for the surgery to be completed, it was as if a life rope of hope had been thrown in my direction, only to be whisked away at the last minute.
Dash wasn't the greatest horse who ever lived, but he was the best of the 25 or so horses I've had during my lifetime. I picture him at times, galloping across the sky, jumping over clouds.
When you’ve worn yourself out, Bud,come and stand in the shade of your horse chestnut tree.

Hard Times for horse groups

2008-12-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Confronting the current economic realities, the United States Eventing Association is making some cutbacks for the coming year.

I pay attention because I have been a member of the USEA for a number of years. My membership lapsed after I hurt my back and couldn't compete for more than a year. Then my eventing buddy, Dash, died, and I didn't have much interest. But it is a good organization and I plan to rejoin.

Among the sensible changes is eliminating the print edition of its omnibous, which had been mailed to members. Instead, it will be available solely online. Given the cost in printing and mailing, and the ease of online access, this seems like the only way to go. Major newspapers are moving in this direction. So should groups with their newsletters.

Other changes are listed at the group's Web site, http://useventing.com/

We all love our horses and horse competition. But in difficult economic times, recreational horse activities will be one thing that many people find necessary to give up. And even the professionals are likely to find it difficult to continue training and competing at the same pace as they have in the past.

I expect many other horse groups will have to make changes -- or are already making changes -- along the lines of what the USEA is doing.

Good for them.

Mountain Valley Horse Rescue

2008-11-26T05:44:00.000-08:00

Just received a newsletter from Mountain Valley Horse Rescue in Eagle, Colorado. I'm not sure how they got my name, but I'm happy to get the newsletter and learn about the group that seems to be doing good things for abused or abandoned horses. I plan to send a contribution.

Check them out at www.mvhr.org.

Madeline Pickens to the rescue

2008-11-19T05:57:00.000-08:00

From a Washington Post story that appeared in the Denver Post today:

"Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, made known her intentions to adopt not just the doomed wild horses but most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens."

"Madeleine Pickens is working with the BLM staff to adopt the horses, said Henri Bisson, the bureau's deputy director, while the agency persuades Congress to shift $20 million in funding to feed and protect the horses now in captivity for another year."

She apparently plans to create a ranch sanctuary for the animals which will be open to the public.

Here's the URL of the original story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111803659.html

I'm not sure of the details or how it will all work, but Mrs. Pickens deserves immense credit for using her own resources to come up with a non-taxpayer funded solution to this problem-- and avoid massive euthanizing thousands of horses.

Horesing around at the Colorado Capitol

2008-11-18T05:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a bit of better news on the equine front.

From a press release sent to Colorado newspapers Monday, Nov. 17

"Colorado Horsemen’s Day at the Capitol Horsemen throughout Colorado are invited to spend an exciting day at the State Capitol in Denver on January 19th, 2009. The Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association, The Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the Colorado Horse Racing Association are sponsoring the big event. Top officials from both the American Quarter Horse Association and the Jockey Club are scheduled to attend and discuss the horse industry’s future with the Colorado horsemen in attendance. Top on the list of issues the horsemen will be discussing will be the proposed Colorado Horse Breeders Incentive Fund. The proposal is an economic growth plan for the Colorado horse industry that will be funded by the Colorado Racing Industry. All horsemen are invited and there is no charge for attending. More information will be available at www.ColoradoHorseCoalition.com or by emailing coloradohorse@yahoo.com ."

I don't know how successful this will be, but I would love to see the horse racing industry be more viable in Colorado than it has been.

However, I recognize there are problems that go beyond fiscal soundness. First, there are the injuries too many racehorses suffer. The synthetic tracks are one idea that appears to help in that regard.

Additionally, there is the question of what to do with all the well-bred horses that turn out to be not very good runners. There is a market for many of those horses. I owned a horse for 10 years that had come off the track (see the post below about Dash's horse chestnut tree). He was wonderfully athletic, kind and sensible. But I've seen other former race horses that were truly whacko. There's little market for them.

Finally, I think horse racing needs to do a better job of policing itself for drugs used on horses. Like all human professional sports, the incentive to win in racing is so high that too many trainers have turned to drugs -- either to mask injuries or to enhance performance.

The barn in winter

2008-11-11T05:45:00.000-08:00

We had another great autumn ride Saturday, Turk and I, my friend Alan and his mare Rita. We headed into the canyons north of here, in the Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Area, and encountered a band of about eight horses. One yearling filly approached to check us out -- or at least to check our ponies out. These horses are pretty accustomed to human visitors on foot and horseback.

But that was Saturday. Today is Tuesday morning and a front is moving through. There is rain here in the valley and snow not too far up on the surrounding cliffs and mountains. It's winter in Colorado.

Is there any place more welcoming than a horse barn on a winter morning? The smell of sawdust and horses? The nickering of our impatient buddies, ready for their breakfast.

We don't have anything too fancy. I built the barn myself -- with help from my wife and daughter and a few friends -- about 10 years ago. There are two 12x12 stalls, a tack room (which doubles as a dog room during the day, and has a doggie door opening to a fenced dog run). There's and an open area where the horses can go in and out during the day. I rarely keep my horses in the stalls unless I'm treating an injury or preparing for a show or the like. But I feed grain to the two mares in the stalls and to Turk in the open area. They're out there now, staying out of the rain, and waiting for me to come feed.

I'm not sure if people who have never had horses, never had a barn of their own, can really appreciate how much we enjoy going out to the barn, being with our animals, feeding, talking to them -- yes, even cleaning the barns.

I grew up in the dairy country of Wisconsin when most of the farms had relatively small herds of 50 to 100 head. And the dairy barns on winter mornings then had much the same feel as my horse barn now -- the steam from the breathing of the cows, the heat generated by their bodies, the stone and wood walls keeping out the cold, the smell of hay and silage.

There's a connection there with the animals -- and with our history -- that fewer and fewer people get to experience.

I'm going out to experience it right now.

A glorious gallop

2008-11-03T05:27:00.001-08:00

What a gorgeous autumn day Sunday was. Clouds were building up in the morning, and rain and wind arrived late in the afternoon. But as we pulled the horse trailers off U.S. Highway 50 on the bluffs above the Gunnison River, the sun broke through and the extra layers of clothing I'd brought, including a rain jacket, were unnecessary.

I took my little gelding Turk (by little, I mean 15.2 hands -- not tiny but not like the big jumpers and eventers). My friend Cricket brought her big mare, Aspen, and another friend, Jody, brought an Arabian-Paint cross called Joker. And my seven-month old Lab pup, Lila, came along to burn off some of that puppy energy.

Everyone was feeling good in the cool fall weather, and as soon as we got far enough away from the horse trailers and pavement, we broke into an eager trot.

I should note that I just started using my old jumping saddle on Turk. I've always used a western saddle on him until a few weeks ago, but I find that saddle hurts my back and my knees. The jumping saddle allows my legs to hang in a better position and move more freely when I need them to. Plus, it gives me better contact with my horse for using leg commands.

We warmed up, then had a nice easy gallop along the old Jeep roads in the area. This is all Bureau of Land Management property and open to the public. We had a little bit of difficult up and down through some rocky arroyos, but mostly it was easy and open trails, great for cantering and extended trotting.

We rode about two hours, and everyone was worn out and happy by the end.

It was a wonderful reminder of why we have horses.

Waiting on the weekend

2008-10-31T05:31:00.000-07:00

A gorgeous weekend is predicted here in Western Colorado.
I'm tired of the the political world and all the hullabaloo leading up to the election.
I have no projects at home that can't be put off for a little while longer.
My little gelding Turk is eager to do something.
And my friends have asked me to join them on a trail ride.
See ya later folks.

Not-so-wild horses

2008-10-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

The news release below, originally from the Bureau of Land Management's Idaho office, was posted on My Equine Network. It is, unfortunately, a recurring problem in the West, one that may be getting worse as the economy makes keeping horses more difficult.

Earlier this year, we had a similar problem in Western Colorado. Someone apparently dumped two domestic horses in the area of the Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse herd. No great surprise, but they did poorly. They weren't accepted by the wild horses and they didn't know where to go in the relatively dry area for water or good grass. The BLM captured them, but I'm not sure what has happened to them since. I will check on it.

But it's a sad statement on supposed horse lovers when they abandon their ponies to what will likely be an anguished death in the wild.

Here's the story.

BLM to Impound Abandoned Idaho Horses

Marsing, ID – The Owyhee Field Office of the Boise District, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is posting a legal Notice to impound three abandoned horses located on public lands managed by BLM. The horses are in the Blackstock Springs Allotment located approximately 10 miles south of Marsing, Idaho and six miles north of the Oregon state line.

The BLM Law Enforcement Officers in coordination with the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho’s State Brand Inspector were unable to determine the ownership of these abandoned horses by either brand or marking. No one from the public has reported loss of any horses in this area, nor has anyone claimed these animals.

The Notice of Impoundment states that if the abandoned horses are not claimed within five days after publication and/or posting of the Notice the horses will be removed and taken to the BLM’s wild horse corrals located south of Boise.

Any person(s) wishing to make claim of the abandoned horses should contact Jake Vialpando, Owyhee Supervisory Rangeland Management Specialist at (208) 896-5916 or Buddy Green, Owyhee Field Manager at (208) 896-5913.

Source: www.blm.gov/id

The big race

2008-10-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

So Curlin didn't make it, despite all the hoofra and money bet on him. Too bad.
I had hopes he would win back-to-back Breeder's Cup Championships.

But I also thought some of the British horses had a chance on the synthetic turf. My first pick, however, was Henry the Navigator. He finished second.

But it was a good race. Curlin's jockey put him in a great spot to win, and he looked like he was going to as he pulled ahead entering the stretch. But Raven's Pass, Henry the Navigator and Tiago all had to much left and blew past Curlin at the end.

Horses run differently on synthetic turf, and that may have been the difference for Curlin. But, in the end, it will be better for horse racing. There'll be far fewer injuries to the horses. We should all appreciate that.

The layoff

2008-10-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

A number of things came together at roughly the same time to get me off this blog, at least temporarily.
No, it wasn't a "perfect storm" of events. That cliche has been so overused I think it should be scuttled and sent to the bottom of the deep.
But it was enough to put a halt to my blogging -- and other activities.
First, I suffered a back injury that required surgery. And there were complications after surgery that effectively sidelined me for six months.
I thought at one point that while I was laid up, it would be a good time to blog more, but I found I didn't want to write much about my horses when I wasn't able to do much with them. It also wasn't very comfortable sitting in front of my computer.
After six months, I wasn't fully recovered but I was at least ambulatory. Then I was hired to teach my first college class in journalism while continuing my full-time job as editorial page editor at our local newspaper. The time to prepare for the class, read and grade papers was much greater than I originally anticipated. So blogging again fell by the wayside.
Also, about three years ago, I began working on a book project. It's not directly related to horses but it actually began as a result of one of my wilderness horseback treks. It was progressing, slowly but steadily. But earlier this year a publisher expressed an interest in it (no guarantee they'll accept it, but at least they are interested). So suddenly, there was an impetus to speed up efforts on that project. I finished it and sent it off to the publisher two weeks ago.
Finally, there was the incident recorded below, in which my favorite horse -- quite simply, the best horse I have ever owned -- died following colic surgery.
Altogether, these events combined to push blogging to the back burner. I write this as an explanation for anyone who may be paying attention, as well as to make sure I understand why I let it slide for so long.
Enough navel gazing. I'll be back with regular posts about things equine.

Dash's Horse Chestnut Tree

2008-10-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Riding with Judy

2006-08-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

I went riding with my wife today on some very open and easy trails in the high desert. It was a gorgeous day and we had a fine ride for a couple of hours. But more importantly, my wife Judy felt confident and comfortable on her horse (actually my daughter's horse) Turk.

Shortly after we were married, more than 30 years ago, Judy used to ride with me regularly, and she was pretty bold and a decent rider, even though she has told me she was often scared by the horse I had then or horses we borrowed from friends.

After kids came along, she gradually spent less and less time in the saddle, and when she did, it was on our old Arabian mare, Hannah, who doesn't really like me but does like Judy. Hannah always took care of her, but Judy was really more passenger than pilot, allowing Hannah to just follow whatever other horse or horses were on the ride.

But Hannah's 24 years old now, and has had some founder problems. She's not very sound for a ride of any length.

However, Turk, my daughter's 7-year-old gelding, is becoming a very solid trail horse. He was my pack horse on our wilderness trips, and he's actually more careful than my big gray gelding on difficult trails.

Last week a friend who used to give me jumping lessons agreed to give Judy some lessons on Turk, just to make her feel more comfortable and in control. She enjoyed it a lot, learned a lot and felt far more confident in the saddle. Plus, Turk was very good.

So she wanted to go out on today to see how she and Turk did on the trail instead of in the arena. Both did very well. Turk was obedient and steady. A little spook occurred when a jackrabbit jumped out from under the sagebrush beside him, and our great dane, Bo, took off in hot pursuit. But he only sidestepped a bit, and Judy handled it without a problem.

I'm glad, because there are some trail rides I plan to do over the coming year related to some historical research I'm doing, and Judy would like to join us, if she feels comfortable enough.

Plus since the kids are all grown up and moved out, it's just nice to have one more thing we enjoy doing together.

Wilderness excursion

2006-08-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

My friend and I recently returned from a three-day trip to the Holy Cross Wilderness area near Eagle Colorado. It's a gorgeous area, but the trails we chose turned out to be extremely difficult -- lots of slick rock, deep, rutted trails with very jagged rocks in them, and muddy bogs. And most of it was very steep. We spent almost as much time leading our horses, and allowing the pack horses to just follow on their own, as riding. And when we were riding, it was very cautiously, letting the horses pick their way as carefully as possible.
Still, all went well. No serious injuries to horse or human, except one badly sprained ankle on my part.
Also, I brought home an uninvited guest -- Giardia.
It hit a few days after we got back and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Finally went to the doctor and got some medicine that knocked it out. But I lost about 10 pounds in a week through dehydration and being unable to eat much of anything.

I'm not sure how it happened, because we took both Iodine pills and a water filter to treat all of the water we drank. But something obviously was not enough.

But I'm back to feeling human again. I think we'll look for another location for our backcountry horse trip next summer. One where the trails are quite so rough and both riders and horses can enjoy themselves a little more.

Unbearable ride

2006-07-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

For some reason I thought I had blogged about our trail ride just before the Fourth of July, but I guess not.
Alan and I and my son's Great Dane, Bo, traveled to the top of Grand Mesa, and got off the pavement about a mile on what is known as Land's End Road. I took my big jumper, Bud, who is actually a very steady trail horse, and Alan had his mare, Rita.
We were barely a half mile from the horse trailer, in an area of open parks spotted with stands of pine, when a good-size mule deer -- a doe -- popped out of the trees about a hundred yards in front of us, and bounded across a park from our right to our left. While all of us, animals and humans, were watching the deer, Bud suddenly perked up his ears and flipped his head back to the right.
There, ambling down the side of the hill, was a pretty, cinnamon-colored black bear. Since the wind was blowing toward us, he didn't catch our scent and he kept coming, nonchalantly.
He went into the same grove of trees that the deer had jumped out of, and when he did we moved a little bit closer. When he came out on the downside, he heard us and turned to look in our direction. He gazed at us for a moment, then turned and hurried back up the hill.
Neither of the horses got spooked. In fact, they seemed eager to follow him. So did the Great Dane, but he stayed beside me when I told him to.
The bear was probably 75 yards away when he came out of the trees and spotted us. Alan and I disputed how large he was, but he was definitely taller on all fours than the Great Dane. And, since Bo is over 6 feet tall when he stands on his hind legs, that bear was no little guy.
I've only seen a half-dozen or so bears in the wild in all of my time in the back country, but it's always special when you do, especially if neither you nor the bear feel threatened.
Since this encounter came the day after I put my old dog Pepper down, it's was easy for me to imagine some spiritual connection between my dog and the bear.

Summer doldrums

2006-07-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

It doesn't seem like I've gotten much riding in the past couple weeks. Heavy rains (for Western Colorado) stopped me last weekend, but my friend and I did get out Tuesday evening, just for a local ride. We ponied our pack horses to get them ready for our four-day ride at the end of the month. I even put the pack saddle on my little gelding Turk, and threw a few things in the packs so he would get used to it. He spooked himself a couple of times when he rubbed against something because he didn't realize how wide his gear was, and once when he turned around to nip at a fly. But nothing serious came of it.
We're sure looking forward to the opportunity to get up in the high country, away from the desert heat and civilization for a few days.

Sound horse, old dog

2006-06-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

The treatments with epsom salts and betadyne apparently worked. I rode Bud Tuesday night and he didn't seem to have any lameness from his close encounter with the deck screw a few days earlier.
What a relief.

My goal when I started this blog was to write about horse-related items in the news as well as horses in history, rather than strictly personal stuff about me and my horses. I still hope to do that, but I am currently spending a great deal of time on another writing project (it's historical, but developed from my interest in horses) and haven't had the time for the research I want to do for this blog. I hope to have more time for that in coming weeks.
My first goal is to return to the question of hardware and horses.

Thanks to those of you who have left comments. I certainly appreciate knowing a few people are reading.

Back to personal pet stuff: I'm pretty depressed today because I just made arrangements today to have my old lab-boxer dog, Pepper, put to sleep tomorrow.

He's either 17 or 18 -- I got him from the pound when he was a year old, and I can't remember whether that was in 1989 or 1990. We can't find any pictures or vet records that would tell us for sure. But either way, its been a pretty long life for a dog of his size. And he's been a great one, going with me on countless trail rides, camping trips, truck rides and guarding the old homestead as well. I've had more than a dozen dogs during my lifetime and he's one of the two smartest.
His only major problems were, when he was younger, a penchant for killing any cats that weren't part of his household (including the neighbor's on more than one occasion) and for killing skunks. Once, he even came trotting back home, proud as he could be, carrying a dead skunk in his mouth. A skunk episode usually meant a couple of baths and a week or so in my old stock trailer until the smell wore off. I never could break him of it, though, if he got wind of a skunk out in the pasture.

Now, however, he doesn't get wind of much of anything. He can't hear. His back end is barely functional and he can hardly walk. His incontinence seems to get worse each day, which is only a minor problem now since he spends most of his time in the garage. But, come winter, when it gets cold again, I couldn't make him stay in the garage. Also, we're going away next month, and I didn't want to leave him and his problems to the lady who comes to care for the rest of our animals.
It will be a sad day tomorrow. But it's time.

Screwed

2006-06-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

My plans to take both my horses out Sunday for a practice pack trip got screwed Saturday evening -- literally.
Bud, my big gray gelding, was limping when he came in to eat about 5 p.m. I picked up his right front foot and found a 3-inch deck screw stuck securely into the sole of his foot.
It went in at an angle, just underneath the frog, with the head of the screw sticking out past the edge of the shoe. It must have hurt like hell when he put his weight on that foot. I had to actually unscrew the thing -- very carefully and slowly using a pliers, because if I used a screwdriver I would have been pushing against where it went in and causing more pain.
But I got it out, and equally important, I got hold of my vet at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night when he was preparing to leave town. (Thanks Dr. Bob).
He advised soaking the foot in a solution of Epsom salt, betadyne and water, then packing the injured area with betadyne and sugar paste, and wrapping it with duct tape to hold it in. No Bute.
This I did Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night and again today. Tonight I just soaked it and left him. Fortunately, Bud is pretty good about being treated, and he stood patiently with his foot in the pan of solution for 20 minutes at a time, as long as I sat next to him and talked to him.
Today he doesn't seem to be limping at all. I plan to get on him tomorrow for a little ride, just to see how he feels.
So Turk, my pack horse, became my saddle horse Sunday. We had a good ride in an area called South Shale Ridge. It was hot but pleasant.
It's hard to say where Bud picked up the screw. I used some screws like that when I built my barn, nine years ago. But they've been in and round it every day since then and haven't had any problems. Plus I can't find any place where a screw appears to be missing. I try to be careful about always picking up dropped screws and nails, but this one may have been in the dirt for nine years.
Another scary day for a horse owner and horse lover.

DSL problems

2006-06-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

We've been having DSL problems all week and working with the phone company to try to get it fixed. It finally seems to be working properly again, but it's been frustrating. That's why I haven't blogged all week.
I think it was frustrating for the phone company, Qwest, as well, because they thought they had it fixed on several occasions, and the one time it appeared to be fixed earlier in the week, our telephones in the house wouldn't operate.

Anyway, seems to be working now.

Not a lot of horse news here. It's getting pretty hot, so I don't have much enthusiasm for riding in the evenings. I'm going to try to go for a trail ride early tomorrow morning, and throw the pack saddle on my gelding, Turk, to get him used to it again. He hasn't been packed hard in two years, and we have a big pack trip coming up in about a month.

When I say a pack saddle, I don't mean a real cross-tree saddle. I just use my regular western riding saddle and some saddle paniers that fit over the horn, pommel and cantle. It's not quite as efficient as a real pack saddle, but it works very well for the three or four-day trips I usually take. Also, I have large saddlebags on my riding horse, Bud, including a pack immediately behind the saddle that's large enough to get my sleeping bag in. All this behind my WinTec jumping saddle. We make quite a sight coming down the trail. But Bud is much more comfortable in that saddle and I prefer riding in it to any Western saddle I have. And since we don't do much roping, it works well.(I have yet to find a Western saddle that doesn't make Bud throw a fit when I try to tighten the girth, but I haven't made an extensive search for a western saddle that fits his Thoroughbred whithers correctly.
That's all for now. Gotta get to work.

Trail Time

2006-06-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Bud and I had a great ride with some friends in the high desert of Western Colorado yesterday. Unlike today (94 degrees) the temperature was in the mid-80s and there was a breeze.
A friend of mine, Pete,who is 6-foot-7 and weighs 275, rode my daughter's gelding Turk, who packed him around just fine.
Turk, who we raised from birth, is part quarter horse and part Missouri Fox Trotter, seven years old and he likes to wander. We call him Turk the Tourist, because he's always sight-seeing when we're trail riding -- looking around at everything and wandering off the trail if you let him. (Some friends with Missouri Fox Trotters told me that is typical of the breed.)
But Turk is a good guy on the trail, not prone to spooking or running away and very sure-footed. Pete is a very green rider, but he gets along well with Turk.
Bud was good. He just would have preferred a long gallop to a moderate walk, but he settled down when I told him to, and we had an enjoyable time.
Also accompanying us were my friend Alan, on his mustang-Morgan mare, Rita, and Pete's wife, Kimmer, on a friend's Paint gelding.
And one more: My son's Great Dane, Bo. We have temporary custody of Bo while my son is overseas, and he loves to go out riding with us. He can cover every bit as much ground as the horses if it's not too hot. (I had plenty of water in the saddlebags for him yesterday.)
All in all, it was a very nice way to spend Father's Day weekend.

Wild Horses

2006-06-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

Barely a stone's throw from our house in Western Colorado is the Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Area. I can saddle up and ride to the base of the area in about 10 minutes. A 15-minute trailer haul allows us to get right into the heart of the area, where we almost always see small bands of mares led by a single stallion. In the spring, there are foals to see and occasionally we encounter two or three bachelor studs, pushed out from their mothers' herds but not powerful enough to become herd stallions themselves.
It's one of my favorite places to ride, especially in the winter. Easy access, generally warm temperatures and always interesting things to see.
I mention all this because I received a mailing from a Denver-area group this week telling me of the sad fate of a wild horse herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
"If a new Bureau of Land Management plan to manage this herd is implemented this July," it warned, "24 wild horses in the Pryor Mountains will be captured and removed from their home and lose their freedom forever."
The mailing went on to say that this traumatizing roundup could be prevented if the BLM (which manages millions of acres of federal lands in the West, for you non-Westerners) "would prioritize range improvements (none have occurre in over a decade)."
The mailing asked me to sign a petition to the BLM to stop the roundup. And, naturally, it also sought for a donation to help the group in its efforts to protect wild horses.
I'll do neither.
As one might gather from reading about my affinity for the Little Bookcliffs wild horses, I have nothing against wild horses. They have intrigued since long before I moved to the West 34 years ago.
I have observed the horses and BLM efforts to manage them.
And I think the current federal laws that govern that management are INSANE!
Craziest of all is the fact that, as of last October, the BLM had some 24,500 wild horses and burros in holding pens around the West, feeding them hay, providing them with veterinary services and wondering what in the hell to do with them.
They can't adopt them because there are simply far more horses and burros available than there are people willing to adopt.
They cannot sell them because the federal laws written beginning in the early 1970s prohibit any sale in which the wild horses might end up in a slaughterhouse.
They cannot humanely euthanize them, because that is also forbidden by law.
And they can't put them back on the range because they were removed in the first place to reduce overgrazing and overcrowding.
So they live in large corrals while we taxpayers pay to keep them fed and doctored.
And, when the group that sent me the mailing clucks about the BLM doing little about range improvements,it neglects to mention that over half of the BLM's wild horse budget of $39 million this year -- $20.1 million -- is going to feed and keep those 24,500 horses and burros in the corrals. Imagine the range improvements that could be made if that much additional money were available, not to mention the manpower devoted to caring for the corraled horses.
Several times in recent years, Western congressmen of both parties have attempted to pass legislation that would allow some changes in the way captured wild horses are handled. But they have been shot down before they even make it out of committee by the emotional supporters of wild horses who attack any prospective change in the law as an attempt to eliminate wild horses from the range.
I love the wild horses near my house, and I don't want to see them, the herd in Montana or any of the others around the West removed from the range. But I believe the BLM should be allowed to sell or euthaize those captured horses that have no prospect of being adopted, with the stipulation that any money saved in caring for the corraled horses be devoted to range improvements in wild-horse areas.
Then, instead of round-ups every few years followed by attempts to adopt out the captured horses that always meet with limited success, the BLM should begin a process of neutering most of the wild horses on the various ranges, allowing only a select few to breed annually.
Until that happens, the horses will continue to turn out more foals than their ranges can support and the BLM will have to round them up or allow them to starve.
And until groups like the one that sent me the mailing acknowledge the problems with the current law -- created in part through the well-meaning support of groups like this -- they won't get my money or signature on petitions.

Linkage

2006-06-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

Success! I think.
I've been struggling to figure out how to link from this blog to other sites. I think I've finally got it, with the assistance of a colleague at work.

That's her blog -- rivetergirl -- linked in the first spot. Although it has nothing to do with horses, it is an amusing read about the trials and tribulations of a working woman, wife, mother and budding rock star (she's the lead guitartist for the group, Riveter). Plus, she helps me when I can't figure computer stuff out, either at work of for the blog. So I owe her.
Thanks, rivetergirl.

The second link is for equestrian adventurer, a site I mentioned in a blog a few days ago. It not only offers all manner of horse-related travel packages, but some great articles about horses and horse travel. Check it out.

More links to come. Assuming I really do have this figured out.

Horse hardware

2006-06-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

While at the Moonrock Horse Trials in Worland, Wyo., last weekend, I watched a woman leading a large Frisan gelding, but doing so in a strange manner.
She was bent over like a crippled woman, and kept holding her hand out in front of the big black gelding, and he kept his head down near her.
Being the curious sort, I went up and asked her what the heck she was doing. And being the outgoing sort, she quickly told me.
She said it was a technique she had learned from a Russian dressage trainer who could get a horse to piaffe (trot in place, for you non-dressage types, like me) without a bit in his mouth.
She said it was similar to some of the methods used by the Pirellis in their training. It teaches a horse to round its back without using harsh bits, draw reins or other hardware.
This hit me just at the right time, because just a few days earlier, while getting ready for Moonrock, my horse was sticking his nose in the air and being anything but round. A friend whom I've been training with immediately grabbed her draw reins and pressured me into to putting them on, saying "I know we can fix him with these."

Instead, it just made Bud angrier and I had more of a fight on my hands. And I say she pressured me because a former trainer of mine, who has since moved away (but may be reading this) always argued against trying to fix those kinds of problems with hardware. He said if you couldn't fix it with legs, seat and light hands, you probably shouldn't be on that horse.

At any rate, the Frisan woman agreed to show me more later that evening, but our cross-country competition that day went long and we didn't get the time. And I didn't get her name or address. But I would like to learn more about the Russian trainer and his techniques.

Anyone have a clue who I'm talking about from this rambling description and an idea where I might find more information?

Next, I hope to blog a little about historical hardware.

Blogus interuptus

2006-06-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

I had planned to do more blogging tonight, but just as I got home, my son contacted me via Internet instant message.
He's in Afghanistan in the 8 th month of a 1 year deployment, and was feeling pretty down.
We chatted for an hour and a half, and he said it helped him feel better.
Much more important than my horse blogging.

Horse soldier re-enacters

2006-06-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

There's a very interesting story on horsecity.com today about battle field re-enacters and the horses used at Gettysburg. http://horsecity.com/stories/060606/adv_calvary_MG.shtml
It's written by Mark Gochman, the editor of
equestrianadventurer.com
a site I have visited several times.
It talks about the people involved in cavalry re-enacting -- former fox hunters, ropers, and eventers.
There's even a school to train for such rides -- which I hadn't heard of prior to reading this article. It's in Twisp, Wash.
www.uscavalryschool.org
Take a look at Mark's article if you're interested in horses and history. It's an interesting read.

One of my reasons for starting this blog is to eventually write some longer articles of my own on horse history. Stay tuned. Or better yet, Return with us soon to those days of Yesteryear.

Men vs. Women

2006-06-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

A question:
Our group of riders and family members at Moonrock included males and females, who all shared in horse-care duties. Several times a girl or woman had to open a fresh bale of hay for the ponies. Each time, they grabbed another piece of baling twine and pulled it back and forth under the taut twine on the bale, using it as a sort of friction saw to cut the twine on the bale.
This is the same technique that my daughter used to use, even when I had an old hoof knife available right next to the hay stack for cutting the twine.
No guy who I know would use this technique except as an ultimate last resort, and even then it would be more likely to see a guy pull the twine off or attempt to break it with some other handy tool, say a rock or piece of wood.
But that's rarely necessary because a guy nearly always has a pocket knife or leatherman or similar tool with him. I usually have a big flip-out knife in the pocket of my jeans or carharts. But I don't feel fully dressed without a knife, so even when I'm in my office clothes for my desk job, I nearly always have a small pocket knife with me. And I always have a good knife when I'm riding (although not competing in boots and breeches) just in case a horse gets tangled up in somethin and I have to cut him or her free.
Why don't women carry knives when they're out working with their horses? Not just for cutting open hay bales but to deal with other emergencies?
My daughter, now 22, took a summer job as a crew leader working on backcountry trails in Washington state. One of the requirements for the job was that she have a good knife or all-purpose tool. She was very proud when she purchased her new Leatherman, and wondered if I was jealous (I was). I suspect she'll get used to having a tool like that with her, and keep it or something like it in her purse, even when she goes back to office work in the fall.
But maybe not. Maybe carrying knives and other weapons is primarily a guy thing -- a genetic disposition dating from our hunter-gatherer-protector days.
I won't get into a big discussion of guns, but I will note that I know several women who usually carry pistols with them in their vehicles when they take long trips or trips to areas they consider dangerous. But they don't seem to have the same fascination with their weapons that many men have.
An anthropologist could have a field day with this. In fact, I'm accepting grant money right now to prepare my own paper: "The X and Y chromosoms and their differing influence on techniques used to cut hay bale twine."

Personal news

2006-06-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Returned late last night from the Moonrock Horse Trials in Worland, Wyo.

Had a great time, but the 9-hour drive pulling horse trailers gets a little long for an old guy like me, and a semi-old guy like my horse, Bud

We had a horrible dressage test, which isn't surprising since both Bud and I hate dressage and we hadn't done enough work on it before the event. Even so, we did get in some good dressage work in the last couple weeks before the event, and I actually thought our test went better than I had feared. I thought we might end up in the middle of the pack of 30 beginner novice riders, but we were near the end. When I watched the video of the test filmed by a friend, it was clear the judge was fair and accurate with all of his remarks.

But that was Friday. Saturday was cross country, and there's no doubt how Bud and I feel about that. Let's Go!!

Even though it's been two years since we've done a full cross country course together, I knew he'd go well. He's been jumping great in the arena and staying sound. So when we took off out of the starting gate, it was just a matter of pointing him to the first jump and letting him go. But, even though he wanted to go at racetrack speed, he also listend to me, came back and collected before jumps when I asked him. And we cantered through the water with no hesitation. A grand time was had by all, or at least the two of us. We moved up from near the bottom of the pack to ninth place.

But on Sunday, before the stadium jumping, Bud's fetlocks on his forelegs were swollen and oozing yellow pus. It was very much like an allegic reaction he had to some shampoo last year, although that oozing was on his neck, by his mane.

The only thing I could think of was some brand-new galloping boots we used for the cross-country Saturday, neoprene, which I didn't wash before putting on him.

After several consultations with the on-site vet, and a couple of trot-outs in which he was clearly off with his right front, I decided to scratch from the stadium jumping, especially with nine hours of trailer time ahead of us.

We got home in good shape and he seems pretty well today, just a little puffiness around the fetlocks.

Once again, the people in Worland -- Teri and John Thurman and all of their volunteers -- put on a friendly and well-organized event. It's worth the long trip up there.

Horse News: Horse ambulance 2

2006-05-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Find the story about the horse ambulance at

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/26/sports/othersports/26rescue.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Horse news: Horse ambulances

2006-05-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

An intersting story from The New York Times News Service, about the horse ambulances used at most larger racetracks these days, like the one that was used to carry Barbado off the track after his injury in the Preakness.

It said the ambulances were developed by a pair of track veterinarians in the 1970s who were concerned that the ambulances at that time -- basically conventional horse trailers -- were inadequate to get horses safely off the track after a severe injury. So they went to a farm-equipment manufacturer with their idea and the company produced it for them, and tracks began buying them.

Regarding my post yesterday on the need for racing to do more to protect horses, this is evidence that those involved with racing have not been just sitting on their hands. They have, in fact, been working on different things to make racing safer for horses.

Even so, there were these sad figures in The New York Times story

"According to studies conducted by New York Racing Association, 7.3 out of every 1,000 horses who race sustain some significant injury, and 1.1 out of every 1,000 starters incur a fatal injury. The statistics are fairly universal. They include the career-ending, and potentially fatal, injury sustained by Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner, during the Preakness at Pimlico last Saturday."

Happy Horse news

2006-05-27T06:22:00.001-07:00

This is from the Salt Lake City Tribune:

Seniors light up during a visit from Hoofbeats to Healing star Buddy

By Tabatha Deans
Close-Up Staff
Salt Lake Tribune

Paul Bruner, 95, has a long and loving history with horses. It started when he was 16 years old and rode a horse to deliver the local newspaper in Wichita Falls, Texas. He never got around to giving the horse a name, but his fondness for his equine friend has stayed with him. The last time Bruner rode a horse, though, Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House, according to Christina Curtis, administrator of Willow Wood Care Center in Holladay, where Bruner now lives.
   Bruner still wears a white cowboy hat and says he looks like John Wayne, only taller.
   When a pony trotted into Willow Wood on a recent afternoon, Bruner's face lit up. The miniature horse named Buddy seemed to take him back to another time. Bruner wasted no time petting the animal and taking him by the lead rope.
   Buddy, 7, also is house-broken and wears booties when he comes inside. He is part of an outreach program called Hoofbeats to Healing based in Palmyra in Utah County.
   The little horse is trained to interact with people and spends his days visiting residents of care centers and people with disabilities. Tamera Tanner, founder of Hoofbeats to Healing, said she has found healing happens wherever her horses visit.
     While Bruner was short on words, the connection between Buddy and Bruner was immediate. Within minutes, Bruner had Buddy's lead rope and was giving him a tour of the center from his wheelchair.
   Buddy followed like a dutiful dog and even nudged Bruner's wheelchair to keep him moving along.
   The two toured the halls, visited with other residents and sought out the resident cat, Precious.
      Hoofbeats to Healing is a nonprofit therapeutic horseback-riding organization that promotes physical and emotional healing for individuals with disabilities.
   The group was organized more than eight years ago and now consists of 28 horses and clients who visit from all around the world for therapy sessions with the horses.

    For more information about Hoofbeats to Healing, visit www.hoofbeatstohealing.com.

I haven't spent a lot of time around minis, although several of my friends have them. I've always been of the mind that if you can't ride a horse, what's the point in having it (with the exception, of course, of my old mares, who used to be ridden before they started having babies. Now they're pretty much done with both, so they just get to be in the pasture)

But the efforts related here about hoofbeats to healing are wonderful. I had heard of dogs going into nursing homes to brighten the lives of those living there before, but never horses. As much as I love dogs -- and I imagine most seniors are pleaased to see them -- I expect seeing a tiny horse clomping down the hallways of the home is really special for most residents.

It is truly amazing the different ways that horses can still be a benefit to people. Kudos to hoofbeats to healing for their efforts.

Happy Horse news

2006-05-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Horse news: Barbaro

2006-05-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

According to all the news I've seen, Barbaro seems to be doing fine. He's recovering rapidly and eating heartily and seems to be on the road to recovery.

The same cannot be said for horse racing in general.

There have been a number of news stories questioning whether racing needs to change its ways. One I saw today talked about the need for better track surfaces. I don't know if that would help, although until the Kentucky Derby, I think all but one of Barbaro's races was on turf, not grass.

Another piece, by John Pricci at NBCSports.com, said the Triple Crown should extend the time between races, so that all three races take place in a span of nine weeks instead of the current five.

That may help. Barbaro's trainer's had rested him as much as 8 weeks between races prior to the Preakness, so the fact that he ran hard on only two weeks rest may have been a factor in his injuries.

Not surprisingly, a letter in USA today took the whole horse-racing industry to task for the injuries, noting that serious injuries are a fact of life for race horses. The difference is, for claimers and other horses less valuable than Barbaro, such an injury means euthanasia or, if they do recover enough to walk, a trip to the sales yard.

I have some sympathy with that position.

I love horse racing and have attended races at a number of different tracks. My wife, daughter and I even made it to the Kentucky Derby in 2000. It's wonderful spectacle. And there is no sport quite as pure as animals running for the sheer joy of it.

But I have several friends -- two farriers and a former jockey and a one-time trainer -- who have spent a lot more time at tracks than I have. And they confirm what the letter writer said: While horses at the top of the racing heap are treated like royalty, those at smaller tracks or with only modest futures are routinely drugged, raced with injuries, pushed too hard, started too young and, if they're lucky, retired to become saddle horses by the time they're four.

I'm not sure what the answer is. I certainly wouldn't advocate banning racing, as some people do. But I would like to see the horses started later. If they ran their first short races as three-year olds, and big races like the Triple Crown were for four-year-olds or older, I think would help a lot.

And, there should be better veterinary control. But, especially at the smaller tracks, it's hard to pay enough to get good vets on duty and routine drug inspections.

Horse racing has been around since the second cave man jumped on the back of a wild horse, and bet that he could beat the first guy on a horse. It will be around for a long time to come. But it will lose fans -- not gain them as it has been trying desperately to do -- unless it finds a way to make it easier on the equine athletes that are the stars.

Deleterious DSL

2006-05-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to post the past couple days because our DSL was out.

Wouldn't you know it? Just two days after I launched my blog it goes out.

We've only had it about four months. One of the main reasons we got it was so that I could begin blogging.

It took an hour on the phone with two people, one from our Internet provider and one from Qwest communications, with me repeatedly explaining that yes, I had checked all of the connections and plug ins and it still didn't work.

But Qwest got someone out in our neighborhood today, as they promised, and he fixed something in the DSL link at the end of the street.

Getting ready for Moonrock

2006-05-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today's trip to the farrier was in preparation for our trip next week to Worland, Wyoming, and the Moonrock 3-day event.

Even though we're both well beyond our primes, Bud, my big gray appendix QH, and I are beginner novices in the eventing world. We've done a handful of events over five years, but I never seem to have the time to work consistently to put together several in a summer and move up to the next class.

This year is no exception. I feel woefully unprepared. Bud is a fearless jumper and incredibly athletic, and he loves the cross country. Holding him back is the only difficulty, but after the first jump or two, he settles in nicely. So I'm not worried about that. And we have been working regularly on stadium jumping.

Dressage will be a disaster. Oh well, what do you expect from a one-time bareback bronc rider?

The great thing about Moonrock is there are a bunch of cowboys who have traded in their roping saddles skinny little jumping saddles. It's a fun event and the people are exceptionally friendly.

We're looking forward to it, even if we're not fully prepared. Nine days and counting.

More on Barbaro

2006-05-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Took my big guy to the farrier today. Since he spent the first part of his career as a racetrack farrier, he had a pretty good idea of what happened with Barbaro.

First, as I had thought, he said laminitis is a very general term that people use to cover a variety of hoof problems. It's not likely to be fatal "but he might die from all the drugs they're giving him," the farrier said.

He suspects Barbaro either got bumped or stepped on by another horse, or simply stumbled and slammed most of his weight onto his left hind leg, with the fetlock going all the way to the ground, shattering bones in the process.

If Barbaro had been anything but a top-level breeding prospect, he would have been euthanized on the track and hauled away, the farrier said, because the surgery performed on him and the recovery efforts are so costly.

Luckily, Barbaro is a great breeding prospect. Also, his owners have said they would do all they could to keep him alive, regardless of his breeding ability, because they're so attached to the horse.

Hope he gets well soon.

Update

2006-05-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is from an Associated Press story Monday evening about Barbaro: It said the primary concerns in the wake of the surgery are infection and
"laminitis, a potentially fatal disease sometimes brought on by uneven weight balance."

Is there any horse that hasn't had some laminitis at one point in his or her life? And is it potentially fatal, other than if the horse has to be euthanized because it has become to crippled from severe laminitis to get around comfortably?

I have a visit with the farrier scheduled for tomorrow. I'll ask his opinion.

Barbaro

2006-05-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

No way I expected that my first post would be about an injured racehorse. If anything, I thought I might be writing about Barbaro's quest for the Triple Crown. But the events at the Preakness last Saturday changed that.

I can't add anything to the abundant news stories about Barbaro's injuries and his five-hour surgery. My own veterinarian is very good, and has performed some amazing surgery of his own, but nothing like this.

Two question for which I'm trying to find answers:

1. Did Barbaro's injuries stem from his first, premature break from the starting gate, or were they entirely due to his efforts on the second start with the rest of the field? I know a vet checked him after the first start, and declared him injury free. But it seems too much of a coincidence for the two events to be unrelated.

2. What does this surgery cost? Could anyone with a moderately valuable working horse -- jumper, reiner, roper, etc. -- afford it if they had a reasonable insurance policy on their horse?

More later.

Silver Spike

Horse Chestnuts

Support the Horse Plate Certificate

It feels like spring

Dash's Horse Chestnut Tree (repeated)

Hard Times for horse groups

Mountain Valley Horse Rescue

Madeline Pickens to the rescue

Horesing around at the Colorado Capitol

More abandoned horse problems

More wild problems

The barn in winter

A glorious gallop

Waiting on the weekend

Not-so-wild horses

The big race

The layoff

Dash's Horse Chestnut Tree

Riding with Judy

Wilderness excursion

Unbearable ride

Summer doldrums

Sound horse, old dog

Screwed

DSL problems

Trail Time

Wild Horses

Linkage

Horse hardware

Blogus interuptus

Horse soldier re-enacters

Men vs. Women

Personal news

Horse News: Horse ambulance 2

Horse news: Horse ambulances

Happy Horse news

Happy Horse news

Horse news: Barbaro

Deleterious DSL

Getting ready for Moonrock

More on Barbaro

Update

Barbaro