Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Hit By The Gelding Bus

This past weekend, Saturday to be precise, internet sensation Thunder's Spyder Prince was "hit by the gelding bus" as we like to call it.

Or, to put it into more simple terms, he was gelding/castrated/neutered. His testicles were removed.

It was a good experience. He loaded onto the trailer fairly easily, even though it was dark and scary that morning, then unloaded without a problem in the parking lot of the vet's office. We led him to a grassy area. There he received his first dose of anesthetic and became quite drowsy.

He got a second dose after a bit and was helped to the ground. They covered his eyes and hiked a leg up. Each testicle was palpated. The technician washed the area. The scrotum was sliced open and the testicle pulled free. The cord was twisted, clamped, and then cut (by yours truly I might add). Afterward, two wolf teeth were pulled from his mouth while he was still unconscious. He was given his rabies vaccination and a preventative dose of Penicillin.

And that was it! Simple simple. He took some time to wake up, but we finally got him back onto his feet and walking around. He decided to sing us a lovely song while he was walking. I so wish I'd have had my video camera to capture that, as it was quite funny.

Once he was stable on his feet, we loaded him back up and home he went, none the wiser that now he will be an outstanding citizen in the horse world, devoid of his testicles.

Click > Here < for the full album of gelding image.
Link
Let me take a moment to remind everyone . . . GELD YOUR COLTS. As you can see, it can be done at an early age, if both testicles are present. This means your colt may never exhibit stud-like behavior. No worries about proper fencing to keep a stallion. No worries about "oops" foals with your mares . . . or the neighbor's mares. It's not an overly expensive procedure. If you can't afford a gelding surgery, you probably shouldn't have horses.

Your colt will be more easily sold, if he is already gelded. He will live a happier life. He may even grow taller.

There is *no* excuse for keeping a colt intact unless he has all the makings of a prime stallion. And good stallions make great geldings.

Keep an eye out . . . we are expecting our first kids of the year within a week or two!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Check In Post - January 2012

Sorry, nothing controversial today! I know, I know, you're all so terribly disappointed, right? That's okay. Keep an eye out, you never know what might pop up and tempt my ire.

Otherwise, I'm just going to touch on the usual.

Goats! The goats are all well. I did notice some weepy eyes in the herd, which is an indicator of Vitamin A deficiency. Because of this drought we've had, this is a concern in our area. There has been little fresh green forage, so the animals haven't gotten enough of this nutrient. To combat that, everyone will be receiving Vitamin A-D doses, horses included.

I am starting to think everyone is pregnant, (with the exception of Yumi, more on that in a moment). Yes, that includes SEVEN! She actually has quite a handful of udder. We've failed to get her bred the last two years running, so if she continues to progress and kids in March, I will be so excited.

Yumi, dear Yumi. She either slipped/absorbed her kids early on, or was not settled. Today her and Blizzard have been spending some "loving" time together. Which means June kids, which I detest, but we will manage. I can't have have her going dry an entire year and getting fat on me. They'll be nice kids, so getting them sold shouldn't be an issue, and then I can milk her through fall breeding (if her condition is good enough) and get her on schedule with everyone else next season.

Secret is doing quite well. She is picking up weight and her coat, will still not to my standards, is not as yucky and "felt like" as it was before. The Vit. A will help her skin and coat immensely. She's got plenty more energy and trots at my elbow and is easy to handle. She sometimes tries to avoid being caught, but patience will bring that around.

Everyone else is doing well. We have set up a kidding stall in an optimal area to run a kidding camera on. We will, if possible, be livestreaming the kidding camera online, so that others can help me keep an eye on these does. LOTS of First Fresheners this year, so I don't want to take any risks. We'll see the first doe on camera after this weekend. Keep an eye out!

I hope all my readers are having a good week, and it will continue. I have spent a lot of time lately meditating on the problems of my friends, who are struggling with problems of their own. I wish often, that there was more I could do for them, but for now, I will continue to do the best I can. At the very least, I am always willing to listen, to anyone.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

How to Look Ignorant

Put your kid on a suckling foal. Yeah. Sure makes you look educated there.

Seriously though, these images are from a Horse Day Camp. It's nearly a game, looking at these pictures. "How many things can we find wrong?"

Not only do these kids have no SHOES or HELMETS, they are sitting on BABIES.

Does that even begin to sound healthy or safe for the foal? Their immature bones are not made to bear weight. Will it harm the foal? No way to know until later in life, when damage done to growing tissue and bone starts to show up.

Some might say, ah well, it's harmless fun, just sitting on the foal's back for a second. Surely it can't hurt.

You know what? Go take your toddler and put a high schooler's backpack on him. Still sound harmless? Didn't think so. Stop it. Stop putting your children on foals.

Every time I see an image like this one, I think, "Wow, that parent must really not like their child." Horses are dangerous. All it takes is a sudden movement, and a little unbalanced child to slip off and smash it's little head on the rocks. Then everyone is up in arms about "Ohhhh what a horrible accident!"

No it wasn't. Put some damned shoes and a helmet on your child. Put your child on a been there done that horse if you must. The last thing you should be doing is putting your child on a foal who doesn't understand what the heck is going on. Just like small children are wriggly, a young foal is going to wriggle and fuss, and all it takes is that one moment.


Stop it. It's not cool. It's not fun. It's dangerous and damaging. Posting a picture of your weanling for sale with a kid hanging onto its back does NOT make me want to buy your weanling. It makes me see "damaged goods" and move on.

Just please. Stop.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Nine Years Ago

Nine years ago, I was just an innocent (hahaha!) highschooler hanging out with friends.

I had a girlfriend come over and spend the night one lovely weekend. Being January, it was pretty cold at night, but being Texas, the days were still lovely and warm.

My friend's boyfriend lived in the nicer neighborhood across the cow pasture. He tromped through it, guided by his best friend.

So soon enough, I had four people hanging out on my porch.

The gangly young man my friend's boyfriend brought along proceeded to eat our entire bag of potato chips. I was a bit put out. This was just another person who sat at *my* table, although he didn't quite classify as one of my minions. I didn't even know his name. We all just called him Stitch, for reasons now forgotten.

Dinner came around, and this tall goofball went and downed *eight* of my mom's homemade tacos. We had a laugh at him, and he answered with a huge grin and jokes to match ours. I realized he was a pretty good looking kid, if a bit awkward. He obviously had a sense of humor that could match up to mine.

They left, but come around 2am, were back, at my window. My girlfriend and I snuck out (don't forget, we were just innocent highschoolers...) and met up with them in a patch of woods, where there was an abandoned car we could sit on. It was cold, and "Stitch" lended me his jacket as we all hung around and chatted.

The rest, as they say, is history. We became inseparable.

The picture to the right is from our Highschool days.

We did everything together, although we were hindered by both sets of parents at times. We were hated by a small group, or maybe I was just hated, I'm not sure. I was pretty good at making enemies. We presided as King and Queen in our section of the cafeteria. I learned his real name, of course. Steven.

We had people, even teachers, tell us we did not make a good match up. And in some cases, our personality still clashes and struggles against each other's.

But nine years later, we prevail. We have been through hell and high water. We have suffered things that no one should, let along a young couple. We have made choices that were devastating, and live with them to this day.

We are strong.

Love is strong. It may not be perfect, and any fool who goes into a marriage thinking of unicorns, fairy tales, and a shining castle is in for a nasty surprise. No, you have to enter into it, or any relationship, with the knowledge that it is give and take, and not always equal. Sometimes you have to put aside yourself for another. But you also need to be able to trust the other to put themselves aside for you.

It's a tenuous balance that must be taken seriously. And that is why so many fail.

Nine years ago, a new chapter in my life started, one of the best ever. I look forward to continuing, one step at a time.


Monday, January 16, 2012

Heroism - Guest Blog

News Article Link

Horse Rider Rescued By Fellow Riders When Horse Slips Into Rural Texico Pond
1/12/12 @ 2:33:40 am

A 33-year-old rural Texico man reportedly went underwater several times after his horse became spooked and ran into a pond on the East Canton Road in northern Jefferson County early Wednesday night. Kell firemen say three others who were riding horses with Chris Clark of the Divide Road were eventually able to rescue him after he had been in the water four or five minutes.

Kell Fire Department Assistant Chief Mick McDaneld says once out of the water, the group that included Clark's ten-year-old son and another man and woman, had to walk about a mile to the closest home. McDaneld reports Clark collapsed on the road a short distance from the home, apparently from the effects of hypothermia. The home owner then helped get Clark inside the home where he was able to get out of his wet clothing and get warm next to a fire. Medical personnel wanted to take Clark to the hospital for treatment, but he refused. Eventually, they decided that his body had warmed enough treatment would most likely not be needed.

McDaneld says the group was riding horses near the pond, when Clark's horse apparently became 'spooked' and went into the pond. Clark was thrown from the horse while it was in water seven to eight feet deep. McDaneld says Clark's son initially went into the water, but turned back when the water came up to his knees. The female rider went into water up to her neck before coming out because she was not a strong swimmer. The other man with the group was then able to reach Clark and help drag him into more shallow water where he was able to get his footing and walk out of the pond.

McDaneld says Clark was very lucky. Clark told him all he could think about was his wife and children as he tried to keep his head above water.

The pond is located well off the nearest road about a mile northwest of Divide. The Kell Fire Department was called to the scene just after six Wednesday night to assist the men until Litton's Ambulance could arrive from Mt. Vernon.

Well I was the woman who can't swim (S.O. {name withheld for privacy} writes). My fiance is the one who got into the water and saved the drowning man, who is actually one of our good friends. We almost lost the horse. Horse is still being giving warm water and warm mash, but thankfully doesn't seem to have taken any water in to the lungs. Vets just wanted us to keep him warm and he is in our foaling stall with his pasture buddy (Vets recommendation for body heat).

The only inaccurate part of this story is I didn't exit the water, I just didn't swim to the guy. My fiance had tired really close to the bank and I had walked into the water and pulled his arm until he could touch and he then dragged the man the rest of the way in. Also two of the horses were spooked into the water. The man's and my fiance's due to several deer coming through the field with several dogs barking on their heels (the dogs have been captured). My mare and the man's son's horse both spooked but they bolted forward onto the dam area and not into the water.

The water was the coldest I have ever felt. Even colder than the time I fell through ice over my head. The pond is spring fed, and the temperature that day was around 36*. Everyone is doing alright and the horse is back to his normal body temperature.


It took my fiance 5 minutes to get the man close enough to the shore for me to assist. It took us 15-20 minutes to rescue the horse, who was lodged underneath a downed tree that was submerged. I had to jump into the water and cut the saddle riggings to release the horse from under the tree. By this time the horse had became to tired and actually was floating on his side, groaning. My fiance and I struggled to keep his head above water. The man who was drowning finally caught his breath and him and his son helped the best they could to get the horse out of the water. We finally got him out after breaking almost all the reins and lead ropes we had with his by pulling him halfway up the embankment on his side. I then started smooching and rocking the horse to encourage him to get up, while the men were ready to pull as soon as he stood. He finally leaped up and we got him on shore.

This was a very scary experience and shows that freak accidents happen all the time. If we wouldn't have been on that narrow path when the deer came through, we probably wouldn't have had the problems we did. The literally pushed past us on the trail with the dogs (3 large labs) right behind them. The dogs had escaped their kennel and went on a deer hunt by themselves.


This was also a trail we were very familiar with, but I don't believe we will take it again until summer.

When I was a kid about 11, my dad had me go to my hunter's safety course, like all young prospective hunters do. There was an older gentleman there that was well known for wilderness survival. I do not remember his name, but could probably find it out. He offered a clinic during summer break for hunters about surviving elements and what to do during emergency situations. I was the youngest to go to it, but my father insisted that it would be good for me and even went with me. We watched tons of videos the first few days, spoke to several search and rescue personnel, and had a few paramedics and policeman come through and share their expertise.

The next couple days we watched several different mock rescues; drowning, gun shot wound, hypothermia, broken leg, ATV wreck, fall from tree stand, and a few others I don't quite remember.

After watching each mock rescue we were walked through step-by-step procedures and even had some hands on experience in some of the mock rescues. I didn't get to do the drowning, but when you are 11 years old, watching even fake things stick in your mind. The biggest thing we were told is ALWAYS REMAIN CALM. The ATV wreck was the most interesting, but I remembered the hypothermia one the most:

1. Do not let them rest. If they lay down and fall asleep in the middle of nowhere, they WILL die.
2. Keep them talking and pay attention to how they talk. A person close to collapsing will not answer questions correctly or at all.
3. Get them to a warm location as fast as you can, and strip them completely down. If you are stuck a distance out build a fire immediately and offer dry clothes. Keep the person moving and talking.
4. NEVER leave the person unattended. Even if they do collapse they may get up disoriented and wander way off from where you last knew them to be.

Now I know these aren't what you here in EMT classes or Search & Rescue but these are what we were told to do as civilians in a worse case scenario.


This was definitely a different experience for me. No matter how many clinics or things we were told and taught that day, I never expected to have drowning/hypothermia both in one. I know when it all happened I remembered the "STAY CALM" more than anything. I can not swim. I've went to swimming lessons, been thrown into deep water without a life jacket, and just NEVER caught on to more than a doggy paddle to keep afloat.

I also did some job shadowing for my senior year in high school with an ambulance crew. I got to watch some interesting things while riding them, both serious and minor situations, and they always said STAY CALM, your brain and body can function better if you are thinking clearly. You will move more accurately and efficiently if you don't panic.


The only things I wish would have been different is:

1. Had a rope, any rope. I suggest carrying a leadrope/lasso. We wouldn't have such a hard time reaching him if we would of been able to throw him a rope.

2. Extra clothes in cold weather. I wish we would of packed our saddle bags with some extra jackets, a blanket would have been even better!

3. Radio/CB. We were in an area with no cell phone signal. Many of the locals have CB's and we would have been assisted even quicker if we didn't have to walk that far to get help.



My cousin, who is in the army and also an EMT, suggested it would be wise to carry those hand/feet warmers for incidents like this, and even said it would be good to carry some MRE's (Dehydrated food, for those who don't know). Most of them have coffee or hot tea in them which would have helped warming the body. He also said their is a lot of places that have first-aid clinics you can attend.

I am really blessed to have had a father who thought it was important to know how to handle the elements and survive. I probably would have panicked without him encouraging me to go to the clinics when I was little. NEVER TOO YOUNG TO START!

Thank you "S.O." for allowing me to post your experience. It's a good reminder to all of us that accidents can happen, and remaining level headed can save lives. The people and horses involved in this incident are all recovering.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

My "Great Grandkid"

Meet my "great grandkid!"

Funny, eh?

She traces back to my very first buck ever, Buckly, and a doe I owned, Lily. Their doeling was named Isis. I was terribly attached to her, but she was just much too small for what I was aiming for.

I sold her, and Lily, to a good friend who doesn't live too far. I of course came to regret this after I saw Isis' first udder. It was lovely, well attached, even, and looked marvelous. Alas, she wasn't for sale for any price!

That was alright though, since she was nearby and I like my friend quite a lot.


This year she had twins, a doeling and buckling. The sire is the same buck I bred most of my does too, a silky fainter. I was able to wheedle a trade out of my friend . . . the doeling! Who had to be put on a bottle. In return, I'll give her a nice doeling out of my stock, so she can have a bit of fresh blood. Goat friends have to stick together!

So the little baby is here, and I tell you, I'm in love with her already. She's over twice the size her dam was at the same age, so I am thinking the fainting blood will give her some nice size and girth, and she will hopefully inherit that nice udder from her dam, with all the benefits of cross-bred vigor.

She took to the bottle like a champ and has been quite a good girl. She may have to come along with us when we go to see Spyder and geld him later this month, but I know she'll behave herself and not embarrass me at my friend's place! By then she'll be tough enough to stay in their barn, unlike here, where she sleeps either on the bed or in a cozy kennel on a blanket.

I know, spoiled. I'm sure I'll come to regret it.

We're starting to see progress in my own does. Gypsy is growing her udder quickly. Seven has a handful of udder, but I cannot feel kids, so not sure if she is bred or just pretending. I can feel kids in Juliet, but haven't really messed with anyone else. I except to see udders really starting come the beginning of February, and Gypsy is due early that month as well.

Keep checking back for those cute kid pictures starting February, then March through April!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

You Look Like A Clown

Standing up on your horse's back, I mean.

Seriously, stop it. You look like an idiot. Every time I see this particular picture in ads, and I tell you, it is EVERYWHERE, I can only imagine slipping and falling. Braining yourself without any help from the horse at all.

No thanks.

Why do people think this is such a big selling point? "I can't stand up on my horse's back!"

Whoop-te-doo! Apparently 80% of the population can do that, going by sale ads with pictures.

Aren't there much better ways to show off how level headed and good natured your horse is?

Without looking so moronic, anyways. Wave a pool noodle at him. Bwahaha!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Not to mention, as a couple of people have mentioned, goodness knows how they're getting down. Slamming down on the horse's back, no doubt. Who knows what kind of damage they're doing with these silly habits.

I find it hard to take anyone serious when they post one of those silly pictures. Especially when they're posting a sale ad. Give me a squared up picture of the horse, and maybe some pictures of it under saddle doing what it does best. Clean, I might add.

I don't want to see a mudcaked horse. Or the horse's face. Or a blurry picture of a horse standing in a foot of shit.

Why is that so hard?

Friday, January 6, 2012

Regret Isn't Enough to Save This One

> Article Here <

This caught my attention because, well, it infuriated me.

It's a rather long article, but the short version is that a woman brought her dog to the shelter, changed her mind a short time later, (she claims ten minutes), and went back, to hear that the dog has been euthanized.

Sounds bad, doesn't it. You think, oh how horrible the shelter did that.

Until you actually look at the details.

I feel NO pity for this woman, ONLY for the dog, who never had a chance with this asshat.

Let's look at WHY.

"-based on information Nott provided, the dog had severe separation anxiety that caused it to chew into carpet, furniture and drywall."

The dog has very serious issues.

"Nott chose not to pay a $30 fee that would have given her the option to reclaim the dog, and she signed the part of an agreement that said she chose not to retrieve the animal, Janzen said."

Owner is a cheap ass.

"Nott got Lucy as a gift from her daughter about nine months ago. While Nott worked, the dog was home alone at least eight hours a day, and Nott thought the dog had developed separation anxiety. Lucy began digging at carpet and destroying household items."

This dog was never even given a chance.

Seriously. So, this dimwit buys a gift puppy, which is never a good idea to begin with, but then doesn't even begin to think, hey, I work eight hours a day, is that a good environment for a growing LABRADOR puppy?

So of course puppy is left all alone in a house, presumably without being crate trained at all, no walks during the day, no stimulation, and naturally begins to eat the house in bored desperation.

And the owner blames the dog. What happened to personal responsibility?

Do you think animal shelters are falling over themselves to adopt out your destructive young dog? Especially one of a breed that's been so over bred and is just filling up shelters everywhere. Cage room in a shelter is at a premium. There are hundreds of thousands of perfectly well behaved dogs out there looking for homes . . . sadly, the shelter cannot afford to feed and house a dog that is highly unlikely to be adopted.

Does it suck? Absolutely. But the blame here likes squarely with the owner. This puppy was allowed to develop behaviors that made it adoptable, and then dumped at the shelter and put to sleep because the owner couldn't be bothered to fix those issues.

And now she wants to go on the news blathering about how EVIL the shelter is and how they should have done this or this or this. Maybe this stupid bitch should volunteer some time in the shelter and see how things WORK before she goes running her mouth blasting the shelter for her own stupidity.

Drives me mad, it does.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/01/01/2158855/wichita-woman-upset-with-kansas.html#0_undefined,0#storylink=cpy"


Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/01/01/2158855/wichita-woman-upset-with-kansas.html#0_undefined,0#storylink=

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Making Things Stretch

- Sorry guys, don't have anything new currently, so here's a repost from a couple years ago. -

In our current situation, we're having to make food stretch to last us through the next couple of weeks before I can go to the grocery store.

It got me to thinking, what are all of the different ways you can make food stretch?

A favorite thing of mine to do is buy in bulk when something is on sale and break it down into smaller portions. Say a huge family pack of porkchops is on sale. Buy it, get it home, and break out the freezer bags! Soon enough you have several nights of porkchops stacked up in the freezer.

This works great too, for sales on cheese and other items that freeze well. The list is long, but includes tortillas, bread, meats, vegetables, and other things.

I love to buy big roasts when they are on sale. I cook them in the slow cooker and we have a nice roast one day. Then I either freeze the remainder, or I cut it up and we have beef stew another night. Add a bag of noodles and you've really got a hearty meal.

Instead of buying chicken breasts already deboned, I can usually catch chicken breast halves on sale for $1 a pound. From there it's fairly easy to debone and deskin them for my picky husband, and for far less the cost. There's no need to be "controlled" by convenience.

There are so many things that can be bought, cooked, and used for several meals. Hams, roasts, chickens.

Baking chickens are usually pretty inexpensive. Roast it for a dinner, then debone for chicken helper, chicken soup, or chicken tacos. Then boil the carcass with some seasonings and veggie scraps, and you've got lovely chicken broth you can use or freeze for the future.

And what about "cheap" meals? No one really likes ramen noodles, but add some frozen veggies to it and a bit more seasoning, and its something that can get you through a rough week. And you can do wonders with just eggs and potatoes. Trust me! I've had to live off of things before. It's not fun but you can do it, and come up with some amazing recipes in the meantime.

I'll even share my beef stew with you today. It's not very expensive, and its a big favorite around here. It makes a lot.

1 package beef stew meat
2 large cans mixed vegetables
2 cans beef broth
1 package onion soup mix
1-2 cans of vegetable of choice
1/2 stick of butter or equal
Seasonings to taste

Start by dumping, liquid and all, the vegetables in a big pot. Add the cans of beef brother. Stir in the onion soup mix. Bring to a boil. Add the meat and lower the temperature to medium-low. Stir in the butter, onion soup mix, and season. Here, you can add anything you like, be it mushrooms or other. Cover and cook until you can pull a tender piece of meat out, fully cooked.

Enjoy!