NAKED PONY PICTURES!

Well, it's Chance's 5 month anniversary and we have NAKED PONY PICTURES!  Just a quick review: here's what he looked like on October 14, 2009, the day after he was dropped off to us.

If you're looking for a skeletal anatomy lesson, these picture are a pretty decent educational tool. 

Here's what a horse like this can look like, with some very simple treatment:

Big change, huh?  And how simple was the treatment?  This simple:  we fed him food he could eat.  Lots of it.  You don't want to know what his feed bill was, but imagine all the food he would have eaten over the course of a year or two, and then imagine paying for it over the space of 5 months.  Whew!

Still not full weight, but maybe a 3.5 on the scale?  And pretty happy too.  Mostly he just walks around, but he's been seen trotting, cantering and bucking, as well, so everything seems to be all right.  His manure has never come completely back to normal, but we're hoping to see firmer poo once we ease him back down off the high carb feeds.  At his highest, during the coldest part of the winter, he was eating 3 litres of beet pulp, soaked, 20 cups of 16% protein mare and foal and 3 cups of roasted soybeans a day.  Plus, all the best grass hay he could tuck into himself.  He's being weaned off the mare and foal and is now down to about 15 cups per day--still a lot of sugar, but getting there.

Haha, checking to see if the door to the feed room is open!  Little monkey!  It's like living with two cat burglers--everything has to be locked up like Fort Knox.  Actually, I think Fort Knox could learn a thing or two from trying to keep ponies from breaking into the feed room.  You don't even want to know how many times we've repaired/replaced the stall door, to keep Penny from stealing Chance's feed.

So, as he feels better, we get a better sense of his personality.  One, he likes to be outside.  In fact, given the choice, he would rather eat outside than in.  He is nervous of getting caught and when you are holding him, he is very tense.  You have to stay really calm with him.  At the same time, he is very nonchalant about people working around him, cleaning the stall or whatever.  We do give him handfuls of grain sometimes and I have found him very well mannered about that as well--he does dive at it rather like a stooping falcon, but I have never once felt the least bit of concern that I was going to get...ummm, nibbled?....where I am very careful around Penny, because she is not always that careful to make sure that what she is eating is food.  Grain is definitely his favourite treat.  He can be pushy and will rush right past you if you aren`t firm, but you can stop him with an arm in front of his chest. He doesn't care for being groomed, but will stand reasonably quietly for it.  It's obvious that he is tense while you are doing it, so we try to groom while he is eating.  His biggest trick is that, whatever you try to do with him, he will try to spin or run away from it, but gives in with fairly good grace once he knows that you mean business. 

His back still hasn't filled in, but we are starting to look for a western saddle and a good heavy pad to put on him, so we can try him under saddle when he is ready. His legs are really good and he still has lots of energy, so, barring unforseen circumstances, he's probably got another 7-10 years of riding left in him.

Wonder what he'd do if we tried running a barrel pattern with him?  *Giggle* We may create a monster...

Well, happy weekend and don't forget to hug your horses (if only to stay warm!)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Wow, 2 months since our last entry.  Part of that was midwinter blahs, part of that was just startups for a number of different things we hope to have going on this year.  So, a quick update on everyone and everything, who's where and what they're doing.

First of all, the website.  We've changed a few things around and renamed some others.  The adoption page is now call Sadie's Horses.  We've added a courtesy listings page, as well.  Because we get more requests to find homes for horses than we have foster homes, we decided to add this page, so that people can see what horses are still waiting for foster.  Horses can be obtained directly from the owner on this page--Sadie's Place makes no guarantees to either the horse owner or the purchaser/adopter as to the personality, fitness or suitability of the animal, or of the facility it will be living in after transfer of ownership.  That being said, you also don't have to go through our inspection process, if you obtain your horse through that page. This is a good option for both the horse owner and the person wanting a horse--the horse owner knows that people looking at our website are already predisposed to a 'rescue' horse, the person wanting a horse may be able to obtain the horse for much less than our usual adoption fees.

As well, we are in the process of setting up a page where you can personally sponsor a horse that tugs on your heartstrings.  Some of this money goes towards training, an emergency medical fund (the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare fund covers regular visits, but as we know from Chance, emergencies do happen), equipment, extra feed if the horse needs more than the usual and any rehabilitative farrier or veterinary work. 

Now, on to the horses:
Tilly--still in Mayfield, hanging with Wyatt. Had another chat with his former owner, who says he stopped racing because of a bowed tendon and that his best time was 1:56.  He's still absolutely adorable and, if I had room for another, you'd all be cryin' in yer corn flakes, 'cause he'd be MINE! For someone who wants an all around horse who will give his all to whatever you ask of him, he really is a good choice.  I just can't say enough good things about him.

Wyatt--growing, playing, manipulating his foster mom and dad into feeding him carrots every time they go by.   Hmmm, who's supposed to be training who? Wyatt is going to have his fetlock assessed by a vet soon, to see if corrective shoeing or some other treatment will help. We'll keep you updated on his prognosis.

Bandit--scheduled to go for saddle training on April 1.  Since he's already had a saddle on, this should be old hat for him.  He's really settled down and has gotten a lot more cuddly.  Better snap him up, because he is going to make someone a right fine riding horse this summer.  Here's a photo of him from the winter--isn't that adorable?

He loves to come up to the fence and just visit with you.  And, I can tell you, from personal experience, I have grabbed his head and done the "Oh, what a cute little pookey poo!" thing to him, and he didn't even twitch.  Probably thought I should get back on my meds, but was very tolerant of my bizarre behaviour.

Apple--still the diva, but is very good at training humans.  We're trying to get her into a clinic in Nova Scotia to help with some of her socialization issues.  She's discovered alfalfa cubes, which are rapidly becoming an obsession for her.

Yankee--BORED!!!!Someone come ride me!!!!! Please!!!!!  I'm bored!!!!  Yankee is still classy looking, even with his now rather ratty winter coat, but he really needs a job.  He's too young and has too much life left in him to sit and get flabby in the field.  If you are looking for a young prospect with a good attitude and lots of get up and go, you should come visit him.

Duncan--gone to his new home!  Congratulations, Brian, Chantal and Anna!  He's finished his month of saddle training and has upped stakes to his new digs.  Here's a picture of him inside the arena at his new home.  Way to go Duncan!

Isn't that a happy looking boy?

Chance--gaining weight, looking a lot better.  The difference in him is really what inspired the name of this entry. We'll get his 5 month anniversary blog up a day or two.  Gotta get the pedicurist out first and it's going to take more than a couple of days to deal with that dandruff...but, boy, what a personality, when he starts to relax! Unfortunately, he still thinks everyone is out to get him, but he is getting better.  He reached out to sniff my had the other day, all his own, which I'm taking as a promising sign.  Ultimately, it would be nice to have him come to be caught and to be able to relax when you are touching him.  Work to do still...

That's it for today.  Hope you are all enjoying your sunshiney week of March Break, here on the Island.  And, hopefully you all remembered to eat some pie on Sunday, in honour of Pi day. (You know, 3rd month, 14th day, 3.14, circumference of circle?  OK, who booed?  That wasn't very nice at all.  Me, I'll take any excuse to eat pie.  Or cake.  Or cheesecake. )

Don't forget to hug your horses!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...

Tilly pulls a sleigh!

Isn't he just the cutest thing?  Look at him, all happy and walking along in front of that sleigh.  He is, hands down, the most versatile guy.  Just happy to have a job and be doing something, and he'll try anything and do his best to please you. These pictures are so much more indicative of his friendly charm than the ones we had earlier.

I am convinced that, in this picture, he's saying, "Hop in, we'll go for a spin around the field!  It'll be fun!"  How wonderful, to have such a versatile horse around, and one with such a stellar personality.  You can really see how elegant he is in this picture and how interested he is in people and what's going on around him.  Whoever takes him home will be a very, very lucky person.  He is coming back very soon from his 30 days of training and we hope to see him find the forever loving home that a horse of his caliber deserves.

Don't forget to hug your horses today!

Chance's two month anniversary!

I love stormy nights, especially when I don't have to go to work the next day.  Not that I don't have work to do, but it's pony work, which doesn't really feel like work.

First of all, Christmas came early for Chance.  He received a new blanket from a lady named Sylvette.  Here it is, still in the package. 

He needed a blanket, because he was too thin to stand any cold. Here it is out of the package.  It's a nice blanket, with lots of straps to keep it on.

Here he is, modelling it the first day we had it. (Please ignore the manure pile in the background.  You know how it happens, when you start picking the 'piles' and suddenly find yourself picking everything? And for some reason I thought that was a good time to take the picture...)

Here he is, licking the floor, because nothing tastes better than supper dumped out of your dish and licked off the floor...I don't bed that end of the stall any more, hee hee.

He likes to go outside now, which is nice.  Not only does he not leave as much 'mess' in the stall, but it's so much better for them to get outside, both healthwise and mental healthwise. Here he is relaxing in the sun.

He and Penny spend all the nice days following each other around outside.

In fact, he's decided that when it is nice out, he would prefer to eat 'al-fresco' and refuses to finish his meal unless you take it outside.

He seems very proud of himself now, doesn't he?  He's still not too sure of people and we're making a point of catching him to take him to his feed, to see if that changes his opinion.  He's still really quiet and easy to work around--I was tossing straw right under him and shaking it around and he didn't care at all.  He's getting MSM in his feed now, after his colic, because his manure was still a little loose, but it is better now.  We even got a little canter out of him the other day, when he suddenly realized that I had snuck out to the barn with his lunch without him noticing!  Didn't take him long to arrive once he realized what time it was.  So, all in all, despite our little colic adventure, things are going well for him.  He's finally figured out how to eat hay with his 'new' teeth and the new hay bale is disappearing quickly.  Can't wait to see him when the new grass comes in.

Well, stay warm, and don't forget to hug your horses! (You might need to hang onto them to stay warm tonight, with that wind!)

Happy Holidays and some Happy Holiday stories (and one sad one to remind us of why love is so important)

First of all, Happy whichever holiday you are celebrating or will be celebrating.  Having friends and neighbours who are, among other things, Ukranian, Ba'hai, Jewish and Buddhist (just to name a few), we would like to pass on the hope that everyone is in for a happy, fulfilling year, with lots of successes and contentment.

And, now, a little picture from Santa Chance and Mrs. (Penny) Claus:

He was such a good boy about this, although it was pretty obvious while we were putting it on him that he was totally embarrassed at being forced to wear the hat.  Well, Chance, you should see what we do to the kids in our family!

So, I've promised some Happy Holiday stories, as well.  First of all, the happiest story we have, is a continuation of the story of Andy, the young gelding with the shivers.  The last we had heard, he was headed for the vet college, in theory to be used for research. His owner could no longer afford to keep him and was hoping to find a place in PEI to take him because of the cost of the ferry crossing.

In actual fact, unbeknownst to us, he was slated for euthanasia in late July.  Luckily, someone (and I'm sorry, I don't know who it was) contacted EarthArc (click on their name to go to the site).  Earth Arc is a retirement home for large animals in Nova Scotia.  Early in December, they contacted Sadie's Place to let us know that Andy was now with them.  We were terribly excited to hear that! Earth Arc housed him temporarily at Handiber Hills and found someone coming over for Old Home Week to transport him across and he's been living there ever since. Here is a picture I pulled from their website--they were going to send more, but they had a batch of miserable weather and got tied up in looking after their animals.

They have him on the same high fat, high antioxidant diet that we recommended when we were looking for fosters for him.  Doesn`t he look happy?  We are so glad he was able to find someone to take care of him. They tell me that on the new diet he is doing well and his symptoms have diminished somewhat. He is still not rideable, but is now able again to trot, jog and run in the field.  Thank you Earth Arc!

While I don't have any pictures (yet!), I can tell you that Devil is very happy in his new home.  He has a lovely barn, lots of good food and a lovely mare to keep company, which is just what would make any man happy.  What else would he need?

Mr. B, or Duncan, as we have gotten into the habit of calling him, has arrived at Sadie's Place.

And, boy, is he excited!  He's the funniest thing on 4 legs.  After years of a stall at the racetrack, he's got an outside run, with free access to the barn.  His roomate is Bandit and the two couldn't be more different.  While Duncan is instantly curious about ANYTHING going on in the yard, Bandit rolls his eyes (figuratively speaking!) and, from the  greater wisdom of his 3 extra years of life, seems to say, "What are you going on about now?  Don't you know there's food over here waiting to be eaten?"  Duncan is perpetually amused and amazed by everything.  He is like a cross between that one person in the neighbourhood who sees everything that goes on and a 5 year old just before Christmas.

He's a mid-sized horse, with a lovely mane and tail and that beautiful dishy face.  On his assessment visit, he walked out, lifted feet and was just very happy to do whatever we wished.

Look at that lovely mane!  We think that, once the initial excitement of the new digs is over, he will settle down into a lovely little riding horse.  He has a very nice trot and seems very smart, for someone who wants to take the time with him.  At only 9 years young, he's still in good shape and has lots of years left in him. 

But he's still hilarious when he follows you along the fence line, doing the horsey equivalent of, "Whatcha doin'?  Can I come too?  Can I see?   Where ya going'? Can I help? Watcha got there?"

Ok, now for our sad story and how a sad story can still become a happy one.  Dottie, another adoptee, was recently euthanized.  She had developed an infection and accompanying lesions in her spine and, despite aggressive treatment (including the AVC), it was determined that her condition was not going to improve and the decision was made.  However, in the midst of their grief, her adopters were still able to open their hearts to this little fellow:

Now dubbed 'Wyatt', this is a weanling standardbred colt, who was shipped with a livestock dealer.  He was born with a crooked leg and was obviously not going to have a race career, so was not registered (although we are trying to track down his breeding, just because it's always fun to know where your horse comes from). 

 

Dottie's adopters took him in to foster.  Doesn't she look like a good mom?  He is going to be so well looked after!  Wyatt needs some time to grow and for us to see if his crooked leg will interfere with his ability to be a pleasure horse.  Right now, it certainly isn't slowing him down, as he trots and gallops all around the pasture and tries to drive his extrememely patient roomate around the bend.

Yes, you're right, that is Yankee!  And is he ever a fantastic babysitter!  Like all young kids, he can be a bit hyper and pesty, but Yankee handles it all like a pro.

Except at supper, when he reminds the young fella that his is older and therefore more important :P . (Sounds like many of the conversations I have had with my little brother. It worked about as well with him too.)

Yep, mom saves the day.  Story of our lives, isn't it, ladies?

Wyatt is not currently available for adoption, although if someone wants to sponsor him, I'm sure he would be grateful.  At some point, we are going to have to do some x-rays and other procedures, to see what is going on in that leg--just the thought of it makes me say Ouch!  But, Yankee is still available for adoption, and definitely has the makings of a very good saddle horse--he did very well during his training and really enjoys working under saddle.  Someone really needs to take him home and polish him up for the show season.

Well, just want to wish every one, again, Happy Holidays, and hope you come back in the new year rested and rejuvenated.  We'll be blogging Chance's 2 month anniversary in a few days.  We have the pictures, but this entry was getting too long!  Keep checking back and, while you're waiting, don't forget to hug your horses!

Not exactly how I planned to spend Friday night...

Friday night is supposed to be all about relaxing, kicking back and planning for the weekend.  The work week is over (for those of us not in the service industry) and we start filling up our batteries for the week ahead.

And then, you have ponies...

Came home from work, tied up the greedy fat pony so she couldn't eat Chance's 'tea', fed them both and headed into the house to make supper.  An hour later, out to the barn I go, like usual, to untie Penny, only to find Chance lying down at the end of the stall and his grain hardly touched. 

Now, don't get me wrong, we've been waiting for a colic from him and he keeps surprising us. 
We were expecting it when we first got him and started him on soaked hay pellets.  Nothing.
We expected it when he got his teeth done.  Nothing.
When he was wormed.  Nothing.
When we added new feeds.  Nothing.
When the weather got cold.  Nothing.
So when does he do it?  Friday night, just before Christmas.  Because, of course, we already have ALL our Christmas shopping done, right?  Yeah, me neither.

In all, it was actually not a bad colic.  No thrashing, no sweating, only lasted about 6 hours.  With him it is a worry because he has no energy reserves to get him through something like this, but he pulled through fine.  He's a funny old duck.  He'd drop to the ground and start to roll and I'd yell, "Chancie, don't you dare!" and he'd jump to his feet and look guilty. He would walk himself around the stall and he nearly tripped himself trying not to step on me when I would walk him and we had to make a tight turn.  He's such a good boy!

We did get the vet out to have a look at him--Thank you Barb from Kensington Vets!  She gave him some Banamine and some painkiller and evaluated his condition for us. He was much more comfortable when she left and was even interested in some hay at that point.

Ponies.  What do you do with them? Me, I'm going to go out and hug them again, then I'm going to go back to bed.  Stay tuned for pictures of Chance in his new winter blanket (Thank you Sylvette T!--by the way, his blanket stayed on the Whole Time!  Only one strap came undone on it's own!) and some happy holiday stories.

Some of my favourite books when I was a kid...

Well, I had lots of them.  Walter Farley, of course.  I always wanted to find an Island Stallion of my own.  Black Beauty, once I got over the sad parts. ANYTHING by Marguerite Henry--I still check my saddle carefully to make sure all the hair is lying down underneath it because of one of her books. But the one I want to talk about today is an old series, by a man named C.W. Anderson.  He wrote a group of stories about a boy named Billy and his pony, Blaze.

(Taken from www.equitainment.com.au/factsheet.asp?ID=48)

Not only were the Billy and Blaze stories rollicking good adventures, but they also taught about proper horse care. I don't remember lots of details, but I do remember one about a forest fire.  Mr. Anderson was not only an excellent writer and illustrator, but was also an accomplished judge in the hunter/jumper circuit, and his expertise showed in the books.

I thought I would throw that out there, in case you are scrounging for a present for your young equestrian which doesn't have the name video in it somewhere.  They are still available at Chapters. I found them here.

Don't forget about our Gift of Kindness, as well. 

Don't know what to get someone?  Give them the gift of a gift and help support a horse in foster. Gifts can be donated to any of our horses still in foster, not just the ones on the poster.

So, you might be wondering what brought all this to mind, besides the whole Christmas frantic running around thing.  Well, we had a young lady donated to Sadie's Place, who unfortunately didn't make it onto the poster.  And, aptly enough, her name is Blaze.

Now, unlike the Blaze in the C.W. Anderson stories, this Blaze is a filly, but other than that, she reminds me a lot of that little guy.  Coming in at 14 hh, she fits neatly into that large pony category, for those who like hunter classes. She's smart and easy to handle, very relaxed and likes people.  How smart is she?  It took her owner 3 days to take her from sitting in pasture to pulling the jogcart.  And she never batted an eye at it the whole time.  How calm is she?  Well, when I saw her, it was the second day of two nasty, windy cold days.  She had been inside, in a stall, for the entire time. And she stood in the crossties like she had all the time in the world.  No fidgets (except for chewing on the crosstie a time or two), no swinging the head, no running back and forth as far as the ties would let her go.  You would have thought she was 24, not rising 4. Whatever I wanted to do, she was happy to do that. 

Hard to see in this picture, but she's still got a lovely pile of muscle on her, despite being off the track since August.  Her owner raised her from a foal--still has her mother, in fact, and would have kept her if he had enough space and time.  But, he has two jobs, a growing family, and no time to give to her.  So, it is with great regret that he has asked Sadie's Place to find a home for her. 

Now, I say she was retired from racing and, it would be logical to assume that she must have been injured.  Well, she was.  She has a small chip on her sesamoid bone, so small it took two x-rays and a lot of looking to see it.  She is still racing sound, but her owner doesn't have the time and wants her to go to a good home, where he is sure whoever adopts her will fall as desperately in love with her as he and his family are. And I think he's right.  She will make someone a snapping good show pony.  She's very focused, watches her people all the time.  When I asked her to move over or lift her feet, it was like an expensive car--instant response.  She still has her long racing toes, but her next trim will fix that. 

Here she is, being jogged by the owner's 3 year old son, with dad acting as the safety harness.

So, now that I've written all this, I'm wondering if I've been hoist with my own petard.  You see, I'm rather vertically challenged and, while I can appreciate big, tall, handsome boys like Yankee, Tilly and Bandit, I have had to admit that I am past my years of hopping up on horses that are taller than me and bouncing if I fall off and hit the ground. A little filly like this, so smart and just my size, is a serious temptation, especially having had the chance to meet her.  So, to be completely up front here, I think you had better move quick on her, because as soon as I come up with a reason for why we need a third horse in the barn that will work on my husband, she'll be gone and all mine! (insert insane giggling here)

Yep, she'd look mighty fine underneath MY Christmas tree...you know, if Santa brought her, my husband couldn't say no...hmmm, what to leave for Santa Christmas Eve?

Did I mention she comes with a blanket? 

Have to go feed the ponies.  Chance has developed a new, perplexing habit--he likes to dump the last of his feed out of his dish and lick it off the floor.  Very strange, but boys are strange anyway.  Penny likes it best when he decides to share and, I have to admit, they do look cute together, with their noses in his feed dish, although it rather defeats the purpose of giving him all that feed.  Must have a talk with him about that...I wonder how he'd feel about a second girlfriend.

Don't forget to hug your horses!