Pony Noses!

There is no blankie with satin bound edges that is as soft and comforting as the muzzle of a horse.

And, though my heroes (Buck Brannaman, Will James, Ray Hunt, and Robbin Wright) might all cringe to see it happen, I do love to kiss that muzzle. Wrigley doesn't object. Wrigley really doesn't object to much.

Or sometimes we just stand, nose to nose, and I gently blow into her paisley-shaped nostrils and she inhales. Then she gently blows out and I inhale. We'll do this for awhile. Her breath smells sweet, warm, grassy. My breath, on the other hand...

It's wrong, dangerous, and disrespectful even, to behave that way -- sticking my nose in her business. Or is it the other way around?





Maybe she likes people noses too. I'll ask her.

Scratches Suck

Wrigley's had scratches since I got her. I tried using Desitin on her (>40% zinc oxide) which helped a bit. During a trip to the vet he gave her a topical of desitin mixed with a steroid, and an oral antibiotic. She'd been sedated for her wolf teeth removal, so they took the opportunity to clip her pastern and remove the scabs and put the goop on her. This took the swelling down almost immediately. Since then I've been applying the goop, and giving her the antibiotic. Things were looking really promising, she tolerated the care well, and didn't seem to be in pain. I ratcheted back, taking her off the antibiotics first because 1.) I don't like them, and 2.) they didn't seem to be the primary "cure". Then I started applying the goop just once a day.
And now she's tender again. Not swollen but tender.
Shit.
The wet weather hasn't helped her.
Guess I'll contact her awesome vet (did I mention that I love her vet and his technicians? awesome!). See if we can get more antibiotics and goop so we have it for the clinic.
Our dog Murphy had a skin condition. Oh, it lasted for freakin' ever. The vet said, "the thing with skin conditions is they are rarely fatal, they just never get better."
Murphy's panniculitis cleared up for no reason (other than that after battling it for 6 months, we finally called a specialist in Portland). Literally, the day I made the call, the swelling went down. There was NO CHANGE in the care he received.
I'm afraid that might be the case with Wrigley's scratches. All the care is the same -- antibiotics, steroids, blah blah blah.
I just hate seeing her in pain. She is such a sweet, trusting horse.
Might see about introducing an anti-fungal.
The thing with scratches is that it can be any number of things that cause it. Scratches is "just" dermititis. What causes the dermatitis seems to be a crap shoot as near as I can tell. Some people swear by desitin, others by antifungal, others by antibiotic. Vet said, "with all those different cures, what's that tell you?" I said, "that nobody really knows what causes it?" He said, "yup."
So, we'll try the next thing.
IN other news, her vet is awesome. He really tries to teach me about caring for her, asks me questions, lets me come to a conclusion, and is pretty kind when I do stupid stuff (which is somewhat of a trademark of mine...)
In sum, we're still battling the scratches after two weeks and I'm learning a ton and her vet is a great teacher and she'll get better one of these days.

Buck Brannaman Clinic This Coming Weekend: Trepidation

Wrigley has a pasture but likes to lay in her own poop.
She scratches against the pine tree and has giant blobs of pitch in her coat. (Except where I've brushed it out, which is somewhat bald.)
Our trailer, while completely functional, is almost as old as I am and has almost as many dents and rust spots as I do.
Her bridle is actually several pieces cobbed together, a frankenbridle.
The two saddles I'm using on her are the best-fitting of four saddles I have, but both are ancient and borrowed.
I'm afraid people will look down on us as the white trash of the bunch. Why does it matter? I guess because I'm constantly afraid that Wrigley's greatest obstacle to reaching her potential is me.
What people would fail to see, if they can't look beyond the shit-stained coat, is a pair of generous and kind eyes, the softest muzzle, an inquisitive mind, and an enormous heart.
Wrigley is awesome.

Wrigley's First Trail Ride

I took Wrigley out Saturday for a trail ride -- her first out-of-the-pasture adventure. There were some big scary dogs and scary fluffy sheep (one must ALWAYS watch out for killer sheep). Apart from those she did just so super. She really is gaining confidence.
I was using a d-ring snaffle with little copper rollers on it and this was okay. However, I switched to a 3" loose ring snaffle with sort of a little link in the middle and some copper rings on the link. The bit has strips of inlaid copper as well. Why copper? It encourages salivation, so the mouth stays moist and soft while you're riding. This is what I'm told, I can't say that I've noticed any drooling from Wrigley. She carries her bits well and is responsive, so so far so good. Why did I switch from the d-ring to the loose ring? I only used the d ring on her about 3 times. She responded well but I didn't like the fit -- it seems just a touch narrow for the span of her mouth. Also, the loose ring snaffle should be more "gentle" and with the little link in the middle with the rings on it, that should also be softer on her.
How do you know if a bit will be easy on a horse's mouth?
There are lots of things to consider for bitting, and I'm definitely learning a lot as we go. (My last horse was strictly a hackamore horse.) What I've learned so far is:

• Copper inlaid in the bit makes for more saliva, which makes for a nicer experience for the horse.
• The closer the reins attach to the bit (i.e. shorter or no shanks at all), the less leverage you'll have on the mouth, and the easier the bit will be on the horse.
• To find out what the horse will experience, place the bit in your hand and close your fist around it. Pull on the rings/shanks as if you are pulling on your horse's reins. How's it feel?

I put this latest snaffle in my hand and made a fist around it and gave it a couple of tugs. It felt pretty good, like it could pull but still maintain a bend that felt fine on my hands.

The next test was to put the new bit on Wrigley. It almost seems to be too wide for her mouth. It also slips through just a tiny bit if i am pulling on it. Could be a combination of lots of things -- maybe the bit is too thin, maybe it's too wide, maybe it's hanging too low (headstall has to be adjusted). But the d-ring did seem to fit better, to me.

Well, anyhoo. She went out on the open road and, although she travels in a completely confused zig-zag to get anywhere, she travels nice and calm and gentle. We can get her straightened out soon enough.

When we got back I do believe she was very proud of her accomplishment. She ran around the pasture bucking, kicking, and farting up a storm when we got back. She should be proud, she is really an amazing girl.

Yesterday I was working outside and saw that she was laying down. Ever try to approach a horse that's laying down (if it's not ill)? They usually stand up immediately. It's a huge trust thing (or your horse is sick) for them to remain laying down if you approach them. I thought I'd test her out. She expected nothing of me but lots of love and that's what she got. I pet her all over, scratched her, hugged her neck, scratched her forehead, then went back to do my chores. She really was at ease about it. Made me feel good. She is much quicker to trust me than I am to trust her. She hasn't been hurt by humans, but I've been hurt by horses. Maybe that's the difference.

Wrigley's progress in one month

Well... Wow. We picked her up in early September and trailered her home without incident. She loads slowly and tentatively, but she does okay.
She has a round pen now (Craig's List FTW!).

Here's just a run-down of what she's learned so far:

• She can lead by her front feet (I put a rope on each foot and lead her around).
• She picks up her feet and stands nice for the farrier.
• I've ridden her about a dozen times
• She ground ties for everything -- saddling, brushing, getting her feet cleaned, etc.
• She loads in the trailer pretty well.
• You can swing and throw a rope off of her
• She can back up in any direction

She's now learning to take a bow, just for fun.

She had her wolf-teeth taken out Wednesday and had her scratches treated by the vet. She's now on antibiotics 2x daily and some goop on her pastern daily.

This weekend she gets introduced to the snaffle and hopefully some riding outside the round pen.

We have a clinic we're going to at the end of the month, so we're getting ready for that. Can't wait!!

8/25/2010 at KT Ranch with Wrigley

They had a farrier come Saturday to trim Wrig's feet. Now she's lame and her back feet aren't trimmed. They had a battle. This is not how I hoped her start would be. However, when you buy an older horse you never know what treatment they've received in their past. Here's hoping Wrigley is a forgiving girl. She's practical, she'll be fine.
GOAL: none.
So, I went out to see her and to handle her. Given her sore feet, we didn't do much, so I just groomed her and messed with her feet a bunch. She'll be tranquilized this weekend for the farrier, but a little handling will certainly benefit her.
Wrigley's main mode of objection to a request is to back up. She will back right into and through a fence. She just crams her ass against it and keeps on pushing. Her only other option is up or forward. The pen we were in was not only "not round" but it had about 6 corners in it due to the funky layout of the fence. I hate corners. Wrigley likes them.
Wrigley is nervous because she's new. I'm nervous because I'm old. Wrigley is practical, I try. She successfully longed two directions, I picked up her feet repeatedly (briefly), and we chilled. This is progress.
Next goal: more foot work. She'll get better with her hind legs.

Looking at 2 year olds

3 2-year-olds. I was partial to the red dun, but can't buy a horse on color alone, so I looked at all three.
Filly #1: Wrigley. Red Dun. Mellow. She struck me as being very green, but a nice and practical filly. Inquisitive, friendly, checks things out with her mouth, but isn't nibbly. Compliant even if she isn't sure of your motives.
Filly #2: Flecka. Chestnut. Does she know she's a horse and not a lap dog? Very sweet, very friendly, but a bit too insistent that she get my attention. Definitely a second choice behind Wrigley, but her insistent nature puts me off just a little.
Filly #3: Red Roan Filly. HOT. Smart, athletic, pretty, a bit behind the growth curve. Hot hot hot. No No No.

I went home and thought about it, talked to Jeff.
The next day I called and told them we'd take Wrigley, the check was on its way.
3 people called them immediately after, all wanting Wrigley. One was from Wisconsin even. good price, good bloodlines, good lookin'.