Just Because!

24 hours later and we are a little more swollen. More treatment and more meds and antibiotics.

Again - she was a pill for her evening cold hose. I was happy to have my sister to help me this evening, although she was sporting a new jacket and wasn't pleased with having to hold the mare. She was even less pleased when said mare had a minor temper tantrum, mucked her jacket and then proceeded to get her head up into tree leaves which dispersed a ton of baby spiders down onto my sister and the mare. Ha, I thought it was kind of funny.


Tonight after cold hose, walk, meds, and poulticing and wrapping up to the hocks

Just finished my latest project - well work in progress since we have some more additions. But, the website was ready to launch in time for Breakwell's trip to Thermal.


Click image below to see website

Today we experienced one of those mornings that most horse owners dread, an unexpected puffy joint... well in our case two.

Our thoroughbred mare went through her routine yearly hock injections on Friday, had her five days of hand walking, and this morning - BOOM! Swollen legs. I had a mini freak out, since Miss M is usually the least likely to have bumps and boo boos - we leave that usually to Tiki and Creggan. After deciding that walking was still the best option today, I texted my totally amazing vet (yes, my vet texts and sends me info via text, love our generation).

She has said frequently that texting is great - she can receive photos of the afflicted area and help clients without having to do a farm call if the client is able bodied. (Yes, I am able bodied and equipped with an arsenal of equine meds). So her advice was cold hosing, walking, 2g bute and then shoot (take a photo people!) the hocks to send to her.

From there I was caught with the one thing I didn't have on hand - Tighten Up, so I drove on over to the clinic to pick that up and to be safe grabbed some Uniprim to start if the swelling doesn't go down by tomorrow. So, poultice, wrap, repeat in the evening.

Ah, but the joys of horse ownership this evening were not on my side, it was more like the annoyances of horse ownership. I took her out to take off the bandages to do another cold hose, Tiki flies off the handle and screams like a banshee the entire time I walk her to the wash rack and continues to do so (omg they will never see each other again), I then attempt to cold hose a seriously moving target as there are no cross ties in the new wash-rack, this is when most people would lose their S... I instead took a deep breath, used some mild profanity under my breath and grudgingly dragged the mare-cum-Cerberus to another wash-rack. There she pawed and got us both splattered in mud - but the cross ties did their job and I could finish. Then I took the Cerberus *cough* lovely thoroughbred mare back to her barn, where she turned back into her sweet self so I could finish her bandaging for the evening.

But, not over yet - she poo-pooed her grain with the bute and Naquasone. This of course made her life harder. I dumped out the grain with her supplements, meds, etc out, ugh and started with new meds in a syringe with water and she got it put directly in her mouth. I wasn't ready to risk losing those meds so I held her mouth shut and just like with my dog waited until she swallowed the homemade med paste!

Her reward: fresh grain sans medication. She was dubious, but at last she gave a sigh, skipped the dirty look at me and ate her dinner.

Tomorrow is a new day!


Miss M's left hock after cold hose and walk

So the latest addition to the blog....



........... Comments! (I know a certain individual that wanted this).

So from now on you can comment on my blog posts - and there will be a lot going on in 2012:

- New clients
- Sponsoring Sonoma Horse Park Shows
- Travelling to WEF (Wellington, FL)
- New horse to *maybe* show

and of course many more things that you may not find exciting - by why not talk about it!

So enjoy the ability to comment - I know I will!

Equestrian writer and blogger, Erin Gilmore, came for a visit from her busy, glam life in Florida to visit her family and friends in California.

She even took the time to come ride with me. She is pictured below on our mare, Miss M.

You can read Erin's blog, On The Line, here

In a nutshell, as usual... I am not being very good about updating my blog. New contract jobs and a new start-up, as well as caring for the ponies is keeping me busy.

Anyway, for the first time in a couple years I will have my own horses close to my home, which will be very nice. I feel like this weekend is going to be a whirlwind:

Friday afternoon: update JavaScript for Yiftee

Friday night: Facebook Holiday Party in San Francisco

Saturday morning: Riding at Gilroy Gaits

Saturday Afternoon: Gilroy Gaits AND Three Horse Farm Holiday parties

Saturday night: maybe relax if still not at barn party

Sunday morning: pick up Tiki and Miss M

Sunday afternoon: Ride Creggan

Sunday night: more Coding!

What happened to weekends where you had time off? I am actually pretty excited. Will get back to posting once the horses are close again, back into the mode of full time horse caretaker and couldn't be happier. Now to check my check list... still need rice bran *headdesk*

It has been just over a year since I officially met Tiki and started riding him. Here is a post dedicated to his year in photos.



September 2010 - October 2011

What he looked like when I first saw him (right),


First trail ride


One of our first ring sessions


First Beach ride


Training for endurance


Winning our first and only endurance race


My attempt at taking sale photos... little did I know I would be buying him


Getting strong in the ring!


Another reason he was getting fatter...


After I bought him - I decided it was time to move him to a training facility


Good-bye Arab


Hello sporthorse


One last trip to the beach before heading to jumper bootcamp


Lessoning at Three Horse Farm - courses come easy!


TO 2012 AND BEYOND!!!!!

All photos © Christina Gray