I Have No Words For Today....

Other than I'll miss you, Gramma.

Turk, Take Two

I opened my inbox this morning (in a haze of pain... but that is another story...) and to my great surprise I found a wonderful email from someone I thought had vanished off the face of the Earth, or at the very least from the equi-blogosphere. Peter, our traditional farrier friend from afar (New Zeland perhaps?) happened a moment or three online and read Turk's post yesterday. Rather than fighting with Blogger to leave a comment, he emailed me directly. I'll be posting it here, with my thoughts added, for all to see.

With no further ado, (and because I can only sit on this chair for so long,) I give you Peter.

"My irrevocably arrogant call is that the off front hoof injury isn't the
problem.

Your paint's rider is sitting with her hip canted down and forward and
to the left.

This is causing poor ol' paint to stand way too hard on the near front
to compensate for all that diagonal load.

Just ignore the damage to the off front, I've dealt with one or two or
twenty of these, the modification to the other hooves occurs like this:

Damage off front, take load on near hind.

Near hind stretches a bit all round to cope with the load.

Then near hind needs to step under the belly a bit cos the connection
from the back to the pelvis is getting a bit sore.

Near hind lateral toe then starts to stretch cos it's hitting the ground
too early, after stepping under the belly, (remember the horse is
travelling (falling) forward) which makes the near hind a bit sore, so...

Quick, transfer the weight on to the near front, cos the off hind is
hanging out the back a bit, ok that works good, can stand dead square on
that.

And the off hind come through no problem at all, cos we're only walking,
right, which is what we do most of the day right, unless we are a
goddamn Thoroughbred racehorse... oops leave that one alone ok Pete.

But as the off hind comes forward, it naturally loads the off front,
which is a bit touchy at the moment, so we throw our weight back on to
the near hind...

which hasn't quite caught up with the forward swing yet cos everything
else is just a little bit out of kilter, so...

we have to get that near hind under us real quick so we don't embarrass
ourselves and fall down, which is MUCH more important than anything else.

Isn't it?

And the fact that we slam our near hind medial wall down seriously hard
on the ground cos we stepped forward way too quick doesn't matter, cos
we'll just grow lots more medial wall to callous up against all that
extra shock.

And that near hind medial wall that we're putting down too soon gets
longer so we're putting it down even more too soon.

Owwww.

Got the idea?

Little bit sore off front makes

Long medial wall near hind

Makes near hind hip drop in rotational movement as horse steps under to
even up the impact of the long wall

(old farrier rule of thumb, horse steps toward the longest part of the
wall, think about it)

Makes inexperienced rider fall forward to the left then correct by
pushing up against the left stirrup (Mrs Mom in: The problem with this assumption is that BECG is an inexperienced rider. BECG is a true horsewoman.)

instead of dropping down on the right seat bone

and horse goes THUMP onto near front foot

which makes near front grow bigger round to support the extra load

didahdidadidah

Or, sore off front makes long near hind medial wall, and everything else
falls apart to follow that.

Fix the near hind and the rider's position then everything else will
come right.

Couldn't quite follow the pics, have you got a pre and post trim,
including a good view of the soft tissue between the bulbs? (More pictures will be forthcoming. Yay!)

Peter"


Now- BECG herself had mentioned bodywork on Turk. Which got me thinking...

How many people ever truly address the ENTIRE body of the horse when sorting out old injuries and lameness incidents?

Think about this for a moment.

If your back is sore, and you visit the chiropractor, he adjusts things and puts you back in place. Right? But.

If you slip back into the same beat up and battered pair of sneakers, where one heel is higher a bit than the other, and it alters your gait, thus stressing the muscles that hold the parts just put back into place, which in turn pull against the adjustment, causing you to pop back out of alignment..... what do you have?

A cycle.

This is something I personally feel is NOT addressed in the equine therapy world. If you have a poor foundation, your structure will never be sound. You'll wind up with pain again and again, in the same places. This causes a lot of physical changes to happen in the horse's body- some of which we can already see in Turk's feet. (The Feet Mirror The Whole Health Of The Horse. Remember that.)

When you are rehabbing a hoof issue, be aware of how the horse's movement has been affected. Your job is not just to "fix the feet"-- your job is to be aware of the entire body and what it may need to completely heal properly. (Watch. Your. Horses. Move. Sound familiar?)

In this case, doing *just* chiro work on the horse would not solve the problem. Neither would doing *just* hoof care (or slapping on shoes.) But Turk is lucky-- not only will he get chiro work, he'll ALSO get those feet balanced, which will in turn begin to balance his body out. BECG knows how to help stretch and build up muscles, and encourage the body to relearn how to work- properly and in balance. Turk will make a nice riding horse before long, and I anticipate seeing some really lovely feet under him as a result.

Now, I'm going to cut this short, as my back is screaming at me once again. Time to change to a position that will stretch it and move it, in hopes of changing MY balance and position for the better!

Turk, from BrownEyed Cowgirls

BrownEyed Cowgirls, whom I consider a "sole" sister (sorry.. couldn't resist that,) recently posted pictures of the front end of her big gelding, Turk. And as a bonus, she graciously granted permission for me to play with the photos, and use them as a teaching tool for all of our mutual benefit. Turk is a good looking horse- well built, well bred, and easy on the eyes overall. He had an accident a while back now, and boogered up his off side fore hoof.

Recently put back to work, he has been having some troubles with movement. BECG, worried about compensation injury, posted a couple of good views for review.

Front end shot- you can see part of the injury to the off side fore hoof.

Solar view of the injured hoof, before adjustment by me.

Now- let's play.
Remember your basic anatomy? (I hope so, because I had a brain fry moment,
and did not use differing arrow colors... Sorry guys!)
Arrow on the frog: That cleft in there? Is a good spot for material to pack in and
set up a thrush infestation. The heel of this foot is weak as it is-
no need to invite bugs to weaken it more, right?
I'd clean that as carefully as possible, trimming back any extra tissue,
to prevent trapping any material in there, and staving off infection.

Arrows to Right And Left: Bars. Should not be curved- but straight. Now, in Turk's case,
he more or less cut off the heel and bulb of his hoof. He has massive scar tissue built up there.
BUT.
From looking at the photos (man, I'd *LOVE* to get my hands on this foot in person,)
I'd say you can do some to help him strengthen the heel area,
and straighten those bars some.
It looks like he has some extra retained sole in there, making it very difficult to lower those bars to the proper level. Remember- only take what the hoof is willing to give you. Better taking a bit of time to remove sole every ten days or so,
then to force the issue and make him way lame.

Oh- one other thing I just spotted-- wall thickness. Now- most folks would have a cow and say that poor Turk has thin walls, and he is just going to be a mess.
Sure- THAT area of wall IS thin.
But I bet you----
Trim that hoof a bit more balanced,
give it about three months for some fresh growth,
and those will be some nice walls.

Arrow At The Heel (on left of photo): See how that heel has curved inwards?
By trimming bar (GRADUALLY) down, and cutting heel (ie: rasping them level, creating good, wide stable purchase point to land on,) that will open up and lessen as well.

The $64,000 question? Will that hoof ever look "normal" in a solar view?
I don't know. But I'd sure like to find out!


Now- near side fore views. Near side is where Turk has been having compensatory movement issues.

Again: pre-adjustment by me.

At least this time, there are different colors to help see things!

Blue Center Arrow: When I first looked at this view, I thought it was just a lack of coffee that that had me seeing things.... kinda sideways. If you look, compare the right and the left, there is more hoof to the right of the line. Why? Well- one- to compensate for the LACK of foot on the off side. He needed a wider foot to support himself on, and his body compensated. Would I change that? I wouldn't-- not to MAKE a change. His body will know what it needs to do, and I suspect that as the off side hoof comes around, this hoof will once again balance itself out as well.

Orange line, heel to heel: Indicates the heels are not quite level.

Red Arrow: pointing at heel- I'd level that off. Drop it down to level with other heel. Will go a looong ways towards helping ease his movement. Also, you want a wide, flat, level place to land (ie: purchase.) Landing on a small, pointed area like that isn't giving this big horse much support.

NOTE: This IS a "big" Big Horse. Maybe not in HEIGHT- but width and breadth YES. I think BECG told me he tops out at about 1200 to 1300 pounds. Horses of this weight and build--- use caution when taking heel. It is easy to sore them up. Since BECG has skills with a rasp, I'd suggest she level the heels over a period of time, to find the horse's comfort zone, and not put him in pain. Pain = loss of ride time. Ride time with this horse = finding out what his role in life is.

Green Arrow: I'd drop that bit of wall just a hair more. Remember- wall and sole are meant to work together- not separate from one another.

Dark arrow at apex of frog: Just thought it would be neat for you all to see how the frog will "move" some as well, and shift position to adjust to changes in hoof structure.


One other note: I'd watch the frog back by the heels. Since I have not had my hands on that foot, I can't say for sure what is up with the cracks there, but seeing cracks like that is always a warning. It's too easy for invading freaking bacterium to get in there and make a mess of a foot that wants to be healthy.

I'm pretty sure BECG can provide us with more views of this horse. I'd like to see, just for curiosity's sake, solar shots of his hind feet too.

What have you all got to say?

Write It Out!

Someone has too much time on their hands. Right now, that isn't me, what with making plans to go to Tundra Country for the service for Gramma, and dealing with general insanity at The Asylum. (Thank you everyone, as your comments, emails, and phone calls made this very hard time much easier. The family and I appreciated every single one of you more than you know.)

But this little project was actually a nice brain break for me. And it got me thinking... I've often wondered what a voice attached to a picture of someone might sound like. But a pal of GunDiva's came up with a handwriting project. Heck why not?

Of course, there are rules. And I think they actually got *gulp* followed this time. (That's got to be a first!)


The "rules" say to write down the following stuff, then take a picture & post it for y'all to see before tagging a few of you so that I can see what your scrawl looks like.
1. Name/Blog Name
2. Right Handed, Left Handed or Both
3. Favorite letters to write
4. Least favorite letters to write
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
6. Write in caps: CRAB
HUMOR
KALEIDOSCOPE
PAJAMAS
GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics
8. Tag 7 people
9. Any special note or drawing

'K, y'all got that?

Now, Diva posted just one clear picture of HER sample. I however, am currently lacking in the necessary talent to provide a CLEAR image..... So I'll add in type what the scrawl says.


1) Mrs Mom of Oh HorseFeathers! and Girls With Guns
2) Righty
3) H-O-R-S-E!
4) Rest of the alphabet
5 & 6.... see Rules...

7) Those would be by Nazareth, Hair of the Dog... Not quite appropriate... *gasp*
8) Lisa @ Laughing Orca
Kate @ A Year With Horses
BECG @ Brown Eyed Cowgirls
Jocelyn @ My Life With Star
K.T. Sparks @ The Wildwood
Lytha @ Horse Crazy American In Germany
Shirley @ Ride A Good Horse
C-ingspots @ C-ing Spots Appaloosas

9) Often thought, rarely voiced, "Are you out of your FREAKING Mind?"
Often said, rearely just thought, "BOY! PUT! THAT! DOWN!"





There ya have it. My scrawl. I think we need to add in how many times we "practice" write things before posting the final result..... HA~ (*coughcough*... Yeah... I'll fess up. I re-wrote mine about five times. Why? Umm... Typos. Or non-typos, since it was hand written... Kept expecting the little red line to show up under misspellings. Pathetic!)


Meanwhile, things are chugging along. I'm still coughing, but... gaining. It's been hotter than hellfire, but shoot- that's the Southland for ya. Tiny Kitten is doing good. Not the brightest bulb in the pack, but she is still trucking along. (Why the question on her intelligence? Wellll... Tiny, who weighs only about 16 or so ounces, is afraid of nothing. How not afraid? She tried to get in a pen with a very protective Mommy Rottweiler, and share in the puppy food. Mommy Rottie promptly tried to eat Tiny, but Tiny was rescued by her new owner. She is now giving the Rottie a wide berth.)

Tiny Kitten

Right now, it looks as thought the Locust Brothers and I will be driving to Tundra Country. Yes, yes, long drive, but A) flights? Fagedaboudit. First, the price is outrageous, and second, I'm still S-I-C-K. From what I understand, flying while sick is a BAD idea. Plan B) rental car! Much cheaper. No pressure on my head/ lungs.

Works for me...

Sonny is still hanging out in his paddock, hating the heat. He needs to find a show home, where he'll be pampered and spoiled under fans. If anyone is looking for a very well bred, very charismatic, future star of the show pen, email me. Let's talk.

Meantime, stay cool y'all. I'll be in touch when I can.

Heavy Heart

A while back, I made mention of four lives hanging in the balance.

Three of those lives still do. They cling to the gossamer threads woven for them, two still intertwined in a complete pattern, and one... one now left alone, his threads left to tumble in the wind.

Word trickled down to me this morning of the death of my Gramma.

Gramma had been quite ill for almost a year now, slowly slipping away from us. I know that she is in a wonderful place now- and is once again the beautiful, intelligent, gentle woman I remember so well. My memories of Gramma are filled with her smiles. The way her face lit up when she laughed. And many of them involve some sort of reminder to my Grampa to behave himself. (Which he never did. In fact, I know he still does not. And yes, before anyone can say it, I do indeed take strongly after my Grampa.) Gramma is the one I think of when someone speaks of Southern gentlewoman. Born and bred in the North Country, Gramma had no southern influence in her life- but she was to me the epitome of A Lady.

I can't mourn for Gramma. The tears I shed now are for those left behind. Married almost 70 years, I can not imagine how my Grampa is feeling. Lost somehow does not seem to convey what his heart may hold right now. Just yesterday, Mom told me that Grampa still went in to Gramma every day, and kissed her gently and told her he loved her. They were indeed, the perfect example of two halves becoming one.

We'll miss you Gramma.

*******************************************

The day marches on. Sun is streaming in through the windows brightly, heating the house. The Locust Brothers still clamor for food, Jo still cowers from DAT, and Sonny still stands in his paddock, sweating in the sun instead of being smart enough to stand in the shade and eat hay. Life seethes around us in many forms. Our job for those who have gone on before is to provide the best care for those left behind- be they people, animals, or a loved African Violet sitting on a windowsill. We pay homage to all they have taught us, and give honor to their memories in these actions.

Never forget those cherished memories. Share them, when you are able, as through the retelling of those memories, we bring those loved and lost back to life with us.

I have a memory of Gramma that always makes me smile. The first time she met Dear Husband.

We were at my Dad's, comfortably camped out in his living room, sharing chat and donuts, and a mug of java. I had moved semi-South, and Gram was worried about me traipsing around alone in a strange place. I smiled, and said, "Don't worry Gramma- I have a body guard."

Dear Husband-To-Be was out with my brothers at the garage. Shortly after assuring Gramma I was in good hands, the porch door opened, and one by one in trooped my herd of brothers. First in was Shorty- known as Shorty from way back when he WAS short. He grew, and stands just shy of 6' 5". Next was Other Brother- no slouch himself, with broad shoulders and a good 6' in height. Next came Baby Brother- a wee bit shorter, but just as broad and strong as the preceding two. Gramma looked up, and smiled as they filed in, a quiet pride in her eyes at the sight of all those strong healthy handsome Grandsons. As she watched the door, Dear Husband-To-Be came in. Six feet of solid muscle, Dear Husband had to tip his shoulders sideways to get in the screen. Gramma stared at him, her beautiful eyes open as wide as they could get, and a blush creeping into her cheeks.

She turned her head and looked at me and said, "My word! I guess you ARE in good hands, aren't you?"

She and Dear Husband struck up a conversation, and Gramma later confided in me that he was a keeper. And she said, "He has the most beautiful eyes!"

That was, and still is, my Gramma.

I love you Gram.

Keepin' It Real Time

Things in this corner of the equi-blogosphere have been mighty quiet, as I've contemplated a few aspects of life.

Add in that both of the Locust Brothers have been sick (read: Irritable. As. All. Hell.) and they managed to pass it along to me... well, about all I've been able to do is park on the couch as I limp slowly and pathetically through the day, and think. Consider. Make decisions.

I'll tell you what-- I can handle pain. In this line of work, being battered, bruised, bloodied, and busted comes with the turf. I can handle sinus infections, head colds, back pain- you name it, I can take it. Until you get to a sore throat. When it feels like I'm breathing IN fire, and EXHALING fire with every breath, I want to curl up and bawl. But, I can't. So I don't. Toss a sore throat at me, and I am the biggest wussy sally baby in the universe. (How much of a big wussy sally baby? When Dear Husband came home last night from class, I was laid out on the couch. No voice, raspy breathing, and all he did was ask how I was, and run his hand over my head and I bawled. Yeah--- BIG help for Fire in your throat--- add in some pathetic little tears too...)

Pretty much sucks.

Today though, the roaring flames are down to a small tinder of sparks. I hold hope I'm healing. Until I cough that is. Gads.

Right- back on track. I've had one big question running through my brain for.... a year or better now. And that is when is enough, enough? When do you as a horse's owner, throw in the towel, and move on? What has to happen, on an emotional level mainly, for a decision like that to be reached?

Yes, they are horses. No, I don't think they are "JUST" horses by any means, ready to be put aside in pursuit of the "Perfect Dream Horse".

How much time, sweat, blood, tears, training, effort, and daily care does one invest, before admitting a defeat of sorts? Or, can you realistically see a horse that is ready to move upwards and onwards, to another level?

On another track, what about an emotional connection to the horse? How long can you wait, patiently, for that bond to develop?

In order to prevent this from getting more maudlin than it already is, I'll stop. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
~MM

I'm Hiding Inside In The AC

Yep. I am. It is too hot out to breathe, never mind try and trim any horses. With the heat index rolling close to 115* out, my Northern-bred self just can't handle that. Instead, I took a moment to read. Know how long it's been since I've been able to sit down and read? Too. Long.

This time however, I enjoyed a complimentary copy (ie: I got a wonderful hardcover book with a request to read and review it- no money for this) of Sophie Littlefield's newest book: "A Bad Day For Pretty".

Not a horse in it. Anywhere. Which actually is OK, because sometimes, every now and again, it is kinda nice to NOT think "horse".

I'll start right off, and say I loved the book. It was a quick read, a comfortable read, that caught and kept my attention. The main character, Stella Hardesty, is a tough old bird. Who is realistic. So many times, the leading ladies are flawless, with no aches and pains, no "war wounds", and no concept of Real Life that it makes me walk away from the book with a quickness. That didn't happen here. Stella "Dusty" Hardesty is a woman after my own heart. She's *real*. She's been wounded- both physically and emotionally. And she has survived and prospered.

No non-horse book would be complete, at least in my eyes, with out some mystery, some sparks, and lots of laughs. A Bad Day For Pretty has all of those and more. The other characters included include a lanky lawman, a spitfire assistant and her adorable tot, a neighboring teen who is a pisser, and a dog. And a great big biker dude that reminded me of a few great big biker dudes we've known over the years, too.

Would I recommend it? You betcha. Whole heartedly. In fact, the person who leaves me a comment and tells me what they do to cope on insanely hot days, I'll pass the book along to you to enjoy as well!

Want to check out more on A Bad Day For Pretty? Who can blame you!
Check here: Minotaur Books
And here: Amazon.com

Thank you Tony for thinking of Oh HorseFeathers!

Sonny's Sunday

I had a post about 3/4 of the way written yesterday, when Tiny Kitten booped Joie the Chicken in a Dog Suit on the nose, and sent her caterwalling under my desk. Where she promptly sat on the kill switch, and .. well, killed my computer.

By the time I got everything turned back on, I was too tired to remember what all I had written. Which sucks, because it was a good one!

But on to Sonny's Sunday.

A Letter To My Horse

Dear Sonny,

I know it has been hot. And miserable. And the flies have been bad this week in particular. The list of potential excuses for your horrible behavior the other day could be as long as my arm. But, I won't accept them.

First, you are the one who is not smart enough to stand under the shade of the shelter, with the fan blowing on you.

Second, you are the one who is not smart enough to stand still for your fly spray.

Third, you had better count your blessings that you are still HERE after your performance of the other day, and that nothing on me is broken.

Yes Sonny, I've known for quite a while you are not ever going to be a truly trust-worthy horse, and not a "kids" horse at all. When you are good, you are amazing. But when your breeding rears it's ugly head, you are one of the biggest equine a$holes I've ever met. No- for real- you can be such a total Richard Cranium, that it makes me wonder why I continue to put time in you and further your training, monitor your soundness, and worry over you like you were one of my children. There ARE a whole lot of horses out there who need a good home, who won't act like such an ingrate.

Now Sonny, I do hope you have learned that should you EVER try to throw your considerable ass up into the air and kick at my head again (for getting FLY SPRAY put on you, you common piece of... *coughcough*) Where was I? Oh- yes. Lessons. Let's just say Sonny, if you EVER even THINK about lifting a hoof in my direction again, you will NOT live here any longer. And if you DO manage to connect with me again, You Will Not Live. Period.

Signed,
One Peeved Owner.

Yes folks, two days ago Sonny decided to be a total jerk. Yes, he connected. Thanks to an ability to DUCK, he only got my arm, less than an inch from my shoulder. If I had not ducked to the side, he would have gotten my lower jaw. I'm fine- years of reflexes served me well. And yes, I am still pretty ticked off about this.

Let this be a lesson folks. ANY horse can have a bad day. ANY Horse Can Hurt You. Is Sonny an evil horse? No. He is a HORSE. Maybe not the BRIGHTEST horse out there, but still- a horse.

So be careful out there. Hot weather is here, and it affects all of us- animals included- in many different ways. Read your horses closely- and don't get hurt.

~MM

It's Raining Cats!

I swear---- somewhere in the cosmos is a sign, blinking away, with a giant neon arrow pointing at our house. The sign says:
"LOST CATS COME HERE!"

First, there was Kitty Biscuits. She totally *owns* the joint.Next came the Porch Cat. Who could take on a Mack truck and WIN. Paws. Down. Cat 1, Truck 0.

Today?
Today brought 105* heat.
Bright sun.
High humidity.
Me, still fighting the throes of heat exhaustion from yesterday's barn call.

And a kitten.

A teeny, tiny kitten.
That is nothing more than fur over bones.With a really, really, really big, loud non-stop MEOW.

Not even a full two pounds of fuzz, and she hissed at Jo and sent all seventy five pounds of JO hauling ass across the room to hide. (I told you guys Jo is a chicken in a dog suit.)

The good news is though I've already found the new kitty a home with a client. Amen.
ETA: Heard from a neighbor on the other side of the lake- she found what we *assume* is Tiny's littermate. He is in as bad a shape as Tiny is. (Wait-- I did NOT name her. Dear Husband did!!) Both kittens though will have a new home (same place) this coming week. Trying to rest them, feed them up, and let them gain some strength back. Poor little boogers....

The bad news?Well, one of my phone calls to clients was to our Favorite Stop. Dr. T. is proudly owned by The Best Ponies In The WORLD. Dr. T. sounded pretty shook up when she answered the phone, and I had one of *those* feelings... you know the ones, right?

Tears came to my eyes at the news that one of Cub and Wrecking Crew's most loved tiny mares had died unexpectedly. The tiny mare, known as "Twofer", was fine one day, and BLAMO- showing neurological signs the next. She went downhill rapidly, and by Wednesday evening she had passed away.
RIP Twofer

For a bit over a year, Twofer, her baby Lepsy, stunningly handsome Stigby, and lovely kind beautiful Gunny have been the highlight of our run. Gunny and Twofer would stand and allow the boys to groom them and pet them, and "lead" them around. In fact, Twofer was going to come live here for a little while, so that the Locust Brothers would have a pal their size to play with and ride. To say that Twofer will be missed is an understatement. Our hearts are as broken as Dr. T's.

RIP, Twofer. We'll see you again someday. And in the meantime, we'll take the best care of your herdmates.

Cub and Gunny, Twofer's best pal

It Does Not Take Much To Make Me Happy

This morning started rough. Four hours (maybe) of sleep, a sinus headache, sick kids, and a sick husband made things pretty blasted ugly. There was a client on the book, but there was no way on this Green Earth that I was capable of bending over to trim anything. (Shoot y'all don't even want to KNOW what a circus act it was to pull on my under britches and drawers this morning.)

It looked like it was just going to be utterly, completely, totally, thoroughly, one hundred percent miserable.

I took meds, called to reschedule the client (man I *hate* doing that), and slurped up coffee by the bucketful. Dear Husband and I completed some work, he took meds too, and off he went to work. As he was leaving, I heard the UPS truck, and sure enough as I set down my (third?) steaming bucket of coffee the truck pulled in. Sonny's fly spray had arrived.

The day sure perked right up from there, since the flies had just been tormenting Sonny to no end. He got a good heavy dousing in spray, and sighed happily. Five hours later, he is still a happy camper.

The next bright spot was in The Great Hay Hunt of 2010. I'd made a few calls hither dither and yon, and got some leads, and this morning we struck pay dirt. (Or hay as the case may be.) We found a deal and a half, with delivery, that will be here next week. If this works as I hope it will, boy howdy this will make life SO much easier.

Speaking of making life easier, I'm going to be a bit repetitive for a moment. It's hot. Summer is HERE in many places, and it makes life mighty hard on equine service providers. If you live in the hot zone, here are a few suggestions to help out your hoof care providers in particular. (Vets and dentists and other service providers too.)

- First- shade. If you DON'T have shade available, let it be known to the provider so an alternative plan can be made. It will probably involve an early morning or evening appointment, but better early or late than have someone wind up hospitalized from heat exhaustion/ heat stroke.

- Second- a fan. I carry one with me, and a 100' extension cord. A fan in humid weather can make ALL the difference in the world. Not only will it cool the handler, the service provider, and the horse, but it also chases away some of those nasty miserable life sucking horse irritating flies. (Think getting smacked in the face by a swishing tail is fun? Think again. Or try - just *TRY* holding onto a foot when there are those HUGE horse flies around, sucking up a quart or three of blood at a time. Trust me--- it sucks. Makes life miserable for EVERYONE.)

- Third- fly spray. Don't leave "the good stuff" in the trailer, saved *only* for your perceived "special occasions". Someone providing a service to your horse IS a Special Occasion. I am also this year carrying fly spray with me. Clients who do not have spray, or whose spray is ineffective will be offered the option of a dose of mine for $5 per horse and getting the horse trimmed, or they can pay a $20 barn call, and we'll trim the horse some other time, when the files are not so bad. (And I bet you the spray I use will last for a couple of days, instead of just fifteen minutes...)

- Fourth- cool water to wash up in. We like to be clean too. And a chance to even just rinse off before climbing into the truck to head on down the road is oh-so-welcome. Most of us carry towels, clean shirts, and some carry soap along as well. But not many of us have a rig with our own water supply in it.

If you can, please keep it shady (or early in the day,) air moving with a good fan, and fly spray handy. It'll make life easier for everyone in the long run, and chances are it will save you a bit of money as well!

ARIZONA READERS!!!

I know, this is *supposed* to be a "Sonny's Sunday" post. Chances are, there will be some mention of The Big Red One in here towards the end, but... First--

Not long ago, I posted about Lance Frazee, former Army Ranger, distinguished and decorated Iraq war vet, walking across America with his sixteen year old daughter's ashes. Mackenzie was killed by a drunk driver in August 2008. She was her father's *world*. Any of you who have lost a child know that feeling. Any of you who have responded to an accident scene know the devastation it leaves behind.

Frazee left CA on May 3rd. Right now, he and two men who served with him in Iraq have made it to Flagstaff, AZ. (As a side note, one of the guys with him is Dear Husband's brother, known the world over simply as "BamBam". Trust me-- it fits!) The vets walking with Frazee can't stay for the entire trip.

Which is where I'm going to ask you AZ residents for some help. You can find Lance via a page on his website: Locate Lance

If you can, please, find these guys and make sure they are OK, and have enough water. Currently they are in Flagstaff, holding up over the weekend so Frazee can see an acupuncturist. Come Monday afternoon though, he'll be back on the road.

So if you ARE in the area, and see a couple of "old" guys limping along the highway, followed by a slow moving truck, give them a holler. Let them know you're there. It'll mean more than you know. Tell them that BamBam's crazy Yankee sister in law sent you ;)



In Other News:
Sonny. Life. Insanity.

I've been struggling with posting, as you can tell. Please forgive the sporadic updates from this end, as summer is in full swing and the heat has over ridden my remaining brain cells. By the time the Locust Brothers are in bed, all I can muster up the energy and strength for is a quick shower and bed myself.

Sonny Bunz, The Big Red One, is having a tough time coping with the humidity and heat as well, and has dropped a couple pounds. He is mopey, and miserable, even with a fan and cool baths when he needs them. Of course, it will help tremendously when the Mosquito Halt arrives tomorrow. Some horses seem to not be bothered one bit by bugs, and can tolerate flies lighting on them with no issue. Sonny? Yeah. Not. Sonny flinches and wiggles and fusses as if one tiny house fly might eat his leg off.

I'm considering getting him a fly sheet, and just coating his legs in a thick goopey layer of SWAT. (HA~ it ought to be the PINK stuff don't you think?)

The batteries died in my camera, and I've got a mental block against picking up new ones. (Hey! Keep those "mental" comments to yourself! I heard you back there!) As soon as I do remember though, you'll get your fix of Sonny eye candy shots.

Need to wrap this up y'all, and get this day rolling. Before it gets to be over 100* out again, I'd like to get Sonny out on some grass. We aren't riding, but the morning times to sit, listening to him crop the fresh, intensely green, lush grass, does me good. Him too.

Stay cool y'all, and here's to hoping for more posts soon!
~MM

We Have A WIIIINNNNEEEERRRRRRR!

Well, you guys sure did not disappoint! Cats, chickens, sneaky grandparents, and goofy dogs filled the contest. And they were ALL hilarious. Which made picking a winner truly tough.

I do have to say though, those of you with Tough Cats? I hear you. Not only does Kitty Biscuits rule the house (and Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog) with an iron paw, but the PORCH Cat.... gads!! I swear to you all- Porch Cat could tangle with a Mack truck, and the truck would LOSE. Fifteen pounds of determination is that one- not a critter I want to meet in the dark. Which is why I carry a Really Big Flashlight when I do have to go out after dark. Porch is black as night herself. At least the flashlight illuminates her strange orange eyes, and I know what is coming out of the darkness at me.

Back to the process of selecting a winner...

Everyone went into a hat.

*M's chicken flying around the house to entertain her was great,
Mellimaus and Abby's Fashion Statement (don't you wish you could have been a fly on the wall for that one Mell?)
Andrea and the comic antics of Belle the (awesome) Bulldog (and yes Andrea, saying "crotch" on here is fine!)
Paint Girl with her attacking Eagle and poor Simba
Fantastyk Voyager's Japanese Chin, aka: The Time Keeper
Lytha and the kittens (oops!)
Nuzzling Muzzles and the Cat From Hell
CDN and her Comet dog (hey at least he TRIED to clean up CDN!)
Carolsue and the "Beware of Cat!" sign.. that was hilarious!
TJ's Grandparents trickery (Way to go Gramma!!)
and last but not least,
Drew and the Ten Pound Terror... I think your ten pound terror has a long lost sister cat in the form of Porch Cat. Wouldn't a family reunion be wonderful Drew? (I'm kidding. Knowing Porch, she'd shred everything involved in the shipping process!)

I closed my eyes, mixed everything up, and convinced Biscuits to stick in a dainty paw to select a winner....

And she grabbed my hand and bit me.

Next, I tried to get Jo to help, but she was hiding under the desk and refused to venture out. Seems that DAT was terrorizing Jo by booping her nose.

That left Sonny horse.

The flies were bad. A storm was kicking up, and Sonny's interest in drawing a name was nil. He's mad because his fly spray isn't here yet, and decided to decline the offer.

The heck with it- I stuck in my paw and drew.....


"When my grandparents were in their 80's they were pretty much hermits putting around their house all day. They had a black and white cat named Inky that they adored. I was terrified of Inky because he exuded so much hatred when he looked at me. He had a little lopsided mustache that looked like Hitler's, so I called him Adolf.

He had the habit of sitting on the dryer and attacking anyone who walked past. He was better protection than a watch dog. One day my grandfather came wandering out of the kitchen with a confused expression on his face. He was stooped over like he had some back pain. I said, "Are you okay?"

He said, "Yeah, but I can't find Inky. I think he got out the back door."

I said, "I'll help you look. You go around to the back and I'll come around from the front."

My grandfather turned around to head out the back door and there was that devil cat clinging to his back, claws dug in so deep that I don't know how he couldn't have felt it!"

Nuzzling Muzzles, congratulations!!

(Sorry no pictures of the chaos.... my batteries are dead in the camera, and I have not had time to replace them yet.)

NuzMuz, I hope you totally enjoy the Gift Certificate!