Your Drive Day

[Cayuse]

Marsha,people are so quick to be judgemental about things they know nothing about. A friend of my husbands was all flustered this year because Cappy did not have a blanket and my other two did. Well he DOES have a blanket, but it happened to be warmer when he got turned out than it was when the other two were out, so I pulled it off so he wouldn't be hot. Ya just can't win some days! Hope your hubby educated the fellow!

Northwolf, will the area get scabbed over after the treatment? I wonder how well they would work on humans with arthritis. Thanks for posting the pictures.

I had a small dry spot in the pasture so I ground drove Peanut today. It was nice to work with him. Maybe in a week or so the cart can come out.

All this endless mud has brought thrush to my barn. I have been treating with Coppertox every other day with good luck. My farrier said almost every horse he sees has it this year because of the wet.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I hate thrush. Dapper Dan's hooves are rather upright and tend to have the frog tight so I have to keep an eye on him when it's wet. I've never used coppertox. I just use peroxide. I guess I should invest in some coppertox--in case it ever rains again here.

Cayuse, would you consider using leaches for your arthritis? My grandfather used to keep bees and he wanted them to sting him for that reason.

 

[Cayuse]

I would consider leeches if they were in a place I couldn't see them too closely. I don't think I would want to look down and see them on my hands , but if they worked, I might be able to tolerate even that. Maybe if I thought of them as "pets" instead of giant ugly worm things I'd do OK??!!?

I think I could try it on a shoulder or hip or knee and not be too squimish.

Peanuts feet are upright with a deep, tight frog, too. He has a deep crack-like area at the back of the frog between the heel bulbs that got nasty. It is improving with the coppertox. The farrier recommended Thrushbuster but it was sold out.

Cappy has a few spots of it and Oatie has it in just one hoof. Coppertox thankfully is working on them, too.

I ground drove Peanut today and he was so good and enjoyed the walk. He was quiet to harness and unharness too. I just wish I could figure out his mouthiness. It is SO much better than it was two years ago, but it is a habit he falls back on like a security blanket when he gets agitated or nervous. I do not react when he gets that way, I just back him out of my space and redirect/refocus him. This is the best approach. Chastising him makes it worse. I just have to remind myself of how far he has come and not over analyze it. He is what he is!

 

[Northwolf]

@Marsha: The first two days, there was no difference. But Teddy was MUCH better yesterday!!! I couldn't believe it

He's now willing to trot and going up- and downhill was no problem. But I'm still very carefully with him. The injury he has normally needs 3-4 months of recovering (and it's only 6 weeks ago it happened).

Northwolf, will the area get scabbed over after the treatment? I wonder how well they would work on humans with arthritis. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Yes, it's a little bit scabbed now on Teddys shoulder, but it will heal quick. The scab is part of the healing process, my therapist said, and I should not remove it. But on human patients, the therapists use to make a bandage after the treatment. I think it would help with arthritis, I've heard a lot good results. It may be worth a try, particularly because there is no danger of side effects (except allergic reactions if there is an allergy) after a treatment. There are people who have the leeches as pets to reuse them from time to time, really

so it's a low priced therapy. I am actually thinking about having leeches as pets for my horses and in case of need for myself too.

But back to driving...

I ground drove Peanut today and he was so good and enjoyed the walk. He was quiet to harness and unharness too. I just wish I could figure out his mouthiness. It is SO much better than it was two years ago, but it is a habit he falls back on like a security blanket when he gets agitated or nervous. I do not react when he gets that way, I just back him out of my space and redirect/refocus him. This is the best approach. Chastising him makes it worse. I just have to remind myself of how far he has come and not over analyze it. He is what he is!

I think you doing it right. I know this issue from my old gelding. Refocusing and not react is the best approach, I agree!

I drove Moony in the team the last three days. It was great and I tried to vary the driving routes. He's a horse that is afraid very fast. Once, he jumped back until he was almost sitting in his breeching when he saw a frightening thing (don't know what ). I thought he gets more frightened now but he didn't. He accepted the limit given by the harness and calmed down. I'm glad he accepts the harness so good.

 

[MajorClementine]

Wow, there is a lot going on with everyone. Gotta admit, Northwolf, the leech thing is so interesting AND creepy at the same time! Maybe I can stick some to Clementine to suck the attitude out of her.

Cayuse and Marsha: It sounds like Clementine has feet like your two. I coppertox her feet every time I trim them. Those deep frogs are a pain to keep cleaned out and dry for sure!

Clementine is just fine until you touch her. The more you pet or groom her the more irritated she becomes until she lashes out and bites. It doesn't matter where you pet her. She just gets irritated. She's fine on a lead or out running/playing with the others. She eats just fine as well. I think we're going back to the vet and I'm going to ask him to check for cysts just to rule them out. Then on to the Chiro. Maybe she slipped and her back or something is out causing general irritation with any physical stimulation?????

Drove the new wagon with the Fjords this weekend. Was only south for 2 days this time and dad really wanted to get the wagon out. After waiting for 6 months for it to arrive from Poland we are so happy with it!



I picked up my poodle puppy 5 days later than I had planned since I ended up on the Epic Road Trip to Walla Walla, Washington to pick up the new wagon. But I finally got her and I am in love! She's such a low key puppy. Don't get me wrong, she can run and play with the best of them. But when you pick her up she just goes limp and will sit with you for hours. When we eat dinner (or like when I'm sitting here on my computer) she parks under my chair and goes to sleep. I think we're going to get along. She's met the horses and already started riding on the wagons/carts so I think I've got myself a new cart dog. Coquette the cart dog. Works for me!



Heading back down South in two weeks so I'll be driving my horses then. I'm "babysitting" Smokey for the summer so I'll be driving him and Candace as a team all summer to keep both horses in shape. Plus, she's so much more motivated when she's teamed up with Smokey. Can't let him pass her you know. I need to build an evener for my cart....

 

[Cayuse]

That looks like the Cadillac of wagons! Very pretty. Very pretty puppy, too!

How did they ship the wagon? Did you have to assemble any of it?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Wow! Fancy, gorgeous wagon! Your dad must be really excited to begin using it.

Something to consider with Clementine and grooming--do you think there could be static electricity going on? I had a horse that hated being brushed. I tried spraying the brush with a grooming mist and it helped. I was sewing with my Pffaf the other day using a straight stitch on polyester, and the needle suddenly leaped over to a stitch for joining two pieces of fabric! My husband said there must have been static electricity buildup. As I was trying to figure out what was going on, I must have discharged the static because I continued sewing without trouble. He told me to touch the grounded floor lamp while sewing. Sheesh. Electronic stuff!

 

[jeanniecogan]

IM FLAT OUT IN LOVE. IS COQUETTE A STANDARD POODLE>? I HAVE HAD ALL THREE SIZEES LOVED THEM ALL. ANYHOW THAT IS MY KIND OF DOG.

 

[MajorClementine]

That looks like the Cadillac of wagons! Very pretty. Very pretty puppy, too!

How did they ship the wagon? Did you have to assemble any of it?

They shipped it strapped into a cargo container with one other wagon. We weren't there for the unloading but they guy that was said they were strapped down well and filled the container. We didn't have to do any assembly on our wagon other than put the front lamps on. His however, is an omni-bus. He has to assemble the whole top level AND it was so tall that they had to put smaller shipping wheels on the front and the front wheels on the back. So now he has to take off the shipping wheels and move the rear wheels to the front and put the big rear wheels on. Lots of work for him. Also, he has to take the top level back apart to fit it in his storage garage.

Wow! Fancy, gorgeous wagon! Your dad must be really excited to begin using it.

Something to consider with Clementine and grooming--do you think there could be static electricity going on? I had a horse that hated being brushed. I tried spraying the brush with a grooming mist and it helped. I was sewing with my Pffaf the other day using a straight stitch on polyester, and the needle suddenly leaped over to a stitch for joining two pieces of fabric! My husband said there must have been static electricity buildup. As I was trying to figure out what was going on, I must have discharged the static because I continued sewing without trouble. He told me to touch the grounded floor lamp while sewing. Sheesh. Electronic stuff!

Static is a HUGE problem here. It's so dry. I'll try spraying her with my "anti-static" dog spray and see if that helps at all. I never would have thought of that but it irritates the crud out of me I've got static cling. That's crazy about your sewing machine. This is why hubby does all the electrical work around here

IM FLAT OUT IN LOVE. IS COQUETTE A STANDARD POODLE>? I HAVE HAD ALL THREE SIZEES LOVED THEM ALL. ANYHOW THAT IS MY KIND OF DOG.

She is a Standard. She's such a love! And I've decided I'm a sucker for brown. Brown horses, brown dogs, brown chickens.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My sister came out to help me today. I attached a big piece of cardboard to a rope for Buckly. Only put the rope through one side of the harness, through the tug. My logic was if the pressure is only on one side, he would not panic if he thought he could move away from it. Indeed he did, pushing against my sister with the white of one eye on the cardboard following him. We took him about a mile, cross tied between us. He was pretty stressed at first, but after about half a mile his head dropped and he stopped putting pressure on the lead. It was the noise behind him that was worst. The rope putting%2

 

[Marsha Cassada]

What is with that per cent sign? And it didn't post my whole message.

 

[Cayuse]

UhOh, Is your % going to be like my !'s ???

What was the rest of your post?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

UhOh, Is your % going to be like my !'s ???

What was the rest of your post?

Don't remember what I wrote. I think our internet went down as I was posting and the rest of the message fell through the cyber crack.

 

[Northwolf]

I hope you all enjoyed the easter days?

I did! And drove a lot. We had bad weather on friday, saturday and sunday. But I drove my "new" team Massai and Moony every day, didn't care about the weather. Moony gets better every time I drive him! He's so great when I hitch and unhitch him, he's very calm and has a lot of patience. He stands like a rock until I finished the hitching or unhitching, I can even place him to the shaft (not yet hitched) and walk away, and he stays. And when we drive, I can stop the horses and let them wait and I do not use anyone who holds them. It's unbelievable how quick he was learning that. In the beginning, he was a little fidget and moving around all the time, could not be quiet for a second.

But, like all horses, we have problems too He's still scary when we pass living areas, farms and roads with heavy traffic. We work on this. The last times, I always drove similar routes and vary step by step. And cantering is a problem too for Moony. He's a trotter, and when he's cantering, it's too fast and can get uncontrollable. So we try to avoid canter. It's not easy because Massai loves cantering, he tries to start canter from time to time.

Yesterday, the weather was better (very sunny and warm) and I packed Massai and Moony for driving outside with a friend and her two ponies. Massai was hitched at the sulky and I took Moony beside him. It was the first time I took Moony to drive out of town!!! I parked the trailer on a road with lot of traffic and let him eat some hay there. He was stressed first but cooled down. We drove a 90 minutes route and the boys had a lot of GO. Moony was a bit nervous as we passed farms with big farm machine, but he cooled down and did not try run away. So the trip was a complete success

My friend and I decided to do more trips like this.

Oh, and my sister was here on saturday to drive her pony Prince. She was not driving since years! So I helped her to hitch Prince. He loves driving. He's a bit taller than the other minis, he's 42". It was no problem for him to pull the carriage with two adults and three small children (uphill, I leaved the cart).

@Marsha: Great that your sister is helping you! I think Buckly made progress, didn't he? Do you use blinkers? Some horses are scared if they don't see what's following them. Maybe it's an idea if you use something on a rope you pull-along while walking with Buckly? Like a pull-along toy (don't know the word in english; we had ducks on wheels we pulled after us when we were children

), or a bobbycart or something. I used to pull long ropes or branches on a rope after me to get the horses use to things following them. And I never (re-)started to drive until this get "normal" for them.

@MajorClementine: Awww, what a lovely puppy! And your dads new wagon is great. How many people can have a seat on it?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Buckly pulled a large piece of cardboard. It made different noises sliding over the surfaces. He doesn't seem to mind the pressure of the rope on his side or rump-- but that scary thing behind him! I did not use blinders on him. I let him look around to see what's behind him. It also lets me get a better idea of what's going on in his head if I can see his eyes.

Buckly is hardly bothered by traffic or equipment, thank goodness.

Moony is a lucky horse that you are able to team him with a steady mate to help him learn.

Hope to hear Teddy is continuing to improve.

 

[Cayuse]

Marsha isn't interesting how much we can read from their eyes? Sometimes it can be subtle but the eyes always have something to say.

Buckly sounds like he settled down pretty quickly when pulling the cardboard. Have you tried him with it again?

I can tell when Peanut is mad/frustrated, he wrinkles his muzzle as if he is pursing his lips.

I drove Peanut twice, both for short times as he is out of shape. He was happy with it all, even stood quietly for all the harness adjustments that we needed to make.

I think I picked out a new cart. It is not fancy. Another easy entry cart with heavier wheels. It is blue.

I am hesitant about the color, just in case I ever use it for shows, but I am leaning towards it. It is REALLY blue. I would love red, but they don't have it.

Glad you had a fun weekend Northwolf, sounds like you were busy!

 

[MajorClementine]

Northwolf - Your Moony and his trot/fast canter sounds like my Clementine. I have to keep her to a walk or an easy trot or she gets going too fast and can get out of control. It sounds like he's really coming along. Like it's starting to "click" in his mind. And dad's new wagon holds 12-14 people including the driver and groom. One more if a kid wants to sit on the tiny seat in the front between the driver and groom. It folds so the groom can walk through to the back of the wagon if needed.

Marsha - Pistol is also trying to get used to "the thing" following him. He's okay with weight but not as okay with the noise. Dad started him in my driving bridle but I'm thinking of having him try an open bridle so he can see what's behind him. He seems to figure things out and accept them quickly when he can see them so we'll give this a try.

Cayuse - What cart are you getting? I would love an easy entry cart with hard rubber tires. Like some of the larger heavier wagons/carts have. I keep looking at carts and my hubby says "How many do you need?". I told him it's like buying different trailers to pull behind the same truck. You need different ones for different things

In my news... I drove Clementine today. I think I have my horse back. I'll try to keep the story short for you guys.

I decided I was going to hitch her and see how she was. So I got her out and tied her to the fence and started currying her. She is shedding so much right now. At first she was pretty annoyed with me. Pawing with gusto, swinging her rear from side to side, picking up her back legs. I tied her short so she couldn't get around to bite me if she felt so inclined. She is used to being tied short when we tack up on the lawn so she can't eat so this was nothing new to her. Anyway... I was on her right side and gently put a little pressure on her hip to move her over. She kicked out at me. I smacked her with the flat of the curry then put my foot up against her hip and pushed her over where I wanted her. It sounds harsh but I didn't push her any harder than I do with my hands. I just wanted to be out of range of that hind leg. Then I went back to brushing her. She put her ears forward and stood there quiet while I brushed her EVERYWHERE! She stood quiet while I harnessed her. We ground drove around a bit and she was quiet. So I hitched her and climbed in the cart. She is always eager to go when first hitched but she was easy to bring down. She didn't fight me or throw a fit. So we headed out on the road. She stayed in a walk or a low trot for me. She did shy at a few things but sometimes she looks for things to be scared of so that wasn't new. We drove for 30 minutes and ended on a great note. I was overcast but pretty warm and she's still very wooly and out of shape from not being driven much so I didn't want to work her too hard and make her miserable.

I am starting to wonder if whatever problem she had in the beginning caused the bad mood. Then she kept on with the bad mood even when she was feeling better. I didn't beat her into submission I just let her know that I wasn't going to put up with unnecessary crud. At the end of our drive she only had a little sweat where the belly band was, I gave her a little handful of grain, brushed her all over again, and she walked quietly on a loose lead back to her stall and went to happily eating her hay. HOORAY!!!

I have her on a pre/pro biotic and I don't know if that's what made her feel better but I'm keeping her on it. Several of you suggested it and I'm sticking with it!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Weather was supposed to be nice today, but so far this morning it isn't. We've had some terrible winds and cold snap lately. My Buckly cardboard blew away and I haven't found it yet. It had 30 feet of rope on it; I would have thought it would have caught on something nearby. I should have put it in the barn, but I thought I'd leave it out where he could ponder over it. Hoping to take a horse out today, but if the weather stays chill and windy, I will pass.

Upcoming outing with Head Start. If enough horse folk show up, I will take Buckly to be manhandled by pre schoolers while DD is giving rides. If not, Buckly will stay home. He needs the exposure, but will need adult supervision.

 

[Cayuse]

MajorClem, I bet your theory could be right. She picked up some bad mannerisms when she felt sick and they became a habit because they worked. If only they could talk and advise us of their "issues".

Cappy is going through a snitty spell. He's been pushy and mouthy and using his rump to ram whoever is in his space out of the way. The rump thing is a nuisance. It is a habit he came with and falls back into from time to time. His timing with the manuever has been perfected .

The cart is from Frontier Equestrian. Their mini easy entry. I should call and get the measurements on it and get the ball rolling.

Marsha, I hope you got out today. It was too cold for me today and we have had about three or!four days of hard winds, too. And rain.

 

[Northwolf]

Spring arrived in central europe!! We had up to 74 degree on the weekend. And very sunny. My horses were all a bit tired and enjoyed laying flat on the sun. They had to work, but we took it easy and I did not hurry them up. I hitched my team Massai and Moony two times. A friend visited me on sunday with her two ponies and so we drove together. Each of us had a team. It was just fun! And we both realized we have superhorses as two free-range stallions who freaked out passed our way. But our two teams took it easy and did not not try to run away too. They just observed with interest how the girls ran after their horses to catch them.

I'm SO happy with the team Massai and Moony, they match very well. And Moony is the best trainee I've ever had (disregarding from being scared about big machines and other scary things, but luckily he didn't try to run away the last times).

Teddy and the old boys had grooming day yesterday. I washed them because they started rubbing, especially the old ones. I did not find any parasites, but I preventive used a anti-parasite tincture. Hope the rubbing will be better.

I walked a lot with Teddy last week, I think he's almost ok now. The scab on the leech-bite wounds is almost away, so I think I can slightly start driving soon. I had the ok to start again working with Teddy a few weeks ago but I don't wanted to rush.

Looking forward to my new cart who has three-horses-shafts and independent suspension...

@MajorClem: I welcome back Clementine! Glad to hear about the good news

Did you moved your horses back to your home or are they still in the south?

(sorry about the question, I'm not sure I missed out something but I didn't read about)

@Cayuse: Congrats for choosing a new cart when will it arrive? It's the one without brakes, isn't it? I checked the website and saw they have a lightweight marathon style carriage... That would be MY cart if they were a european company

@Marsha: how is Buckly doing? Did you work him the last few days? I thought about him these days, I still have my fingers crossed for you and Buckly!!