March Madness (and we're not talking about basketball)

Can you believe it's already (almost) the middle of March? I'm so glad that time is moving on, but it seems like it's just moving too fast. I've not updated this blog in nearly a month. Sheesh. Where has time gone?

Anyways, both boys had their spring vaccines this morning by Dr. N at AE. She's a great vet... reminds me of our old vet, Dr. N at the old barn (two different woman vets with the same initials).

Gringo had his Coggins test, Flu/Rhino, E/W/Tetanus, Rabies and West Nile vaccines. Dr. N said he looks to be in good weight and his teeth are still looking well, but will probably need to be done in August. According to my records, his teeth haven't been done since the fall of '08. Crazy, huh?

Gus also had his Coggins test, E/W/Tetanus and Rabies vaccines done. I'll be vaccinating him in a couple weeks for Flu/Rhino and West Nile. I'm hoping to have the old Dr. N do his Strangles vaccine the first part of April, once he's at the new barn. Because he is Insulin Resistant, it's in his best interests to spread the vaccines over the course of a month or so... otherwise it can trigger a laminitic episode. And I definitely DON'T want that.

So, because Gus is IR, I also had Dr. N pull blood to test him for Cushings again. We did the ACTH "baseline" test, or the Endrogenous test (I think I got the spelling right). We're also rechecking is blood glucose and insulin levels to make sure they are still within the normal limits. And just for good measure, we're also rechecking this thyroid levels (T3/T4). I should have those results back within a couple weeks at most.

I've got photo-overload for this post and the proceeding post. It's LONG overdue to post some photos of the boys. So, these photos are of Gus which were taken 3/1. It was beautifully SUNNY out that day, and if I recall correctly, the temperature was in the high 30s.


Note the LONG tail! It's about midway down the cannon bone now. I'm hoping it stays nice and long throughout the summer months.

Not a bad photo of Gus's "off" side. It's hard to take photos of his right side since that's the side where he's got Uveitis... so normally that eye is always squinting. Needless to say, I got some decent photos this time around.

That dip about the withers is NOT from a cresty neck. It's due to his mane... The photo is kinda deceiving though.

More photos to come!

February ... Where has time gone?

Can you believe it's already February? Crazy. Life has just sped by lately... so here's a recap of what's happened so far.

January 20th hearlded in Gus's 20th birthday. I do have photos... just haven't had the opportunity to post them yet. He celebrated with three bananas. Read that... THREE bananas. He thought he had died and gone to heaven. Gus was just estatic.

Then, shortly after that, I left for Guatemala for two weeks. Hence no postings for a while. Loved it there, as usual. Came home the first Wednesday in February to cold weather and SNOW. Again. Uggh!

Monday, February 8th was Gringo's birthday. He turned 7. On Saturday (the errr, 6th) we celebrated with some flavored "trail mix" from Skode's Horse Treats. It was actually Gus's gift from his de-grincher, as he was grinched on CoTH's SS this year. The trail mix was huge hit. It's mainly alfalfa pellets with different herbs added. I think I'm gonna make my own once I run out. Looks like it'll be easy and cheap, and a lot healthier then other treats out there. Plus, these Skode's treats are made specifically for IR horses.

On to other news. My old BO (where I still take lessons, we'll call her "B") offered to take Gus back on a pasture board situation. I couldn't be more happier. I'll be able to keep feeding him what I want and she'll supply the hay. He'll be out 24/7 but I'll be able to ride again in all weather. I'm also getting a tack locker again and access to all the facilities, as usual. I'm very excited about this. D-day is April 1st.

The down side though is my fiance. He's an *ss. Says I'll have to move Gringo too... that it's all or nothing. His mom (my BO and future MIL) supposedly has told him that, but that's news to me. I'll be asking her today (if I see her when the farrier is out) otherwise this weekend - or over the phone. I hate confrontations... and I'm very upset as it is. Gringo does well there and I'd love to keep him there but if it's going to be like this, then I will move him. It's just not worth it.

Needless to say, my good day was ruined again by a careless, thoughtless idiot. Sometimes I really wondering about things. But, I'm getting Gus out of a situation that is NOT working for him and that's what matters the most. Gringo, like I've mentioned prior, thrives anywhere and everywhere. So I'm not really concerned as much about him as I am for Gus, as Gus is truly a "hot house flower" . Hopefully I'll have some good pictures come this spring of him and I working. I'm so excited to have access to an arena again (heck multiple arenas).

Feed-wise, same as before... no changes. Although I did run out of rice bran and the feed store where I previously purchased it no longer is carrying it (what?). So, I made the switch back to Cool Calories 100. Gus was on this a few years back after he lost all that weight. I'm hoping it'll help him again. He's going to start off with 1/2c daily (or 4 ounces). That's twice the recommended amount. I've read that I can safely feed 1 cup daily. Hopefully I won't need to feed that, but least I know I can if I need to. And although it's no where need the same amount of calories as the rice bran, hopefully it'll help. FWIW, the rice bran is (I think) 1500 calories/pound and the Cool Calories 100 is 250 calories/ounce (or 2000 calories/pound). Gus was getting roughly 3/4lb of rice bran, so about 1125 calories. He'll be getting 1000 calories with the 1/2c of Cool Calories... but it's 99% fat versus the 40ish% fat in the RB.

New Diet

Well... the boys are officially converting to their new diet(s), finally. So here's the scoop of who's on what and how much.

Gringo:
1/2lb of alfalfa pellets
1oz Mega Cell
~8g Magnesium
10g MSM

Gus:
2lbs Progressive ProAdvantage Grass Formula ration balancer
1 1/2lbs alfalfa pellets
3/4lb rice bran
~8g Magnesium
10g MSM
100mg HA
20g Tri-Amino (10g Lysine, 5g DL-Methionine, 2g L-Threonine)

I'm very pleased with Gringo's weight this winter. He's a bit plump, but considering that he lives out 24/7, he looks great.

Gus, well, you already know how I feel about his weight currently. This is just a starting point, where the feed options are now. He'll be getting the max amount recommended of the PN ProAdvantage Grass, so that really shouldn't be bumped up a all. I can always up the alfalfa pellets... but then it comes down to how much can Gus consume in like 30 minutes.

My other option is going to try Cool Calories again once I run out of the rice bran. Why? Well, I've read/been told that rice bran isn't the greatest thing for IR horses. I've had very good luck with the CC in the past, so I'm thinking if Gus still isn't look good/better by the time the rice bran runs out, I'll be switching to the CC.

I've got some more photos but I'm being lazy... so I'll upload them later.

I did get another ride in on Gus today though. It was fun. Weather was about 11 above, which is a lot better then it's been lately. By Wednesday we're supposed to be in the mid to high 20s, whoohoo! HEAT WAVE. I can't wait. I'm off Wednesday also so I plan on getting in a decent ride that day too. Since the footing seemed to be holding Gus's weight fairly well (read like 1-2 FEET of snow in most places, drifts were much higher) I did ask Gus for some trotting and did get two brief but FORWARD canters. Lotsa fun. Can't wait til all the snow is gone and the ground dries up... so we can really start working again.

Nothing else new though. I supposed I need to figure out when to deworm the boys again... uggh.

New Year's Eve 2009

Well... since I didn't have to work until 2pm on Thursday (New Year's Eve), I decided to make the most of it and go out riding in the morning. It was a balmy 7* above zero... and, actually, it wasn't bad at all.

Here's some photos from my morning ride:





This is me... I definitely DO NOT look flattering at all, but boy was I warm. I had a stocking cap tucked underneath my helmet, plus a helmet cover and... my neck gaitor. Actually, it was a very toasty setup.

Gus and his lovely Masta quarter sheet. I LOVE this quarter sheet. It's a waterproof outer layer and fleece lined on the inside. It's very warm. And, it even has a cutout for me. Makes it even better.

What a thick, chunky head Gus has... least with all his hairy winter coat on. It makes his bridle look like it's too small.

Although looks are deceiving, the snow was a good 12+ inches deep. That's Gus's tracks on the left of the photo below.

And, here's Gringo.

I was going to attempt to go to the barn today, but at -23 degrees out? That's just too d*mn cold to do much of anything. So, the boys will just have to wait until late next week. I really had been meaning to get out to the feed store too, but they never did answer the phone when I called. So... it may just be alfalfa pellets for a while... we shall see.

Merry Christmas

Well... Mother Nature wasn't acting too kindly upon us Minnesota folks for this year's holiday season. We got snow. A lot of snow. The roads and weather were so bad on Christmas day that my brother wasn't able to make the hour drive back home. Still unsure when we'll be having him home for "Christmas" because he's now set to work 12 days straight. Great paycheck, lousy timing.

So, yesterday I made it out to the barn to see the boys. Oh, have I missed them both a lot. Poor Gus. His blanket (Dover Northwind) was almost soaked through. Uggh. So, now he's sporting his Schneiders blanket liner plus his Schneiders Aquanon sheet. It works. Hopefully his blanket will be dried out by this next Thursday, so I can swap blankets again.

The photo below is of Gus in his new sheet/liner combo.



Anyways, as tradition, I took plenty of photos yesterday celebrating Christmas. Both boys got a lovely mash of alfalfa pellets (Gus also had some added beet pulp) plus their normal grain ration. Both enjoyed their treat immensely - especially Gringo. I think he was literally moaning in excitement.

Without further ado, here's the "best of the best" from the photo op. Gus really wouldn't cooperate this time around, so I'm not too pleased with his photos, but Gringo took good shots, as usual.

I think his stifle is bothering him again... note how he's holding the RH in both the photo above and the one below.

I REALLY like this photo. It is so much better in black & white... it's very intense.

I like this photo too. It was a perfect day for photo taking... nice and dreary out.

Both boys enjoying their hay.

And this is Lylette. She's the Pileated Woodpeck who lives on the property. She's very photogenic.

And...

I'm changing the boys' grain up, yet again. I'm going to be switching back to Progressive ProAdvantage Grass Formula ration balancer. Only, Gus will be the only horse on it. Gringo will strictly be on alfalfa pellets. Gus will get alfalfa pellets too.

I'm thinking about starting with:

Gus -

2lb Progressive ProAdvantage Grass

2lb alfalfa pellets

1/2lb rice bran pellets

Gringo-

1/2lb alfalfa pellets

Only Gringo will need to remain on the Mega Cell multi-vit, since the alfalfa pellets plus grass hay he gets already will not be meeting his nutritional guidelines. Hopefully that plus the Tri-Amino from Uckele will help Gus put that weight and muscle back on. I'm just dreading the ol' switch-r-roo. I hate changing feeds up...

Anyways, hopefully the weather will remain halfway decent, least until Thursday. I'm hoping to ride Gus again Thursday morning before work. I think he's missing his routine (that or his stifle really is bothering him) as he's started cribbing again. I do have his crib collar all padded up and ready to go, but I really don't want him wearing that 24/7. That's not fair to him... and he's only destroying (lightly) the wood in his run-in (the kick boards) and a little bit on the wooden gate. Uggh.

My back is back!

A weird play on words, but my back is finally starting to get back to normal. I think the prescription pain meds (hydrocodone and Flexirl - a muscle relaxer) are helping more then anything else. Thankfully, I've not been needing to take anywhere near the recommended dosage... and when I saw my chiropractor today, she was pleasantly surprised that my back was holding the adjustments better. True, it was still slightly out of alignment, but it's much better then it's been in weeks.

So, yesterday (Sunday), I went riding. First time I've ridden (pain free) in WEEKS. I was so happy. True, it was only 19 degrees F outside, but still better then nothing. I am going to finally take my lesson this week... but I'll be sure that B takes it easy with me. I know my back can't handle too much, as it's still quite weak.

Gus and Gringo are both doing fine. They both were dosed with Anthelcide Eq, an oxibendazole dewormer. The dosage given was 1.5 times their weight. Other then a few looser piles of manure, I never did nothing anything unusual with the powerpak. Still unsure which horse had the softer piles...

Weight wise, Gus is staying the same at around 1079lbs (per the weight tape) and Gringo has gained some, up to about 1045lbs (from around 1000lbs earlier this year).

Gus's grain changed, yet again. Well, actually I haven't changed it too much from what I posted late last month. He's still on 1lb of TC Lite, 2lbs TC Senior and 1/2lb rice bran... but he'll be getting 1lb of beet pulp and 1.5lbs of alfalfa pellets whenever I'm out as an "extra" meal. I may end up having the BO feed either A) more rice bran or B) alfalfa again if I can't get more weight on Gus. I do think I'll be upping the TC Senior again within a couple weeks. Uggh, hard keepers can be a pain in the arse.

Other then that, Gus is wearing his Dover Northwind turnout currently sans neck cover. It's been getting a lot colder and he needs the extra help to keep warm. I'm not sure when I'll pull out the neck cover. I'm thinking when the temps are consistently in the lower teens during the day. Gus does have a decent hair coat on his neck, but... he's use to having the neck covers too.

My only other delimmia currently is that Gringo is rapidly losing the frog in his left front hoof. I've noticed it shrinking over the last couple weeks, but now it's almost all gone (the thick, fleshy part anyways). He's not lame or sore on that hoof/leg at all, even though that is his bad hoof. It's weird. I'd call the farrier, but well he's due out in two weeks anyways... and still not sure what he can do at the moment. I'm thinking that perhaps he's unbalanced in his trim and that's leading to his hoof being loaded (weighted) differently. Hmm. I'll try to remember to post pictures, though you can't really tell much by looking at them. I'm curious, too, wondering if it's thrush. So, as a preventative measure, I've been using the dry cow stuff (forget if it's ToDay or ToMorrow). No changes...

Gus's hooves look a tad funky too, but he's not losing frog. Instead, he's got a deep crack in the heel bulb area. So, I've been dosing his hooves with the dry cow stuff too. Uggh.

It's December!

Can you believe it's already December? Sheesh, where did the time go? Anyways, nothing new to report from the other day... just found some cute photos of the boys that I couldn't resist sharing.

What you'll see below is Gus in the box stall and Gringo tied up on the outside. Gringo knows the hay is kept in the hay net (mind you it's one of the small mesh ones... to slow down hay consumption) and he was hungry. So he helped himself thru the bars of the stall. Gus wasn't too pleased, but he couldn't do anything about it.

And, since it's been a few weeks since I last posted photos of Gus's body condition, I thought I'd post some newer ones. These were taken 11/19, if memory serves me correctly. He's staying the same. I suppose it could be worse (like he's losing weight) but thankfully that isn't the case. Hopefully with the new diet that was implemented starting yesterday he'll start picking up weight again.

I did order some more dewormer for the boys. As soon as it comes in, they'll be getting dosed at 1 1/2 times their body weight with Anthelcide EQ Paste (it's an Oxibendazole based dewormer). I should've dewormed them about a week or two ago, but just put it off for no other reason other then lack of funds.

Other then that... again nothing new. I'm outta commission for a while, at least as far as riding goes. I injured my back about 3 weeks ago and it just won't heal. I tried riding yesterday for the first time in nearly a month and ouch... it just didn't work. Anyways, went to a "real" doctor yesterday and got some good pain meds. I'm going back to my chiropractor here this next week... I'm hoping to resume my riding soon, hopefully.