Rain

Rain is not a friend to the horse enthusiast, as far as actual riding goes.  If you are lucky enough to have an arena, and I do, you are lucky enough.  However, in my circumstances getting into the area requires a boat or hip waders.  Since I am not into seriously making my life difficult, I usually forgo the arena in rainy weather.  For that reason, there is no riding in rainy weather at my house.  I'm a big wimp at my age (64) when it comes to riding under extreme circumstance and in my case, rain is an extreme circumstance.  So is excessive heat, cold, ice, snow, wind, mosquitoes, motorcycle runs, and bike races.  Every year as I get older there seems to be a new event added to my list to avoid.  Dogs are a big deterrent as well.  I want to ride to relax not to prove my manhood (even though I am a woman).

The rain we are getting now (April) will, of course bring beautiful, lush green hay fields and pastures, which are always a joy.  And in these days of uncertainty about the price of hay, and with the demise of many hay fields in the area, having our own hay is a real gift.  It is a gift that requires a lot of work as baling and stacking hay is labor intensive, which brings up another issue;  its hard finding young people who want to do that kind of work.  The best time for making hay is when it is hot and dry, and I mean HOT.  Most of the time hay baling is done in temps of 90 - 100.  There are a lot of other issues with making your own hay.  Too much or not enough rain influence the crop and determine when the hay can be brought in.  Since we don't have our own baler, we rely in a local farmer to squeeze our few six or seven acres in when he has time.  The rack wagons don't fit in our barn so the hay has to be stacked on the wagons, re-stacked into pick up trucks and then finally stacked in the hay mow of the barn.  We have a hay elevator, but it does not fit in the second barn.  And even though it is our own hay, we have to pay for use of the equipment and the hired hands to move the hay around.  Keeping people hydrated is important and frequent rests and cool areas are vital.  We don't want people falling off the hay racks.   Another issue with balking hay is that the cooler the weather, the sweeter the hay, so we usually want hot weather for putting up hay.  Once in the barn it is good practice to salt the hay so it doesn't spontaneously combust.  We do our best to make sure the hay is dry, but occasionally a "hot" bale with slugs of green hay ends up getting stacked and has the potential to start a fire.  Anyone who has done this a few times can feel the weight of a green bale, or slugs, within the bale because it will be heavier than the others.  When caught, those bales are removed for immediate use so they don't heat up.

Pastures - it would be delightful if we could just turn the horses out to pasture.  Our problem is that our pony foundered last year and is now restricted to how much fresh grass he can eat.  Foundering in horses (now known as laminitis) is when the horse gets too much sugar from the grass and that basically attacks his muscles and laminae in the hoof, causing inflammation and crippling if not cared for.  Antibiotic and pain medication for a month or so should relieve the pain, but on-going treatment is also required.  Often these horses are said to be insulin resistant - a lot like diabetes in humans - it effects them a little differently, but they are treated the same; restriction of carbs like fresh grass and oats, corn, sweet feeds, etc.  Sooooooooooo the pony can no longer have as much as he used to.   Since all my horses are pretty much overweight they are all susceptible to this malady.  Also since it is difficult to separate the pony from the herd, we treat them all as if they had the same disease.  Our horses get out on pasture for 1 - 2 hours only during dry, sunny days.  When it rains they tear up the grass and our purpose is to be able to feed them that same grass, so we rotate pastures and make sure they are not out too long.

My last comment on rain is that it makes mud.  Mud is no friend of mine, although the horses seem to love it:  to roll in that is.   Then the human rider has to spend a lot of time trying to get the mud off so I can put on a blanket and saddle!  I don't ride bareback any more.  My balance in the saddle is questionable, let alone on a slippery bare horse's back.  So if I am not exhausted after cleaning up the mud-loving equine I want to ride, I actually get on and ride.  Then as quickly as tack is removed and the ride is over the horse rolls in the mud again.  It's a never-ending battle.  Mud also pulls my boots off when I am trying to walk across the holding pen.  When my body is in motion it tends to stay in motion (Newton's law of physics) so when in midstride the mud pulls the boot off, the foot keeps going and the stockinged foot ends up the in muck.  Not my happiest moment when this happens.

My best year for riding was a drought.  No mud, no mosquitoes,  little hay, of course, but there is always a trade-off.  Horse riding seems to be a crap-shoot these days.

Spring Ritual

First spring ride; slippery slop on the ground
Snow barely melted, brown patchy grass exposed,
An eager rider whose spirit aches
for another day, another ride.

Days are longer now, temperate, more welcoming.
Light has returned to the world on an axis of provisional hope.
Robins bring signs of the promise of fresh birth bursting open
to another day, another ride.

Schedule time to groom away nasty winter hair,
Clean and condition dusty, barn-stored tack.
Take in the scent of horse, leather and unspoiled air
before another day, another ride.

Equine energy ready to explore, explode with
Exotic spring breezes, exhilarating scents riding the wind
bringing fresh heady horse-exclusive anticipation
of another day, another ride.

Spirituality is gushing from the ground, sprouting
from the trees, singing high in the clouds.
Token raindrops nourish the receptive earth
for another day, another ride.

Pines have never smelled so wholesome, so sensual.
The train whistle an almost holy thing to stop and listen to
As horse and rider begin anew their seasonal ritual
of another day, another ride.

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Fear - a devilish ghost waiting to attack at the drop of a pin
At 64 fear confronts me every time I want to ride a green horse.
Young and fresh they make moves I can no longer out-maneuver.
Fear of pain, fear of injury, fear of the worst.

Training and riding my whole life, well since five.
I lost my trusted friend of 22 years, Sage, last year.
Something happened to me, to my life.
Something I can't explain and can't overcome, fear.

Sunshine -  I've been working on for ten years
But can't bring myself to trust her, or is it me I don't trust?
Balance not what it was, reactions not crisp and quick as once.
Training is not what it used to be, not what it must.

And frankly I'm just plain tired.
I don't want to work at relaxation any more.
I just want it to be there, like it was on Sage.
That is my main purpose for riding Sunshine or any horse.

I can relax on ShyAnne, but  she is in the same limited boat I am in.
Her feet no long support my and her own weight for very far.
She has navicular disease and only short rides are acceptable
Without being in pain, like I am most of the time. Not fair to her.

Not fair to me, when I dismount and can't hold my own weight
Without steadying myself against the horse.
Hips, feet, knees, add to fear and my body is in revolt
Every time I mount for the thing I love most in this world.

Still I persist, I ride whenever I can
Whenever I have found no excuse not to ride,
When I can no longer go without that connection
When I push the fear down deep aside.

Shyanne today

Today Shyanne rules the roost.  She is the top mare in the barn and makes sure everyone knows it.  She does this by moving them away with her head, ears laid back with every intention of biting if they don't move.  And they willingly move.  Big Red Sky is the only challenger she has to deal with.   I ride Shyanne only  a short distance around the farm boundaries, but mostly she is for my granddaughters, now.  She is a very stubborn horse, but gentle and tolerates even the most inexperienced rider to a degree. She likes to be in the barn a lot, so I basically put the nine-year-olds on her, lead her out in the pen and let her take them back to the barn.  They think they are riding because she will respond to their pulls on the reins on her way back to the barn.  Elise, now 12, rides her but gets exasperated because Elise learned on Sage and Shyanne does not respond as well.  Elise can, however, made Shyanne do some things the twins can't.  Shyanne frequently stops for carrots, pulls her head around as far as she can get it and waits for a bite!  She doesn't bend well, but she tries and the look in her eyes says it all.  I swear she also has a smile on her face.

When my nephew, Jamie, comes out, Shyanne is really good for him. He hops on bareback and even takes his daughter Sabelle with him.  She is only 3 and Shyanne has no problem with however many people want to get on at the same time.  I've had all 3 granddaughters on her at one time and she is quite content with them as long as she gets carrots.

Shyanne does not like my brother-in-law, Jim.  Shyanne loves people and prefers their company to other horses, but when Jim comes around she is really not nice to him. She lays her ears back and tries to shoo him away like she does other horses.  I didn't believe this at first, but when my husband broke his ankle, Jim came out periodically to help me with chores.  It took a while for me to actually see what she was doing, because every time I came around she was good as gold.  Funny - I have never seen her behave that way with another human, but she sure makes it clear he'd better get out of her way.

Shyanne is 19 this year.  The last few years have been hard for her.  She grieved terribly when her mother, Sage, died. (That story is for another blog.)  She has had to endure drought a few years ago, excessive rain the year after that with mosquitoes unbearable.  And this winter that began in October and is still here in April.  The Chicago area broke all kinds of records for snow and cold. As a matter of fact, this is the 2nd worst winter ever recorded for snowfall and cold.  Shyanne has seen and survived a lot in the way of ridiculous weather.

Hay has been at a premium.  We grow our own, but going back to the drought year, the had was terrible that year and really only one cutting.  The year before had been wet and we couldn't get into the field to have it baled until almost July, with second cutting in November.  That was 4 years ago. Then drought brought dusty hay with little nutrition.  The price of hay went sky high and we were lucky to get enough for the year.  Last year we got hay, our own, but first cutting was very rough.  Second cutting yielded about 1/2 of what we thought it would, and 3rd cutting very little, but really good quality.  We had rain last year, too much at the wrong times, and mosquitoes and very little horse riding time. I never got to use my trailer once.  I have no idea what to expect this year.  With the 90 inches of snow we've had I'm hoping the moisture is enough to produce good hay.  We will fertilize again and hope the snow didn't smother too much.  Some of our yard has been wind damaged, but I haven't seen that in the hay field.

I'm hoping Shyanne will be around for awhile, but if the navicular disease in her feet worsens, I won't let her suffer.  Right now, bute helps (that's a pain killer for horses), but does not remove all pain.  And dosing her every day ads the risk of ulcers.  She seems to be doing OK for now.  And my granddaughters do enjoy her.

Young Shyanne

Shyanne survived the storm and as a result became a very quiet horse. I think after she was pummeled at her mother's side in a raging storm,nothing else could rattle her. She was easy to train and developed a real passion for carrots. She grew very large in a very short time, but had the sweetest disposition I have ever known for a horse. When I began riding her and she sometimes became stubborn, I would get out a carrot and if she cooperated she got the carrot. She learned very quickly that if she cooperated she got a treat and it became a funny experience especially when she thought she had done a good job. She would stop and turn around and expect a treat. The look on her face was sort of clownish and she became known for this action. She also loved to eat things other than carrots and constantly pulled on the reins trying to get grass and would even take a swipe at weeds I knew she didn't like. She was proving a point - she could get it if she wanted it. Her barn nickname became Miss Piggy because she wouldn't allow any other horse to be around her when she was eating. The only exception was her mom, Sage, with whom she shared her food generously. Shyanne was big and quiet and didn't like to put forth the effort to canter. She would do it when urged, but lay her ears back and make it appear that she would bite anyone who made her move faster than a walk. You could call her lazy, but in later years she developed navicular disease, partially due to the fact that she had small feet on a big body. Even walking became hard for her after about age 10.

Shyanne's first month

Shyanne was born in 1995, April. It was a cold and rainy spring when she entered the world.   She was one month old when we experienced a terrible storm which uprooted fence posts, lifted the roof of the house up and set it back down, tore metal off the pole barn the horses were in and left debris all over the neighborhood.  There was a huge "bang" around midnight which woke my husband, Bill, myself, and our son, Billy from our sleep. When my husband and I ran down the stairs I wondered why it was raining in the house.  We ran to the basement, although the damage was already done.  We didn't know what was going on.

While my son and I placed buckets all over the living room and kitchen my husband ran out to the barn. He did not return in a timely manor so I looked out the back window and saw a light flashing towards the house. I knew that was not good so I grabbed my coat and ran to the barn.  Bill was frantic and trying to round up the horses.  He panicked and forgot what to do.  I grabbed a bucket of oats and lured Sage and her baby, Shyanne, into the box stall in the first barn.  The other three horses came into the horse-designated end of the barn and we closed the huge barn door.  Turns out the fence had been pulled up and Bill was afraid one of the horses would step into a hole left by the fence posts. There was another outer fence so they could not escape entirely, but there was major danger and the horses were running around like crazy from the storm and damage.  Sara had been confined to a small lean-to barn 30 feet from the main barn.  That entire shed had been lifted off her and she was just a little crazy after that.

It wasn't until the daylight of the next morning that we discovered missing metal and pieces of barn all over the fields.  We were so lucky.

First Blog

This is my first blog - I'm a virgin! And at my age! I have a lot to say and not a lot of people who want to listen so I am going to blab away on this thing. Wish me luck!