A Pain In the Butt...Part 1

**CAUTION!  SOME PICTURES BELOW ARE GRAPHIC!  IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE SIGHT OF BLOOD OR HORSE'S PRIVATE PARTS, DON'T CONTINUE!**

 Shannon had the day off and I asked him to put the horses (Anna, pictured above & Iney) in the foaling stall since the farrier was coming to put shoes on them.  Being a good husband, he did what I told him to.  lol  Just kidding!  He did though.  We were eating dinner on the porch waiting for the farrier to show up and we heard a racket in the barn.  We ran out to see what was going on.  Anna was practically climbing the walls and circling, and Iney was agitated.  Shannon opened the stall door and Anna flew out.  Shannon noticed immediately she was bleeding.  She was gushing blood from her va-jay-jay, and her knee.  Her nose was really scuffed up, too.  I called Frances, our trusty vet and great friend.  She was on the way.  Luckily, she lives next door!

 Anna's knee...

Her bits...

 Frances sedated her, numbed her and started stitching her up.  Nothing ruffles Frances' feathers.  I was a ball of nerves, and was in charge of holding Iney while the farrier put shoes on her, while Frances worked. 

 Anna had a tear on the outside of her vulva Frances stitched up.

 The after effects...

 Frances stitched up inside her va-jay-jay.

 She stitched up her knee...

 Her nose and band-aid (as Pyper pointed out).

Her nose.  Pyper said she needed TWO band-aids.  We figured that while in the foaling stall, Iney, being the dominate mare, kicked the snot out of poor Anna.  That's what caused all the damage.  Mean Iney!  I went over the foaling stall to see what could have torn her bits all to pieces, but found nothing.  Frances says a kick can do major damage as well.  Shannon and I were both thinking we would have to take her to Va Tech.  Luckily, we have Frances.  She isn't sure if she'll ever be able to breed again, but only time will tell.  She was given Bute (an anti-inflammatory) and pasture rest, away from Iney.  Her stitches will need to be taken out in 2 weeks.  Whew.  That was scary! 



Buckin' Bronco

First and foremost, I am not a photographer. I don't even TRY to pretend to be one. So, I will apologize for the quality of these pictures now. Even in "Sport" mode, Abby's quick movements are blurry. I swear I need a PhD to figure this camera out...Without further ado...

Wednesday was day 3 for Abby in training.  Already, I see an enormous difference in my girl.  She has gone from being a pasture pony to a gleaming black beauty.  Mark Noel has already worked wonders with her.  She is standing tied...

Trotting out...

Showing great confidence already...

Stands patiently, if not a bit curious as to what will be asked next.

Mark gets her used to having her girth area cinched with a rope.
She wasn't phased at all.

He tightened it up...

Got her ready for the saddle...

Put the saddle on.

And YEE-HAW! 

She calmed down soon enough once she got it out of her system and realized the saddle wasn't the boogie man.

He lunged her out..

Gave her some reassurance and love...

Mark did get in the saddle, but I'll save that post for tomorrow. 

 
Hunter and Pyper tagged along as I wore Raegan on my back.  As they were playing in the hay, a little dog jumped up in Pyper's lap.  She was THRILLED!

 
On a side note, I bought this horse trailer yesterday!  I've been saving for it for some time.  I'm so excited to go trail riding this summer!  I've missed it!!!

Open Up and Say, "AHHH!"

In preparation of Abby, our 2 year old filly, going off to training this week, we had shots, Coggins and wolf teeth excised.  You may be wondering what all this stuff means, but the shots are to protect her from a range of diseases.  Especially since she will be going to a barn off the property with a bunch of unknown horses.    A Coggins test is a test required for all horses when they go to a show, cross state lines or sometimes when sold.  Coggins is not a disease, but instead a test performed for equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). It's recommended to have a  Coggins test and shots annually.  Typically done in the spring.  Wolf teeth a little teeth that the horse doesn't really use or need.  Instead, they can cause mouth pain when the horse is introduced to the bit, and why it is recommended to remove them to rule out any bit problems in the future. 

This is not Abby, but it does illustrate where Wolf Teeth are in the horse's mouth.

See how little they are?

 

The picture above shows how the bit can hit on the wolf teeth and cause mouth pain.  The top arrow is pointing to the wolf teeth. 

Frances Grubb, our trusty vet and wonderful friend, came over yesterday evening to give everyone their shots, pull Abby's Coggins and wolf teeth.  She looks and feels in Abby's mouth and feels a little something...

She gives Abby a sedative and pain killer to relax her and prevent any discomfort.

 

Then Frances brings out this mid-evil looking halter and Abby starts dancing.  She's probably thinking, "You've got to be kidding me lady!  You're not putting that contraption in my mouth and expect me to stand still for it!!!???"

But, she does.  Abby didn't object too much.  It just fits like a halter with a mechanical mouth opener thing-y.  I'm sure there is a technical term for it, but whatever.

Abby knows she looks silly and is hanging her head in shame.  Not really.  She's drugged out of her gourd.  :)

"Momma, whath thith thing doing to my mouwf?  And why ith Iney laughing at meh???

Frances gets a good look in her mouth and tries to get a hold on the little tiny teeth...

Frances says they have barely broken through and are positioned to the inside of the jaw.  She tries several times, but can't get a good grip on them.  She doesn't think they will cause any trouble with training as they are so little.  She'll try to get them out in another 6 months or so.  I have learned to trust Frances' opinion and will wait.

Poor Abby is drunk and wobbly.

Frances mentions taking advantage of her state and clips her bridle path.  She did great.  She's now ready to go to training!!!  Thanks, Frances, and thanks, Jenn for taking pictures.

Growing up...

Shannon prepping the rows with fertilizer. We used an organic compost last year which greatly added to the soil conditions. We didn't add any this year, but plan on putting compost and putting the chickens on the garden in the fall to add Nitrogen and have them eat some good bugs and grubs.

Getting ready to plant. Pyper is our foreman, and is available for consults.

Shannon found 2 moles in the garden right after tilling it. Disappointed in the lack of effort from Hammish, our wonder hunter cat, Shannon killed both moles. I was amazed at how big its front paws were and the design made for digging up our garden is astounding!

Pyper watering her garden

Pyper selecting potatoes for the garden. We told her to pick sections with "eyes" on them, and she proceeded to point to her eyes. She is one smart cookie. Well, that's what I thought until she took a big bite out of this raw potato. She's Shannon's child...

Abby is growing more and more every day. She has just turned 1, and I can't believe she is almost as big as her momma, Anna. Anna stands at 15.3 hh. I have a feeling Abby will be a bit taller. Only time will tell.

The Dixie Chicks are growing sooooo fast! In fact, yesterday when I was doing a daily once over, I noticed little tail feathers growing.

Their wing feathers are growing in, and they are getting bigger, over all...

It might be all the night crawlers and meal worms we're feeding these girls.

They are growing so fast, in fact we had to put up 2 ft chicken wire around the brooder to keep them contained. While playing with them today, one chick escaped by hopping and flying over the side of the pool. Pyper thought it was great fun to chase it all around the coop. This fence, has worked. So far.

Speaking of things Pyper likes to chase, here is our sweet Hannibal. Vicious Rottweiler, extraordinaire. He loves to play fetch, and Pyper loves to throw the ball for him. He is her ever-present companion, and faithful friend.