Jingle on… She’s improving!!!
Best Christmas present - daily updates with her progress. Another call this morning from the clinic, and she’s doing great! The last of the swelling is dissipating and she’s more sound.
More importantly, she’s coming out of her ouchie comma. She’s held her head low, with a pained look in her eyes for so long, it’s great to hear that she’s now PERKY! I can’t wait to pick her up and finish her after care at home!
Thanks again for the jingles!!!
jingles, jingles, jingles!!!:D:D:D
It’s about time!
Well, it’s been 8 weeks and my mare is FINALLY off meds. It’s been a long haul, and I will admit I really wasn’t sure she was going to make it through. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Tomorrow she goes back to work under saddle!
With the brutal winter we’ve been dealt thus far, our hunt for the time being walk out hounds on foot as a group instead of risking our horses. There’s way too much ice hidden under that beautiful fluffy snow - and none of us want to take a chance.
It’s my great hope that my mare will have recovered enough to head down to Virgina for the next big Coth adventure in March! I just can’t wait to see everyone again!
Yeah! I’m dealing with a cactus sticker in my horse now. So glad yours is over her infection!
Doctracy, ohh goodness. Is there an infection to deal with after said cactus needle is extracted, or is extraction an impossibility? It sounds awfully painful either way. I hope all goes well during the healing process.
Had to post an update - Ugghh.
After my mare’s long lay up, we started with a slow conditioning program to get fit for our weekend with my Princess pals in VA. Fit and ready to go, it looks like she may have a flareup of cellulitis… Yikes, nooooo, can’t beeeee… Low and behold it’s a torn long digital extensor tendon. Yup, she’s special all right. After the initial swelling goes down (no lameness) I notice a small bump on her hind cannon - yeah, the bad cellulitis leg… Ultrasound confirmed a few days ago, and we’re (she’s) looking at months of lay up.
Here’s the silver lining - as my mare’s stifles tend to lock when left inside for long periods (foxhunting was the best thing for those ole’ stifles) the only thing that keeps ‘em limber is pregnancy… I’m sure you can guess where this is going! So, as soon as she come into heat I’m going to breed her for my first “foxhunt” homebred. I’ve bred six lovely homebred’s before, and my mare’s youngest son is about to start work under saddle in a month (please don’t get sooo tall that the branches are gonna knock me outta the trees whilst we’re a huntin’)… I’m hoping this cross is going to be the epitome of MY perfect foxhunter.
I’m hoping for my mare’s amazing work ethic, movement and conformation paired with the heart of a lion, kindness of a lamb, and strength of body and mind (OH, and he’s soooo sexy! :yes:)… Here’s her new beau - http://web.mac.com/jennifersims1/iWeb/Site/Stallion%20page.html
Very excited and just had to share!
Aww, sorry to read about your mare’s ongoing soundness problem but wow, what a nice stud to breed her too! He is a working, competeing CDE machine. I peeked at some of his other offspring on the website and they are good looking stock. Hope the breeding is successful!!
So sorry to hear Maresy is not feeling well. Hope she will heal fully and quickly.
That’s one hubba hubba looking boyfriend!!!
Thanks ladies~ I’m dancing with excitement, and crossing fingers that the streak of bad luck is over! Luckily though - my mare has been sound throughout :eek: Go figure.
He is really pretty. Good luck on your prospect! You clearly are a girl who turns lemons into lemonade!
How’s your new guy???
Thanks Lesson13! Why dwell.
The new guy is big. Named Big, is big… did I mention he’s, well BIG? So far, so good. He definitely had a good start under saddle. Loads well on the trailer, shipped him to another indoor for a lesson - no problem… took him out for a short trail ride with some of my hunt buddies, no problem… loading to go home - no problem… Except that Mr. Big walked right through the breast bar of my three horse slant and walked right out the front ramp like the chain wasn’t even there. I’ll say it again… this boy is big - and he knows it :winkgrin:
My trainer is quite fond of him, so between us - we’ll see what we can do with the BIG boy. :lol:
Oh my gosh, now THAT is a Morgan! It makes me happy to see old style Morgans rather than the Saddlebred types so commonly seen today. What a great looking - and accomplished - stallion. Great pick!
[quote=pleasantmeadowfarm;5530775Except that Mr. Big walked right through the breast bar of my three horse slant and walked right out the front ramp like the chain wasn’t even there.
[/quote]
:lol: :eek: You owe me a new keyboard!! How damn funny was that to watch him walk through the chain!!!
He probably never slowed down, nor spook at the chain breaking…“Doh, was there something there in front of me…Oh never mind, green grass!”
Those big ones have a talent for leaning, stepping on, and generally breaking anything in their area.
I know someone who bought a pair of Percheron weanlings to raise and use as a driving pair. He built a pasture for them that had all 6X6 posts. With 8X8 gate and corner posts. When those things get to itching or leaning to reach that blade of grass, regular fencing doesn’t work.
We had a draft cross boarded at my barn that would gladly take a hit from the electric fence if it meant he could get something to eat.
Jawa - you said it!
SLW - He never flinched, blinked or balked. A general “woops”, Oh look - grass… yummy:eek: He actually thought about LEANING on the closed 1/2 door after a friend attempted to repair the chain… Hmmm, Oh well, not so much give to this one… Yeah, he gave it a shot though.
I’ve got over 14K volts running through my hotwire. BRING IT ON BIG GUY! :yes:
I wonder if he will learn to push through the bottom of the fence like a pony…:eek:
It certainly seems that those drafts are a completely different animal. I recently went to visit a farm in CT that was formerly a Percheron breeding farm (the town now owns it and is seeking new barn operators). Many of the stalls were concrete with gates made of steel bars! And all of the fencing was electric…I don’t know about the voltage, but it appeared to be the only thing that worked for them.
This is why I now have Bull gates on my farm.
Christmas in November!!!
Yay!!! Whicker hunted with meeeeee in NJ!!! What a great weekend! I’m sure Whicker is still hiding under a rock recuperating (as though her four legged friends would allow) from our whirlwind weekend. Whicker and family drove up from VA on Friday night around midnight (dear son flew in from Washington…state)… and checked in, to a lovely B&B around the corner from me.
She, darling husband, chivalrous son, and adorable date, after a scrumptious breakfast on Saturday morning joined me for a tour of the Amwell Valley,a visit to the hunt kennels, a one on one with our Huntsman, and lunch at a popular local pub (whose proprietor doesn’t cringe when stinky peeps walk in)… Perhaps a few last minute items were purchased later in the afternoon to put the finishing touches on our evening wear for the AVH Hunt Ball. What a grand night it was. We had another well attended ball, with a fantastic silent auction and dancing until WAY past midnight. I must admit - what a thrill it was twirling and dancing with both Whicker men… They sure can dance, even leading a dame with two left feet!
As I had dearly hoped to bring Whicker out hunting on Sunday morning, but WOULD not decide until the VERY last minute whether we were going or not!!! As my mare has had a very rough year, and every time there’s a WHISPER of a Virginia trip mentioned, she does something horrific to herself. Bright and early on Sunday morning, I started cleaning tack, knocked the dirt off horses. I hoped and prayed that I was going to be able to load my lovely mare and daughter’s insurance policy (aka Dakota) on the trailer and head out for a late morning gallivanting through the Amwell Valley following our incredible hounds.
Low and behold, ponies were in one piece, loaded them on the trailer and arrived at the meet with time to spare… What a blast it was having Whicker right there beside me!!! For three years I’ve been trying to hunt my mare with my mentor and friend by my side. I am so ecstatic that we were able to pull it off! Admittedly, scenting was spotty as it was later in the morning, there was NO dew, no cloud cover, and little scent. There was still plenty of hound music as they worked line after line in the woods. I don’t even want to get started on the “Man from Snowy River” moments… I’ll leave the details to Whicker.
I’m just so excited we were able to pull it off!
I have COTH to thank for some of the best friends, a girl with a dream could ever have! I love ya Whicker - I’ll be forever indebted to you for your guidance, camaraderie and friendship. :yes:
So glad you both had a great weekend!!
Hope to see some pictures!! Wink, Wink!!
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