The Critters We Love

The Meadowlark Bird
(March 2015)
This fabulous, yellow-belly bird is my favorite bird. 

They are called Meadowlarks and their flute-like song is a song I have woken up to for years. It's the sound of home for me. They are little, delicate birds who like to nest in the open grasslands of North America. They eat small insects and berries. They love to sing to the morning sun and I love to listen. I was watching a sunrise and these little birds filled in the perfect background music for me. It was a "good life" moment for sure.

SuperFly the Horse, meet Freedom the Cat
(Feb. 2015)

Just Another Day at the Barn
(Jan. 2015)

Doggie Booties
(Jan. 2015)
Finally a pair of dog booties that actually stay on. Check these out, they are easy to put on and my dogs didn't actually mind walking in them! 

I love to be outside in the winter and I love having the company of my dogs as well. Winter, however, can be tough of dog feet. They're little paws freeze in deep snow and get cut up in icy snow. I have tried several different kinds of booties but nothing worked. My dogs either couldn't walk in them, they didn't stay on, or they tore through them in the first 100 yards. Not any more. 

I found these booties at Petco for only $18 for a package of 12 booties. 

They give the recommended sizes on the back and and they are disposable or reusable. 

Both my dogs managed just fine when we went snowshoeing. Three hours later they were still running through snow drifts chasing rabbits. 
Dauphnie tore through one towards the end so I just pulled it off and stuck a new one on. I highly recommend these to any dog lover who also loves winter.


Who knew a milk carton could be so much fun!
(2014)

Killdeer Bird
(2014)
I was walking my dogs when I spotted a Killdeer nest. Killdeer nests are common where I live. Their little dark, grey, speckled, eggs can be found in the rocky/sandy terrain. My favorite thing about Killdeers is they are brave little suckers. These birds put up a hardy effort to protect their nests and young. To my pleasant surprise, instead of finding eggs in the nest I found three little, fuzzy, babies!

Here are Mom and Dad

Little, fuzzy baby!

Here's the nest with the other two little guys.

I think this is Mom

So cute!

Here's a video I found on youtube which shows a killdeer protecting her nest. 

What’s an Endurance Rider?
(2014)

There I stood with a layer of dirt thick enough to make the whitest person look tan, a brown smear of beet pulp on the front of my tan top, the sticky residue of electrolytes between my fingers and a heat rash around both ankles that screamed “someone get the hydro-cortisone cream”. Yet I had never felt so good about myself or my horse.

            “Good boy,” I say to my dark, bay, gelding who stood before me munching on some carrots. Using a sponge I start washing off all the mud and sweat from him.

            “Number 56 you’re up next,” someone yells. In one hand I take the halter rope and in the other I take two more carrots.

            “Come on boy,” I say as I turn and lead him towards the veterinarian that is standing under a tree. It was our turn to present for Best Condition. We had, after all, just finished 1^st place in the 50 mile endurance ride.

            Endurance riding is an equine sport that most people have only ever heard about. Yet there are hundreds of us all over the world that participate in it.

            Endurance horses are kind of like those people on the high school track team that run in the cross country races. Endurance races are usually a minimum of 25 miles up to a 100 miles. Like other horse events there are specific breeds that tend to fare better with the long distances. Arabians are the most common horses to see at these races but don’t worry if that’s not your equine friend of choice. We endurance racers welcome anyone and their horse willing to share in our passionate obsession of riding. Among other breeds racing are quarter horses, Tennessee Walkers, Mustangs, Ponies, Appaloosas, a half-draft-half-who-knows-what -else and even a few mules. We endurance riders don’t care what kind of breed your horse is as long as you enjoy riding it. I mean really enjoy riding it for you are going to be sitting in that saddle for the next 50 miles.

            Speaking of saddles there is another topic to discuss. Once again we endurance riders don’t really care what is sitting between you and your horse as long as it is comfortable for the both of you. There are specific endurance made saddles that can be used but at every race there will be western saddles, English saddles, Bob Marshall saddles, dressage saddles, Australian saddles and I even raced with a guy who chose no saddle and completed the whole race bare back. Just find something that you can tie, Velcro or clip everything you may or may not need for the ride. When you are 22 miles away from your horse trailer, if you don’t have it in your saddle pack you don’t get to use it. Don’t be surprised though if you see a little more than just leather at these events. Let me introduce you to Biothane and Beta. This is a type of material that is as strong as leather but is washable and doesn't stiffen or crack with age. My favorite part about Biothane is the variety of colors it comes in. You will see bridles and breast collars ranging in colors from neon green, sparkly blue, red with sliver studs and even hunter orange. Several of us endurance riders each have our own specific color belonging to our own specific horse. There is a joke that if a rider falls off we know exactly which horse they belonged to for they are color coordinated.

          

(Jackie riding Solo)

  You may have noted the wording in that last sentence was a little different than in other articles, “which horse they belong to”. Note that I claimed the rider belonged to the horse and not the horse belonging to the rider. This is a sport where the horse and rider spend a great amount of time together. In order to get a horse and rider in good enough shape to be able to do a 50 mile race it takes several miles of conditioning rides to get ready. There is a very close bond between horse and rider in this sport. When you and your horse are 32 miles away from the nearest road and 102 miles away from the nearest town there develops a sense of true trust between you and your horse. Without both of you taking care of each other, neither of you will make it back. That brings up to our next topic, taking care of your horse.

            There are four major components needed in a horse to be able to do endurance: a good pair of lungs, a healthy heart, four strong legs with four solid hooves and a “go get’em” kind of attitude. These horses are athletes and need to be treated, trained and fed as such. We endurance riders have a saying “a little irritation 50 miles later become a major problem”. Many riders feed vitamins, beet pulp, high protein, high fat and electrolytes to their horses to keep them in top shape. In this sport we don’t care if your horse is the shiniest or tallest or has the best head or thickest mane or best blood lines. It is all about performance. Yes at the end of the ride someone gets first place but the prize we all are going for is the Best Condition award. This award means you have the overall best conditioned horse there and believe it or not this prize doesn't always go to the first place horse. You can have the ugliest horse on the planet with the oldest tack in existence but if your horse is in better condition than the others, you've won.

            Speaking of the oldest, let’s talk about who rides endurance? Anyone who has the urge, that’s who. There are riders as young as 8 years to riders up to 80 years old. This is a life time sport the the whole family can enjoy. In endurance racing you get out of it what you put into it.

            Now let’s talk about the general routine and rules of an endurance race. These races start out in the middle of the great outdoors. We riders pull up in with our camper, tents, live-in horse trailers and pick a spot to set up camp. The evening before the race there is a ride camp meeting where we all take a camp chair and a beverage and huddle under a tree usually close to the ride director’s trailer. At these meetings the trail conditions are discussed. Some trails are across meadows, over fallen trees, across streams, through the dense forest or along cliff edges. Some trails have gradual climbs while other have more steep climbs. Some trails are dirt roads, single track deer trails, ATV two track trails and occasional you will find yourself doing what we riders call “bush-whacking”. This meaning there isn't a trail but there will be by the time you get through. Every trail in every race will be marked with little bright colored flags to keep you going in the right direction. There will be a different color for every different loop. Each loop will be a different length anywhere from 8 miles to 26 miles. All these loops will add up to equal either a 25, 30, 50, 75 or 100 mile race.

(Amy riding Kid, Jackie riding Hemi, Roxanne riding Solo)

            Every horse and rider in every race will have to pass several Vet Checks. This is where the vet looks over your horse checking heart rate, gut sounds, muscle tone, hydration, soundness and overall health of each horse. Each rider will have something called a vet card which is kind of like a report card. The veterinarian will gives a letter grade score for every category. Just like in school “A” is wonderful and “F” is failing. There will also be a heart rate recorded on the card as well. This number is important. During the race each rider carries their vet card with them. After every loop each horse will have to vet through the Vet Check area. Before a horse can continue with the race they have to pulse down. This is the most important parts of endurance riding. Every horse will be required to pulse down to 60 heart beats a minutes. As you can imagine this is where your previous conditioning really comes into play. The better shape your horse is in the faster your horse’s heart rate will drop down to 60. Any idiot can ride a horse 50 miles but if your horse is dehydrated, weak and half dead when you are done his heart rate won’t come down and you will get disqualified from the race.

This is a team sport about horse and rider. It is all about the horse being in the best overall condition possible. It’s not about who has the most money, the fanciest trailers, the most decorated tack or the best bloodlines. This sport is about riding in new places, spending time with friends, drinking a cold beverage at sunset, laughing with your fellow riders, accomplishing something great and bonding with your favorite horse.

Horsey Dentist
(2014)

Did you know your horses appreciates going to the dentist? Anytime we do something "human" to nature it needs to be counter balanced. Example: putting a bit in a horses mouth means you have changed the natural state of the horses teeth. So to counter balance, take your horse to the dentist to keep his teeth in good shape. Horse's teeth can develop sharp points, hooks and can just get out of alignment. It is called getting you horse's teeth "floated". I get my horse's teeth floated every spring. This makes it easier for him to chew which means he manages his weight better. This makes placing a bit in his mouth more comfortable for him. 

My one horse Forte is 20 years old and last year when I got his teeth floated the vet told me he had lost three teeth do to old age. So this year the vet pointed out the one tooth which didn't have a counter partner to grind against had grown abnormally long. So he kindly took a little extra time to file that one tooth so when Forte is chewing he isn't chewing against his own gum. You can image how bad that would hurt. 

Forte gets his teeth floated every spring. Even at 20 years old he looks and feels great. Oh the power of maintenance. 

Handsome guy!

A few indicators your horse needs to get his teeth floated are: dropping a lot of food when he chews, excessive slobbering or foaming, bad breath, or problems getting him to take a bit. 

When a horse gets is teeth floated the vet will kindly sedate him to keep him happy. Then they use similar tools just like your regular dentist does. Do to the fact your horse is larger than you the tools are much bigger. This doesn't hurt, it it just like when you go to get a checkup at your dentist. Also, just like you, the more frequent your dentist visits are the simpler the maintenance is. Keep your horse's smile beautiful.

This is my three year old Twister. This is his first time getting his teeth done. He did great.

Mister Twister is in training and will learn to take a bit and wearing a bridle for the first time this month. I know his teeth are in good shape so let the training begin!

(I go to Mountain River Veterinary Clinic in Rigby, ID. The vets and the vet-techs there are wonderful.)

It's a Hairy Job
(2014)

If you have one of these then you know how important this is...

I just bought this Shark Rocket Vacuum for $230.00 at Fred Meyer and it is fabulous! Totally worth a little extra money for a super clean house. This vacuum is light weight, small and I am amazed how much dust and yuckiness it picks up from my floors. It also works great on linoleum floors too.