The Peanut Factor - By Alida

Well, I’m starting to suspect that Peanut has a crush on our vet.  Now that her colic problem has been resolved with water (yes, good old H20, or lack thereof seemed to have caused most of her colic), she decided she is missing the vet too much, and has started to limp. The instructor / yard manager from next door came over last night to give us some advice, and she reckons it might be either a suspensory ligament or the tendon that has an injury.  She doesn't think its a splint but its possible that it just hasn't shown up.  The vet will probably come take a look but until then, we've put stable bandages on both front legs with foam underneath (instructor showed us how to wrap it right).

We've put her in the small 10m arena to limit her movement and will put her in the stable during the hottest part of the day as the arena does not have shade, and if the weather turns bad.  The stables are open - no doors - so the horses usually come and go as they please, but we'll use electric tape to keep her in. Plenty of room inside for 5-6 horses with a partition halfway, pine shavings on the floor and shadecloth on 3 sides makes for a very nice stable that they only use during the hottest part of the day for a snooze, or if there is a really bad storm, but I’ve peeked out and even during heavy storms they will only take cover for a short while, and only if there is plenty of hay!. We've taken Peanut off concentrates while she is at rest, and giving ad lib watered hay and water.  We are rotating the other horses with her to keep her company in her exile. We estimate that the rest period will be between 4 - 6 weeks, depending on what the vet says but I think the instructor is spot on with her initial diagnoses and a good period of rest is what Peanut now needs.  She has shown some initial talent in jumping, but if flatwork is all her leg can stand, then that is all she’ll do.  I’d rather have a healthy happy paddock ornament than an on-again off-again lame horse in pain.

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Spring is in the air and so is Love! Have you seen the birds in your area making out yet? Everything is full of new life and colour and I cannot wait - it's the best time of the year!

Have a Superb Spring Day on the 1st of September, Bloggies!

Busy Weekends!

So here we are again, approaching the end of August! Unbelievable how time flies when you're having fun! The past weekend, I had the opportunity to stay on Alida's plot as a semi-permanent resident, as they are away until Wednesday. So I have been looking after the kids and the horses and it has been a blast!

On Friday evening the kids spent the night with me because Alida and Hein left bright and early on their roadtrip to KZN. So on Saturday morning, after we woke up, we had some breakfast and then it was off to Dance class (for Annelise), which was a bit of a change for me as I had been going to the riding school on a regular basis for the past two to three months! After dance class we went "home", which truly is a regular paradise for kids when you look at it from an outsider's point of view!

There is a sparklingly bright blue swimmingpool, trampoline, jungle gyms and lots of wide open spaces to run or to ride bikes. Then they have the five wonderful horses on the plot, ranging from pony size for little ones, to the bigger horses, all people friendly and rideable. Bliss in my opinion, which is why I cannot understand how ANY child would want to spend more time indoors watching television or dvd's! Saturday was a gorgeously warm day as well, with winter gradually taking its leave of us! Summer is on its way!

Because Alida was away, her horse riding lessons fell onto me, but I did not have a lot to do as some of the little people cancelled due to illness and other reasons. (Another reason for winter to just rather go away as it is interfering with our activities!) :-) However, we had lots of fun during the few lessons that did happen. Zander, the feisty little redhead who just wants to "go fast" actually rode on his own on Saturday, in the big lunge arena and his concentration was also much approved. Then Okkie, who was really only supposed to be back for lessons in September (he was naughty and punishment was no riding for a month!) tried out his brand new boots for the first time, riding Peanut. Near the end of his lesson as he was starting to try the rising trot, he forgot to squeeze with his knees just as Peanut went over into a light canter and Okkie had a spectacular fall!

I call it a spectacular fall because he came off in slow motion, holding onto her neck and gracefully landing on his feet in the dust. It was understandably frightening to him at the time, so the tears started welling up, but I ran over and congratulated him on the greatness of his first fall and I also informed him that he cantered for the very first time! His tears disappeared and he was all smiles and back onto that horse in a matter of seconds! We ended the lesson in high spirits and he is ready for more action when he returns officially in September to continue his lessons with Alida!

The rest of our Saturday was spent taking Peanut and Butter for a leisurely trot around the arena and outside and then it was time to feed them and bed them down for the night! We had dinner and a bath and relaxed a bit before all the eyes started to droop and we traipsed off to bed.

Sunday was another busy day for us, because it was sunny and warm and just right to spend the day outdoors. The kids however, was allowed to watch one DVD and then it was playtime, soccer time, bike time and even reading time! All done outside in the balmy weather. Late afternoon we had some more fun with the horses and before we knew what was happening, another splendid weekend was over!

I therefore highly recommend sunshine, fresh air and physical activities as a regular occurence as those ingredients make for smiley, happy faces with rosy cheeks!

Enjoy the last bit of winter, welcoming Spring in all its glory!

Colic!!!

This word must surely be the one word that sends any horse owner rushing to their phones to phone the vet, home remedies, boere rate and 11 herbs and spices! If you've ever had a tummy ache and nothing has helped, this is what colic in a horse generally refers to - tummy cramps magnified to 400kgs of horse.

Seeing Peanut go down with colic on monday, after doing so well in the arena on Sunday, was just hearbreaking. Fortunately, with Tuesday being a Public Holiday, I managed to go home early on Monday and had to watch helplessly as Peanut just did not have the will or the energy to get up. Time and again I managed to chase, drag, beg and rock her to her feet. I would walk her around for a bit, then let her rest again, waiting and watching.

The decision was made to call the vet, and another marathon session on the phone ensued. No vets available until the morning. I sat with her until late into the night, feeling helpless as she looked at me with her big eyes. I know that colic can get so bad that the horse would thrash, heart rate would be way up and the horse would often sweat profusely. Peanut showed none of those symptoms, would still graze every now and again and passed manure every time I walked her around, so I assured myself that it wasn't that bad. I wasn't very convincing...

The next morning I called the owner and asked her to again contact a few vets to see if we could get someone out. Sunrise had brought about no change to her condition. She was eating listlessly and taking in no water. She kept looking around at her tummy and seemed very uncomfortable.

Later that Tuesday morning, the vet came and examined her all over, listening to gut sounds and heart rate, taking temperature and giving her a good once over. Impaction colic was the verdict. He also examined her internally. My poor daughter, Annelise, was straight in the line of view of the procedure, and I could not help but laugh as she was turning green at the vet's "unauthorized entry" into Peanut's nether orifices! Peanut was a trooper and although she was not impressed, she tolerated the exam without too much fuss and didn't try to kick the vet when he had his hand up to his bicep up her bum.

After an injection for pain, and sticking a tube up her nostril all the way in through to her stomach and flushing her with water and Epsom salts, she looked considerably brighter. On Wednesday evening we gave her a small quantity of concentrate, soaked with plenty of water and she slurped up every last drop and looked serene and content with life in general.

I think she is over the worst, but it was not an experience I care to repeat anytime soon. I'm glad it's over, but I learned so much in such a short space of time.

An update after being quite quiet

So if you have been wondering why Alida and I have not been actively blogging lately, it may be because the animals have been keeping us rather busy!

Alida's friend, Lee-Anne, has started riding Peanut and Butter with regularity and we have been at her side all the way, looking on and cheering, which is what we do! I have to once again reiterate that we love everything that has to do with horses, and it's not just about riding one. We enjoy watching just as much as we enjoy being up there ourselves! And so, this is what has been happening.
On top of this, Peanut, the one gray mare, has had a bout of colic. She was not feeling well a couple of weeks ago and then again, started experiencing pain on Monday, just before Women's Day.
Alida sat up with her all night, she tried home remedies and kept her as comfortable as possible and as quiet as possible. I think Alida will report in more detail on the colic as she was right there, in the thick of things.

On Tuesday, Women's Day, we went out to Alida's riding school, where she gave Fernando some exercise and we watched and cheered as Blanche worked with Big Chester. Now, I feel it prudent to write a few notes on Big Chester, as Alida has written about him, loves him and worked with him extensively. Blanche is half-baiting Big Chester now and regularly joins in when Alida has her Saturday riding lessons. I have been privileged to ride with them on a number of Saturdays, thanks to the generosity of superb friends, allowing me to display my farmstyle riding antics (I have a sneaky suspicion that they enjoy laughing with me in the arena!) and so I have noticed that Big Chester reacted somewhat sluggishly on Saturday mornings.

When we went through on Tuesday however, we met up with a completely different horse. Alida has explained before that Big Chester dislikes sharing the arena with any other horse and this was wholly evident on Tuesday morning. Blanche put him into trot and canter and they made such a pretty picture that Alida and I could not help cheering along! It seemed as if he truly wanted to please her and he was also enjoying himself. Now, bear in mind, Big Chester is not a youngster anymore. Last we heard, he was 27 years old! In horse years, this means that he is more or less considered to be geriatric, however he is strong and gorgeous and so steadfast and impressive.

The bright winters morning at the arena with Fernando, Alida, Blanche and Big Chester put a smile in my heart!

The vet came out on Tuesday as well to treat Peanut and she has since improved a bit, however I suppose she will be taking things easy for a while. We consider Tuesday very successful all in all!

Khalief, my Wolf Hybrid, turned 14 on Sunday. He is another old-timer in dog's years and has been battling a bit lately. I got him some vitamins and supplements, however, for his birthday and I am happy and relieved to report that he, too, is showing a lot more spunk and improvement. Come Summer he will be swimming again to build his disappearing muscle tone.

At this rate and with the abundance of love that these animals in our lives are showered with, they will continue for many, many more golden years at our sides! We receive unconditional trust and love from them, which is why we do what we can for them to keep them healthy and happy and safe!

Another contribution by Alida

Since the arrival of the 5 ponies/horses on our plot, I’ve been on a rather steep learning curve.  At the yard where Fernando is stabled, the horses get fed and cared for without me having to think about it.  Boy was I in for a surprise!  I had to quickly get up to speed with feedstuffs, farriers, fitters and fff…well, a lot of other things.

Sonia, the owner of the 5, relies on me to keep an eye on her babies.  And I take the trust she puts in me very seriously.  So weight, condition and temperaments get monitored, are they too fat, are they not fat enough?  Are they getting enough energy food to sustain their increased work load and how are they doing on the adjusted feeding regime?  If their intake of energy food exceeds their output, it could be dangerous to their young riders. Not enough feed, and they drop weight and their hips stick out something awful.  I tell you, it ain’t for the faint hearted. 

But I have noticed something remarkable about how memory works.  I cannot for the life of me remember on which days my daughter needs to take her hockey kit with her to school, or when my son plays cricket or has to take craft supplies, but I can remember gram for gram how much food, hoof supplement and probiotic each horse has to get on a daily basis!  I leave post and newsletters unread for weeks on end, but the mailer from Ecovet, the latest publications and info on African Horsesickness, deworming research and training methods in the UK does not get put aside until every morsel of information has been consumed and retained, cross referenced and digested for future use.  My reading list is very limited too.  Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s soul, and 2 books on horse training decorate my bedside table.  The enriching, life changing book that my dear friend Anya gave to me to read several weeks ago, is gathering dust next to them, still untouched, and an audio CD from another friend, is still lying near the CD player waiting to be played.  I’ll get there (eventually) I’m sure.  But hey, everyone has their priorities, right? 

I’ve had enough of winter now. I’m sick and tired of being cold, getting up in the dark and freezing my extremities off when I go for a horseride.  This past Friday, I was supposed to have a dressage lesson, and CANCELLED – this from a person who has gone riding sick as a dog, almost passing out in the saddle, and not wanting to cancel.  But on Friday, it was just too bitterly cold, and neither man nor beast should be out in weather like that.  The only advantage is that the flies and the muggies also don’t like the cold.

But hopefully Spring will sprung soon, and we can enjoy long days of summer sunshine once more.

Happy trails everyone.

The tale of a little fledgling Grey Lourie

In September 2009 I was quietly sitting inside the house when I heard a commotion outside, and I saw my dogs pawing at something on the ground. As I have had experience with my dogs grabbing mice and birds before, I ran outside to go and help whatever was facing their clutches at that point again! On the ground was a little baby grey lourie, or some form of a mousebird, I thought at first glance. He wasn't injured too badly as far as I could see but I brought him inside and put him inside my parrot's travel cage to calm him down. I was more worried that the little bird was in a state of shock as we all know that shock is the danger in situations such as those.

I left him in there for a little bit while I pondered helping him make it through the night. He was still a baby and I had no idea where his nest had been or the rest of his family. At closer inspection I saw that he was indeed a little grey lourie and my heart sang, because I have always had an affinity for these calling birds of the Bushveld and thought them beyond beautiful. Suddenly I had my own baby lourie and so I truly wanted him to make it through his first night and become strong and healthy and sound.

My brother got home as he was living with me at the time, and upon seeing the newly acquired member of the household just shook his head, as he knew that there would be a flood of tears the next morning should the little one not make it through the night. I got him out of the cage and tried feeding him a strawberry as I know the louries are mainly fruit-eaters. He gobbled up that strawberry! It was delicious, you could see the little wings flapping ecstatically and he was making baby sounds which probably meant something like 'yum yum, gimme more!'.

That night I put him next to my bed in the cage with lots of towels to keep him warm, and it was with trepidation that I peeked in the next morning to see whether he survived his first night. He sat there with big, bright eyes, hungry again and right as rain!

My brother named him Punkie, due to the grey lourie's upright fringe on the head when they are on the alert and he has now been with me for nearly 2 years. Punkie has a deformity on his legs which would make it impossible for him to land on a tree and hop from branch to branch as they do in the wild. He can fly, but when I take him outside of his cage, he flies beautifully although he prefers to fly around the house once whereafter he seeks me out and finds a spot on me to sit and then fall asleep. He loves feeding time, which is more or less the whole day! I have never seen a little bird eat as much as this little one, but I adore him, he is the sweetest little soul, always happy when he sees a special treat. He flaps his little wings and emits a chirping sound when he sees an especially yummy treat and he loves to bathe himself.

My dad built him a special cage that enables him to sit outside when the weather is nice and warm and he can view the garden and take a bath and look at the other birds. He listens to the African Grey and although it breaks my heart to know that he will never be able to return to the wild, I know that he is happy and healthy with me and that is as it should be.