Merry Christmas Everyone

We got a good amount of snow here this week. I would say around 3-4 inches. Daya loved it and was very eager to play outside. I haven't done too much work with her this past week. The ground was frozen solid and I didn't want to take chance on having her slip/fall or making her sore from the hard impact in the round pen. I did get a pair of new Elites though and really like them so far (early Christmas present from the hubby). I got bored last night and edited some pics of Daya and her goat buddy Lloyd . I planned on uploading some videos as well but am having trouble with uploading them. Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!

Its been boring around here... but Im not complaining :)

Not a whole lot has happened the last few weeks. Daya got her feet worked on last week and did so well. My farrier couldn't believe it was the same horse, I think he is more excited than anyone to see her started under saddle. He breeds his own horses as well and told me I should go ahead and start getting her accustomed to saddle blankets, cinches and saddling. I just might go ahead and see how she does. She should be about 150-170 days along now and Im sure she will tell me if Im pushing her to hard. She has been a pretty good girl considering how she reacted to things when I first got her. (Her belly is getting a little bigger and Im hoping to get some good pictures soon.)

I have had to keep a close eye on her front feet but nothing major. Her heels aren't built up as much as we would like and she has small frogs so she has been having little bouts of thrush on and off. She also has rain rot on her belly! lol Poor girl is so itchy it isn't funny. I swear she would let me stand there and scratch her belly for hours on end. Her pasture has been so muddy and sloppy this year so I shouldn't have been surprised.

One thing that is bothering me about her is her winter coat. She has the thinnest one Ive ever seen. Most appaloosa's Ive been around have huge thick coats but not her. Im actually going to call my vet and ask if it could be a mineral/vitamin deficiency where she is pregnant. If her coat was like this in previous winters I don't know how she made it. I know her previous owners didn't have blankets for her and she only had a 3 sided barn to get in out of the weather. Poor girl. I got an amazing deal on a 1200D High Neck Turnout Blanket by McAlister . I got this from horseloverz.com. They usually sell cheap crap but this blanket is anything but cheap. I love it!! I think I got mine for $40 +12 shipping on their ebay site (link to actual ebay site). These blankets would make a great christmas gift too.

I also wanted to share a great product I foudn this week! I bought Olive Oil Nourishing Sheen Spray for myself the other day and didn't like it in my hair so I took it to the barn to try on Daya... HOLY COW this stuff is half the price of show sheen ($3.99-$4.50)and 10 times better. It does have an oily feel if you use too much (a little goes a long way) but this stuff made Daya's mane and tail shine like a rock star. I couldn't believe it! Its so hard to get her white mane and tail to actually look shinny and silky but this stuff did it instantly and I didn't even wash her mane first. It made her hair unbelievably soft and helped with tangles as well. This stuff would be amazing for showing and a lot cheaper too. And it smells great.Reminds me of the Pepi Coat Conditioner Spray. You can get it at Walgreen's and Sally's Beauty Supply stores and who knows where else. I bet this stuff would be good to spray hooves this winter to keep snow from sticking too... might have to try that soon.

Boring week...

Nothing that exciting has happened this week. Daya has been doing great in the round pen. Ive been working on backing and the usual stuff. I can tell her hormones are starting to ease off a little too. She has been really cuddly acting. I was talking to someone on the other side of the round pen the other day not paying attention to Daya, when all of a sudden she walked behind me and literally rested her chin on my shoulder. Usually a no no but what can I say, I'm growing an awfully big soft spot for my new girl.
I guess we did have one exciting day, Monday. It was really nice out so I decided to head to the barn and play with Daya. Her legs were caked in mud and there was no way to get them clean enough for her wear her sports boots. So I got the water hose out and led her outside and prayed! I started lightly misting her legs, she snorted but didn't move a muscle. So I upped the water pressure and still no fussing came from her. I ended up washing her from head to toe! The only time she did a happy dance was when I sprayed under her belly and flanks... other than that she acted like she loved it. Next on my list is some good whitening shampoo... she is one dirty girl!

O just a quick tip I learned this week... WHITE VINEGAR! I couldn't get some manure stains of her hindquarters and my mom stopped by and suggested I try it. I filled a spray bottle about 3/4 full and topped of with water and it worked great. Sprayed it on, rubbed it off and the stains were gone! I did notice though that once my rag got dingy looking that it didn't work as well so I'm going to go through the house and shred some old towels :)

Is that a hay belly or.... Uh oh!

It has been a crazy month so far. I haven't had time to update anything due to having family from out of town staying with us. (Plus my new adopted niece was here so I got my play time and Sesame street quota filled!)

Everything has been going great with Daya. Training wise that is. She has perfected yielding hindquarters, lowering her head with only the slightest touch on her poll, and is backing up with hand signals really well. Next I'm going to start on teaching her to yield her shoulders and side pass on the ground. I had planned to start reintroducing her to the saddle soon because she has been doing so well on the ground but that's gonna have to wait... maybe for quit a while! lol

I noticed last week she was acting different. She was excessively moody. One minute she would be following me around like a puppy dog and within the hour she would act like she wanted nothing to do with me... Typical mare I told myself. Then Wed. night she wasn't so interested in her grain. She took a few bites and just wasn't interested in it... A major thing for her, usually she is shaking her head like Mr. Ed until you get her feed poured in her bucket and get out of her way, then she dives nose first into it and doesn't come back up for air until she licks it clean. She did start munching on her hay so I figured I would check on her later that night to make sure she wasn't getting colic-y on me. The next morning is the same, so I get a lead rope and put her in the barn aisle and start grooming her. My mind is boggled as to what is going on with her! So I'm brushing and looking for signs of discomfort when I decide the check her under her belly, then I happen to see her udders. O crap, they are caked in wax. So I call the best vet in the world Angie and make an appointment for her to come out and palpitate Daya.

She came out today around 3pm and checked her teeth, made a horrible face when she saw the cracked front teeth, and said no wonder she is so head shy. (I wanted to say "Woman, you don't know the half of it!" lol) Daya's teeth were fine, considering and didn't need floated so we ventured to the rear end. Angie is arm deep in my mare when she gets the giggles and tells me I'm gonna be a grandma! lol Yep... Daya is knocked up! She said she is about 4 months along and she will have to be violated again by Angie in March to make sure she hasn't aborted the baby and if she hasn't to make sure the baby is in the right position. (Angie is afraid her hormone levels may push her to abort. She has shown signs of heat since I got her and is the only horse in the barn.)

Family keeps asking me if I'm excited about it. Well... yeah I love foaling season, foals and babying the mares in their last months of pregnancy but at the same time I'm a little stressed. I planned on saddle breaking her soon and I know 2 of the possible sires that could have done this! Both would not have been my ideal choice. Given that Daya is a rescue, she still has pretty decent bloodlines! Here are pics of them both:

Yeah... nothing to really jump for joy about. Ive been the victim of BACKYARD BREEDING!They are both registered Appaloosa's, although I'm not totally sure how. I need a prayer group and extra strength tylenol. Im off to bed everyone. Pray for pretty babies! lol

Some pic updates...

I wish I would have taken some better "before" pics of Daya when I first got her. She is making some really nice improvements so far in terms of body/weight condition.

Before:

Its kinda hard to see how under weight she was by the photo's. Her backbone was sticking out over an inch, her ribs were somewhat visible and her hindquarters were very skinny (I can't believe I didn't get a picture from behind!).

This pic was taken after having her for about 2 weeks on feed and free choice grass and hay. She also loved her water! Hence the muck bucket used in her run in at the end of our barn. Even with the muck bucket I still had to refill it twice a day... I think she is part camel! lol

Current Pics:

She is starting to fill out and gain muscle tone now that we are working in the round pen

Daya's Story

Daya's Statistics





Registered Name: Zips Pine Bar Hope


Stable Name: Daya


Breed: Appaloosa


Age: 11


Height: 16 to 16.2 (haven't had a stick on her yet...)


Weight: 1200 lbs





Daya's Story:


I get a lot of weird looks and questions as to why I named my new appy mare such an odd name. The name Daya is cherokee for kindness/mercy. For the first 3 years of her life she was starved and severely beaten. At the age of 3 1/2 she was bought (more like rescued) by a very nice gentleman who had hopes of re-training her, but unfortunately things didn't work out very well for him. He suffered a severe back injury at work that would bring his love of riding and training to a screeching halt. He refused to sell her, scared that someone wouldn't know how to handle her and end up sending her to the stock sales to be picked up by a kill buyer. He turned her out with some of his other rescues for almost 8 years. He figured as long as she was fed, had shelter and companion horses to keep her company all would be well.





One day while out 4-wheeler riding with my husband, we stopped to see a nice herd of horses grazing by the road. I hadn't been around horses for almost 2 years and my husband knew I was homesick (he called it "horsesick" haha) for them. Some came to the fence to greet me and a gentleman walked over, introduced himself and told me the stories of his rescued friends who never got a chance to show their full potential. He went on to tell me the winters were getting the better of him and he feared that the workload would fall on his wife. I told him my story and how much I missed having horses in my life, even got a chuckle out of him when I told him how hard it was not to tear up when watching horse shows on tv and seeing horses trying so hard for their riders (all the true horse lovers know what Im talking about... the kind of horses that nearly bust at the seams with heart and always give their all!)





He ended up selling me the appy mare that seemed to click with me almost instantly. She had minimal contact over the years but was letting me lightly touch her face and rub under her chin. He took a chance on me and saw that we were a good a match. We wrote up a contract there and then, and I promised I never allow her to be sold at a stock sale. My husband (bless his heart) traded a gun and $200 for my dream horse.





Daya's Problems:


Since I brought Daya home I have uncovered a lot of things that she has issues with. We are taking it day by day. This mare tries so hard and is still learning to trust me. We have had to completely start from scratch with her training but she improves everyday. Below is a list of things that she is fearful of doing or has never been taught to do:

1. She is very head shy! Its taken me a month to be able to touch her ears and muzzle. Any fast movement and she turns to flight mode. Her mouth is the same. Ive been working with her a lot to allow me to touch, open and stick things (bits, wormer. etc.) in her mouth. She is doing well. The first time I got a good look inside he mouth last week almost brought me to tears. Her front teeth have been chipped/cracked and she is in need of a good floating!


2. She will absolutely shut down when it comes time to get a shot. I had to have her regular vaccinations done the first week I had her and you would have thought we were trying to saw her in half. It took another week of desensitizing before I could touch her neck without her flinching.


3. Her feet....She does really good with her front feet but is a little sticky when asked to pick up her back feet. My farrier also believes she has been beat with a rasp. He barely touched her leg with it and she started panicking. He is great though and does natural horsemanship exercises until she clams down.


4. Blanketing and anything under her belly. We had a few night here where it was in the low 30's and my girl doesn't have a winter coat yet. So it took me about 2 hours in the round pen desensitizing her to it. Needless to say I have some big muscles in my right arm lol. She hated the the straps under her belly at first too. I was told she was saddle broken as a 2 yr old but Im betting it wasn't a pleasant experience. So I've got my work cut out for me!

5. She doesn't tie which is becoming a big pain.

I'm still finding things that freak her out but we are making tons of progress in the round pen. My post's are behind, its getting cold out and as soon as the ground dries out enough to get some work done. IT STARTS RAINING AGAIN! lol I also have another blog on her as well that I haven't updated in a long time! Please feel free to check it out as well! http://mrsburke1208.blogspot.com/

How I Became The Person I Am Today

I've been an avid horse lover since before I could walk. When I think of my childhood I think of the walls in my bedroom filled with breyer models, horse posters and a bookshelf full of horse books. My mother shared this passion as well but couldn't get me my own horse until I was 13. In the years before that though my mother kept me involved with horses as much as possible. If it was driving 2 hours just to watch a barrel racing event or stopping in at a local tack shop to buy a brush for my "hope chest", she always kept the fire going inside me. She knew it wasn't just a childhood phase that would pass.When I turned 11 I started becoming more involved with hands on horse experience. I would always be the first to volunteer cleaning a friends stall or cleaning their tack before a show. I was surrounded by horse people that loved me as much as family and did nothing but fill my thirst for horse knowledge. I remember a gentleman by the name of Randy P., he owned a huge Arabian horse facility and let me help out and be around the horses as much as I wanted to. He taught me how to ride properly, grooming, important nutrition details and above all, the ways of natural horsemanship. I once saw him throw a farriers tool rack out the barn door after he saw the farrier knock the wind out a his stallion for moving around too much. I felt sorry for the stallion but knew I wanted to be just like Randy someday. Never man handling a horse! Instead using their language and learning to always be patient.



When I turned 13 I blew out my candles and was ushered to out living room to open some huge, funny looking packages. One was a folding saddle rack with a brand new trail saddle sitting on it. The rest were bridles, halters, horse treats and new riding boots. I was in heaven! or so I thought. Next thing I knew I was being led to my grandparents barn. Mom made me stand outside while she opened the huge sliding barn door. Then I heard him! He was whining to mom as she stepped into the barn. He was a huge, beautiful creature in my eyes. To everyone else he was an over weight 15.3 pony looking 3yr old draft cross. (Mom had saved him from a man who was fattening him up because he planned on sending him to a kill buyer!) He was about 300 lbs. overweight when I got him but to me, he was perfect.



That gelding taught me more than any other horse ever has. I learned soon enough he had been badly beaten. If he saw a whip, he would cram his butt in the nearest corner and start shaking and sweating uncontrollably! He didn't mind you touching his face but if you tried to look in his mouth or grasp his nose he would panic. Someone had twitched him and jerked him around. In the saddle he was a dream. That horse kept me safe. If he felt me coming out of the saddle he would trying to compensate his own speed or body movement. If I did pop out of the saddle, he patiently stood there and waited until dusted my self off. He was one in a million. The picture above shows it. That's my 4-year old nephew on him. As the years progressed, he became spunky and would do anything I asked. Barrel racing, cattle work, small eventing courses, you name it. When the time came to put a child on him, you could literally see him walk a little slower, soften his stride and go along like 30 yr old plow horse. Randy (the arabian owner) even used him for open house's he held at his farm for beginner riders and children. He was a big hit anywhere he went... Sadly about 2 years ago we were forced to sell my grandparents farm and I had nowhere to keep him. Randy had retired and shut down his horse facility, there were no boarding stables within 30 miles and I was working a job that wouldn't allow me to rent pasture.I was forced to put him up for sale.

I listed my 13 yr old gelding for $2000 and insisted he go to a good home. I turned down people left and right. Until I found Barb, she was my answered prayer. She had 4 teens at home, 5 other horses and personality I loved. She was looking for a good horse to coax her boys into riding more often. They were hunters and 4-wheeler riders and her horses wouldn't have it she said. My horse on the other hand had been taken on hunting trips on the back ridges of my farm to pull deer up the steep hills when my cousins couldn't get them any further. The boys were ecstatic. She brought me pictures of her barn and kids at local cowboy competition events and I was sold. There was only one catch. She had bought a horse that wasn't working out for her family and had to resell the rank little mare before she could take my boy home. The clock was ticking and the farm had been sold. I sent him home with her the next week with for an $800 check that I couldn't cash until the following week. I took a big leap of faith but knew in my heart everything would work out fine. He is 16 now and is still competing in cowboy competitions up north. The rumor has it he is unstopable and hard to beat.


The reason I am starting this blog is because I'm starting a new chapter with a new horse. In August I bought an 11yr old double registered Leopard Appaloosa mare who hasn't been worked with in over 7 years. The previous owner had a very serious work injury and couldn't train her. So she has been a pasture ornament and companion to other horses. So far she has been a dream. Not at all rank like some mares can be, she has more of the gelding personality. She was a rescue case from an abusive home when she was a 3 years old and was saved by the gentleman I bought her from. Although he couldn't work with or train her, his gentle hand has quited her down some. When I first got her she was a little jumpy but more curious than scared. She has had time to get used to me and some refresher courses on ground manners and is turning into a great horse!