Sarah's horse; I could just sit down and cry...

[Larry Ashcraft]

A little background:

My youngest daughter Sarah, when she sets out to do something, she just flat out does it. No. Matter. What.

Sarah wanted a horse when she was in high school (what young girl doesn't?). I told her the same thing I told her older sister; "We can't afford a horse, we can't afford to feed or care for it, this will pass". Sarah joined a 4-H horse club and leased a horse (using her own labor as payment). Gotta give the girl credit for spunk. She showed and rode that horse and learned the ropes.

Sarah came to me about 11 years ago and said "Dad, if I could get a free horse, would you sign this paper saying you could afford to keep it and care for it?"

Sure, whatever.

Sarah gets chosen to get this free (not a nag, a papered Arab mare). Long story, but we end up with a horse.

Sarah shows, rides and cares for 'My Georgia Peach' (aka Gigi). All is well. Then Sarah gets married. Gigi is forgotten and dad will take care of her, and I have done this for the last nine years or so, until Sarah can take her back 'home'.

Now to the point: Gigi did not eat her hay Friday night, this is not like her at all. She is listless and doesn't want to move. I call the vet. They are too busy to see her until Tuesday. I call Bud (Smoke Rizen on THR, for those who don't know). Bud doesn't get back to me. I call the vet back at 5:30 and tell them we need some help. She hasn't had a bowel movement in 24 hours and she can't hardly move. The vet on call, Joe Barker, is a friend of mine and he said "Be right there". He was.

Bud came out this morning, and despite his 56 years of age, he trimmed her front feet, which helped a bunch. WWWDWB (What would we do without Bud).

He thinks she has foundered because the hay is too rich. He gave her some painkillers and told me she should be walking and "pooping" by morning. This morning, she had a bowel movement and was a little better. Joe wanted to see her at the office, but we couldn't make it happen (she's hard to load). Joe told me to pick up some "Bute" and antibiotics at the office and then get some grass hay to get her system working again. I picked up the medicine and went to the feed store "No grass hay". I called a number in the newspaper and found three bales of grass hay way on the other side of town.

"Hold 'em, I'll be there ASAP" Got the grass hay, and she is somewhat comfortable tonight, with the horse aspirin and all the attention.

She was trying to love me through the feed door tonight.

I could just sit down and cry.

[bratch]

Larry as you know family has been in the horse business for a while.  I can feel for you even though I haven't messed with the critters in 10 years.

Sounds like you did a great job noticing something funny was up and taking action.

People become attached to the big hairy beast my mom cried for days when she sold a mare that she had won alot on.  We also lost a stud we'd had for 20 some-odd years that was kinda rough.

Don't get me started on dogs. I had a Great Dane console me the day my uncle was killed and much like your daughter I got busy and forgot about him until right before he died.  I'm still mad at myself.

[280plus]

Yea, them critters can grow on ya...

My stepdaughter is a big horse fanatic. She's 15 and has been hitting us up about getting a horse forever. She leased last summer and is supposed to again this year. She's been mucking stalls since she was 11. Her hands are calloused. I took a couple years worth of lessons and then leased for a while myself. Biothers my back though. I'd gotten to where I'm ALMOST in control at the canter.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Things are much better this morning.  She's been drinking a lot of water and there are three big piles of manure in her pen.  She was even halfway trotting around once this morning.

I never thought I would be so glad to see horse manure.

[Nightfall]

As a child, I remember spending time with a horse named Charlie at my grandparent's place. As they got older, the maintenance became too much for them, so they sold him to a nearby friend with the caveat that he would be sold back if said friend could no longer keep him. Eventually she did sell Charlie, but not to them as promised. It took them a few years to track the horse down, but they did, and managed to convince the new owner to sell him back after awhile. Everybody was happy to see him home again. Like a long time friend returning. He ran around in the field, being goofy and acting like he was happy to be back.

Very shortly after, he became sick. The vet couldn't do anything to help, and he died soon after his return. All those thoughts of learning to ride on that funny Arabian were gone. They really do become family members, with their own personality, and unique relationships with each person. Saying goodbye to Charlie was my first experience with death, and I remember crying my little eyes out over it as a kid, trying to grasp that he was really gone.

I hope Gigi gets all better, and remains with you longer yet. Sounds like she's doing better already, I'm glad to hear it.

[Tallpine]

Friday must have been a bad day for horses ...

Our month old colt wasn't eating and had 105 degree fever Friday morning.  My wife called the vet and made a quick trip to town for Bute and Sulfa pills.  He is doing much better now, nursing and eating some hay and grain.

I don't think much of feeding alfalfa hay to horses (it's fine for cows I guess...).  A little mixed in is okay for horses but I think grain is more controllable as you know exactly how much they are getting.

If you ever think a horse has colic, then immediately get a halter on him and walk, walk, walk him.  A stethoscope is handy for checking for gut noises.  If a horse does NOT have gut noise (gurgling, etc) then they are in big trouble.

Horses are good for the soul

[280plus]

I never thought I would be so glad to see horse manure.

That IS a bit of a strange concept...

[Larry Ashcraft]

Tallpine, you are correct, she does much better on Brome or even oat hay, but its been hard to find.  She's getting back to her spoiled self, refusing the grass and picking little pieces of alfalfa off the floor.  At $7 a bale, she'll eat that grass if I have to give it to her intravenously.

I've never had one colic, but Bud has been known to spend the night walking a horse (he has five).

This pic is a couple years old:

[Tallpine]

We've been buying the big round bales (grass) from a neighbor for $60/ton delivered.

Then you need a $20 pitchfork, or just put it in her corral and let her free feed.  Only thing is that you need a big tractor/loader to move them.  The guy we buy the round bales from drops them in our "feed alley" with his hydra-bed 1-ton truck

[Guest]

I've never had one colic, but Bud has been known to spend the night walking a horse (he has five).

Hot walkers are your friend...... huge advantage of girlyfriend keep our horses at the track and working there herself.

[280plus]

Anybody read Bill Dorrance's book?

[Larry Ashcraft]

We've been buying the big round bales (grass) from a neighbor for $60/ton delivered.

Sssshhh!  Don't be telling everybody, or the hay haulers will be beating feet up to Montana.  I heard this morning that big rounds are going to be $150/ton this year.  The demand in Texas and Oklahoma is driving our hay right out of sight.  Thank goodness I have several old high school friends who raise hay.

I was paying $3 per bale until last year (small bales 3rd cutting alfalfa), when I had to pay $4.  This year I will probably be looking at $5, with the increase in fuel costs.  Horse owners in the Denver area are paying $8-10 delivered and stacked.  I pick mine up from the field or stack, and haul it myself.

Gigi is standing out in her pen right now, wondering why I am torturing her by trying to make her eat a broom for supper.  I did mix in a half of a flake of alfala, still...

She ain't gonna do it.  (Been through this before, she gets hungry enough, she'll eat.)

[Tallpine]

I dunno what the hay prices will be this year ... it depends on how much moisture we get.  It's been raining for 3 days but this is the first rain in the whole month of May (normally a wet month).

Last year, after years of drouth, we got a lot of spring and early summer rain.  The grass was 4 to 5 feet tall in places.  There was so much hay that the ranchers could hardly sell it.  We actually paid more than the going price because we stayed with the same guy that we had been buying hay from.

But he has retired and sold his place (all but the house and 80 acres) this year.  So I'm not sure where we will get hay this summer/fall/winter.   We have 2 round bales left (about 2.25 tons).  We have about 20 acres fenced but we don't let our 2 horses (and a colt and a mini) out on it all the time - just every other day or so.

Larry, how is your Duramax diesel working out?  Maybe it would be worthwhile for you to go buy hay in the San Luis valley or Western Slope or somewhere ...?

[Larry Ashcraft]

Well, part of the hay problem is that much of the SLV crop, along with the Westcliffe and Red Wing crop, burned up in the drought (which everybody was cheering was over last year, it wasn't).  Plus, the horse owners in the Denver area will pay for "boutique" hay (all the good grass) and they don't mind paying $8-10 a bale either ($300 a ton, or more?).  During our drought, truckers were bringing in OK and KS hay, now the hay is going to Texas and OK.

The guy I bought my 4th cutting from has 1st cutting on the ground, stemmy with no weeds, so barring rain in the next couple days, he has promised me whatever I need.  I think he feels partially responsible for my problem.  He's not, I knew the dangers of 4th cutting hay.  I just procrastinated last fall amd had to buy what I could find.

Bud has an old Army buddy in Nebraska who has two semi loads of grass and one of alfalfa, but fuel prices make a 24 hour run unrealistic.

PS, the Duramax is great!