Update - let the Shedding begin

wow, he's been out for just 3 days overnight and already the fur is beginning to fly. I was grooming him today and he's shedding like mad on his face, and beginning to shed on the rest of his body. I will come back and update again shortly, but he is already happier. I think he just needed more light to get his body to snap into the season.

Also, I had a **terrific** new shoer do his shoes today, it's amazing the difference one shoeing can make.

A sticky situation?

My horse is a mess. Okay, not a mess- but he is looking a little rough around the edges right now, but I *think* I know why.

Zippy came home from training in March, after having been double blanketed, in a barn and under lights to maintain his show coat. I brought him home to where I board (I board at the Serenity Equine Rescue ranch, I've been there since before they were a rescue) and had him under a heavy blanket and stalled every night.

He started growing some more fur right away, but I didn't worry- I figured he'd grow a little (he was mighty slick when he came home). But he grew more and more, suddenly when the warm weather hit the poor fellow started sweating like a pig. But not shedding.

Being a worrywart horse mommy I began to rinse him off the days I was out there, and brush him vigorously but alas- no shed. I waited- no shed. The last straw was when I went to clip his whiskers and bridle path and his nose was furry. ARGH! The next day I noticed he began losing patches of fur by his eyes, we have very few flies but every single one seems to set him off.

Where is my slick healthy pony, and who is this fuzzy sweaty monster. My poor, horse!

I thought maybe I would blanket him in the evening to keep him warm 24/7 in hopes he'd blow his coat... but as I read and talked to friends and learned and asked questions I discovered it was lights, not heat that were the issue. He's used to lights and at my barn the horses go in at 5 or so, so he's getting a lot more 'dark' time than usual. Our barn is airy and open ended, but that isn't enough direct light to convince his confused body that we aren't just in a warm spell during winter.

He needed more time in the light, so I moved him out to a paddock with stalls so the only dark he gets is from sunset (about 9 pm) to sunrise (6 or so). I am really hoping this will work.

His new pasture mate Lovey is a rescue, such a sweet girl. Zippy gets along with everyone so he lets her be boss and he loves the gravel area in the paddock where the rocks get warm and he can sun himself and roll.

He's still a bit confused when everyone is led in at night, but as soon as he gets his hay and grain out in/near his outdoor barn, he is happy as a clam. I hope this helps his body re-learn what season it is, because he has been way too miserable with that coat. If he doesn't start shedding soon I may have to body clip him to keep him comfortable. He soaks himself in sweat on hot days.

For now, he's got loads of fresh water, plenty of salt and shade to get into when he wants and a new schedule - let's hope he begins to shed soon!

Extreme Mustangs, Extreme Cowgirls....

A good friend of mine is off and running. Okay, not running- she's driving. Juliane is headed to Sacramento, CA to compete with her assigned mustang mare, Sangria. With her is Jenny, who is training mustang MissFire. What an adventure!

The Extreme Mustang Makeover allows trainers of all levels to take in a wild mustang off the range and compete in a variety of classes designed to test the skills, trust and training of these mustangs. All Mustangs competing in the Extreme Mustang Makeover events will be available for adoption through competitive bidding at the end. (Buyers must complete a Bureau of Land Management adoption application and be approved before bidding, to ensure good homes). It's a pretty amazing concept and there are some amazing and brave trainers out there.

In April, Juliane had a serious accident while riding Sangria and suffered injuries bad enough to land her at Harborview (our local high risk trauma medical center). Eye orbitals and facial bones fractured, her lip and mouth split open to her nose, more than 10 teeth broken off or cracked beyond repair, along with a broken nose and septum - this was a sore cowgirl. We were all worried about her and watched as she recovered and healed, never once blaming her mustang but looking inward to ask herself how she could have better managed the accident. (She writes about her accident here).

Thanks to friends, family members and loads of donors we were able to raise funds to cover her dental costs and most medical expenses. My dentist, Dr. Ron Sherman (superdentist- love him!) matched donations to help Juliane get all the veneers and crowns required to fix her teeth. He said he had never in 21 years of dentistry seen so much support for a person injured.

Dr. Sherman deserves a huge thank you for his generosity but even more so for his amazing cosmetic work- he is one dentist who uses state of the art dentistry for the health of the tooth combined with unparalleled cosmetic technique for natural looking beautiful work. His site is here: Dr. Ron Sherman, First Impressions Dental Care. You can tell him Cowgirly sent ya!

Back to Juliane, with two black eyes and a face covered in bruises, swelling and stitches she went back to work. She returned to groundwork with Sangria and once cleared by the doctors returned to the saddle. Sangria and she both benefited, and the results are obvious- there is a bond and trust between horse and rider.

She has not had as much time to blog as she wanted, but her entries are introspective and interesting as she teaches Sangria and shares what she's learned about mustangs and training in general- her blog is here: Juliane and her's a link to trainer Jenny. Here they are competing in a drill event last month on their mustangs.






When not making over mustangs, both train rescue horses for the unique Cowgirl Spirit Rescue Drill Team (who will be featured on King 5 Evening Magazine this Friday at 7 pst with a new interview with Juliane about her experience). Cowgirl Spirit is preparing for a big drill competition, so both trainers return sans mustangs but with many rescues and a team ready to compete all summer.


Well, I just had to share this story, it's been amazing to watch my friend learn and grow alongside her mustang companion and I wish her all the luck in the world. Her fantabulous boyfriend JC is flying down to support her, and all of us back here in Washington know that she and Sangria have had an experience that changed both of their loves.

Ride on, Cowgirls, Ride on!

Fun N Gamers

Yesterday I went out to watch a gaming show at South Seattle Saddle Club in Maple Valley. When I got there they were running poles and then pole relays, then rescue race and so on.

I've been mostly showing, drill, and clompin' around trails so I haven't really hit the arena for speed in a long time. But my Zippy is pretty arena sour, he wants some FUN so I thought I'd check out a gaming show. I was too busy to bring him, so I grabbed my camera and went to watch.

Some events offer a relay division where 2- 4 rider take turns and hand off a baton- you wouldn't believe how fast they are going:

This pony has taught dozens of young riders how to game (this was my favorite pic of the day- he was last in a relay, that’s a soft relay baton he’s holding).

Newbies were totally welcome- riders who chose to trot or lope slowly were cheered on as enthusiastically as gals like these, who were impressive (there were plenty of guys riding as well, I just somehow failed to get decent pics of them!)

The Rescue Race was amazing to watch, riders gallop down and pick up a second rider then speed across the finish line.

And after hard work, most riders returned to the ring for some well-earned rolling.

It was terrific seeing parents patiently coaching kids (this little gal was FAST!) and families spending time together with their horses.

The next show at SSSC is June 27-28 and I just may take Zippy and just jog/lope a couple events for fun. It’s SO fun to watch, even if you don’t ride and everyone is super helpful and friendly. And the horses LOVE what they do- you can see it on their faces, which is really neat. That’s what it’s all about- fun for all!

Here are links if you want more info:

Patterned Speed Horse Association the group that games- a wonderful group of folks who manages the rules, governs the events and keeps gaming alive in our area

South Seattle Saddle Club a family oriented club who owns the grounds where many events are held but also focuses on family fun, horsemanship, trail rides and other get togethers and friendships

Green River Saddle Club has a very active youth as well as adult group, and a terrific facility

Snoqualmie Valley Riding Club is another great local family friendly org and they offer offers shows, games, trail rides, parades, lessons, and clinics through out the season

...more time with the horse for this lotto winner

From the Argus Leader newspaper, "The nation’s newest mega-millionaire was identified today as a rancher from a remote part of the wind-swept western South Dakota plains.

Neal Wanless, 23, who lives outside the small town of Mission won a $232.1 million Powerball jackpot - the ninth-largest Powerball jackpot in the history of the multi-state game, according to a statement this afternoon from the South Dakota Lottery.

Wearing a cowboy hat, jeans and a western shirt, Wanless was introduced to the rest of the world at a ceremony today in Pierre.

“Winning the Powerball is something I’ve always dreamt about but didn’t think would happen,” Wanless said during brief comments about his big win. “I want to thank the Lord for this opportunity and blessing me with this fortune.”

The ticket was sold at an Ampride store in Winner - about 35 miles from Wanless’ home - late last month. Wanless and his family typically stop at the store when they come into Winner to buy feed for the ranch.

The ticket matched all five white balls and the Powerball with Wanless’ incredibly lucky combination of 5-16-6-21-12 and the 7 Powerball. The numbers represent the day and month of family members’ birthdays, state lottery officials said.

Wanless decided to take the jackpot as a one-time cash prize of $118,005,530, according to a statement from South Dakota lottery officials. After federal tax withholding, he will receive a prize payment $88,504,147, not including another $100 he won on the same ticket, the statement said.

In the days since the drawing, there’s been rampant speculation about who may have won the ticket. During his brief remarks at this afternoon’s news conference, Wanless thanked South Dakotans “for your patience in waiting for me to come forward for this award.”

He declined to answer questions from reporters later. It was the second time this year that someone from the Mission area won a huge jackpot."

According to Associated Press, Wanless has some plans for the cash:

He said he recently told his horse, Eleanor, that "It'd be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own."

Wanless wants to keep ranching. "I just want to go home and ranch and ride horse and check cows," he said.

This story made me really smile, I think if I won the lotto I'd have a similar wish....after I bought a great big truck!