Meet Mr. Red Fox.........

Friday afternoon, early evening as I was getting ready to leave for work, Stephen and I spotted this little fellow. He stuck around for quite awhile. Decided to eat at the horse apple buffet, poop in the training pen, pee in the training pen and proceed to do the butt scoot boogie there as well, all while the horses were eating in the barn area. The goats watched him intently, the horses saw that he was there, but didn't seem to care. Now, I know we have fox in the area, however, this was the first time we'd ever seen one in broad daylight in our yard, much less the horse pen. He looked to be in good health and quite frankly I'm glad I decided to give Rabies vacs to the horses this year. I suspected that it was a fox that had dug up my dead kitties and carried them off, but never had the proof, so here he is......Mr.Red Fox. He hung around until I left for work and actually scared him off the property with a lot of noise. On a good note, I hear that Fox urine deters opossum and now I know where the mystery scent comes from when the dogs have come in from rolling in some sort of crap. Pretty little fellow. I've seen more and more Red Fox appear in the area over the past couple of years, usually see more grey fox.

Roast Goat For Dinner

It was this close [---]

Here is my story let this be a lesson to those thinking of keeping goats

1. 9:30 look out office window to check horses OK and the boys ( Terrible Trio ) Herman , Poomba and Itty Bitty in the paddock with the girls. ( Callie sleeping as she worked last night.

2. 9:45 Goats back in Pen beginning to make repairs to fence they have broken down.

3. 9:55 Pop in garage and over to the truck to see if any spare Bungee Cords as temp solution.

4. 10:05 Still looking for bungee cords and spot goats broke out again,

5. 10:15 Grain will not entice them in and now Pumbah and Itty Bitty gone out to the pasture.

6. 10:55 Chase Goats round for 40 minutes worried that if I get to aggresive they may make bolt for the road, Get goats back to penn eventualy.

7. Take Break as I am worn out from chasing goats but watch them like a hawk

8. 11:15 Begin making further repairs to fence , I will endure or so I thought now I am sure you saw Callies Video with Herman shaking hands and thought aahhhh cute NO NO NO , I am leaning over trying to get repair in place when what does the leader of the pack do but take my glasses off my head and try to force them through the fence and I am sure as he is trying to do so HE SMILED AT ME

9. 11:55 Get all secure and think about how Callie would kill me if I served up Roast Goat for dinner

10. Herman must have known what I was thinking as last thing he did was nuzzle my hand

Just another day in this mad house we call home with all our wonderful animals


Steve

Labor Day Weekend Sweet and Bitter !

SWEET
One of Callie's and I favorite places to go each year is the Walworth County Fair which this year celebrates 160 years from September 2nd to September 7th. If the acts appearing are good ( They are free part of the entrance fee which this year costs $30.00 for a season pass ( 6 days ). As well as hundreds of horses which Callie insists we visit every day we go ( EVERY HORSE BARN OF WHICH THERE ARE 8 ) including draft horses, there are Sheep, Goats, Pigs, Chickens, Cows, Geese etc. etc. plus all the farm equip. fair rides, Big Boys Toys, Commercial Booths, Loads of Food

This Year It's Great With

Craig Morgan
Garry Allan
Styx
Tractor Pulls
and my own favourit the destruction derby

Here is a link to the fairs own site Walworth County Fair 160 years young

And a link to One Of Callie's Posts From Last Year with a few photos 2007 Walworth County Fair

For a Brit who spent most of his time living in cities this is one of things I love about living in a farming community, the fair has it's commercial side but much of it is based around kids showing livestock, Latest farming equipment including tractors and combines , local musical talent showing off their talents. And unusual for a fair in Wisconsin ( The home of Miller and more Beers ) No alcohol , I was asking my neighbor why and he said the land was deeded to the community for the fair with the proviso of no alcohol

BITTER

As well as signalling back to school is the signal that autumn and winter is on it's way once again and for the next month after the fair we spend the time preparing for winter,

But at least from the 2nd of September till the 7th September we will spend a few hours each day wandering around our local fair , with Callie taking hundreds of Photo's which I am sure she will share with all of YOU. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer

Steve

Rainbows & Pretty Girls............

It's so very hard to get horses to pose in front of the beautiful rainbow outdoors, once you've run into the house to grab your camera and run back down the stairs hoping the horses were in the same position they were when you drove up to the house, only to find they have given up on you and gone back to munching what's left of their dinner.

Missouri................

Funny enough, last night, Stephen and I took Zoe, her two roommates, Brandon & Rich, Brandon's little brother and Mother to the Long Horn Steak House for dinner last night after getting these kids moved into their apartment and in the parking lot at dusk was a tree full of oddly sounding creatures. Birds? We thought at first, but NO, they were bats, 100's of them. So Stephen and I like little children scared out of the tree and into the next tree in this parking lot, back and forth they went. I've never seen so many bats in my life. It was really something to see. So many of them and just going from their first tree to their second tree and back. Cool! Crazy Missouri bats!

Loaded Up & Truckin'

Well, It's time to head back to Missouri with said child brat. Back to University first thing in the morning, only it's west bound from here........with a cat in the backseat.............Ugh! Now where's my CB Radio. Call name, what do ya thinnk? Cherry Four Wheeler? Strawberry Poptart? LOL!

Kola's Exam

Well, Vet came out with an assistant today to do the lameness test. I gave her a copy of Kola's original Vet check when we purchased her in 2006 as a starting point. It was difficult to come to any conclusions because of her conformation, the fact that she is a gaited horse and of course when we lunged her, that muscle that had acted up before, beginning all of this and even as recent as yesterday when Jeremiah checked her after a trim, today, it didn't seem to act up. Spine was good, stifles and hocks fine and what you expect for a 15yr old horse. A little tender on that right rear heel, but that could be secondary to this original issue and some tenderness on her right front toe, however, the Vet said, even though she was trimmed just yesterday, she felt that perhaps she had a bit too much sole touching ground rather than hoof wall just on that hoof. No x-rays were recommended at this time, thankfully! And the general conclusion was soreness from a possible kick and not in the best physical shape as she lives a rather pampered life, however , we were at that starting point when this happened. So she ordered some muscle relaxants if I so choose and we'll start with some light exercise, walks around the house, uphill, etc. working our way up and as I knew this was coming , massage my horse's ass, LOL! She actually seems to be working through this quite well, slowly but surely on her own and we will check in with the Vet next week to give a report on her progress. I am so relieved that this was not what I originally thought and that it's simply muscle from what we all could conclude. I suspect, I'll get her full report in the mail soon. So slow build up exercise and Miss Kola get ass massages, wish I could get a massage, LOL. Anyway, I feel better about it all, joints and spine are good!

Another Update on Kola................

Of course, this morning, Miss Kola seems to be back to normal. I spoke to Vet on phone and who knows , could be a number of things. So I've made an appointment for Wednesday for lameness exam. They'll bring the X-Ray machine as well. Want to get her trimmed before then and hoping Jeremiah can fit me in. She just sprinted out to the pasture without any problems, high steppin' as normal. WTH? New name for Miss Kola will be Miss Pansy Priss!

Yesterday's Storm.............

Just a few pics of yesterday's storm rolling through, pretty impressive. On Kola, right now , I'm waiting for the Vet to give me a call back and then we'll go from there. She was still off on the that right rear most of the weekend, but then again this morning, she seemed to look OK. I stopped the banamine yesterday. Sometimes, she looks OK, then an hour later, I'll look again and she's off. Thinking more and more stifle, but we'll see. I'll start with that phone call, I'm waiting for and we'll go from there. Of course the place is now covered in mud because of the weekend downpours, but we really did need the rain.

Newspapers and Magazines

Off Topic but relevant to Horse Lovers

As many of you know there is a great debate ongoing where Newspapers and Magazine are losing readership ( Mostly because of the large amount of FREE News and Information and knowledge on the NET. ) and even with the online advertising on the news sites they are still losing money. I stopped visiting them myself when the advertising became so obtrusive that I felt under siege just trying to read a news article.

I would consider myself fairly average in that before the Internet became as all encompassing I would buy a newspaper everyday and possibly 4 to 6 magazines per month, now the only time I buy a newspaper is when we go to Starbucks or Panera ( and it is one of the pleasures of going to those places. )


The point of the post is that News Corp ( Times and Sun newspapers in the UK and New York Post and Wall Street Journal in the US ) Owner Murdoch has now decided that all his newspaper sites will go pay per view.

News has to paid for if you want a free press and multi faceted .
Will You Or Would You Pay For It and how much ?.



Steve

An Update..........

Well, The good news is that this morning, clearly Kola was moving easier and didn't seem to have the pain she had yesterday. Still not right in that rear, but definitely moving easier and less stiff. So I went ahead and gave her another dose of Banamine with breakfast this morning and we'll continue to watch her through the weekend. See how she's moving by Monday. Thanks all for all the advice thus far. I guess we'll see over the weekend.

Well, I Think I Was Wrong.........Injury

Not sure what yet. Reluctant to call Vet at this point, but I did take her out on a walk on the lunge line and I could see it. Right rear looks stiff and when she brings it forward, she brings it way under her center. Now this horse is cow hocked. She bears weight and brings it up. I stretched her way back and she didn't try and kick me or pull back. I flexed it up and forward and she tolerated that well. Then I cold hosed her rear right hip and leg and she lifted it and held it up in the air. I know she needs a trim and I wonder if that is contributing, balance and all. I also discovered a hoof mark below her hip bone, above her stifle, center to the muscle. She is walking around on it and the stupid dog scared them both and they bolted to one of the paddock. I don't want to bute or banamine her, because I want her to feel it and take it easy over the weekend. I don't see any obvious swelling anywhere. She has two bumps one her inside cannon bone and one lower on outside of that cannon bone and is not bothered by me pressing them. She also has that on other leg, but not as prominant. Has a history of splints. I'm wondering if a kick has caused some muscle soreness, well, I'm hoping that's it anyway. I think , I'll watch her over the weekend and see what she looks like on Monday and then I'll call Vet, unless I end up with a very obvious three legged horse. Don't know what to do right now. Shit!

I'm a Bad Mommy...............

Poor Miss Kola. I thought I would get out earlier today to get in some riding and take another spin on Miss Kola before it got too hot outside. And she was her well behaved self. I saddled her and bridled her and still with halter popped Steve on first for a lead around the pen. Steve weighs nothing soaking wet and the saddle is lightweight. Now, mind you , she did well with me last week. But today, one of her rears buckled while I walked her the first time around, Zoe saw it and Steve felt it, of course I did not see it as I was leading. The second time around she didn't have this problem, however was huffing and puffing a bit, surely I've seen horses worked much harder and the results of that work out with quite a bit more huffing and puffing. So ultimately, I did not get on, didn't want her to collapse, LOL, not that she would, but now will really start the work out program. Even after that little bit , her poor self was sweating ever so slightly. I think with this recent weight loss from the help of the thyroid medicine, I've neglected the fact that she needs to build muscle. My plan is while I am not at work, 6am, prior to breakfast, she will get lunged, starting with just a few minutes at first and building up the time as she builds her strength and stamina. I've checked over her legs thoroughly, picked out her feet, pressed, squished, flexed all of her legs and didn't notice any tenderness or swelling. A small old remnant of a possible cut on that particular leg that didn't seem to bother her when I picked around it. I think it's just simple being out of shape. Needless to say, I will see more once I begin lunging her. Might even start a little after sundown tonight a bit. I feel so guilty. I'm hoping it's nothing more than just being out of shape. I had started lunging her early in the spring, but then the things of life just took over and that went by the wayside. And I guess, I'm spoiled to Misty, who always seems to stay in shape and handle it without tons of exercise, but she is compact and built like a little brick crap house. Anybody with any suggestions out there, opinions on other possibilities, please feel free to give advice.

Random Happenings This Week.........

Falling asleep nose to nose.................


An erie sunset......................


Statue in the night............


The full moon................Anyone see that this week?

It never goes according to plan, trying to get a full moon with horses picture, ugh! glowing eyes!

Herman........The Hand Shaking Goat!

This is Herman, my most humorous of the goat boys and he likes to shake hands! They are such spoiled babies, but what isn't in this household?

Going On Further.......Along With Steve's Most.......

memorable. I have so many. When Jess and I were about 12yrs old, our weekends were generally filled with a short trip to Burlington where the local riding stables were, with a couple of bucks in our hands for a couple of hours out on the trails. If I recall correctly, they would give us the rankest looking poor horses ever and let us go or they would send us out into the middle of the herd to catch the ones we could use. We would leave up the long driveway, cross a small country road, go up over a hill, down the other side, cross a much busier road and get on what used to be an old railroad track with all the ties removed and since it was a straight away, open those poor horses up for a full on run and race each other until we got to the end. It then changed to a trail along a partial field that led down to the Fox River and along side of it, back through another field, in which the horses would generally try and stop and munch on the tall grasses. We finally would urge them forward and head back towards the barn. I can't remember if we crossed the road again at that point and take the smaller more country road back or if we met back up with the old railroad track or not, but I do remember , I looked so forward to those weekends and we always got scolded for bringing back sweaty horses. Probably the only exercise the things got, I don't think the place really cared that much. I do remember being pretty fearless and really feeling free. Those were awesome weekends!

Midwest Horse Steve Remembers When

I have just finished reading Mrs Mom Remembers and it bought a smile to my face as I can just imagine the picture, well worth a visit over the Mrs Mom I am sure it will bring your own memories flooding back .

After reading her memory I thought it would make a great Meme for Horse Bloggers , now here is mine not as a knowledgeable rider just because I was young and when someone told me I was a big wussy for not getting on a horse I did so.


I was a full 18 yrs old knew nothing about horses or riding and I had a friend who informed me there was nothing to it .

Well first let me assure you I have no clue of how many hands or anything like that ( All I can say bloody thing seemed like it was enormous ) and I think it must have been an English saddle as can not remember anything to hold on to.

All went well in the beginning I managed to get on ( not sure how ) did sort of what I was told and off we went, all seemed pretty easy horse went where he wanted to but that was OK as long as he stayed away from the main road about 15ft away.

Now suddenly this person decided that all was going much to well and the next minute she whacks the horse on the butt and all hell broke loose as horse galloped full blast where ever he wanted to go with me clinging on for dear life ( at that point no reigns ) just wrapped arms round horses neck and hoped for the best , not sure how but I ended up on the ground no worse for wear except few bruises and feeling like a complete ass.

So ended my great horse experience, I know from stories Callie has told me of her and Jess when they were young they seemed to be not only fearless riders but highly knowledgeable so I hope one or both will share a memory of younger riding days.

Steve