Eight years have past...

(taken February 12, 2010)

Today Dino is officially 8-years-old.

I have often wondered if Dino knows just how close he came to being someone's dinner. I have spoken to Anne Russek, who did the initial rescue from Sugarcreek 16-months ago, and she told me that everytime they entered the pen that Dino was in, to look at another horse, Dino approached them - making it clear to them that he did not want to stay there. I'm not the type of person who uses anthropomorphism when it comes to animals, but reading Anne's words have made me wonder...

In the short three months that I have owned Dino, I have bared witness to a transformation of sorts. Once described as having ADD, Dino has blossomed into an affectionate, patient and worry-free horse. When we work, he keeps both an ear and an eye locked on me. So much so, that freestyle lunging has become a quiet solitude of body language. I only hope this friendship/bond continues to develop and grow into an unstoppable force.

More updates will follow as the weather improves. As of right now, I have tentatively scheduled a lesson with my trainer for March 9.

Letter to My Horses

(L to R: Angel, Dino, & Sancho. Taken Nov 10, 2009)

Dear Angel, Sancho, and Dino,

Happy New Year! I wish to take a few minutes to get something off my chest. I love you all very much, and I truly cherish your presence in my life. I would never wish to criticize you in any way. However, there are a few trivial details regarding our relationship that I think might bear your consideration.

First of all, I am already aware that horses can run faster than I can. I do not need you to demonstrate that fact each time I come to get you in the pasture. Please remember that I work long and hard to earn the money to keep you in the style to which you have become accustomed. In return, Dino, I think you should at least pretend to be glad to see me, even when I'm carrying a bridle instead of treats.

It should be fairly obvious to you that I am a human being who walks on only two legs. I do not resemble a scratching post, Angel. Do not think that, when you rub your head against me with 1,000+ pounds of force behind it, I believe that it wasn't your intention to send me flying. I am also aware that stomping on my toes while you are pushing me around is nothing but adding injury to insult.

I understand I cannot expect any of you to cover your nose when you sneeze, but it would be appreciated if you did not inhale large amounts of dirt and manure prior to aiming your sneezes at my face and shirt. Also, if you have recently filled your mouth's with water you do not intend to drink, please let it all dribble from your mouth BEFORE you put your head on my shoulder or over my head. In addition, while I know you despise your deworming medication, Angel, my intentions in giving it to you are good, and I really do not think I should be rewarded by having you spit half of it back out onto my shirt.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that Sancho you are confused about the appropriate roles you should play in various situations. One small bit of advice: Your stone-wall imitation, Sancho, should be used when I am mounting and your speed-walker imitation when I suggest that we proceed on our way, not vice-versa. Please also understand that jumping is meant to be a mutual endeavor. By "mutual", I mean that we are supposed to go over the jump together. You were purchased to be a mount, not a catapult.

I know the world is a scary place when your eyes are on the sides of your head, but I did spend a significant amount of money to buy the three of you, and I have every intention of protecting my investment. Therefore, please consider the following when you are choosing the appropriate behavior for a particular situation:

When I put your halter on you, attach one end of a lead rope to the halter, and tie the other end of the lead rope to a post or rail or whatever, I am indicating a desire for you to remain in that locale, Angel. I would also like the halter, lead rope, post, etc., to remain intact. While I admit that things like sudden loud noises can be startling, I do not consider them to be acceptable excuses for repeatedly snapping expensive new lead ropes (or halters or posts) so that you can run madly around the barn area creating havoc in your wake. Such behavior is not conducive to achieving that important goal that I know we both share --- decreasing the number of times the vet comes out to visit you.

By the same token, the barn aisle was not designed for the running of the Kentucky Derby, Dino, and is not meant to serve as a racetrack. Dragging me down the aisle, or across a field for that matter, by leaps and bounds is not how "leading" is supposed to work. Pulling loose and running off is also discouraged (although I admit it does allow you to run faster).

My Dear Sancho, I assure you that blowing pieces of paper do not eat horses. While I realize you are very athletic, I do not need a demonstration of your ability to jump 25 feet sideways from a standing start while swapping ends in midair, nor am I interested in your ability to emulate both a racehorse and a bucking bronco while escaping said piece of paper. Also, if the paper were truly a danger, it would be the height of unkindness to dump me on the ground in front of it as a sacrificial offering to expedite your escape.

Also, when I ask you to cross a small stream, you may safely assume that said stream does not contain crocodiles, sharks, or piranhas, nor will it be likely to drown you. (I have actually seen horses swimming, so I know it can be done.) I expect you to be prepared to comply with the occasional request to wade across some small body of water. Since I would like to be dry when we reach the other side of the stream, deciding to roll when we're halfway across is not encouraged behavior.

I give you my solemn oath, Angel, that the trailer is nothing but an alternate means of transportation for distances too long for walking. It is not a lion's den or a dragon's maw, nor will it magically transform into such. It is made for horses, and I promise you that you will indeed fit into your assigned space. Please also bear in mind that I generally operate on a schedule, and wherever we're going, I would really like to get there today.

For the last time, I do not intend to abandon any of you to a barren, friendless existence. If I put you in a turn-out pen, I promise that no predators will eat you, and I will come back in due time to return you to your stall. It is not necessary to run in circles, whinny pathetically, threaten to jump the fence, or paw at the gate. Neither your stable mates nor I will have left the premises. The other horses standing peacefully in adjacent pens amply demonstrate that it is possible to enjoy being turned out for exercise.

In order to reassure you, my dear horses, I have posted the following message on your stall doors:

"Notice to People Who Complain About My Horses"

1. I like my horses a lot better than I like people who complain about them.
2. To you, they're an animal; to me, they are a big, hairy, four-legged child --- and you know what they say about coming between a mother and her children.
3. Their stalls are their castle, and you are expected to treat them as the royalty they think they are.
4. If you don't want them to steal your carrots, don't walk by them with the carrots sticking out of your pockets.
5. Horses are better than husbands or kids. They eat grass, don't smoke or drink, don't expect an allowance, don't voluntarily get their body parts pierced, don't hog the remote, don't waste the whole weekend watching football with their friends, don't talk back to you, don't compare you unfavorably with their friends' owners, don't keep you awake with their snoring --- and no horse ever left the toilet seat up after going to the bathroom.
   

Finally, in closing, my strong and gentle companions, I would like to point out that, whatever might happen between horses and their people, we humans will always love you. In fact, our bonds with you help create new bonds among ourselves, even with total strangers. Wherever there are horses, there will be "horse people," and for the blessings you bestow upon us, I thank you.

Sincerely,
Your "Human"

(Footnote: this is a modified version of an email that was passed around a year or two ago. I am unaware of who the original author is, but who ever did, Thank You.)

Front page on CNN!!

Racehorse's plight shines light on illegal slaughter farms.

This past year Miami-Dade County in Florida has been under a microscope when it comes to the slaughter of horses. It all started last February when a Paint gelding went missing from his pasture, only to be found six days later tied to a tree across the road from his home butchered for his meat. From there it escalated to more stolen horses being found within walking distances of their homes, all butchered for their meat. At first people assumed it was a satanic ritual because they were all Paints, but then two Paso Pinos were discovered by their owner dead in their pasture. From there it just became more and more frequent that horses were turning up missing only to be found butchered.

In the end it turned out what horse owners were fearing: a blackmarket for horse meat, and when arrests were finally made, it was two teenagers that were responsible. Of course those teenage boys are not solely responsible, it's beginning to look like a whole industry is right under noses.

...and to think, Dino nearly became another statistic.

Related Articles:
Florida Poachers Target Horses mar 31
Florida Horse Poaching Continues may 14
More Slaughtered Horses Discovered in Florida july 4
Horse Poaching: Miami-Dade Police Investigate New Report july 20
Florida Horse Killing Investigation Expands Again july 28
Florida Horse Poaching Tip Reward Rises aug 12
Tips to Stop Horse Poachers Offer by Police aug 13
Horse Poachers Target of Community Watch Project aug 24
Miami Gardens Horse Reported Butchered sept 10
Tampa Police Investigate Horse Theft sept 14
Florida Horse Poaching Information Rewards Rise to $20K sept 15
Arrest Made in Miami Horse Poaching Investigation sept 17
Miami Horse Poaching: Arrest, Criminal Charges Made sept 17
Gulfstream Donates to Slaughter Reward Fund sept 19
Miami Horse Poaching: Another Arrest Made sept 22
Illegal Horse Meat Sales Results in Two Arrested in Florida oct 8
Another Butchered Horse Found in Florida dec 23

Courtesy of Youtube: Noproblemfor Dino - the racehorse

I find it interesting to see Dino racing. Like he wore blinkers, I find that interesting. Did he wear them because he couldn't focus or to make him more competitive? At some point, I would also like to find a winner's circle photo of him.

All in all, Dino is doing great

(Dino's new halter and stall-plate arrived this week.)

Dino had a rough spell last week. After tying-up on Monday he was turned out a few days later and took a corner too fast. He ended up going down, but it was like slow motion where he grunted the whole way down. He got up, looked around, and came trotting over to me sheepishly. A little like he was embarrassed. He hasn't done anything stupid outside since.

Dino likes his turnout time, but enough is enough after 20 minutes and he likes to be returned to the comforts of his stall and his nice warm Amigo blanket. Who can blame him?

Dino has not been started back to work since the tying-up episode. Rationally, I know it was just a fluke. My paranoia is a direct link to Angel and her constant need for vet care. Mainly Dino has remained off work because of the holidays, with my free time I've been shopping and baking. I may just keep him out of work until the holidays have passed, or maybe not, I really haven't decided yet. Jim did come and reset Dino's shoes this past Sunday, so he is ready to start back to work.

I have started Dino on his Ration Plus, taken him off his grain, gave him a new Selenium and Vitamin E enriched salt block (which he hasn't touched), got him a second water bucket, and wormed him.

All in all, Dino is doing great.

Our vet drives a porsche. See horse for details.

(This little ditty is available from Back in the Saddle.)

I feel like I should own this (or own up to it) and display it proudly on my front door step.

Angel is quite frankly the most accident prone animal that has ever lived...and lived to tell about it, too! I've had her nearly 13 years and this is just a sampling of what she's done:

1. She tore her left front tendon.
2. She had a reaction to a bad rhino flu shot.
3. Said reaction^^ caused her to founder so badly she seedy toed.
4. She fell through an ice covered pond.
5. She fell into a ditch, with me on her!
6. She got loose once and caught in a rope - major rope burn.
7. She slipped on ice and broke her knees open.
8. She jumped the pasture fence, landed on asphalt and re-broke open her knees.
9. She got her foot stuck under the manger (the wall at the front of a horse trailer), on the way to a horse show.
10. She's colicked twice.
11. Been cast once in her stall.
12. At one point while rehabbing took her swimming, she reared up and cracked her head on the ceiling.
13. Another time while backing out the horse trailer she slipped and cracked her head again.
14. Got stung in the eye and nearly lost said eye.
15. Last March she suffered a sacroiliac injury to her back, which has promptly put her into full retirement.

Who does these things? I've had Sancho for 10+ years and I can only think of the one time when he needed the vet.

Angel's most recent vet emergency occurred on July 14, 2009. I had gone down to the barn to feed at 7:30AM and who meets me at the barn door? Angel. Let me say, my heart went straight to my stomach. Apparently she had been out all night and ate a 60# bale of hay and 25#'s of grain. Immediately I called the vet and of course they don't start answering their phones until 8am, and I knew I couldn't waste a second so I called Lee, my neighbor.

"Hi, quick question, if a horse is possibly foundering, you want to hose their feet with cold water, right?" (I honestly couldn't remember if that was true or a myth. I had started to prior to calling Lee and got to thinking if it was a myth, I could be doing permanent damage.)

"Well they say the best thing to do is stand them in a stream or in deep wet mud that covers their hooves. Why?"
.
.
.
Before I could do anything, my vet called me back and told me to have Angel stand in a tub of water and add ice if I could. Dr H made it out around 11:30, checked her feet (cool), checked for a digital pulse (none), checked her heart rate (normal if not below normal), and checked her hind gut (good). He then had me put her back in her stall while he put her under so that he could pass a 5' hose through her nose and into her stomach where he then pumped her full of mineral oil. And putting her under did nothing to stop her from throwing a full on hissy fit. Typical, just let me say, TYPICAL. Even Dr H had to look at me and say, "Are you serious?" I just apologized - profusely. Nothing liked being slammed into walls and dragged around a stall by a drugged up, pissed off Thoroughbred mare. You would even think that acting out so strongly would take energy away from her and make her more relaxed and sleepy. Nope.

Since July Angel's been good (*knock on wood*). She doesn't kick her stall walls nearly as much as she used to, actually I think her arthritis makes it too difficult and painful for her. While I hate to see her stiff and sore, I am grateful for the peace and quiet that has fallen over my barn.

My only problem lies in her sacroiliac injury (SI). There are days that she gets around great and appears to be 100% sound, and there are other days that she hurts so bad she won't come out of her stall. I worry that the day will come where she'll lie down and won't be able to get up...I have visions of putting her down in her stall and then wrapping chains around her legs so the tractor can drag her to her grave. I fear one day she'll have another bout of ataxia, and this time she'll get hurt or maybe hurt someone else. And I worry that I'm being selfish in keeping her around, that it would be best - kinder - too just put her down and be done with it. I then find myself looking for signs from her that it has all become too much, she doesn't have any more fight in her and she's ready. Yet when I look in her eyes, they are bright and inquisitive, full of life. At feedings she eats everything up and she always looks for more. But I still wonder, who am I keeping her around for?

I had made a promise to myself originally: that if Angel was not better by the end of October, then I would put her down before winter and the ground froze. But I reneged, telling myself she was getting better, putting on weight even. I then made myself a new promise: I'll put her down when we move next year, at the new farm. This way she won't be left behind and I'll plant a Honeycrisp apple tree over her - my favorite type of apple for my favorite horse. Knowing myself, I'll probably find another reason on why she shouldn't be put down then, too.

To be perfectly honest, I want the easy way out: for her to go to sleep, under a beautiful tree, and feel no pain or fear. The reality is much harsher.

Putting a horse down is not like putting a dog, cat or any other animal down. There is no stainless steel table they lie on while getting the injection, held tightly by their owners. There is no slowing of respiration and heartbeat, no general ceasing of life. Instead its violent. The first shot is of phenytoin, to help control seizures. The second is a lethal dose of pentobarbital. Death is quick, within 30seconds, and again violent. The horse doesn't lie down and quietly go to sleep. No. Instead they drop to your feet, sometimes rearing up before collapsing, and convulsing before going rigid. One moment your standing at your horse's head, holding their lead rope while lovingly stroking their face as you tell them how much you love them. The next thing you know is they've dropped with enough force to shake the ground and the only thing you've still got is that lousy lead rope in your hands.

I don't care what anyone says, if you've never owned a horse you don't know what this is like. And I've owned dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and fish; it's not the same pain as losing a horse. I don't want to go through this with Angel, but I know I have to be there for her, in her last moments, as she has always been for me.

The quicker you want to get things done, the longer it'll take.

Dino had his first emergency vet call on Monday. It all started simple enough. I got him out and wanted to quickly freestyle lunge him, no more than 10-15minutes and be done with it. No biggie, right? But its like a Murphy's Horse Law - the quicker you want to get things done, the longer it'll take.

After walking for three minutes, I asked Dino to trot. He took one look at me and took off in a full gallop. At first I thought, "He'll simply wear himself out in 30 seconds and we'll get down to work." Nope. Dino kept right on going, a couple of times covering 60 feet in two strides! I was trying to get him to stop by putting myself in his path and extending my lunge whip. Nope, he'd pivot in one smooth movement and go in the other direction. I'd do it again and get the same response. I kept talking to him, telling him whoa and to trot. Finally, after nearly three minutes, he came down to a trot, but I noticed he was short in the left hind. His shortness became a visible lameness and then he stopped all together, reluctant to move and was favoring his left hind. Dread filled me.

In my hast I did not put on his boots and at one point he slipped going around the corner at mock speed. He caught himself and gave a buck, but he still slipped. Now I'm thinking, "Did he break something? Dislocated something? Strain something?" I tried to get him to move and lead him off, but I couldn't. At this point he's dripping with sweat and trembling. I finally got him moved to the cross ties in the aisle and clipped him in, the steam was billowing off him in a fog. I grabbed my cooler and covered him before going over him in search of the problem. There's no swelling or heat, but his muscles are concrete. I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that he's starting to tie-up and he needed immediate medical care.

Tying-up is known medically as Equine Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (commonly known as Monday Morning Disease) and is defined as a syndrome that damages the muscle tissue in horses. What happens is the horse will usually begin showing signs right after the beginning of exercise, sometimes signs do not show up until after the horse is cooled out. Signs include reluctance to move, stiffness or shortened gait when the animal is forced to move, and muscle spasms or cramps, with hard, painful muscles (especially the hindquarters) when palpated. It looks like a lameness if you've never seen it before, but it's very serious.

Inside the body there is an inadequate flow of blood and oxygen to the muscles of an exercising horse. This inadequacy causes the muscle cells to begin functioning anaerobically to produce the needed adenosine triphosphate, a nucleotide used in energy transfer, causing a buildup of waste, acid, and heat. This keeps the cell's enzymes from functioning properly and causes damages to the cell membranes when the horse is forced to continue working, allowing muscle enzymes and myoglobin, the primary oxygen-carrier for muscles tissues, to leak into the bloodstream. The lack of oxygen to the cells causes them to die, and the pain and muscles spasms that occur are caused by the lack of blood flow to the muscle tissue.

No one really understands the causes, but it is thought to have a connection to horses who are fed a high-grain diet and could also have a genetic link. One thing is for sure: it always occurs during exercise. Other probable reasons include:

• Poor conditioning or fitness
• A sudden increase in workload
• Hard work after a period of rest
• Electrolyte or mineral imbalances, especially with potassium
• A deficiency in selenium or vitamin E
• A hormonal imbalance, especially in nervous fillies and mares
• Horses diagnosed with hypothyroidism
  
• Wet, cold, or windy weather conditions
  

Dino does still have a poor fitness level, his taking off in a full gallop was a sudden increase in work - especially since we only walk and trot, due to the weather he'd been off for five days, he's always out of water, and it was a cold day.

After covering Dino with a cooler and realizing he could be tying-up, I kept offering him small amounts of water to drink. This keeps the kidneys working and helps flush out the potentially damaging myoglobin, which can cause kidney damage. Thankfully, Dino drank each and everytime that I offered him water. I then called everyone I could and the only person I could get a hold of was my Dad who immediately came out. While my vet was unreachable the neighbor vet, Doc Adams, was and he gave Dino a shot of banamine for the pain and a shot of vitamin B1 (thiamine) to help flush out his system. Within minutes Dino felt better and quietly walked back to his stall.

What was suppose to take less than 30 minutes took three hours.

Currently Dino has been taken off his grain, remains on his fat supplement with a small amount of bute (bute until Friday), is on turnout, and now has two water buckets in his stall. Dino does have a white salt block, but I'm thinking of switching him to a red salt block that contains selenium. Hopefully this was a fluke, but if not, tests will be run to determine what deficiencies Dino has and what can be done to correct them.

In other Dino news, he has another new blanket. A 75" 1200D Heavy Amigo blanket, Angel has gained so much weight that she ripped her other blanket lying down. So Dino's 78" Landa went to Angel and Dino got a new Amigo. This is the fifth and LAST blanket/sheet for Dino. This year alone, for three horses I have gone through eight blankets/sheets for my horses. Lord help me if I have to go back into a tack shop for another one!

Also, while hand walking Dino yesterday he kindly dragged me 25 feet across a field. In five weeks I had assumed that he had seen Mr B's little white mini next door...apparently not.