The Waiting Game

Last week, I mentioned that my mare, Dancer, was lame. Saturday, after a lengthy veterinarian exam, the conclusion was that we couldn't diagnose her locally, but the vet suspected a pelvic fracture. The only way to know for sure will be to get her to Washington State University where they have the needed equipment and expertise.

My wallet is still recovering from my mustang Poncho’s battle with sand colic, and we’re almost at Christmas so the timing is not the best, but as an owner it is my responsibility to properly care for my horse. We are hoping for an appointment at WSU soon after Thanksgiving.

Taking on a part time job in the evenings is in my immediate future, and I won’t be buying that new horse trailer I’ve been dreaming about any time soon, but I think a healthy horse is better than a new trailer any day, don’t you?

I plan to share Dancer’s continuing story with you here on The Cyber Saddle in hopes that we can all learn something from this. If any of you have stories to share about pelvic injuries in your equine friends, please post your comments below or feel free to email me directly at Karyn@nwhorsesource.com. I would love to hear what you know. Perhaps it will help Dancer and me on our quest for the road to soundness!

In the meantime, hug your horses and get out and ride!

Thank You!

by Karen Pickering




Hey, I know it’s time for the holidays and we all get caught up in the holiday frenzy, so before it hits I just want to say thank you. It's important to me to let my readers and advertisers know how much I appreciate them. We’re celebrating our 13th anniversary this December, and it’s a real milestone for me.



A few core advertisers have seen this magazine through many years, and I am truly grateful for their support. I appreciate the readers who have let our advertisers know they saw an ad in our magazine, which is the best way to tell an advertiser their support has been worth the time and thought they put into their ads. I am also thankful for the readers who have emailed or called to let us know how much they enjoy the magazine. It really makes all of this worthwhile.



Huge thanks to my staff. They’ve stuck with the magazine and have really supported our mission to be the best educational equine resource we can be for all breeds and disciplines in our region. It’s not quite what I had in mind when I wrote in my senior annual "My dream is to someday work with horses," but I’ve realized that dream in a rewarding--and slightly roundabout--way!



My heart goes out to those who are struggling on their own paths to their own dreams. Take heart! You’re not alone, and you will get there. Just be creative in your approach to a changing world. Defy the odds and make it work. Don’t quit!



Feel free to share your thoughts and struggles in the comments below or by writing or calling NWHS. It's a great way to find support in the Northwest horse community.



Happy Thanksgiving!

Pictured: NWHS staff at Hovander Park in Ferndale, WA. Photo by Randy Bourland.

Monday Modifications

Hi ladies and gents,

A little bit of change is in the wind here for the Monday blog postings. Our Reader Photo of the Week has gathered a few fun and beautiful entries, and we want to be able to expand the post to include a larger photo and a bit of background about the horse. So, starting next Monday, the Reader Photo of the Week will move from the sidebar to this spot right here in the main body of the blog. We look forward to seeing more entries!

If you'd like to submit a photo, please check our guidelines by clicking here.

Back to the Drawing Board

by Karyn "K.C." Cowdrey

A few weeks ago I wrote about the joy of being able to start riding my mare, Dancer, again after several months off due to injury (click here to read that post). Our road toward recovery had been going along straight and smooth.

Tonight it appears we’ve had a steep corner with a sharp cliff come into our path. When I went out to ride her, she came up to the barn very lame once again.

It is hard to not dwell on the idea that she may never be sound again. She is my dream, so hopefully this is just a big bump that we’ll get over, and then get back on the road to true soundness.

I am determined to face this head-on and realistically but not negative. Perhaps this time the vets will find true diagnosis instead of continuing to be challenged by mystery lameness.

If anyone has experienced a horse that suddenly pulls up 3-legged and doesn’t want to bear weight on a hind leg, but has no heat, no swelling, and clean x-rays of that leg, please post and share with us what you learned.

May your ride be smooth and your path obstacle-free.

Welcome Aboard, Washington State Horsemen!

by Karen Pickering

This past weekend, I had a fantastic time in Richland, WA, where the Washington State Horsemen Convention took place. The Red Lion on the Columbia River was gorgeous, and vendor booths included everything from handcrafted tack boxes to the latest in show clothing to computer software for horse show management.

The purpose of our visit for was for NWHS to create an alliance with WSH. This multi-breed, multi-discipline organization has something for everyone interested in taking their horse experience a step further. Their offerings include a show division, games, competitive trail and pleasure riding, and plenty of other options to make sure there is something for everyone interested in horses in the state of Washington.

WSH, established in 1941, is one of the largest equine organizations in the state. In affiliation with the Washington State Horse Council, WSH deepens its impact on the community through representation within the state legislation on issues that impact horse ownership.

It was great meeting so many amazing horse people over the course of the weekend. I look forward to participating in the club as a competitor, member and partner as we strengthen our community. I encourage everyone to join us in the coming months as we bring you news in every issue of the Northwest Horse Source as well as their own section online!

New members are always welcome. To find out more visit http://www.wshorsemen.com/.

Making Life Easier

We would like to thank those who have taken the time to call, write, or email us about how to make NWHS and www.nwhorsesource.com a better resource for everyone. Thanks to the feedback of readers and our new webmaster, Christy West, we have made a few minor changes the way this blog and the rest of the site operate. Now, when you leave a comment on a news item, article, or blog posting, it will appear right away instead of waiting to go through our moderation channels. We still receive notification of all posts so we can remove any irrelevant or offensive content immediately, but this allows you to interact more freely with the site. If there is anything else we can do to make your user experience on the site easier, don't hesitate to let us know. You can use the suggestion box in the sidebar or the email address at the bottom of every page.

Riding Relationship

by Karyn "K.C." Cowdrey

We all know that you must have a solid relationship with your equine partner in order to get the most out of your time together. It makes sense because to succeed in anything we do—parenting, marriage, work, school—we have to have solid relationships with our partners or we will fail.

This past week my trainer, Kari, took a much needed vacation in the sun, and I was responsible for putting miles on my young gelding, Emmerson.

What I noticed was fascinating to me. Emmerson is a great horse who tries hard to please, but sometimes he and I tend to get frustrated with one another. I tend to expect too much from a baby with 2.5 months of riding time, and he is looking for Kari’s smooth riding skills to guide him along instead of my bumbling. This does not always lead to smooth lesson days.

This past week there were no lessons. Just one on one and what happened was magic. Our partnership clicked as I relaxed and realized he was just a baby and he got used to my delivery of cues, which differs from Kari’s.

It was exciting to see our relationship strengthen through better understanding of one another. I am looking forward to this coming Saturday, when we take our first lesson in over a week. We’ll both get more out of it.

Building a solid relationship is what it’s all about, from horseback riding to taking care of our advertisers to providing the content that our readers are interested in reading. Drop us a note and let us know what we, as a magazine, can do to strengthen our relationship with you!

In the meantime, get out and RIDE!

Heading East for the Weekend!

by Karen Pickering

This weekend I'm heading out for an adventure. A good friend, Barb Hento, and I are heading toward Kennewick, WA for the Washington State Horsemen's annual convention. I’m really hoping to see some snow on the way over, even though it can make for treacherous driving conditions - it’s just so pretty! I’m also anxious to learn more about one of our state’s largest equine organizations.

I love our state. Even though we get a great deal of rain, you can’t beat the Northwest for awesome mountains, the ocean and breathtaking trails. My perspective always changes from the back of a horse, no matter which of these settings I'm in. It’s my version of therapeutic riding.

It’s certainly a privilege to get an inside peek into an organization such as Washington State Horsemen. Heavily affiliated with Washington State Horse Council, this group does a lot to lobby for horse activities. It’s the synergy of a common group of people that makes such an event successful.

Check back next week for updates on what’s coming up from this organization!

Yikes!

Here's a news story you may have missed:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3229053/Horse-gets-head-stuck-in-tree.html

I'm not sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for the horse, but it sounds like she made it out okay.

What is the strangest thing your horse has done?

No Excuse Zone

by Karyn "K.C." Cowdrey

For me, working for a horse magazine is both energizing and time consuming. Before I came to work at NWHS, I was self-employed and had the luxury of riding whenever I felt like riding. Now I have an M-F 8:30 to 5:00 p.m. job, but I still have two young horses that are in training and need miles put on them to become broke horses, and I still have 5 Belgian Tervuren dogs that expect time and attention, and require grooming and training as well.

What I have found is that I actually ride more consistently, now that I’m on a tighter schedule, than I did when I was self-employed.

What?

Yes, you read it correctly: I ride more now than I did before. I truly believe it is because my time is so tight. I have learned that I must stick to my schedule to accomplish the personal goals I have for my horses’ training levels. I can no longer afford to make an excuse to not ride. I will not be able to go out in a few more hours when the rains let up because I won’t be home in a few more hours. I cannot figure I can make up a day off by riding tomorrow because tomorrow I have to work all day.

What do you do to find the time to ride? Do you schedule it in or just go when the time presents itself, or...? Drop me a note and let me know. I’m always looking for innovative ways to get things done.

A New Journey

by Karen Pickering

After a month's layoff with a very badly bruised foot, I’m back in the saddle again! I’ve decided I need to get serious about getting some time in the saddle and sharpening my riding skills.

April and I are on a journey. I would like to get her finished and in the showpen next year. I’m on a pretty tight budget, like almost everyone else right now, so I turned to one of our columnists for some help.

Allison Trimble of Coastal Equine, writer of our monthly “On the Plus Side” column, has successfully shown performance horses and has a good breeding program with her own horses, and now April and I are working with her to brush up our skills and fix our problem areas. Make sure to pick up the December issue of the Northwest Horse Source for the beginning of a new series that follows us on this journey.

April, my 9-year-old AQHA mare, has a good foundation, I just never saw her training process through to the end. I believe we are always “in training,” but sometimes we need a someone to help us find our way. One challenge for us has been my inconsistent riding. Since I’m turning over a new leaf and will be riding two to three times a week now, I hope I’ll be seeing some improvement.

I love trail riding and so does April. However, I find that if I’m working on my riding skills, it makes the trail ride even more enjoyable. My ultimate goal is to be able to look somewhat good and have fun while taking in a local show. I’m pretty sure that most of you just want to enjoy your horses more, as well. That's what NWHS is all about—getting the most out of the time spent with your horse, regardless of breed or discipline.

I invite your comments below and would love for you to join us on this journey. Be watching for the next issue of Northwest Horse Source.

Hello, Monday

Do you ever have those days at work where everything seems to be going both slow and fast all at once? That's the usual Monday here at Northwest Horse Source. Catching up on all of the email from over the weekend, attending the weekly staff meeting, updating the website, and getting organized for the week seems to eat up the majority of the day. But now we've hit the afternoon lull, so before I get started in on the next project, I thought I would remind you that we have some special online only exclusives for the November issue in the articles section of this site.

Click here for the November online exclusives, including a feature article on nutrition for the Senior Horse.