Reader Story: ODE TO A SHETLAND PONY

by Catherine Madera

I was not one of those spoiled kids who received a BMW for their 16th birthday. Even if my parents could have afforded it they wouldn’t have based on principle—You must earn the finer things in life. The car gifted to me on my sweet 16 was a Malibu Classic, circa 1970’s Grandma. Complete with powder blue paint. It wasn’t sexy but it was sturdy, practical, dependable, and nearly indestructible. At the time I didn’t care if it was stylish; it was all mine. A powder blue ticket to freedom. That car reminds me of my first pony, Sally. Minus the dependable part.

I don’t know why Shetlands are routinely given to children. They are generally unpleasant little equids whose clever minds readily contemplate treachery. It doesn’t help that they are often “trained” by children. This sets them up nicely to loathe small human beings. In my parent’s defense, they knew next to nothing about horses. After nagging them incessantly for a horse they produced Sally, a small brown Shetland of unknown origins. My first tack ensemble consisted of a ratty bareback pad and those all-in-one pony bridle combinations complete with nickel-plated curb bit. Armed with a few lessons, years of horse stories, and blind passion, I set out to make Sally my very own Black Stallion. Okay, even I knew she was no The Black; we could do Misty of Chincoteague.

For her part, Sally remained oblivious, even immune, to my love and crude training methods. She had better things to do then fulfill childish fantasies. Avoiding my attempts to ride her was an art form. She might buck, bite, rear or, my favorite, bolt into the nearest stand of trees. One moment she would be walking along calmly, the next I’d be hanging on for dear life while she tried scraping me off on low hanging branches.

I hadn’t owned Sally long when my city slicker cousin, Holly, came to visit. Of course she wanted to ride Sally. I don’t remember what was behind my adamant selfishness that day. Perhaps I felt overprotective of my Prize, perhaps it was the weather, perhaps I was simply too lazy to move from the front of the television and wrangle a cantankerous pony that wanted nothing to do with me. It didn’t help that my parents had recently purchased a satellite dish—the Beam-Me-To-Mars variety from the 1980’s. Two words: Unlimited cartoons. Whatever the reason I told Holly emphatically, “no.” She responded as childish relatives do, she asked my dad.

“Your dad said I could ride Sally.” Holly marched herself into my face, smugly considering her victory. “Where’s her stuff?”

I hesitated, smoldering in silence on the couch. How dare she! Then a wicked, delicious idea hatched in my brain.

“It’s in the barn. But you don’t need the bridle,” I offered, sweetly. “It will be easier to just ride her with the halter and lead rope.”

Holly sauntered out the door, an innocent marching unwittingly to her doom. Suddenly uninterested in the television, I slouched deeper into the cushions. Forget a satellite dish, the show about to commence outside would be much more entertaining.

When Holly returned from her “ride,” she sported angry scratches down her arms and twigs poked out of her hair. I feigned shock and let her rant about my disobedient pony. Years later I confessed what I had done and begged Holly for forgiveness. We both had a good laugh.

Besides being nearly indestructible, a pony like Sally is good for gauging commitment. When I proved that nothing could extinguish my passion for all things equine I was rewarded with a beautiful bay Arabian named, Sunfire. Besides standing in nicely as my own Black Stallion, Sunny actually liked me. This was a new concept. Though we had our share of challenges, our friendship birthed a lifelong commitment to this wonderful breed. I had moved up as a horseman. Kinda like trading that Malibu Classic, later on, for a 1968 Mustang. Sweet.

While perusing YouTube, I came across this short video clip. Yes, I laughed out loud and punched replay. Repeatedly. Here’s to you Sally, may you rest in peace. I am afraid I don’t miss you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3TmVcKZAWY.

Read more from Catherine at www.thehorsebackwriter.blogspot.com.

Have a horse story to share? Send it to editor@nwhorsesource.com.

Journal of April's Health: PSSM (Tying Up) Emergency, Part 1

May 2nd was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and I was ready to get my mare, April, back on track after a couple of weeks off to recover from her tumor biopsy and the injection to reduce the tumor on her back.

I had hauled over to Cowgirl Cattle Co’s location in Lynden, where I regularly ride. My good friend Lori had just moved her Morgan gelding, Marco, over to the stable so we could have more time to ride together. We enjoyed a leisurely warm-up and were just getting started on loping circles.

I was about twenty minutes into my ride when April started getting sluggish and not wanting to move forward. She just quit on me, which was unusual for her. She’s a high-energy horse and always wants to move forward, usually too fast. I got off and took a look at her. She seemed uncomfortable but I didn’t notice anything that terribly unusual. She was pretty fit so I wasn’t concerned about the ride.

Lori invited me to ride Marco around to see how he was doing. I asked Lori to just walk April to cool her down a bit while I rode Marco. April wasn’t terribly hot but I figured it was a good idea to keep her moving. After finishing up on Marco, we figured we’d call it good since neither horse had seen much work over the past couple of weeks.

Rachel, the barn manager, called me over to look at April. She was standing motionless, sweating profusely. Her head and entire body were soaking wet. We pulled the saddle off and moved her into the wash rack to try to cool her down. April couldn’t seem to get comfortable. I left her in the wash rack and went out to the trailer to put her saddle & bridle away. Upon my return, Rachel informed me that she had watched April urinate and had taken a sample. Her urine was a dark brown.

I immediately called my veterinarian. It was about 45 minutes after I stopped riding, and she had only a slight temperature but her pulse rate was a little high. Dr. Sauter recommended I get her into the clinic right away. We were just down the road, so I loaded her up and got her in.

Dr. Sauter took a look at her and realized immediately she was in distress. He gave her some Banamine to make her more comfortable. He took the urine sample we had saved, drew blood, and determined she’d had a pretty major episode of “tying up.” The danger with tying up, also known as Monday morning sickness, is possible damage to the kidneys. It’s imperative to get the horse’s system flushed out and back on track. 

April was hooked up to a catheter and give 4-15cc bags of fluids--Ringer’s Lactate Solution--through an IV. She finally urinated after the 4th bag of fluid. This time the urine was blood red. 

At this time Dr. Sauter also treated her for colic. Even though she had no symptoms of colic, he explained this is usually a side effect from the severe pain associated with the muscle cramping. He ran mineral oil into her stomach to help her pass any blockages and prevent a possible colic incident. 

Once she had urinated and seemed more comfortable (four hours later), I loaded her up and hauled her home. We left the catheter in her neck so I could again administer fluids late Saturday evening. We wanted to keep pushing fluid through her until her urine was a normal color.

We rigged up an IV at the barn. I was able to get two more bags of fluid through her system before we left her in the barn for the night. In the morning, I gave her another dose of Banamine (12 cc) and flushed the catheter. She seemed much better, had urinated several times and was having many very loose bowel movements.

Sunday morning I drove her back over to Kulshan Veterinary Hospital, where Dr. Sauter removed the catheter and gave me instructions for daily exercise and turnout. He also pulled some hair samples from her mane to send off to The University of Minnesota for a fairly new genetic test to see if she carried the mutant PSSM gene. 

Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) is a condition in horses where there is abnormal glycogen storage occurring in muscles, resulting in the accumulation of excessive amounts of glycogen and an unusable polysaccharide. This can result in “tying up” or rhabdomyolysis. It’s basically a metabolic muscle disorder. (Taken from article written by Karen J. Wolfsheimer, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl, ACVIM-SAIM). 

April was taken off all grain and pasture. She was only to receive local hay and stay in a dry paddock with no grazing. Dr. Sauter had me walk her twice daily for 10- to 15-minute increments to keep her muscles moving. Next week I’ll update you on the 10-day checkup and what we discovered.

Reader Photo of the Week, May 26, 2009

The staff at NWHS hopes you all had a wonderful memorial weekend with plenty of time with your families, both human and equine.  Now, why not start off the short work week with a newborn foal photo from Tracey Westbury?

Reader Story Fridays: Joker and Friends

This week's reader story is from Kari Lee, age 12:

My first horse was Joker. He’s not really mine, just the stable’s, but I think of him as mine. He’s a big and white gelding and I think he’s a Quarter Horse but I don’t really know for sure. Joker’s funny because he likes to scare new riders, but he doesn’t do it mean. He just stands there behind them when they’re talking to the teachers before riding and snorts “WHUFFF!” when they forgot he was there. He did it to me and it made me laugh. Now I see him do it to other people and some are scared but some laugh too. Joker knows how to make friends.

My Grey Mare: A Journal of April’s Health Issues

by Karen Pickering

It’s been an interesting month, to say the least. Last month my mare, April, had tumors examined by David Sauter, DVM of Kulshan Veterinary Clinic. He took a biopsy of the tumors on her belly and injected the tumor on her back with triamcinolone (a type of steroid). The photos below were taken at the initial examination on April 24th. 

      

On May 2nd, while at the clinic for another emergency call with April (more on that health issue next week), we noticed a reduction in the tumor on her back. As of today, the tumor on her back is gone! The only evidence is the patch where the hair was shaved before the injection and a small piece of dead skin at the injection site. We expect this was an easinophilic granuloma. 

On April 29th, we received a report from the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman, Washington: they determined that the tumors on April’s belly were, in fact, equine dermal sarcoids. Sarcoids are the most common cutaneous tumors in horses, and are associated with nonproductive infection with bovine papillomavirus-1 or 2. They rarely metastasize, but can be locally aggressive. Recurrence is expected in cases of incomplete incision.  In other words, they may recur, but are unlikely to prove a serious health concern.

Next Wednesday I’ll discuss the May 2nd emergency call with April. 

Reader Photo: Adoptable Horses!

This week, we have two photos from Julie at Wind Haven Horse Rescue in Toutle, WA:

Fire (8 years,  pictured above) and Star (10 years, pictured below) are Pinto Arabian mares that are doing well with ground training and will be started soon with saddle training.  Both are current on vaccinations and worming schedules.  They are about 15.2 hand big solid horses, both like attention and are ready for any training discipline. You can learn more about adopting them at www.windhavenhorserescue.org.

To see a new adoptable horse from somewhere in the Pacific Northwest each month, sign up for our reader newsletter!

We want your horse photos! Submit yours to editor@nwhorsesource.com to be considered for our Reader Photo of the Week. Use the subject line "Reader Photo."

Teeth Floatation and Tumor Examination

by Karen Pickering

While we compile reader stories, our own Karen Pickering has a story of her own she'd like to share...

Having a grey horse has never really concerned me. I’ve had one other in my lifetime with no health issues, despite the tendency greys have to develop melanomas. But while having a routine dental floatation, I decided to have the series of tumors in April's mouth and on her back and belly examined. 

        

The tumors in her mouth—two on her upper lip on the left side--appear to be melanomas. Messing with those can cause scar tissue (and they are far less serious a condition in horses than they are in humans) so we decided to leave them alone. The hope is that they don’t grow.

Then Dr. Sauter took a biopsy of the tumors on her belly. He suspects they are sarcoids, but we’ll get the results of the biopsy in a few days. They are rather large and hard to remove. There is quite a base area underneath the tumors, which indicates a much larger area is affected below the skin’s surface. Removing these is difficult, as there are a lot of veins and muscles in this area. Most likely, the best course of action will be to leave them alone and hope they don’t get bigger. They did require a few stitches to patch her up after taking the core sample.

     

There is a relatively new procedure, especially with tumors this large, in which a section of the tumor is removed a dissected into several pieces and freeze-dried. The pieces are then implanted under the skin in the neck area. It’s like vaccinating against further growth or development of more tumors.

The small tumor on her back is possibly an easinophilic granuloma. Dr. Sauter injected this with triamcinolone, which is a type of steroid. The hope is that the tumor will shrink. If not, it will need to be removed during April's off season. 

I'll keep you all posted once we have the biopsy results and see if the tumor on her back shrinks. I welcome comments to this blog entry, especially from other horse owners who have been through this kind of situation with their horses. What worked for you? What didn't? Anything you know may help other owners and their horses.

Wednesday News Links: May 13, 2009

Don't have time to keep up with all of the news posted to nwhorsesource.com? Here are a few select items you might want to be aware of, hand-picked by the NWHS staff:

Nationwide:

In response to the growing number of public policy challenges facing American horses, their owners, and horse-related organizations, a diverse group of horsemen and –women today unveiled a new umbrella group: United Organizations of the Horse...

Washington:

When the Stilliguamish Tribe, located in Washington State, heard of People Helping Horses’ need of open pasture for the coming summer, they graciously offered twelve acres of pristine land for the organization’s use...

Oregon:

Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center of Sherwood, Oregon has been chosen as the host site for the State Games of Oregon equestrian events...

Northern California:

RBB, Inc., a promoter of reining competition in the western region of the United States, is proud to announce their support of the Peninsula Humane Society (PHS)...

Montana:

2 time National Champion Endurance Rider and Saddle Fitting Clinician David Kaden will be offering a free lecture on Friday May 15, 2009...

Don't forget to check out our Events Calendar for upcoming equine events near you!

Reader Photo: Horse Fair Fun

This week's photo is from Kari P., who says "This is a shot I took at one of last year's fairs. We always enjoy going to see all the different breeds of horses."

Reader Story Fridays: Guest Post from Tracey Westbury

Nine Children & Wild Horses   

by Tracey Westbury

While at a BLM adoption in Arlington, WA recently,  my daughter took on the challenge of gentling two wild yearlings for the Youth And Yearlings program (YAY), which has partnered nine young trainers in WA State with a never-been-touched yearling mustang.  The kids have three months to gentle their yearlings before they return to the YAY all breed open youth show where they’ll show off what they’ve taught their young horses.  Afterwards, the yearlings will be offered up for adoption.   

The fate of these yearlings lies in the hands of their young trainers.  While many of them are thinking of nothing more than the joy of having their own horse to train, the reality is they’re setting these mustangs up for a successful future and life in the world of the domestic horse.  With so many mustangs left standing in BLM long term holding facilities (over 33,000), costing the taxpayer an estimated $28 million each year, it may seem like nothing to have nine children halter breaking yearlings.  But with many people who’ve never been exposed to mustangs wondering just how difficult it may be, after watching these kids succeed they may be a little more willing to adopt a mustang themselves.   

Well meaning family and friends often tell me I cannot save them all, and they are right.  I can, however, save one.  It may seem like just a drop in the bucket when you read about these staggering numbers, but to that one horse, it’s not a drop, but a life.  And isn’t it better to save one, than to look away and say the problem is too big?  I’m thankful for nine children who’ve decided not to look away. 

After the Races

While many were excited by the amazing come-from-behind win by Mine That Bird at last Saturday's Kentucky Derby, what happens to Thoroughbreds after their racing careers is of greater concern to many of our readers. The James River Correctional Center offers a second career to a few select horses, letting them help to heal people who can truly benefit from their presence.

Read the Article:

The rolling hills of central Virginia are dotted with towering oaks and the air is sweet with the fragrance from blooming pastures. In the distance the James River cuts a curve through the farm, and stone walls, built more than a century ago, still demarcate property lines...

Watch a short video clip...

Reader Photo: New Filly

This week we have a new photo from Jena Strachila. Jena says:

Our 98yr old neighbor Clare walked over with a sachel of homemade bread he had baked as he routinely does. Keeping a watchful eye out for his arrival, we spotted him  out in the field with "Chica" (AQHA 2008) our new filly. There is no age limit to the joy horses bring to humans.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Jena!

Have a horse photo you'd like to share? Send it to editor@nwhorsesource.com to be considered for our reader photo of the week!

Reader Story: Derby Dreams

Each Friday on The Cyber Saddle, we publish a reader-submitted story. Stories can be funny, heartwarming, or a simple anecdote that reminds other readers why they love to be around horses. If you have such a story, please send it to us at editor@nwhorsesource.com. If someone else's story touches you, click on the comments function and let them know.

Derby Dreams

~Anonymous

I learned about the Kentucky Derby through books, as a child. I had dreams of the Bluegrass State, of being a jockey and riding a horse with the power and fire to win, not just the Derby, but the Triple Crown. I wanted to be a part of the wind, a part of that fire that I read about in books, but I had no horse of my own. And, I was a girl.

"Girls aren't jockeys," people told me.

Not that they can't be, just that they "aren't."

So I made myself racing silks - pink cutout diamonds of construction paper pasted on the sleeves of a white shirt and cap - and I rode my imaginary horses around the backyard from the time school let out until my mother called me in to wash up for dinner or because it was growing dark.

I graduated from imaginary horses to a pony ride at the fair, and from ponies to trail rides through forests and rivers. Always on somebody else's horse. Never running like the wind.

The someone-else's horse part was okay. Jockey's never really rode their own horses (so I learned from The Black Stallion and other books). But to go no faster than a trot or the occasional canter, to ride in long western stirrups instead of tidy racing irons with my feet tucked up high where my knees should have been...it wasn't the same.

No one can tell me girl's aren't jockeys anymore. I know the history, now, that women have been riding and racing since before I was born. But I've come to realize that I am not one of them. I no longer need my construction-paper racing silks and to run like the wind, neck and neck with competitors, pushing one nose, one inch, ahead.

Now the trails and trees are my home. I still ride other people's horses. I still remember what it was like to have an imaginary herd of my own. But I've found that my pace in life is slower than a racehorse, that I'd rather able along and enjoy the scenery, stop to take a dip in the river, and help flick the flies away on a hot day.

So soon I will enjoy watching the horses run for the roses. I may even sip a mint julep and wear a silly hat. But instead of wishing myself atop the power of one of those powerful colts and fillies, I'll think back on my steadfast and trusty trail horses, and thank them for showing me the true speed of my dreams.