Sunday, September 17, 2017

stuff i bought while my horse was lame (again)

Yes, my horse is lame again. No, I don't really want to talk about it. Yes, he will be fine, and no I'm not particularly amused that he came up lame on the same day that I joked about "jinxing" it.

Siiiiiiiiigh.

ghost of sound horses past
He appears to have put a limb in the wrong place at the wrong time, most likely sustaining a kick to a hind cannon. And it's killing him omg. #dramaqueen

dat's a fattie, charles!
True to form, his leg blew up and he was quite pitifully ouchie on it. But... ya know. It's basically just a big tender bruise, so by day two he was much less sore even tho the puffiness persisted.

poor Cos wanted charlie to pay attention to her over the fence line in the worst (x-rated) way
So I missed yet another jumping lesson where there was an awesome course and very fun and interesting jumps to be schooled. Blargh. But like, cold hosing and wrapping are fun too, right?? ....Maybe don't answer that lol.

In the meantime, knowing that we wouldn't be able to ride in the lesson, I preemptively hit up all our local tack shops for a little retail therapy. Both the big box store and the independents (including my favorite consignment shop!). Much fun was had!

pictured: retail therapy
Tho actually, in reviewing the purchases, it's maybe kinda glaringly obvious that even in my "splurge" moments I'm still kinda hopelessly practical.

A)      Polos that are a liner/bandage combination (consignment)
B)      Matrix dressage "liner" pad (consignment)
C)      Wahl mini cordless clippers
D)      Vet wrap
E)      Flat-backed wall mounting feed pan
F)      D-ring savers
G)     Tail Tamer brush
H)     Galloping boots
I)       Furazone
J)      Feed scoop
K)     Woof splint boots
L)     Hunt style 3pt breast plate (consignment)

Not pictured: Ice Horse ice pack (see below)

screwed into place bc sir likes to play with his food. we'll see how long this lasts!
Honestly I only decided to go shopping bc Amazon didn't seem to have anything that really fit my idea of a wall-floor-mounted feed pan for Charlie. He has to eat on the ground bc of his tie back surgery and tendency to aspirate food. And he has to have his feed soaked bc of the alfalfa pellets and to protect against choke.

But he also likes to paw all up in his food and fling it around his stall, then spend the next 20 minutes hunting and pecking to snarf up every last morsel. I honestly don't mind the pawing too terribly since he does in fact go find and eat it all... tho it's stressful when there are important meds in his feed.

when your tail is so luxurious you can't even see the wrapped leg behind it
The biggest issue tho is that his stall becomes a veritable fly haven with all the grain remnants everywhere. Like, it's buggy as fuck in there always. Same story at his last barn too - they'd routinely dowse his stall with Pine Sol just to try to control the bugs. It's nasty.

So my hope is that this wall-mounted, floor-level feed pan will resolve this. Except I'm about 65% skeptical that he won't just rip it right off the wall, perhaps taking down some of the boards in the process. And probably laming himself too just for good measure, bc why not, right?

this ice pack miiiiiiiight be filled with magic tho! i also like how you can't even tell that it's under the standing wrap on left
Speaking of lame, I also hemmed and hawed big time about picking up this freezer pack. I'm a big believer in just plain old ice - it's cheap, readily available, and I've got a great set of ice boots. But after going back and forth a little bit I finally bit the bullet, #splurge right??

And actually it made a huuuuge difference after just an hour on. The leg had been wrapped for two hours before hand (while the pack was chilling in the freezer) then I rewrapped it with the pack. It was super easy to wrap - you couldn't even tell it was in there. And then the leg came out looking actually leg-shaped after an hour (whereas it hadn't looked even a little bit different after 2 hours with just normal wraps). I like it!!

intriguing concept of a "liner" saddle pad!
Other odds and ends picked up were mostly all impulse buys. Like this white dressage pad. It's like.... the opposite of what we normally think of fancy pads -- most of which have all sorts of special built in padding.

This one tho assumes that you've already got a half pad that meets your needs, so the pad is extremely minimalistic breathable mesh under the saddle, and a nice crisp material that feels like it'll repel dirt and stains. It was an absolute bargain at the consignment shop ($10, tho it does not appear used) so perhaps it'll serve well as our new show pad. (if my horse is ever sound again wahhhhh)

really starting to feel organized!
And of course, with bringing all this stuff home it served as a perfect opportunity to check in on my new locker's organization protocol. And I'm pleased to say that so far I'm still feeling really good about the tack locker! Obviously I could fill whatever space is given to me (lol), but we're making do with what we got.

This hanging organizer is great tho, and holds most of my daily- or regular-use stuff that doesn't necessarily need to be mobile (and therefore included in my grooming tote for travel).

Hooks across top: extra bits, spare halters and reins, and Dark Jewel Designs hat

1st row of pockets: Mane 'n Tail shampoo, fly bonnets; polo wraps and ginger snap cookies.

2nd row: surpass and breath mint rolls; MTG and betadine sponge; keratex with brush; animax/dermalone and spare feed baggies; pair of brushing boots.

3rd row: Pair of brushing boots and pair of galloping boots; empty pocket (ooh the possibilities!); spare plastic bags; scoop; sweat scraper and bath mitt.

make good choices, charlie!
So ya know. In a way it's weirdly satisfying to get all my little odds and ends organized. To pick up all these new little extras for whatever may come in the future. I mean.... obviously I would rather be riding lol....

But at least it's fun to pick up new stuff with the prospect of future rides on my brain! I'm particularly excited about that hunt style breast plate lol. It's definitely the least necessary of all the purchases, tho I've toyed with the idea of popping a standing martingale on Sir Dinosaur Stuck in Tar Pits just to see what happens.

Mostly tho, the breast plate is for dress up. And I'm super excited about its classic look and brass hardware. Next time the horse is sound, y'all, there will be pictures!

me, wonderin when my horse will be sound again....
Until then, tho.... Wish me and my fragile little butterfly good luck in nursing him through yet another terrible, no-good bruise!!! Hope you all have a happy Sunday too!

45 comments:

  1. Oh Charlie :( Feel better quickly little butterfly! PS I love the brush and the colour of that vet wrap!!

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    1. Ha I like that color a lot too!! Hopefully I won't have to use it any time soon tho ;)

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  2. Oh Charlie- knock it off! But not the feed pan. I looked at your feed pan and my first thought was that Irish would manage to tear down the stall with it and then look at me accusingly. But I'm a little annoyed with Irish at the moment so don't go by me.

    The retail therapy makes perfect sense. I like the ice pack thingy. That looks interesting.

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    1. Yea I admit to being a little nervous about the feed pan. Just.... Idk Charlie isn't the most careful horse in the world. But we will see! The ice pack thing really worked great tho - I'm super happy with it!

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  3. Ugh. Baybuilt does the pawing thing too. It is O.B.N.O.X.I.O.U.S. Thankfully he'll scarf pills out of my hand.

    Can't wait to see Dino Charles in a breastplate. He's gonna look like a classic hunt horse from a painting. 😍

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    1. Ha that classic hunt horse imagery may or may not be *exactly* what I'm going for too :D and hopefully he'll get to hang out in the right back drops and everything lol! And yea Charlie will eat meds out of my hand or from a small amount of held grain too... But that is not in my mind a reasonable solution to the problem when many meds are fed twice daily. Ain't nobody gonna stand there and hold his food for him or spoon feed him medicine!

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    2. Well clearly the next step for that breastplate needs to be actually hunting... just sayin'...

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    3. Yesssss!!! I may or may not have exactly that in mind!!!

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  4. My pony is actually favoring his booboo leg also, though not quite enough to be considered *lame*... just enough that I'm constantly reminding him to put it under himself. Charles, you gotta get dem legs out of the way faster!!

    If the bolted down bucket doesn't work, my friend's horse (who did the SAME THING as Charlie and made an awful mess) responded well to bucket inside a bucket (think one of those big, low, rubber water-bucket style tubs, with the feed tub placed inside), and then there was also a stall mat with a built in bucket that she tried (but that one didn't work as well because he could still put his foot in it).

    Good luck, my messy eating comrade! I, fortunately, have dogs to clean up after me!

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    1. We've done the nested buckets, he can still flip them. It's always something with these horses!

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  5. Arghhhhhh! I feel so bad for you and Charlie! Lame ponies suck a big one. I am also a HUGE fan of retail therapy hahahaha! Looks like you got some awesome stuff at great prices!

    <3 Kelly @ HunkyHanoverian

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    1. Ugh yea you know all about it. So frustrating! Thank goodness for shopping to help pass the time lol

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  6. Why Charlie why? At least the retail therapy helps a little.

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    1. Maybe if I just keep buying things he will magically stop getting dinged up all the time?!?!

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  7. hah i have almost the exact same breastplate!! its my fav, nice things to hang on to too :P

    also jealous of the climatex wraps!

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    1. I'm ridiculously excited about those wraps, except I legit wish they were actually white on the outside instead of black bc I want Charlie to look fanceh haha. And yea the breast plate is such a simple classic look - I've kinda always wanted one but Izzy was too prone to have her saddle pulled forward to ever use one.

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  8. Ugh, sorry that Charlie is off again. Poneh needs to pull his act together! Hopefully you are back in the saddle soon. Also that cat could be my cat's twin. =-)

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    1. I knowwwwww haha I think the same exact thing every time you post pictures of your pretty kitty!!!

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  9. I almost let my SO buy me one of those skeleton horses!

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    1. Haha you should have! I kinda love its face!! ;)

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  10. My gelding always tips his feed buckets over too. I feed him with a nosebag which eliminates that problem.

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    1. Ugh yea that would be the easy solution too, except it undermines the very purpose for Charlie, which is that he must eat with his head down or risk aspirating his food

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  11. Noooooooo Charlie....... Ugh. I'm sorry. That really sucks. Well, retail therapy FTW right?! Always makes me feel better.... Until my bank account yells at me. You just can't win....

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    1. Retail therapy can soothe many a tangled nerve!!!

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  12. Charlie, staaahp! I finally caved and forced Bobby to start eating out of a corner feeder instead of a pan on the floor with his last dose of meds. It's one thing to see $80 worth of SmartPaks end up scattered across the stall to be eaten at will--or not--but $25 a day for stupid leg meds was going in his body, dammit. Now I refuse to let him eat out of anything else because food is for your belly, not your shavings!

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    1. i actually kinda love those corner feeders - and agree, aint nothing like that feeling of watching expensive drugs getting strewn about the stall.... blargh. esp if said stall is basically a disaster zone bc of nasty stall keepers like charlie lol. naturally two of charlie's four stall walls are old stone, and the only wood on wood corner is where the door is, so there is nowhere for a corner feeder in his... ugh. horses. stahp.

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  13. He basically needs one of those gyroscopic toddler bowls that doesn't dump cheerios all over the place...except like industrial strength.

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    1. omg hahahaha yes. that's exactly what he needs lol

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    2. what about a feed pan in a spare tire?

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    3. ha who knows! at present i've purchased a feed pan and installed it by screwing it into the wall (pictured and described above). so.... that's my plan lol.

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    4. oh I definitely have high hopes for your new setup! just throwing out a plan B in case his down time has made him extra...creative... lets all hope not!

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    5. definitely! i hope this one pans out (puns lol) but if not we'll keep experimenting!

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  14. Ugh so sorry homeboy is lame again. Man up, Sir Charles! I did a little retail therapy myself this weekend - the best!
    I am intrigued by the ice pack - what is it? where did you buy it? I bought one off ebay for Crimson and I hate it - it sucks and does not work.

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    1. i'm pretty sure it is an Ice Horse brand ice pack - meant to work as a refill pack for their specially designed boots but they were sold separately as either individual packs or in sets of two at Dover - the individual pack was $7.95 i think. it claims to stay cold for up to 2hrs, which sounds dubious to me. but i've used it twice - once for an hour, and once for 30min - and am happy with the results! it's easy to wrap up in a standing wrap or in a polo.

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  15. Oh, Charlie, really?! Come on, buddy, sound up and stay sound!

    I had decent luck freezing diapers to ice hocks, but that ice pack does appear to contain magic... hmmmmmmmm.

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    1. that diaper idea is super clever - i love low-tech solutions like that! this ice pack definitely worked well for us tho too, esp for the flat broad-ish surface of a cannon bone. i imagine it would be flexible enough for a more angular location like the hock too tho - but for the trickiest places that's usually when i'll just resort to plain old ice in my tall tubular boots.

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  16. P's the same with eating (except not on the ground) where he takes huge mouthfuls then drops 90% of it while he looks around, then paws and takes another 20 minutes finding every single piece. His teeth are fine, he's just a pig. And normally it's whatever, but if there are supplements or meds in there, what a waste! I hope the bolted bucket works better.

    Jingles for Charles and his newest ding! Hope you get to try out the new course soon!

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    1. ugh what is it with all these sloppy wasteful ponies??? don't they realize that we're trying to give them the best stuff possible???? lol.... and yea i'm hopeful to get to back into a lesson asap!

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  17. Ugh poor guy - I really hope he's feeling better soon

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    1. the bruise seems to be almost back to normal now, and he's decided it probably won't kill him. death is not imminent yet!!! (knocks on wood lol)

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  18. Ugh Charlie! Come on man! I 100% support the retail therapy, I'd do the exact same thing! Also what is it with piggy eaters? Phoebe will take a bite of her grain (from a corner feeder in the back of her stall) then turn around and hang her head over and chew it while most of the grain just falls out. The chickens love it but I'm not so amused!

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  19. Ahhhh I'm excited to hear about the lined polo wrapped when you get to use them! And the lined saddle pad is very intriguing!

    I hope he feels better soon!

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  20. My sympathies for Charlie! Da Bird is lame today (swollen hind fetlock) just in time for our 30 miler this Friday. I've been cold-hosing, but perhaps tequila might be more useful. (For me, not the horse.)

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  21. I am also so tired of lame and sore horses. Why do they repay us with this after we put some much time, effort and money into their comfort and health? It just isn't fair.

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  22. Sorry Charlie has a boo boo, I'm sure he will feel better in no time.

    If that bucket doesn't work, a bucket In tire works wonders for those who like to fling their things around lol

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