VCMBH: Travel Bug

L. at Viva Carlos asks us "What is your best tip for traveling with horses?"

Well I have never hauled my horses (never learned to pull a trailer and don't know how to drive a standard which is all we have right now) myself.  My husband drives when we haul Chrome and the only places we've ever hauled him is to our old home when we picked him up as a weanling (three hours), to the vet (ten or fifteen minutes) and to our new home here (one hour).  Yeah I need to remedy that!  He is so sheltered!

My method for successful hauling of my horse is to let my husband take care of everything while I pile into the passenger seat in a puddle of terror and stare at the trailer praying that we don't get in an accident or that he doesn't fall and hurt himself....... yeah I have no idea why but I have horrible trailer anxiety (probably from all of the stories I've read of wrecks and accidents).

However someday I will have to grow a pair and learn to haul my horse (I've hauled my friend's horses just fine lol) and start going places with him if I want him to ever be more than a backyard ornament and occasional trail horse.  When that happens I'll probably be begging you guys for advice, tips and checklists hehe.  I do have one tip though that I learned on a Facebook group I'm a member of...

Haul your own water!!!!!!  With the viruses going around it just really isn't safe to let them share with a bunch of unfamiliar horses.  I have a friend who is in college in a different state for equine reproductive science or something like that and most of their barn just came down with strangles...... not cool!  There was one lady on the Facebook group who took her stallion to get collected at a vet or breeding center and he came down with a virus from there.  Also since Chrome is so dang picky about water anyway I'll probably haul my own.  :)

P.S.  Sorry I've been quiet on the blog and not riding Chrome, but we are FINALLY INSTALLING OUR KITCHEN!!!! YAY!!!! I'm so excited!  And busy hehe.  TTYL!

Good and Bad News

Okay the good news is that Chrome does not have a broken or fractured jaw. In fact he doesn't have any cuts or broken teeth or anything. I really didn't think she could do that much damage with her hock at such close range, but better safe than sorry. I did find out why he was drooling and why he's sucking his cheeks. The hay we've been feeding has bristly seed heads in it that are irritating his gums and making sores in his mouth. :( I had no idea it could even do that because we've never had a problem with it before.

The veterinarian said it is a completely individual basis. Some horses have no problem with it and others do. He also gave us a number where we can get some pure Bermuda hay that won't have the seeds in it. He's also back on an antibiotic both for the sores and for the respiratory infection. Poor guy. I think I'm going to look into some sort of natural immune boosting supplement. I hate using antibiotics so frequently! The vet also suggested we rinse his mouth out with water a couple times a day to help get the hay out so his gums can heal. I'll keep everyone updated.

Vet Visit

Chrome went to see the veterinarian today. He didn't have a fever and hasn't had a cough in a while, so the vet said it's probably just a respiratory infection, so he's on a course of antibiotics. :) I'm so glad he's easy to give oral medicine to! Thanks Tracey (breeder)!

I took the camera, but felt a little weird taking pictures at the vet clinic. Didn't want them to think I was spying or something. It was my first time to this particular vet. He was very nice and I was impressed by all the questions he asked. Very thorough. :) So no pictures unfortunately.

Galaxy was upset being left alone, but Chrome walked right onto the trailer. He neighed a few times as we drove to town, but was calm. At the clinic he walked right off the trailer and into the clinic stable. He never spooked at anything and was calm the entire time. He never fussed during the whole exam, not even while getting his temperature taken. He was such a good boy. I was proud.

When leaving he hesitated at the gate because it was huge and swung inward toward him, but he walked right through and loaded back on the trailer easily. Even my adult horses never loaded so easily on a trailer!!!! I felt like he didn't even need my help. :)

So now to keep an eye on Galaxy and make sure she doesn't get it. I got a video of them walking/trotting around and pictures of them taking a nap together so I'll try to get them posted asap! I really want to get a video of them really trotting out together (as opposed to the lazy trot) because they both move so beautifully, but with all the mud they don't often trot around. They prefer cuddling or eating hay lol! I'll keep trying. It'll be worth it. :)

Chrome's Homecoming

Sorry for taking so long to post this. I've just been spending every spare moment with Chrome. I'm so happy I don't have to work the next two days. Chrome was a little scared and was missing his mom and friends on his first day, but he's doing much better today. He still neighs occasionally, but he's made friends with the neighbor's horse over the fence and he doesn't seem to mind the goats for company. I'm very happy with Chrome. He is such a lovable and personable horse.

Below I'll post pictures of his ride in the trailer. We stopped partway home to get something to eat and I sat in the trailer with him while we waited. He did very well. He was so curious about the traffic and people walking around outside the trailer. I love his expression in these pictures!!

Can you tell I love my boy? Please excuse the hideous fashion statement. It was cold and muddy. :)

Sometimes it's so hard to believe this guy is only five months old!! He's already 12.2hh tall, which is 4 foot 2in or 128.3 cm for my overseas viewers. I'm hoping he will mature to at least 15.2hh. His sire is 16.2hh and his dam is 14.3hh, so he should make 15.2hh.

I love this picture. You can see the Friesian in him. :) He looks black in this picture but he's actually a very pretty combination of black, brown and white hairs. I'm pretty positive he's going to turn gray like his mom when he's older. He already has so much gray in him already. That's okay though. He'll be gorgeous no matter what color he is. Below are close ups of his fur.

I'm so looking forward to spending many long years with this beautiful boy. :) I'll post more pictures from his first day in a new post.