Rocky is home!!

Rocky is home!  He is so much better!  It's such a relief to see it with my own eyes.

Okay I'm going to start from the beginning of today.  Last night before bed I asked my hubby to check on Chrome before he went to work, because I was so terrified of walking out there and discovering he was worse and not having hubby there for my inevitable panic.  As soon as I woke up I sent him a text asking, "How's Chrome?"  He called and told me that Chrome was fine, but that he needed a million peppermints and hugs to make sure he fully recovers.  My hubby always knows how to make me laugh.

So I was happy and relieved when I hurried outside to see Chrome.  He was standing at the gate to his pen, dozing.  He'd eaten every scrap of the whole square bale I gave him the previous day.  He gave me a huge neigh when I woke him up.  I walked over to him and was relieved to see he wasn't shaking or swaying or anything.  He still walks a little funny in his rear, but anyone else probably wouldn't even notice it.  I just notice it because I know him so well.

I fed him his Empower Balance and his extremely sloppy beet pulp mash.  I didn't realize the beet pulp pellets don't need as much water as the shreds lol.  I've never used them before.  He drank the water off the top of it and then dug in.  He had that stuff all over his face.  All the way up to where the noseband of his halter sits lol.  He thoroughly enjoyed himself.

I listened to Chrome slopping away as I guarded Zep from the goats while he ate.  The goats are bad about using their horns to keep Zep out of the bucket, so I have to keep them chased off so he can eat.  It was so hilarious though because when he was almost finished I left the pasture and the goats immediately went for him.  Zep turned around and trampled them.  He ran right over the top of them!!!!!  Maybe they learned their lesson and will leave him alone now.  Don't worry they weren't hurt.  Nobody was limping or bloody.  They kept their distance though!

Zep and the goats were in the pasture because they weren't eating the hay to begin with, but don't worry we spent all day yesterday raking and burning hay as soon as we found out what it was.  The only reason I left Chrome separated last night is because he was sick and I didn't want him having to defend his hay against the goats.

As soon as everyone was done eating I turned Chrome back out into the pasture.  He immediately galloped off.  After getting his gallop out he ran over to Zep and they started rough housing.  Once they finished rearing and striking and pounding on each other Chrome started trotting around looking all over the pasture trying to find Rocky.  It broke my heart to see him searching like that.  Then he walked over to the gate and stood there for the rest of the day... so sad.

When hubby got off work we went to pick Rocky up from the emergency clinic.  We paid our bill (about gave me a heart attack, but I was relieved it was less than I was expecting to be honest), then I walked back to see Rocky while hubby went to move the truck.  I was so scared when I walked to the stalls.  I knew he was better because that's what they said, but all I could see in my head was him standing propped up against the wall, shaking all over.  I was so relieved when I walked around the corner and saw him just standing there.  So still.  Just quietly dozing.  I have never in my life been so happy to see a horse stand still.  Rocky was ignoring all of the techs in the aisle, but as soon as I spoke his head swung around so fast to look at me.  I almost started crying again at that point.  I didn't think he would respond to my voice like that.

The first thing I said was "He isn't shaking!"  I couldn't think of anything else to say lol.  She let me in the stall and I started petting him.  Then it hit me..... the SMELL!!!!!!! I've been told that DMSO stinks, but wow you can't fully understand that until you smell it for yourself.  Ugh!  It was awful.  I could taste it!

Hubby showed up and we led him out to the loading area.  He was so happy to be leaving that I could barely keep up he was walking so fast!!  He hated the rubber mats that are in all of their aisles!  The stall didn't bother him because of the shavings.  I guess he's never seen them before.  You could almost see his relief when he got to the gravel.

When we got him to the trailer I was worried he wouldn't load.  Who could blame him after what he went through??  Horses don't like feeling off balance and he was almost falling down when we took him up there.  He hesitated at the ramp, stepped his front feet on it, sniffed it and then walked on.  He is such a good boy!!  I honestly think he was hoping we were going home and just wanted to get there.  He's a seasoned enough traveler that he knows getting back on the trailer means going home.

We drove him the hour home in the dark (hate night driving even when I'm the passenger!).  When we got home Chrome neighed before we could unload Rocky.  Rocky responded with this loooooooong drawn out neigh that I thought would go on forever.  As soon as the ramp was down Rocky exploded out of the trailer (I know that's really dangerous, but our place is fully fenced and he was so overly excited and unsteady that we didn't feel comfortable getting on the trailer, so hubby just opened it and got out of the way) and ran to the pasture gate.  Chrome and Rocky blew at each other in greeting.  We let them hang out for a second and then I shook a bucket with feed in it.  Rocky came right to me and went in the small pen to eat in peace.  Once he was done we turned him out in the pasture.  He and Chrome were glued to each other.  I hadn't realized how close they'd gotten.

We gave them some hay (that we bought from the feed store and I thoroughly inspected for seeds) and left them to eat in peace.  I know the best thing for Rocky right now is being in his home, with his friends and his normal quiet routine.

Now I don't want to freak anyone out, but I'm going to share a picture I found online of this Dallis grass seed so you can all check your hay.  I don't want to make anyone paranoid, but I also don't want anyone to go through this.  Keep in mind Dallis grass is only dangerous once it's gone to seed.  The grass itself is not dangerous.  For some reason after a drought the seeds get a fungus on them (ergot poisoning) that is toxic.  So if you're feeding a first or second cut hay you probably have nothing to worry about.  This hay was cut very late (without our knowledge... we were not sold what we were told we were getting) and was full of seeds.  Here is the picture.

The one on the left is Dallis grass.  The one on the right is Bermuda, which is what we normally feed.  When the Dallis grass seed is infected with the fungus it turns an orange red color, but once it's dried in hay it just looks like normal hay.... so there isn't a way to tell if the seeds are safe or not, so it's best to just not feed any with seeds.  I will never feed my horses hay with seeds in it again.  I wish I had known all of this before it happened, so I'm sharing all of this in hopes that it saves someone else from going through this traumatic situation.

Thank you all for the comments, thoughts and prayers.  I really appreciate all of them.  I'm so relieved my boys are safe.

Also another part of the story that I didn't tell yesterday is that when Rocky first started staggering I was terrified it was rabies.  What made the fear of rabies so bad is that six days before he started staggering, Rocky had accidentally bit my finger when I was hand feeding him (my fault for not paying attention and keeping my fingers out of the way) and broke the skin!  So I was terrified that I could be infected with rabies!!  That made this whole situation even more traumatic.  So during all of this while trying to help him I was also calling the health department trying to find out how much time I had since it had already been six days and what I was supposed to do.  I was told that I had time (apparently it's not as fast acting as I thought and it's normal for a ten day quarantine to be done on domestic animals), but that if he died I'd have to have him tested and if he came back positive I would have to have the shots.  The vet told me if it was rabies he would die, but that if he improved with treatment he didn't have it because rabies cases don't improve.  So when we loaded Rocky up to go to the vet and I checked on Chrome and saw him shaking it was almost a relief!  If two horses were infected it was more likely they ate something and less likely it was rabies, because Chrome was vaccinated against rabies (I honestly can't remember if Rocky was because he wasn't done at the same time due to his laminitis... I'll be remedying that as soon as it's safe) and what are the odds they would both be infected and showing symptoms at the same time.  It's a very strange feeling to be relieved to see Chrome was sick at the same time being terrified he also had this mysterious disease and could die.  It truly was absolutely terrifying!! In the process of all of this I've learned a lot.... about rabies, toxins, ataxia, Dallis grass, emergency vets, etc.  From now on I want to learn about all of this from books!!!!

Sorry it took so long to update.  Once again, thank you all for your support guys!

P.S.  Tomorrow I'll get pictures of the boys (even if they are crappy cell phone pictures) so you can see with your own eyes that they are alive and well (or getting there at least).  :)

An Absolute Nightmare...

This has been the worst weekend of my life...

On Friday I noticed Rocky was swaying slightly while standing at the water trough.  I was really confused because he wasn't shivering (it wasn't cold) or anything like that.  It was just involuntary full body muscle tremors.  He was a little droopy eyed, but mostly alert and interested in us and everything going on around him.  He was drinking and eating.  My husband started walking him around to see if he was walking normally and he had liquid diarrhea.  I was getting panicked at this point.  I couldn't take his temp because I broke my only thermometer (ordering on asap), but I did the skin pinch test and it was normal.  His gums and eyes were normal.  He wasn't sweating or anything.

I started trying to get hold of vets because the diarrhea was concerning me.  By the end of the day Rocky was swaying, staggering and shaking all over (not like shivering, but like every muscle was convulsing).  I called every vet in the state that I could find for equine vets (or so I thought) and NO ONE, not even my usual vet would come out.  My usual vet had the gall to tell me my horse needed to be at a vet clinic immediately, but that she was booked until January 9th.  I was pissed (still am).  She even lists emergency services on her website....

On the advice of another vet we gave him penicillin (that vet couldn't see him either) and I cried myself to sleep.

Saturday morning we went out to check on him and he was staggering in circles and could barely stand.  My husband had to put his shoulder into Rocky's shoulder and hold him up for about a half hour.  Rocky almost fell in the pond, but my husband kept him on his feet and managed to get him to walk to the barn so he could pen him up.  The only good thing is that his poop was normal that morning (solid and green).  I forgot to mention when we looked around the pasture we saw piles of normal looking poop except it was gray.  I have never in my life seen gray poop before.  If you ever see gray poop in the pasture call the vet!!

At that point I was having a full on panic attack.  I started calling all the vets all over again and finally got an answer from a small animal vet who gave me a recommendation for an emergency equine vet almost an hour away.  I called that vet and she said she could see him, but she couldn't come to us because she was in the middle of a c-section on a dog who was in critical condition.

I was freaking out because we couldn't get to our trailer.  We lost our key to the van that was parked in front of the trailer (I will never park anything in front of it again).  We had been looking for that key all day Friday.  We never found it.  My dad finally put a rope around the tongue of the trailer and pulled it out from behind the van.  We got it hooked up and went to load Rocky.  He was staggering so bad I was terrified he would fall down on the trailer and get hurt, but we had no choice.
He actually seemed a bit steadier when we went to load him.  It took a while, but we finally got him on.  The ramp was making things worse with him staggering, but he finally made it on with a butt rope to support him.  I am so thankful he's a seasoned traveler.  He normally walks right on trailers.  He knew something was wrong with his body though.  It was so sad watching him stretch his head forward like he wanted to walk on, but he couldn't figure out how to make his legs work.

What had me completely freaked out is that right before we left I checked on Chrome and he was starting to shake!!  I was so panicked and crying constantly.  The thought of him dying just about killed me.  I had to leave him though because Rocky was critical and I knew they could make a diagnoses with him easier than with Chrome who had just started showing symptoms.  Anyway we drove Rocky the hour to the vet (it's a 24 hour emergency clinic... glad I know it exists now... I should have already known of a place, but it never crossed my mind that my vet wouldn't come to me since that is what she supposedly does... always have a back up guys!!).  He did not fall down.  I was so relieved.

When we got there the tech took his temp (normal) and took blood for a full work up.  Then we had to wait... for two hours!!  I was shivering the whole time.  I finally went inside the clinic (instead of the stall area) because the shivering was getting painful (back problems).  I heard her doing CPR on the dog and she eventually died (the pups lived).  I saw the vet leave the room crying.  She was so upset.  She had worked so hard to save that dog.  She later told me that she was so concerned about my horse that if I couldn't find a trailer before she was done with the dog she was going to come out to me.  It's nice to find a vet who actually cares.

After a few minutes she finally came out to talk to us.  She said his blood work was normal so that ruled out virus or bacterial infection (along with the normal temp and normal fecal and the fact that Chrome was showing symptoms ruled out some things).  She said that meant we were dealing with a toxin.  She told me the treatment was the same for most toxins so we went ahead and had him treated (DMSO and biosponge).

Then we talked for a while going over everything they could have possibly eaten.  I mentioned that they were taking way longer than normal to eat their hay bale, so I was suspicious and brought a sample.  She was very glad of that.  Before all of this happened I just thought it was because there was still grass coming up (it's been abnormally hot), so they weren't interested in the hay.  My gut told me something was wrong, but I ignored it and I'll forever hate myself for that.  Never ignore gut feelings!

It turns out it's from Dallis grass.... Dallis grass is normally safe, but if there's been a long drought and it's allowed to go to seed it is toxic (the seeds, not the grass)... In my entire life with horses I've never had this happen (and we have lots of droughts).  We are getting the hay tested Monday (for an official document as proof) and I will be contacting the hay people for a refund and so they can alert their other customers.  It breaks my heart to think other people could be going through this too.  There is more to the story on the hay (about the reason they cut it so late and that it apparently wasn't from the same field we'd been getting it from), but I'm not going into it right now.

There is no cure for it, but removing the hay results in a full recovery.  The treatment definitely helped though because it flushed his system and coated his intestines.  When we got home late Saturday night I checked on Chrome (and put him in a pen outside of his pasture away from the hay) and he seemed normal.  He trotted up to me, neighed and seemed fine.  We decided to just keep him penned up and wait until morning.  We originally planned to take him that night, but I knew it would be impossible to load him in complete darkness.

So Rocky spent the night and I talked to her this morning.  He is much more stable and she can no longer almost knock him over by pushing on him or pulling his tail (he was literally using the wall to hold himself up on Saturday).  She is keeping him tonight just to keep an eye out for founder since he has a history of laminitis.  He should be able to come home tomorrow.  This morning Chrome was swaying slightly and walking funny with his rear legs (this toxin affects the nervous system), but he's doing okay and his poop is normal so we did the biosponge stuff at home and kept him penned up with safe hay that we got from the vet.  The donkey and goats seem unaffected, but after spending a whole day watching them (before we knew what was going on) I noticed they wouldn't touch the hay.  That's why we took a sample with us because I was getting suspicious.

We spent all day today using the tractor to move the hay and I raked the whole barn and the part of the pasture where the hay was.  We put the partial bale in the yard (in case we need proof) where they can't get to it, but we burned all the loose stuff.  They can't get to the other sixteen bales that we have stored (that they better refund us or I'm going to lose it).

Sorry I'm telling this story all out of order.  I'm a total wreck.  I only ate once in forty eight hours, haven't been sleeping, barely drank any water, etc. so I'm just a complete mess.  Now that I know what it is I've finally been able to calm down enough to eat... although the crying is harder to control.  I was so scared it was rabies (when he was staggering before Chrome was showing symptoms) or EPM or something.  I had never in my life seen a neurological horse before and let me tell you it's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen a horse go through.

I have no idea what the bill is going to be.  She quoted me a thousand dollars for one night.... he's staying a second night so I know it will be more than that.  I have no idea where we're going to come up with the money... I'm in a panic over that still, but I can't really think about it right now.... keeping Rocky alive was more important.  The toxin isn't really fatal, but when they get as bad as Rocky they can fall down and get hurt or be unable to get back up.  I'm so glad it didn't come down to that (thanks to my amazing husband).  Now I have 16 round bales of hay in my barn that I can't feed and no other hay.  If the vet hadn't given me some hay Chrome and Zep would have gone without food Saturday night (and buffering their stomachs is so important right now).  I went today and bought beet pulp from the only place that was open, but they can't live on that alone.  Tomorrow I'll be able to get some square bales from the feed store, but I still have to find a long term source of hay... I won't be buying from those people again, even though the hay we've always gotten from them was fine and Dallis grass isn't normally toxic.  The problem is that grass is EVERYWHERE!  I called my other hay guy (I had two) and he was honest and told me he has Dallis grass in his field too, so he would hesitate to sell it to me with sick horses even thought it's probably fine.  Somebody apparently made the only spray that kills it illegal to use, so now there is no way to kill it.  However, like I said before, if it's cut before it seeds there is no danger.  Even if it's growing in our pasture it's not dangerous as long as we keep it cut.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I'm going to be so paranoid about hay now....

My mind is reeling with all these problems I have to figure out, but the important thing is Rocky and Chrome are going to be okay.  That's all that matters to me.  We will figure out the rest somehow.  So if you ever notice gray poop, diarrhea or muscle tremors immediately remove the horse from the pasture and call the vet.  I've learned something about horses and hay that I never knew before and never wanted to learn this way.  :(

So if you guys could keep Rocky and Chrome in your thoughts and prayers I would really appreciate it.  I have no doubt Chrome will make a full recovery since his is so mild but I'm still so scared for Rocky.  I know she said he will recover, but it just seems impossible to me that a horse could recover from the condition he was in.

Sorry this post is so long and confusing.  My brain is just not functioning as well as it normally does.  I'm not even going to proof read.  I need to go to bed.  I'll keep you guys updated.

Blog Hop 25 Questions

I saw this blog hop on Chasing The Dream (her post here) (it was originally started at That Red Mare - post here).  Since it rains every single day I'm not working and I've done nothing with the horses (other than treat Rocky's rain rot and get them trimmed and dewormed) I am thrilled to find a blog hop that I've never (I don't think) done before.  :D  We are all good though.  Just boring lol.

1. Mares or Geldings (why)?
Geldings!  Without a doubt.  I'm too moody to get along with a moody mare.  I clashed so much with my mare growing up.  I know there are some out there that aren't moody, but I still just prefer geldings.  They are so laid back and affectionate (not saying some mares aren't, just that the ones I've worked with have been more independent).  I'm glad there are mare lovers out there though or I wouldn't have Chrome lol.  His mom is awesome!

Baby Chrome with his mom.

2. Green broke or fully broke?
This is hard to answer.  I like starting from scratch (getting Chrome at five months old was awesome), but the older I get (and more chicken) the more I value a fully broke horse... it's a conundrum lol.  Maybe I should start from scratch, raise them and have someone else start them under saddle.  To be fair Chrome has been amazing to start under saddle.  It's not anything he's done that makes me chicken.  It's just not knowing what he's capable of... if that makes sense. With a broke horse you pretty much know from the previous owner what they like, don't like and what their response to fear is.  With a green horse you're flying blind!  I didn't know what he would spook at, how hard he would spook, if he would run, if he would buck, etc.  He's done a little of all of that, but it's been fairly mild and easily redirected.  Now I just hope it stays that way lol!!  Also you would think I'd know all of this from my extensive ground training, but being on his back off property is a whole different ball game!

First time ever riding Chrome on this third birthday.  He was so confused, but an angel!

3. Would you own a hotter breed?
I'd prefer not.  I like calm, quiet, brave horses that enjoy trail riding without all of the histrionics.  Chrome is a little bit hot for what I like, but I think with experience (on both our parts) that it will turn into a good thing when we start doing actual work, instead of spooking.

Chrome's "hot" side could totally be channeled into something awesome with lessons!

... but my heart is out on the trail and I hope his is too.

4. What was your dream horse growing up?
Black Beauty and the Black Stallion sums it up!  I wanted a jet black horse.  When I was younger breed didn't matter, but when I discovered Friesians it was love at first sight (not just because they are black, it's because of their personality, the hair and their movement... I'm shallow, who cares?)!  Friesians are still my dream horse, but my more responsible adult self has decided it might be best if they just stay a dream.  Besides Chrome is everything I ever wanted out of my dream horse.... except for not being black LOL!  Also I've decided a lot of hair is just a pain in the butt (part of the reason for Chrome's roach)!

Just say no to hair hehe.

 Me riding my best friend's gorgeous Friesian mare.

 Me with Chrome's Friesian sire.  Still LOVE them!

5. What kind of bits do you use and why?
I started Chrome bitless and wanted to keep him that way forever, but he got too strong for road riding without one.  Once he's more finely tuned I'll probably go back to it.  For now he's in a French link snaffe because it's mild. So far it's been enough even when he bolts.  He has a soft mouth.  :)

Before we started riding with a bit.

6. Helmets or no helmets?
I grew up never wearing a helmet (and riding western).  No one wore helmets in our area and I didn't compete so it just never crossed my mind.  When I started working at the dressage stable it was mandatory to wear one. Now it's just a habit to wear one.  I'll admit I'm not the strictest with it... If offered a ride and I don't have my helmet I don't say no and I will go without one for pictures sometimes.  I plan on being more strict about it though.  It's a work in progress.  :)  Heck I even convinced hubby to always wear one and he never wore one as a kid (working ranch), so I definitely am pro helmet.

 Hubby rocking the helmet.

Me without a helmet.... ummm......

7. Favorite horse color?
Black!  It will always be my favorite.  :D  Gray is definitely growing on me because of Chrome.  I also like certain shades of bay and buckskin (especially sooty).  I almost forgot, appaloosa!  I will always be a huge fan of appaloosas because of my mare growing up.  My favorite patterns are blanket and leopard (obviously in black or bay).  Oh and liver chestnut with flaxen mane (think Rocky Mountain horse) is gorgeous!  I just really like dark horses.

Rocky is my black horse. :D

8. Least favorite horse color?
I'm probably going to offend some people.... the list is long....  I don't like anything with a lot of white.... gray used to be on that list but has changed because of Chrome (although I'll probably go back to hating it when he's solid gray and I have to keep him clean lol), so that includes pinto, double dilute and even palomino (white mane and tail would be impossible to keep clean!).  Also pretty low on the list is chestnut.  Now the reason for the pinto and chestnut is because EVERY HORSE IN MY TOWN has always been pinto and chestnut!  I swear on my block there is one black and one appaloosa... the rest are pinto and chestnut!  Well, bay too.  I guess after drowning in pintos and chestnuts I just wanted something different.  :)

Now before I really offend everyone keep in mind that I have seen gorgeous horses in all colors!  I'm not lying when I compliment your horses on your blogs.  Sinatra is the most gorgeous cremello I have ever seen and I'm a huge fan of all the chestnut OTTBS (and other breeds like O of course!) on the blogs I follow.  Just because I don't want one doesn't mean I don't like them when they are owned by other people.  Also if I found the right horse personality wise it wouldn't matter what color they were.  If Chrome were chestnut that would probably be my favorite color hehe.

9. Dressage or Jumping?
Dressage.  I haven't really ever jumped much (just on trails over tiny stuff like fallen trees) and don't see myself being brave enough to ever pursue it.  Obviously if given the option to ride a trained jumper in a lesson I would totally go for it, but I don't ever see myself jumping anything huge.

10. How many years have you been riding?
Twenty five years with only a two year break in there where I was horseless.  I didn't do much riding when Chrome was a baby, but I did ride several times a month with my best friend during that time so I did ride.  I don't have any pictures of me riding when I was a kid on this computer (they are actual film photos lol).

Training Chrome was so much fun.  I don't regret those years without a riding horse hehe.

11. Spurs/whip or no?
I haven't ever tried spurs.  I probably won't either unless I needed to for some reason.  Whips are a helpful tool to have in certain circumstances, but I don't carry one right now (just one more thing I'd have to keep track of lol).  My favorite use for a whip is to play my Chase the Tiger game with Chrome LOL!

Chrome LOVES Chase the Tiger!

12. Your first fall?
I was riding Tony my buckskin pinto pony (ahhhh pintos ahhhh!!!) when I was five or six.  He was my second pony (we gave the first one away because she was too hot for us kids).  My mom had him on a longe rope in the neighbor's yard.  We were just walking around in circles (mom isn't a horse person and kept us on the longe, but when dad was there we got to ride on our own).  Tony decided to turn back in the other direction, but he turned his butt to the inside so the rope dragged me off his back.  Mom was worried I was hurt, but I laughed and told her it was just like falling off the couch.  I was a weird kid LOL!

13. When was the last time you rode?
Ugh October 4th....... wow.... I didn't realize it had been that long.  :(  My job is killing my soul... seriously I hate that place.  I work ten hours a day, so by the end of the day I only have the energy to shower, take care of the animals, eat, get things ready for the next day and then fall into bed.  I don't do well with having to get up early.  On my days off it has been RAINING!!!!  It has been raining for days!  It rains EVERY WEEKEND!  I'm seriously wishing I had an indoor arena....  so yeah I haven't been riding.  :(

My last ride.

14. Most expensive piece of tack you own?
Saddles.  Most of my stuff is sale items, gifts, yard sale scores, etc.  I'm CHEAP!  So yeah saddles are the only thing I've spent a lot of money on.  After that it's probably his blankets (pads and turnout).

It took me a long time to get used to it, but I love my Aussie saddle.

15. How old when you started riding?
When I was five.

16. Leather or Nylon?
I prefer the way leather looks and feels, but I hate taking care of it and I can't afford it usually.  I like the ease of nylon (and the colors, LOVE Chrome's halter)... that's why I love the beta biothane of the Two Horse Tack halter I won in a contest for Rocky (haha cheap remember?) because it looks like leather, but it can be washed with a hose!  If I had the money I would seriously exchange all my stuff for beta biothane.  :D

LOVE beta biothane.  Looks like leather.

.....but I love Chrome's nylon halter too!!

17. Leather or synthetic?
Synthetic for the same reason as above.  It's easier to clean and maintain and it's less expensive.


18. What "grip" of reins do you like?
I don't really have a preference or I've never really thought about it.  I have laced reins.  They are a pain to clean, but they are fine for riding with or without gloves.  :)


19. English or Western?
Both.  I prefer trail riding in a Western or Aussie saddle because it's more comfortable for my knees for long rides, but I also love (and miss) dressage!  I would give anything to have a dressage saddle and lessons again.  We need it so much, but finances are so tight!


20. How many horses do you currently own/lease?
I own two horses and one donkey.

 My horses (and hubby).

My donkey.

21. Do you board your horse?  Self-care? Full board? Half board?  Home board?
I keep them at home.  I have always had my horses at home.  I've never boarded before.  I like having my horses home because I can go see them whenever I want and have complete control over their care and I always know who (people and horses) and what they are exposed to.  The drawbacks are no facilities, no arenas, no trainer, no lessons and no riding buddies.  Doing without those things sucks, but it's worth it for the peace of mind (highly anxious horse owners raise their hands with me!).

Facilities are under construction at least hehe.

22. Have you ever put down horse you loved?
Not yet.... hope I never have to, but I'll do what is necessary.  Storm was the first dog I had to put down and it still hurts two years later.  :(  Tony, the pony I mentioned above, died of colic when we had him (he was OLD) and I had one die of a twisted gut after I gave him away, but the rest of them are still happy and healthy.  I even know where most of them still are and can go see them whenever I want to.  :)  My appaloosa Lady is twenty five this year.  I really need to go visit her, but her current owner is in the hospital with Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever, so I'll have to wait until he's better...


23. How many saddle pads do you have?
Seven I think...  Most of them were gifts hehe.


24. Slant-load trailer or straight-load?
Ugh this is another hard one to answer.  I honestly don't really know.  To be perfectly honest I'm terrified of all of them.  I have severe trailer anxiety.  I'm on the edge of panic every single time Chrome is in one.  I really want one of those horse stock trailers because there are no mangers, dividers, etc. for a horse to get hung up on in a wreck and Chrome has always traveled loose.  I'm scared to tie him up, but I'll have to teach him to one day...


25. Why do you ride?
Because I always have and I can't imagine a life worth living without it.  Horses are a part of me.  The two years I went without a horse were the most miserable in my life.  To be honest I don't necessarily even have to be riding.  As long as I can go hug my horse, groom him, teach him tricks, take him for walks, etc. I'm happy.  Obviously riding is icing on the cake though.  I miss it so much when I'm grounded due to the weather!