MY STABLE LIFE | Western Horse Review

Counting Down Things I’m Thankful For

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE June 30, 2010

6. MY FARMER’S TAN

Today I soaked up the nastiest farmer’s tan. That’s right. It ends just below the short sleeves of my t-shirt and at my neckline. People tell me it’s the true sign of a Saskatchewanite. But I’m not complaining.

In fact, I’m cherishing my funny tan lines and freckles and racoon eyes right now. They are indicators of the great sunshine we had in Regina, SK, today. I even had to apply sunscreen twice! And not only that, my farmer’s tan will serve as a week long reminder me of the other aspects I am also grateful for…

Is there anything cuter than baby halters on baby horses??

5. MY FOALS ARE FINALLY HALTER BROKE!

That’s right ladies and gents.. Well all of except one of course. There always seems to be one little munchkin every year who is the standoffish foal of the bunch. But I’ll get her. I’m hopeful.

As for the other 6, they are all done. I have a little more work to do in terms of guiding them on the end of the lead line (wrestlin’ foals in the gumbo mud proved to be very exciting at times), but it’s finally done. As of recently, I can confidently and safely slip halters onto 6 out of the 7 J.Drummond Farms foals of 2010. It’s a great feeling.

4. THE FOOTWORK IS ALL CAUGHT UP

Not only does one of our farriers – Ross Smith of Saskatchewan – make us laugh with his medley of stories, he has also become a very valuable ally to our operation. Ross was just here today helping me get all the yearlings, broodmares and foals up to date on their hoof care, which makes me feel very satisfied with the current status of health and medical care in our horse operation.

3. LUSH PASTURES

I won’t lie: the amount of rain we received this year thus far has been very frustrating. But as I walked around our fields today, I couldn’t help but notice how lush some of them have become as a result of the increased moisture. I just pray our hay farmers will reap the benefits of the rain as well and not the other way around…

2. FLOWERS

What more should I say? They make me happy.

And finally…

1. ECLIPSE

Yeah, I’m a Twi-hard. Therefore, I am extremely thankful for the fact that it is June 30. I have been waiting for the Twilight saga Eclipse movie for a very long time!

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Cowboy Boots to High Heels

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE June 28, 2010

I know what you’re thinking – how does the picture above tie into deworming and breeding AVs and 46 mm? Easy.

It defines the segway of last Friday.

Friday morning for me, last week, started at 3 am. Clay and I had to make a quick run to Moose Jaw to pick up one of our horses who had made a one-day turnaround trip to Moore & Company vet clinic in Balzac, Alberta.

The morning ensued with laundry tasks, a run to the post office, some light paperwork, emails and deworming of the herd:

Keeping current with the vaccines and deworming of 40+ head is sometimes a challenge. I do it with the help of handwritten files, kept right in the front of our tackroom for easy access. The trick is to updating the files as soon as something happens. And if not, my back-up plan of writing the date and name of the horse done on the back seems to help me get it recorded at a later date.

That is, except when I forget to go permanent and use a dry erase marker instead…

Staying on top of things is especially tough when you have a busy Friday. Covered in white paste, I began to realize how quickly my day was about to fly by. Literally.

This was Friday afternoon:

Upon a routine ultrasounding appointment around 2:40 pm, we discovered one of our mare’s – Pine – had a 46mm follicle.

I had planned for ultrasound time. I had planned for the time it would take to “usher” Pine and her filly out of the pasture and into the barn: a job that isn’t much fun since the filly has now developed “independence”.

But I hadn’t planned on breeding her that afternoon. Of course Pine would have a 46 follicle today – if nothing else but for the fact that I had a plane to catch at 6 pm.

Thanks a lot Pine.

With a good collection in the AV, Clay took over the breeding side of things along with our vet, Jeremy Ross, and sent me off to pack my suitcase and have a shower. As much as I would have loved to get on that plane covered in white paste and smelling like the barn – amongst other things – a shower and maybe some perfume, was in order.

At long last, and with only 2 minutes to spare, I was packed and clean and ready to head to Edmonton, Alberta, to attend the wedding of my youngest brother.

I traded in my cowboy boots for some flip flops and later, high heels and armed only with my little point-and-shoot, here’s how the rest of my weekend went:

The bride and maid of honor getting ready.

(L-R) Angeline, the bride Kacey and daughter, Kit.

Obviously, it was a proud moment for everyone in our family. But what has really impressed me, inspired me, awed me – was my brother’s commitment not only to his new wife, Kacey, but also to her young daughter, Kit.

Way to go Little Bro. On this day you have proved yourself more than just a Man.

My weekend may have started with deworming and breeding dummies and cowboy boots, but it transformed into a most joyous occasion.

Plus, I got to wear a dress!

My brothers, my sister and I, along with our cousins, welcome our new sister-in-law into the family.

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Never Give Up

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE June 25, 2010

We love inspirational things: videos, music, words, you name it. We think it’s healthy to reflect on your hard work and remind yourself from time to time, what it is you are reaching for.

I thought I would prepare a short clip to demonstrate a typical day at J. Drummond Farms and Clay Webster Performance Horses.

As Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

As Lil Wayne says, “Be good. Or be good at it.” :)

Hope you enjoy!

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Flautas

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE June 24, 2010

I’m sure I’ve told you before – I can’t cook. But my friend, Perla certainly can…!

Perla shows off a plate of culinary perfection!

Today I thought I would share one of Perla’s famous dishes with you – Flautas. Around here, people coming running when Perla sets these babies out at the JDF Saloon.

Here’s the recipe:

Just kidding.

In English the ingredients are:

• 18 Tortillas, long and thin

• 1 Chicken breast

• 1/2 Cup of milk

• 1/2 Cup of cream

• 1 Cup of a Ricotta-type cheese

• Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

You can use either corn or flour tortillas.

1. Cook the chicken breast in boiling water with a small amount of salt in it. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it.

2. Put the shredded chicken in a line down each one of your tortillas and shape/roll them into flautas – also known as “flutes”.

3. Fry the rolled flautas in oil until they brown.

4. Whisk the cream with the milk and bathe the browned flautas with the resulting sauce, then sprinkle with cheese. Or for a lesser calorie version – skip the cream sauce and cheese altogether.

5. Add shredded lettuce, onions and tomatoes on top of flautas, or salsa.

6. We like guacamole with ours – which probably adds all those calories back on!

And enjoy! (We also like ours with Coronas and lime…)

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Sweat Wraps

MY STABLE LIFE June 22, 2010

The art of wrapping equine legs and the purpose of sweat wraps.

You will need a quilt, a track bandage wrap, lightweight plastic wrap, a sweating agent and duct tape.

Leg wrapping can sometimes be a scary task: fear of doing something wrong and causing the horse injury in the process, is a valid concern. Shoddy wrapping or improper use of certain techniques can cause serious problems for your horse. Add that to the number of types of leg wraps there are and the chore seems daunting.

With experience in the jumping, polo, cow horse and reining industries, one thing I am often asked to do is wrap legs. And if the person isn’t requesting that I actually wrap their horses’ legs for them, they’re likely asking questions regarding the reasons why certain bandages are used or how to employ specific techniques. Years of witnessing the strains of horse activity (before and after) has helped me appreciate the art of wrapping legs. It has become a very valuable skill.

In this blog entry, let’s concentrate on sweat wraps – these are beneficial as an aid in reducing fluid build-up in horse’s legs. On occasion, I have used sweat wraps for circumstances that include small wounds, however in such an instance, sometimes a vet needs to be consulted first.

Sweat wraps are helpful if your horse has suffered a sprain, splint or traumatic injury, or is required to be on stall rest for an extended period of time. Inflammation and swelling can damage tissues and cause pain: sweat wraps – which create heat to increase blood flow and provide support – may be useful for reducing fluid build-up in the legs.

Start with a clean, dry leg.

In a sweat bandage, a “sweating agent” is applied to the leg, then cover with plastic wrap and bandaged with a stable/standing wrap. There are various preparations that can be used to sweat legs, however my preferences are limited to DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) and Nitrofurazone ointment. DMSO is a very powerful agent because it penetrates the horse’s skin quickly and can take with it, other substances such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatories. DMSO should only be used with the advice of a veterinarian. Always wear gloves when applying DMSO!

Then once the sweating preparation is applied liberally to the part of the leg requiring bandaging, wrap a lightweight kitchen plastic wrap around the sweating agent. Ensure the plastic layers are as smooth as possible (no wrinkles). Only a couple layers are necessary, enough to cover up the furazone or DMSO.

Begin to wrap the padded quilt of your stable wrap overtop of the plastic wrap. Start the quilt edge at the back of the cannon bone and wrap counter-clockwise for left legs, clockwise for right legs.

Ensure there are no wrinkles and that the quilt lies flat against the leg.

Next, grab your track bandage (usually a cotton or knitted poly-wrap that does not allow for much “stretch,” as opposed to a polo wrap). I prefer to use 12-foot bandages for smaller horses (smaller cannon bones) and 15-foot track bandages for larger horses.

I prefer to start the track bandage at the back of the cannon bone as well (the same place at which the quilt was started.) I also start at the top of the leg, just underneath the knee by putting the end of the track bandage underneath the open end of the quilt wrap.

Then, using even pressure, wrap down the leg by overlapping the track bandage approximately half of its width over itself. If more pressure must be applied as I am wrapping, I will apply it only at the back of the cannon bone.

Once at the fetlock, ensure to wrap your track bandage in a “Figure 8” or sling formation, cupping the back of the horse’s fetlock as you do. There should be a slight “V” in the front of your bandage.

Proceed to wrap back up the leg, taking great care to leave at least 0.5-1 inch of quilt exposed at the top and bottom of the wrap. And ensure only one wrap is made at the top of the wrap. Too many wraps (in an effort to finish the track bandage and get to the velcro) can cause uneven and unwanted tension at the top of the leg. Honestly, if you get to the top of the wrap and have too much track bandage left over, it’s best to start over.

I will admit, the wrap pictured above isn’t perfectly even as it proceeds back upwards, but it will do. Apply a thin layer of duct tape around your velcro fastening to hold the wrap in place and Voila!

WORDS OF CAUTION:

1. DMSO – is non-toxic by itself, but may become dangerous when mixed with other substances. Dangerous materials / substances can be introduced to the body because of its skin penetrating properties. Birth defects can be a side-effect, as can irritation of the skin in the treated area. Also, some shows have banned the use of DMSO because it can be classified as “performance enhancing.”
2. Furacin is thought to be a carcinogenic. Wear gloves when applying it as well.
3. Do not leave wraps on for more than 12 hours (unless advised to do so by a vet).
4. If you are utilizing sweat wraps, it’s wise to give the horse a “rest” period in between sweating applications. For instance, 12 hours with sweat wraps, 12 hours without. Even if you must put stable wraps on your horse during the rest period, don’t use the sweating compound during this time.
5. If the horse shows skin irritation to the sweating agent, discontinue its use.
6. Check the bandage often, to ensure it hasn’t slipped down or become unwound. Make certain the wrap cannot cut off circulation, create sores or compress tendons.

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Nerdy Horses

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE June 21, 2010

Have you ever had a “nerdy” horse? You know… the kind you always seem to catch in random acts of “Nerdiness”…

I have.

Seriously Casey? Why do you always insist on standing in your feeder...?

Of course, they don’t mean any harm in what they do. But they sure make me chuckle :

Porsche collects raindrops on her tongue...

And while I’m trying to capture Porsche on my camera, I have this one to deal with:

Selena, I can't get the shot if your nose is in my lens...

Or maybe perhaps, they just know you have a camera waiting:

Bob, I'm ready for your close-up. Whenever you are...

And nerdiness isn’t limited to the older horses:

Petunia and her prized twig. Roo (on right) is contemplating how to steal it...

Mo Skeeter as a colt. Pic by PS Video.

Whether they bathe in their water troughs (yes, I’ve had that happen too but didn’t have a camera nearby unfortunately) – or crawl into their feeders, I personally enjoy nerdy horses. Nerdiness adds charater. And who doesn’t want a horse with a personality?

Cowtown Derby & Stockhorse Results 2010

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE June 18, 2010

Dale Clearwater & Major Dandy Chex win the K&K Livestock Fence Challenge.

Jesse Thomson & ER Kolas Twirl win the Open Derby.

Suzon Schaal & Genuine Brown Gal win the NRCHA Non-Pro Bridle.

Suzon receives her award.

Dale Clearwater receives the saddle for his Fence Challenge win.

Clay Webster & Meradas Blu Starlite win the NRCHA Ltd. Open Bridle.

* All pictures by Heather Baumgardner unless otherwise stated.

Horse / Rider / Owner / Herd / Rein / Cow / Total / Payout / Hi point

OPEN DERBY
ER Kolas Twirl Jesse Thomson Greenpine Ranch 71   71 75 217 $3,030 $300   Cow
CD Ben John Swales   Mary Reti 71.5 71 73   215.5 $2,424 $100 Cow
Smart Lil Double Pep Dale Clearwater    Louise Allchurch   73   71.5    70   214.5 $1,515   $300 cutting
Mudinic Cayley Wilson Judd & Sarah Sherman 71   72.5   71   214.5    $1,515   $125   reining
Twice the Bet   Clint Swales   Clint Swales 69   72 73   214 $909 $100 Cow
Whiz N Boogie Vance Kaglea Clint Kish   69   72   72.5 213.5   $707

Non-Pro Derby
High Five Peppy   Bart Holowath   B & T Holowath   71.0   67.0   73.0   211.0 $1,800.00 (hi fence breaks tie)
In the Nic of Sign   Jim Dobler   Jim Dobler   70.0   69.0   72.0   211.0 $1,350.00
Mr Blew Boon   Heather Baumgardner   Heather Baumgardner   69.0   70.0   71.0   210.0 $900.00
Its Justa Dual   Sarah Sherman   Sarah Sherman   71.0   70.5   68.0   209.5   $450.00

Amateur Derby
High Five Peppy   Bart Holowath   B & T Holowath   71   67   73   211   $820.00 (hi fence breaks tie)
In the Nic of Sign   Jim Dobler   Jim Dobler   70   69   72   211   $615.00
Chenas Velvet Star   Max Matthews   Max Matthews   68   69.5   71   208.5   $410.00
Signed Prescription   Deborah Anderson   Deborah Anderson   70   69   68   207   $ 205.00

Open Bridle NRCHA
Smoke N Pep   Vance Kaglea   Monica Wille   73.0   73.0   146.0   $900.00
Smart Sassy Date   Brad Pedersen   Greg Gartner   73.0   72.0   145.0   $675.00
Major Dandy Chex   Dale Clearwater   Glenn Loewen   72.5   72.0   144.5 $450.00
Pickachiclet   Jesse Thomson   Terri Holowath   71.0   72.0   143.0   $225.00

Ltd. Open Bridle NRCHA
Meradas Blu Starlite Clay Webster J Drummond Farms 70.5 71.0 141.5 $ 480.00
Smart Little Boonlight Kent Williamson Kent Williamson 66.5 67.0 133.5 $ 320.00

Jackpot Ltd. Open bridle
Smart Little Boonlight Kent Williamson Kent Williamson 66.5 67.0 $100.00

Non-Pro Bridle NRCHA
Genuine Brown Gal   Suzon Schaal   Suzon Schaal   72.0   71.0   143.0   $720.00
Big Boots to Fill   Erin Baumung   Erin Baumung   71.0   70.0   141.0   $540.00
All Ready Doc   Doug Sapergia   Doug Sapergia   70.5   68.0   138.5   $360.00
Leopards in the Myst   Veronica Swales   Veronica Swales   68.5   69.0 137.5 $180.00

Non Pro Bridle Jackpot
Listos Smokin Gun Ron Mathison Ron Mathison 68.0 65.0 133.0 $300.00

Novice Non Pro Bridle NRCHA
Big Boots to Fill   Erin Baumung   Erin Baumung   71.0   70.0   141.0    $550.00
All Ready Doc   Doug Sapergia   Doug Sapergia   70.5   68.0   138.5    $330.00
A.P. Docs Little Saint   Doreen Koroluk   Doreen Koroluk   68.0   67.0   135.0   $220.00

Novice Non Pro Bridle Jackpot
Pepinics Fancy Jackie Miller Jackie Miller 70.0 69.0 139.0 $240.00
Travelin Bandit Sal Howell Sal Howell 66.5 68.0 134.5 $160.00

Open Hackamore NRCHA
ER Uptown Girl Jesse Thomson 7P Ranch Horses 70.5 72.0 142.5 $450.00

Open Hackamore Jackpot
ER Uptown Girl Jesse Thomson 7P Ranch Horses 70.5 72.0 142.5 $150.00

Limited Open Hackamore NRCHA
Chexboomsmal Rod Thiessen Frehlick Quarter Horses 71.0 68.0 139.0 $225.00

Non Pro Hackamore NRCHA
In the Nic of Sign Jim Dobler Jim Dobler 67.5 70.0 137.5 $500.00

Non Pro Hackamore Jackpot
Mr Blew Boon Heather Baumgardner Heather Baumgardner 70.0 70.0 140.0 $200.00

Open Two Rein NRCHA
Caught A Smarty Donna O’Reilly Donna O’Reilly 70.0 70.0 140.0 $285.00
Smart Little Boonlight Kent Williamson Kent Williamson 69.0 69.0 138.0 $190.00

Open Two Rein Jackpot
Smart Little Boonlight   Kent Williamson   Kent Williamson   69.0   69.0   138 $100.00

Non Pro Two Rein NRCHA
Big Boots to Fill   Erin Baumung   Erin Baumung   70.5   65.0   135.5   $225.00
Hailstone Butte   Mark Parsons   Mark Parsons    $150.00

Non Pro Two Rein Jackpot
Hailstone Butte Mark Parsons Mark Parsons $75.00

$5,000 Rein Box NRCHA
Smart Lil Wrangler   Megan Smith   Megan Smith   69.5   70.0   139.5 $412.50
DTS Iceman   Donna Smith   Donna Smith   69.5   69.0   138.5   $247.50
Solanos High N Peppy   Coreena Carr   Coreena Carr   69.0   69.0   138.0   $165.00

Non Pro Rein Box
Smart Lil Wrangler   Megan Smith   Megan Smith   69.5   70.0   139.5    $240.00
DTS Iceman   Donna Smith   Donna Smith   69.5   69.0   138.5    $160.00

$1,000 Limit Rider Rein Box
Justa Pepinic Kid   Coreena Carr   Coreena Carr   69.0   71.0   140.0 $75.00

Youth Rein Box NRCHA and jackpot
Smart Lil Wrangler   Megan Smith   Megan Smith   65.5   72   137.5   $150.00

$500 Limit Rider
Docs Catalynx   Rob Palmer   Rob Palmer   69.0   73.0   142.0 $210.00
DTS Iceman   Terry Smith   Donna Smith   66.5   71.0   137.5   $131.25
Otoes Bar Bob   Jody Wilson   Jo-ann Vayns   68.5   69.0   137.5   $131.25
Chicolenas Buddy   Patti James   Patti James   69.0   68.0   137.0   $52.50

$2,000 Limit Rider
Docs Catalynx   Rob Palmer       69.0   73.0   142.0   $ 180.00
DTS Iceman   Terry Smith       66.5   71.0   137.5      $60.00
Jeepers Courtney   Glenda Haight       69.5   68.0   137.5 $60.00

K&K Livestock Fence Challenge
Major Dandy Chex   Dale Clearwater   Glenn Loewen    74.0 saddle
Smartee   Cayley Wilson   Leslie Wallace    73.5      $420.00
Smoke N Pep   Vance Kaglea   Monica Wille   73.0 $ 350.00
Smart Lil Double Pep   Dale Clearwater   Louise All Church   72.5 $245.00
Major Sugar Cat   Jesse Thomson   Greenpine Ranche    72.5    $245.00
Pickachiclet   Jesse Thomson   Terri Holowath    72.0 $70.00
Smart Lil Boonlight   Kent Williamson   Kent Williamson   72.0   $70.00

Future Stars

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE June 17, 2010

Future Stars coming at'chya from the Cowtown Derby & Stockhorse Show. Pic by Heather Baumgardner.

One of the highlights of the Cowtown Derby & Stockhorse Show held in Claresholm, Alberta this past June 4-6 was the Future Stars class, which featured the young riders of our industry to be.

Jaycee Palmer. Pic by Heather Baumgardner.

Young cowgirls and cowboys jumped aboard some great horses and put them through the paces of modified reined and cow work.

Falyn Thomson. Pic by Heather Pic by Heather Baumgardner.

Of course, all contestants were winners in this class. And their parents rode away with proud smiles.

Hailey Palmer. Pic by Heather Baumgardner.

However society as a whole can benefit from children who are involved with horses. Horses teach kids about responsibility, goals and discipline. They also teach young boys and girls how to assert themselves in this big world. And if you ask me, there’s nothing more adorable than a good-hearted horse cinched up in a saddle with short stirrups.

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Spring Classic – Part 2

MY STABLE LIFE June 16, 2010

I know I’ve been slacking off at My Stable Life here a bit, but I promise you it’s not intentional. Clay and I just got off the road from a 10-day trip to Alberta. It involved 2 shows, 4 horses and 768 kilometers (each way).

The Spring Classic audience & judges.

Here are a couple more candid shots I caught at the 2010 Reining Alberta Spring Classic held at Westerner Park in Red Deer, Alberta. And I have to tell you, looking through all of these got me thinking…