Horse slaughter is in the news again. Back in 2007, Congress, urged on by well meaning but misguided activists, outlawed the 3 remaining horse slaughter plants in the US. These were USDA inspected facilities that killed unwanted horses humanely and exported the meat for human consumption. Back then, I stated that it was a bad [...]
Also taggedFor those of you that are wondering… Skip is off antibiotics and seems to be pretty much back to normal. Delaney is taking it very slow working with him, but judging by the way he runs around the pasture with his buddies it looks like he has made a full recovery.
Also taggedI figured it was time to get rid of the Christmas lights. The current header image is from the atrium of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. I thought the shadow of the diorama was sort of cool. In other news, Skip has Lyme Disease. Because we caught it on the first day he [...]
Also tagged1. On Sunday night we found ourselves at the farm at 9 PM, waiting for the Vet. Skip had a 103.4 fever, which is quite high for a horse. In the absence of any other symptoms, the Vet suspected anaplasmosis, which can kill a horse in a matter of days. (Anaplasmosis is a tick borne [...]
Also tagged fencingCheck out my daughters Christmas Horseshoes on Etsy. Your grandmother does not want another Hallmark ornament. Trust me on this.
Also taggedHow pitiful do you have to be to spend your time criticizing 12 year old kids that you have never met? This comment was left on Horseshues. It was held in moderation, where it shall stay. However, since light tends to scatter roaches, I do want the comment to see the light of day in [...]
Also taggedYou don’t limit your practice to real horses. You’ll notice the toy horse is not just a toy horse, but a toy horse that looks like Skip. Practicing with a bay toy horse just wouldn’t be the same.
Also tagged Show DadI was on the road to a horse show. Worth it? What do you think? (The slide show runs quickly, and I can’t slow it down. You might want to hit pause immediately and manually click your way through.) There is also a video of the equitation over fences class at Horseshues.
Also tagged Show DadTherefore everybody should refrain from blowing stuff up in July 4th, because it’s too much trouble for horse owners to put the horses in the barn for the night. At least, that is how I interpret today’s brilliant letter. Apparently the fact that people ignore the fireworks laws in VA was a huge shock to [...]
Also tagged Fredericksburg VAWe were getting that advice 8 weeks ago. Although this may look great to us laymen, Delaney tells me that her hands are not far enough up Skip’s neck. I guess we know now why the ribbons were pink and white today, and not blue
Also tagged Show DadI’d make some snarky comment about the parent spending $10,000 a year on his pre-teens hockey career, but since I have a $4000 saddle that was custom made in England being delivered today, I probably should just stay quiet. Although in my defense, this saddle will work as both a hunter and dressage saddle, and [...]
Also tagged Show DadCowboys are carpooling to get to rodeos. That can’t be good for the horse’s back.
Also tagged economyGiven the ongoing conversation here and elsewhere about the value of the college degree, I found this article from the local paper quite interesting. It’s a profile of a local kid that just graduated with fine grades, yet is skipping college to become a farrier. An established farrier makes six figures around here, although it [...]
Also taggedDelaney kicking ass in the show jumping ring. And… well, there is no and. We got up at 5:30 for the horse show and got home around 4 PM.
Also tagged Show DadReally, nobody needs flatware or stemware on their wedding day. With the divorce rate hovering around 50%, what they really need is some luck. You can be the bearer of that luck. Brides have received luck bottled up in a horseshoe for centuries. Unfortunately, the trend in current times is to give dainty little lace [...]
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