[egrogan]

We have these fine light mosquito nets that go over our hats, about $5 a pop from a camping shop. Keeps off flies, mozzies, sandflies, midges...

I just bought Fizz a "horse hoodie," which is made from that fine mesh which is very lightweight and airy (I tried Sailor's on Fizz to see how it fit). The company also makes a human version, which looks a bit like a beekeeper ensemble. From the manufacturer's site:

I'm so claustrophobic I can't help but think I'd feel like I was suffocating in there, no matter how light it is.

We had a nice ride with M and Coalie yesterday. We went for 9 miles out to the Blind Mare Farm. It's a nice mix of roads and great trail. Surprisingly the trail portion was fairly dry. I was expecting it to be worse given the trail I'd been on the previous day, but even the spots that tend to stay muddy were not as deep as usual.

There is one old wooden bridge built for snowmobiles that we have to cross, and it is getting to be a little sketchy. You could hear an unsettling rotten-wood-crunching sound going over it. It's not too high up, but it still would be scary to have it go out from under you and drop a few feet into a rocky creek. The "trail" is technically a Jeep road, and in addition to snowmobiles, full size pickups and SUVs do drive back there at times, so I would think it's worth replacing. The snowmobile club apparently maintains the trail and bridge, so M was going to check in with the club President to see if he had any plans to fix it.

The trail ends at this beautiful farm, which is surrounded by beautiful hay fields and apple orchards. One of my favorite vistas. If I lived there I think I'd want to spend all my free time in a hammock outside looking over the farm.

The farm is a turnaround point, and we backtrack home the same way we came out. Said hello to our town's oldest residents on the way back...

We couldn't have asked for nicer weather, and it's great getting back to longer rides. Slowly, slowly Fizz is getting back into better shape and we're both loosing some of the winter weight.

And, big day today for Izzy! This morning she was due at the vet for her molar extraction. We finally picked our trailer up from the mechanic at the end of last week. Yesterday we did a little loading practice. It's been three years since Izzy has been on a trailer, and she's never been a particularly frequent traveler, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Of course she didn't like being taken away from the other horses, and they didn't help much by returning her frantic calls to them. But in ~15 minutes, we'd gone off and on the trailer twice, which was actually better than I thought she might be. She needed to hop and dance around behind it for a bit before walking on, but I had lots of yummy treats waiting in there for her and she didn't try to rush back off once she got on, so that was positive. She was reasonable about backing off when I asked her to. This morning I had planned for at least 30 minutes, but I'd say it took less than 3 minutes to get her on and closed up.

She was definitely not happy about it, and she kicked at the front door a lot along the way. Poor thing was drenched in sweat and shaking when we took her off, so it wasn't necessarily a pleasant experience, but she survived. We're expecting to pick her up later in the afternoon. I believe she's having the procedure start right about now, so hopefully it goes well and she recovers easily. Not to be too morbid, but I'm imagining this may be the last time she takes a trip off the farm. I feel a little guilty that it's for something that's not fun for her, but I have to imagine getting those teeth out will make her more comfortable in the long run.

 

[QueenofFrance08]

I wonder if maybe Fizz got a bug in her mouth or maybe something stung her in the mouth with her weird reaction?

You'll have to let me know if she likes her horse hoodie. I thought about getting one for Chico (I use a quiet ride on most everyone all summer already) but it's also kind of funny looking so I'm not sure if he would like it or if it would bother him more.

Glad you had some fun rides! Hope Izzy feels better after getting her teeth fixed!

 

[egrogan]

The boss lady has returned. She put on a little show not wanting to load to come home at the clinic, but after a few minutes we were back in and headed home. A little embarrassing with the very sympathetic vet tech as an audience, but it all worked out.

She had the two molars removed, but they didn’t have to do anything else in there. So just some SMZs and some banamine for the next few days.

As soon as she got back to the pasture, she had a quick nose sniff with Fizz and then chased everyone a couple of laps around the pasture, snaking her head at them, to remind everyone she was in charge. 😆

Vet said she threw the water bucket all over the recovery stall and loudly demanded it was time to go home within minutes of the anesthesia wearing off. Clearly she knew she needed to get home to put these two back in line. Seeing her prance around the field, I am really feeling like she looks so much better than she did a few weeks ago!

 

[Txshecat0423]

That first pic, she seems to be saying “What are YOU looking at???”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[egrogan]

We went for a short, faster ride first thing this morning. Even early in the morning, it was hot and steamy- supposed to turn stormy tonight through most of the week. You know it's hot when you can see the haze hanging over the mountain

We had a really good ride though. We kept up a steady trot most of the way to escape the flies, with a little canter in good spots. She even offered a trot downhill, which I gladly accepted. It still feels a little unbalanced so I kept it short (and really tried to make sure I was balanced to help), but it's nice to have her offer.

Her back felt much looser today. I am still doing the massage/release points with her tacking up, and maybe it's helping. She seems to enjoy it, I can really feel her relax; on some of the release points, she gives big sighs and will even rest her hind leg.

When we got home and untacked, I had a little time to mess around with the trailer. This would be the first time introducing it to her. I had very minimal expectations- I was thinking that if she walked up the ramp calmly and didn't try to run backwards, that would be plenty of success for the first time. Ideally I'd like to be able to trailer her home from the endurance ride this weekend, but it's always possible to just hack home if needed, so it's not a complete necessity. She was curious about it as we walked up to it, and paused to snuffle at the ramp and shavings (maybe smelled like Izzy from yesterday? Or its previous inhabitants?)

She took a step backwards onto the grass but I just kept her nose pointed at the trailer and asked her to keep going. A few seconds later...

She walked right on like it was no big deal at all 💗 💗 💗 I had a few snacks left over from Izzy yesterday, so we hung out for a minute with that. Then I asked her to back off slowly, and there was no scrambling or rushing. It couldn't have been a bigger success!

I have a question for people with more trailering experience than me. There's a lot I already like about the trailer, but one thing I really don't. I really don't like the placement of the butt bar and the ring that holds it (you can also see a different view of it in the top picture where she's sniffing the shavings). It sticks out really far into the stall, and unless they are perfectly straight walking on, and definitely backing off, there's a good chance they will bump their hip on it. Of course it's rounded and not pointy, but as a former teacher who often had hips bruised from bumping desks while walking around the classroom, I know it's not fun to run into something when you're not expecting it.

Is this a normal placement for the butt bar? When I borrowed M's trailer, I don't remember it seeming like it was so in the way. This is supposed to be a "warmblood size" trailer, which my girls are obviously not, so I can't imagine how a bigger horse would navigate around it. Anyone have any suggestions, or do we just get used to it and focus on being really straight getting off and on?

 

[Knave]

It’s been so long since I had a horse in a straight load I have no idea. They make me uncomfortable, but that’s because I haven’t used them in so long I’m sure. I did have a big wreck in one in high school, but yours looks a lot safer than that old trailer.

I would guess that they would get used to it. If they are in and out of it on occasion, it probably won’t seem a bit deal to them and they’ll just stay straight on their own.

 

[carshon]

My friend ties her butt bar to the side when loading and unloading. Her horses don't like it if it brushes their legs so she has some rope she always uses to tie it to the sides. That being said her girls load and stand long enough for her to walk around and untie the butt bar and then lock it in place.

 

[QueenofFrance08]

The straight load we used to have had smaller rings than that on the butt bar but they were still in the same place. Never noticed it being an issue. You could probably cut up some pool noodles and put them over as caps when you un hook the bar to let them out if you think it is becoming a problem!

 

[egrogan]

Thank you everyone! So much to learn

 

[SueC]

I just bought Fizz a "horse hoodie," which is made from that fine mesh which is very lightweight and airy (I tried Sailor's on Fizz to see how it fit). The company also makes a human version, which looks a bit like a beekeeper ensemble. From the manufacturer's site:
View attachment 1130229
I'm so claustrophobic I can't help but think I'd feel like I was suffocating in there, no matter how light it is.

So if you have bees, and they get super defensive, they have a method by which they start to attack the front of your face under a veil en masse, flying into the veil in large groups so that it obliterates the gap to your face, and then stinging en masse. This is why bee suits have several loops of wire to keep the veil off the face even under such attack:

...now that would probably make you feel a bit more claustrophobic still than the light veil you posted, and it would be really hard to ride in one, because too flappy and because the zips under the chin start to choke you if you sit down in a suit like this...

Our beginner setup was more like the veil you posted, but white material at the back to dissuade stinging where visibility isn't required, and it really does need a very broad-brimmed hat to keep the veil off the face, and the bottom of the veil over your shoulders so that bees can't get your face:

...but those were lovely tame gentle Golden Italians we started with, not cross-bred Caucasians who are basically jetfighters when riled!

Our "mossie/midge nets" for personal use look a bit lighter than what you've posted still:

Very see-through and just a light elastic that drapes itself around your neck in non-boa-constrictor fashion. Works on a hat or helmet or under one if it's just flies and midges you want to keep off.

That horse hoodie you got for Fizz looks really effective - I'm sure she will love it during bug season!

 

[SueC]

I have a question for people with more trailering experience than me. There's a lot I already like about the trailer, but one thing I really don't. I really don't like the placement of the butt bar and the ring that holds it (you can also see a different view of it in the top picture where she's sniffing the shavings). It sticks out really far into the stall, and unless they are perfectly straight walking on, and definitely backing off, there's a good chance they will bump their hip on it. Of course it's rounded and not pointy, but as a former teacher who often had hips bruised from bumping desks while walking around the classroom, I know it's not fun to run into something when you're not expecting it.
View attachment 1130279
Is this a normal placement for the butt bar? When I borrowed M's trailer, I don't remember it seeming like it was so in the way. This is supposed to be a "warmblood size" trailer, which my girls are obviously not, so I can't imagine how a bigger horse would navigate around it. Anyone have any suggestions, or do we just get used to it and focus on being really straight getting off and on?

There's lot I like about your trailer too - it's nice and wide, inviting and bright inside instead of poky, well-padded, with a rubber floor.

And I don't like the bum bar or its placement either, and have only ever seen one float made in Australia which came up with an excellent design that prevents bum bar problems, which were a safety issue for horse and handler in every other float I've ever worked with, or seen other people use.

This is an Olympic float - same type I borrowed to bring my horses down to the South Coast. It has a front window to make the inside brighter and to let the horse have a view as it is travelling. The horses seem to appreciate that both for loading and travelling.

On the rear view you see the broad padded bum bars used on all this manufacturer's floats. They swing on a hinge and can be pushed further out to the side, but this is generally how you'd load a horse, with the bum bars and pinned-in-position top doors (which you can also fold all the way back along the side of the float) making a visual barrier that discourages horses from jumping off to the side. The centre divider swings on a hinge as well, so you can open it to one side to give a horse more room when loading. It has an upright bar not shown in this stock photograph that keeps the divider centred once you have the horse in - you can see that in the next photo.

That was when I brought my mare down to Albany in 2008. You can see the closed position of the bum bars here. They have spring-loaded latches with long handles that you can engage to click into shut position easily without stepping onto the loading ramp - just off from the side. The horse walks in, you push the bum bar into the centre, it clicks into position. And there is nothing protruding from the centre or the side of the float that the horse can get caught on.

There's a rubber mat hanging off the left bum bar here because one of this float's usual occupants had a tendency to kick in the float - this provided extra padding on top of the rubber cushion over the tail ramp, and because the mat swung back a little if kicked, it discouraged said occupant from kicking as much.

Anyway - safest bum bar system I've used, safest float all around. I think you might be able to get a mechanical workshop to make a set of hinged bars like this for you, and if they're clever they can also make you those spring-loaded latches. It would really be worth making such a modification if you can arrange it.

Another thing that is important is that the breast bars have a quick-release on them in case of emergencies. We may not think about emergencies, but they happen - I travelled towing a float like this to someone else's competition, when their super-temperamental, hyper-flexible mare jumped clean over the breast bar while travelling on a freeway at 100km/h and got herself wedged so that by the time we opened the front door, the horse was planted on its face against the ground, hanging over the breast bar just in front of its hind legs, with her knees on the ground beside her face and the legs folded backwards. The hind legs were up in the air in the back of the float. The horse was essentially doing a head-stand, as if you were on your head and elbows with your legs in the air.

On any other float we would have needed an angle grinder to cut the horse out - breast bars can turn into traps. This trailer has hinged breast bars with an emergency release mechanism, so we were able to unlock one side of the bar with the horse hanging off it, swing it backwards slightly, then remove it altogether so that the horse was released from the bar and able to get back into a normal position.

We did this on the shoulder of a busy freeway, at night-time, with car lights and traffic noise and with huge semi-trailers whooshing past us only about 1-2 metre off to our side, shaking the trailer with their turbulence as they passed - and this horse was dead scared of semi-trailers. This was not a fun situation, but would have been far less fun if we'd had to try to get a battery-operated angle grinder 30km from the nearest main town - this is not the kind of thing people travel with. Emergency assistance teams would have taken a minimum of 30 minutes to get to us - more like 1-2 hours, realistically - and in that time the horse could have suffocated in its position, or come to worse grief by struggling and thrashing about.

She wasn't injured that time - just a few scratches - and still went on to participate in the competition. There's nothing in an Olympic float that a horse can catch itself on, except the breast bar - it's like a padded cell.

These features are also really handy were your float ever to flip with a horse in it, and you had to get a horse out. There are instances where horses have survived being tipped in a trailer, but then got additional injuries because they had to be cut from the wreckage - if your breast bars or bum bars don't release easily under load in an emergency, your horse is trapped until you can cut it out.

 

[egrogan]

I have lots of catching up to do after having a really excellent riding weekend with Fizz. This weekend was our first endurance ride of the season. I volunteered as a vet scribe on Friday night, helping vet in the 25 mile competitive trail riders who would be going out on Saturday morning. I really like the vet who I scribed for- she's the perfect combo of sympathetic to the horses and encouraging to the riders.

Saturday afternoon, I hacked Fizz the 10 miles from home over to the horse park. This is the first time we've hacked over there alone, and I was a little surprised to find I had some butterflies in my stomach. I'm not really sure why, as I've ridden that route probably half a dozen times, so know the trail well. And she and I have certainly done longer rides on our own. I guess it was just the idea of doing something alone that I'd always done with a buddy before that had me a little edgy.

But as soon as we were on our way, the butterflies settled down. She was loose through her back and willing. I found I really liked being on our own to go at the pace that felt right for us. We trotted and cantered on the uphills, and when she needed a breather we walked. We seemed to fall into a good rhythm. It was humid and buggy, but she was decked out in her new bug gear so there was no fidgeting or head tossing.

We've had off and on rain showers, so there were some muddy spots in the woods, but it was not as muddy back there as it was this time last year when it was hard to avoid the boggy sections. This was about the worst we rode through, and it wasn't bad at all.

We passed a few trucks on the Jeep road, and being so narrow, either we pulled to the side and stopped, or the trucks did. Everyone we passed joked about her funny outfit and how easy it was to see us with all our orange on. I am always happy to be a positive horsey trail ambassador by having good interactions with people who live along the trails 😁

At about 7 miles in, I could feel her getting a little tired, and she was pretty tough to ride on the last rocky downhill section that would link us back up to the final dirt road section. The footing was slippery with the rocks, and rutted out from trucks or ATVs driving on it, and she couldn't seem to find a side of the trail that made her happy. A couple of times she tried to dive off the main trail down a side trail we've never been on before, which to be honest was frustrating. Fortunately that section of trail is only about a mile long, and we made it. I'm glad we didn't see any vehicles or bikes on that section, as she was difficult to keep straight.

Coming out of the woods, we were mostly back on the road the rest of the way, with a short section through a very overgrown snowmobile trail where the grass was so high it was in her mouth. Of course we stopped to have a snack!

We had one busy, paved road to cross, where cars travel 50mph and there isn't a great sight line at the crossing, particularly with the very robust summer foliage. I could hear a car coming but couldn't quite judge how far it was, and bumped Fizz's nose beyond some of the shrubs to try to peer around the corner into the road. A car was much closer than I expected, and we were precariously hanging out into the road, but fortunately they also saw us (yay orange!) and stopped to let us cross. Across the paved road and a short wooden bridge, we were onto the cross country course at the horse park. More enticing grass waved in her face:

From this gallop track you come through the jump field. I truly don't understand where eventers get their courage, this stuff is so intimidating to ride around!

After our very pleasant 2 hour ride from home, we headed into the barn area, where the 50 mile riders for Sunday were vetting in. Fizz was interested to take in all the activity, and was happy to get a good drink from the water tubs set up along the vetting ring.

We were stabled next to a new friend that we were planning on riding with on Sunday. I had met this rider through another online horse forum. This was her first distance ride, but she has done lots of trails and dressage with her Morgan mare, Gracie. How cute were these two waiting for their dinner?

The vetting in for the 50 mile riders went quickly, so the ride manager came down to the stabling area and told those of us doing the shorter distances that we could vet in Saturday night, which was fine by me! That way Sunday morning would be a little less hectic. Fizz stood perfectly for the vet. She had a couple of not perfect gut sounds, but I explained to him that we had just ridden 10 miles and he wasn't concerned, knowing she'd get plenty of water and good grazing after we finished the vetting. She is never one to turn down handgrazing!

To be continued with our ride report from Sunday...
🐎

 

[carshon]

I am on the edge of my seat waiting for PartII

 

[egrogan]

The forecast for Sunday had been unsettled, and there was a good chance of rain to end the ride. But when I woke up, the day was bright and sunny. I headed out to feed Fizz and leave plenty of time to handwalk her around after being stalled all night. While I wouldn't say she ever really enjoys being in the stall, this is the least anxious I've seen her after being in overnight. After about 45 minutes of walking around sampling the grass, I put her back up so I could go to the pre-ride briefing (she definitely did not want to go back in the stall at that point!).

The ride meeting was quick, and we had about 20 minutes before the trail would open. There were 15ish riders in our distance (10 miles). With a lot of people being brand new, I think there were some nerves, because almost everyone else was tacked up before the ride briefing, and then just sort of milling around afterwards. We had chosen to tack up after the meeting and wanted to be at the back of the pack, knowing we were planning a slow ride. My riding buddy wasn't sure how the hills would treat Gracie, and Fizz is really not fit given our late start to the season, so we were looking to let them tell us how they were handling the trail.

The ride started out through the cross country jump field. More giant solid fences to look at.

Here is Gracie checking out the famous GMHA squirrel.

Fizz led the whole way, since this was new to Gracie, and her rider thought Gracie would build confidence from following. Gracie is a more "show bred" Morgan, and the first couple of miles she snorted and pranced along as though she were going around the ring. Fizz was also raring to go. After our first trot up Long Hill (aptly named), both mares were breathing and thinking again. We soon found ourselves behind another pair of riders whose horses also seemed very eager. One rider was shouting and screaming at the horse, which I don't like seeing. We decided to just hang back so we didn't get in their space. The first couple of times Fizz could see the other pair of horses ahead of us through the trees, she slammed on the brakes and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But we stayed within sight of them for the first 2-3 miles, and after the initial confusion she didn't seem too affected by them. We'd be on a clear stretch of trail or out in a field for awhile and could see them, and then they'd dip down a hill or the brush would get too thick to see them until things cleared out again. Fizz stayed strong and was eager to go, but I never got the feeling that she was getting locked in to the idea of racing to catch the other horses. Which was a relief.

A couple of people had started behind us, and ended up passing. The first time, Gracie was a little startled, but again neither of our horses fought to chase the one leaving them. We spent a little bit of time leapfrogging with a pair of Icelandics. They looked simultaneously adorable and fierce gaiting down the trail with their substantial manes flowing in the wind.

There was one narrow section of single-track trail where we got stacked up 4 in a row, but they were not bothered by us behind them. When the footing got better, they hit the accelerator and vanished up over the hill out of sight.

We connected back up with them when we got to the one water stop on the trail (I think this was ~6.5 miles in). The water stop was busy, with 6 horses when we arrived. Fizz took a great drink, but was too antsy to eat when horses started leaving. I was surprised that's where she cared about other horses disappearing, but she did. Gracie drank well but was also not really interested in eating, so we got back on and headed out before the Icelandics did.

The stop really got Fizz amped up and she was pulling a lot for the next part of the ride. We nearly went off trail, missing a left turn. We realized we'd made a mistake after just a couple of minutes, so we didn't get too far in the wrong direction. But Fizz seems to lose her confidence in me quickly if I backtrack after making a wrong turn, and there were a couple of places where she thought maybe she should make her own trail rather than go where I was suggesting. 😉 We had a lot of up and down hill, and a big stream crossing, and she was really strong through all of that. After a few long uphill trots, we were back in communication again, and while she was still eager, she stopped pulling.

In no time at all, we were crossing the last paved road section and finally had some nice flat, open fields to cross. Fizz definitely knew we were nearly back at the horse park, and she trotted right along with Gracie close behind. The ride photographer was near the finish and we got a couple of nice photos! Can't miss us in the orange! 🍊

The Icelandics must have passed us when we took a wrong turn, because we were the last ones to cross the finish line. But we did it! We were so happy with how well the horses did together. I am grateful that Fizz was able to lead confidently, and that even though Gracie had never done this before, she wasn't phased by anything we experienced. And it was so nice to have a horse that moved at the same speed as Fizz. Gracie's rider was also pleasantly surprised, saying she'd never ridden with another horse where she wasn't constantly holding Gracie back or circling to wait. It makes such a difference in the horse's attitude to be able to go along at a pace that's comfortable for them. It was a really great ride.

We had 30 minutes to present for our final vet check, and the horses pulsed down easily and had no issues with the vet. The Icelandics were ahead of us in line and both rolled in the arena while waiting for the vet. Fizz would have liked to, but I don't think that's really something they're supposed to do, so I asked her to stand. She settled for an intense full body shake- how funny is it that their ears are so flexible!! 👂

It was a really fabulous day, couldn't have asked for a better ride.

 

[egrogan]

The final part of the story was getting home. Lovely husband came over with the trailer to pick us up. This was Fizz's inaugural ride in the trailer. She had loaded up well at home, but I hadn't actually taken her anywhere yet. I was thrilled that she walked right on, and lovely husband was there to help me do up the butt bar and close the back. I stood in front with her and had a yummy bowl of treats (carrots and watermelon) which she was eager to have. She stood quietly as we got everything closed up and ready to head home. Unlike when we'd trailed in M's trailer, we couldn't feel her swaying or hear any stomping. It may be that this trailer is just a bit heavier than M's so she couldn't swing it as much.

At any rate, I was keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that when we got home and opened the doors, she'd be standing there calmly. Sadly, that was not the case. She was soaked in sweat and shaking like a leaf from head to toe. She did stand quietly for me to come in and untie her while lovely husband got the back open, but it makes me so sad to see her trembling like that. I know that we gave her a gentle, quiet ride with no difficult road conditions; the ride is probably about 30 minutes. She just really seems to hate the whole experience. I will be curious to see how she is about loading the next time. I might ask lovely husband to be the one to lead her on, because I don't want any of my creeping doubts to interfere with her willingness to get on.

I love the design of the trailer that @SueC posted- that front window and all the light it lets in seems great. I like those butt bars too- they seem easier to use, and nicer for the horse, than what I have. I've never seen anything like that.

Working on the loading challenges was a great first step, and it was so much less stressful to have her just walk right on. Now I need to figure out what I can do to help her stop having such an awful time while we're moving. The only thing I know to do is just plan for lots of extremely short trips down the road, stopping before she's sweaty and shaking. I am guessing the distance will probably be very short at first. Now that I have a trailer, I have a lot of people wanting to plan to meet up at various trails; I appreciate the invite, but there's no way Fizz is ready to be trailered someplace, unloaded, and ridden. We have more work to do before those kinds of adventures. I'm sure we'll get there, but our training goal for the summer is clear!

 

[knightrider]

Isabeau sweated and shook in the trailer for about 7 years. I trailered her often to get her used to the trailer. It took a very long time, but she does fairly well now. She does better with a buddy in the trailer with her. Isabeau was perfectly awful in the trailer as well as sweating and shaking. She just about kicked my trailer to pieces. But she's OK now. It just took a lot of time and patience. I am thinking that Fizz will do better than that.

 

[egrogan]

I hope we can work through it too @knightrider! There are lots of places I'd love to take her, but not at the expense of her being terrified.

 

[TrainedByMares]

Nicki and Jesse both had stress on early trailer rides but that's over now. I think it will get easier for Fizz.

 

[Knave]

I’m so happy for you!!!!

 

[QueenofFrance08]

Jake was horrible trailering when we got him. He wouldn't get on, was soaked in sweat when we finally would get him on, and hated anything related to trailers. Then he learned trailers take you to fun places and now he hops on and munches his hay happily and hops off just as happy when we get where we are going. Time and practice!