The Whoa Podcast ⋆ Page 5 of 47 ⋆ About Horses and Horsemanship

Get Your Horse Legged Up with Sam Finden

June 4, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Leg Up Your Horse with Sam Finden

Recently I asked listeners how they get their horse in condition, or legged up, after a winter’s layoff. It’s been a long, cold, and wet winter in much of the country. Here in California, we had snow in the nearby mountains and, as I write this, it’s Memorial Day weekend. We have only used our horses a few times in the last several months. With peak riding time around the corner, it’s time to get your horse “legged up”.

Sam Finden lives in Townsend, Montana working, riding horses, and writing novels. I asked listeners how they get their horse in condition, or legged up, after a winter’s layoff. An avid hunter, Sam uses his horses to ride and pack in on his hunting trips. He starts with short trips at the beginning of the season. Sam works his horses up to peak condition for rifle season in the fall.

Sam Finden’s Advice to Legging Up Your Horse

Keep it a positive experience. Your horse would rather sleep in instead of work.
Start with groundwork 15-20 minutes to get their bodies and mind back thinking about you.
After groundwork use short rides at the walk and trot to help both horse and rider get in shape.
Pay attention to your tack. Your horse’s weight and body condition may have changed over the winter. Make sure your tack is in good conditions and still fits properly.

Check Out Sam’s Books

We’ve invited Sam on the show twice before. He knows how to tell a story. After he published his first novel, Saddle My Good Horse, we talked about Sam’s journey to Montana. We caught up to Sam a few years later and talked about his horses and his writing. You can see more of Sam’s work at Samfinden.com

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder. I need your help for that. I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together. I hope you will join me.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. Email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #145

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Kellie Auld, Her Mare Little Girl, and Lameness

May 28, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Kellie Auld, Her Mare, Little Girl, and Lameness

I’ve been asking you to share your stories about making medical decisions with your horses. Kellie Auld from California sent me this email of a story she wanted to share about her mare, Little Girl.

Kellie bought Little Girl as a 2-year-old. Her registered name is Skip to My Leaguer. Together they went all over California competing in little shows and eventing.

The Big Scare

Kellie and Little Girl had a good relationship. When Little Girl was 11, the two took part in an eventing clinic at their boarding stable. Little Girl had worked hard during the clinic and Kellie wanted to get her out for a hand-walk on the trail the next day to stretch her legs. This was a trail they had been on many times. Both of them knew about the free range peacocks living in the area. About 1/2 mile down the trail they ran into a male “paint” peacock. A big blue-and-white peacock. This was a first.

Little Girl is a high-energy horse, and she went into survival mode. Kellie had to hang on to the lead rope while trying to disengage her horse. The ground was hard, rocky, and uneven. They had only walked out about 10 minutes when this happened, but they took nearly 30 minutes to get back. So much for a relaxing walk. They both came back in a sweat. Poor Little Girl was lathered up.

The Diagnosis

Little Girl had a compound fracture in her right hind splint bone and had bruises on all 4 feet despite being shod and wearing protective boots. She was lame all the way around. X-rays and ultrasounds on all four feet showed nothing other than the fracture. The vet prescribed a month of stall rest followed by a month of hand walking. Little Girl finally got turned out for some light trotting. Ice treatments, poultices, DMSO, and water treatments usually followed.

Her splint calcified and resolved and her feet returned to their natural state. Finally, the vets gave the okay for tack-walking and lunge-line work. She was not back to 100%, so Kellie took it slow. Little Girl looked good except for the right front lameness. Six months and two follow-up vet exams passed and still there was no improvement. The vet advised Kellie to stay consistent with her exercise. Don’t increase the workload.

After another month, the lameness worsened. Kellie sought a second opinion. Of course, it was another thorough exam involving x-rays, blocking, and everything that goes with it. This vet said the only way to see what was really going on was with an MRI. Without insurance, it would have to come out of Kellie’s pocket.

About this time, Kellie got another job and moved. The move put her closer to a well-known equine podiatrist and lameness specialist with a standing MRI. The cost of the MRI was $2700, but Kellie had to know what was going on with Little Girl. She put everything on credit cards that were already under the strain of the first rounds of vet exams.

The Decision to Get the MRI

It was a full year after the initial injury that Kellie finally got an answer through the MRI. In all the commotion and chaos with the peacocks, Little Girl had come down so hard on that right front hoof she had internally lacerated her deep digital flexor tendon with her navicular bone. She had slightly chipped her navicular and bruised her bursa. This diagnosis meant stall rest for 6 months (no hand walking) and then light hand walking and stall rest for another 6 months. Telling a fit, high energy 12-year-old they have to stay locked up and can’t go outside was an extreme challenge.

Little Girl Today

Little Girl is now 15 and Kellie faces a tough decision. She has done everything the vets prescribed. Three different farriers and special shoes haven’t made the difference she hoped for. Does she retire Little Girl from riding for good? While Kellie would be okay if Little Girl spent the rest of her life with light trail riding and groundwork, the pain is clear even in those activities.

In Kellie’s words, “I am heartbroken for my own selfish reasons for I put money and time into 4 vets, thousands of dollars (I really don’t have). Now my horse tells me she wants to keep riding and having fun, but she just can’t. I feel for everyone who has to battle with lameness. There is no right answer sometimes. There is just us doing the best we can at the moment. Little Girl is happy, loving, and sound enough to be a pasture pony now. The day may come when she is not. We will cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I love on her and let her be, even though when I go out there she still wants to play games. She doesn’t understand why we don’t go for trail rides, because she likes them just as much as me, if not more.”

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder. I will need your help for that. I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together. I hope you will join me.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #144

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

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The Medicine Bucket

May 24, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

The Medicine Bucket

We have three horses. Occasionally, they have to take medicine by mouth. Sometimes that medicine is bitter. That’s where the medicine bucket come in handy.

One supplement we regularly give our horses is a mineral product designed to fill in the deficiencies of the alfalfa hay grown in our area. Our vet recommends it. Each horse gets 2 cups a day in pellet form mixed with a bit of water to soften it up. The minerals are not overwhelming. The consistency is like straight alfalfa pellets. All three horses enjoy getting it in the afternoon. As a matter of fact, when I am mixing up the medicine buckets, they hear me stirring the mixture and nicker.

Different Horses, Different Reactions

Scratch, the mustang, had to learn about the medicine bucket. Being out in the wild, he had no knowledge a bucket of goodies existed. He learned quickly. If there is a flake of alfalfa in his stall and the bucket on the fence, Scratch will start with the alfalfa. If I add medicine to the bucket, I better add some sugar or salt to improve the flavor, or he will ignore it.

Dusty is the most skeptical. If there is a hint of anything else in his bucket, he’ll hold out for his alfalfa. Bute, an anti-inflammatory, must taste bitter. For dusty, I have to start off with a low dose and gradually work my way up to the prescribed dose. He is the toughest of the three.

Jessie is the easiest. She lives for food. Jessie doesn’t think of treats as treats, she believes them to be essential. And necessary to her survival. And she better get them every day or she has a tantrum. Yeah, I spoil her. But, giving her medicine is a snap. If a medication is extremely bitter, adding a tablespoon of sugar is all that is necessary.

I made a short video of my bucket procedure with jessie. You can watch it below.

Coming Back To Horses Susan Hoskins

May 21, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Coming Back To Horses

Women are coming back to horses after raising a family. There is a lot of life left after your children leave the nest. Many people use these “Golden Years” to follow their dreams of once again owning a horse.

Long-time listener Susan Hoskins raised eight children. As they gradually left home to lead their own lives, Susan saw the writing on the wall. She would need something to fill the void – both of time and passion – that her family left behind. Coming back to horses is a dream come true.

Challenges

But, things are always easier the second time around. Mother Nature imposes some physical restrictions on the second half century of life. While it was not always easy, Susan overcame many of those challenges. She shares her tips on this episode.

Susan’s Suggestions if You’re Coming Back to Horses

Susan sent me a great email with many of the items we talked about on the show. She added this note: “I am not associated with these companies / organizations, except that I have purchased some of them.”

~ Booma Rein – https://boomarein.com/

I use this and am weaning off of it. The owner of this little business started it because she witnessed or knew of a rider that died from an accident involving a horse at high speed that dropped the reins while barrel racing.

~ Horse Holster –https://thehorseholster.com/

NOW I wear my phone on my person! ha ha I can still hear my trainer laughing about this with that “told ya” tone about her! UGH

~ Landsafe –https://landsafeequestrian.com/

This company sells safety equipment. They also travel around doing clinics on “How to Fall”. They teach you using a horse simulator with giant, thick mats. This equips you to fall in a way that potentially minimizes injury. Also builds confidence from fear of falling. With practice you develop muscle memory.

~ Pre twisted / swivel stirrups are a great idea for those with knee-replacement. Or just knee problems.

~ Cushioned saddles can encourage more time in the saddle.

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder. I will need your help for that. I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together. I hope you will join me.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #143

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

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Colic Surgery Decision with Listener Alyssa Severeid

May 14, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Decision to Have Colic Surgery

Hearing the words colic, navicular, founder, or strangles strike fear into every horse owner. Colic happens when a horse’s intestinal tract gets blocked. In most cases a vet can open/dissolve/remove the blockage with a variety of different techniques. When those fail however, one of the few remaining solutions is colic surgery. Alyssa Severeid had to make the tough decision about whether to have the vet perform colic surgery on her horse. The surgery is expensive. Little did Alyssa know the decision wasn’t just about the surgery. The after care was not only hard on her physically, but emotionally. What would you have done in her shoes? After you hear her story, would you still do the same thing?

About Alyssa

Alyssa`s horse during surgery.

While we have never met in person, Alyssa and I have known each other through our podcasts. She produced and hosted the Earn Your Spurs podcast and She Rides to Win podcast. From Montana, Alyssa grew up around horses. Her father is a respected trainer. She knows horses and gives us insights about her horse and his situation you won’t find elsewhere. Our interview gets emotional. It’s easy to see how much this horse meant to Alyssa and why it was important to move forward with the surgery.

YouTube videos of Colic Surgery

This video is short and concise.

This one is a little longer, slower in parts, but more recent.

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder. I will need your help for that. I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together. I hope you will join me.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #142

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS