Continued from Yesterday

I did not expect the girls so early yesterday so it was cut short. Today I will add what I was going to say. AND it is snowing out. I am watching sort of the Super Bowl Game. I really like football much to the chagrin of Bob and my kids. My grandson Dustin is a sports addict too so he and I talk sports.

The first thing Dr. McKinley talked about yesterday was the plight of unwanted horses. He passed out a pamphlet from the Unwanted Horse Coalition. The web site is unwantedhorsecoalition.org. Their mission statement is "The mission of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care and disposition of these horses." It says the problem of the unwanted horse is the responsibility of every individual and organization involved in the industry is responsible for these horses. That includes racing, Performance and recreational riders.

He talked about when emotions and facts collide. He did not come off as pro or anti slaughter, he just produced facts. The only main line registry that is not down 30% or better is the Jockey Club which is Thoroughbred Horses. He explained the reasons for that and it had to do with the prices of stakes races and how they have stayed up.

This information was given by Charity (and I can't remember her last name) who is a Certified Vet Tech. It is probably information you all have but she recommended it be posted in your barn and your horse trailer so that if a problem arises and you get panicked it will be there to look at.
Normal temp - 98 to 101
Heart Rate 32 to 44
Respiratory 10 to 15
Mucus membrane (gums) pale pink and moist
Capillary refill - 2 seconds
Gut sounds in all four quadrants

Take the pulse under the jaw or behind the eye

Take the respiration at the horses flank. Do not put your hand in front of their nose, that can wig a horse out.

This is what she recommended for a first aid kid.

A decent stethoscope
Bandage scissors
Bute/Banamine
4 x 4 gauze pads
Non stick bandage
Sheet cotton
vet wrap
white tape
Ophtheminic antibiotic ointment (for eyes)
Bentadine (l parts in 20 parts water)
Triple antibiotic Ointment
Duct tape
Sharpie pen

She said this is basic, you probably have other things you carry.


There are 5 kinds of Colic. The first two are gas and impaction. Gas almost always resolves itself. The other three require surgery for recovery - displacement, torsion, small intestine. She said don't walk a colicing horse for more than 15 or 20 minutes out of every hour. If they want to lay down and are quiet, let them. When you call the vet they will want Temperature, pulse and respiration. You probably all know this information but this is just a reminder.

Then Dr. Peters talked about ulcers in horses and they symptoms. Off feed, grouchy, hair coat not good. Then he brought in a mini horse and put a scope down his nose and showed us on a big screen his nasal passage, his guttural pouch, and his stomach. That did not impress me too much but most people thought it was really cool.

It was an excellent day and well worth our time. It will be the first Saturday in February next year and it is open to all and free and they feed you besides.

We had a great dinner at the Q Restaurant in the Casino. Kind of loud but the food was good and we had fun with Chrissy and Wendy. It was fun to spend time with them with out 3 teens vying for attention too. We laughed our heads off. I can't say the service was too good but the food was.

I told you the other day that I had put white plastic bags all around Sages outdoor pen. She has totally shredded them and pulled them all down. Talk about a character. I guess she didn't want them waving at her.

Last night after we got home Bob and Wendy were watching a movie and Chrissy and I were chatting and Pistol would not quit squeaking her toy. Bob put it on the dining room table. Pistol went over and in one leap made it to the top of the table, grabbed her toy and jumped down. She was just spayed last Wednesday and they said to keep her quiet. That is like telling a whirling dervish not to whirl.

Hope your weekend was awesome. Blessings