My Horse problems and happenings

After I last posted, D.C. came ill with Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis. it is tick-borne, obligate intracellular parasites, meaning they cannot survive outside of a cell. So they bite the horse's flesh and died but it gives the horse a fever, diarrhea, colic, loss of appetite, depression, and possibly laminitis. That happen on the Thursday of MACHE weekend. So he got 3 days of oxytetracycline injections and then 5 days of oral doxycycline tablets. He got better it seemed but now this morning he had a relapse. So to make sure he gets all of his doses, he is going to be boarded at Sunrise Equine Vet's clinic from Friday night to Monday night. So that is my sad note; that D.C. won't be home for 3 days.

My happy note is on Tuesday, I graduate from homeschooling at our co-op's Arts and Academic Fair. So no more school for me unless I decide to do something later in life.

Then on Thursday, I start my second to last year of 4-H,  Drill Team and Dog Project. It will hopefully be a great year since I will be using Sean this year. The only reason I didn't use Sean last year is we weren't 'clicking' and I always got scared riding him. Hopefully this year it will be different and I can ride him well and maybe carry a flag this year!

A week ago, I had my Senior pictures taken by Smylee with both of my horses, my dog and cat. It went well and Sean was very well behaved. I like them a lot.

So Sorry!!

I guess I haven't gotten the hang of blogging.
I had wanted to write every week but that didn't get in my head.

Well some exciting things have happened since I last wrote.
I have worked at 2 horse show both of them at Hi Circle Vee in Isanti.

Then end of March there was a 4-H Judges Seminar that the 4-H Drill Team worked at.
We had a food booth and sold lunch, treats, coffee and pop. I also rode a horse named Gilligan through a Western Horsemanship pattern with 3 other riders and the 4-H judges had to place us 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. I got 4th because I didn't know all of the horse's cues to make him move the right way so I kind of failed the pattern.

Then today I tried loading Sean into the trailer because on Saturday, it is Sunrise Equine's Coggins Clinic and I need him to get into the trailer for that. So today was just a refresher course and he got in on the 3rd try. I hope he does it the same way on Saturday.
That's all for now
SmartLittleLena



D.C. and I at MN State 4-H Horse Show with the Isanti County 4-H Drill Team



Sean's Christmas Photo

The Warm Weather

At this time of year, I usually get so excited for all the warm weather and knowing that I can soon go out in a tank top and shorts. But with everything melting and then it gets close to freezing at night, the snow has turned to ice and it gets very slippery out in the horse pasture. Sean is spending a lot of his days in his stall because the ground is slick for him walk out there. D.C. and the other horses walk on the ice just fine without slipping and sliding but Sean almost falls down on that ice.
I am going over my options on what to do so Sean can be outside without falling down.
1.    Putting Cat Litter all over the pasture. That would take a long time to spread and I would probably have to buy 3 or 4 bags.

2. Putting on his hoof boots that he uses on the rocky roads. I checked them-they don't have any grip.

3. Putting on these new shoes that are plastic and good for no slipping.



Ground Control Horseshoes



So many decisions to do in one day; it is hard to keep up.

Smart Little Lena

Horse Showing Fever

During the winter when there is no Pleasure shows going on, I get the Horse Showing Fever. Kind of like Cabin Fever where you can't wait to get to the cabin. Where I can't wait to show my horse in Pleasure and Drill Team. I have been looking for a new show outfit for Pleasure and I think that is getting me the fever. 



I love this shirt but it is sold.



It is a Heartland model rail shirt.

It is so hard to find a shirt with the right color blue I want. That shirt would have been perfect with my right size and everything.

Also another thing that is getting me into wanting Drill Team is that the videos from the MN State 4-H Horse Show just came onto YouTube. Yea! We got 1st in both of our classes, Freestyle and Compulsory. I am riding D.C. in both of these videos.
For Freestyle, I am carrying a black flag and my horse has only 1 white sock (The other horse has 4 white socks) :-)
For Compulsory, it is the same except we aren't carrying flags. At the first part of the video, I am the one 2nd from the far left with my back to the camera.
Freestyle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkTUdCLcH3w&feature=g-all-u&context=G2f00b5dFAAAAAAAADAA

Compulsory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45r7XV9TJNg&feature=g-all-u&context=G26c373bFAAAAAAAACAQ

Show these to your family. They are really cool to watch!
That's it for now,
Smart Little Lena

A Home for the Dog

After 3 weeks since finding a female yellow lab, she has found her home where she belongs.
We were about to give up hope and ready to send this dog to a rescue when last Friday night we got a phone call. The man on the other end heard that we had found this dog and told us that he was looking for a dog like that that had been missing for 2 months. Turns out it was his dog and she returned to old home. THANK THE LORD!!! Since then we have heard that she won't leave his side; he is even tripping over her. Also the day that he picked her was the anniversary of his son's death 4 years ago. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Smart Little Lena

Team Penning

Last Monday, my sister and I went to a private Team Penning practice with our Drill Team. We didn't bring any of our horses since it was cold out and the horse trailer was put away for the winter. All we thought we were going to do is watch the others work with their horses on the cows. Our Drill team coach brought an extra horse which I rode half the time. Then my sister got on him for the rest of the time while I got on one of the parent's horses. So I had a lot of fun riding 2 extremely different horses in 1 night.
I hope to post more more often. Sorry!
SmartLittleLena

Whew! It's been awhile.

Sorry I haven't written lately. D.C. is all better from his absess. Sean is still being a pest and likes to play with all the feed tubs in the morning. Since the last time I wrote, the horse show went well. I ended working as ring crew and stayed until the show was over. I had lots of fun doing but I still wished I got to work in the annoucer's stand.
Then about a week ago, I found a stray yellow lab on our road and took it in. I wasn't looking for another dog and my mom doesn't want another dog either. She is very pretty and looks to be about 1-2 years old. We thought someone might want her last week but no calls came. I can't really keep her since I have my own dog and this is my last year of 4-H so starting a new dog on my last year wouldn't make sense. I have put up a lot of signs about her and called nearly a 2 mile radius around my neighborhood but no one has seen a dog like this. Hopefully someone will call about her this week.
Well thats all for now,
Smart Little Lena