Denim Deb Hay, hay, hay. Thank the Lord!

[so lucky]

We just used that black plastic netting; it's about 3/4 inch mesh. It won't keep a raccoon out, but will deter hawks. It's cheap.

 

[Denim Deb]

That's what I have now. I'm not too worried about raccoon, just hawks. The problem w/it is the size of the mesh when it snows. They have some w/a bigger hole that I might get eventually.

 

[Denim Deb]

On 1/24/2006 around 10:30 AM I got a call from RU. My horse, Binty, was cast and she couldn't get her up. Back then, I didn't do my own care, so I didn't need to get out there as early as I do now. I wasted no time. My DD and I jumped in my pickup and headed out to the farm. Normally, I obey the speed limit, that day, I didn't. By the time I got to the farm, she and her husband had gotten her up. I was relieved, but my relief was short lived. It didn't take long to realize that the reason she had become cast in the first place was because she was colicing. To make a long story short, I lost her.

Fast forward to today. Around 3:45, I get a call from RU. Misty was cast, and she couldn't get her up. I didn't have the truck today-I had the bike, and wasn't too happy about it. It was a windy day, and I HATE to ride in the wind. But, I didn't hesitate. Hubby was on his way home from work, so I called him and let him know I had to go back to the farm. Got all my gear on, go out to leave and RU calls back. She got her up. But, I wasn't taking any chances. For the 2nd time that day, I battled the wind and went to the farm. I got to the farm. Misty was quite calmly looking for some grass. My hubby was there, and was giving RU a hand getting something out of her truck! She looked fine, but I was taking no chances. I got her halter and a stethoscope, and brought her out of the field. She seemed to be breathing a bit hard, but other than that, I couldn't see anything wrong. (Hubby did the gate for me, and managed to get shocked!) So, I put her back. But as a precaution, I stayed for awhile to be sure. Because of the wind, I hadn't gotten the field all picked earlier (plus they were spreading cow manure on the field across the street, and the air was just a little TOO fresh), so I worked some more on that. Then, checked her again, and left.

If I had had to stay longer, hubby would have traded the bike for the truck since it was getting colder out. Some days, I'm ready to kill him. Other days, like today, I see the man I married. And right now, he's in the kitchen talking to the nuggets!

 

[BarredBuff]

At least you were able to help her this time

 

[Denim Deb]

At least you were able to help her this time

I'll tell you, my heart was in my throat the whole way out there. I didn't want to lose another horse to colic.

 

[Wannabefree]

What causes colic in horses? We lost one to colic a few years ago too, but I'm not a "horse person."

 

[Denim Deb]

There are various things that can cause it. For Binty, she had a tumor in her small intestines. I did take her to New Bolton, but once I realized how bad she was, I had her put down. It would not have been fair to her to do anything different.

But, they can get colic from gas. They can get colic if you change their feed too fast since this can kill off the bacteria in their gut. They can get colic from not drinking enough. They can get colic if they have a heavy worm load and have a massive die off when you worm them. They can get colic if the weather changes rapidly. These are just a few things that can cause it.

 

[Wannabefree]

Wow.....glad I no longer have a horse. I know it's uncommon, but that's just a lot and makes them sound pretty delicate.

 

[Denim Deb]

They can be. But, keeping them how I do lessens the chance. That's one reason I want to get my tank set up. They seem to prefer to drink from that than from the auto waterer. And, that can be very important when the weather is a bit cooler.

 

[SSDreamin]

On 1/24/2006 around 10:30 AM I got a call from RU. My horse, Binty, was cast and she couldn't get her up. Back then, I didn't do my own care, so I didn't need to get out there as early as I do now. I wasted no time. My DD and I jumped in my pickup and headed out to the farm. Normally, I obey the speed limit, that day, I didn't. By the time I got to the farm, she and her husband had gotten her up. I was relieved, but my relief was short lived. It didn't take long to realize that the reason she had become cast in the first place was because she was colicing. To make a long story short, I lost her.

Fast forward to today. Around 3:45, I get a call from RU. Misty was cast, and she couldn't get her up. I didn't have the truck today-I had the bike, and wasn't too happy about it. It was a windy day, and I HATE to ride in the wind. But, I didn't hesitate. Hubby was on his way home from work, so I called him and let him know I had to go back to the farm. Got all my gear on, go out to leave and RU calls back. She got her up. But, I wasn't taking any chances. For the 2nd time that day, I battled the wind and went to the farm. I got to the farm. Misty was quite calmly looking for some grass. My hubby was there, and was giving RU a hand getting something out of her truck! She looked fine, but I was taking no chances. I got her halter and a stethoscope, and brought her out of the field. She seemed to be breathing a bit hard, but other than that, I couldn't see anything wrong. (Hubby did the gate for me, and managed to get shocked!) So, I put her back. But as a precaution, I stayed for awhile to be sure. Because of the wind, I hadn't gotten the field all picked earlier (plus they were spreading cow manure on the field across the street, and the air was just a little TOO fresh), so I worked some more on that. Then, checked her again, and left.

If I had had to stay longer, hubby would have traded the bike for the truck since it was getting colder out. Some days, I'm ready to kill him. Other days, like today, I see the man I married. And right now, he's in the kitchen talking to the nuggets!

That HAD to be a scary flashback, Deb! Glad things turned out OK this time.

As for the hubster, sounds like he's fallen under a chicken spell! Maybe that's a good thing, eh?!