©  2006 Cherry Hill       www.horsekeeping.com

  This newsletter is a personal letter from me to you, a fellow horse owner and enthusiast.

My goal is to send you interesting stories and helpful tips for your horse care, training, and riding.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Holiday time is family time so it is the perfect opportunity for me to introduce you to my talented husband, Richard Klimesh, the other half of the two horse hitch!  We often call ourselves the Klim-Team because we work closely on most projects and like a good team of horses, we pull together!

Richard is a AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier.  For 17 years he provided farrier services for dressage, endurance, reining, and pleasure horses.  He also performed the therapeutic shoeing for Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and he was the farrier for the Budweiser Clydesdales in Fort Collins, Colorado.

He's now a full time freelance photo journalist and illustrator for many horse publications and works with me on all of my book projects so he's narrowed his farrier practice down to one client - LUCKY ME and my seven horses.  (And this way Richard will last much longer. Horseshoeing is a profession that requires hard work and lots of time.  If you have a good farrier, appreciate and take good care of him or her.)

Besides all of that, Richard is a master builder, fixer, inventor so he is a wealth of good ideas for horsekeeping.  Three years ago he built me my dream barn which you see in our articles and books.

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OUR RECENT ARTICLES

Speaking of articles, I thought you might be interested in reading our latest articles, so here's a roundup of the most recent Klim-Team pieces:

Oct. 1999 Western Horseman:  "Is Your Horse Properly Shod?" p. 144

Nov. 1999 Horse & Rider: "Winter Horse Care" p. 38

Dec. 1999 Western Horseman: "Wise Up on Winter Blanketing" p. 142

Dec. 1999 Horse & Rider: "To Clip or Not to Clip" p. 30

Dec. 1999 Horse & Rider: "Stable Plans - Planning an Indoor Arena" p. 66
 

MY NEW BOOKS!

And speaking of books!  My two new books just arrived!  Richard was the photographer for both books and provided some illustrations as well!

Stablekeeping is a Visual Guide to Safe and Healthy Horsekeeping.  Do you need help winterizing your barn; planning turn out pens; designing YOUR dream barn; learning about how to deal with power outages, floods and other disasters?  See more about Stablekeeping at:

https://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_books/Stablekeeping.htm
 

Trailering Your Horse is a Visual Guide to Safe Training and Traveling.  Do you need help choosing a truck or trailer?  Do you need a foolproof, reliable training program to load your horse?  Would you like tips and check lists for preparing for traveling and getting on the road again?  Read all about Trailering Your Horse at:

https://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_books/Trailering_Your_Horse.htm
 

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THREE IMPORTANT HORSE RESOURCES I AM OFTEN ASKED ABOUT

1.  Do you or does someone you know want to attend an equine school?  I get many requests to help find 2 and 4 year equine programs in the US.  The best resource is the

Equine School and College Directory

To order a copy of the latest Equine School and College Directory, contact the

Harness Horse Youth Foundation
14950 Greyhound Court
Suite 210
Carmel, Indiana  46032
317-848-5132

The directory costs $8 and is updated every two years.  The next one will be the 2000-2001 edition and will be available in January or February 2000.

2.  Do you need to find a particular breed organization, health requirements for trailering, a list of all the horse publications in the United States?  Would you like a list of Equine Libraries and Museums, Health and Research Organizations, Veterinary Schools, Rodeo, Racing or Show Organizations?  Well, then you need the

American Horse Council Horse Industry Directory

This 175 page directory is published annually by the

American Horse Council
1700 K Street NW
Suite 300
Washington DC 20006-3805
Phone 202-296-4031
Fax     202-296-1970
e-mail AHC@horsecouncil.org
web site http://www.horsecouncil.org/

The directory is free to members but you can buy it separate too.  Visit the web site and learn about this organization.

3.  Are you looking for a good riding instructor?  This is one of the most common questions I am asked and I refer everyone to the American Riding Instructors Association website.  There you will find names of ARICP Certified Instructors listed by state.

American Riding Instructors Association
28801 Trenton Court
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
Phone 941-948-3232
Fax 941-948-5053
e-mail: aricp@aria.win.net
website  http://www.riding-instructor.com/
 

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Update on Savvy's bout with Pigeon Breast

In my last newsletter, I told you about my two year old filly's abscess commonly called Pigeon Breast.  It is unlikely that your horse will ever have this specific condition, but you may very well have to perform the aftercare on an abscess so you might want to file some of this information away in the old gray cells for possible future use!

Here's what has happened with Savvy since I last wrote:

4 days of 30 cc of Penicillin and 12 days of hydrotherapy followed by flushing the 4" deep draining cavity with diluted Betadine solution.  On day 7, the cavity tried to seal and sequester some bacteria.  A mild probe with my finger reopened drainage.  By day 12, I discontinued flushing.  By day 14, swelling was almost non-existent and today, 4 weeks later, Savvy's chest looked 99% normal.  I expect in 4 more weeks, you'd have to really look hard to find the tiny buttonhole scar from the drainage slit.

Savvy was such a star for her daily treatment that she was able to get the very best care.  Safety and good results are the main goals in treatment.

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Make Your Next Vet Aftercare a Success Not a Disaster

If you want your next veterinary aftercare to be a success rather than a disaster, here are some ways to prepare:

Training

Teach your horse to be caught, haltered and led.

Teach your horse to stand quietly in crossties.

Work on positioning cues in-hand and tied (move entire body sideways, move shoulder over, move hip over, move back, walk forward).

Accustom horse to plastic, squirting hoses, things falling on the floor in barn while working, etc.
 

Veterinary Care Techniques

Use a good veterinarian and ask him or her to help teach you proper aftercare techniques!

Have a good place to work.  (My wash rack with floor drain and overhead radiant heater allowed me to use hydrotherapy as long as I wanted no matter the weather.  Also with vet sink on one side, supplies and tools were literally right at my fingertips.)

Follow an specific aftercare routine every day.  (Every morning at 10 AM, Richard went out to the pasture and brought Savvy in while I was getting all the supplies ready.  I followed a specific routine every day: hydrotherapy 5-10 minutes; clean wound site thoroughly with gauze pads and Betadine Scrub; irrigate cavity with diluted Betadine solution; towel dry with clean turkish towels; let dry while giving Penicillin; spread Bag Balm under wound; give Savvy and scratch and tell her "good girl!".  Then she was returned to pasture.  Horses are creatures of habit so by about the third day, she met Richard at the gate, sometimes at a gallop!)

Have a good helper.  (Richard and I have worked together on our dogs and horses and have worked out who does what, why and when!  If you are working with a new assistant, take the time to discuss what you are going to do beforehand.  A plan will help things go more smoothly.)

Have good horse care supplies on hand.  Your barn should have a good horse first aid kit.  See Horse Health Care for specifics. (https://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_books/Horse_Health_Care.htm)  When you are faced with a unique problem, you might have to get some special supplies from your vet for the follow up care.  Keep your supplies clean and organized so they are ready to use.

Know horse care skills.  Learn how to give an IM injection.  Know how to dilute Betadine for various uses.  Learn how to take your horse's temperature, pulse, respiration, capillary refill time, pinch test and more.  Reference Horse Health Care.  (https://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_books/Horse_Health_Care.htm)
Know the vital signs; know what is normal for each of your horses so you will know when things aren't going right.

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DO YOU HAVE BARN CATS THAT EAT RODENTS AND BIRDS?
IF SO, THEY NEED REGULAR DEWORMING FOR TAPEWORMS TO STAY IN PEAK HEALTH AND GLAMOUR

Ask your vet to prescribe the medication for your cat, determine your cat's weight and the appropriate dosage.

Then, for hassle-free administration of pills to cats (and dogs), wrap the pills in a Braunschweiger Coat!

Braunschweiger is smoked liver sausage (find it in a roll-shape in the lunch meat section), a taste few cats or dogs can resist.  To "prime" your pet for the pill bullet, a few days before deworming, flick balls of braunschweiger your cat's way.  Especially if there is competition, the smell of the braunschweiger will turn your cats into liver-seeking missiles.

Once you've got your pet hooked on braunschweiger, wrap the dewormer pill (or portion thereof) in braunschweiger, toss, and its a done deal.  After the first time you do this, you no longer have to prime for three days before deworming - your cat will always be ready and looking for the liver torpedo!

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

All about Psyllium

Winter Riding

and More!

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Did you miss the November 1999 issue of my newsletter?  If so, you can read it at my Horse Information Roundup:
https://www.horsekeeping.com/horse-training-care-info.htm

That's all I have time for this month.

Happy Trails,
                         

 

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