Horse Dreams

Yesterday I went out to see my girl and found her half way asleep, I sat with her awhile and she eventually started to dream and it was quite interesting. I've seen horses dream before but not like this, her movements were quite dramatic and nothing I've seen before, it was quite the scene!

Dreams have always been an interest of mine, studying horse dreams would be very neat.

Take a look at the video of Ava dreaming, you may just get a kick out of it.

News Article, Race Against the Tide!

I found this article on Facebook. Amazing story, brought me to tears.

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Race against the tide: Bravery of young mother who stayed by her horse's side for THREE HOURS after getting trapped in mud 'like quicksand'

This was the terrifying moment a brave young mother battled to keep her beloved horse calm as sea water closed in on the animal after he became trapped in mud 'like quicksand'.

Exhausted and mud-splattered, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours keeping his head high in a race against the tide. The 78-stone show horse had sunk into quagmire-like mud and was facing the prospect of drowning as the water rose around them.

Miss Graham had been out on an afternoon ride with her daughter along the coast near Geelong, south of Melbourne, when 18-year-old Astro suddenly sunk into the mud.

Before she could shout a warning, the smaller horse her daughter Paris was riding was also partially swallowed up by the mud. After dragging herself through the mire, Miss Graham helped her daughter and the other horse on to firmer ground.

However, Astro was stuck fast and her efforts to pull him free only resulted in herself sinking deeper into the quagmire.

As Paris ran to their car and phoned for help, Miss Graham stayed at her horse’s side. She courageously clung on to his neck, terrified that he would not be freed before the tide came in.

After three 'terrifying' hours, rescuers managed to pull Astro and Miss Graham from the mud.

Read the full article and see more pictures here: [click here]

Book Review- Ride the Journey by Chris Cox

Book Title: Ride the Journey
Author: Chris Cox and Cynthia McFarland
Published: April 2008
Page Count: 225 pages
Rating: 5/5
Summary: In Ride the Journey, clinician Chris Cox, the 2007 and 2008 The Road to the Horse Champion, tells how to bring your horsemanship skills to new levels of expertise. Chris effectively targets techniques that produce a successful partnership between horse and rider and provides an easy-to-follow road map for honing your abilities and developing your horse's full potential.
    Foremost, Chris shows you how to put horsemanship theory into practice with a minimum of gear and no gimmicks, and his building-block approach minimizes confusion and maximizes results. You learn the role groundwork plays in riding and trailer-loading success, and leg and seat positions that provide stability for balanced riding. Chris guides you in a natural progression from the basics to advanced maneuvers and collection. He also explains how to use your new found skills to strengthen your riding partnership as you explore trails and work cattle, as well as when colt-starting might be a viable option for you.
    Chris' approach to horsemanship creates a fine partnership for both horse and rider. Ride the Journey provides you with the knowledge and training tools to effectively pursue and achieve your riding goals.

My rambling: Out of the many many horse training books I have bought and looked at this one (in my opinion) is by far one of the best. Chris Cox basically puts his entire method into this one book, give or take a few things. I have recently started using his method with my mare and it has literally worked wonders for us, I've been through so many methods it's insane. But this one works for us in every way. I love the gorgeous pictures in it as well, so easy to see and understand. Techniques are explained well and definitely give us that boost we need at times. So, if you have a horse and would like to learn some new techniques with them, try this book out, it is definitely worth it!

My Horse's Torn Lip

Earlier this February I went to see Ava. It had been almost a week since I hadn't seen her last. I thought everything was fine until I noticed this thing on her lower upper lip. It looked like a piece of ice had frozen on there but it was actually a chunk of skin. I couldn't believe my eyes. It looked bad and I thought she would have needed stitches. The wound looked a few days old and I don't think stitches would have worked anyway. I looked everywhere in her pen and found nothing that she could have snagged it on, so, I am thinking her and her buddy must have been playing too rough. I also didn't have my camera to make a quick record of what it looked like. Anyhow, after I went home I went onto Google and searched for some answers. All I basically got from it was that horses lips heal really well and almost always heal on their own if they are not infected or too messed up, but that was it... Kind of agitating. I went to the vet a few days later and told him about it, he said almost the same thing as Google did and that she wouldn't need stitches. This was very relieving.

These photos were taken after she pulled the loose skin off, I couldn't believe how well it had healed in such short time. Considering, the tear went through her lip and was somewhat deep. At least it is better now. Anyways, here is a list of what you need to remember if this happens to your horse.

•Check to see how deep to cut is.
•Check the wound for infection.
•Take a picture for your records and to show the vet (optional.)
•Tell your vet the situation and schedule a checkup if he/she thinks is necessary.