A Dream Come True

Literally. Ever since I was very young, whenever we would go camping or backpacking and I would see the tell-tale hoof prints of the horses who had traveled along that trail, I imagined and dreamed of one day being the lucky one camping with her horse. And seeing horses galloping on the beach-ah, so majestic and beautiful. I have been a beach lifeguard and a lifelong sun worshiper. I have had opportunities to ride on a beach with rental horses in Mexico and on the central California coast, but never with my own horse. That is, until last weekend. I joined a group on Meetup.com of fellow horse lovers, and due to the generosity of some folks who offered to haul my big horse, took off a couple days (which I NEVER do!) and went to the Oregon coast to go horse camping! We planned for months (having to reserve space for 40 people and horses) and I almost died when my mare came up lame the night before the trip (could only happen to a vet's horse, right?) She got a stone bruise but a little iodine, bute and lots of adrenalin (and a gigantic epsom salt soak in that ocean!) and she was good to go... but not after I said a hundred prayers and cried myself to sleep. Well, the weather was perfect, she never limped a single step, the people were fun, and, well, the pictures say it all. I got to go camping with and ride MY gorgeous horse on the beach-and made it before I turned 50!

I was originally supposed to go with a fellow horsey friend, but she backed out a couple of weeks ago. I still had to go, of course, but was thinking it wouldn't be as much fun not really knowing anyone. When my other friend, Happy, heard I was going alone, she casually invited herself to come along-and boy am I glad she did! She is totally un-horsey, in fact, she has never even rode a horse in her life. But she was my biggest cheerleader-really understanding what this weekend meant to me and being a true friend in every sense of the word. She helped out planning our meals and shopping before hand for gear and supplies. Happy was a great companion for the long road trip, putting up with my choice of "old man rock" music and just gabbing with me during the drive. Once we arrived at the campground, she helped so much setting up the tent and kitchen stuff and all while I got Raquel all situated. And boy did she take some great pictures! I don't have many of her, darn it, since she was the one behind the camera lens, but I will never forget all she did for me and Raquel during our adventure.

Raquel settled into her camp stall just fine. I had been a bit worried that she would power through the chain gate (we have electric fences at home for just that reason) but putting a constant supply of hay in front of her (and keeping her good and tired from all the beach rides) did the trick. Our organizer had recommended to bring one of those pop up canopies to put over the stall so the horses wouldn't have to stand in the direct sun all day (or pouring rain if that was the case.) The horse camp sites were so much better than the regular sites. We had a lot more privacy, not just parked right on top of each other. It was still early in the season so it wasn't crowded at all, but I bet it can get pretty packed in the middle of summer.

A group of us decided to walk our horses out to the beach on foot that first evening-just to give them a "taste" of the salt air, all the sights and sounds and smells and all. I'm glad we did. Raquel was snorting and prancing and dancing-everything was new and exciting. Happy's pictures sure captured the moment. Later on we joined the bigger group for a potluck supper and get-together. Good food and good company. Happy even found that she knew some of the folks from high school if you can believe that! Such a small world. We were pretty tired from all the excitement of a very full day, so turned in soon after dark.

Friday morning we woke up early-well, I don't think Happy and I slept much, actually. We had left the tent flap open a bit and ended up getting pretty wet and cold from all the dew and condensation. It just felt better to get out of the wet sleeping bags and get some hot coffee into us. And I was just itching for that first ride on the beach! I decided to give Raquel some bute (phenylbutazone, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug) for a bit of swelling in the fetlock of the leg with the bruised hoof. That went over well-NOT! She knows just how tall she is, and how short I am! Oh well, she got the meds after a little fight, then off to the beach we went. I went out with a sweet lady named Deb and her older horse, Todd. She wanted to take it slow and easy-just right for our first time. I didn't need a rodeo! We rode over the dunes and out onto the beach and there we were! It was incredible. Raquel continued to dance and prance as she took in all the smells and the sounds of the waves and all. It took awhile, but she eventually splashed through the water when she figured out it wouldn't eat horses. After I felt she had most of the bugs out of her system, we went ahead and took our first run on the beach. What a feeling that was! She never took a lame step, we had the wind in our hair and sun on our faces. Back home Raquel is usually last on trail rides with me legging her on-not on the beach. There she was always wanting to be in the lead, fighting the bit to go, go, go! I think she felt so much more sure of herself there, more balanced where she didn't have to worry about turning every 2 or 3 strides as she does in the arena back home. It filled my heart to see her having so much fun.

My sister Kristine and her partner Kelly had just had their first baby a week before this trip. Since they live in Oregon, I thought I would take the opportunity to go visit since I was so close. I asked my camp neighbors to peek in on Raquel through the day if they could, making sure she had food and water and off we went. Well, it wasn't all that close, what with windy roads, a bad accident on one highway, and Friday afternoon commuter traffic. But I am so glad Happy and I made the trek. Little Aven is just beautiful, and Kristine and Kelly are terrific mommas. The visit was much too short, but I didn't want to leave Raquel alone for too long. I'll get down again soon, I hope.

Happy and I figured out the sleeping/tent situation that night and were much drier and warmer. We both slept better and woke to another glorious day. I rode out again with a bigger group and Happy enjoyed herself sunbathing and just relaxing as she deserved to do. Then we had a great surprise when my husband Michael and Verbal showed up that afternoon! Nobody enjoyed the water and sand as much as my goofy yellow dog.

I got Michael out to the beach and up on Raquel-and he had a great time! He doesn't ride much, but he felt so much more comfortable on her and was soon galloping down the beach like a pro.

You would think that was a full enough day, but no. One of our meetup members, Phil, is very involved with jousting and he brought his authentic suit of armor ( he said it weighs about 100 pounds!) and costume for his horse. Now, isn't a knight in shining armor exactly what dreams are made of?

We had another dry, warm night, time for a quick ride on the beach Sunday morning, then packed up and headed home. It was over much too quickly, but I know Raquel was exhausted even though she would have gone on forever. I'll never forget this trip and all the people who made my dream possible. My terrific staff and our relief doctor took great care of my patients and clients while I was away. Happy was a true friend-what more can I say about that? Michael surprised us by bringing Verbal and joining us for the weekend. And the wonderful meetup group who suggested the trip, made recommendations of what to bring for us newbies at horse camping, and Michelle and John for hauling my big horse all the way down to the Oregon coast. Dreams really do come true.

Peace,
DrReneigh

A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course

I've been preoccupied with some extra-curricular things lately so have been very neglectful of my blog. I just put a nice deposit on a beautiful saddle for my gorgeous horse, Raquel. Michael, my husband, had been making some noises like he wanted to start riding her, so I wanted to do all I could to encourage him. He wouldn't feel comfortable riding in my "funny" little English all-purpose saddle. I like that one because it is MUCH lighter, and lifting a heavy saddle way up on her back isn't fun. My old roper saddle I use when other people ride her is, well, old. I have tried to take care of it, but the leather is cracked (I have newer leather for the latigos and cinch so it is safe, just not very pretty....) and it kind of lists to one side on those longer rides, so you constantly need to shift your weight over to balance things out. It was just time to retire it.

I found quite a few Western saddles that would work just fine-but boy are they expensive! I'm generally not one for buying new things for myself at all, shopping for most of my clothes and all at stores like Value Village or Goodwill-thrift and second hand stores. Don't get me wrong, I usually find pretty nice, brand name clothes there. I just hate to pay full price for anything. I'm wearing my work dresses around jumping, slobbery, muddy, shedding dogs and cats, so I just don't want to spend tons of money on things that could easily get ripped or pooped or peed on. Well, I decided to splurge and get Raquel a nice new saddle this time-she's worth it, and so am I! But I wanted to be smart about it, especially with this crummy economy right now. So no credit for us. Lay-away would work just fine.

Even though she is a pretty big horse, Raquel isn't too difficult to fit for a saddle. But since I was planning to spend so much, (for me, that is-I know other people can spend many thousands of dollars on much fancier saddles!) I wanted to be certain of that fit. I arranged with a local tack store to take a few saddles home to try on her, being very careful not to get them muddy or hairy-quite the feat in this Spring season. She isn't anything BUT mud and shedding hair right now! I wrapped some plastic grocery bags over my feet and put saddle blankets on her and we took a few short rides around the neighborhood. Now I sure didn't want or need anything too fancy-we aren't going to be showing any time soon. No silver or lots of tooling (carved designs in the leather.) I was looking for something that fit her, fit me and Michael, was comfortable to sit in, and also looked nice.

I think I found a really nice one-I couldn't believe how comfortable it was! It has a gel seat and a flex-tree, so it should be just as comfortable for Raquel as it is for me. I'll be sure to get pictures when I actually get the saddle....you see, my thrift store nature came out after all. I took the manufacturer and model number and went searching on the web. I found the exact saddle, only it was a black one-perfect for my solid black horse!-for sale on Craigslist. The seller said she had only used it 3 times, so it was essentially new, and would save me over $800! How could I pass up such a deal? I felt bad about not buying it from the local tack store as I do like to spend my money locally, but I assured them I would be in frequently for all the miscellaneous things you always seem to need or just plain "have to have" when you are a horsey person. The saddle is in the mail as I type this, coming from New Hampshire!...I am very excited and this saddle is so nice that I might be converted to riding in the Western saddle more often! I just don't buy big things for myself very often, can you tell? I wonder if everyone gets this excited when they buy big toys? I hope so!

Speaking of Raquel, I have been trying to get her out riding more often lately. I joined a meet-up group of fellow horse lovers and we are actually going on a camping trip next month to the Oregon coast. It is a dream come true mixing two of my favorite things-horses and beaches! I sure hope we have some nice weather. It will probably be the first time my friend Kristen and I will be able to ride together-can you believe that? Neither of us has a trailer, so even though we live fairly close, we can't get our horses together-bummer. This camping trip will be a great thing since I hardly ever take time off work. I think everyone is saying "it is about time!" So, I am riding my big girl around the neighborhood a couple times a week and I just signed up for some riding lessons to work on better communication with her. I am really the only one who has ever ridden her regularly, starting her as a baby and all. It sure won't hurt to have that extra help to better both of our skills and to get us both into shape after a much too long winter.

I really like the folks in the meet-up group. It is the largest and most active equestrian meet-up in the world-right here in Snohomish/King counties! So far I haven't been able to ride with others, but we have frequent meet-ups where we have potlucks, sell our used tack and swap information. I'm the "animal health coordinator" so feel it is important to educate the group on all things veterinary-first aid, normal and abnormal vital signs, how to wrap leg bandages, etc. We are even putting together a binder of handouts on these topics for future use. I'm working with my staff at the hospital to put together an equine first aid kit, complete with bandaging materials, a stethoscope and thermometer and other things important for a horse owner to have on hand in case of an emergency.

So this blog will have at least a little bit of a veterinary topic today, here are the horse vital signs it is important to be familiar with. If your horse's numbers are significantly out of range, CALL YOUR VET!

Body Temp: 99.5 - 101.3 degrees F
Pulse rate: 28 - 45 beats per minute
Respiration rate: 10 - 14 breaths per minute

Take the temperature

• Lubricate the thermometer with petroleum jelly, K-Y jelly or just spit on the end. It must be wet for good contact with the rectal mucosa.
• Attach a string to the end of your thermometer. (They have been known to fall into bedding or even get "sucked" into the rectum.)
  
• Tie a clothespin to the other end of the string so you can attach it to your horse’s tail while you’re taking his temperature.
• Approach the horse from the side, and do not stand directly behind him.
• Raise your horse’s tail and insert the thermometer into his rectum.
• Wait at least 1 minute, then read the thermometer.
• Digital thermometers are often very quick and accurate.
  

Find the Pulse

• Use your fingers or a stethoscope to find your horse’s pulse under his chin or on the left side of his barrel, just behind his left elbow. It can also be located at the temple.
  
• Each “lub-dub” is considered one beat.
• Record the rate for 15 seconds and multiply by four to get your horse’s heart rate.

Check Breaths

• Watch your horse’s chest move in and out, or cup your hand over his nostril and feel the air come out.
• Use your stethoscope to listen to the breaths as the air travels across the trachea when he inhales and exhales. It should sound clear and consistent.
• Note the characteristics of your horse’s breathing. Are the breaths shallow or deep? Are there any abnormal sounds like squeaking or roaring?

A horse’s daily water requirement varies from 5 to 20 gallons, depending on environmental temperature, workload, production state and feed intake. Providing clean, fresh water is a top priority for horse owners, especially if you are traveling.

The vital signs listed are for RESTING horses. If they are nervous or excited or just finished exercising, these will vary. Even just the sight of a thermometer or stethoscope can freak out some horses, so take this into consideration.

Happy trails, everyone!

Peace,

DrReneigh

Raquel, My Delicate "Little" Girl

Raquel had an appointment to get her feet trimmed today. Our farrier or horseshoer is a wonderful man and good friend who has taken care of her and her best buddy, Jesse the donkey, their entire lives. That is saying a LOT. Very few farriers will work on donkeys, fewer still will work on draft horses-Fred very generously does both for me. He has one of the hardest jobs I can think of, and he does it well, always with a smile, and usually with a new blonde joke for me. Thanks a lot, Fred. I feel so fortunate to have someone to care for my critters as he does. We met quite a while ago when I had Raquel's predecessor, my very first horse, Ladyhawke.

She, too, was a draft horse, a beautiful black Percheron mare that I lost in a very tragic circumstance. She actually broke her femur, the huge hind leg bone that connects to the hip. Lady was attempting to deliver her first foal, and must have slipped on the placental fluids or blood or urine. We can't understand the exact events, but know that when we checked her early that morning (she was boarding at a friend's home-she called me frantically when she realized Ladyhawke was experiencing dystocia, or difficulty giving birth.) When I arrived it was obvious the foal was not alive. I thought it may have been stuck in the birth canal as can happen with all those long legs, but she was delivered with an easy pull. Horses usually have to get up and down a few times to kind of "pump" the foal out. Lady must have been unable to do this early on in the course of foaling and the foal died from lack of oxygen. So tragic. Lady didn't attempt to get up, even when we were pulling on the foal. We assumed she was exhausted from her efforts as often happens, maybe depleted in her blood glucose or calcium. I placed an IV catheter (man, it sure is hard being "mom" and doctor at the same time!) and gave her large volumes of fluids with electrolytes, calcium and glucose. Friends and neighbors all worked together to encourage her to get up-to no avail. And if a 2000 pound horse doesn't want to do something, there isn't much us tiny humans can do about it.

At one point we had a neighbor with a tractor hook her up and drag her out of the stall to the pasture where we hoped she would have better traction. It was then that I noticed how her patella or knee cap luxated (moved inward) way too easily. You shouldn't be able to move a patella on a Chihuahua, much less a Percheron. I knew in my gut what it meant, but I called the local equine surgeon and asked his advice. He told me what I had feared. It had to be either a fracture of the femur or hip itself, and if we couldn't get her up, we wouldn't be able to transport her to the hospital for surgery. Even if by some miracle she could stand up, she wouldn't likely be able to do so for long enough to recover from a fracture like that, not with the kind of weight she was carrying. I had to make the hardest decision a pet owner ever has to make, just a few hours after learning we had lost her first foal.

I had been a typical "horse-crazy" girl growing up, but had never owned a horse of my own until my beautiful, sweet Ladyhawke. I had done things responsibly, I thought, buying her after graduating from vet school when I felt I'd settled down a bit and could really take care of a horse. I felt I had really failed my best friend. I will never forget my gentle giant. She was buried right there in my friend's pasture. One day I left some carrots on her grave and some yearling colts came over and nibbled them up-it seemed fitting!

Later that summer I was driving out in the countryside for some reason, and saw a pasture with some beautiful foals enjoying the sunshine. I pulled over to watch them and a woman soon joined me. She told me she felt "compelled" to talk to me, that she just felt I was destined to own one particular baby-the black Percheron filly with a tiny white star on her forehead. Now, I was still hurting pretty badly about my loss and I had NO desire to get another horse, much less a baby. But I humored her and chatted a bit. They sure were fun, gangly things like only draft horse babies can be. The woman even got out some paperwork on the foals, birth records and all. The pure black, 4 month old filly she had pointed out to me was born the day my Ladyhawke had died! Wow, what a trip. Maybe it was meant to be after all. I went home and talked to Michael, my husband. He was so cool about it. We didn't have much money at the time, but he had been saving a bit and put some aside with out telling me. He wanted me to be able to buy a horse when the time was right for me. What a guy! Needless to say, that fuzzy, gawky, stocky"little" baby became part of the family. We named her Raquel because we like to use Hollywood or movie star or movie character names for our critters; Raquel Welch was a very feminine sounding name and this very stout, bulky girl was going to need all the help she could get feeling a bit more girly. Her registered name is Dr. Renee's Lady Raquel, honoring her predecessor. She is now 11 and 1/2 years old-hard to believe! Michael fenced our property soon after we purchased this, our very first home. We are so fortunate! Her buddy, Jesse, the incredibly long eared, shaggy donkey, has been with her every day since she moved to our little farm. They are quite the pair. I did all of her training and was the first human to ride her-what an honor that was. She is relatively "small" for a draft horse, about 1600 pounds and standing 16.2 hands tall. (One "hand" is a unit of measurement equal to 4 inches.) I definitely need a step stool to do a thorough job of grooming her neck and back-and oh what a great neck it is! Great for big hugs and crying on her shoulder if you need to. And she is a dream to ride-kind of like riding a couch! We don't ride as often as we should, but I recently joined a "Meet-up" group of horse-loving people and I'm hoping that will soon change. My best friend, Kristen, who I've written about before, has an awesome horse, Harry, a Norwegian Fjord. It is a shame, but we have never been able to ride together because neither of us has a horse trailer! Maybe we will meet some kind-hearted, fellow horse lovers who will swap trailer rides for a tank of gas or something....we'll see.

Wow, I really wrote a lot tonight. You can tell when something inspires me-my own critters sure do that. I don't have the human kind of children, so probably put a bit more emotions into my relationships with my pets than may be "normal." Oh well, what is "normal", anyway?

Peace,
DrReneigh