After Margaret and I had such a fun time at the fall hunter pace, we opted to go again this spring! This time, while I rode Rejoice again, Margaret rode her horse Jester and had a friend ride Ladyhawke. All Kennebec Morgans!! Jester and Rejoice have the same dam and Jester and Lady share the same sire. Unfortunately instead of a lovely late spring day, we had one of the first intensely hot and humid days of the year. It was definitely a bummer, but the ride was mostly in the shade of the woods and we had a great time! most of the fences were 3' coops but we found a small log and this hay to jump haha Until we didn't. 😑 We brought along a third friend who rode Margaret's older mare, Ladyhawke. She's a good rider but hasn't known Ladyhawke for very long and didn't realize how much of a cranky boss mare she could be at times. She kicked Jester right in the front leg just about halfway through the ride, and while the cut itself ended up not being a big deal in the...
So, without much going on in terms of riding right now, I have been thinking it is time to write some "educational" posts. I am not a veterinarian, nor do I play one on TV. But after twenty five years around horses, I have dealt with my fair share of injuries, sicknesses, and oddities. Sometimes it helps to hear what others have gone through if you yourself are dealing with it. Can horses really be sleep deprived? I would have laughed at you a few years ago if you had suggested that to me! LOL! But after a very scary incident almost three years ago, my views have changed. Yes, my beloved older mare Sparky suffers from sleep deprivation. Stay with me, this is a long story... During the fall and spring of 2007, Sparky began having frequent nosebleeds, known as epistaxis. It seemed to happen every few weeks or so, and I could never really find a cause. The nosebleeds were pretty minor, but the sight of the 15-20 drops of blood was no less alarming. Of course, I keep a ...