The Cribbing Strap Dilemma

Valie sporting his fleece covered cribbing strap in Winter 2010

 at

 KGA in Mendon, Massachusetts

"....as much as I love my boy, I never loved the fact that he came to me as "a dedicated cribber".  As a matter of fact, he was so dedicated to cribbing that the very moment you took his halter off or you had the reins around his neck and bridle in hand ready for him to take the bit, he would reach for the nearest solid object to get his "cribbing fix" and........practically take you with him!  Moreover, he would even crib between every bite of his food and it was no wonder that he couldn't pick up weight.  He drew crowds of people at dinner time and there they stood while he chomped on a few bites of food and then turned his attention to wind sucking so hard, between each morsel of grain, that it sounded like a "fog horn" was going off in the barn!"


Now, I've just described a horse, my horse, without a cribbing strap around his neck; but, as luck would have it, as soon as the strap went on, he completely respected it and never tried to crib while it was around that huggable neck of his.  So, then it began, the trials and tribulations of making certain that the strap never cut into his neck and if it ever did, the countless topical solutions that I gently rubbed on the minor abrasions, then it was the endless fleece purchases, the on-going trips to my washing machine to clean said fleeces and finally, every time I had to be away for business or pleasure, I had to be certain that the barn manager would remember to check it (and yes, I always offered to or paid for this service!).


The changes were slight at first, he began to gain weight and I then discovered that when I took his cribbing strap off to bridle him, he no longer tried to bull dozer me over in a mad attempt to grab onto anything that he deemed "cribbable".  Yup, it was magic! 


During this time period (the first year of our partnership), I was happy to report that he was now a well mannered guy and frankly, since he never tried to crib when that strap was on, I took his crib-free lifestyle for granted, so much so that when we arrievd at our last boarding barn, I had forgotten to ask the barn owner/manager if they would allow a cribber, even if said cribbing was controlled by a strap!  As it turned out, the barn owner was none-too-pleased with me but when she saw that he respected the cribbing strap, she soon forgot about his "issue" too!


So, fast forward to 2010, we left KGA to return to our first barn, Legacy Stables http://www.legacystables.net/, in Mendon, Massachusetts.  I immediately noticed that he settled in very quickly, then we all noticed that he gained even more weight, seemed to be more relaxed than ever and he stopped doing his little stall-walking dance when people stood around his stall.  The other change was that he became even more affectionate, he actually looked excited when I arrived at the barn and, he even let me massage his ears (something that he never let me do unless he was tranquilized)!  Then, several weeks ago, after an early evening grooming session, I removed his halter and then decided to take the strap off to replace the fleeces, turned my back for a moment to replace the dirty with the clean when I suddenly realized he wasn't cribbing.  I stopped what I was doing and did a slow-motion turn around as if I was afraid that I would wake from a dream!  But, there he stood, calmly looking at me as if to say, "Mom, what's with you, why do you look so shocked!".  However, the truth was that I was shocked, shocked and mesmerized to see that he never even came close to thinking about cribbing!  In other words, this dedicated cribber of mine had relegated his bad habit to the trash can.  Was it a fluke, was I in the "Twilight Zone" and/or would this all be but a dream tomorrow?  I chose to leave the strap off and in the next half hour prior to leaving the barn, he continued to stand quietly with that quizzical look on his face and then after I threw him a flake of hay, he began enjoying his evening treat without alternating between food and cribbing!


The next day he was turned out without the strap and I was informed by the barn staff that he didn't crib out there on the fence, he came back in and still no cribbing, I arrived a day later and still no cribbing.  My limited research into this particular subject says that it's highly unlikely a cribber ever stops but my guy stopped.  So, many questions remain but the biggest question is whether or not he will ever crib again?  For now, the answer is, only time will tell and........I promise to keep you updated on this "Miracle in Massachusetts"!"

Our 4 Year Anniversary & A Case of Buyer's Remorse

"those soft, kind eyes"

"....it's coming up on 4 years very soon, "Yup, 4 years since Valie and I became a "pack of two"!"  The truth is that I had planned to wait until we reached our 5 year anniversary before writing about anything relating to our first days together; but, the mood struck so I decided to forego the original plan and write anyway! 

During the first month of us getting to know one another, he and I experienced many, shall I say, "moments".  However, one in particular stands out in my mind and................it happened right after his arrival from Vermont and while he was just beginning to settle into our new home, Legacy Stable in Mendon, Massachusetts http://www.legacystable.net/.

It was only my 2nd day of horse ownership (after a 17 1/2 year break from owning my last Off-Track Thoroughbred) and I was excited about the prospect of getting to the stable and beginning to get to know my horse!  I arrived with a shiny new grooming bag and new brushes, etc. and my first order of business was getting him on the cross-ties so that we could do some bonding-while-grooming.  I began to search for aisle-way cross-ties but couldn't find any.  It was a busy day at the barn, the farrier was just leaving and horses were being trained.  Therefore, I didn't want to bother the staff or the owners.  But, when 30 minutes had lapsed and I was still searching for the "ties", I knew I had to ask someone.  I then asked Mike, one of the owners, and he patiently explained to me that there were two cross tie rings in Valie's stall and that everyone did grooming and tacking-up in their stalls.  I was horrified as I never encountered anything but cross-tying your horse in the aisles but I politely said thank you and proceeded to halter him in preparation for this unorthodox method of grooming. 

But ah-ha, it was then I noticed a grooming stall; so, I quickly decided that we should be in there rather than in his stall!  I snapped a lead to his halter and down the aisle we headed for "Destination Grooming Stall" when suddenly, he picked up the pace and began to drag me to the door!  And, to make matters worse, he began to scream so loudly that I was convinced that the people in the next town could hear him!  As he picked up speed, we did a role-reversal as I was suddenly the one being led.  I immediately began to panic and I was then acutely aware that all my previous horse-keeping knowledge, from many years before, was just that, "a distant memory from many years before".  So, despite my best efforts to slow him down or control his race walking and jigging, I knew that I was  going to lose what little bit of leadership I had left!

I suddenly felt as if I was having one of those "out of body experiences" and vaguely remember yelling for help!  However, it was evident that Mike didn't catch the urgency in my voice and when he said, I"ll be with you in a moment", I knew that unless Mike immediately astrally projected himself to us, tragedy was about to erupt!  So, in my best horror-movie-scream-queen voice, I yelled, "Mike, it's an EMERGENCY" and with that Mike sprinted toward us and narrowly averted a disaster!  I'm certain that if he didn't arrive at the scene when he did, I would have let go of that lead rope and Valie would have been running free in the parking lot (you know what kind of parking lot I mean, the kind that is not gated and is directly behind a well traveled road).

I can't even begin to describe my shame for being unable to control my horse but it was back to business as usual for everyone else with the exception of me.  And, thanks to Mike, there stood my Valie in the grooming stall, cross-tied and ready to be groomed and there I went, un-snapping him as fast as I could and putting him back in his stall, from there, I disappared into the ladies room where I had myself a good cry while thinking that I had single-handedly made the biggest mistake of undertaking the role of horse owner again.  I was so rattled that I began to wonder how I could convince his previous caretaker, the volunteer from Canter USA - New England http://www.canterne.org/, to take him back!  I was even ready to face the myriad of voices that would surely say, "I told you so!".

"....what to do, what to do, I thought but then, as I made my way back to his stall and saw those kind eyes that held just a bit of fear of the unknown, I immediately realized that he was only responding to his new environment, one that he was unsure of, one that was foreign to him and like him, I too was reacting to the newness of the situation.  I went closer to that beautiful head of his, gave him carrot treats and whispered to him that we would work at this "getting to know one another" business  by taking slow, baby steps.  And, as corny and dramatic as this may sound, it was then that I began to feel the first blush of bonding between him and I. 

Over the next several weeks, we began the process of making friends, human to equine, equine to human and today, almost 4 years later, no greater bond has ever been built between myself and a horse!

           "as stated in many of my previous blog entries, "I just love that horse of mine".

On The Sunny Side of Canine & Equine Street

"....just a short entry, in the wee hours of the morning, to say that the two main canine guys in my life are on the road to recovery and that it's finally time to get back to "all things equine".  So, with that said, I shall pick up where I left off and begin to blog about "tall boots" (betcha can't wait for my musings!).  So, until we meet again, "....bye for now!".

The Continuation of Romeo's Medical Woes

"Smooth Lines Romeo", the cutest liver & white Brittany in the whole wide world

I am very sad this evening, I watch my little Brittany, Romeo, as he eats his dinner, while balancing on 3 legs.  He carefully holds his 4th leg, the one with the ligament tear, slightly off the floor and believe me when I tell you that watching that with the knowledge that he's in pain is truly heartbreaking for me.  We are now a little over a month into the waiting game for surgery, having had to wait until his blood work was back to normal and now that he is 100% healthy otherwise, he's getting his shots up-to-date and finally his groomer of many years, Jen, the manager of PetSmart Grooming in Bellingham, MA (who I highly recommend) will be called to get the requisite "clipping of the nails" done prior to surgery.  And lastly, we shall go back to the animal hospital for one more consultation and then my baby-boy will have his surgery and.......not a second too soon!

I have digressed away from the topic of "The Adventures of Cathy and Valie" but doing that was necessary.  Since life has a way of putting many obstacles in my path, sort of like an ongoing test to prove to the powers-that-be that I am strong and can handle anything (far from the truth), in one's month time, I lost my cat of 18 years, my beautiful little Cali, to old age, my Mom has moved to a nursing home, my Aunt (who is like a Mother to me) is facing heart valve replacement surgery and of course dealing with the health crisis of Romeo and Luigi.  I am thankful that my horse is thriving and even though I am only able to get to the stable a few times a week right now, he always whinnies to me when I walk in calling his name and he gets the best of care."

I had hoped to relate the events of this past month in more detail but exhaustion has a way of forcing me to realize that I am up waaaaaaay past my bedtime!  So, until next time, I shall sign off with thanks to all my dear friends, the ones that are always there when I need them!

Romeo and Luigi - Their Ongoing Medical Saga

"....ahhhh, well, the good news is that Luigi is completely clear of the dreaded big "C" and according to the Surgeon, Dr. Woolfson and the wonderful staff of Medway Animal Hospital, Medway, MA., the margins were clear and then some.  As it turned out, they also removed a "fatty" tumor on his neck and aspirated two other extremely small cysts and all were negative for anything "bad".  This has given my family and I and especially my elderly Aunt, who spends her days with him, the greatest feeling of joy and relief!  The incisions look great and are healing well with minimal scar tissue and he is now pain free and off of all "comfort" meds.  We will continue to check him him on a regular basis for any future occurence of a cyst or tumor but the Vet feels that the prognosis is good and that he should continue to do very well!  However, since there is no way to be sure that he will never again develop another Mast Cell Tumor or something similar, I will faithfully be "eyeballin" his body!


As for Romeo, his surgery is forthcoming during the next 7 - 10 days and the truth is that he is off of all pain meds and only takes an occasional "Bufferin" if he seems to be in pain or is limping mpre than ususal.  While this is not an indication that he is getting better (a cranial cruciate ligament tear cannot heal itself), it is great that he is not experiencing very much pain while waiting for the surgery.  I do notice that he is very careful to keep most of the weight off of his left hind leg and although I worry about the other hind leg taking the brunt of the weight, he is in excellent physical condition and has great musculature so that helps him overall.  I will report back after the surgery and will provide specific details!"

Here's Romeo "On Point"

Luigi is shown here swimming at dusk

Early Morning Sadness

I was just about to post a brand new blog topic titled, "Tall Boot Shopping Dilemmas", when two of my dogs were dignosed with major medical problems.  So, the "tall boot" shopping story had to be put on the shelf in wait for a less stressful time.  I haven't been able to even sign on to my computer much less post about a frivilous topic such as "my quest to find the perfect tall boot".

So, with that said, let me say that my emotionally soft but hard-driving pointing breed, hunting dog, Romeo (he's a Brittany) experienced a complete Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tear. He landed wrong after a leap while playing, screamed in pain and was then unable to put any pressure on his left hind leg. After taking all the at-home steps to determine if this injury required Vet care or if it was something that rest-at-home could help, I decided that a trip to Tuft's School of Veterinary Medicine (one of New England's premiere Vet Hospitals), was needed and who knew that my most horrific fears would be realized when I heard the diagnosis, Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tear.  Well, my heart sank and my stomach did a "flip-flop"!

So, with that said, he will be undergoing reconstructive surgery next week.  And, as such, I am so fearful that his quality of life will be affected after the procedure and am also having a hard time "keeping the faith". In other words, I am very frightened about the impending surgery and very worried despite everyone, including the Vet's, best efforts to reassure me and then........right on the heels of that tragedy, a routine visit for my comedian Luigi, a German Shorthair Pointer, a dog that will have you laughing in minutes and then gasping as he runs like the wind and screeches to a halt, on point, after he's scented a pheasant; well, his routine visit uncovered a lump on his side and upon aspiration, it was deemed a "Mast Cell Tumor" (the big "C") and he underwent surgery at 9:00 this morning. And now, deep in worry that it has spread to major organs has me "Sleepless in Massachusetts" and unable to do anything but comtemplate what the day will be like and what the outcome will be for both of my dogs as the weeks go on.
                                                     
"I shall return again when I have received the results of Luigi's pathology report and after Romeo has his surgery.  Moreover, to whomever reads this blog post, thanks for listening!

"....Romeo waiting for us to pack up and leave after an early morning Pheasant hunt!"

"Luigi and I after winning another leg toward the completion of our AKC Hunt Test title!"

Off Track Thoroughbreds At Play

The Three Amigos

I really don't have anything to say this evening; so, I thought I would post some photos of our off-track Thoroughbreds at play. So, without further adieu, I present "The Three Amigos"!

Onward and Upward

Our Farm House

The View of our Horses from Our Farmer's Porch

"....as those of you that read my blog know, earlier this year we were suddenly blessed with having our horses in our own backyard!  However, life has a way of placing potholes and plunge pools in front of you and just as fast as we began to feel excited that we had discovered this perfect farm, we were then faced with the issue of having to move our horses yet again (simply because the seller had allowed us to move our horses in before we went to Purchase and Sale and we should have waited to finalize the deal before taking this action).  From there it was thoughts like, "how could that be, losing two farms (this one and the previous one in Grafton) that we were about to purchase in less than 3 months!".  Well, the story goes like this and can be summed up in almost one sentence:  "There we were, almost at P and S  and about to move in when suddenly and without warning, we were forced to watch the deal "go south" because of the unscrupulous seller!".  

And then, days after we discovered that we were not able to finalize the sale of the farm, we had to pack up and leave with our horses in tow and all three of us wondered just how deep our depression would go!  So, while waiting for answers as to why the Seller did this to us and then the ultimate re-assessment of our original decision to buy "this" farm in the first place, we finally found an interim barn in which to lodge our horses with a firm decision made to take some time before even thinking about starting another real estate search.   

So, to those folks that always adopt the cheery attitude of "when one door closes, another one opens", an attitude that never crossed my mind, I admit that all of you were correct! I've found that faith, even "blind faith", helps one to realize that other opportunities exist and that sometimes you have to reach a real "low point" before you can come up again. From there it's the ol' one foot in front of another, even taking baby steps if necessary and before we knew it, the end result had us walking right into that new, "open" door and with a new and even stronger resolve to be happy! So, my blog continues and I will continue to write about my experiences at this new barn, which, by the way, is a completely different discipline than what we are used to but hey, that's the essence of life, change, try new things, rejoice in the fact that we are healthy and alive, all those things and more! I shall return to write when the mood strikes as "putting the thoughts to paper" seems to have a very soothing effect on me!"