how to lead your horse to water AND (probably) make him drink: a giveaway!

Each day when I clean Lucy's stall, I check how much water she drank the night before. Many days, the answer is "hardly any". It freaks me out!! I've already dealt with one impaction colic with Lucy, shortly after I bought her, and I have been a crazy water lady ever since.

One way I get extra water into her is soaking her dinner, and trust me, it gets soaked thoroughly. She happily eats whatever I put in front of her face, so that's nice, but how nice would it be if she also drank a bit of water?

Recently I tried a new product called Equine Aid. It's made by a relatively new company based out of California. The product is a powdered supplement that you add to your horse's water to encourage them to drink. It has powdered alfalfa and Himalayan rock salt, along with some other tasty ingredients. It comes in pre-measured packets and the idea is that you add one packet to each 5 gallon bucket to entice your horse to drink the water.

The company offered to send me some samples, so I decided to give it a try. I supplied Lucy with one regular bucket and one got a packet of Equine Aid added to it. The first night, Lucy completely ignored it. She didn't drink any of the Equine Aid water, and she also didn't drink any water out of her other bucket. I re-used that water the second night, since it was untouched. She drank half of the Equine Aid bucket, and about 1/4 of the normal bucket. On night #3, I added a packet of the Equine Aid into her dinner, which she gobbled up. The company's owner recommended I try this so she gets a "taste" for the supplement. On the final night, she drank 2/3 of the Equine Aid bucket and only a small amount of the regular bucket. I felt encouraged!

I think this would be great to add to water at shows, or if you move your horse to a new barn and they have to get accustomed to new water. It will mask any small changes in taste of the water, while also encouraging the horse to stay hydrated. I think it's a great idea for a helpful product and if you have a picky drinker, or a horse that doesn't always like to drink at shows, consider giving this a try.

A word of caution to owners with horses who have insulin resistance or other dietary restrictions: this product does have a small amount of brown sugar in it. Luckily Lucy is free to inhale as many cookies, sugar cubes, etc as she wants so that wasn't an issue for us!

Equine Aid is sponsoring a giveaway for us, and five winners will each receive five packets of Equine Aid. To enter, leave a comment with your name, email address, and why you'd like to try this product. Good luck! Contest ends Thursday, August 1st at 5pm.

If you'd like to read more about the company and their products, visit their website at www.equineaid.com.

Abraxas Equine Winners!

And the randomly chosen winners of the Abraxas Equine giveaway are...


*drumroll*


TRACY from Fly on Over wins the shampoo!

MONICA from Chasing the Dream wins the liniment!!

I've emailed you both - if you don't receive it, let me know!

Thanks again to Abraxas Equine for sponsoring this giveaway, and if you didn't win, don't fret - you can still request free samples on their website (click here).

Contest Time!

Now that Lucy is back in work-ish, my priorities are to keep her feeling good, and not leave room for any reinjury. This means a careful warm-up each time I take her out to work on the lunge line, and a careful cool-down. I am also using liniment to treat her muscles with, to ensure she does not feel sore.

of course when a big honkin' bomber fly lands on her butt and makes her
 take off like a rocket and pull stunts like this, I can't help but sigh...

My usual go-to product for anything muscle-related is SoreNoMore, but I recently heard about Abraxas Equine (website), a small business specializing in all-natural herb-based horse care products. You can sign up for a free sample on their website, and I love trying out new products. They sent me some of their Hydra-Luxe Liniment, and also some of their Supra Daily Shampoo to try on Lucy. The shampoo is awesome because it is a low-sudsing formula, so it rinses out really easily. A lot of us equate bubbles with cleansing, but honestly, whenever I give Lucy a bath I spend more time getting all of the suds out of her than anything else, and it's frustrating! I don't want to leave any in there, because that would cause skin issues, and I do wish the shampoo rinsed out easier.

The Supra shampoo does just that: cleanses thoroughly and rinses out easily. It is very concentrated, and they recommend putting some in a bucket, adding water, and bathing the horse with the soapy water instead of putting soap directly on the sponge.

As for the liniment, it is Arnica-based and safe to use as a normal liniment, brace, or under wraps. It is the consistency of water, and spreads easily. A little bit seems to go a long way. I have a huge bruise on my wrist and hand that is very sore. I put some of the liniment on there and while it didn't have the immediate effect I usually get when using a liniment, it really soaked in and helped the discomfort, lasting for quite a long time. Today, the area is much less sore. The Hydra-Luxe formula doesn't use any alcohol or menthol to create that cooling effect, but instead focuses on long-term soothing and deep healing. You can read more about the formula on their website here.

Today I tested the shampoo and the liniment out on Lucy. After I lunged her, I cooled her out and then put her in the wash rack.

looking kind of clean, but really very dirty

I followed the directions of the shampoo and put some in a bucket, along with water. I sponged the soapy water onto Lucy and washed her normally. I thought the suds were quite bubbly.

after soap

I rinsed her off and I could immediately tell a difference between this soap and Gallop Shampoo, which is what I normally use. This rinsed right out of her coat and tail, and didn't leave any residue. When I used the sweat scraper to dry her off, the water ran out of her coat clear, without any additional soap that I missed.

I put her out in a grass paddock and let her dry in the sun. I didn't brush her at all and this is how she looked:

When I put her away to eat dinner, I applied the liniment down her spine and to her knees, suspensories, and hocks. She was busy eating dinner and didn't seem bothered by any of it. It smelled nice and felt light and slightly oily on my hands, but not gross. I hope it helps her muscles tonight.

Anyway, I am pretty impressed with this stuff, and no, I didn't get paid to say any of this! If you want to try out samples, check out their website, and if you'd like to win a bottle of liniment or a bottle of shampoo (I have one of each to give away), leave a comment here with your name, email, and which product you'd most like to try! Winners will be chosen randomly on Friday 7/5. Thanks to Abraxas Equine for sponsoring this giveaway!

five very clean ponies, coming right up!

Congratulations to the winners of the Absorbine Try Pak contest:

Alanna

Rebecca

Christian

Dianne

and Kat!!

(yes, I can't count...there were five Try Paks in the box, not four, so we have a surprise extra winner!)

I've emailed all of you but if you didn't receive the email, let me know!

I had a pony-packed weekend that I need to update about, wahoo! After not riding for quite a while, my body is SORE this morning, but I am so happy I got some saddle time :)

Absorbine Giveaway!

Surprise! Another giveaway, courtesy of Absorbine. I have four Showsheen Try Packs to give away to four lucky Lucy fans :)

These little bottles are PERFECT to take to a clinic for a quick touch-up, or a show, or even every day use. When you've used all of the product in each bottle, you can re-fill them instead of having to juggle big bottles of shampoo when you're bathing your horse.

To enter, leave a comment with your name and an email address, along with a link to a photo of your favourite horse looking shiny and lovely. If it's a Facebook link, please make sure it's public so we can all admire your beautiful ponies.

Contest ends on Sunday at 5pm! :)

WINNERS :)

Congratulations to the five winners of the Absorbine contest! Please email me your snail mail addresses (axford.k@gmail.com) so I can get the Stain Remover and Whitener out to you.

Kelly

Terry

Liz

Cassie

Savvy

YAY, how fun!! Thank you Absorbine!

Contest! Who needs elbow grease when you have Absorbine?

So here it is, the Spring Cleaning Contest!

win me!

I am a huge fan of Absorbine; in fact, yesterday at the barn I surveyed my grooming supplies, fly sprays, and liniments and without meaning to, I had amassed a whole lot of Absorbine products. I like their products because they work, aren't insanely expensive, and best of all I am supporting an American company.

One thing I hadn't used until recently was the Stain Remover and Whitener, which is kind of funny because my heart horse, a grey Connemara (Dreamer, for anyone who remembers the Freedom Farm fiasco of last January) had one mission in life: be any colour other than grey. I sure could have used this stuff when I was riding him! I can remember many early show mornings when I got to the barn after scrubbing him within an inch of his life the night before, and covering as much of his little pony body as I could before going home, only to get there at 5am and find him absolutely covered in stains. Oooooh I would get so mad!

ok, not really *that* mad...I mean, look at his little pony face. SO CUTE.

Outside, he was even worse. His paddock had a bunch of berry bushes in the back corner and he would routinely come in from turnout with purple splotches all over the place.

When I was horse shopping, I decided to limit my horse search to dark coloured horses, and Lucy entered the picture. Dark bay, some white on her legs but not a lot, and I was like, ok I can handle this! She stays pretty clean for the most part but occasionally will get some stains on her white socks. I tested the Stain Remover and Whitener out on her yesterday and it worked so well to get those pesky stains out, without having to give her a full bath.

So I have five 20oz bottles of Absorbine Stain Remover and Whitener to give away, courtesy of Absorbine, and to enter, simply comment on this blog post and tell me a story about when a horse chose a really inopportune time to get dirty, like before a show or when a potential buyer was coming to look at him. If you don't have a good story like that, tell me why you'd love to try the Stain Remover and Whitener. The five winners will be chosen randomly on Thursday 4/4 at 5pm EST.

Good luck!

vote for me (please!)

I have entered a contest for our local polo club to win a hotel stay and other great prizes! Please click on this Facebook link and like the photo of the horse and rider galloping past the crowd and giving high-fives to the spectators. I'd really appreciate it!

Also, check out the contest that Sprinkler Bandit is running to win a free Ninja Rider t-shirt.

I have a new contest in the works - Spring Cleaning is the theme so stay tuned!

Horses in the Morning

I moved Lucy's vet appointment up to today and I am looking forward to it! I hope we can get some answers. With almost a week off, Lucy is looking very sound, of course, but I still plan on having the vet flex her and draw blood for the Cornell lymes test.

Not too long ago, I called into the radio show "Horses in the Morning" for their trivia contest. I answered a question about the hind gut in a horse correctly and won a beautiful saddle pad from Riders4Helmets. Horses in the Morning is great because you can live stream it online or call into the show on your phone and listen that way, and it's easy to listen at work while I chip away at my daily tasks.

Horses in the Morning does these trivia contests weekly so check them out to win nifty prizes.

Here's my saddle pad (photos taken last Sunday when I was testing to see if she was still off):

Shaklano's portrait and catching up to speed

Here is the first of two prizes for the Horse Shaming Contest:

Crystal's horse "Shaklano"

In preparation for Lucy's sessions with a couple of trainers that I am having come out, she is getting her feet done tomorrow, then the saddle fitter is coming out on Friday, and the chiro is coming out on Sunday. I want to make sure nothing physical is going on before I have a trainer get on her. I don't think it would be fair to the horse or the trainer if I didn't double check all this stuff.

I had a pretty good ride yesterday, which I appreciated because it was my birthday :) She still felt quick but was happier going forward and didn't give me any sass.



I hope the trainer(s) will help me lengthen her stride and slow her trot down.

I've had a couple of comments asking for a recap of what I've done with her in terms of diagnostics. I will write a basic list; if you want more info just search through the entries via the tags. There is a "vet" tag that should bring up any physical stuff or injuries.

-I had her feet and ankles x-rayed when I bought her (no issues)
-Treated her for Ehrlichia in 2010
-She had an impaction colic in 2010 that I caught super early and the vet was able to clear it out
-I have a lyme titre pulled every year, has never been positive
-She sees the chiro every month or two, as I can afford it
-Also sees the massage therapist as I can afford it, though my MT got hurt in the fall and hasn't been able to come out in a while
-Saddle fitter appt every six months
-Teeth every six months
-I treated her for ulcers in 2011 successfully and she gets dosed with GastroGard any time we go off the property, starting three days out from the date of travel. If you look at videos of her before the ulcer treatment and compare them to videos of her today, she is 100x better, believe it or not.
-When she was injured in November I had the vet x-ray her ankles and her injured stifle. All x-rays were clean.

She does not have kissing spine per my vet.

She could probably go on ReguMate but a) I don't want to deal with that and b) I cannot afford it. Depo is a possibility.

I am not interested in spaying her.

She is hot and spicy whether she is in heat or not. She gets better in warm weather; she hates the cold. Her attitude depends very much on whether she *likes* what we are doing at that moment.

She is on three supplements: SmartHoof, SmartMare Harmony, and E/Se/Mg. I just recently took her off TractGard after being on it since I bought her in 2009.

What I really do not like in the horse world is the automatic assumption that if a horse is bad, there must be some physical reason behind it. Quite honestly, Lucy is very hot and very opinionated. I have spent a good amount of money treating and testing her for various ailments, and more time than I care to admit researching these types of things online, and I have a very good relationship with my vet, who is the same vet who did her PPE four years ago. My vet understands what is going on and is totally on board with me looking into things as I can afford to do so, without going way overboard on the diagnostics end of it.

In other words, I could x-ray her entire body and send her to Tufts for a $2000+ bone scan, but I personally do not feel those measures are necessary at this time.

Hopefully that brings everyone up to speed.

Crystal and Allison: WINNERS!

Congratulations to Crystal for getting the most votes in the Horse Shaming contest!

And congratulations to Allison for being our randomly chosen winner!

Please email me (axford.k at gmail.com) so we can get you both your prizes :)

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, and also to everyone who voted. I had a great time getting all the submissions and putting them up.

Horse Shaming - Vote Here!

Voting starts NOW and ends on Sunday, February 10th at noon EST.

Look through the images, pick your favourite, and then scroll to the bottom of this post and use the poll to place your vote. Only one vote per IP address but feel free to share the link to this entry on Facebook and your own blogs to get more votes.

To make sure everyone can read the text, I've also added the little stories as captions below each photo. You can click on any photo to make it larger.

There will be two winners: one with the highest number of votes, and one that is randomly selected.

Happy Horse Shaming! :)

SUBMITTED BY ALICIA T
"Hi, I'm Mollie and during the night I let myself out of my
stall! I entertain myself by ripping blankets off blanket bars
and fraternizing with the geldings.  My mother calls me a
S-L-U-T for leaving "girl puddles" all over the ground but
she really just doesn't understand the relationships I have
 with boys.  I always make sure to look like a deer in
 the headlights when someone shows up earlier than
 usual and sends pictures to my mother though!"

SUBMITTED BY ALICIA W
"Being clean is over-rated. After my rider has painstakingly scrubbed
every inch of me, I like to unwind with a good trot and roll in the deepest
mud I can find. Especially right before important visitors arrive to see me!
I can even get filthy whilst confined in my stable! Now that, my friends,
is a true talent." 

SUBMITTED BY HILLARY
"Like my pretty Rambo cooler? I pooped in the front of my stall and rolled
in it. I did it on purpose! It was the first time I ever wore it. My mom was
not impressed. 

SUBMITTED BY BRIDGET
"My dad won $6,500,000.

I won $1,600.

And I can't figure out how to eat an apple."

SUBMITTED BY CRYSTAL
"I will stand on this big blue tarp all day long and it doesn't bother me a bit...
as long as I make the decision to stand on it...all my mom has to do is just
point to it and I will jump all over it, what's the big deal? But when we are in
a gymkhana or a timed obstacle event and I am being ridden -- HECK NO --
that big blue thing grows fangs, claws, and is like a disease...no way are you
getting me to go on it! But then all you need to do is turn off the stopwatch
and the fangs and claws go away...so funny how that works."

SUBMITTED BY DOM
"I lure riders into a false sense of security.

THEN I STOP!"

SUBMITTED BY ELIZABETH
"This is my way of showing my mother how much I
dislike wearing a flymask. Sorry, not sorry." 

SUBMITTED BY JESSICA P
"It's all fun and games not to let the giant draft cross have hay...

...until someone (almost) loses an eye!"

SUBMITTED BY JESSICA D
"Lately my mom has been too busy taking care of sick animals at vet school
to visit me often.

So I decided to choke while she was on call for emergencies so we could
spend some more time together."

Clever, huh?"

SUBMITTED BY KAREN
"I get buckets stuck on my face."

SUBMITTED BY LIZ(1)
"I was afraid of this sign."

SUBMITTED BY LIZ(2)
Horse: "I chase dogs, especially this one."

Dog: "I tried to bite his leg."

SUBMITTED BY TRENA
"I like to roll right after my mom spends hours getting me clean!"

SUBMITTED BY SARAH U
"My mom wanted a picture of me with her new friend.

Now she says he feels 'incomplete' since meeting me. I think he's just
a big grump!"

SUBMITTED BY SHANNON
"I always need to be the center of attention! For instance when my human
tries to clean her tack, I must steal the broom and wave it around! Then
I get ALL the attention I could ever want!!!!!"

SUBMITTED BY JULIANNE
"When I walk on by, girls be looking like damn he fly... I pimp to the beat...
'cause I'm sexy and I know it!"

Oh heeeeeey there pretty lady! Sure I'm gelded (trust me, the tests don't lie)
but I don't let that hold me back. I LOVE all the ladies...especially that sassy,
spotty Appy that's owned by the lady who feeds me. Ya she's next door but we've
partied a few times if you know what I mean! wink wink!

 I thought everyone was having fun flirting and partying but then that feeding
lady moved me by myself to the end and started calling me 'pimp daddy!'
I can't believe she would mess with my game like that."

SUBMITTED BY MARE
"My mother does NOT understand the concept of a committed relationship!
While I get that she's never had a boyfriend that lasted any longer than like
a week, she needs to realize that I. AM. IN. LOVE. Turning me ou in the
outdoor arena without my man simply wasn't working for me. I was *trying*
to help her out by jumping the fence and joining my BF...unfortunately
Wilbur's sweet nickering made me forget that I'm not actually a show jumper.

Oops...

Let's just say that my mom was les than pleased...."

SUBMITTED BY CASSIE
"They say 'No Hoof No Horse', and though my Mom makes sure that my hooves are well
taken care of, I think that they need a little extra pampering. So I decided to take matters
into my own 'hooves'. Every day I soak my toes in the water trough to get  that little extra
moisture that I think that they need. My Mom thinks that I'm just playing, but she just
doesn't understand that a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, to pamper her toes."

SUBMITTED BY MONICA
"My name is Yankee and I destroy anything my mom puts on my legs
because I am a d*ck. Wraps, polos, boots, I don't discriminate. I rip
them off, chew them up, then trample on them. Sometimes I poop
 on them too. This is why we can't have nice things."

SUBMITTED BY NICOLE
"If I stand right here behind the fence, maybe they won't notice the broken
fence boards and blame the little guys."

SUBMITTED BY JULIE
"I tried to help Mom take down the Christmas decorations, but she didn't
to appreciate it. I don't know why...it was January.

She muttered something about a huge vet bill after she pried the bell out
of my mouth. I guess the vets don't like Christmas decorations up in
January, either."

SUBMITTED BY NEIGHGIRL
"I wait until we are right in front of the judge to drop a load ;)"

SUBMITTED BY FIONA
"If I keep my head down they won't notice I've escaped. Again. I don't know
why they get so upset...it's only the seventh time this week!

Yes, I'm an escape artist! Under, between, or through the fence, I'll always
find a way out. It's so much fun picking a new spot when my family
reinforces the last one. In the last few months I've broken at least three
wooden fence posts, and pulled another three out of the ground, as well as
pulled over 20m worth of electric fencing through the field when
I got out and couldn't get back in."

SUBMITTED BY KATIE B
"See my gorgeous, long mane, punctuated by that short patch
near my withers, a product of my constant rubbing on things? My mom
practically pulls HER hair out when she sees it, because she thinks
it looks bad, but she doesn't know it is my way of expressing my
 alternative style, rebelling against tradition! Shame? Please, not
understanding my alternative style is the real shame!

(Also pardon the drowned rat look - mom just bathed the
spring mud off me, another rebellious act on my part)"

SUBMITTED BY JESS C

"I know Jess is mad that I keep throwing my shoes. But
the farrier is so cute, and she always polishes my feet.
 I wish she would use the sparkly glitter polish like the pony
 in the next stall has, but I will take what I can get, and
 the farrier always tells me I'm handsome. So I could keep my
shoes on if I wanted to, but then I wouldn't get to see
my favorite farrier ever, and I can't help it. I'm in love."

SUBMITTED BY BEBE

"I chew all the wood on the property even though I have many toys
and big round bales!"

SUBMITTED BY LYNN W

"Last month, I developed abscesses on both front feet - OUCH!

Luckily, my mom has been there to take care of me every night to soak my feet
in tubs of Epsom salt and hot water and bring me treats!

But the thing is, I really love to play in water...

I think I'm a pretty fun guy and I can't help but splash it ALL over the barn aisle
after my mom spends all that time heating it up for me - she' just no fun!"

SUBMITTED BY ALLISON

"Refuses to cross bridges when judges are looking"

Horse Shaming - Vote for the Winner

Alicia T

Alicia W

Hillary

Bridget

Crystal

Dom

Elizabeth

Jessica P

Jessica D

Karen

Liz(1)

Liz(2)

Trena

Sarah U

Shannon

Julianne

Mare

Cassie

Monica

Nicole

Julie

NeighGirl

Fiona

Katie B

Jess C

BeBe

Lynn W

Allison

View results

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Alicia T0%

Alicia W0%

Hillary0%

Bridget0%

Crystal0%

Dom0%

Elizabeth0%

Jessica P0%

Jessica D0%

Karen0%

Liz(1)0%

Liz(2)0%

Trena0%

Sarah U0%

Shannon0%

Julianne0%

Mare0%

Cassie0%

Monica0%

Nicole0%

Julie0%

NeighGirl0%

Fiona0%

Katie B0%

Jess C0%

BeBe0%

Lynn W0%

Allison0%

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