Dave-isms

Dave-isms =  musings and comments from Duke's veterinarian expressed during examinations and general conversations.

"In my next life, I want to come back as your horse."

"Don't worry, that cut is a long way from his heart."

"I like this horse."

Healing

Getting better every day...almost healed after only two weeks.

Day 18, Tuesday August 17, 2010

Probably would have healed a lot faster were it not for the numerous times the scab was rubbed off by Duke scratching it, or me accidently knocking it off while bridling him.

Saturday Sam and I, with friends Frank and Barb, ventured south to the small town of Joseph, Oregon for the 14th Annual Bronze, Blues and Brews Festival. Nestled in the peaceful and beautiful Wallowa Valley, Joseph is named for Chief Joseph, famous leader of the Nez Perce tribe. While the first theme of the event was bronze, it quickly became obvious to us that the primary focus is the blues and the brews. There were very few bronze sculptures (Joseph is a major bronze foundry of the Pacific Northwest), there were several bands, but there was lots of brew. We had fun, got too much sun but probably won't go back next year.

Passing by a buffalo farm on the way to Joseph, Oregon

There are two bronze statues in this photo. Can you find them?

Sam, me, Frank and Barb enjoying the blues and brews.

Sam and I with our new 2005 Jeep Wrangler in front of Lake Wallowa

Returning home on a lovely stretch of road called Rattlesnake Grade.

Birthdays and head wounds...

Saturday morning I took Duke for a ride to our local fairgrounds to check out their 100' round pen and huge riding arena. It was something new to do and we had a great time. Amy brought the girls over but they're just not ready to climb on Duke's back yet. To them he must seem like a giant! That's okay, we have plenty of time...

Relaxing with Duke after a nice long ride at the fairgrounds.

When Duke and I returned to the barn I noticed a nasty cut above his left eye, and for the life of me I can't figure out how he cut himself. He didn't have the cut when I loaded him at the fairgrounds, and I didn't notice it when he stepped off the trailer. It wasn't until he was in his corral that I saw it.  I was a little panicked and called a friend who got me calmed down and pointed me to a great product called Vetricyn, which I've seen advertised heavily on RFD-TV.  My tack room is stocked with several first aid products, but with a wound so close to the eye the risk of the medication running into his eye is too great.  My biggest concern was get the wound clean without getting soap or medication in his eye. Vetricyn can be sprayed directly on the wound without damaging or hurting the eyes. All the while I'm cleaning the wound, Sammy is calling wondering where I am (I'm at least an hour late in returning home by that time). I explain the situation, he's pretty sure I'm exagerating until I show him the pictures. A quick trip to a local pet store and I returned to tend to the wound. This stuff is amazing!! Within 20 minutes of spraying Vetricyn on the wound, the swelling reduced by half!! If you have animals, you need to check out Vetricyn! It's not just for horses.
Duke annual dental work and vaccinations were coming up, so we visited the vet on Monday to have the wound checked out (ironically it was shaped like a check mark). I thought the vet would opt to stitch the wound, but in the end it was best to cut the flap of skin off so the wound could heal cleanly.

 

Day 1: Saturday, July 31. Right after I first noticed the wound.

Day 3: Monday, August 2 after our visit to the vet. Still swollen and looking very painful.

Day 6: Thursday, August 5, swelling gone and healing is underway. He even looks happier.

I've been going out twice a day to apply the Vetricyn, but we've reached the point where we can cut the daily treatment back to once a day.

Dukey loves his kitten.

We have several barn cats, two of which had litters this spring. Three of the kittens from a feral mother adopted me last April and they've been living in Duke's hay room ever since; they just showed up in the room when they were about three weeks old. Only two remain now, exactly one month before making the decision to put Rumbeau down I had to make the same decision for one of the kittens who did not have any use of her hind legs. She just dragged both behind her; a visit to the vet revealed she had no hip joints. As I debated taking her home with me, the vet took me aside, and offered guidance as to the amount of care she would need. She would not be able to urinate and defecate on her own, she would require constant care, and such care demands 100% comittment from every family member. Then the doctor left me alone in the room to make the decision. It was a very difficult decision, the kitten who I had named Honey was barely six weeks old at the time. Concerned that I would want to hold the kitten during the procedure, the vet explained this wasn't something I would want to see because of the way she would have to put her down. I hated having to do it, and even today I still cry. Born to a feral mother who probably didn't get enough nutrition during the pregnancy to feed herself, let alone her babies, I just wanted to give the kitten a chance for a normal life.  Her brother and sister, who I've named Boots and Bitsy, are happy, healthy and thriving today; and Dukey loves his little babies.

Sam turned 55 on Sunday. We celebrated the occasion with dinner at Amy's on Saturday and dinner with friends on Sunday. Amy prepared a wonderful grilled steak dinner and our friends put together a crawfish feed (fresh from the Snake River). Both were scrump-dilly-lish-ous!!!

Snake River crawfish....yum!

Moving closer....

What a view!

Wow!  Double wow!

Best trail ride ever today! Duke blew my socks off today during an early morning trail ride at Hell's Gate State Park. The partnership is really blooming and the bond is deepening. I rode him on a loose rein for one and half hours. He listened, didn't fight, just stayed relaxed. Every trail ride up to this point he always had to be in front, the leader. I learned right off the ineffectiveness of holding him back. But then I discovered a technique called quartering. I tried it earlier this year during the Poker Run and it worked. We start with it right off the bat...within a few minutes Duke is calm, not fighting the bit and rushing to be in the lead. Today, for the first time, Duke and I spent the entire ride following our friends. It was so wonderful, for a change. Yes!

Just a nice, relaxing ride. Woo-hoo!!!

Thank you Parelli!!!!

I'm starting to get the hang of this. Finally!

Debbie and Ritz taking a break with the Snake River and the city of Asotin in the background.

Doc and Danel taking a break.

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After the ride with Duke at the trailer.

Maybe I'll submit a little piece of our day to Life In A Day. Have you submitted something yet?

Never enough time

Rumbeau Cox

January 31, 1998 - June 7, 2010

I've tried several times to write this entry.

Last week Sam and I said good-bye to Rum.

It was time to let him go, and put an end to his pain.

We knew it was coming, but it's never easy.

He was always there for us, and will be deeply missed.

Irreplaceable. Unforgettable. Rumbeau.

12 1/2 years of memories...

We recovered his ashes. We'll bury him at the cabin, he loved it there; but I'd like to take some to the North Fork of the Clearwater River this summer...he always loved swimming in the Clearwater.

Oh, the trails to travel!!!

Sam and I returned this morning from a quick trip to Georgia to see my nephew, Mat, graduate from high school. Wednesday we flew into Atlanta, rented a car for the drive to Lincolnton and arrived at my sister Chris' in time for fried chicken dinner with macaroni and cheese and brown crowder peas. I could get used to southern cookin! Spent Thursday catching up, Mathew graduated Friday night and the next thing I knew our departure was looming on us; we had to leave Saturday afternoon to make the drive back to Atlanta in order to catch an early Sunday morning flight. Leaving was hard for Chris and I, maybe more for her...it was, as it always is, a tearful departure.

In Atlanta another reunion awaited us; several friends who moved from Idaho to Alabama made the trip to Atlanta to join us for dinner. After several drinks in the hotel lounge, we were headed downtown (thanks to our designated driver) to experience Fogo de Chao an authentic Brazilian steakhouse. Wow! What an experience, the food was amazing, the environment was warm and friendly--I can't believe we got a table on Saturday night! I've had what I thought were delicious steaks before, but nothing I ever had came close to the meats we sampled at Fogo de Chao. I wish we had one in the Seattle area...I'd make the trip for that reason alone!!!

Just over a week ago, on May 15th Duke and I entered our first competition together, a trail challenge organized by a local saddle club. For me the greatest challenge was getting there, then getting over my nerves. I haven't done any riding in front of an audience, and I was extremely nervous while Duke and I warmed up. He sensed it during the warm up and a couple of times I thought I wasn't ready for this, but remarkably when it was our turn we entered the arena and the nerves disappeared as I focused on Duke and the obstacles. Duke was awesome! Except when he pooped on the plants the club borrowed from a local greenhouse! Oops! There were 11 obstacles and we've only practiced 2, open/close a gate (not captured on video) and walk through 'L' then back through 'L'. Everything else was completely new to us. His personality came out through it all, from his snatching a bite of foilage from the brush obstacle, to playing peak-a-boo at the end of the tunnel. The last obstacle was a old spongy mattress covered with artificial grass carpet...an obstacle many horses refused to cross; but my boy Duke never even hesitated. I am so proud of him, he really enjoyed it...although he wasn't too sure what to make of the miniture horse at first, lol! You can just see him thinking 'What the...?' All in all we had a blast!! It really ended too soon, but we will definitely do another trail challenge this fall, if not sooner. :)

This time, I handed my camera to a friend who was not riding. When she asked me if I wanted photos or videos without hesitating I responded 'Video!!!' It's been uploaded to You Tube (of course).

We're having fun now!!!

This horse of mine...

Every now and then he blows me away.

It's like he can read my mind. He's always one step ahead of me.

I need to give this boy of mine more credit.

He deserves it.


Saturday Duke and I had one of the best sessions ever! And I really needed it. I'd had a tearful morning...been feeling a bit emotional lately and it all bubbled to the surface Saturday morning. So when I headed down to the barn that afternoon I was ready for something good. I don't know if he sensed my emotions were fragile or what, but from the moment I put the halter on Duke he was unusually compliant and extraordinarily willing to please me. It started with picking out his hooves; as I moved from hoof to hoof there was no fight, no brace...no resistance. I remember thinking to myself Wow, that went really well.

We played around at liberty in the round pen a little bit, then out to the trailer to tack up. I decided to ride in my older Fallis saddle (for several various reasons) and wow, what a difference going back to that saddle made. Duke was amazing. He was soft with just the right mix of go and whoa. On a whim I thought about practicing our side pass so we can open gates. Not one of our strong points (that should read not one of my strong points)! Opening gates by side-passing has been a goal and Saturday after he figured out what I wanted he was side-passing like a dream!!! Oh, you want me to walk sideways toward the gate! Usually he wants to push the gate open with his head, lol!

Our list of goals now are:

• Briding without the brace
• Confidence in Zone 4
• Restoring our draw

That's the short list...there's more but for now those are my immediate concerns. His attitude toward the trailer is improving every week. We have sessions almost every day and bit by bit he's improving. Trailer loading has become a game to him and I'm finally figuring out how to turn everything into a game to keep him engaged, confident and wanting more. I'll have to set up the camera one of these days...it will be interesting to watch that.

We've been trail riding at Hell's Gate State Park twice this year. Great times both days. It was sunny and warm in February, but cold and rainy in March.

All Morgan trail ride, Hell's Gate State Park, February 28, 2010

 L-R: Dona and Duke, Barb and Elvira, ? and Squirrel, ? and Sabrina, Ray and Chelsea, Cary and Martina. Not pictured: Leigh and Ember.

Sheriff's Posse Poker Run, March 21, 2010

Barb and Elvira, Dona and Duke
El and Duke are looking very Morganesque in this pic.

Riders returning in the rain. March 21, 2010