carolwilts
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"get busy living or get busy dying"
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Post by carolwilts on Aug 22, 2005 8:02:25 GMT 1
A very quick reply....the rain has just stopped and the dogs are looking at me in hope. Its dark and gloomy here too, but meant to get better later
ME!!! ME!!! ME!!! I'll do it......or rather Mara and I will... (and she's used to pigs!)
Mara isnt feeling lousy at all... I have her on Allen and Page "Sustain" (plus simple systems unmolased beet and alfalfa).. its the first feed I have ever given her with barley in. I suspect maybe she's hyperreacting to the barley. We shall see! Might have to go back to "Sugar and cereal intolerance mix", or "calm and condition". I don't think she has quite enough energy just on the simple systems stuff.
Have you seen the "horse chariots", carol? Look just the thing for tess...http://www.saddlechariot.co.uk I keep looking at the site and thinking what fun that would be!
Off now to walk the pooches (who are now getting on a little better).. more later (after all its monday when I should be working)
carol
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carol
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Post by carol on Aug 22, 2005 10:20:34 GMT 1
Carolwilts, horse chariots, fantastic idea !!! They look like seriously good fun, I can see myself now-off down to the supermarket with me chariot like a modern day Boudicea-I'll have to buy a red wig. Come to think of it Timber wouldn't look out of place pulling one either.
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carolwilts
Olympic Poster
"get busy living or get busy dying"
Posts: 576
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Post by carolwilts on Aug 22, 2005 14:24:02 GMT 1
Back to my post- supposed to be working but its still wet and miserable outside and I dont feel like concentrating.
Carol: Perhaps you could have a special double one made for Tess and Timber together.. now that WOULD be an eyecatcher! The image of going to Sainsbury's as Boudicca (Boadicea? Boudicea?) is however quite appealling in itself!
I was semi-serious in the "ME!" reply.. i would love to do a seriously long ride. I have the 7 year itch to do something like that (actually its longer ago than 7 years since I last had an "adventure" (then, cycling to the mediterranean)).
Rosemary.. glad to hear your service went well, though sounds seriously scarey without your notes etc. Who is Hunter Duncan?
I also just noticed your edit on your previous post about the poem.. no you don't really want to know how I got here, do you?!! I do love Mary Oliver poems (amongst many others...)... I first came across her when someone sent me a copy of "Wild Geese".. which still sends shivers up my spine
"You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting — over and over announcing your place in the family of things. "
Actually, TL's posts on here and scarey day also remind me of Mary Oliver and other poets I like....
Aberlemno... saw your post on scarey day. I did wonder how you managed to post on both threads! Seems like there is a lot of cross-fertilisation between the two threads anyway. I had to laugh at the "flurry of skirts"! Side saddle looks so precarious to me, though people say its just as safe.
Hazel.. you are quiet.. I am itching to know whether you are going to be a near-neighbour!
NIkki? Kofi?? all is quiet on the scotland and italy fronts!
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carol
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Post by carol on Aug 22, 2005 17:06:18 GMT 1
Carolwilts, I'm semi-serious too about the ride. Well, enough to get some maps out, any excuse LOL !! I'm going to try and contact the two cowboys when they've completed their journey and have a chat with them. I wonder if there were enough people interested, would it be possible to do a sort baton-relay type thing across the country, a few people pick up where the others left off. County to county or something, and involve as many IH people as possible. Were you around on the board when I did Bath to Winchester? THAT was a ride and a half!!!
I feel the need for adventure too !!
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carolwilts
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"get busy living or get busy dying"
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Post by carolwilts on Aug 22, 2005 18:00:55 GMT 1
Hi carol.. Yes I was.. I was green with envy (that was the summer Mara had surgery on her fetlock joint, if I recall, and i was grounded) , but remember your stories about the eventful ending (hence the reference to the pig!). I even recall talking to CuChullaine O'Rielly about your trip......
I have the whole of the south of england maps on the computer (1:50,000)..... you have now got me looking. Cornwall looks dire (at least for bridleways).... but then bodmin, dartmoor etc.. things look up. And if I recall, the millennium bridleways project is supposed to deliver continuous linked bridleways from the Ridgeway to Scotland by 2006... website seems however to be seriously out of date!
The Baton-relay sounds fun.. though I would like to do it all the way. However, if accompanied, we may be able to a. raise more money, and b. have accommodation!
Oh dear.. getting carried away here....what happened to work for the last hour......
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hazel
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Post by hazel on Aug 22, 2005 19:21:11 GMT 1
Hi all, sorry about the quiet period, I actually typed in a huge reply with lots of personals the other morning and then blinkin computer crashed and I lost it, and use for a few days ontil OH sorted it!
I would love to do a long distance ride, but being horseless, and a bit of an old crock too , I think it might be a bit out of the question now. When I lived under the South Downs, I used to ride up there for 5 or 6 hours almost every Saturday and Sunday, it was bliss. I'm afraid Carol in Wilts we lost the house in Bushton, due to our finance falling apart, whilst we were on holiday, and despite lots of trans-atlantic calls we just couldn't get everything in place in time. The house went to a city type we're told who isn't actually going to use the buildings and land at all apart from as gardens and space for pool etc. Pig sick isn't the word!! Still we are still looking and the agent did give us a whisper that there may be another council farm coming up for sale next month, we we will look at that and keep looking alsewhere in the meantime.
Kofihorse, I'm sorry to read that you are feeling under the weather, I can really sympathsise, since I had ME for about 18 months nearly 20 years ago. I finally found an answer in a homeopathic doctor, who found that the root of my problem was with a candida overgrowth as a result of the viral attack that sparked the ME. I had about 4 months treatment and then had another 3 months recuperation, but I did fully recover, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. My neice also suffered, and she too found a good deal of improvement following homeopathy.
Rosemary, how are things with you and the family? I hope that things are settling down now. Sounds as if Jacob will be glad to get back to work, my old mare was always a total loopball when she had any time off, so I always tried to make sure that it was only one holiday a year for her, as my life was too precious to risk too many 'first rides'.
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Ann NF
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Post by Ann NF on Aug 22, 2005 23:12:11 GMT 1
Oh Hazel, what a pain to lose the house to yet another "City type"! Sadly this happens so much in the New Forest. Several nearby large houses stand empty apart from two weekends a month and school holidays, while stables lie unused and paddocks are topped by contractors to keep them looking "neat". Very sad to see communities emptying of full time residents too. I do hope another property fits the bill for you very soon, and that you will have more luck next time.
Carolwilts - I was talking about your new dog to my son and he has just showed me an article in this month`s vet magazine "In Practice" which is all about pheromone therapy for animals. Apparently there is now a plug in diffuser that you can buy from the vet which releases Dog Appeasing Pheromone and this can help to calm down dogs and help to reduce stress induced anxiety and behavioural problems. Sounds a good idea to have some peace inducing pheromones floating about between Skye and Ellie? My younger Border Collie had a fracas with another dog last night. I`m afraid he started it too .Thankfully ours was muzzled but I was so disappointed as we have been extending his offlead walks successfuly recently and he has been much calmer and better with other dogs. He is now stuck with his lead and we shall go back to square one.
I`m off to Winchester for a Saddle Fitting Course with Kay Humphries tomorrow. Looking forward to learning new things and having a day out with Sarah and Patty.
The long distant ride sounds fantastic . I shall have to cheer you on from the sidelines but I would be with you in spirit! I`m looking forward to seeing the boys` Big Bike Ride photos soon.
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Post by aberlemno on Aug 23, 2005 6:56:32 GMT 1
Hopefully I'm up early enough this morning to do justice to my replies on here.
Rosemary - I should hate to be all alone too. Don't blame yourself for making your husband unhappy - I would say he had his own faults - a case of 6 of one and half a dozen of the other at least. You put everything into your marriage, and he was perhaps less than generous . . . I have never really been alone, but hate it when my family go away. Let's hope you end up sharing with one of your daughters (Grace wasn't it, that you were planning to settle with?) I'm hoping Tam's travelling with friends next summer will toughen her up a bit and cut the apron strings. Gabby will have no problems whatsoever, being made of sterner stuff!
We still have a tiny bit of Foxglove summer left - amongst the tatters of the Rosebay Willowherb along the woodland ride we went on yesterday were the last few bells on an older foxglove, and a small foxglove in full bloom at its feet. Definitely autumnal here though - cool mornings, and very misty these past few days. The sun's still hot when it finally comes out, but summer has waned.
Carol Wilts - Sounds like you are really getting itchy feet for that adventure! I can only have the one-day sort here! Mara certainly doesn't sound at all off-colour, so perhaps it is a reaction to the new feed. Fahly will tolerate a certain level of barley, and after that even HE gets lively. Do you know, they used to feed over 30 lbs of oats a day to farm horses in the past? Wonder they weren't flattened by them instead of working them : )
Carol - I'm glad you enjoyed your BBQ - I would have been comatose long before 3 a.m. though, especially if I had drink taken! I'm glad that Rups is sound again now and you are able to start riding him again. I did try to download some photos of Fahly into Photobucket, but it seemed to be taking forever, and I had to stop as I had to go on to chores. Will try again this week.
I hope that Tess will respond better as a driving pony - or pack pony! It sounds like you and Carol Wilts might be up for a joint adventure : )
Hazel - I'm sorry to hear that the house at Bushton didn't work out. Not easy to organize "tweeks" to finances when you are the other side of the pond though. When do you start back at work? Is there anyone interested in your house yet?
Ann NF - Green with envy here, at your Kay Humphries course. You will learn so much, I'm sure. Not too far to travel either.
I think the concept of holiday homes is a rotten one too. Depopulates villages and erodes community spirit, as well as taking prices beyond what locals can afford. I was watching a programme on daytime TV recently when a young couple wanted a weekend holiday property in Spain - their budget was 750K . . .
Well, the farrier is coming this morning, Jude and her husband (from Scary Day) are visiting tomorrow and the house is a tip, so I have to do some serious Home Economy today. Tam and I found a fabulous off-road ride the other side of the garden fence on Sunday, when we went blackberrying. The farm track which used to be fenced off at the border of next door's land, is now open all the way through his next door neighbour's land too, which puts a whole new spin on things. We took Fahly along their yesterday and he thought it was as wonderful as we did, but remembered his manners and didn't take off like a bad from hell, though he was tempted! This used to be the old route to the local school (long changed into a private house) during WW2. The old bridge across the river leading to the school, has long fallen into disrepair, sadly. What a difference this will make to my round the block rides and I shall be able to canter too!
Off to Scary Day now. J
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Post by rosemaryhannah on Aug 23, 2005 8:02:37 GMT 1
Well a very fraught day yesterday, as i lost my wallet. I had it to give money to son for lunches, then it vanished. I think it is probably in the house - but it has all my cards, and for once a good deal of money (by my standards!) - I am feeling incredibly fraught over this - I have my ECG tomorrow, too, so could well do with being calm and tranquil. If you could send prayer, claming thoughts, healing, or whatever is your 'thing' I would be very very grateful doubt if I had 3 hours sleep. this kind of thing is just exaclty what I cannot cope with.
Personals later!
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Post by hazelhorse on Aug 23, 2005 9:34:44 GMT 1
Rosemary, have you been out of the house with your wallet, if not it will help you to stop panicking. Remember where you were when you sorted the lunch money, and I bet you find you put it somewhere abstract close by. My best effort was putting my mobile in the fridge, because I answered it whilst clearing up tea!!
Jennie it sounds wonderful to have a new clear track to use, I dream of that when I see little tracks that should so obviously be oen to let us get off the roads for at least 100 yards or so here and there. I can image Fahly's excitement.
Ann, I am grren over your saddle fitting course. I bet you learn so much, I still remember the shock and the amount I learned from Nicki Golding's tack talk on the 5 day.
I am working Sundays now until the schools go back , and went into the yard on Sunday to find the usual disquiet and disorganisation. I can't wait to get away now. They have got a now girl in to do some teaching, who I think is going to take over from the girls who do the yard on weekends, when they go off to university in the autumn. Thing is I don't know whether I'm being lied to by the yard owners, who tell me she is a Stage 2 PTT, or whether it is this girl who has lied to them, as she is in fact only a Stage 1!! Nothing changes then.
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kofihorse
Grand Prix Poster
Oh,such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you
Posts: 1,454
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Post by kofihorse on Aug 23, 2005 12:07:37 GMT 1
Very frustrating, I have (finally)successfully uploaded pix to photobucket but now I can't work out how to get one as an avatar (is that the one that appears in the right hand column when you post?) nor how to upload them just into a message. I know you technogeeks can do it in your sleep so hope one of you won't mind posting yet again for a technomoron like myself........please!
Feeling slightly more like my usual self today so will catch up on all your news later as dying to hear about a lot of things I've caught tantalising glimpses of.
I think I have seriously over-reached myself in the last few weeks with organising a ride one weekend and then going away for a weekend to the Champs. It was the 4 hour journey pulling Kofi in his trailer to get there and then to get home that finished me off and rather over shadowed the whole weekend. Ended up only doing the 13 mile pleasure on the Saturday, 400 metres up in a thunderstorm. Not my idea of fun, really, especially when camping for the second time in my life. Amazing how much water gets into your boots. The funny hat and stripy riding tights are the biz, though,both dried out in no time. The fleece padding in the bum, when saturated,becomes rather like a wet nappy and when you get back on after opening a gate, squishes most unpleasantly as you land in the saddle. But as soon as the rain stops, it dries out amazingly fast. Unlike suede chaps or Ariat trainers. Ugh.
Beginning to wonder if the whole endurance lark is for us - we seem to have been dogged with set backs for the last five years and I'm getting fed up setting goals which don't get achieved. No chance of doing our Bronze final this season, I fear. We haven't even managed a 20 miler yet, due to the persistent loading problems and now the farrier has discovered quite bad white line disease in two of Kofi's hoofs. He is prone to it but has only ever had small amounts before. This time, the farrier told me that if he wasn't shod, the outer walls would break off badly so I am treating it with Life Data Labs Hoof Disinfectant every day and watching him like a hawk - no road work, just arena and field. We're going to a 20 mile ride on 4th September which has a couple of miles of tarmac in total so I will be on and off checking his feet all the time, I expect. At the tiniest sign of bother,that'll be it for the next few months. Once his feet have grown down a little and lessened the chance of outer wall breaking off, I'll have him barefoot (for the fourth winter in a row - no riding = no training = slimmer than ever chances of Bronze final).
And I'm having to feed him for the first time since I've had him as he's getting a little bony around the bum so he's tucking into Alpha A (he loves it) as well as his normal Top Spec and sugar beet. I don't know why he's like this, unless it's his age. (18) He's out on grass for 10 hours a day (admittedly not very good grass) and has as much hay as he can eat overnight and I wouldn't say he's in hard work. He worked much harder last summer and didn't have a problem with his weight. He's being wormed this week too, although I don't think that's the problem but you never know as he's on different pasture with other horses this past few weeks so might have picked up an unusually heavy burden although YO says she worms hers religiously with Equest every 13 weeks.
Then at the end of September he goes in to have his sarcoid removed which is worrying me a lot. Previous vet said to leave it alone but it kept growing so called in another vet who says it's not an aggressive sarcoid and should be easy to remove and a good chance it won'r grow back BUT it should have been removed sooner.
They say life is just a learning experience but I don't know why I have to keep learning, it would be nice just to sit back and not learn anything at all for a while except how to enjoy ourselves.
Anyone else read Phil Rickman's series of books set in the Welsh Marches about Merrily Watkins, the female Deliverance CofE minister? I'm hooked on them at the moment.
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carolwilts
Olympic Poster
"get busy living or get busy dying"
Posts: 576
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Post by carolwilts on Aug 23, 2005 16:21:52 GMT 1
Hi Kofi...boring bits first!
To upload an avatar, save a picture into photobucket at no more than 100x 100 pixels. If you make it that size before you upload it it will take no time at all!
Then, on the IHDG site, click on "profile" at the top. You will then get your profile, headed by "Member's Bio - Modify Profile - Bookmarks"
Click on "modify profile". There are a whole load of options to fill in, one of which is called "avatar URL". If you have photobucket open in another window, then you should see under your picture, three lines which say url, tag, img. Copy the whole address from the url line and paste it inot the IHDG site (avatar url). Should then give you your avatar. If your avatar is not square, you will have to adjust the width and height settings in the next two lines.
To post photos in an email. When you are in the "reply" box if you want to insert a picture, open photobucket and copy the whole line in the img box and just paste it into your email. It will then come up as a picture. You dont need to do anything else - just copy the line and paste!
hope this works..
will start another reply with general news...
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carolwilts
Olympic Poster
"get busy living or get busy dying"
Posts: 576
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Post by carolwilts on Aug 23, 2005 16:40:49 GMT 1
I'm not sure if I should post this after your email Kofi.. but I just (or rather finally!) got my picture back from Eric Jones of Mara and me on our first ever EGB novice (or any other sort!) ride (33k). and I am so chuffed with it.. I have to post it. Not sure about my grimace, but I like the piccy of Mara. (Copyright Eric Jones). Mara's snuffles seem to be receeding now she is off the barley.. Could of course be the antibiotics, but i just feel its probably the barley. So I am off out for a ride shortly to see if she is still snuffle free after exercise. She is growing a rather expanded waistline after about 10 days of rest/light work.... i don't have to feeding problems. Kofi.. have you tried Zinc sulphate soaks (sheep foot rot treatment) for Kofis white line infections... that and Virkon soaks have proved succesful for Mara, who was the queen of white line infections (down to resected feet and a year or more of hopping lameness). If I showed you pics of her hooves at the worst you would not believe we would ever to 33k barefoot! Don't despair (says she who has done one endurance ride!) I too have been struggling for five years and still also have problems with trailer loading. Mara is going to have a short holiday with my horsey guru gareth next week, since she broke my finger on our last trip (crushed in the trailer). I'm hoping we can sort out her loading problems once and for all. I'll let you know how we get on . With luck we will do two more novice rides this season if the trailer loading proves fruitful. But then again Ii don't want yet another trip to casualty, so who knows! I'll post this part now, and catch up with other news in the next part....
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Post by hazelhorse on Aug 23, 2005 18:41:19 GMT 1
Hi Kofi, you could well find that the Alpha-A helps with the quality of horn growth. This has been a very welcome benefit to a few of our horses who have had even small amounts of Alpha-A in their feeds. Old Nimbus had such poor old feet that when he was being shod he could barely stand on the yard without a shoe, and the farrier always struggles to find anywhere to put new nails as his feet hardly grew at all. Now he has quite good feet, which grow a good deal of horn and his soles are so much better that he doesn't find the shoeing process difficult any more. The same can be said of several other older horses whose feet are now very healthy.
Carol what a lovely photo of you and Mara. You both look as if you are enjoying yourselves, and it certainly doesn't look as if you are grimacing to me. Am I right in saying that you have an equitech trailer? How do you get on with it, as I must admit that I would like one myself, that is when I have the horses to go in it, oh and the house to keep the horses at .... etc etc... LOL
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carolwilts
Olympic Poster
"get busy living or get busy dying"
Posts: 576
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Post by carolwilts on Aug 23, 2005 19:01:54 GMT 1
Reply no 3!
Rosemary.. I do hope you have found your purse.. Thats something i do often (purse or keys) and it drives OH nuts. I usually have to empty my mind and go through what I did the last time I had it and afterwards, and then suddenly remember some place I havent thought of. Hugs from me anyway.
Ann NF thanks for the pheromone therapy tip....if desperate we will investigate.. Having said that they seem to be settling a bit now, fingers crossed. Skye is still jealous but getting a little more accepting. Ellie is clinging to me like glue.... but gradually getting more comfortable with living with us (I guess its the long walks, nice food, grooming and company.....!)
I hope your saddle fitting course went well.. I would love to hear what Kay Humphries has to say... do fill us in!
Hazel.. I am very sorry you lost the house in Bushton.. what a shame. It sounded so good. I tend to be a bit on the fatalistic side with houses though.. if it was not meant to be.. then something better will come up shortly.
Aberlemno... hope the home economics went well. Did I read on scarey day that you are coming to the natural horse gathering? (For that matter is anyone else?). Its not far from me, and organsied by our friends Mark and lorraine.. so maybe we could meet up there- at leas to say hello.
Carol.. hows the map perusal? ..............
I went out on the Moo for an hour tonight to test her snots. She was initally giving the odd cough after a trot but nowhere near as snotty. She did want to canter so in the end we did a detour round a lovely just-cut stubble field which is over a mile long, trotted down and then had a slow steady canter all the way back up a gradual hill. No coughs.....and not sweating, so looking good..
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