Other Blog

I've decided to start posting in my other blog again. There's so much I'm doing that has nothing to do with Cherry that I'm going to devote to the other blog.

In recent months, I've come to the startling and frankly slightly frightening conclusion that I don't care about nor really want a career. There's so much I want to do and so much that interests me that I'll never in a million years get paid to do. So why can't I? No reason, really. This isn't to say I'll be unemployed, but whatever job I do will never be the central focus of my life nor will it detract from what I find to be truly important.

I propose to devote my other blog to the trials and tribulations of such a life, reclaiming domestic skills, and trying to find a balance between what I need and what I want.

Posts will likely be sporadic, but it's really more a record for me to look back on anyway. And if my exploits into the world of homemaking entertain or help someone else, so much the better!

Supplement Musings

The weather here has been pretty shitty over the last month. That, and the fact that I was gone for holidays, means that I haven't been doing a whole lot with Cherry lately. It's kind of her "winter break", but I can't lie, it's more about me being lazy and cold than giving her a respite.

That doesn't mean I've been neglecting her, just not riding nearly as much. I've also come to the conclusion that I don't need to go to the barn every day. Six days a week is plenty. Going every. single. day. really wears on me after awhile, I've found. It's not that I don't want to see my horse, it's that I don't want to deal with the crap that goes with it. Putting on warm clothes, driving through slush/ice/snow, mixing her feed, trekking through the icy muck to her paddock, etc, then doing it all in reverse.

So I don't go sometimes. But the next day I'm that much happier to do all of the above just to see her fuzzy little face. Like today. She felt pretty good and went tearing ass around the arena after a good roll in the dirt. It was so fun just to watch her and remember how nice her gaits are when she puts a little bounce into them.

I'm starting to question the efficacy of the joint supplement I've had her on. Past tense because, well, she hasn't been getting it these past couple weeks. We ran out and I haven't ordered more. Two reasons for that, one is that since I didn't work much in December I have no money (and it costs 90 freaking dollars), the other is that I'm curious to see if there's a difference with or without it.

So far, I can't really tell. Perhaps this means that she doesn't need it, or that she won't need it for awhile. I'd love to do what a "natural" vet (he does homeopathy and other such alternative remedies as well as conventional medicine) suggested, which is to do a 3 months on, 3 months off thing as opposed to continuous supplementation.

I'm also looking into other alternatives. I've heard the gelatin (Jello actually, but I'm not about to feed sugar to my horse) can help with joint stiffness and paprika is an anti-inflammatory for those bad days where the arthritis flares up. Obviously I need to do more research on this.

Perhaps the money that would have gone to the joint supplement would be better spent on new literature on barefoot trimming. I feel comfortable with the knowledge I have and the super basic trim, and now I want to advance my knowledge and skills. I've noticed that after a trim her arthritis seems to be "eased" for lack of a better term. Maybe by keeping her feet in better balance and health I'll be able to keep the stiffness at bay for longer with less need for supplements.

Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

Visited my folks and a few good friends over the holidays. Cherry was well taken care of in my absence.

I did leave her hooves a litttttle too long, trimming-wise, but it's okay. I'm amazed at the change in her feet. The white line at the toe is actually looking really good! The bad news is that the whole toe is stretched forward, as evidenced by the change in angle of the hoof as viewed from the side. At least healthy hoof is growing in! Next time I'm going to back up those front toes.

We've been dealing with this on the front hooves for awhile now. That's okay, she's pretty comfortable on her feet again. And there's some lovely concavity going on under there. Very thrilled about that.











Her hind hooves look pretty good though, no? Yes, that left hind is a bit swollen. It's stocked up, something we've been dealing with this winter. Her hind legs stock up unevenly, I think due to the fact that her arthritis seems to be worse in the left leg than in the right. It goes back to normal with exercise, but since the ground is frozen (read: giant frozen mud peaks that I can't even walk on normally), she isn't moving about as much. Hence the stocking up. *sigh* I can't wait to get old.