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I know I haven't blogged in a long time. I haven't wanted to go up to the barn much, or really even ride, these past few weeks. I was gearing up for Finn's big move on September 1st, but yesterday the woman who trailers him asked if he could move today instead. Because I was out of state today I really didn't think I'd be able to get all the pieces in place. Somehow we made it work and Finn was trailered back home today, without me even being there to move him! This morning I got a text from BM that Finn had arrived safe and sound and was happily munching hay in his stall. He went out in turnout with his old buds around lunchtime and it was like he had never left. There was no galloping, or whinnying. He went up to his old BFF and started playing halter tag. When it was time to go in at night BM told me Finn tried to take her to his old stall. It's like the past few months didn't even exist...and I really wish they didn't!
   Me and hubby visited him on our way home tonight and hubby turned to me and said "it's like his whole expression has changed....he's happy again!" Even though the hour commute really, really sucks, the peace of mind I get from knowing he's happy and cared for is worth it. I won't have to worry about him getting his meds and supplements, hay, the correct food, getting turned out, etc. He'll be back to his old routine, and my horse really needs his routine. It felt so great to see my barn family again. The barn also just got a sweet new trainer, and I can't wait to take a lesson with her, as well as work with my old dressage trainer too. First ride tomorrow-- get ready for lots more posts, pictures, and a possible show in October!

Update

Phew...It's all good! Talked to barn owner today and she has just been super busy! I really need to relax...We are all set to move on Saturday and I'm so excited. Me and Carole are planning on moving the boys earlier in the morning than we originally planned because it's supposed to be 90+ degrees on Saturday. Tomorrow afternoon I'll head up to the barn to give him a good bath, pull his mane, and trim him up so he's all clean and fancy for the move. Hope he likes it and settles in well!
I also got the results for Finn's vitamin E/Selenium testing back. I have him on a vitamin e/selenium supplement but because he tested high on selenium and on the low end of normal on vit e it looks like I'll have to take him off of it and switch him to a better vitamin e supplement. Vet recommended Elevate, but the only place I've found that carries it is Dover, and it's not in Smartpaks.

 Results:

TOXICOLOGY

Vitamin E: 269 ug/dL

Comments: The reference ranges for serum vitamin E in horses vary with age. The following values are based on data in, Vitamin Levels in Animal Health, published in 1994 by Puls.

Neonatal foal: 180 to 200 ug/dL 

10 day to 1 month old foal: 120 to 800 ug/dL 

1 month to 2 years old: 150 to 1000 ug/dL 

Mature horse: 200 to 1000 ug/dL

Vitamin E is not stable and some sample characteristics and handling procedures may decrease the concentration of vitamin E present in serum samples. Factors that may affect vitamin E levels in a serum sample include hemolysis, contact with rubber stoppers, repeated freezing and thawing and exposure to light.

The NRC recommends that equine diets contain 80 to 100 IU vitamin E per kg of dry matter. Vitamin E is very safe to supplement and

vitamin E toxicosis has not been reported in livestock. 

Blood, Whole, Edta

Selenium, whole blood Quantity: 26.31 ug/dL Comments: The reference values for blood selenium in horses, based on Stowe (1998) are:

1-9 days: 9.80 to 13.5 ug/dL 

10-30 days: 11.2 to 15.0 ug/dL

1 mo-1 year:12.6 to 16.5 ug/dL

 Greater than 1 year:14.0 to 24.0 ug/dL

Blood selenium concentrations less than 6.0 ug/dL have been associated with white muscle disease in neonatal livestock. signs of selenium toxicosis are reported with blood selenium concentrations above 110 ug/dL (Puls, 1994).

Clinical

Vitamin E Alcohol, in serum This analysis was developed to determine the vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol) concentration in serum samples. Analysis of an inappropriate sample, such as serum collected or stored in gel clot tubes, or plasma instead of serum, could affect the accuracy of the test result .

Report Date: 5/29/2013 9:07:57AM

A little nervous

Finn's had some time off. After another bout of terrible hives and meds that work intermittently, I decided it was best to just give him some time off before we move and hope for the best after we move. The drive up there makes me cringe every time I think about it, so rather than stress and get annoyed, Finn's had the life of a pasture puff this past week, and I'm sure he's loving it.

We are supposed to move this Saturday at 10AM. I emailed barn owner last week, called her when I didn't hear back, left a voicemail, and then left another voicemail this week... I wanted to make sure that we were all set to move, that she had all the information she needed, I wanted to get a list of different feeds they use so that I could research and pick the best one for him, and I wanted to get the name of the barn's vet so I could get all his paperwork transferred ASAP. I have not heard back from her. We are moving in 3 days and I have absolutely no information. From the looks of the barn's website she's away at a show all weekend. While checking out the website I noticed the price of board increased by $100 then from what's on my signed boarding contract?! After having my horse at a barn where the owners are super responsive, and the barn manager treats my horse like a prince, I can only hope he'll receive a similar level of care...but I'm seriously doubting that now.

I am confused. And annoyed. And just wish I could have my horse at home so I could take care of him myself.

When life hands you lemons...

It's been a funny few weeks. Two weeks ago we went to Florida to visit Matt's parents and celebrate Addie's 2nd Birthday. Can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast!

We played in the pool

We went to Disney and waited in lines for  two hours

And we ate lots of cake!

Munchkin unfortunately got the stomach bug the second half of our trip so the flight home was pretty miserable. Matt and I had taken the full week off of work, we flew home Friday, and then had Saturday and Sunday off before heading back to work. Matt's birthday was on Saturday, and of course we came down with the stomach bug ourselves and were deathly ill and in bed Saturday and Sunday.

On Monday we went back to work. I usually head into work an hour or so before Matt. My normally friendly boss barely said one word to me which I thought was pretty strange. When Matt got there the boss and his wife called Matt into their office next to mine and shut the door. For some reason I had a bad feeling and started shaking. When Matt came out of the office and into mine he said "I just lost my job. Don't quit". Matt's position had been eliminated...basically they couldn't afford to keep him on the payroll. Matt was extremely upset and so was I. I know the company hasn't been doing well, but we definitely didn't expect this. My boss told me that I could pick up more hours but how could I stay at the company that had just let my wonderful, hard-working husband go who had put his heart and soul into everything he's done the past year.
        It's been a tough week to stay the least. Luckily Matt qualifies for unemployment. The only other factor is health insurance. Luckily, we also qualify for state health insurance. He actually qualifies for a lot of things...This week has made me realize how messed up our nation is...We currently pay $1200 a month for our EMPLOYER health insurance, with high copays. State health insurance? $28 a month, and no copays. Matt will max out on unemployment benefits. He will get all sorts of education assistance. We will end up BETTER OFF and with MORE money in our pockets with him UNEMPLOYED than EMPLOYED (working 60+ hours a week at a job he hates...). How does that make any sense?
        While we were on vacation the barn I was supposed to move Finn to, after already telling current barn I'm moving May 1st, fell through. The barn owner told me she had just done her taxes and had to raise the board by $100. In the end, it would have cost me more to board at this barn (with two days of barn chores) than it would at a full board barn with an indoor and amenities on property. I can understand raising board by $25 or so, but to raise it a full $100 from the asking price made me very nervous about boarding there and dealing with this woman.
       A few days ago we also looked at a little backyard barn that was nice, clean, but the turnout was basically the size of my living room, and the outdoor ring was not fenced.
      Then I talked to one of the woman I boarded with at current barn who bought a house near me and is moving her horse (Finn's best friend) June 1st. She told me to check out the barn she planned on moving her horse to, which is about 20 miles from my house, and half the distance current barn is from me. It's not as close as I wanted, but it's for sure closer. We checked it out today and I went in with low expectations... In a nutshell here are the amenities:
1. Huge 14x14 stalls, heavily bedded
2. All day, large, grass turnout, great fencing
3. A bale of hay a day
4. Wash stall, hot and cold water
5. Monster sized outdoor, lighted, great footing
6. Large, bright indoor with windows that open in the summer
7. Grooming bays, which I love
8. Clean, clean barn
9. Schooling shows on property, trainer takes students to shows every weekend
10. 26 acres of fields and trails to ride in
11. Cross country course being built in the next few weeks
12. ....And finally, not much more than I'm paying now

It seems too good to be true. It really does. I got such a good feeling there, and loved the trainer/barn manager. Looking out from the barn and seeing all the areas to ride. Those wide open, flat fields....Ahhh! It seems, and was a no brainer to us. Finn will be moving with Jake on June 1st. Luckily Carole, Jake's owner, has a trailer so I won't even have to worry about a $300 trailer ride to move him.

Finn & Jake

Best friends

It will be great to have a friend at the barn for both me and Finn! In pony news, Finn has been a hot, spooky mess. Hoping to get him back into some sort of routine this week after all the chaos seems to be over.

The past month

    Yikes! It's been a month since I've blogged! I've been keeping up with reading everyone's blogs but just haven't had the time, or really, inspiration, to blog recently. It's been a long, LONG, winter here in the northeast. Going around and around in the indoor has gotten old fast. The trails and roads are still covered with ice, and I think everyone is ready for a good hack, especially me and Finn. Finn has been wonderful and uncomplicated. I haven't been getting to the barn as much as I like, but when I do, our rides are really good. I think the SI injections helped a bunch. He has been so much more supple. When the vet was out for Spring shots a few weeks ago she caught the end of our lesson and commented on how amazing he looked. Yay!
    Speaking of lessons...I've unfortunately had to stop taking them. My trainer has not yet renewed her off property insurance, and without it, she's not allowed to teach at the barn. Michelle has been riding him a few times a week and jumping him once a week, since her horse is currently laid up with an injury, and he is doing really well with her. She's been jumping baby courses with him, and he is really enjoying himself and doing great.
     I've been thinking more and more about moving him. I just can't see us preparing for a show with him an hour away from me. There also aren't any good trainers in that area, and all the good trainers won't travel that far. I found a barn literally 10 minutes from my house, that borders Water's Edge Farm, a very well known eventing barn with a great trainer. If I boarded at the barn next door I would be able to hack over to Water's Edge, take lessons, and use their indoor/outdoor/and jumps for a fee. It would cost about $400 more a month, with regular lessons, than I'm paying now, but I will be saving about $200 a month in gas alone, and be getting some quality training. The barn next door also has acres of grass turnout, big stalls, and miles and miles of trails (including the local hunt club's trails complete with x-country fences). The owner should have an opening on May 1st, and if she does, we will hopefully be moving.
       I just can't have my horse this far away from me anymore. Two weeks ago Finn was playing halter tag with his buddies, and one of the geldings got him right around the sensitive skin on his eye. He had a little cut, that I cleaned and put some antibiotic cream on, and it wasn't that bad even though his eye swelled a bit. He got some bute in his PM grain, and AM grain the next day. The next day the barn manager called me and said Finn's eye was really swelled, even though the cut looked fine. I got about 4 text messages, and two calls about how bad his eye was...until finally she called and said it looked like his eye was disappearing, it was so swollen. So, that Friday night me and Matt drove up to the barn after work in a panic, ready to call the vet. It took us almost 3 hours to get there in rush hour traffic. Matt literally ran up to his stall, threw the door open, and said "you've got to be kidding me". His eye was FINE. It was a little swollen, but no worse than it had been the day before. And that was when I learned that the barn manager exaggerates.
    I hate not being able to just pop up and check on him, or brush him. If I moved him to this new barn I won't even have to get on the highway. I really hope it works out.
    Oh, and we also got a truck!! A 2004 Ford F-150. It is so nice to be a two car family again!

Finn in his BOT sheet, which has made a BIG difference in warm up!

My cute little scarface.

Starting her early...Addie reading her horse book

The new truck!


Here's a video of Michelle and Finn jumping...sorry so blurry, our indoor is dark!

Also, be sure to check out the contest over at SprinklerBandits blog here, for Riding Ninja apparel. Super cute stuff!

To move or not to move...

I went up to the barn yesterday for a quick ride. Walk, trot, canter, a bit of leg yielding, and a super slow walk around the property because it's pretty icy up there.
    The drive to the barn is really getting to me lately. On a good day it takes me an hour, as long as there is absolutely no traffic. By the time I get to the barn, I'm in a rush to get back home to my daughter. My husband works odd hours (usually 8am-8pm), and I work mornings, so there is no riding before/after work. Maybe in the summer when it stays lighter out longer I'll be more motivated to ride after hubby gets out of work, but I'm usually exhausted by then! I don't have my daughter in daycare (she comes to work with me), so I either have to have a family member watch her or wait for my husband to be around to watch her so I can go to the barn. After spending over two hours in the car each time I want to visit my horse when I'm at the barn I never have time to just relax with him and enjoy him. It is just all work, and then goodbye. I feel like I can't spend the time grooming him that I want to, and forming a better bond with him off his back.
    The problem is, other than the distance, his barn is a dream come true. There's something like 400 acres of trails right off the property, the barn is always spotless, my horse is treated like a king, he gets lots and lots of hay, the indoor is huge, there is no barn drama, and my horse is just so HAPPY. He is turned out all day with his gelding buddies, then comes in at night to a super clean stall and a mound of hay. I know that he is always cared for. I never have to worry. Every other barn he's been at I've had to worry.
     But having my horse in an entirely different state than myself is tough. I can't just pop up there and say hi to him. If I moved him closer to home I would be looking at about $400 more a month than I'm paying now for board. Lessons/training rides would be nearly double what I'm paying now. Although me and hubby are good about saving money, we do enjoy going out to eat, and the occasional Starbucks. Moving Finn closer to home would mean absolutely no extras, and a lot of sacrifices. But, I just don't know how much longer I can stand being in my car for over two hours a day. I forgot to leave my check for board at the barn yesterday, so after work this morning me and my daughter drove up to the barn to drop it off. There was a lot of traffic, a few detours, and it took us nearly two hours to get up to the barn...TO DROP A CHECK OFF!! Ugh...
    Here's a few pictures from yesterday.