Equine Recline Blog

I can’t believe today is the last day of February. This year is flying by incredibly fast!

Maverick is doing great. He has been incredibly cheerful since being able to wear his boots all the time. They are really helping him to stand better. I never really expected them to make that much difference. He has been getting into all sorts of trouble, which means he is feeling VERY good!

Wednesday we decided to try an experiment: horse painting! Not us painting horses, I definitely don’t have that sort of talent, but getting the horses to paint! It was an interesting experience. We’d decided to start with Alf. He was not too impressed with this new job we’d given him.

Through bribery with apples we did get Alf to complete 2 paintings. We’ll have them up for sale at the Town of Sahuarita Grand Opening Celebration tomorrow (Saturday) from 1 pm to 4 pm. Come see them!

We did do a collaboration of several of the horses for a 3rd painting. Two of them were Sunshine and Maverick! I have to admit it’s my favorite.

Sunday Maverick got his feet trimmed by our regular farrier and another Reiki treatment. With his feet trimmed we were able to get the right boot to finally fit properly so it isn’t slipping off all the time! Maverick LOVES his boots. He was extremely unhappy with us for taking them off, then began licking and chewing (often a sign of contentment/happiness) when we put them back on.

He was very unsettled for the Reiki treatment. Keith tried using a piece of crystal quartz on Maverick during the treatment, which he didn’t like at all.

Today we had to say a very sad good-bye to the first horse we rescued once opening the rescue. Charlie came to our attention the same day we filled out the paperwork to incorporate. He recovered from a bout of founder beautifully and found himself a wonderful foster home where he was just adored. We can’t thank Kat, his foster mom, enough for the love, care, and attention she gave him. We know he was an extremely happy horse for the last year and a half of a his life. Our hearts also go out to Kat as we know how much it hurts to lose your best friend.

Due to circumstances, we had to use money set aside for the expert farrier coming in March for Maverick to cover Charlie’s vet care today.

On Saturday March 1, we will be attending the Sahuarita Town Hall Grand Opening Celebration. We are hoping to be able to take our pony Alf with us. Unfortunately without a horse trailer, we are finding this rather difficult. The avenues we have tried for transporting him there have all fallen through. Can anyone possibly help?

And before I forget, I must mention that with Maverick having both Boa Boots on, it is making a HUGE difference in his ability to stand! He has been standing for longer and longer periods yesterday and today, and the way he is standing is also improving! We have been absolutely astounded and incredibly encouraged. Way to go Maverick!

Well the mud is finally drying out. Maverick and Sunshine switched pens as her’s has a lot more dry area for him to go lay in. We’ve figured out that by wrapping his hoof and coronet band with Vet Wrap, he doesn’t get rubbed raw with the splint any more.

With the mud drying out we finally got a chance to put his new Boa Boots on. He wasn’t too sure what to think of them at first, but he began licking and chewing after standing in them for a couple of minutes. The right leg now has a little more support instead of just the front tip of his hoof. We didn’t get them on tight enough the first time and when he went to get up after lying down, pulled them off. So got them back on, tightened them down more, and he spent almost an hour up eating and wandering around afterwards, which he normally doesn’t do unless he has the splints on.

It rained almost all of Friday flooding out a bunch of the horses’ pens and stall areas. Maverick’s was one of the worst since the storm came in on his side of the barn. So we had to let him in with Sunshine so he could go lay down in her stall area which was still dry. It was still extremely muddy on Saturday, and finally starting to dry out some today.

We did get the Boa Boots for Maverick (thank you Keith and Deb for the donation that made that possible!). But of course it had to start raining and get muddy. So hopefully tomorrow it will be dry enough that we can get the boots on him and see if they will start helping.

Soleil at the Arizona Equine Rescue Organization in Scottsdale is arranging for an expert farrier to come down and put some special shoes on Maverick. Unfortunately he cannot get down here until April. So in the meantime we will use the Boa Boots to help extend his toe slightly which in turn should help him stretch out his legs a bit more. The cost of the farrier coming in April will be around $300.

Maverick got another Reiki treatment this morning. He was resistant in some areas and very open in others. While Keith worked on his heart chakra, Maverick relaxed onto his side and fell asleep.

We had some people out visiting a couple weekends ago and through the time spent with the horses they found some healing in their lives. Just as we give so much to these horses to heal them, they too gives so much more back to heal us and others.

We’d like to send out our heartfelt gratitude to Preston and Judith Holtry for the donation made in memory of their daughter Allison.

Maverick is doing good. We are trying to find the right amount of time to have the splint on where it doesn’t rub the abscesses back open. We are also using a new mix of essential oils in witch hazel to help break up the scar tissue. The mix is peppermint, lavender, and helichrysum. The helichrysum is very expensive (1/8 ounce for $39), but may be well worth it. We noticed a difference in massaging his right leg after using this mix. No huge or major changes, but he was much more accepting of the massage, and was willing to rock back more on his hoof for brief periods.

Maverick got another Reiki treatment yesterday. He really is enjoying the treatments and happily greeted Keith. Though that could also be because Keith has been bringing Maverick apples whenever he comes out!

Maverick has been extremely upbeat today. He was very bright eyed and alert when we went out to feed breakfast. He then insisted that he needed to go out in Sunshine’s pen while I was riding one of my personal horses out there. As I passed him at a trot he began tossing his head and trying to jump around! He repeated this every time I passed him until he found his way into “his” corner where he can oversee everything. I am rather surprised I didn’t fall off I was laughing so hard!

The other splint seems to have gotten lost in the mail somewhere. We didn’t put the other splint on today as it has been rubbing the abscesses again. They are not oozing or raw, but the scabs are coming off and we don’t want them becoming raw and oozing again.

Yesterday I finally had a chance to go to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (first time in 20 years of living in the Tucson area!). I bought some crystal quartz, rose quartz, and amethyst. This morning I took them out to the barn. Maverick was not at all sure about them. He didn’t want the crystal quartz or amethyst near him and started snorting at the rose quartz! The other horses were much more interested in the crystals, Suerte quite liked the amethyst and rose quartz, while Sunshine liked the crystal quartz.

We want to send out a thank you for the donation made in memory of Mr. Ernest Needham who passed away today. You will be missed Mr. Ernie. We also want to send our condolonces to his family and friends.

The abscesses seem to have healed up enough that the splint is not rubbing them. Maverick did great with the splint on his right leg yesterday, and same with it on the left one today.

Last night we put Maverick in Sunshine’s pen for a change of scenery. Sunshine’s pen is much bigger than Maverick’s and is also used as our arena. As such it has poles and such in it for working the horses over. Apparently Maverick had much fun last night moving the poles around, wandering around and through them, and in general just getting into mischief!

We are looking into getting an expert farrier out here to work on Maverick’s hooves and put special shoes on him. Unfortunately it might take up to 8 weeks before we can get the farrier out. In the mean time it has been suggested that we get a pair of Boa Boots for him. The boots are supposed to help extend his toe just slightly to help push him back onto his hoof more. The boots are $145. He needs a size “0″.

We went ahead and put the unbroken Dynasplint on Maverick’s right leg today. He was extremely happy to have it back on as it provides him with a lot of support for standing. The abscesses seem to have healed enough that they are not being rubbed. We shall wait and see if that continues to prove true.

Still not using the splints on Maverick, just the Sports Medicine Boots. However we are starting to briefly see him place his left hoof flat on the ground.

We recently found out about something called the Emotional Freedom Technique (thanks Sunni!) and have begun to use that on him. We shall see what changes may come with that.

On Sunday Maverick got another Reiki treatment. He’d had one the previous Sunday and was not too sure what he thought of it. This time he relaxed into it and had no problems accepting it.

We still are not putting the Dynasplints on him to give the abscesses time to completely heal. They are finally scabbing over and starting to heal up.