Watching Our Equines Grow Old

I bought Kyley on June 12, 1988 for $500 - every last penny I had in my savings account at 12 years old. She was three years old then - barely halter broke, and nothing like the horse of my dreams that I had imagined in my horse-crazy mind. In place of the large bay hunter gelding I had been dreaming of for years, was a 15-hand solid black mare - defiant, untamed, and not at all ready to leave the farm where she was born.

Over the years I was shown again and again why this solid black mare was destined to be mine. Through years and years of hard work, determination, ribbons, trophies, 4-H drill team, and long trail rides, Kyley and I grew up together, and have been inseparable ever since. She taught me the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and everything in between. She had a beautiful filly in 1996, and I now own her 4-year-old grand-daughter.  Our farm, Candlelight Acres, is named after her.

I'm now 32 years old, and Kyley is 24. Many miles and many years between the two of us, we still have that special unspoken bond that only exists between a horse and owner that have been together through thick and thin, for over 20 years. She's retired now (has been for years) and recently foundered. It's literally the first serious health problem I have ever experienced with her. And it's very scary.

This morning I stood watching her quietly eat her hay, and took note of her overall appearance. I guess this was really the first day I have ever thought of my Kyley as being 24 years old.... She has been 3 in my mind for so many years now, that I think my brain fools me into thinking she hasn't aged at all.  

Everyone tells me she looks fantastic for her age.  And I am extremely thankful for her health and vigor - and she rarely acts her age anyway.  But it's an interesting time for me - this is the first horse I have had for this many years, and the first time I have really had to face owning an aged equine.  I worry about her all the time - what she eats, how she's walking, and if the pasture is too slippery for her.  Now that she's foundered unexpectedly, I find myself staring at her feet constantly, and taking a lot more notice of her comfort while she's moving.  It's a different type of horse ownership for me - one that has kind of snuck up on me all of the sudden after all these years.  I don't think I'm quite ready for this, although I don't think anyone ever really is.

I will own Kyley until the day comes when this Earth is no longer graced with her presence.  I'm hoping that's 10 years down the road (at least).... When people ask me how long horses live, I have always said 'Somewhere around 30-35 years old, except Kyley, who has promised me she'll live forever.'  

For those of you reading this who are currently experiencing owning an older equine, I know how you feel.  And this morning, it occurred to me that she isn't as young as my brain thinks she is, and that tragic brevity of time is scary.  I love my sweet Kyley - she is the one who 'started it all' for me.  I pray that I have the wisdom to help keep her healthy, happy and comfortable during her twilight years.

Where Will All The Horse Shows - and Showers - Go?

I've been a horse owner for over 20 years now. We all understand that taking on a 1,000+ lb. animal requires a lot of emotional involvement, love of the creature itself, and, perhaps most of all, the financial commitment. It can sometimes be a daunting task for those weekend owners who have their horses boarded out and ride as a hobby, for enjoyment. For those who have one horse, it's been challenging enough in recent times - for those of us with more than that, it may be getting a bit tricky.

I don't think I have to say it out loud for everyone reading this to agree that the United States is in a financial panic. You can't turn on the news, listen to the radio, or read any major internet news web site without hearing about the financial crisis and recession that we're in, or at least starting. With gas (and diesel) prices soaring to places we never thought they would go, I don't think there's a person in this country that isn't saying 'uh oh' and seriously reconsidering where their money is spent. I know I am. And probably many other horse owners are as well. And let's face it - as much as we love our equine friends, they are not necessarily on the 'essentials for life' list like food, water and air (although I would definitely say I have sacrificed my own food intake over the years for my horses, when the need arose).

Last year was a great year for me and my show horses. I traveled to Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania and just about everywhere in between, showing miniature horses at the Local, Regional and World level. I showed 4 miniature horses last year in various performance events, with each of them (thankfully) having extremely successful show records to show for it (so the 15,000+ miles on my new truck wasn't entirely in vain). We even racked up a few AMHA World Top Tens and Top Fives, 3 AMHA Eastern Championship titles, an AMHR Country Pleasure Driving Hall of Fame induction, an AMHR All-Stars Top Ten in Showmanship, and an AMHA Honor Roll Top Ten in Showmanship, along with the much-anticipated retirement of my favorite miniature stallion from his competitive career.

But this year is going to be very different, it seems. Much as I want to show like I did last year, there's a lot of factors that are weighing in at once. Diesel is $4.35 a gallon (holy cow!), and rising. Feed prices are rising fast. The bale of hay that I paid $2.75 for last year is now up to $5 or more. I'm sure the Northwest isn't the only area being affected by this economic problem, and I'm sure I'm not the only horse person this year suddenly not preparing as much for my horse's show careers as I'm preparing for how I'm going to pay for their feed in July and August.

I've watched horse shows fluctuate over the past 20 years - one year there's 30 horses in a class, the next there's 80, the one after that there's 15. It all depends on a number of miscellaneous factors, particularly at the higher levels of competition.

But my curiosity is piqued as we start April of 2008.... When most people are usually putting the finishing touches on their show critters this time of year, and buying new shiny equipment to wow the judges - are they now carefully setting aside their show equipment and bracing themselves for the economic times to come, vowing to show in 2009 instead? Are they weighing in the factors of paying their own personal bills (mortgage, credit cards, utility bills) against the 'fun' factor of showing their equines in competition? And what about those who keep their equines being conditioned by trainers - are they suddenly moving those animals to boarding facilities or home, to save their money for more necessary things in life like the car payment or their mortgage?

I have been a horse show junkie for as long as I can remember. Like many others like me who are addicted to such adventures, regardless of their level, I will literally do just about anything to afford to go to a horse show. I've been very clever over the years in my abilities to make enough money to show at the level I love, yet this year I'm sitting back and saying 'OK, I have to make sure there's going to be enough money to keep my animals fed this year - for the first time in a long time, this showing thing might have to be put on hold.'

Am I the only one? I sincerely doubt it. And don't think I'll be alone in my hesitations about showing horses anytime soon, with the massive media frenzy that tends to feed on people's fears (i.e 'There's going to be a blizzard, stock up on bread and milk' , or, perhaps, similar panic to the Beanie Baby craze of the late 90's), and take all the fun out of being alive. Right now my herd isn't too large - I did some shifting around over the winter, sold a few, and I currently have far less critters on the property than I normally would this time of year. And while usually I have planned well into the summer what shows I will be attending and who I'm taking to the Nationals or Worlds, I find myself saying "Well, my goal is to go to two Local/Regional shows and the Nationals this year, I hope", rather than planning to be at a horse show pretty much every weekend from April through October.

It has definitely changed my perspective on a lot of things, and I'm sure I'm not the only horse show enthusiast second-guessing myself right about now. I have always been concerned about my horses' care and welfare first, no matter if they are part of my show string or not. And right now, I want to make sure I don't run in to a shortage of anything for them - feed, grain, or otherwise. Anyone else out there like me? Please feel free to share your stories here - I'd like to see if I'm just backing off a bit on my lifelong horse addiction (which I sincerely doubt - it's in my blood, and no cure), or if this industry, much like many others, is going to take a downward turn in 2007 as well.... Please share your stories - I'd love to hear them!

The Art Of Catching Horses...

I have learned over the years that if a horse doesn't want to be caught, you just can't catch it... unless you devise some clever plans to outsmart it (or wear it out completely).

I totally understand a horse's 'flight' mechanism, and why it's there. I understand that their innate ability to run from predators has kept wild horses alive for many generations. However, I do not understand why horses (particularly miniature horses) need to exercise that particular trait in an indoor arena... When I'm tired...

I brought two new miniature stallions home the other day - one is a year old, and one is a 3-year-old. Neither of them have had a lot of halter work done, and both of them are (unfortunately) extremely fast, and can spin like World Champion reining horses. I should have known I was in for trouble when it took me several minutes to catch each of them in their 10X12 stalls. Whatever possessed me to turn them out in my 50X60 indoor arena together (after the struggle it took just to get their halters on in their stalls), I don't really know. But I was tired, I'd had a long day, and they had energy to burn. Rather than clean their stalls with them inside, I decided that I could get them exercised and have their stalls cleaned, thus making me the great multi-tasker of the day. Or maybe the biggest idiot. I haven't decided.

Once I was done cleaning their stalls, I foolishly wandered over to the arena, knelt down, and called their names. Pretty much all of the miniature horses I've had so far either come when they're called, or can at least be cornered when it's time to be caught. Not so with the two new guys....

In a lot of ways, full-size horses are somewhat easier to catch. You can mess with their heads a little bit, and convince them that when you open your arms wide, that creates some kind of imaginary barrier that they can't cross when pinned in a corner. It doesn't always work, but it is possible to catch a horse that way. With miniatures, I am convinced that their smaller size means their brains have to work much faster, and therefore it makes them craftier when it comes time to catch them in a large area (or small one, like their stall). And today was no different - I was just more tired than usual.

It actually only took 10 minutes to out-maneuver the clever 3-year-old. He finally gave up his frantic running circles when he realized that hey, it was close to dinner time, and he was suddenly hungry. I got him to his stall, and went back for the yearling. He hasn't decided if he likes the food here or not, and was a little tougher to convince that the grain I was rattling around in the bucket was worth allowing me to catch him. He trotted glorious circles around me, would allow me to get within 3 inches of him, and then he'd take off with his head in the air, whinnying. I love horses, and have spent my entire life around them. But on nights like this, turtle farming was looking real good.

The yearling has not been body-clipped yet, so the more he ran, the hotter he got. We call him the 'little llama', because he looks like a llama at the moment, with long shaggy hair that even feels like a llama. I was concerned that he'd get a chill, and decided he had much more energy to burn than I did. I had to devise a clever plan, and quickly, before we both worse ourselves out.

I must say that this was the first time I had ever 'given up' on catching a horse. Something about evasive horses creates a challenge in my head, and I have to outsmart them no matter what. Tonight, however, I didn't care about devising a clever plan to capture this little 80-lb creature. I just wanted dinner. And a warm shower. I know we've all been there, fellow horse people. You know how it feels.

I closed the big doors to the barn, opened his stall door, and proceeded to herd him down the aisles to his stall. The barn cat was highly amused, having watched the previous 20 minutes with great interest, probably saying to herself 'Wow - Deb hasn't had a worthy adversary in this barn for a while - this one's a keeper!'. This new game was even more fun and challenging for him, since it narrowed the space we were working with, and increased his excitement for being loose and naughty. After another 5 minutes of his games, he finally walked quietly into his stall, without any flourish or ferver. I was even more hungry, even more tired, and even less interested in being a horse person. I guess that's where the true horse addiction stuff comes into play - when we're nursing a sick horse, spending every last dollar on their care, or chasing them in endless circles trying to capture them. I think I'm going to take up gambling instead - at least you get to stay still. ;)