Bandaged Bear

January 31, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

Brian and I dashed out to the barn this afternoon to check on Bear as a 'blizzard' rolled into town. We found him munching on the bale, his coat fluffed out and poofy. We brought Bear inside (and left Steen outside, AGAIN, much to a certain paint's chagrin) and checked the leg. No visible swelling above or below the bandage. A little bit of heat, but nothing dramatic. Bear was pretty much behaving like it didn't bother him until I started poking at it, at which point he pulled the leg away once or twice. So, we'll leave the bandage on through tomorrow night probably, and then see what's going on under there. Bear, in the meantime, seems in good spirits, though he did try to use his doe-eyes on me to get some chopped hay.

Rite of Passage?

Robin

January 30, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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This morning Brian and I were finishing our coffee when my cell phone rang. The caller ID told me it was Cathi, who owns our barn. My heart gave a flutter as I answered. Cathi is at least sensitive to the fact that most of her boarders have a reaction like mine when she calls them. She said immediately, "Nothing catastrophic, but Bear's bleeding from his left hind leg. He doesn't want to let me near enough to get a good look." So, Brian and I bundled up and headed out. Cathi was out in the pasture when we arrived, and told us Bear had been walking around fine and only favoring the leg sometimes when he stopped. Brian haltered Bear without a problem and we brought him indoors. There was quite a bit of partially frozen blood in the hair around the wound and on Bear's other leg as well, so it was hard to tell at first what exactly was wrong, but eventually we got things cleaned up ...

A Warm Winter Day at the Barn

Robin

January 28, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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I am finally well again and had some time this morning, so I headed out to see how our guys were doing. Temps were in the high twenties and it felt good to be outside and doing something after so many days cooped up being ill.

Steen came right up to the gate when he saw me, while Bear watched from the choice spot by the wind-block. It is interesting. Bear is clearly one of the horses in the herd who gets to choose where he stands and what he eats at any given moment, while Steen is clearly not. And yet, Bear has more bites and scrapes and cuts on him . I took Steen inside and took his blanket off. Then I turned him out in the arena because he often really enjoys rolling after having the...

On a Different Note

Robin

January 23, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Although the main subject of this blog is (and always will be) horses, lately I have felt an inclination to post more about fitness and my struggle to become and stay fit. One of my big reasons for desiring to stay fit is to facilitate my life with horses, so I think adding the subject into this blog will work. First let me say I am not a big fan of working out for working out's sake. Although I have (at various points in my life) been avid about cycling, fencing, yoga, and swimming for a few years at a time, none of these activities has ever outlasted the circumstances that first led me to take it up. Horseback-riding has been my one consistent life-long physical activity, and any equestrian knows it is actually pretty easy to ride without getting a great workout. Two years ago this March, my husband (who does love working out) bought himself a 35 pound Read more

Slow Start

Robin

January 22, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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The year has started off with less momentum than I'd hoped. I've been more than a little sick for two solid weeks now. So I'm left gazing at pictures of our horses rather than actually spending any time with them.

I took this shot in the fall, when Steen and Bear were still getting to know each other. Steen has this funny habit of sticking his face in Bear's face and then backing off with an injured and wronged expression when Bear pins his ears and sometimes nips. And yet, moments later Steen will be sticking his face in Bear's face again. Some people just can't take a hint...

A New Year at the Barn

Robin

January 6, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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It's been my worst winter yet in Iowa as far as riding is concerned, but today Brian got off work early and we decided to go try to get a quality visit in with Bear and Steen. They are both looking good, though the winter is here in earnest and we've experienced some harsh temps. Steen is a nice healthy weight under his blanket in spite of the fact that I've stopped supplementing his diet entirely. It's a huge relief not to have to worry about him so much.

We found our two fellas dozing in the sun, and Steen remained pretty chill throughout our time indoors. I pulled his blanket off, put his saddle on and rode for about half an hour, walking around the arena while Brian and B...

Horse Portraits

Robin

January 4, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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I've been out of town for a couple of weeks, and though I didn't ride I did get a new lens for my camera. So, I took some portraits of the horses I had available.

First, my sister's horse Jak. He's a 17 year old Appaloosa (mutt).

Second, my mom's horse Joe. Also 17, he's a Missouri...

Trims and Fidgets

Robin

December 20, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today we had our annual Christmas/Farrier potluck at the barn. Brian and I baked scones and arrived a bit on the late side. Steen was really excited to see me, pacing along the fence-line as we approached. Bear was less proactive about being caught, but came with amiably enough once once Brian had the halter on. We went inside and groomed them. They were both just a tad on the mobile side. Bear has gotten very used to having a snack when he's brought indoors, and he knows the general vicinity in which the snack is kept. The result was a sort of constant creeping in the general direction of the chopped hay, but Brian kept correcting him and eventually he mostly cooled it.

Steen was ok. I didn't have anything to tie him to, which never helps his mobility, but he was mostly willing to chill out. He was great for the farrier, as usual, but the little split has r...

Cold and Wet

Robin

December 12, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today it rained for most of the morning and then the rain shifted to snow. Temps started to fall just after noon and tonight the lows are supposed to be in the teens. Although Bear has actually manged to put on weight as the weather has gotten colder (he's apparently the definition of an easy-keeper), we were a bit worried that the wet to freezing transition would be miserable for him. So, Brian and I piled in the car with a few dry towels and headed out to the barn, driving slowly on slushy, snowy roads.

We found the herd wet but otherwise fine. Steen came over to the gate immediately. Bear did too after a moment, but then got deterred by a puddle and went to stand by the wind-block instead. As usual, the bad weather had everyone a bit stirred up but we got the boys inside without any trouble. Steen's blanket was wet and filthy and crusted over with ice but I peeled it off...

Double Ride Day

Robin

November 22, 2010

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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I was in my office working around 10:00 when the sun came out. I looked out the window and realized it was a lovely, cloudy fall day and also it was surprisingly warm. I decided to play hookie for a bit, particularly since we still needed to try Steen's blanket on Bear to make sure we replace the too-small one with the right size. Beyond trying the blanket on Bear, I didn't have any concrete plans. When I walked up to the pasture gate, both Bear and Steen were close by. Bear walked up to say hi, so I put the halter on him and took him indoors. I then proceeded to try Steen's blanket on him, which fits him just like it fits Steen - almost but not quite too big.

I then took the bl...