Typical Morning Eldercare Chores

I don't know that there is such a thing as "normal" or "average" at an equine Sanctuary, but this outlines many of the common summer morning chores.

First, of course, is breakfast.  Between 6:00 and 6:15, feed is measured into individual feed tubs according to each Elder's individual needs.  Warm water is added to the feed which is allowed to soak to make a thick "mush."  Breakfast is served at 7:00, with each horse eating in a separate stall, paddock or shed.  Once breakfast is finished and the horses turned out, we:

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Wash dishes

Since the horses eat "mush" feed tubs get nasty fast and, in warm weather, start to smell bad if not rinsed after meals.

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Rinse Beau's place mat (a car floor mat he eats on to prevent him from eating dirt when he drops food, then picks it up -- if not rinsed after each meal, the mat is a huge fly party.)

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Remove manure and wet sawdust from stalls and sheds.

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Rebed stalls and sheds with clean sawdust

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Fly Spray

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Dampen shed floors to knock down dust

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Shower Clara (because, otherwise, she won't go away)

(which of course rinses off aforementioned fly spray and as a bonus attracts a horse fly.)


Clara's shower then leads to this -

and 

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Okay - back to work.
Next...
Pick up manure in small paddocks and dry lots (the rest of the fields will be cleaned up this evening when the temperature starts to come down.)

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Dump collected manure and dirty bedding in manure spreader

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Finally, clean and refill water tanks and buckets

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Meanwhile, the residents are all doing this:

 Mona

 Lizzie

 Beau

As it should be.
They served us, now we serve them.

October Mornings

Val - October 28, 2010

Mona - October 27, 2010

TREES Mention in "The Post"

Visit the Spring 2010 issue of The Post:

See the article on Page 4, "Mechanicsville Dentist a Firm Believer in Preventative Care" for a mention of TREES! (bottom of page 4, top of page 5) 

Side Note - "Delphi," mentioned in the opening paragraph, is a TREES resident, owned by the Sanctuary, not by Mike and Chris Smith. (Common misconception is that nonprofit organizations are "owned" by one or more individuals in the same way for-profit businesses have owners. They are not.)

Some of the photos we took that day:

Waiting for Delphi's sedative to take affect.

Mona being floated (not mentioned in article)

Two of Sherman's extracted teeth, showing how much feed was pack in under the teeth themselves.

The Reunion

Happy Day!

Ten days ago, we had to separate Mona and Fitz when Mona became ill.  We don't have a specific diagnosis, but believe Mona contracted a virus of some kind.  Her fever, at the height of her illness, was 104.9 degrees.  Our Diva was one sick girl.  While we could not "cure" her as quickly as we might have liked, with supportive care through a combination of conventional veterinary medicine, energy work and prayer, Mona is fully recovered and, this morning, was reunited with her man.

(Keep in mind these are 27 and 30 year old horses!)

Getting Back to Normal

After more than a week, Mona resumes her late morning naps. This is the first time we've seen her sleep in a shed rather than out in the open, but when you're this tired, you catch some ZZZZ's wherever you can find a spot!

Loose Teeth Be Gone!

Today was Dentist Day for a few of TREES' residents.  The team of Dr. Tracy Brown and Meredith Barlow, C/EqDT, paid a visit to Sherman, Mona, Nate, Delphi and Fitz.

Both Nate and Fitz need some attention, but will require a little advance planning.  More on them as we get them taken care of.

Delphi and Mona both had "routine" floats.  (In quotes because every horse is different, but meaning all they required was the removal of sharp points.)

Here, Mona is being "floated."  Note that the speculum is open only wide enough to allow Meredith to work.  It is not cranked all the way to its widest position.

Delphi had to give her opinion of the idea before even getting started.

But Sherman........Sherm needed a little extra attention.  Not surprisingly, Sherman had a few loose teeth.  We've heard from some owners of senior horses who were told to leave loose teeth in the mouth because the horse had so few to spare.  Aside from the discomfort that must cause, here is an excellent illustration of why that may not be a good idea.

These two teeth are shown exactly the way they came out of Sherman's mouth with little to no effort.  You can see no blood, no tissue, nothing that would indicate these teeth had any kind of physical attachment to the gum.  They were, more or less, just sitting in the socket.

The teeth are shown sitting on their chewing surfaces, roots pointing up.  Notice the green-ish material packed between what is left of the roots?  That is food that had worked its way under the tooth, between the tooth and gum.  This can cause irritation and enlargement of the pocket around the loose tooth.  If something as large as food particles can become lodged under the tooth, so can something as small as bacteria, leading to infection.  Untreated infection under and around a tooth can eventually lead or contribute to infection in the jaw bone itself, or even in the sinuses.

With all this in mind, our rule is "If its loose, its gone."

Mixed Feelings

This is not "fresh" news, but this December 3 editorial blurb from the Culpeper Star-Exponent kind of sums up our feelings. When the story first broke, and Miss Mona arrived at TREES, we were angry. How could anyone allow this to happen to animals under his or her care? Then, as information became available and emotional first reactions calmed, we became more sad than angry about what had happened.

We hoped to gain more understanding at the trial, but that was not to be. Now we are left with questions that will never be answered. If Ms Mackall "had stepped back from her role as the farm’s operator in recent years," who was supposed to be managing the herd?  Was anyone monitoring the situation, knowing she was apparently gravely ill? Were family members aware of deteriorating conditions at the farm?  Was Ms Mackall herself aware?   Was there any "plan of succession" in case the primary caregiver became incapacitated? 

Do YOU have a "plan of succession" regarding your animals' care in case of sudden illness, injury or death?  No?  Consider putting one in writing as a New Year's Resolution.  Don't let this happen to your four-legged family members.

Mona, August 17 2009

Mona, November 7, 2009

Kids Today......

We'd like to thank Caroline B. and her family for dropping by for a visit today.  For her senior project, Caroline chose to do a presentation on senior horses.  As part of that project, she built a display which featured some of TREES' residents (Miss Mona in particular) to take to local horse shows, and also collected donations and used tack for Traveller's Rest to use in fundraising efforts.  Today TREES was presented with 8 saddles, among other items, that will be used to generate funds for residents' care.  Caroline will also be building a PowerPoint presentation as the final phase of her project.  We hope she'll send us a copy! 

As a side note........Sherman - (formerly) timid, detached Sherman - thoroughly enjoyed Caroline's company and I think would have stayed right next to her as long as she stood in one place. 

Thank you, again, Caroline.  Hope you enjoy your holiday weekend in DC!

Reiki Level 1 Workshop Nov 15

A few shots from the Reiki Level 1 Workshop at TREES today, conducted by Janet Dobbs.

Woman charged with cruelty to polo ponies dies

From the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star:  Woman facing charges in animal cruelty case dies

(This concerns Mona's former "home.")

Mona two days after being removed from the Polo Pony Retirement Foundation.

August 8, 2009

Mona, November 7, 2009

While we were hoping to gain some insight at the trial as to why this happened to Mona and her herdmates, we can now put this behind us and focus on the future. 

Final update on the "Trial for Mona"

The defendant in the "Polo Pony Retirement Foundation Case" passed away on November 4, 2009.  There will be no trial.

Senior Spa Day!

Thank you to all the members of the University of Mary Washington Pre-Vet Club who spent the day grooming geezers. Other than a slight wind, the weather was perfect.  Most of the horses loved the attention, though a couple  of grumps would have been perfectly happy keeping their hard earned dirt.

Perhaps most importantly, our new resident, Sherman, was partially bathed to remove evidence of a light digestive upset from his hind legs.  The New Guy seemed completely relaxed during this procedure, a far cry from a few other residents who declare they've never seen anything resembling a water hose or sponge in all their 30+ years.

Here's Sonny, age 38, following his spa session:

And Rienzi, who is in his mid 30's:

Lizzie's (24) new coif:

Fitz, 26, absolutely ate up the extra attention, looking like he might take a nap during his grooming session:

Miss Mona, 30+, from neglect to diva in just 3 months:

Jubal, 29, also made some new friends:

And our last photo for this post............NATE!  (who was one of the grumps, but did a little of his signature "scampering" afterward, so the experience must not have been as tortorous as he let on in the beginning.)

Thank you, all!  Please come back any time.  We'd love to see you again.