Seriously Short Summary of Sherman's Saga

Sherman, age 30-ish, November 10, 2009

December 11, 2010

The Myth of Skinny Old Horses busted again.

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.

Sherman's Progress

Narration not really necessary!

Sherman, November 10, 2009

Sherman, March 18, 2010

"Leave It At The Gate" Reminder

Seems to be time for a gentle reminder to leave certain feelings at the gate when visiting the residents of Traveller's Rest.

Our residents may be elderly and have special health considerations in most cases, but all are still vital, perceptive representatives of the equine world.  Remember that horses are very sensitive to their handlers' moods and emotions.  When you work with a horse and focus on past mistreatment or current health issues to the extent that it causes obvious anger or anxiety, the horse picks up on those emotions.  Very often, anxious handlers cause horses to be anxious as well.

In trying to keep our residents' environment stress-free, we ask that visitors focus on more positive aspects of the Elders' present lives.  Focus on progress they've made, whether that progress is measured in leaps or in baby steps.  If hearing stories of past treatment causes anger, or if you cannot look past issues yet to be resolved, let us know and we will help you find another horse with which to spend your time.  Anger and anxiety are understandable reactions to certain situations, but neither benefits the Elders. 

That said, here's a picture of progress:

Sherman today, February 20, 2010

And as a reminder, here is Sherman November 10, 2009

Is Sherman fully "rehabbed?"  Not yet.  He needs to put on a few more pounds and there are still some issues requiring further diagnostics, but the baby steps are piling up.  A lesson in patience for those of us who wanted him to recover at a faster pace, but Progress none the less!

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."

Our Heroes

Forget Barbaro, Secretariat, and Zenyatta.  Never mind Rugged Lark, Bright Zip or Impressive.  These are our heroes;

Josh

Jubal

Sherman

Wade

.......and the thousands like them who either taught new horsemen, young and old, to ride or toted "weekend warriors" up and down the trail via rental strings.

These are "the working man" of the horse world.  Give 'em a hand!

Not Gone & Not Forgotten

Sherman had visitors today!  Visitors who came specifically to see him.  Before he retired, Sherman held a job at Hazelwild Farm, where he was known as "Jake."  Apparently Sherman, aka Jake, taught quite a few area children to ride in his day.

When two of Sherman's former students learned he was at Traveller's Rest, they decided to stop by for a visit.  Rachel and Katelyn's first horseback rides were on Sherman!  He must have done a good job since both are still involved with horses. 

When the ladies mentioned visiting Sherman to another Hazelwild (adult) member who had ridden Sherm as a child, his response was "He's still alive?" 

You bet!  He may be a little more frail in body, but still strong in spirit.  You're only as old as you feel, dontcha know. 

Thank you for stopping by, Rachel and Katelyn.  We love it when old friends come to re-visit and pay tribute to our residents. 

Its the "little guys" who have the biggest impact on the horse community.  Very few people outside of the Spotsylvania/Fredericksburg area have heard of Jake or Sherman, but there are quite a few Virginians whose lives were impacted by this horse and hundreds of school horses like him.  Give your Schoolies a hug today.  They've earned it.

Sherman update!

Our new man, Sherman!

November 7, 2009

November 10, 2009

December 17, 2009

This gentle ol' soul has a way to go in the weight department, but is headed in the right direction.

Green Quilted Pajamas

Somehow we picture Sherman in a plaid flannel, but his green quilted pj's will do just fine.

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!

Sherman's Rehab Plan

One of TREES facebook fans (Thanks, Michelle!) asked if we would share Sherman's diet plan.

Our reply:

"Oh, sure! Before he got here, Sherman was obviously not getting much to eat, let alone getting a good diet. When he did get anything in addition to some hay, we were told it was an inexpensive general livestock grain. Usually that means a lot of whole oats, whole corn and other whole grains that an older horse can't chew and, therefore, can't digest. When he got here, he'd had very serious diarrhea for some time.

For his first meal, he got half a flake of grass hay. No senior feed right then. At the next meal, he was offered 2 cups of Triple Crown senior feed, soaked, then another half flake of hay. (He is given senior feed in four small meals during the day.) The next day, we gave him a whole flake of hay at a time since he didn't seem to be wolfing it down. On the third day, we began slowly increasing the portion of senior feed and introducing small handfuls of soaked alfalfa cubes.

The only thing we added to the hay and senior feed to this point was some ProBios. In general, unless recommended by the vet, we try not to introduce a lot of new things to a gut that's already in an uproar. After about 5-6 days, the diarrhea was more of an intermittent problem rather than a constant issue, then we figured out that some of the hay had clover in it and that seemed to be what he was sensitive to.

We eliminated the clover and started adding Accel (thank you, Dover Saddlery!) to two meals a day since it contains probiotic ingredients. That seemed to do the trick, and though Sherman occasionally has softer manure than normal, its still well formed and not a major concern at this point.

Right now, Sherman is eating four meals a day, each consisting of 2-1/4 qt of senior feed and 1-1/2 qt of alfalfa, free choice grass hay and Accel 2x/day. Since he does still have some soft manure now and then, we're going to be very cautious introducing him to grass. We'll probably continue to increase his feed portions until he's getting 3 quarts 4x/day and maintain that diet until he regains the weight he needs.

Keep in mind that this is a customized Sherman Rehab Plan. We have a general outline we follow for each horse, but the details are always different."

Sherman's First Farrier Visit

Sherman met Ernie today.  Seems our new guy has a couple of problems.  Not all necessarily foot problems, but problems that became apparent when Ernie asked Sherman to stand on three feet or to bend a leg a certain way.

It goes without saying the today's trim was aborted and will not be attempted again until we get a better idea of the source of pain and can resolve the discomfort.

One obvious issue was an "old" abscess in the right hind that may not be entirely healed, though Sherman appears to bear weight on that foot normally.  More evaluation needed there.  The left hind is painful when lifted more than a few inches off the ground.  More evaluation needed there.  Sherm didn't want to lift the right front when he needed to bear more weight on the diagonal.  So, Mr. Sherman only had his left front foot trimmed today. 

But what a trooper he was.  He tried to do as he was asked and actually seemed a little confused that we didn't force the issue.  There was no reason to insist since the current condition of his feet presents no emergency.

So begins the process of solving another puzzle. What hurts?  How much?  Will the discomfort lessen as Sherman gains weight and rebuilds muscle to support his joints?  Will stiff joints loosen up as we being to reintroduce regular exercise? 

Meanwhile, as long as we are not asking him to bear weight in an unusual way, Sherman seems quite happy.  He is eating well, coming outside to enjoy the sunshine most of the day, and becoming more and more curious about events around him.

There may be a real clown lurking under there.

Reiki Level 1 Workshop Nov 15

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

Extra cleanup this weekend

Three inches of rain Wednesday and still coming down.

Once the "remnants" of Tropical Storm Ida depart, the horses say they MAY venture out of their sheds. Anyone with an extra hour or two to spare, Fri, Sat, or Sun would be very very much appreciated. (And you get to meet Sherman!)

Drum Roll, Please!

BRrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdTT !!

Sometime last night, the shell cracked open and, both literally and figuratively, Sherman emerged!  Rather than staying sequestered in his stall all day and night, Sherm is now strolling outside on a frequent basis.  His eye has softened, he's inquisitive and seeking attention.  A far cry from the timid guy of the past few days.

Because he is very thin and is showing some physical signs that may point to Cushings, we are proceeding cautiously with Sherman's refeeding program.   Lack of weight can sometimes mask the severity of illnesses like Cushings and we want to avoid tiggering any complications like an episode of laminitis.

It appears Sherman is over his suspicion about the camera being a predator.  Don't be surprised if you see a lot of closeups of his nose from here on out!

TREES' Cushings Club

I just realized we frequently talk about our Cushings Club, but we've never really told you who the members are.  The official membership stands at six, but last summer's testing revealed two more may be at the jumping off point.  As we mentioned a few days ago, our new arrival, Sherman, looks pretty suspicious as well.  Not long ago, a diagnosis of "Cushings Disease," now known as PPID (Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction,) was viewed by many as a death sentence.  Not any more!

And so, without further ado...........The Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary Cushings Club:

Nate, mid 30's

Freddy, 26

Wade, 26

Sonny, 38

Josh, late 30's?

Henry, 25

Interestingly, all are geldings.  All are managed with pergolide and a carefully controlled diet (thank to all of our visitors for being very understanding about our "No Treats" policy,) and all are retested each year with pergolide dosages adjusted accordingly. 

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.

Welcome, Sherman!

Here he is!  Our  new resident, Sherman (29,) is quite thin, but happily not as underweight as either Mona or Liz upon arrival.  It also appears, judging by the thick curly coat, that TREES may be adding another member to the Cushings Club.

Sherman, shortly after a small (too small in his  estimation) meal of Triple Crown Senior.

For now, Sherman seems a little disturbed by the camera, but we were able to catch him peeping over the door at us.

.

Thank you, Janie for helping bring this together, Amanda for filling in some details, Karol for the extra careful ride, Lori for offering Reiki when Sherman arrived, George, Heather, Catie and Jeanelle for helping to prepare Sherman's apartment, and everyone else following Sherm's arrival. 

Our new man was a little tired after his short trailer ride, so we're trying to give him some privacy for the evening.  We'll try to get more photos and post more information in the next several days.