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!

Various Photos on a Warm Winter Day

A "January Thaw! "  Here are a few random farm shots as we were enjoying the outdoor work today.

Freddie - not too bad considering all the recent mud.  We're not wild about the new mane "do," though.

Sanctuary housing we hadn't noticed while the leaves were on the trees.

The first step in solving some of our drainage problems.  See that little white pipe on the upper right?  Somehow, former property owners thought that would carry all the runoff from the field east of the driveway to the ditch west of the driveway.  The current pipe is the professional version.  According to the weather forecast, it may get its first trial this weekend.

Wade and Marye.  Still a couple and going strong.

Jubal enoying a lunchtime beverage.  Ahhhhhh.

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. 

Summer Love

Remember Wade's Valentine's Day breakfast with Marye?

February 14, 2009

The love affair continues.

August 31, 2009

Wade is 26 year's old, Marye is 29. Who says love is only for the young?

(That's Sonny in the background. Never did have much use for girls.)

Booty Call!

Alright. Not what you're thinking.

We mean Fly Booties! Seems there are at least twice as many flies this year as in past years. As a matter of fact, I don't remember them ever being this plentiful before. We've always had to put fly boots on some of the residents during the summer, mostly those who make a habit of schmearing their mashes on themselves turning their legs into lucious fly-bait, but his year it seems everyone may need to wear them.

For many of our Elders, these boots are more than a luxury. Without them, some stomp and fuss at flies so much that they begin to lose weight. The fly boots keep stomping and stress to a minimum, allowing the horses to maintain good weight and health through the Dog Days of summer.

We just received an order of boots, thinking we were prepared for an "average" summer. This summer, however, ain't average. So, we're putting out a Booty Call. If you would like to recycle, repurpose, or regift some fly boots that your horse can't or won't wear, we'll put them to good use! We're not married to any specific brand, style, or shape as long as we can keep the flies off the horses' legs.

Got Booties?

If "yes," please send to TREES, PO Box 2260, Spotsylvania, VA 22553. Or let us know if you'd like to drop them off in person and meet the recipients! 540-972-0936 or info@equineelders.org

Love is fleeting........

Remember, last Valentine's Day, how excited we were that Wade had finally made friends with another horse? Wade had become the object of Marye's affection, and the two spent a lot of time grazing together.

Well. our fickle female has changed her mind.

Apparently, Val (front) is now the most desirable companion in the field.

Maybe its "birds of a feather" syndrome?

More Valentine's Day gifts

We wanted to share a few more pictures taken yesterday. We're not sure what prompted all the celebration, but does it really matter?

Sonny (38 years old,) Val (20,) and Wade (yes, Wade, who is 26) getting a little exercise to loosen up those joints. Note Freddie, the gray, watching at the fence.

Minutes later (obviously Britches wasn't moving fast enough):

Freddie's play was wonderful to watch after the scare he gave us last week.

And finally, our man Fitzhugh Lee. What a pleasure to watch. Before being treated for a heart infection, Fitz could not trot 20 yards. Look at 'im now!

(Please remember these photos when you hear the word "bombproof" in association with elder horses.)

A Valentine for Wade

These are more than "sweet" pictures for Valentine's Day.

When Wade (chestnut with white blaze) first arrived at Traveller's Rest, he was very much a loner. He tolerated people, but did not seek attention, and he kept significant distance between himself and the other horses.

Today, though:



Marye was the one who invited herself into Wade's "space," but he seems to like the idea!

TREES believes that emotional well-being is as important as physical well-being. Seeing Wade so comfortable with another horse this close is cause for celebration.

Happy Valentine's Day, Wade!

What IS an “Equine Elder?”

After working past the annoyance of removing a number of overnight “spam” comments, it became obvious that many people have no idea what this blog is about. Or maybe they don’t care and are posting on any and every site that receives hits in searches for “elder,””senior,” or geriatric.”

So, to begin, what is “equine?”

equine e·quine (ē'kwīn', ěk'wīn') adj.
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a horse.
2. Of or belonging to
the family Equidae, which includes the horses, asses, and
zebras.

While Traveller’s Rest is not equipped to handle zebra or a few other species, we welcome horses, ponies, donkeys and all hybrids thereof.

Next, what does “Elder” mean?

That’s a more subjective definition. Some people consider a horse to be “aged” when it passes the ten year mark. In TREES terms, ten year old horses are still babies. As a matter of fact, in the TREES herd, twenty year olds are thought of as “whippersnappers.” Mid to late twenties and early thirties = Middle Age. The true elders are those approaching their mid-thirties and beyond.

Now back to the spam often posted in the blog comments:

Most recently we received several ads for handbags. Gucci handbags. Dior handbags. Miu handbags. Calvin Klein handbags. You name it. We’re picturing Emma and Betty sashaying around the field with designer bags hanging from their shoulders.

We also get advertisements for vacation cruises. The visuals here are more than a little funny. Wade, with his Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian shirt, white socks and sandals, accompanied by Marye in an enormous flowered hat and one-piece skirted bathing suit.

Then there is the costume jewelry. Delphi, sporting strands and strand of giant pearls as she naps in the sun on the poop deck.

Of course, there are ads for Viagra. We don’t even want to go there.

And so, while we welcome comments related to elder horses, Traveller’s Rest, or horse care in general, don’t be alarmed to see a number of “post deleted” notes. There are merely remnants of an entrepreneurial faux pas, entered by an enthusiastic business owner who didn’t know he was directing his advertising to Equine Elders.

Weekend Visitors

Over the weekend, Traveller's Rest met several wonderful people.

Thank you to Tabitha and her whole family for stopping by to meet the Elders and drop off some senior feed. As a cold front came through Spotsylvania, we were treated to quite a show by the Goofy Geezers. Rienzi bucked and crowhopped his way along the driveway fence, Emma began to relive former dreams of Thoroughbred glory, while Fitz scampered (if you can say a 17 hand Thoroughbred "scampers") in circles in his unique way, head waggling, tail in the air. Who says "old" horses don't enjoy retirement?

Thank you, too, to Jean for bringing more blankets, as well as coolers, pads and leg wraps. Please come again when you can stay longer.

TREES welcomes visitors by appointment Monday-Sunday, between 10AM and 2PM. (Evening hours will be available during summer.) If you would like to meet our residents and learn more about the sanctuary, please email info@equineelders.org or call 540-972-0936. Wade will be watching for you!

Wade's new clothes

Wade, Wade, Wade.

What looks like one of TREES' strongest, healthiest geldings is actually one big ball of special needs.

To begin, Wade has Cushings. He had already been diagnosed as Cushingoid before arrival and was being treated with pergolide. He seemed to be free of observable symptoms, with the exception of excess sweating on moderately hot days.

Two summers ago, Wade had a short period of the itchies. Tail rubbing, belly rubbing, occasional hives. Episodes seemed to come and go quickly, so we didn't get overly concerned.

Last summer, it became apparent that Wade was developing serious allergies to something in his environment. He rubbed an enormous bald spot on his tailhead. The hair on his midline was replaced by weeping, itchy lesions. He lost most of the hair on his face, even though we never saw him rub his head.

Allergies in horses are often treated with steroids like dexamethasone or prednisone. Steroids and Cushings, however, are not a good mix. Wade was given hydroxyzine, an antihistamine, and Voila! Itching was gone, hair returned, life was good. Hydroxyzine, in horse-size doses, though, can get a little pricey.

As spring 2008 approached, it was obvious Wade was facing even more pronounced symptoms. By now, the vets were fairly sure Wade's sensitivity was to insect bites. As they dispensed antihistamines, they recommended finding fly spray concentrates and diluting to only 10% rather than 5% or less. Ach. Not something we really wanted to apply to a horse with so many imbalances already.

Thus began yet another round of experimentation and observation. Aha! Wade was coming in with hives in the morning, but by each evening the hives were pretty much gone. The culprit seemed to be nocturnal.

Coincidentally, Schneiders catalog came along......lo and behold, a Mosquito Mesh sheet for horses! Its perfect. Wade wears his at night. No hives, no tail rubbing, his facial hair is returning. Bingo! And he's been off hydroxyzine for several weeks now. Even better!

He's not wearing it in the photo above, but as an afterthought, we also purchased a neck protector since there were a few bites just in front of the sheet.

Wade wears his new clothes at night, and trades them during the day for a fly mask and boots.

Oddly enough, Wade's excess sweating seems to have decreased as well. Whether or not the two things are actually connected is in question, but we'll take it!

Free Web Seminar on Cushings Disease

Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (Equine Cushing’s Disease): Challenges of Diagnosis and Treatment


by Dr. Hal Schott, DVM Michigan State University Tuesday,



October 23, 2007
7:00 PM. EDT

From My Horse University:

"Older horses are becoming an increasingly important component of the horse industry. This presentation will describe the clinical problems associated with PPID as well as summarize current knowledge about the cause of PPID in horses.

We will also discuss recommended approaches to diagnosis, management, and treatment of affected horses as well as take a look at case examples.

Presenter Info:

Dr. Schott received his DVM degree in 1984 from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He started his career with three years in private equine practice in Southern California. Dr. Schott subsequently pursued advanced training by completing a residency in equine internal medicine and a Ph.D. in equine exercise physiology at Washington State University. Since 1995, Dr. Schott has been an equine medicine clinician at Michigan State University with a strong clinical interest in urinary tract disorders, respiratory disease, and endocrinological disorders. In addition, he continues to pursue a research interest of fluid and electrolyte balance in
endurance horses. "

To Register:

http://www.myhorseuniversity.com/WebPresentation/10-07_Schott.html

Wade is one of three TREES residents diagnosed with Cushings Disease.

Summer Fashion

The horses are dressed for success during this heat wave. Fly masks andfly boots are the order of the day.


Wade (24 year old Quarter Horse) stays comfortable soaking up the sun's rays, wearing his Wimbledon Whites................





.............while Sonny (36 year old Arab) sports a less formal look, relaxing in the clubhouse.