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.

Apologies to Josh

For several weeks we've been finding the same board popped off its middle fence post every two or three days.  Notorious for bouts of itchiness from as yet unidentified origin, poor Josh stoically took all the blame.

But this morning...........AHA! 

Its not Josh fault.

Henry, my boy, we have proof!  Now to look into what's causing this big guy's troubles.

Then, we must apologize to Josh for jumping to conclusions.

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.

Get a "Disney Day" by helping Elder Equine!

More on the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program:

Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary has been approved for participation and is actively listing volunteer opportunities with Disney's program designed to encourage people to get involved with community non-profit organizations. 

From the Disney site:

We want to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service to a participating organization in their communities. So we're celebrating these volunteers' good works by giving each of them a 1-day, 1-theme park ticket to the Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free. There's no better time to make a dream come true for others and let us make a few come true for you.

You must pre-register and sign up through this site to volunteer and complete your service at an eligible volunteer opportunity in the fifty United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or Canada to receive a ticket after verification of such service. Ticket quantities for this program are limited. You must be at least 18 to sign up. You may only sign up a maximum of 8 members of your household. Children must be at least 6 to participate in the program. One ticket per person, regardless of the number of times you volunteer. Program begins January 1, 2010 and continues until tickets are distributed or until December 15, 2010, whichever occurs first. Your voucher for a free ticket must be redeemed by December 15, 2010, and used on the same day of redemption.

If you are interested, please visit Give A Day. Get A Disney Day.  Type either "22553" or "Spotsylvania, VA" in the Search For An Activity box, and follow the instructions.  Easy! 

 

TREES' list of activities includes general farm work, grooming horses, cleaning donated tack, painting barns and sheds and other more specialized tasks like electrical, erosion control and landscape design.  Other activities may be listed throughout the program.

 

See you soon!

Volunteer at TREES, Get a Day at Disney!

Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary has just been approved for participation in "Give A Day.  Get a Disney Day!"

By volunteering at TREES for one day between now and Dec 15, 2010 (or until all tickets are distributed, whichever comes first,) you can get a 1-day, 1-theme park ticket to the Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free.

We've just been approved and are not yet showing in the database, but stay tuned over the next few days as the list is updated and we add specific sanctuary volunteer opportunities.

"When you wish upon a star.............."

Free Webcasts Address Horse Health

Free Webcast series offered by the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, My Horse University, and eXtension HorseQuest:

"Colic: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention" - Jan. 19 at 7 PM  - will feature Dr. Elizabeth Carr, MSU associate professor of large animal clinical sciences.

Respiratory Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. EST presented by Dr. Hal Schott, MSU professor of large animal clinical sciences

Lameness in the Performance Horse March 16 at 7 p.m. EST presented by Dr. Ann Rashmir, MSU associate professor of large animal clinical sciences

Rehabilitating the Lame Horse March 23 at 7 p.m. EST presented by Narelle Stubbs, visiting research associate in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

Equine Emergency First Aid April 20 at 7:00 p.m. EDT presented by Dr. Judy Marteniuk, MSU associate professor of large animal clinical sciences

For more information, visit http://www.myhorseuniversity.com/

Aha! Its NOT Just Our Imagination!

TREES current herd consists of 7 horses with confirmed Cushings, or PPID, diagnoses, and at least 3 other horses than show some symptoms, but had "normal" ACTH levels when tested.  Several times, we've discussed with our vet the possibility that the parameters defining "normal" may need to be re-evaluated.  If we had several horses showing clinical signs of PPID even when testing as Normal, it is likely that other owners experience the same thing.

Now, from the Jan2, 2009 horse.com article, "Equine Endocrine Disorders Discussed at AAEP," we see:

"It was pointed out that PPID is difficult to detect in its earliest stages, while advanced disease is relatively easy to recognize. The two most commonly used tests for PPID--resting adrenocorticotropin hormone( ACTH) concentrations and the overnight dexamethasone suppression test--can be used to confirm the diagnosis. However, these tests are less likely to yield positive results when PPID is first developing, so clinical judgment must be relied upon in these cases."

So, it's not our imagination.  Some horses exhibit clinical symptoms even though the test results do not confirm the diagnosis.

Fortunately,

"New diagnostic tests are being developed for PPID and might allow earlier detection of the disorder. These include the combined dexamethasone suppression/thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test, TRH response test (with ACTH concentrations measured 10 and 30 minutes post-injection), and oral domperidone challenge test."

It may seem odd to be so excited about these little advances but, considering that ten years ago Cushings was often viewed as a terminal illness, these "little" things can mean a lot to people caring for long-time equine family members.  The sooner a PPID patient is started on treatment and modified management techniques, the better the chances of preventing serious complications, which translates into a better long-term prognosis.