Summer on its way

[maggiemahone1]

Most of the people that ride around here, wants a horse that racks.  My youngest daughter had a horse out yesterday and was trying to teach him to rack, somehow she landed on her behind on the ground. She  had to miss a day of work over that incidence.  The riders around here go on horse rides that last 2 or 3 days, they camp out and have  a grand old time.  I've never been, but my youngest has went a couple of times. She loves it.  

Does any of you horse owners have a recipe for an all natural fly spray?  If you do would you post it?  I would appreciate it very much.

Aon, I know how you can get attached to a horse.  It's really sad when they are no longer around.  I guess the saddest I have been over my horse was when her philly was taken away.  We had to put her in the barn and I had to hear her balling for her baby.  She would look out the window, then go to the door looking.  It was so sad.  She eventually calmed down after a few days and we was able to let her out in the pasture.  In the summer time she roams free to graze around our house and my Mom's and a relative neighbor.  Once in a while she might slip off on farther down the road to a neighbor, but when hubby goes after her as soon as she see's him she takes off back to the house.  We lock her up at night time only.  People just can't believe it that she doesn't go any farther.  We live around alot of woods and that is where she goes to do her business!  Never in the yard.  How's that for potty training!  What can I say, except that she is a great horse.  I brag on her, like I do my children and gchildren.  

maggiemahone1

[Aon_Daonna]

I don't own a horse
I'd like to but I usually ride the horses of friends. I'm riding since I was six and I love horses.
I know that Glófaxi (the Icelander of a friend) has problems with flies and she feeds Garlic against it. Since she is feeding Garlic the Problem was getting better. (Garlic also helps against worms)
Also a mixture of water and vinegar (1litre water/ 1/4 litre
vinegar) applied to the horses body (except eyes, nose & mouth).
When the horse is already stung tee tree oil or baby oil will help releasing the itching.
And in the time when flies are especially active the horse should only be let out on the pasture at Night and the early hours of the morning.

[Cabbagehome]

Von says there is recipe for fly repelent in the first part of the Plains of Passage .
We feed Red garlic last summer and it helped a lot.  We use Avon Skin So Soft as a repelent on the girl scouts. Mite try it on Fudge if the brewers yeast garlic mix I got for her is not enough.  

[maggiemahone1]

What kind of garlic do you use?  Where do you get the brewers yeast garlic? I'm going to try the vinegar in the water.  Last year we used the skin so soft in a mixture of citronella oil and water.  It  helped some, but not what I thought it should.  About the garlic I've read where some people don't think garlic should be given to a horse and some say it's ok.  Evidently, it hasn't hurt the horses you ladies have been around, so it must be safe.  Thanks alot for the imput.  Maybe I'll experiment with a few things of my own.

maggiemahone1

[Aon_Daonna]

Here there is a company (Leovet) which is producing a very good Garlic-Food. Perhaps you can find something like that, too.
I asked her about the Garlic and she said that you can also cut up 1 or 2 (of those wee garlic things inside - I don't know the word for it) and mix it under the usual food.
As a supporting food you can give them a powder of seaweed and silica.

(Lynn was stung by a gad-fly yesterday and threw her had up... my bad luck was that I had my head above her head massaging her ears.... that hurt!

[Cabbagehome]

[color=red] The brewer's yeast garlic powder is B-Natural garlic formula is by Lambert Kay company. I found it at Big Lot. It is labled for cats and dogs, if Fudge will eat it I will get her the yeast at feed store. Just in case she is breed, I want to up her vits and mins.  She was still under nurished when we got her.
Now last year we just sprinked dried garlic powder on Reds sweet feed, fast, cheep, and easy. If you want to feed fresh, you can buy it prechopped in jars, or give a whole clove.

[Aon_Daonna]

oh yes! clove was the word I needed!

[maggiemahone1]

In the winter time we give Maggie a product called, Focus HF by Source.  It has ingredients such as, biotin, methionine, lysine, chelated trace minerals, viable yeast culture and phospholipids.  This is a great product for their hooves. Biotin is really great for hoof care.  We mix it in her feed.  Another product they have is for weight gain, its called Focus WT for horses that have been stressed and they have Focus SR for older horses to better digest their food and to maintain weight control.  Their website is:

www.4source.com

Thanks ladies, I appreciate the advice with the garlic.  Will I be able to smell the garlic on her, like you can when a person has eaten garlic?  That's ok if I do, personally I like garlic.  

maggiemahone1

[Cabbagehome]

Well I never got close enough to kiss Red last summer, so I couldn't say if his breath smelled of garlic. There was no smell to him I could tell.
We tried the focus SR on Winter the 28 year old Paint pony; she would not even eat the grain under the SR.  K has found a senior compleat feed mix, sorry don't know brand, that both  Red and Winter like. Fudge is only 3 so she will get regular sweet feed. She is up to weight now. Once she got away from a big heard, she started putting on the weight. We feed each horse in their own bucket.  I'm sure taking her out to graze on the long grass with seeds, has helped the weight also, it has sure helped with the bonding and calming her down. Red is not sure he likes sharing his Carrot and apple treats.  I'm most worried about getting selinume in Fudge, white mussale dessize (sp) is a big killer of livestock in Michigan.

[Aon_Daonna]

I now have to show off:
Lynn's father:


isn't he beautiful?
And Lynn is quite alike to him.

[maggiemahone1]

He is really pretty and Big.  He looks similar to the Clydesdale and Belguim.  Do you know how many hands high he is?  I think they can grow up to 19 hands and weigh a ton.  The Shire horse originated in England whose ancestors were the 'great horses' of medevial times and are one of the largest horses in the world.  Do the owners compete with him?  Here in America they are used as draught horses and work horses.  They say they are gentle horses.  If Lynn is similar, then she must be beautiful.  

maggiemahone1

[Aon_Daonna]

The main difference between Clydesdale and Shire is that Clydesdales are usually nutbrown with a lot of white marks. They can have white marks on their belly or white hair oll over their body but the main colour should be brown. They should be handsome to look at (A legend says that the duke of hamilton wanted some splendid looking horses for his carriage and thus began to bread the real Clydesdale) and strong and willing to work. The original Clydesdale (breeding was started in the 18th century) was about 16 hands high (how much that may be?? I don't know what a hand is in metric measurement) and had clear defined muscles.
The modern Clydesdale is higher (thanks to Shire-Blood) and has more white.
http://www.clydesdalehorse.co.uk/


The Belgian Horse (also named
Brabantian or Flandrian Horse) has had a great impact on nearly all Draught Horses in the world. The Duke of hamilton exported some Brabantians Stallions which were the Start of the Clydesdale.
The Brabantian is a smaller than Clydesdales or Shires, about 1,70m or 1,80m and much stonger and heavier built. That's why they are used to produce horse meat today.

The American Breed of the Belgian is producing a lighter and more sportif horse.



It is hard to say for my how how high he is in hands. He has a 1,96m Stockmass (measured with a stick).
He's really nice and very good to ride. (I once rode him and it is a dream the way he reacts to signals).
But he is quite a show-off He loves it to be centre of attention in any way.
He started in Competitions in GB as well as i competitions in Germany and the Netherands. And he won quite a few prizes because he shows quite well the ideal of a Shire Horse.

Lynn looks a great deal alike, although she is a bit smaller and she is quite calm and cool. there are few things that can make her nervous. But it is real fun to ride her because she isn't lazy.
Her owners are proud of her and of her 2 companions because they too won a few prizes.

[Cabbagehome]

 What an awsome fellow!   You are very lucky to perch you little body on his daughter and have her go where you want.  A horse that big would even fit Jolly Green, all 6 foot 6 inches of him. He looked so funny on the little Quarter Pony, he use to get to ride for round up at cattle ranch of friends. (his legs reached to he ground, but pony knew what he was doing so even a green horn could work)  
A hand is 4 inches if that helps.  
Have you ever ridden sidesadle?  I always thought a German Coach Horse was beautiful breed.  

[maggiemahone1]

The Clydesdale originated in the valley by the River Clyde.

My hubby's grandmother rode side saddle when she rode horses. Someone in the family has a picture if her in a black riding habit along with her  laced up boots and whip. She looked very elegant and regal.  I just can't imagine wearing all that black and being covered from head to toe.  She was born in the late 1800's, that should give you a clue of how she was dressed.  I have never seen anyone ride side saddle except on tv.

I have to make a correction on a couple of post.  I spelled filly with a ph.  Sorry!

maggiemahone1

[Aon_Daonna]

hehe... the only occasion I tried to ride sidesaddle was in France
The uncle of a friend of mine has something like a huge tower standing in the middle of the swamps of the Camargue. He asked me if I want to try to ride sidesaddle on one of his ponies (a beautiful mare named Espérance). Well I tried but it was quite unusual. I had an uneasy feeling up there and changed the saddle as soon as possible.
I can't imagine that austrias empress Elisabeth rode on hunts in England with such a saddle.
Perhaps it is because I never rode anything else that the usual saddle.

The worst Thing about riding Earl was to get up. He is soo big! I managed it somehow but I was quite close to calling somebody with a ladder!