The Three Blankets (Weeks #7-8)

Before I left for my trip, I decided to visit Badger one more time, and take his blanket with me as well. Now that the weather was finally (abruptly?) getting colder, Tracy suggested it was about time for the winter wear to come out of storage for the rest of the horses too. So, off to the ranch, miscellaneous straps and D-rings in tow. Still never quite figured out where all of those things connected.

After the usual day of care and fussing, I took out Badger's blanket, unfurled it, and draped it over his back. He seemed fine, but somehow, something didn't...look quite right.

I stepped back and burst out laughing. The blanket didn't even come close to covering his rear end. There was no way the straps would buckle around the front of his neck and chest. ...What the heck?! My brain raced. Did we somehow end up with the wrong blanket when we picked Badger up? (Couldn't be, he was the only horse there...that was the only blanket there...) Had I shrunk it when I washed it? (But the drier wasn't on a high temp, and it didn't have the irregular rippling I would have expected since the straps are a different material from the blanket itself...) Had someone else somehow shrunk it? Was it just the wrong size from a long time ago?

There was nothing to be done...so off it came, and on went a big, rather dusty blanket from the ranch's few extras. If anything it seemed a little oversized, as the neck opening kept sliding down around Badger's withers. Still, he seemed happy enough with it all, so I left him with that one (the peculiarly undersized one left to warm another smaller horse at the ranch) and headed off to my plane ride across the Pacific.

When I got back, the recent trade I'd set up had gone great. I'd arranged to trade one of my Breyer model horses with a gal in Ohio for a classy blanket and a nice new lead rope. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'd measured correctly, I took the new blanket out to the ranch as soon as I'd gotten home.

As most things have been turning out with Badger, it was just the right piece of equipment at the right time. The new blanket not only fits him to a T, but it also matches the blue of his halter quite nicely. The new lead rope is great too, a dark green cotton which was exactly what I'd been thinking of buying since the original red one was strangely unbendable, and made it quite hard to tie a good knot. Badger had been starting to figure out that if he jerked his head around, the red rope would start to come loose...so thankfully this one has put a stop to that.

I'm very grateful to Ann in Ohio for agreeing to the trade, since not only did it get Badger a blanket that fits (as well as making him look quite handsome), but this also ensures that other horses at the ranch can use the blankets that will better fit them. Sure, California doesn't get *quite* as cold as the great white North, but Bakersfield has been known to get down into the freezing temps, and since a lot of the horses are in their 20s, it's a nice thing in the middle of winter to have a snuggly blanket. :)

So without further ado:

...Too small!

...Too big!

Ahhh...juuuust right. ^_^

Week #6

Tuesday:
More of "the usual": cleaning, turnout, rolling, running. Fun stuff for Badger.
It's funny, now more and more I'll find him quite distinctly looking in my direction, usually when he's wanting something and I'm further away. Patient, not making any kind of fuss, but with a very specific "Hey, are you there? You didn't forget me, did you?" kind of look. You can wait there! I'm scooping your poop!

One pleasant surprise from today was finding out that Tracy had stopped giving him the bute (horse "aspirin") quite a while back; she'd noted he didn't really seem to need it. I had no idea, since he was always pretty darn happy to get out there and wander around, and would get excited and trot with me, and enthusiastically roll around in the turnout. If he hasn't had any bute for a while and he's that energetic, I guess this means he's pretty pain-free! We're still going to give him a little on days when he gets more exercise, since it's getting colder and that might mean some stiffness.

I don't know if this is something horses normally like, but Badger seems to actually enjoy running with company. Whether in the turnout area or out, if I see him pick his head up a little and I start walking faster in response, he usually breaks into a trot as I start jogging. Inside the turnout, I still have to slow him down occasionally, because I can see him visibly get more excited about running around and the trotting gets more enthusiastic...

If he keeps up this way, he's going to be a handful by the time Spring rolls around. Not that I mind. I'm thrilled that he seems to be having so much fun...in any animal it's a pretty noticeable and inspiring change. On a side note, he's working on developing those jiggly fat pads on his thigh areas now too, heh heh.

Oh, and today I found out that his doppelganger neighbor Tio is actually a pure Thoroughbred. Explains why they look so similar, seeing as Badger is such a high-TB-percentage Quarter Horse himself.

Saturday:
Went to a garage sale to find some deals on used tack and whatnot, although by the time I got there it was an hour past 'start' and most of the stuff was gone. Ah well. Still managed to get a lot of stuff for $60; two fairly good condition leather bridles (one with rawhide and silver decorations), a dusty but good halter, a body brush and a hair brush both in good shape, and a fancy saddle pad. I figure whatever I don't end up using, the rescue can probably make use of it all.

Since I was delayed getting there, I thought I'd be smart and save some time by cleaning his stall before I took him out to the turnout. Well, halfway through the shoveling, I start hearing "...clang. K-tang. Clang." I turned around to see Badger poking at the gate with his lip. He turns back and looks at me, then looks at the gate again. Clang.

Funny guy.

Since time was short, I took him out and started cleaning him off. Today was the first day he really let me get all the way into his hooves, and I noticed his rear hooves are really deep, despite their short outer appearance. I don't know what this means, exactly, but I'm going to take photographs and ask. Better to be paranoid than regretful.

Despite any of my concerns, boy, he was extra-springy today. Maybe it was nice to get the extra junk out of his feet? He happily trotted around while being led, and when he went into the turnout, not only did I get to see him roll around, I also saw him in full-out gallop. Not a casual canter, but running! He danced around and kicked up his heels, flapped his tail, and off he went, fully stretched out in what I can only describe as a bouncy sprint towards the far end of the pen, neighing at the horses in the neighboring corral. Then he came thundering back. Then off to the far end again.

When he seemed finished, I called him and entered the turnout with the halter and lead. Since he was at the far end, I figured I'd have to walk all the way there, but he surprised me again by turning away from the other horses and walking to meet me in the middle. As an experiment, instead of haltering him right there, I turned around and walked back to the gate...and he followed right along. How sweet!

Sunday:
I went back today because I didn't get to do as thorough a job with cleaning as I'd wanted to. I was also still not feeling sure about the condition of his hooves, so I wanted to check. Thankfully Tracy was there and we looked him over, and while it's not bad, I do definitely have to work on making sure his hooves get thoroughly cleaned out since he does have a tiny bit of thrush going on. Bleh. At least since it's so dry here, if Tracy's not worried then I'm not going to be either. I am, however, looking forward to meeting the farrier and finding out more about foot care from him too.

Hooray for FINALLY getting to take some photos! He was a little stiff in the hind end, probably from his big run yesterday, but otherwise fine. I took photos in the turnout arena today so he's uh...rather dust-covered since I couldn't get out the camera before the big dramatic flop-n-roll.

It's like he's a Thoroughbred who's slowly getting to put his Quarter Horse pants back on.

"...What?"

I'm skipping next week's update since I have to go out of town for a week, but I expect to be able to update on Badger again right after Thanksgiving.

Week #5

No photos this week, kept forgetting my camera in the rush to leave the house. Going to have to get some pics tomorrow. Definitely enjoying the routine (both Badger and I are, that is). The turnout pen is instant "fun time," where he immediately dives into the dirt and flops around in it before trotting around to check things out. It's great to see him energetic enough to jog around!

I brought an older family friend out to see Badger this week, and she seemed to really enjoy visiting the ranch and seeing the big guy. He was super sweet too, which was a relief since I had no idea how he would react to a completely unfamiliar face. About the only thing that was different was that his "trouble" front foot wouldn't pick up.

Now he seems very happy about going out, especially since I'll jog with him so he can trot some (if he seems interested, that is). He particularly seems interested whenever there are other horses out...not sure what that means, exactly.

Saturday's visit was actually pretty funny since I put him in the turnout pen like normal (immediately: TWO rolls. Like a big dog.) and then went to clean his pen. I don't know if it took longer than usual or something, but after a while I could see him standing in the near corner of the turnout and looking directly towards where we were. A very clear "...you didn't forget me, did you?"

Moreso since when I got to the turnout area, he walked over to the gate and started nosing at the chain latch holding it shut. Just had to laugh; he's no slouch!

Instead of immediately bringing him out, though, I took him for a little guided jog in the turnout. Now that we've started to notice fat pads building up on him, and he's being perky, I figure small amounts of easy exercise wouldn't hurt. If he wasn't feeling good, he wouldn't trot. It's strange to think that a horse would enjoy being run around with, but he was getting so revved up and eager that I actually had to slow him DOWN a few times. I feel very thankful he keeps his head and actually listens when I tell him to walk or "whoa."

The more I work with this guy, the more I get the feeling that he's got the mind of a racehorse as well as the build; he's over-the-top polite and considerate, but by no means does he think old = sedate. He's still very sharp and smart, and has fun getting out there to DO things. It's very encouraging and I hope this means he'll recover to soundness for light riding. I don't want to get my hopes up too high; I mean, I know he's 25. Realistically speaking, Quarter Horses as a breed aren't known for advancing well beyond this age, and larger horses are tougher to keep sound (larger body mass = more strain on the joints)...so he and I are just going to take things as they come, one week at a time.