two gorgous seniors and a company I love!!

 

Late last week I had the pleasure of giving some business to a company I love: Whinny Warmers!  Long-time readers will remember a hard winter we had several years back when I worried and fretted over Salina's arthritic knees in the cold.

Late one night I sat fretting, thinking, if only there were leg warmers for horses! Lo and behold, I googled and there they were. Whinny Warmers! I ordered two cobalt blue pairs for Salina and hoped when they arrived they would actually work.

They arrived very quickly and they were gorgeous. I wanted to wear them myself! But we breezed through the learning curve of getting them on, and Salina immediately knew they were something good, so she cooperated completely. They worked perfectly and her stiffness during the cold winter months was much decreased.

Not only did the Whinny Warmers work, they turned out to be a durable, easy to take care of product. We have washed and dried the 4 whinny warmers many, many times. They have gotten muddy, caked with shavings and dirt, stretched, and generally have been very well used. And right now as I type they are clean and packed away for the summer, ready for another winter season. (although I am told the new Whinny Warmers are far superior to the pairs I ordered several years ago - frankly I don't see how, but I trust that they are - this company never stops working to make better products)

As if this weren't enough, shortly after I blogged about the Whinny Warmers those years back, with a photo of Salina wearing hers, I got an email from the owner of the company, thanking me for sharing the word about my satisfaction with their product. He also asked if I would send him the name and address of my favorite equine rescue so he could send a donation of Whinny Warmers in my name as a thank you.

I sent not one but two, asking that they pick whichever they preferred - and Whinny Warmers generously sent numerous pairs to both Primrose Sanctuary and the NC Equine Rescue League. I was incredibly impressed with the product, the customer service, and the generosity of a small company whose bottom line was helping horses and donkeys.

This year, this summer, we are having the worst flies I've ever seen. Our fly predators are doing the best they can, and even at its worst here on November Hill, it pales in comparison to what I've seen in other barns who don't use fly predators. BUT... it's bad enough that I decided I had to kick in with some extra protection for the horses.

We don't use chemical sprays. The herbal concentrate we use for mixing fly spray does a good job - it's not perfect, but normally we don't have that many flies so it works well.

Late last week I realized Salina was being harangued by flies on her lower legs. With her arthritic knees she doesn't stomp. She just bears it. I had gotten an email from Whinny Warmers a few months back about their new Summer Whinnies. I went online and ordered a complete set of 4 for Salina.

Within a few hours I had an email with the subject line: Billie!!!

It was Whinny Warmers. They had recognized my name when the order went through and were emailing to offer me the discount they'd offered way back in the spring - the email I'd read but forgotten - and even though that offer has come and gone, they offered to apply it anyway. When my order arrived this weekend, there was a second pair of Summer Whinnies enclosed! They said they appreciated my support in the early years of the company and wanted to say thank you.

This kind of attitude is why their company is thriving. Great products, great customer service, and a truly personal, genuinely caring attitude toward their customers - and the horses who ultimately use their products.

I'm happy to report that we put Salina's Summer Whinnies on for the first time yesterday. Once we got the first one on, and she felt the immediate relief, she lifted up the next two hooves before even being asked. We had to work a little to get the last one on - her right leg is always the hardest b/c lifting it means she is bearing the weight on her left knee - the most arthritic - but she continued working with us so we could get it on.

Last night I was in the barn and she looked like she had lost at least a decade of age. Between jiaogulan (I'll write about this later) and the Summer Whinnies, she's a brand new horse.

Cody will get his later today, and as soon as my budget allows, I'll order sets for every equine here. This is a terrific product. Check out the gorgeous Hanoverian seniors on November Hill! Salina, left, is 28 years old. Keil Bay is a spring chicken senior of 22.  He told me last night he wants his own Summer Whinnies - he always wanted to sport a little "flash."  :)  Redford donkey felt the photo was not complete without his handsome self there too...