feeding the "whole" herd

A few trims ago, our natural hoofcare trimmer recommended I head over to Pete Ramey's website to read THIS article, as he knows I'm constantly trying to learn more about feet and keeping them healthy.

As a result of reading the article, and then following up by talking to more folks who steep themselves in hoof/whole horse knowledge, I signed up for an online course in equine nutrition with Dr. Eleanor Kellon.

The course, NRC Plus, was already full, but she allowed me to audit the class beginning in November, and then I will be a full class member for credit in the February section. In effect, I'll get to go through the material twice, which sounds good to me!

Our trimmer, Pete Ramey, and Dr. Kellon all strongly recommend getting pasture and hay analyses done while taking the class, so that the numbers and percentages are actually relevant ones to your horses. THIS is a good place to get that done at a reasonable cost.

Pete recommends a few places to go to for custom supplementation (if needed) once you have all the data and want to add in only and exactly what your horses need based on the feed/hay/pasture analyses done in the class, and applied to the individual needs of your horses. I wasn't surprised to see Horsetech listed. Rod and his staff have been enormously helpful to me over the past year and a half, making custom blends for me based on the changing needs of my herd.

I'm very excited about Dr. Kellon's classes, and learning how to feed my horses with confidence based in knowledge.

Right now they are off all processed feeds, and looking wonderful on a combination of soaked beet pulp pellets and whole oats, with a good salt blend mixed in. I tried alfalfa pellets but they wouldn't touch them - and come to find out, that particular brand of pellets has "feed grade animal fat" added in for "palatability." I need to find some alfalfa pellets that are pure alfalfa next trip to the feed store.

Salina also gets rice bran, and the two big geldings get black oil sunflower seeds. They all rotate through several vit/min mixes during the course of the year. I've also started giving probiotics after deworming.

I think I'm doing a decent job but I'd like to get it better, using more real data. I've started to see how powerful it is to be able to customize the tubs for each of my horses, and I'm so excited I wanted to share the links in case any of you horse folk readers have interest.

It's my answer to the "ignorance is bliss" conundrum I posted about a few weeks ago. Hopefully Dr. Kellon can help me synthesize all this data into a good, organized plan.

finally! our rising star

Redford arrived Sunday morning and my first sight of him was his perfect little jump out of the van, onto his bale of hay as a step, and down to the grass. He looked like he had done that particular move forever, and that was just about how his first day at November Hill played out.

He was absolutely and completely at home from the first moment on. You would never know he hadn't been here a dozen times already!

Rafer was so intrigued as Redford came into the stall next to his:



He and Rafer Johnson met over the 2 1/2 foot stall wall we had lowered so they could interact more easily. They touched noses, they shared hay, and they did a lot of looking and watching. Little donkey eyes met and studied, as only donkey eyes can. The horses, including Salina, were in the front field, and although they had access to the barn, they didn't come up right away. The donkeys had their own special time to say hello.



Redford is absolutely adorable. I had already forgotten how snuggly baby donkeys are - and although he is 7 months and some days old, next to the handsome, more mature Rafer Johnson, Redford seems like a teddy donkey! What a treat to get to watch him grow up as we have Rafer!

So... these two donkeys visited. And then suddenly Redford started looking at the wall between them. "He's thinking about..." and then he did it - he jumped right over the wall into Rafer's stall! Rafer jumped off to the side, clearly startled, and we all felt terrible. We had seen it coming but then it happened so quickly we couldn't stop it. We were all stunned too at the agility of little Redford - and Rafer wasn't quite sure he liked this little Flying Donkey coming right into his space. Redford got his halter on and went back to the adjoining stall, and we all gave Rafer time to relax again while we watched his leg to make sure everything was okay. We also added another board to the wall!

A little bit later (I think I have the sequence straight) the horses ran up the hill and Salina marched up to the back windows of the three stalls. Redford was in the middle, Rafer in the end stall to the right. Salina stuck her head in, expecting to see Rafer, but there was Redford! You could see the thinking process going on as she looked, amazed, from Redford to Rafer, back and forth a number of times, almost as if she couldn't quite believe it. There were two of them!

Suddenly a light bulb went off above her very alert ears. Wait! There's another stall! Maybe there are THREE! She went down to the last stall and looked in, just to be sure. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. She was so hopeful - but when she saw there wasn't another one, she came back. And then she, Redford, and Rafer had a pow-wow right there over the stall door and stall wall. Redford walked up and let her sniff him. They stood with noses outstretched, and you could see that Rafer and Redford were both forming opinions based on one another. Redford looked at Rafer to see what he thought of Salina. Rafer watched Salina befriend Redford. (maybe that scary Flying Donkey who sailed into his stall minutes before wasn't quite so scary!) And Salina had no qualms at all - she was as happy as could be to have both of them.



After we said goodbye to Ken and Marty, who stayed and helped us navigate this important meeting, the geldings went back out to the field. Salina remained in the paddock with some hay, right by the stall windows. I went into Rafer's stall to muck and forgot to latch the door. When I turned around he had marched out the door and around the corner of the barn to stand by Salina - with the fence between them. He seemed so happy to be out and grazing in the sunshine, I decided to let him be for a few minutes. About that time, I heard a rumble and then Redford dashed out of the barn. This little donkey had jumped a 3 1/2 foot wall taller than his head!

I realized at that point we had to stop raising the wall and just let the two of them be together. They spent the rest of the day with Rafer's stall open to the barn aisle. They watched one another, shared some cookies, touched noses, munched on hay, and after the first hour, Salina went back out to the front field and Rafer Johnson was completely fine - because suddenly he realized he has a new buddy who wants very much to be with him. You cannot imagine (well, maybe you can) the absolute joy of standing in the barn aisle with these two precious donkeys and watching them bond.

They do it so differently than horses do - without all the fanfare, just those sweet donkey eyes measuring the situation and deciding that it will be all right.

Redford very appropriately has a star - and if his arrival here is any indication, it looks like he is one special Flying Donkey. The last thing I did before heading off to my Pony Club meeting Sunday night was kneel between two donkey noses and two donkey eyes gazing into mine - one on each side. Double the donkey love.

Welcome to November Hill, Redford! You have already taken Rafer Johnson's mind off the wandering mare, the puffy fetlock and hairline fracture, and the temporary confinement. And you have taken our breaths away with your jumping skills. We know you'll be very happy here.

And some more settling in photos, first playing donkey carousel:



Having a moment with the other red equine on the farm:



Shining his star light all over the barnyard:



Rafer Johnson, our little donkey of the light:



And finally, the November Hill donkey team:

the picture that would have been worth a thousand words

But can't be, because not only can I not upload, my camera battery is dead!

When I went out at mid-day, Rafer Johnson was lying curled up in the soft, clean hay left over from the round bale, in the sunshine, with Redford standing right behind him, like a little guardian.

It was the sweetest thing I've seen yet with these two, and it made me so happy. Rafer hasn't been able to lie in the warm sunshine since he broke his leg. Today, with Redford's company, he was totally "in the light," soaking it in.

technical difficulties!!

I tried last night late and again this afternoon to get some photos uploaded - but we're having internet issues over here, and until things are working well again, the uploading is out.

We learned last night after doing radiographs yesterday morning that Rafer Johnson's puffy fetlock is due to a hairline sesamoid fracture. :/

Apparently this can happen with full casts, and sadly it has happened to Rafer. The bottom line is that he had to have the full cast initially, so even had we known this was a possibility, there weren't really other alternatives. And the good news is that they assume it will fuse on its own. But he will need to stay in closer confinement for now. Thank goodness, he has Redford with him!

Next thing on Rafer's schedule is Oct. 28th when they will take the cast off, bi-valve it, and put it back. That way we can take it on and off to check for sores, let the leg "breathe," etc.

He's getting a homeopathic remedy and a bit of Banamine last night for discomfort. The swelling is again better today and he is moving more normally. Interestingly, Salina has stayed up at the barn, keeping an eye on BOTH donkeys. :)

Send some healing light his way. Photos when I can get them up.

a shocking turn of events (with a really wonderful outcome)

It became quite apparent this morning that Salina has gone into a full-blown cycle of heat. :0

She went out to the field with the geldings after breakfast and by 2 p.m. had not come back up to the barn. She stuck to Keil Bay like glue and then decided (poor Keil Bay!) that maybe the younger man was the one to pursue. She followed Cody all over the back field all day long. He was quite flabbergasted that the black monster mare suddenly wanted to be with HIM, the lowly bottom of the herd order gelding.

At one point she was sniffing his hindquarters and he turned slowly around at the neck with the funniest expression on his face. What's going ON back there?

It would be hilarious if not for one lonely little donkey stuck inside the barn.

Rafer Johnson and I spent the morning and much of the afternoon listening to NPR while I did chores. He was clearly missing Salina and didn't understand why she wasn't coming when he called. I opened up his lick ball, gave him lots of neck scratches, and we got caught up in "Car Talk."

Rafer's little fetlock, having been unused for 6 weeks, was a bit puffy yesterday. The vet came by to check up on him, and said he felt it would resolve pretty quickly on its own. But Rafer is stall-bound until it improves. I have given him a homeopathic remedy and it is less puffy today, but given the whimsy of the mare, I decided it might be time to make a change.

So I emailed our donkey experts and we have all agreed that it's time for Redford to come cheer up the troops!

Ken and Marty have generously offered to bring Redford tomorrow morning so that Rafer Johnson doesn't have to spend another day wondering what in the world his best friend Salina is up to. He will have Redford right next door to keep him company!

And when he can resume his twice daily turn-outs, he can do so with Redford, at least until Salina passes through this phase. My worries about the suddenly agile and unpredictable mare bumping into a casted donkey are over.

We are so excited - I have been thinking of Redford for the past few days, and now he will be here tomorrow! I think it's just what the doctor ordered for phase two of Rafer's convalescence.

Thank you, Ken and Marty. You are the very best.