RACE TIME.........!!

Suppose to race tonight, if the weather cooperates.  Right now it's nice and sunny but the weatherman says 30%  chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.  Of course he usually isn't right, so hopefully his record will hold tonight. 

John had to change the shock absorbers again.  I think Kias were designed to drive the kids to school and go to the grocery store.  They don't stand up well to the pressure of racing on dirt.  There certainly isn't any aftermarket or racing parts made for Kias either.  I'm in 2nd place for end of the year points 35 points behind the 1st place car and 20 points ahead of the 3rd place car.  Of course it's a long time to November, there could be a lot of changes between now and then.  

We had some teenagers come out this morning to do some grooming.  We really appreciate it when someone comes out to groom and most of the donkeys really enjoy it.  John put Gigi in the squeeze, otherwise she wasn't going to cooperate.  Even at that she had a fast right rear foot.  So she got smacked, yelled at and more grooming.  I'm not sure she ever really gave up, but she finally did settle down and just threaten a little bit, rather than a full blown, "I'm going to kick you" mode.  

I think I'm going to change from polo wraps on the legs for fly protection, to men's crew socks for awhile.  One problem with the polo wraps is they shovel up dirt, when the donkeys dust bathe.  The socks fit looser, so if they gather up dirt while rolling, when the donkeys stand up the dirt just falls off.  I had always used men's socks that had been "retired", which means the elastic tops had lost most of their elasticity.  Kathy from Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Colorado sent me some brand new crew socks and they stay up really good.  

Boaz has lost his last remaining crusader fly mask.  John went out this morning looking for it, but it's still out there somewhere.  I'd really like to protect the edge of his mouth, now that it is healed up, but he isn't making it easy. 

TIME MARCHES ON......!!!

I hope I'm not getting paranoid, but Saturday night at the races I wasn't feeling the love from management......!!!! LOL  When I got there I looked around for the meeting we were suppose to have to tell me what a horrible person I am.  Couldn't find anything, although the manager did wave to me from across the pits.  

So I headed out, on an apology tour of the pits, to explain my position especially after seeing the 2nd video, which shows the car coming across the track in front of me, and leaving me no place to go.  Did all my "bowing and scraping" and got ready to do it again.......!!!! LOL  Well maybe not, exactly.  

When we run the heat race, if you finish 3rd or better, you draw a numbered poker chip for your starting position in the main.  I finished 3rd, (can we say, conservative driving.......LOL) and drew #5 to start.  When I checked the line-up board my car number wasn't even up there but the # 5 was.  We don't even have a # 5 Hornet.  So I told the girls they changed it and when I drove to staging, the guy kept trying to put me in the back, even showed me the line-up sheet with # 5 in 5th position.  Explained it and he saw the problem.  Went out on the track and the next thing I know they are telling the car behind me to get in front of me.  She went up there, the race started and she and I finished 1st and 2nd.  Needless to say, I protested.  Got about half an apology, but of course it's like referee calls, you can't take it back.  In the last 2 races I've lost about12-13 possible points, because of bad calls.  They are going to be hard to make up, but I'll try. 

Everybody seems to be doing pretty good, no new problems, just dealing with the old ones.  I had said something to Kathy Dean at Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Colorado about using polo wraps on legs.  This week she sent me a box with quite a few polo wraps, she said they were laying around and they don't use them much.  She also sent some new long crew socks.  I told her they won't know what to do with new socks, I always use John and the neighbor's worn out ones to cover their legs.......!!!   LOL  Kathy has an outstanding rescue and sanctuary.  I think she probably does more with a dollar than any other rescue in the country. 

A couple of days ago, when John went out in the afternoon to round up, Pepper was down in the big wash.  He had been down, in the afternoon sun for quite awhile and was over heated, almost panting.  Didn't know if we'd be able to get him up or not, rolled him over and while he didn't pop right up, he got up pretty quick.  I told John to bring him to one of the water hoses under a tree.  It took awhile for him to get there, his poor old crippled legs take awhile to start working again.  I started hosing him down, usually he hates water, but there was a nice breeze coming thru and he stood really still, so I guess he liked it.  Then I used a scraper to get the excess water off him.  When you hose a hot equine down, you don't leave the water on them, because their body heat, heats up the water and defeats the purpose of hosing them down.  If they are really in stress, you can also use alcohol or witch hazel, which is suppose to cool them off quicker, I've never had to do that, so can't say. 

HAPPY OR SAD..........?????

We had a man up in the Showlow area call and was interested in a donkey or two.  After talking to him for awhile, he was interested in the little herd of three, Ruthie and her two boys Wister and Ruger.  It sounded like it might be a good fit, although the 300 mile distance made doing a home study and delivery problematic, at least for us.  Kathy at Longhopes Donkey Shelter said to have him send pictures of the barn, fencing, hay, feeding area, watering area, pictures of his other equine and their feet.  Leave it to Kathy to come up with a good idea.  She said that's what they ask for at Longhopes when it's a long way away.

He was also looking at a couple of young ones and this morning e-mailed to say they are going with the young ones.  They won't even get them until May, so I assume they are really young.  I'm sure that will work out good for him and I really wasn't looking forward to putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together, so it's a win, win situation.  And we will keep looking for a 3 donkey home for them.  

Steven is here today to help John put up a shelter in Wister and Ruger's pen.  We already have two shelters built like the one they are building.  John came in awhile ago to have me look at the first "bow" of PVC to see if it was OK.  Nooooooo............!  It was about a foot taller than the other two shelters.  He said the PVC was the same length, but he forgot, that pen is only 12 feet wide.  The other shelters are about 14 foot wide, so it makes them shorter.  So they are out there trying to figure out how to make it shorter.  It will have to be cut off, but how much?  I told Steve he is suppose to be the voice of reason, but he said he's not getting involved in management he's just labor........!!! LOL  

The next big project will be to replace the chain length fence between the dog pen and 2 of the donkey pens.  The donkeys have used the fence as a butt scratcher, and it's about to fall down.  The problem there is it will have to be replaced in one day between morning feeding and evening feeding.  Should be interesting, I've noticed as we get older, it takes much longer to finish things.......!!!  

I think for all practical purposes, winter is over.  We have lizards, bugs and hummingbirds are coming thru, trees other than mesquite are leafing out.  It's suppose to be in the 80's today.  Of course yesterday morning was 32 degrees and John had a little ice on his bird bath, so who knows.  I know one thing we are very dry and it's probably going to be a very hot summer.......!!!  :-(

Getting the little jenny is moving along, they want to bring her down here Wed or Thur.  I just got a message from someone else that the jenny has been seen by a vet & it was recommended that she be euthanized.  I'm sure by now most people know my opinion about euthanasia unless there is absolutely no option left.  

I know that vets a  lot of times are quick to recommend euthanasia as a quick easy fix to the problem when time & on going effort could make a lot of difference.   Unless there are x-rays there is no way of really knowing what the inside of her feet look like.  I am waiting to hear back from people that supposedly know the vet, so we'll see what I can find out.  

Boaz has once again, shown his affinity for going on a walk-a-bout.  Wasn't here at feeding time, so John headed one way & I headed the other.  I left the gate open when I went out with the golf cart, just in case, everyone else were in their pens.  I went up the road quite a ways, headed back & who did I see doing a "burn-out" turn into the driveway...........????  At least he knows where he belongs, he just has wanderlust.......!!! 

John walked the complete fence line of the 30 acres & didn't find any hoof prints inside the fence, but did find a bunch of them outside the place where he got out last time, & John fixed it.  It's in a bad spot because it's right at the edge of the 15 foot high bank of the big wash, impossible to put up a post that will be sturdy enough to discourage a determined donkey I guess.  John did a quick fix & so far Boaz is staying home.  John says the permanent fix will take most of the day, & he hasn't had time yet. 

This morning John noticed a tiny little pile of diarrhea in Aaron's pen........hmmmm....!   Not unusual for 5-7 day old foals to have diarrhea while their system adjusts to being on their own, rather than relying on momma's body to take care of him.  They also eat momma's poo to get the probiotics into their gut, which we caught him doing yesterday.  Time for Pepto Bismol or Keopectate.  I had to get in touch with Kathy at Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Colorado to find out how much to give him.  

When Georgette & I went up to Longhopes in Aug, they had a little 5 day old foal, with diarrhea & she got Pepto Bismol, so I figured Kathy would know, & she did.   So now John & I will be on poo patrol for a day or so.  This is why we are never bored........!!!! 

MOM BROUGHT HOME GOODIES.......!!!

When Kathy was showing us around Longhopes, I noticed each pen had one of these pans in it.  Being the nosy person I am, I had to ask.  

This is a product called Equilix, it's not a salt lick, nor does it have any molasses in it.  It's more of a lick supplement, with probiotics, enzymes, & all sorts of "stuff" in it.  I'm usually a little hesitant about jumping on the bandwagon with the latest "best thing since sliced bread".  

Kathy has used it for quite sometime, orders it by the pallet & really thinks it makes a difference in the health of her guys.  Sounded worth a try & a local feed store has it, so off Georgette & I went to fill the trunk of the car with pans.  Actually we figured out 3 would allow enough room for us to still have room for our suitcases & other stuff we brought on the trip. 

Brought it home, set it on the feed room porch to protect it from rain, & almost had to stand back to keep from getting ran over.  

Right before I took this picture of Frijolita enjoying a few licks, there was 3 heads buried in the pan going after it.  Unfortunately Daisy decided that she should be able to "snack" alone & ran everyone else off, by threatening with her rear feet.  

It seems like there is someone having a lick or two all day long, they really like it.  There is nothing in the ingredients that sounds high sugar.  At the rate they are going, it isn't going to last out the week............!!!!!

Yesterday we took Jenny up to the clinic in Gilbert as planned to have her resectioned foot re-evaluated.

Got up there & boy was she ready to get out of the trailer.  Maybe she enjoyed her "almost" month long stay up there more than I thought.  There was 5 "new" vets there, they spend their summers before their last year of school, going from Vet clinic to Vet clinic for 3-4 weeks to learn from established clinics.  I asked if any of them had been there when Jenny was there for surgery.  They said no, but they had heard about her.  Then one of the techs came out & told me how much time she spent with Jenny.  I knew they were turning her from side to side every couple of hours, but didn't know she was getting fresh water every hour or being groomed everyday & all the other "make Jenny comfortable" stuff they did........!!!  Jeesh, no wonder every day when I called & talked to Dr. Voss & asked him if she had given up, he would say "No, she seems very happy & satisfied".  I guess she was quite the primadonna. 

When her foot was unwrapped, Dr. Voss immediately saw the area Courtney was worried about.  While they were all looking & discussing what would be the best plan of attack, Courtney came in.  She & Dr. Voss talked way over my head,,but I did understand what they wanted to do.  Basically she is walking on the sides of the foot, which is what Dr. Voss wanted.  But because of the push up pressure when she steps, it is shifting the lower part of the hoof wall, into the upper part.  So the plan was to cut a channel in the hoof between the upper & lower part, & to also trim the edge of the hoof, so it isn't touching the ground.  This is what Courtney had said should be done last week, but she wanted a Vet to make the decision.  So they cut a groove between the two sections, shortened the hoof wall on the side & said we don't need to do all the heavy bandaging anymore.  Yippee!  It will still have to be covered with gauze to keep the open areas from getting packed with mud or picking up gravel, but Dr. Voss thinks being out in the air will be more healthy than keeping it completely wrapped.

She seems to be walking good today, so I would imagine it feels a lot better.  We'll still be bandaging every 5 days or so, but it should be a lot easier & quicker, not to mention maybe the Hoof Wraps will stay on better without the diaper & all the other wrappings we were using. 

Tomorrow morning we are having a garage sale at Mother's house to get rid of all her stuff.  Thank goodness she isn't sentimental, I can't imagine if someone was getting rid of most of my "stuff", but to her it's just stuff.  I'm not a garage type person, getting ready for it has been a little overwhelming.  John is really good to help, & Georgette & her husband Dave came out a couple of days ago, & spent the whole day, organizing & marking stuff.  I tried to get everyone interested in maybe having a fire, but they all seemed to think that was a little radical.........!!! LOL

Had a very nice woman come out from Tucson today to groom donkeys.  Poor BlackJack had been getting mats.  He is more than likely part Poitou & his hair is long & very fine.  He's always proned to mats in his armpits in the summer but all this heat & humidity we've had really escalated the problem.  So when Molly said she wanted to come out & groom, I set BJ up as her first "customer". 

She worked on him quite awhile, but managed to get him mat free.  I think BlackJack would probably stand for grooming until he didn't have any hair left, although he did have to act like a bad boy, when she first started.  I think he was testing her to see if she was up to speed on working on a "special" donkey.  Once they got the initial "I'm not going to, Oh yes you are", out of the way, everything went smoothly.

She also did Ruthie & Daisy.  If Ruthie isn't pregnant, she is certainly getting funny shaped.  We've moved her into a pen of her own at feeding time, so Ruger can get use to "mommy" not always being with him.  He's in with Pancho, & his Daddy Boaz, but as soon as the pens are open, he goes to find Ruthie.  This young man is pushing 18 months.......!!!  When she has the new little one, she is going to abruptly tell Ruger she is no longer his mommy & if he doesn't get away from her new baby, she'll make him wish he had.  Poor little guy is going to be heartbroken.  He does play with Pancho quite often, so I'm hoping he'll make the transition without to much drama.

We will be taking Jenny up to the clinic in Gilbert tomorrow to see if they need to do something to her foot to make her more comfortable.  It looks like it's pushing inward rather than growing straight down.  We'll have to leave early, so we're hoping that Vic can come over & let the donkeys out later on in the morning.  It wouldn't hurt for them to stay in all day, but I'm sure they would think they were being punished.

 Georgia

 Misty

When we were at Longhopes, Kathy asked if we'd like to go over to the killer buyer's to see if he had any donkeys.  Kathy has worked with this guy for years.  He's a nice guy, just has a lousy job, BUT, if he finds any donkeys at auctions that obviously aren't going to find a good home & are going cheap, he buys them for Kathy.  He lives close enough that it's a win, win deal for Kathy, she doesn't have to go to auctions & hang around waiting for donkeys to be put up for bid. 

So off we went, got over there & these 2 girls were in a pen.  They are about 8 or 9 years old & really nice girls although obviously neglected lately. 

Kathy let Georgette & I name them on the way home.  We ran thru quite a few names before coming up with names Kathy hadn't already used.  She's had over 600 donkeys thru her rescue, so all the the easy ones are gone.  We would have named Misty Casper, but she wasn't a boy...........!!!!  Georgette was go excited, she has decided to become a sponsor for Georgia.  She wanted to also sponsor Misty, but Kathy said only one to a family.  Anybody interested in sponsoring a real nice pretty donkey girl? 

The next morning we helped sign them into the rescue.  They had to have a collar put on, so the volunteers can identify them.  Every donkey has their own halter, so had to find halters to fit.  Kathy gave me a weight tape to use.  They have a scale, but we didn't know at the time if they would lead or not.  After we left they did weigh them on the scale & my weight tape numbers were off by 75-100 pounds.......!!!  They just don't work on donkeys, they carry too much weight behind the girth area. 

Needed to get those nasty feet trimmed, so Kathy went out & did "despooking 101", which the girls found rather boring.  So they have probably had good homes in the past, but for some reason they ended up at the end of the line.........almost...!!!!

I should have taken an after picture of Misty's rear feet, Kathy got all that excess growth chopped off, & they looked pretty good.  She was a little tender but not bad. 

I'm so glad these girls weren't lost. 

This is an interesting read:

http://www.windwildhorse.com/windblog/2012/08/06/no-more-wild-horses-soon-blm-is-scheduling-capture-of-all-of-them-asap/

It's sad to see what our government does in the name of the American people.

Georgette & I will head out in the morning for Colorado & a visit with Kathy Dean at Longhopes.  Should be fun, but I hate leaving John with all the chores.  Right now we are having a heatwave, my back porch thermometer says 108.9 right now, & the sun isn't even shining.

This morning Lysa & I did "doctoring", so she can do it while I'm gone on the days she is here.  The flies are trying to eat the donkeys alive, especially the ones with immune system problems, which is about 5 of them.  Two of them have socks on their legs, & 2 of them have floppy material hanging down from velcro strips above their knees.  We'll see which one does the best job.  Chantilly is doing OK without having to be "dressed".  They are all getting Vitamin E, biotin, & Flaxseed oil, but right now I don't think anything is going to stop the flies.  I put a couple of new fly traps out last night about 2 hours before dark, & by chore time this morning there was about 1/2 inch of little bodies floating in the liquid.  Hopefully by now they are stuffed with the little monsters.  We catch about 40 pounds of flies a year, figuring each trap catches about a pound.  That's a lot of flies that are not reproducing more flies, at least I hope so.....!! 

Haven't heard how Honcho & Simmons, (probably now known as Cisco) are settling in.  I'm sure they are doing just fine, both of them are pretty easy going & not drama queens.  If John doesn't hear anything by the time I get back I'll have to give them a call.  

I hope it's cooler in Colorado......!!!!!

This was yesterday when we delivered Honcho & Simmons to their new home.  As you can see they were very upset & frightened at this new happening in their lives................NOT......!!!  "Oh! boy new people with treats, life is good.........!!! "  Copper came over to their pen, laid his ears back a couple of times & once he found out people would pay attention to him & give treats, he didn't seem to care one way or the other about the donkeys being there. 

That is GRASS underneath their feet & it didn't take them but a few seconds to put their heads down & start nibbling.  They planned on leaving the boys in the small pen for a few days.  I think Cindy said she is off work tomorrow Tuesday, so I would imagine it will happen then.  I don't foresee any problems, I'm sure Copper will lunge at them with ears back a couple of times, & they will show him their hind feet & that will probably be it.  Not much drama..........!!! 

Friday we took Simmons & Cheyenne to the vet.  Simmons at some time has got his face caught on something that pulled a piece of flesh loose.  When it healed it stuck out like a skin tag & if you put a halter on him, of course it usually got hung up.  It was rather small & looked like it would be easy to "sneak" up on & nip it off quickly with either a scalpel or sharp scissors & I was tempted.  Glad I didn't try it, when she clipped it, blood shot out about 2 feet, she said she thought it was right over the main vein running down the side of his face, when she saw it.  She didn't want to put in a stitch because it would leave a "dimple", so it took awhile to get it to stop.  It looked pretty good by Sunday, & I gave them some thuja zinc oxide to keep on it, so the flies don't think it's a fly feasting area.  Which right now the flies are absolutely horrible, thank goodness for fly masks, I can't imagine how miserable the donkeys would be with all those flies in their eyes. 

Cheyenne is one of the minis, in fact she is the smallest about 32 inches tall.  Lately she has been quidding & losing weight.  Actually her weight is about perfect, but we're so use to seeing "chubbies" she looks thin.  Didn't find much wrong, she has a few sharp areas on her teeth but not enough to cause problems.  So I had a blood workup done, just to have a base line in case we need it later.  

Saturday we went to a surprise birthday party.  Considering his birthday was almost a month ago & there was nothing celebrated then, he was definitely "surprised"..........!!!!  He was too nosy at the time, so the party was put off for awhile.  LOL  He says he will get even............hmmmmm..........!!! 

We got to see Selena & Falena, aka Squeeky & Momma.  Falena is now out of her special shoe, & walking just fine.  Tyler had said it would take about a year, & that's about how long it's been.  They absolutely adore the girls, it is a wonderful foster home.  They would adopt the girls in a minute, but by law they still belong to the state as strays, even though the state never called me back.  If they were cows or horses they might get more involved, but burros............??  Not worth their valuable time. That's OK, the girls have a perfect home, with people that think they are great, so who cares if the paperwork isn't right? The state sure doesn't. 

Thursday, Georgette & I are heading out on a ROAD TRIP to Colorado.  We'll only be gone 5 days, poor John will not only have the donkeys, but will also be feeding Mother 6 times a day.  It's not really difficult, I have a list of "available" foods & she will tell you which one she wants. He's worried about it, but I've already told her she will have to be involved & anyway she won't starve in 5 days, I don't think........!!! LOL 

We're going up to visit Kathy Dean at Longhopes Donkey Shelter.  Kathy has an outstanding rescue/sanctuary & utilizes her resources wisely & Georgette & I don't really need much of an excuse to hit the road anyway.  This trip had been planned long before Mother decided I wasn't too bossy & she'd come live with us. John said he wanted me to still go, & the great thing about John is, he really means it.  I'm not sure I'd be so generous in the same position..........!!!!  LOL

BRRRRRRRRRR........!!!!!

OK, I'm ready for spring already...!!!!!  Can't imagine what it's like doing chores in some parts of the country.  Kathy Dean from Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Colorado really is fighting weather right now.  She said Alan her husband used a snow blower to make paths to the different barns & the poo pile.  When the weather is really bad, she tells her volunteers to stay home, until the roads are cleared & all that.  So a lot of times it's just her & Alan taking care of 40-50 donkeys in barns.  I guess she could move to a nicer climate, but as she says there is a need where she is.  She must be doing something right, she recently passed the 500th mark for adoptions. 

At least we don't have to contend with snow, ice, sleet & all that.  But 18 degrees in the morning does make me whine.  (G)

Heard from Thelma's new mom.  She said they are doing just fine, once Bugsy got over pouting about having to share his mom.  They've moved on to following each other around, & Laura is spending a lot of time with Thelma.  That's easy to do because Thelma is a real "love sponge".   Don't know if she's brayed yet or not.  If not wait till they hear that.  Let's just say her bray is NOT very ladylike, more like a foghorn on steroids.........!!!! 

THANKS LAURA

It seems every time we manage to get our numbers down, it all changes quickly.  There are a possible 6 additions in the pipeline over the next couple of weeks....!!! YIKES.....!!!  If all 6 do come in, some of the gang are going to get thrown out of their pens.  Probably BlackJack, Maddie & Frijolita, since they are all food hounds & get no special feed.  John started trying to figure out how to build more pens.  I told him no more pens, since the amount of donkeys we have, seems to grow to fill empty pens...........!!!!