Saying goodbye is never easy

We lost Tie on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday evening/night he was fine: running around and begging for more dinner as usual. Early the next morning the barn manager found him lying down. She was able to get him up but he was obviously in severe amounts of pain. She called me out, and we called the vet. The vet's prognosis was that he had ruptured his GI tract and that there was nothing we could do. The good news was he did not suffer long. The bad news was it felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet. Here one minute gone the next. What a terrible reminder of how fragile these creatures really can be.

The vet said that he looked great for a horse his age and would not bat an eye if he saw him in a pasture now. *sigh* I wish he had more time to spend healthy and well cared fo!. We only had him 5 months!
He really meant a lot to me. He was the first horse I have actually rehabilitated. I also lost what I thought was a good friend at the time over his rescue.

He was a horse I knew and rode as a child. He was the only horse I knew who could run backwards. He was also the only horse I have seen buck so hard he broke his cinch. He has jumped out of a round pen and he broke a girl's nose by rearing up and hitting her in the face. He once took off with me and jumped a two lane road.

He was the most wild, independent, and amazing horse I have ever known. Savage and strong until the day he died. Saved from the brink of starvation only to pass on by a unfortuitous circumstance mere months later.


I am really gonna miss the funny man. He was an amazing horse.

So... before



And Last Week...


He was 35(ish)

I miss you Titelist

The long road to wellville

Bodhi Says : "Hey guys! check it out. Tie is feeling better!"

Tie has been at Greener Pastures now since December 1st. He has had to battle many obstacles to his rehabilitation such as constant diarrhea, neurological symptoms(shaking, wobbling), fungus, worms, severely cracked feet, swollen legs etc. When he got here he would hardly move faster than a shuffled walk and he would just stand there with his head hanging down.

I am happy to report that all of that has gone away and he has finally been gaining weight! He gallops, bucks, rolls, and sleeps curled up in the sun. He kicked Bodhi HARD today. He escapes from his pasture and reeks havoc in the barn. In other words he is back to normal.
He still has a lot of weight to gain back.
Kathy is wonderful! She has taken care of him so well since he arrived on her farm. She stalls him when it is cold or rainy(he is on pasture board), gives him extra blankets if it is really cold, and feeds him 3 times a day! She is also graciously putting up with his antics now that he is feeling better.

I did not share pictures of him when I found him in such an alarming state because I did not think that it was necessary. To me they were a little gratuitous and depressing. I feel like now though in the context of his recovery process they are useful.


Here are some pictures of Tie the day I first saw he some needed help(Late November).

The black dots all over him are flies. I had never seen so many flies just sitting there on a horse.






Here is a picture of him in early February. We had only had him on probiotics for a few weeks and so he had just recently stopped having diarrhea.



Here are photos of him I took today(March 14)...

It just clicked!

I am reading Karen Pryor's new book Reaching the Animal Mind in which it has a section on her pony training days and "Pony surfing" I will tell you no more but I do encourage anyone interested in shaping and positive reinforcement to pick up a copy!

This long weekend was fantastic as I got to work with Bodhi and the clicker. We are working on three main things and I will try not to move on till we have these on cues (though it is so hard!).

manners cue- to work on his over eagerness during training. I was rewarding him when he kept his head away from my hands and pockets

Targeting- While leading he is the slowest walker in the universe. It leads to me feeling like I am constantly nagging him. We used his targeting behavior to work on walking speed. I used a dressage whip as the target.

Undersaddle we worked on transitions and being forward. I clicked and rewarded for speed in which he responded to my legs and voice to trot and canter. We then worked for a sustained trot and he was clicked when he maintained his speed on his own.

All three areas are well on their way, he responded consistently and seemed to understand what I am asking for. The next step will to put the behaviors on a cue. The cue for the anti-mugging I think will be me saying "Manners". The cue to increase his speed while leading will be "walk-up" The cues while riding will be my same neg reinforcement cues but by using positive reinforcement as well I hope to really soften up my aids. I would like to not use spurs anymore. I have been told by trainers I use them correctly, and I know they can be a good tool I just don't like the feel. I am very excited as Bodhi was more forward yesterday than he has been in a while with spurs. How powerful this is! I think we both have more fun too. Which is after all the most important part.

Tie is well. The picture is of him begging for a carrot. He is such a ham. When I wonder if the things I did to get Tie were worth the trouble and problems in my realtionship with the owner I just to have to look at him to know the answer. I am thankful for Tie and I think he is thankful for me (and Kathy too!)

Are we sure this is Florida?

We have ice in our buckets, and frost in our grass. This is just not right! There is actually a chance of snow tomorrow night. It has not snowed here since 1989.

Bodhi is doing fine. I have not had but one real ride on him since returning from the holidays. Two other people have "borrowed" him for trail rides though. All reports of his behavior were positive. Both people did experience some jigging (his favorite trail ride activity) but otherwise he was a perfect gentleman. I am actually glad he is doing it universally. I was beginning to think it was my nerves that caused his antics. In reality I think it is his frustration over how much slower he walks in comparison to other horses. He will soon learn that if he would just relax and lengthen his stride then he could keep up!

Our last ride Bodhi got his left(problem) lead over a pole from the trot three times in a row. He had this determined and tenacious look on his face that made me feel like this lead thing has finally "clicked" for him. We will see. I would like to show him in training level in the shows coming up this month and next but it all depends on this one lead. I am trying to decide if I should take him anyways if he does not get it in time. Taking him into intro again would not be the end of the world. I am really just interested in the experience of showing for him not anything else though I am eager to rise to the challenge of a higher level. We will see.

Tie is in good spirits and seems to be slowly gaining weight. He has received his latest food increase this week and we will see where this leads him. He has been a bit wobbly which has the GP BM and I concerned though our vet says this is a normal thing for an old horse like him to experience. Has any one else had a wobbly senior?

Golden moments

No News to report just a few snapshots...

Tie Explores his new home.



Bodhi running at the ages of 2, 3, and 4. He has grown so much, and is beginning to look more drafty. Over all he has matured quite nicely

Rehabulitating Oldies-Advise?

This afternoon I am going to go get the old horse from my previous posts to bring him to the barn I board at. His vet has given the OK for the move though I am nervous what the stress will do to his already fragile state. The new barn is really close (20 mins away) though I am mostly afraid of how he will take to the change in environment. I will keep everyone updated on his progress but I would love for everyone to pipe in and give me your advise, experiences, and successes on fattening up old horses.
This horse is ancient (30 years or older) though his teeth are in good condition(the ones he still has) and his blood work was fantastic. I am planning on feeding Triple Crown Senior(soaked) and alfalfa pellets(vets orders). What are your experiences with feeding older, or under weight horses?