Ivan's Colic

My plans this morning were to go to the feed store and get grain for the horses. They are all older and eat Equine Senior. I'm very lucky because I can watch all the horses very well from my kitchen. These pictures were shot just opening the deck door. Anyway, there was Ivan pawing, looking at his stomach, getting up and down, and not eating. These are sure signs of colic, a horsey upset stomach that can be serious. I took him back into the barn and then took him for a walk down the road. Sometimes a little exercise will help. I lunged him a little in the indoor arena (it's zero out there this a.m.). I knew he was upset because he didn't stop and munch on the hay stacked in there. I gave him an injection of 6 cc of Banamine which usually helps a lot. Then put him in a big stall with fresh water. Sometimes in the winter the horses just don't drink

enough which can cause them to colic. The good thing is he pooped while I was walking him so I don't think that he is impacted.

Because he looks bright and alert (as you can see by the picture above) I'm going to go let him back out into the sunshine ☼

The little picture here is of the other three looking at someone walking down the road. They look like they are all together but are actually separated by fences.

Maybe I'll get to the feed store afterall.....

Two Maples

I have google alerts for NorthStarAlpacas and Maple Smith so that when these words are mentioned out there somewhere, I get a link to them. My Maple links are usually related to wood, you know- bats, musical instruments, things like that, and of course, lots of Maple Leaf hockey referrals.

But this week I was linked to http://joshbrandymaple.wordpress.com/ , the blog of Brandy Shelton of Johnson City, Tennessee. Lo and behold, here's little Maple Rae who was born on December 7, 2008.

Oh, my, another Maple. It's kind of like having another grandbaby out there.

Brandy (mom) and I have corresponded some. She wondered how I got my name. My grandma, who died in her 30s, was named Maple, and the story goes (I find this hard to believe) that she was named after my greatgrandfather's girlfriend back in Ireland.