Equestrian team

Meghan on Easy, County fair '08 Meghan on Emma, 4-H horse camp '08

Another journey I will be talking about this winter is our daughter Meghans senior year in

Washington High School Equestrian Team, hereafter Wahset. We still dont know which one of our horses she is going to ride. She rode Easy last year, but she is coming 24 yrs old in '09, and she is having issues keeping weight on, she is still sound, she only getts a little sore in her left stifle ounce and awhile. Meghan has wanted to retire her and ride our appy Emma, but her and Emma have issues, lol, Emma hasnt had a job yet and she will be 9 next year. If you are familiar with Parelli she is a left brain introvert/extrovert and everything has to be her idea. She doesnt have the go factor that the old mare has, Easy is a right brain introvert, always willing to please and go, go, go, she loves to run. Meghan wants to do what is right for the horse which means only riding her if we can get her to hold her weight. In an arena Emma has been just quitting on her and wont go forward unless she is spanked, its been frustrating for Meg.

We find out that Easy is dynamite in steer daubing and team sorting, and she is good at games, and she is getting to old to keep going, as hard as she would like. She has been getting all the teff grass she will clean up, she gets 4 dry cups(soaked) of beet pulp, and 8 cups of vitality 14 twice a day, I have started feeding her a half ration during the day, so she is getting fed 3 times a day. I had the vet out to check her teeth, she still has all of them, but not enough to float, he said she had about an 1/8th of an inch of tooth left on the whole bottem, more on the top. I just wormed them. I think I am going to add Empower and Fastrack to her diet and give it a month or so and see how she does.

Emma on the other hand has no problem keeping condition, she looks great! and Mickey gets fat looking at food lol. Although at 17 two years ago she coliced, had a mild impaction that banamine and green grass took care of. So when it starts getting cold and they are in and not grazing all day I give her beet pulp too, I think it helps keep the gut loose.

Soooo.... watch for the trials and tribulations of Wahset too......