Back again, after a long sabbatical

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Posted on December 28, 2009. Filed under: Uncategorized | Edit This

Well, hello again. I know I didn’t really do much with this blog. But, some new developments have occurred. One, it’s been a long road, with many challenges. I had my right knee replaced and then after much discouragement in establishing myself as a independent paralegal, I fell off the map, and are you ready, I became a Flight Attendant for about 1 – 1/2 years. Well, that isn’t a glorious as it sounds. After flying 4 days a week, you are too tired to go anywhere and when you do get some more time to travel, which is stand-by, and trust me there is a reason they call it stand-by, you can’t get on a flight. If you do get on a flight, no telling when you can get back, so it is very stressful to fly stand-by. Then one reason I became a flight attendant, was that my daughter was in Seattle, but as I said flying isn’t as easy on stand-by as it once was.I left the airline in August of 2009 and now work at a medium security prison as a paralegal/librarian.

Well, now I have decided to go to law school, it is online and at this time you can only immediately sit for the CA bar, but I intend to be able to sit in Colorado and who knows what will occur in 4 years. I think the bar is going to have to take a look into the future and lighten up on their qualifications for sitting for the bar in various states.

The other thing that changed some of my thinking was I watched Julia/Julie last night. I know, what does that have to do with anything. In the movie Julie starts a blog and doesn’t get discouraged when no one responds for quit some time, but she sticks it out, so that’s what I am going to do. I am going to stick it out and eventually someone will listen to what I have to say. I will be posting on a weekly basis in hopes someone is listening.

It’s that time of the year, when we pull out the winter blankets. Did you forget to get them washed before you put them away last year? Are they in good repair? Do they still fit? What makes a good blanket? What about waterproofing?

1. First do they fit, how can you really tell? Not only do you have to measure from the center of the tail to the center of the chest, but you need to make sure the blanket isn’t rubbing on the shoulders or withers. Although adding a sleezy or lining the inside of the blanket helps the blanket to slide better, it will not solve the problem if the blanket doesn’t fit properly. There are some blanket types that fit better than others. Blankets that have darts might allow your horse to move more freely, but the blanket will rub at the dart point. Some blankets fall right in front of the withers and as the horse moves the blanket rubs at the withers. If these are some of your problems, you might want to invest in a new blanket. I have found that blankets that are up on the neck fit better overall for my warmbloods and don’t cause rub spots.
2. If the blanket is dirty and you don’t have time to get it washed, you can use a stiff brush to get most of the dirt loose and vaccum. I know many of you want to wash your own blankets and I must caution you on this, especially If you have a top loader machine. Not only will it not rinse out the soap, because it can’t agitate well, it will break down your machine quickly. The front loader machines work better, they can get the soap out. If you are going to use your home machine, make sure you rinse the blanket 2x, but if your blanket is extremely dirty or hairy I strongly recommend you DON’T use your own machine. The reason soap needs to be rinsed out is that it clogs the pours and diminishes the water proofing properties. And whatever you do don’t use perfume soap, your horse might have an allegeric reaction. Remember they are horses and in the wild they don’t take bathes in perfume soap……
3. If your blanket is in need of repair and you can’t get it repaired, you can always use duct tape. I don’t totally agree with this method, but it does work and keeps the blanket from ripping further and helps to keep the blanket water proofed.

How do you pick out a good blanket? Don’t always go for cheap, you do get what you pay for. I have found that any blanket with darts are a problem no matter what, they rub the horses shoulders and this is a weak point on the blanket and frequently if they are going to tear, this is the place. I am extremely found of Rambo’s and Amigo’s for Warmbloods and Snyder’s and Cover Girls for Quarter horses or Arabian’s. Don’t get a blanket with fleece or cotton lining, they stick to the horse’s hair and tear. It is better to get a slick lining, so it slides on the horse as they move.

How do you put a blanket on and off? I know this sounds simple, but I can’t tell you how many horses or humans were injured because the horse spooked and the blanket wasn’t secured properly. You always put the blanket on and attach it from the front to the back and take it off from the back to the front. This way if the horse spooks it is attached in the front. When securing the back leg straps, attach them on the same side of the blanket, but take one and wrap it through the other leg strap and attach on the same side of the blanket. This way the leg straps are crossed under the horse and will keep the blanket from slipping to one side and therefore less likely to cause a problem.

If you have a tall horse, you can slip the blanket over the horses head. Have the entire blanket over to your side and Just slip the front over the horses head and then throw the rest of the blanket over the horses back.

And to address waterproofing, just get the camp waterproofing from your local camping store or if all else fails some of my barns use Thompson’s Waterseal. But good blankets will hold their waterproofing if they are washed properlybut, if they are loosing their waterproofing, use them as a first layer in a layering system with another blanket.

 

Sherry and Bruce Busch own Bison Adventure Wear Horse blanket washing and repair business in Colorado for over 15 years and have clients from owner’s of one horse to large show barns with over 200 horses. They also own a laundry mat and are experts on care of horse blankets.

It’s 10 am, you have rearranged your day and maybe taken the day off from work, you have your horses corralled and you are waiting for the farrier. Then, 11 am comes and goes, and before you know it’s the afternoon and no farrier. So you think maybe something happened. Then you start calling, and calling, and calling. Days go by and then you resolve to the fact that the farrier is not coming.  What now!!!!  Now you get desperate, because it is now about 9 weeks into your shoeing schedule and you start looking for a new shoer. Then you find one, but it’s about 2 weeks or more before he/she can come out and by then it’s about 11-12 weeks. You are greatful you found someone who will come out, but you really don’t know anything about how they shoe. The problem is you won’t really know for 2-3 shoeings, then you realize your horses aren’t moving quite right or worse they are lame. You try to bring this to the attention of the shoer, but they are resistant to your input, you get frustrated again and the cycle starts over.

Does this sound familiar??? Don’t you wish farriers had integrity to at least call and cancel or tell you they are not going to shoe your horses anymore. I don’t get it. In any other business you would not only loose customers you would be held accountable for your actions. But, for some reason we have not held farriers to the same standards and have allowed them to get away with this behavior. I don’t understand why this behavior is not stressed as poor business practice when they are in school. Maybe it is, but it sure is ignored once they get out on their own. Especially if the shoer is good they really think they are above the law. And the law is the key word here, although no one is willing to have the law come into effect and make shoers accountable.

When you think about it shoers are breaking several laws with this behavior.

1. Animal Abuse – When they don’t show up to shoe and don’t bother to cancel, the horse is the one who suffers. Some horses need to be shoed every 6 weeks and can go lame if not done on a regular basis. So you find another shoer, but he/she really doesn’t know how to shoe your horse, but you don’t see the effects for 2-3 shoeings, now your horse is not moving correctly or worse lame. Who is to blame, well both farriers, but the one at more fault is the first farrier who didn’t show up and broke his contract with you, which brings me to the other infraction.
2. Breach of Contract –  When a farrier sets up another appointment with you it is an implied contract that they are going to show up and provide a service. When they don’t show up or call and cancel they are breaking a contract.

So what is the answer???? If Farriers want to be treated and respected as experts and professionals then they need to start acting that way. The truth is until someone is brave enough to make a farrier financially accountable or legally accountable the pattern will continue. Sad but true.

But until then it would be nice if Farriers would take a few minutes to think of someone other than themselves and call, when they aren’t going to show up or if they want to drop you as a client. And most of all drop the errogance,listen to the owner who lives with the horse every day,be willing to admit they don’t know everything, and be willing to learn. You know provide GOOD customer service.  

 

Tell us your story or give your opinion, maybe together we can find a solution.

What you Should know before Boarding your Horse on Another person’s Property Click on this link for a handout I used for a presentation at Equine Affaire.

Know what questions to ask before you board. Know what you are looking for in a facility, what type of riding discipline do you do? Ask for references. Visit the facility at odd times and often, you don’t want to board your horse and not be able to ride because of lessons at the time you can ride. Who is responsible should your horse get injured at the facility. I once told someone specifically not to put my horse in with another gelding and mare because my horse would fight over the mare. They didn’t listen and my horse obtained a suspensory tear and the other gelding received stitches. Make sure you sign something that gives the facility permission to treat your horse in the event they cannot reach you. You don’t want to be in a position that the horse colics, needs surgery, and they can’t authorize, so the horse gets put down. Even worse, because the horse could have been saved your insurance may not pay.   

We have supported the Horse Community up and down the Front Range of Colorado for over 13 years, with prompt, professional service. We have one week turn around, with pick up at Equiline in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and at your barn on Wednesday’s. Visit www.riskoutwest.com for more information and pricing.  

Horses speak to us everyday, but we don’t always listen until the problem is so huge that they force us to listen. My role is to help your horse find his balance again through body work and teaching the owner how to listen closely to what his equine partner is telling them.  I am dedicated to improving the performance of all horses, all while maintaining professionalism and understanding my limitations by knowing when to refer to a Veterinarian. My goal is to treat the whole, not the part, with the utmost safety in mind for the horse and owner. 

Welcome to our very first horse and rider safety blog post! Hi, I’m Sherry Busch, owner of Risk Out West. I’m a experienced horse owner, equine massage therapist, paralegal and horse and rider safety coach. I hope you enjoy these posts and get tons of useful information. If you’re looking for a horse and rider safety coach, please call me at 719-237-8747.