Yard Work -- The Natural Way

 Toay was a day for catching up on some outside work................

I have not been able to blog since Marko died. It has been really traumatic for me.

But today I decided to jump back in.

It was a bit cold and very windy today here in Northwest Indiana. We were going to ride, but decided against it. Instead, we thought we would put our horses and goat to work for us!

Yard work, the natural way......

Zora

Mowing the grass....








Misho








Divna

Trimming.....




Misho

Divna

Pruning the trees



Misho

It was nice to be out in the yard with all of them, but Marko was really missed.....

More later................

OBITUARY - MARKO ZDRAVICH

Marko Zdravich, 7, of Otis IN was compassionately euthanized Friday, March 2 following a short but debilitating illness. He was born on a farm in Wanatah, IN owned by Noah and his family in the spring of 2005. He was given the name "Sampson" and entered into the 4H competition at the LaPorte County Fair that summer by Noah. On the last day of the Fair he was to be sold and put on the meat truck destined for Greek Town in Chicago. John and Regina were at the Fair that year looking for a goat. They bought him from Noah, and took him home to Otis, and renamed him "Marko." They also bought another goat (Misho) from Noah's family to keep him company.
He was a wonderful addition to the Zdravich animal clan. He was the troublemaker of the group, but was always very sweet about making trouble. He had a wonderful way of running, jumping and playing, and was especially fond of Vanilla Wafer cookies. He was the reason a strict feeding protocol had to be established, as he would try to steal food from all the other animals. He loved walking to the mailbox with John, Regina and Misho, and taking occasional walks in the woods of Otis.
He is survived by his owners, John and Regina Zdravich, and barnyard family; fellow goat, Misho; horse companions Zora and Divna; many chickens (hens - Zelka, Milena, Lady Gaga; rooster - Zarko); and cats, Sonja and Simo. Also survived by Italian Exchange Daughter, Lydia; and German Exchange Daughter, Marie, of whom he was especially fond.
Services took place in Otis, and interment followed immediately in the barnyard attended by the Zdravich clan, with Serbian Orthodox prayers including incense, candles and rakija.
The family wishes to thank neighbors Roy and Donna who came to welcome him the first day he came to Otis and came to say goodbye on his last day. Many thanks go out to Dr. Jerry and his assistants Pam and Terri who provided medical care and advice, as well as moral support. Kind words and well wishes from all friends and family have been greatly appreciated and very helpful during this difficult time.
He will be missed.

Marko Update

Marko is hanging in there (see previous post). Today was the last round of injections that we got from the vet (Vitamin B complex, penicillin, cortisone, etc.). Yesterday I was pretty optimistic -- he got up and walked a little bit, and drank water by himself.

Then today he wasn't moving as much, I have not seen him stand up either. I have been giving him water thru a big syringe. He tried to stand up a couple of times, but was not successful. I am really concerned.

I forgot to ask the vet how long it would take him to recover with the medicine. I am going to call him tomorrow to find out if there is a chance he will recover, or if there is no hope.

We are extremely sad.

Prayers for Marko

Our goat, Marko, is really sick right now. From what we can tell, it is a neurological problem most likely brought on by a Thiamin deficiency.

It is a long story -- he had an ear infection recently, that I thought I had gotten under control. I checked online, have talked with people at a goat organization of some kind, and the vet. We have been treating him with vitamin B1 and ear infection medicine. I have also been giving him water with electrolytes and vitams, and also yogurt.

Today we get injectible vitamin B, penicillin, and cortisone. I hope it is not too late. So far he is hanging in there, but I am really worried.

He is our trouble-maker goat. So many times I just look at him and say, "Marko, you are an ass!" I wish he was feeling well enough to make trouble now.

Birthday Gift for a Year

My brother and sister-in-law are so thoughtful. For my birthday (in December) they got me a subscription to Horse Illustrated magazine!

Because I got into horses late in life (in my 40's) and did not grow up with them or around them, I am acutely aware that I am pretty clueless when it comes to understanding horses. I understand my mare, Divna, because we have been together for 11 years now. But still, I am aware there is a lot that I can learn which would make me a better horse owner for her.

I've received two issues of the magazine so far, and have really enjoyed them. It came as a real suirprise to find that I am actually doing something right! The article on training your horse to neck rein pretty much describes what I am doing, which made me feel great. There have also been some great articles on fly control, and ground work exercises.

So a big thanks to Terry and Leslie for this wonderful gift, which will last me a year!

The Answer to the Question

In my last post, I posed a question about trailering horses in the winter. John and I were considering going to visit my brother in the North Woods of Wisconsin, and taking the horses. From our home in Northwest Indiana, it would be about an 8 hour drive. Temperatures could be anywhere from 20 degrees to zero, and possibly below. In the end, we decided not to go.

I got some great comments from my blog friends, and it was suggested that I do a post with the responses, so here they are:

Desert Rose

i would have more than likely come up with the same decision as you did...my horses safety would be my fist choices. Did you consult a vet to see if there was criterea for winter hauling when it is that cold...plus wind chill factored in. maybe you can post again with everyones responses?

Canadian Cowgirl

I would have first checked the forecasted weather at both locations and the areas I'd be travelling in between. If the weather looked decent I probably would have hit the road.A couple things:A lot of people here have similar trailers and in the winter they use plywood or plexiglass (?) to cover MOST of those openings. Not all as you do want some airflow, especially if you don't have roof vents.If your horses have a good winter coat then use blankets at your judgement. You could always bring blankets/extra blankets along and add them if you need them.Also, if you're returning after riding give the horses a chance to get good and dry first.I haul in the winter and it can get very cold here! If its going to be really cold I don't load up but on those days I do I still crack my windows open a bit. (not all the way, just a crack!)

Jeni

I probably would have come up with the same decision just because of the temps being below 20 F. However, for winter hauling if you ever need to. I would cover the openings on your stock trailer. They do make plexi inserts for those open spaces. Leave a couple openings at the back of the trailer for some air flow.As for blankets - Do you currently blanket them? If not I would be hesitate to blanket them, it would depend. It gets pretty warm in the trailer, especially if it's closed up. Always take a blanket or sheet with you.Yesterday it was 30 something here in Cincinnati. I put a cotton cooler on Rosie because she was just a tiny bit sweaty when I loaded her on the trailer to come home from the clinic. It was enough to wick whatever moisture there was off her and keep the chill off. Once I got home I brushed her hair back up (against the grain) to fluff it up again as blankets flatten it.

Shirley

I pretty much agree with everyone's comments; avoid hauling in the really cold weather, but if you must, close off the sides and the gap in the back door, but do allow some airflow. I do blanket on cold hauls, because there is always some wind that gets in, and with a horse that's standing still, they can get quite chilled. However, check at regular intervals to see if they are sweating; you'd have to take the blanket off. A polar fleece cooler is a good option too, as they won't get too hot and it wicks the moisture away, but they are standing there with a damp blanket on in that case, so keep a dry regular blanket handy to use if needed.

Breathe

I wouldn't haul because I wouldn't ride! If it drops under 50, im looking for a warm blanket for ME. This is why i live in Texas...LolBut I have hauled in pretty cold temps, horses blanketed. Not -20 though. It probably is wise to take them on a training haul with blankets on. Plenty of hay, stops for water.But better safe than sorry, I say. Hot cocoa and horses in the barn. Spring is coming!

Ashlee Ashby

Do heated, closed horse trailers exist?

Endurance Granny

Our trailer is similar to your's and we live in SE Indiana. Not quite as cold as you guys, but plenty cold still. We blocked off the sides with exterior grade plywood painted the color of our trailer. It has worked very well. If it is below freezing I will blanket in the trailer as it is like a fridge in those steel trailers. I try to think what it would be like in their barn with a little breeze and use a blanket weight for that. Horses do move a lot while trailering to keep their blanance and that in itself can make them sweat, so it can work to your good or your bad! I honestly worry less about trailering than I do about road conditions. I checked the weather one weekend, hauled to the Clark State Forest and was ten miles out when it started snowing. I almost didn't get my horse trailer out of that park! The parks don't service those roads during the closed part of the season. Lesson learned. Thanks for stopping by E.G.

Thanks everyone for helping me out! I had to laugh at Breathe -- no riding under 50 degrees for her!

Also, loved Ashlee's query as to whether closed, heated horse trailers exist. I am sure they do, but for the Derby horses! Not for us poor folks in Indiana!

My blog friends are the best!!!

Question About Traveling in Winter With Horses

I've got a question for my more experienced horse-friends out there in the blog world.

This is as far as I got when I first started writing this post on January 21. It is now January 26, and we have changed our minds about the whole thing. But I am going to go ahead and finish the ost because I am curious to hear other horse-owners' views on this.

My brother lives in the beautiful North Woods of Wisconsin. He met some people up there who have horses. Of course he told them about his sister and brother-in-law living in Indiana with horses. Before too long we found ourselves in e-conversations with two different people up there who graciously and generously invited us to come up for some riding. They both offered their barns for boarding our horses (even had a little friendly competition between the two of them to try to "woo" us to their particular barn!). We were excited about the prospect of riding in the North Woods. We made plans to go up there over Memorial Day weekend 2011.

Then John got a temp job, and we could not go....it was disappointing, but the job was more important. So we put those plans on hold.

The temp job has come to an end, and we were toying with the idea of going up sometime in February to ride. We love winter riding, and it is just beautiful up there in winter.

Which brings me to my question......

It being about an 8 hour drive from Northwest Indiana to North Woods Wisconsin, and considering in February temperatures could be low -- anywhere from 20 degrees to Zero -- would it be too hard on the horses to make the trip?

Here are a couple of photos of our trailer. They are not the best pictures, but at the moment I am to lazy to go to the upstairs comptuer where there are better ones stored. But this gives you the idea.

We thought about blocking off the open space on the sides, and on the door at the back if the weather was severe. We thought we could also blanket The Girls.

But in the end we decided it would not be worth the risk. I would never forgive myself if one of them got sick from being too cold on the trip. Even though it has been a really mild winter around here so far (contrary to all the predictions that the Chicago area was going to have the worst winter ever in 2011-2012), it would be our luck the Arctic blast would happen right when we were making the trip.

So we will plan our riding trip for Spring.....