stonecreekphoto

With an addition to day 5...

Day 5.

Well, today Fae got the lead rope taken off. She has shown me that she seems to want to be near me. She is now walking up to me on her own and letting me grab a hold of her. She is following me around and staying really close. Even when I had the hose out this morning and was cleaning the pond she was right behind me watching me. I banged and made as much noise as it makes while doing my normal little chores and she jsut stayed with me.

If she is at the end of the pasture and she sees me coming, she usually meets me at the gate.

I am joyful at her complete turn around. Her previous housings were obviously VERY stressful for her and were not doing well for her AT ALL.

Star and Elvis are getting along well and being basically well behaved the occasional "Hey that is my food" Aggression but normal when there is a herd mare.

So I make more piles for Elvis and Star.

I look forward to the rest of the month and my goal for the end of the month is to be able to take her halter off and catch her freely.

I think this is a combo of things. Part the Quietex, part the environment, part the solitude and slow easy attitude and infinite patience I have with her and one part getting stuck and having to wait for the human to come and help her.

SO far we are just taking it all one day at a time and I feel confident we will achieve our goal of halter free and readily catchable!


Day 6

Today Fae is continuing to amaze me. I have taken the lead rope off her and she seems to not even care. She is continuing to be friendly and seeking me out for companionship. I go in and out of her stall with no troubles. she does sometimes leave but she doesn't go for and I am able to walk up to her and rub her forehead.

I try to make a daily visit into her stall and just to check things out. walk around her. I try to make random a point in my day to touch her, to scratch her, to totally ignore her, just keeping things from getting predictable for her. She knows the food routine.. I gotta get some love from her and she gets her hay.

This morning she wanted to exchange nostril blows.. I would blow into her nose and she'd stick her lip out and wiggle it around.. it was pretty funny.

My previous thoughts about her never being able to be rideable I think are wrong.. I will rethink that. She is improving by leaps and bounds and is showing me she can be trusted.

I don't know.. My parents are good horse people,, but it's SOOOOO clear to me Fae was NOT happy there and was scared, stressed and just unhappy.

She seems to be so much happier here with me and I am estactic.. Fae is a very loving little mare and enjoys hugs and kisses and is trying to love me back in her own way. I can see her soon being a pocket pony and not even resembling the horse she was before.


Thank you Jennifer for allowing me to be the steward of this little mare who has over come so many things and is finally settling and showing me her true colors.

I love this little mare and It's hard not to cry and think of how she was just 6 days ago.. I don't want to say I rescued her again.. that would imply my parents are bad people. they aren't.. just.. not the type of People for Fae.

Day 4.. the weather here on this island is iffy at most.. sometimes it is hot.. sweltering so.. other times it is refreshing with a nice cool breeze. The Shelter was nearly..


Ha Ha.. did it again..

Day 4 has come and passed with Fae and it is now onto Day 5

Day 4 was uneventful, She was a little Standoffish but still approached me. She had to think long and hard about it, but she did finally approach me on her own.

Day 5 was a much better day. Today the lead rope came off as she has shown me she wishes to be near me and I can easily catch her in her stall. She seems to be so much calmer and relaxed. It is a great pleasure.


I ordered her some rescue remedy so hopefully by the end of the month we can take off her halter and she will be readily catchable.

Day Three: We are still stuck on this island and the Coconuts are our ony food and it's getting bland. We started on a shel.... Ohoops, wrong thing.. *Giggle*


Ok, so Fae.

Fae was a little stand offish yesterday, not as quick to nose me. She struggled a little with walking up to me, but the point is that she did. She walked past me, too far away to touch her and she walked back out, unsure about me for the morning.

I put my hand out and just talked to her gently and she kinda danced her feet a little trying to figure out what to do. She finally walked up to me and while she tilted her head away I was able to scratch her neck and withers and butt.

She does still have her lead line on for a few more days till she settles a little more, she does have a breakway halter on though. So no worries.

This morning when I went out She got her lead caught on a small tree though and hadn't figure out how to unwind it. She was just standing still and nickered at me when I came in to give em breakfast. I saw she was a little stuck so I walked right up to her with no nonsense, rubbed her forehead and unwound her.

Since I had a hold of her I brushed her mane and talked to her a little pushed my cheek against hers and was eye to eye to her just tellin her I loved her, I wouldn't hurt her.

When I was done doin some loving I lead her to the middle of the pasture, put her lead down and kissed her nose, rubbed her neck and forehead and left before she could. She followed right behind me.

I got breakfast and she nosed me without hesitation and I fed her.

I ordered some rescue remedy, as soon as that comes in I am going to start a little desensitizing with her. with a lead rope. She spooked a little when the hose flipped up and popped her on the butt.

Over-all she is coming along and will soon break out of her shell. She is getting there.

I AM OVER THE MOON WITH JOY!!!!!!!!!

My Hubbie had some watermelon that was a little too ripe for us, so he cut if up for me to give to the hordes.. so Guess who likes watermelon!!!!!

I gave some to Star first and she was being a big ol Slobber pig and Fae was standing there watching licking her lips, So I held a piece out to her.. SHE WALKED RIGHT UP TO ME AND TOOK IT OUT OF MY HAND!!!!!! NO Big long reaching stretch, She jsut put her nose right in my hand and took the watermelon!!!!!

So while she was munching and slobbering I RUBBED HER FOREHEAD!!!!!

I took turns feeding Star and Fae Watermelon (Elvis didn't like it)

Then I let Star drink the juice and went in With Fae, just to check her water and she didn't even move away from me! I walked past her and touched her shoulder, then scratched her butt and went to check the water and she followed me!!!!!

I thought, well hey ok then. I grabbed a mane brush and just stood there with out holding onto h er and brushed out her mane. I called to my hubby who was outside to bring me a brush, she saw him coming, did a little nicker and he handed me the brush and rubbed her forehead too!!!! He jsut reached over and rubbed!!!!!

I took her halter off and put a new one on and she didn't even move from me. I walked her to the middle of the pasture, let go of the small catch lead and walked away and she followed me back up. Even when I went out to put the brushes away and came back in she nickered at me and stuck her head over the wall of the stall and let me rub her ear then I scratched her butt.

Here is Elvis Before....



And here he is after..

It's been a few days since I have updated.

Elvis has been doing well. I let him out into the rest of the herd today (LOL all 2 of them)

They get separate feedings locations and lots of grass hay. Elvis is doing well and continuing to gain.

I taped Both him and Star this afternoon.


I taped Star today at 700 pounds which is not correct.. interesting.. I tried the other method I know which is much more accurate.. it weighed her in at 818 pounds.  with a girth size of 28 which is right on the money.

So judging on those I will redo Elvis's weight gains..

On June 24th he would have weighed in at 688 pounds

On June 28th he would have weighed in at 711 pounds

July 1st he weighs in at.. 734 Pounds.. that makes a 23 pound weight gain.

He's gained about 50 pounds which has mad his top line even out much flatter and his spine isn't as noticeable. His ribs are still slightly visible but not really as much so.

Elvis has been on the Amplify for about 4 days now.. His current weight is 581.

Which is up 20 pounds from his last weight..

June 25th = 561
June 28th= 581

a 20 pound weight gain in 3 days is pretty decent.. by the end of July he will be fat and happy at this rate.. Not to say he isn't happy now.. case in point..

We got home this afternoon from the Wild ride at the National park. (Previous Entry) and I went in to go feed the horses dinner.

Elvis obviously wants out into the big pasture.. he's right there behind me as I get ready to go out the gate to get the buckets. I figure, ok what the hay, he can go out for a bit.

So I open the gate and Man was he feeling good!!!

I opened the gate and he went prancing out, did a nice roll back, sniffed the ground, pawed a bit, then like a bug got up his butt he took off running! Tail in the air, snorting and blowing.. He went around the pasture, stopped, snorted, tail still in the air, Star snaked her head at him and off he went again.. so I decided, ok you want to play!

So I went out there and chased him around a bit to play with him and boy  he loved every second. he had about 15 minutes of play and he wandered back into his pasture ready for dinner.

I am hoping tomorrow he will do the same and I can get some pictures of him. It's great to see him wanting to play!

We went out this afternoon, my family and I to one of the National Parks here in New Mexico, Fort Union.. WOW what a wild ride!

When we got there it was pleasant. slightly breezy, warm and basically nice. There was a storm off in the distant mountains, Didn't bother us. We wondered through the fort and learned some new and interesting things. As we cruised along the storm was inching closer. I wasn't concerned, I enjoy a good storm.

Lots of photo ops and some great photo opportunities, especially with the sky so dark and menacing in the background.

We ran into the rangers who were walking around and they warned us of the storm coming our way and said if we needed too we could duck into the jails to get out of rain, but watch out for other field creatures who wanted out of the rain as well.

On we went, my Kids and Mother in law wound up super far ahead, Rich and I just wandered, explored, took some photos. We reached the jails when one of the rangers stopped in his Golf Cart and asked us to come with him as the storm was over head.

Sure no problem, we were basically done anyways.. Just as we got inside it started to rain.. then the wind picked up.. then all hell broke loose.. 70 MPH winds was forcing the rain Sideways.. You couldn't see out the door for the rain.. hail started pelting the windows, doors and sunlights. the Flag outside was going nuts I thought surely it was going to break free and fly off in the wind.

Then the lightening came.. Oh the cracks were loud, hard and scary and it started hailing even more.. then came the thunder.. So loud.. So Hard it hurt your ears and trembled the building like a low level earthquake.. it was Insane!!!!

As more rain came down it started flooding the building.. it was coming in under the walls.. all over the place..

We were stuck in the Vistors Center for at least an hour, hour and a half waiting out the storm.

Finally when the storm calmed down a little we ran out and started home.. it was 8 miles to the freeway.. and those 8 miles were covered in water and 6 inches of hail, Dirt, rocks and debris washed down from hills.. at one point we had to back up as we watched a car in front of us get swallowed up by the foot deep hail.. we had to back up and I had to hold on tight.. My Husband had to gun the car as fast as he could to get through the dirt, water and the foot deep hail on the roadway.. That was Scary..


We stopped for dinner and listened as the storm followed us and thunder claps boomed through out the restaurant.

When we got home it hadn't quite reached us yet and was pretty dry.. So wow, what a time none of us will forget.. amazing.

I don't know what was up last night.. Maybe I was reading too much into his behavior.. maybe he was just getting ready for sleepy time and I disturbed him.

He was bright eyed and chipper this morning, Knickered at me as I got to the gate, He had his breakfast and when I took out the buckets for Star and Cisco he tried everything to get them.. and then got all mad when they were eating their buckets and he had already finished his.

I'll keep him in the barn till I can get some weight gain on him and get him up. The others just eat so much faster then he does he doesn't get what he needs. I feed him at 8 and he's done by the time I am ready to serve lunch at 2! He should pick up his weight pretty quickly getting his full allotment of food and with the Amplify helping he'll be back in good weight in no time.

I need to get the barn fixed/remodled so I can put him in his stall easier so he can get all of his food.. or make him a run he can go in.. I hate putting him in a run since it takes him all danged day to eat, then he'll be cooped up all day long. I will figure something out I suppose.. he's not going batty or crazy wanting out, so as long as he's happy.

As soon as he picks up his weight I may start him under saddle.. just putting the saddle on him, doing some ground driving with him. He is more then ready, I can hear him telling me "Come on let's go, get on with this.. I wanna see the country side"  Maybe I'll train him for driving too. won't he be dapper for driving.

I went out to let Elvis out.. He usually makes a big tado when I come out. announcing it to world I am there.. He didn't which had me a little worried. he was just off, a little not much.

I gave him a good long hug and heard LOTS of gut sounds but he seemed to be Burping?

Then when I let go of him he laid down, right there in front of me.. He's never done that before.. I have never had a horse just lay down. I observed a few moments to make sure he wasn't going to start rolling and thrashing. Which he didn't another good sign. But he still had my worried.

I checked his breathing and it was normal. I ran inside and grabbed my hubby, and my kit. I thought for sure Elvis would get up when my Husband walked into the barn, but no.. he didn't.. I will file that away.

I got him up and he got up easily, My Husband held him while I checked his Temperature. it was within Normal Range. 100.3

I will keep him in this evening and continue to observe him through out the evening and the day tomorrow. He even had hay left which is odd for him.. He's a slow eater granted, but he usually cleans everything up.

Elvis just seems a bit off.. I will keep him under observation and make sure I got poop in the morning.

Elvis is a 5 year old Egyptian Bred Gelding. A Grandson of Thee Minstril.

He was given to me by a friend in Tennessee. He has adjusted to life here in New Mexico pretty well. Though he isn't keeping his weight on very well so I put him on some different food then Star and Cisco.

Elvis is getting Grass Hay in the morning with .5 lbs of Amplify. I wanted to put him on Empower, but this is the closest, almost exact same thing but has a bit higher protein.

In the Afternoon when I can he gets a flake of Alfalfa and 1 pound of Amplify and in the evening another flake of Alfalfa with another .5 pounds of amplify. According to the feeding directions this is what he will need to pick up weight.. then I can move him down to .5 to a pound for maintenance.

it's $30 for a 30 pound bucket of this but if it works and it lasts me a long time it's well worth it.

Here is how he looks now.. I will update his photos as we go along. right now I taped him at about 600 pounds. this isn't bad, he's about 3.5 /4 on the Body condition chart. He's thin but not overly so.