Just Kit Sunday #172

Kit Kat looks a little worried, 

and for good reason.  

He has a big fan that is now on the move.  He does get plenty of warning.   It takes Baby S awhile to get to him. 

But he worries just the same. 
 

The N word, Navicular

In the horse world Navicular is one of the most dreaded words.

My horse vet came out last week and examined Otoelene.  After doing a nerve block to the heal, she went sound.  So we scheduled with the farrier to come this week to pull the shoe so we could take radiographs. 

Otoelene was very well behaved through the entire process. 

But the radiographs reveled several lesions on the navicular bone. 

The farrier will have to order the wedge shoes we need, so another trip back tomorrow for that.  Hopefully, with different shoeing, pain meds and maybe a joint injection, I might still be able to do some light riding, but that is all I really do anyway.  Next option, looking for a stallion, Arabian maybe, to breed her to.  Or I could go with a donkey, mules don't get navicular. 
 

Couponing #61

Very successful trip today.

I have been craving some oatmeal cookies but didn't have enough oatmeal.  Had to get a few other things to make the oatmeal cheaper.  

70 cents plus tax, not too bad.  
 

Feed Bag and Draper

First, a brief Draper update. 

Three successful rides since my fall/throw.   Normal stuff in barn, walk, trot canter.  Then just nice calm walks outside around the farm, no outside trotting.  My nerves are still recovering.  So far so good.  

I ordered a feed bag from Tractor Supply for  Hank.  He has few teeth left so his chewing isn't the best. 

This is what the ground usually looks like after he finishes. 

He took right to the feed bag, and the ground was clean.  

But the problem is the poor design.  The seam is on the inside so a lot of feed got trapped between the sides and the seam.  

So today, I think I will try in inside out.  This will put the slick rubber side on the outside.  

And the rougher fabric on the inside, but also a smooth seam on the inside.  I will let you know how this works.  
 

Too Late For The Spare

We are in the midst of Fall calving. 

Thursday, J had to pull a backwards calf.  It died just as he he got it out.  

So Friday, we headed to a local dairy that had a 1 month old bull calf to sell.  Also, very sad this dairy is going out of business and selling the last of their dairy cows this week.  They said they were selling out because they were just losing money. 

Anyway, a one month old Holstein bull calf that had been left on the cow and never handled was a bit of a handful. 

It was a good thing he was a stout as he was, because the cow didn't seem interested at all.  J skinned the dead calf and tied the hide to the Holstein. 

When we let him loose, the cow proceeded to maul him.  At one point she about tossed him over the fence.  We separated them and left them until evening.

We went back and put them together.  At least the cow wasn't chasing the calf around anymore.  But he was so traumatized he wasn't about to try to nurse.  

So we caught the cow and set up the chute to try to get the calf to nurse.  After some effort, he finally decided it was safe.  

We turned them back out together and left them overnight.   

The next morning, they were a bonded pair.  

We have 9 cows at another location where we then drove by to check.  And there was a set of twins. 

J carried one to the barn, 

and I carried one.  I'm pretty sure even if we had one of these as an extra on Friday, it wouldn't have survived the mauling/bonding process.   One of these will be coming home as a bottle calf.  J doesn't think this cow would be able to raise two very well, but we are leaving them both with her for a couple of days.  

 Then, Saturday evening when J went back to check the Holstein, he found yet another set of twins just born.  One had fallen off a cliff into the creek and was standing in the middle of it.  He carried it back to the cow and she took it along with the one she had with her.  Not sure what the plans are for that pair yet.  I think J is just planning on marking them and keeping an eye one them for now.   Never a dull moment. 
 

Jonathan Apples

I planted a semi dwarf Jonathan apple tree on the bank above the driveway a few years ago.  It was on clearance from Lowe's of course, so I couldn't pass it up, but really didn't have a good place to put it.  

It has managed to live and do well in its little spot. 

This year it had 14 apples!

On benefit of having E home is she likes to cook.  She picked all 14 apples and made a delicious batch of apple sauce. 

We are gradually dolling it out at supper but this won't last long.  Very tasty apples for sauce.  
 

Hard Fall

I might have bragged too soon on Draper.  I rode her this morning, everything was going fine in the barn, walk, trot, canter both ways, trot over poles, usual stuff.  I then took her to the field below the barn, she was acting a little uppity so I though I would trot her around up and down the hills to get some of the spunk out of her.  Usually, if she gets to fast I can pull her around and she calms down immediately.  But today, after 4 or 5 passes back and forth trotting, she just went full bore took off cantering and bucking.  I thought I might could ride it out until I could stop her but no luck,   

superman dived off the side.  (the jeans were already torn).  Glad I had my helmet on as usual.  I laid there for a bit to take stock of my possible injuries and decided nothing was too bad.  I hiked across the field, caught Draper and took her back to the barn where I let her run loose until she was pretty much out of breath.  I got back on, walk, trotted and cantered, then working on the ground dropping milk jugs off her side so stuff falling off her wouldn't spook her.  

My only injury I think is a bad sprained left thumb.  Two Aleve and an ice pack have helped.  Now I have to rebuild my trust.