Backup Blanket

Do you have one (or three)?

I never used to, in fact, I didn't own a blanket of any kind for the first several years of horse ownership.  My horse grew a warm coat and none of the other horses were blanketed, so mine followed suit.  When I did finally buy a winter blanket for Harley, he only wore it at night and the temperatures were rarely below twenty degrees Fahrenheit.  He wore the blanket to help him maintain weight.  I never actually saw him shiver or show signs of being cold.  The plan worked very well and that blanket is going on its third season.

However, this year I got an itch. I felt the need to buy a second blanket.  Maybe it was because this blanket is getting on in years.  Maybe it was my need to make Harley feel better in a time in his life when he is not "healthy as a horse".  Whatever it was, I bought a second blanket somewhat on impulse and kept it, unopened, in my dining room.  I wasn't sure if I would use it this year, but that was fine with me.

Then in mid-December when we had some crazy-low temperatures (5 degrees Fahrenheit) and an impending winter storm, my barn owner approached me about the dropping temperatures and what I wanted done with Harley.  I gleefully exclaimed that I HAD a second blanket!

So the backup blanket was hung on his door in preparation for the bitter, upcoming night.  The idea was that he would wear BOTH blankets.

The coldest of nights arrived and I slept soundly knowing my horse was warm in his two blankets.  The next morning I drove out to see him and gawked at how handsome he looked in his new blanket, but when I got a little closer I realized something...

...he was only wearing one blanket. 

Sporting the new blanket

That was odd.  What happened to the other blanket?

I found it in the barn and could hardly believe my eyes.  Ice lined the bottom edge of the blanket where water had run down the blanket and frozen in place before leaving the surface of the blanket.  The blanket could almost stand up by itself!

The icy blanket

I am happy to report that the waterproofing held up and Harley was dry under his ice blanket.  He also did just fine with one, ice-free blanket.  I had never seen anything like that before (I guess I have been lucky).  Thank goodness for backup blankets!

First good snow pics of the farm since winter 2009/2010!

And Sweet Pea's first snow!

Snow-Worthy

School is closed today due to inclement weather.  We are supposed to get a bunch of show later today.  It is not terribly cold, but will be tonight, so I will be driving out to put on Harley's blanket.

How cool is that?

This is the first year that I have a snow-worthy vehicle, the Subaru Crosstrek (in orange).  Previously, I drove a gold Honda Civic, which I loved, but would usually opt to stay home in snow.   I missed seeing my horse play and frolick in the snow, because I couldn't get to the barn until the excitement had passed.  Maybe this year I will get to partake in the new snow beauty.  I also like the idea of not being stranded at home.  However, my husband's work was not closed so he took the Subaru.  I guess I will still have to wait, but that is okay. The snow isn't here yet anyway.

Harley update:
The fill in his legs went away. I can only guess what the cause might have been:
sudden change in activity,
a warm week,
trying to get more visits from his absentee owner?

Thankfully, he did not show any discomfort or changes in behavior (i.e. Looking for treats as usual).  I actually got on his back and went for a walk through the woods on Saturday.  It was absolute bliss.  I didn't dare trot, because it was cold and I was afraid he would cough, but it was wonderful none-the-less.  Harley clearly enjoyed himself.  It had to be a relief to be outside the paddock fence and off the property for once.  I don't care about ring work right now.  Between work, baby, and his health, there is no time for consistency.  If we can trail ride a bit, I will be happy.

Stay warm if you are in winter!  Have fun if you are in the southern hemisphere!

Autumn Health Report: Haystretcher and Owning a Horse with Special Needs

Autumn has not been a good season for Harley this year.  More than once, I have arrived at the barn to find him coughing.  I also received messages from concerned friends that Harley was having a problem.  With the guidance of my vet, I temporarily stopped his immunotherapy shots (for diagnosed allergies) and gave him medicine to help with the coughing symptoms.

I had to do this in September.

Then in October, he needed a double round.

Uggh. 

In September, his trigger was most likely pollen, as the temperature was mild (in the 70's) with glorious sunny, clear days.  No riding for me, though.  We needed rain, too, which did not help.  Dryness is Harley's enemy.  He does extremely well in July and August when everyone else is complaining about the humidity.

By October, the pollen was gone, but Harley's coughing was back with a vengeance.  This time it was not dry (we had a rainy spell) and I was getting scared.  When the usual dosage didn't give him the relief he needed, I had to call my vet and she changed the plan.   Thankfully it worked,  but we are only a few days out from it so I am still worried.   There is no cure for allergies and while this may seem like a small problem in the grand scheme of horse problems,  it is a chronic issue.   In other words,  I have a horse with special needs.   I must remain vigilant,  because timing is very important when treating a respiratory problem.  Thankfully,  there are many people helping me to look out for Harley.   He is the kind of horse that steals people's hearts.   I swear,  he has more friends than I do.   I am Harley's owner,  rather than he being Val's horse.

What do I think was the coughing trigger?   Temperature fluctuations.   We had several warm days followed by cold nights.   This type of pattern caused him a problem in January.    Isn't it always something beyond one's control?

Also on the health-related front,  we are trying a new food item for Harley: Haystretchers.  Have you heard of them?

A couple horses on the farm are doing really well on them and one recovered from a colic with very timely weight gain.   It was the barn owner's idea to try them for my horse since he eats so much grain.   We are replacing a portion of his meal with these hay pellets.   The vet loves them and has given them the thumbs up.

I like that he will be eating more foage and less grain.   I also like that the cost per bag is less than his expensive Ultium.  Harley is gobbling them up, so he seems to approve as well.   It won't take long for us to see how his weight does on the hay pellets.   Winter is coming (Game of Thrones, anyone?) and we need him nice and plump for the cold season.

A Snowy Ride

Winter Storm Nemo ended up leaving us mostly rain with a little snow and ice by Saturday morning.  Like last weekend, it was pretty and not too much trouble, as the sun melted most of it off the roads by the afternoon.  The lasting side effect is mud, which is disgusting on the ground and on my horse's legs and feet.  Harley visibly resists leaving his shed, because he has to walk though ankle-deep mud, churned to a very, squishy consistency by the high traffic of the horses entering and leaving their shelter.

By comparison, the sandy footing in the arena was too hard for much riding.  The tracks of former rides had left stubborn divots and humps in the footing, which are not pleasant to walk over.  After exhausting a few soft patches in the ring and walking one too many circles, I decided to abandon the ring for the woods.

Most of the snow was gone by Sunday, but the dusting remaining among the trees was still beautiful.  We saw some deer, showing their white tails as they leaped away.  I heard a mystery bird answering the "chirp" of my cell phone as I snapped these photos.  I bet she was a mocking bird.  I stayed close to home, but we still had a very nice walk.  The pine needles and dried leaves protected us from the frozen ground, which allowed Harley to march out with flowing strides.  I kept him on a long rein for most of the ride.  Near the end, I asked him to stretch into the bridle.  He raised his back and engaged muscles that we have not been using very often lately.  I am sure that the light exercise felt nice after standing in his shed all day and night.  My body felt great to be carried along by my horse, even though all we had was a simple walk together.

Harley is feeling good with very little coughing, just a couple "woofs" in the barn before we left.

Last Saturday before we tainted the snow with tracks and mud.  With this soft, white footing, the small ring was still fit for riding that day.

I love how shadows on snow look blue in photos and in artwork.

Winter Uh-Oh!

Hi Harley!

How are you doing, buddy?

Um, is your blanket lopsided?

Oh dear, that can't be good.

Oh no!

Harley!  How did this happen to your blanket?

Someone is going to have a drafty butt for a while.

Any suggestions for repair? 

I do not own a sewing machine and the place that I sent his blanket to for cleaning and repair after last winter will need weeks to fix his blanket.  Thankfully, the seams pretty much ripped out and only a tiny bit of blanket material is actually torn.  There were no blanket mishaps last year, so I am not sure how he lost the butt flap this time around!

Blanket Weather

It's that time of year: Harley's full water bucket with a thick layer of ice.

The cold finally set in this week.  I say "finally" because we have been having a very mild winter down here in southern New Jersey.  Last year's winter was unseasonably warm and this year has been the same, maybe even a little warmer.  Last weekend, I had two glorious days with my horse in the high 50's.  The thermometer in my new Subaru (a feature which I really appreciate) even read 60 degrees at one point on Sunday.  Wow!  I trimmed Harley's feet last Saturday and had to remove my coat and insulated vest, because I was starting to sweat.  On Sunday we had a great ride, Harley barely coughed, and he even worked up a little sweat under his girth.  There was not a cloud in the sky and it was a glorious blue.

(By the way, he is eating the Cough-Free and I think it is helping!  Yay!)

By Monday, the temperatures had started to drop with some wind and by Tuesday there was a dusting of snow and Harley's water bucket needed some special attention from the butt of a shovel.  Believe it or not, this is the very first time this winter that his water bucket has frozen and we are at the end of January.  I know that other parts of New Jersey have been colder with some snow, but since I live pretty close to the coast, the ocean buffers our weather (unless it is a hurricane).  Sometimes this protects us from snow storms and extremely low temperatures.  A couple years ago, however, we did have several feet of snow, so there are no guarantees.

Harley has a thick coat and he did not seem cold, but this blanket should help him keep his weight, which is looking lovely this winter.  Hay cubes help, too.  :)

Doesn't he look cozy?  I have smiled to myself more than once this week, just feeling happy that my horse is bundled up in a blanket.  That may sound silly to those who blanket as common practice, but this is only the second winter that Harley has worn a blanket.  My vet recommended waiting until the temps were below twenty since he is not clipped.

The temperatures were scheduled to plummet for the remainder of the week, so I finally took out Harley's freshly cleaned (thanks to a local service) and repaired blanket (it had a little tear) and placed it on his back for the first time since last winter.  I am really glad that I did, because the night temperatures dove down into the low teens and did not rise above 25 during the day.  On Thursday, I was driving to work and my car told me that it was 7 degrees Fahrenheit.  I started to wonder if my car's thermometer is calibrated properly, because that is insane.

By Friday, we had some more snow.  Thankfully, it was just enough to be pretty and not enough to be much trouble.  We took my new snow-worthy vehicle out for a hair appointment after work, but it was more ceremonial than necessary as the snow barely creeped past an inch of accumulation.  Saturday morning was beautiful, even to someone who does not like snow.

Bunny tracks below our front steps

And the bunny: Can you see the tip of his ear?

Post Hurricane Sandy Report and Science

The feeling of being shell-shocked has not worn off, but my family, home, and animals are all okay.  Harley weathered the storm in the barn with his buddies.  The "unofficial" disaster plan was in place, which includes filling all spare containers with water, tying identification tags in the horses' manes, and securing all lose items on the farm such as barrels and cones.  Harley had his allergy medicine with instructions for emergency use, should the dust of the barn cause him problems.  I also thoroughly watered the walls and bedding of his stall as a preventative measure.  Thankfully, he was completely fine and already happily turned out by the time that I saw him on Tuesday.

As for our situation at home, we lost power before 2 pm on Monday.  This was before the hurricane even reached land, but we had been experiencing steady rain and some wind since late Sunday.  We were ready with our generator, flashlights, camping stove, and head lamps, which turned out to be very convenient.  Climbing the stairs to and from the second floor felt like spelunking, but it was worth it to have my hands free.  After losing power for 90 hours this summer, we still felt all too practiced, but thankfully we did not have to wait as long for the power to come back on.  School and my husband's work were cancelled Monday and Tuesday.  I received a call that school was closed again on Wednesday due to numerous power outages and flooding in some areas.  Power was restored to our home around 10 pm last night.

The worst part about the storm was the wind.  It did not rain nearly as much as expected, but the wind was very strong.  I can see why the builder installed "hurricane straps" on the frame of our house.  We did not sustain any damage, but the house was creaking in a rather unnerving manner early Monday evening and late Monday night into early Tuesday morning.  The eye must have passed over us between those two times, because the rain had all but stopped and the wind was minimal.  We set up the camping stove and made dinner around 6 pm Monday night.  Hurricane Sandy was one humongous storm with a huge eye, because that eerie calmness lasted for a couple hours.  We even went for a walk and counted how many people were running generators in our neighborhood.  It felt like the Derecho all over again, a powerful storm which downed many, many trees on June 30th.  Thankfully, the forest in our area was largely thinned due to that event, so there were not many trees down this time.  That must be why the power came back much more quickly, however, there is serious flooding and storm surge damage less than ten miles from where I live.  The clean-up for those areas has barely begun.

I am sure that whatever residual stress is dissipating for me and my husband is nothing compared to the stunned feeling that residents of the New Jersey barrier islands, northeastern coast, and New York City are experiencing.  I live very close to the barrier islands, but thankfully not on them.  Just to give you an idea, a twenty minute trip down the expressway is all that is required to arrive in Atlantic City.  Ocean City is not much farther and I used to work in Stone Harbor, which is at the end of the Garden State Parkway.  The Parkway actually has street lights when you drive that far south.  It took me forty-five minutes to drive to work.  I taught school groups about the ecology of the marsh and barrier islands.  The beach was literally my classroom.  Much to the children's delight, it was not uncommon to see dolphins jumping in the water on the horizon or an osprey or two soaring over the waves in search of fish.

The natural barrier islands protect New Jersey's salt marshes and coastline from the daily tidal cycle.  This past week, those islands protected many of us from Hurricane Sandy and a tsunami-like storm surge complicated by unfortunate timing of the spring tides, a super high tide created by the combined gravitational force of the Earth, moon, and sun.  Spring tides occur twice a month during the new moon and the full moon.  Normally, the larger high tide is held and absorbed slowly by the coastal salt marshes, which prevent the mainland from regular flooding.

There is and has been an on-going battle in New Jersey between land developers and conservationists regarding the preservation of the salt marshlands and barrier island dunes for longer than I have been around to learn about them.  Please allow me to generalize, so that I may explain the situation to you.  The importance of the salt marsh as a flood plain, not to mention the unique brackish water ecosystem which overlaps with the marine ecosystem, is used as fodder to argue that large sections of salt marsh should be preserved.  Land developers, in general, favor filling in and developing sections of marshland for profit, as coastline has many marketable features.  A similar battle occurs at the beach, which is on the barrier islands.  Obviously the existence of the boardwalks and shore towns, for which New Jersey is famous, indicate that not populating the barrier islands is out of the question, but, believe it or not, dune restoration is considered a debatable agenda item.  Ecologists and conservationists warn that the dunes must be preserved and restored with the systematic planting of dune grass, which helps to anchor the delicate dunes, in order to protect the rest of the barrier island.  Some owners of lucrative beachfront property complain that dune restoration projects decrease property values by blocking the ocean view and cite that conservationists are mainly concerned with the preservation of bird species like the piping plover.  Also, flat, sandy beach is accessible to tourists.  Lumpy, rolling dunes are not useable land, although I believe most beach-goers enjoy the dunes as acceptable landscape.

Personally, I think the dunes and marshes are beautiful.  I do not even mind the "earthy" smell of the salt-marsh and, of course, I understand and appreciate the importance of protecting the organisms that live there.  Despite this, I know rationally that we cannot save everything.  After all, I live in a house that was built on what used to be pine barrens, another native habitat in New Jersey whose use must be settled through litigation.  I even worked on a research project in college, with the intent of describing timber rattlesnake populations, so that their habitat might be preserved.  Just imagine how difficult it must be to convince developers and citizens that land should be preserved to protect a snake species, let along a rattlesnake species.  I respect the important role of this reclusive predator and I support its conservation efforts, and, yet, now I live on developed pine barrens.

I try to see both sides, to some extent, but I am admittedly "ecologically-biased".

That being said, there was a mad dash effort with bulldozers to further build up existing dunes when Hurricane Sandy's threat looked realistic.  I know that dunes are not going to survive or completely prevent the destruction that ensured along New Jersey's barrier islands from a catastrophic weather event.  A long-term approach is required.  This is the motivation behind the preservation of salt marshes and dunes, not to inhibit profit or assets.  Maybe the effects of this hurricane will change a few perspectives, just as they have changed the landscape.  There are no easy or simple solutions, but there is one certainly.  Mother Nature is not to be trifled with.

I wish all those well who are recovering in the storm's aftermath.

I took all of the following photos earlier this year.

The beach of Atlantic City, New Jersey in August 2012

A small section of Atlantic City's boardwalk, beach, and casinos (August 2012)

 

Dune sustaining grasses behind the Atlantic City boardwalk (August 2012)

The quiet boardwalk and grassy dunes of Ocean City, New Jersey in April 2012

 

The view from the end of the Ocean City boardwalk (April 2012): The regular spacing of the sparse grasses here suggests that a dune grass restoration project is in effect along these minimal dunes.  Some of the local high schools and colleges participate with their environmental and oceanography students.  Ocean City beach, like much of New Jersey's coastline, is decreasing in size due to erosion.

Storm's End

The storm was Friday night.  My husband and I woke at one in the morning to the sky flashing like a strobe light.  The lightning was oddly silent.  I remember asking, "Where is the thunder?"

We retreated to the basement, fearing that a tornado was upon us.  The wind was bending the trees in our neighbor's yard like blades of grass.  This was nothing like Hurricane Irene, at least not as experienced in southern New Jersey.  There had been no warning and somehow "thunderstorms" on the forecast just didn't prepare us for the intensity of that storm.

After a very frightening hour, the storm ended.

The large riding arena.

After checking our house, our family, and searching in vain for a place selling coffee, we stopped at the barn.  We had to park our cars at the end of the driveway, because there were trees down everywhere.  Our immediate neighborhood was okay, except that we lost power, but the farm was a mess.  Just a week ago, we had our Open House so the place was neat as can be.  The last of the logs from tree removal had been carried away, and now we have to start all over again.

There are our trot poles from the other day.  The large pine has since been hacked to pieces and reduced to a very large pile of pine cones and branches in the middle of the ring.  Most of the trunk is still on the other side of the fence.

My husband and I joined the clean up crew of eight.  The heat index was over one hundred degrees.  We walked buckets of water to Harley and his buddy all day long.  They drained every one.  We drained many water bottles, too.  The barn owner bought lunch for us, but this was no small feat, as nearly all the traffic lights were out and only one store, a ShopRite, had power and was open.  It was a mad house!

The priorities were to remove trees from fencing and pathways and then repair fencing.  Harley's paddock was the worst and the really scary part is that he and his buddy were out during the storm.  This is one of the downsides of 24/7 turnout, although I am sure that there are plenty of justifications for not bringing a horse in during a storm.  Barns are not fortresses and things can go very wrong in the barn, but I do not like to think about those things.

Harley's paddock

We replaced the top section of fence.  If you have worked with this vinyl stuff before, then you know that it is not particularly user friendly.  Sturdy, though.

Thank goodness the horses were clear of the falling trees.  About five went down in Harley's paddock alone.  I cannot imagine what they must have been thinking.

The best sight ever!

Harley was decidedly not traumatized and very interested in his neighbor's hay net.

The flies were as bad as the heat wave.  Harley tried running and bucking to dislodge the pesky insects.

I am sure that the two horses comforted each other during the storm.  They stuck together like glue all day.

Hay is pretty comforting, too.

Lucky, lucky boy and lucky me.  That was too close for my comfort!

Even though the storm ended nearly 72 hours ago, we are still dealing with the aftermath.  Besides the trees, fencing, and rubble, we are also without power during a heat wave.  Thankfully, a generator was provided by a friend so that the water pumps can deliver water to the horses and the house.  We have city water at home, so we are okay in that respect, but it is so hot!  We also have to cook with our camping stove and sleep in the basement.  Oh yes, and no internet or electronics until Husband charged some things at work today.  As I type this, the battery on my laptop is draining faster than I can type.  No wonder I am sweating!

Apparently, the storm that hit us is called a "Rare Derecho Storm".  I sure hope this kind of storm is rare!  I expected damage like this after Hurricane Irene, not a seemingly random weather event.  I know that it was not random to Mother Nature, but we were definitely blindsided.  I am grateful that everyone, people and pets, are safe as some were not as fortunate, but I would really, really like to have the air conditioning back soon!