12-5-06 - The farrier was here today. Tracy Smith is our very patient and skilled farrier. Razz was
leery of being caught but I suckered her in without a hassle. She pulled back when Tracy picked up her L front hoof then stood
still for him to trim it.
~ We had warned Tracy that she lashed out with the back feet and sure enough she did. Tracy spent
probably 40 minutes working with her by using a soft cotton lead to help her hold her foot up. She stomped, kicked and wiggled
but Tracy knows what he is doing. He finally got her to settle to the point that he was holding the back hoof in his hand
and tapping it. Razz was scared and a bit panicky but she did great and we have high hopes for the next time.
~ Tracy also did her R front and worked with Razz on her R back. Overall it was an exhausting
but productive visit.
11-30-06 - Can you believe it's the end of November. I still can't figure out what is wrong with
my camera. I need updated pics of Razz.
11-22-06 - Chilly weather then warm. Then chilly again then warm weather. The weatherman said we
varied 30 degrees in a couple of days. It's amazing everybody isn't sick.
11-15-06 - Today we have high winds and a sharp chill. If it's not tied down, it has blown away.
Razz is taking it in stride. She spent a good part of her day in the shed, out of the wind. She seems unconcerned about the
weather.
11-8-06 - Life is chaotic but Razz's world is still peaceful and safe. I think she is starting
to feel comfortable.
11-4-06 - Razz has the sexiest, throaty neigh. She seems to reserve it for my husband. We share
feeding duties. When he enters her corral, she does this deep neigh-hay-hay-hay to him :)
11-1-06 - We were putting big round bales out and had to go thru the barnyard. Razz stood her ground
and watched us. She never flinched as we drove the truck and trailer thru. She is a nice mare and when she fills out, I think
she will be really pretty.
10-26-06 - The weather has been funky hot-cold-hot again but Razz is handling it well. I swear she
has gained weight on her topline. It seems her spine is not protruding as much. One month pics will tell.
10-24-06 - Discussing the sorrel color of her spots (she's a flea bitten gray mare) with the girls
made us joke somebody had blown raspberries all over her ... then we started playing with that idea and settled on RazzMaTazz for
a name. So now the poor mare is being Razz, RazzMaTazzBerry, Razz Raspberry .... She will learn her name when we work
out the wrinkles.
~We put a round bale of Bermuda hay in for Razz n Beanie. Razz needs to eat 24/7 so this is easier.
We had been flaking off parts of a big bale daily. We waited a couple of weeks as we feared she would consume too much
and founder.
10-23-06 - Beanie joins Ms Mare in the barnyard. He is tough and knows the ropes. He will be able
to help her integrate into the herd at some future point. She wants nothing to do with him and protects her space with her
ears laid back. He just smiles :)
10-21-06 - Ms Mare is relaxing. She greets us and follows us around. She is alone in her corral so
we are her only serious contact. She can visit thru the fence with the other horses but she doesn't seem to miss equine companionship.
10-18-06 - More neighs and less rump but she is still very wary. Today started out chilly and
misty. She spent most of her day in the shed. I need to pilfer thru the horse blankets to find one small enough
to fit her. She just doesn't have enough body fat to hold her heat in yet.
10-16-06 - Ms. Mare is happy to see dinner but if I raise a hand, literally just raise
my hand as though to say stop, to tell her to respect my space, she turns around. She isn't trying to kick though. She
swings her tush around but her tail is tucked tight to her rump. I get the impression she thinks I'm going to hit her and
it hurts less to be smacked on the rump (as opposed to her head). It keeps me watching her but she never lifts a hoof. We'll
work on a 'hide the hiney' lesson soon. We actually have mud right now :)
~We had the vet draw blood for another Coggins and it is back negative. Thank goodness.
10-15-06 - Happy pony whinnies at dinnertime. Maybe she missed us girls :)
10-13-06 - Happy mare! I got two good whinny greeting for feedings. Thank goodness
she is figuring out that humans coming to her corral means good food is coming. I will be gone over the weekend so we
will see her attitude toward men. She has seemed more hesitant with Robert than with me but she was fine with Justin.
10-12-06 - Ms. Mare was very happy to get breakfast. She did not volunteer to be petted
though. I had to haul 3 horses to the vet for various procedures, so my day was spent off the farm. Dinner was greeted with
a hesitant, small, whicker of a whinny.
10-11-06 Breakfast was greeted with a better attitude. When I came out of the feed room, she
was there to meet me. She did not want petted but she did consent to taking a bite out of the bucket. Did I mention she
is hard to catch? She is getting about 3 lbs of Purina Omolene 200 with oil and Mare Plus vitamins twice a day. Plus she has
all the grass hay she can eat 24/7.
~ Dinner was a happy thing. She was closer to greet Annabelle coming out with her feed bucket. Then
she tucked right into her feed. She still flinches when we move near her. She is waiting for us to hit her but it isn't gonna
happen. Not here.
~ We got lucky and the local Wal Mart got more tires in so we are now driving on new tires
without nails. Yeah!
10-10-06 Finally we are on our way to pick up Miss Mare. Yes, we need to find her a
name. She is gray with sorrel speckles. Officially she is a flea bitten gray mare with two small sorrel spots on her
left jaw.
~ Sure enough on the way home, the inside left rear tire gave out. The tread just peeled off.
Then it snagged the mud flap and ripped it up backwards. The flying rubber also tore the fender of the truck and dented the
inside of the bed. I want to smack the person who dropped those boards.
The horse trailer has a scuff mark on it but is intact. Thank you God! The mare simply stood there
with her face buried in the hay net while we removed the bad tire on the side of the road (The next exit was 10 miles away).
~ The vet confirms Miss Mare is definitely pregnant. She did not offer us hope on keeping her
that way as her condition is horrible. We will pray she gains weight fast enough to not lose her foal on top of all her other
problems. The vet also floated her teeth so she could properly chew her food. Estimate of age is 11-12 so we are settling
on her being a 1994 mare.
Arrival (10-10-06) Miss Mare arrived today to a cloudy sky and no fanfare. She unloaded carefully and
looked around. She is separated from the herd right now and seems to enjoy it. She was unsure about the grain in her
pan but she decided to try some of it. She left half of it though.
10-9-06 Someone dropped boards in the road with nails. We got one and sure enough
we had a flat this morning. One of the backs has a nail in it but nobody local has these tires right now. We changed it out
for the spare and are crossing our fingers. Meanwhile we are hassling the horse trader to produce the mares Coggins. She still
has the auction sticker stuck to her rear so she has to have a current Coggins somehwere.
10-8-06 We can't go anywhere until we get tires for the truck. The fronts are going
bad and it scares me. We found two tires at the local Wal Mart. Hopefully that will hold us.
~ Yesterday while visiting the mare, we found she had numerous scars. She lashes out when you try
to pick up her hind feet. She chews on the bit but who can blame her as she has thick white scars on both corners of
her mouth from some fool sawing on the reins. The saving grace ... her calm demeanor when 18 wheelers roar past the yard
... her soft eyes.
