B-A-L-A-N-C-E

And the Winners Are....

Alison and Kristine! Thank you very much to all of you who emailed Emily or commented here on the blog about why you ride. The answers were interesting and varied. Alison will get a surprise package in the mail (send me your mailing address please), and Kristine gets hers in person here on Vashon Island.

Having the "contest" was a kick - we tracked statistics about where our blog readers live and how they found my blog. Of course we don't know who you are - that would be too weird, but we can see where you are on a world map. We've had readers from all over the United States, one in Germany, and one in South Korea. The visitor from South Korea Googled "camel biscuits" and that's how she found us - poor dear, I hope she wasn't too disappointed. But what are camel biscuits?!? I'll have to Google it and find out! If our German visitor comes back, and you feel like commenting below, let us know where you are in Germany, a little about yourself, and do you know our friend Kate, an American in Germany for a year of school?! Emily thinks maybe you are a fan of Fjord horses (who isn't?!) and that's how you found my blog.

Winter Continues

Wednesday we got a little more snow, which was pretty, but startling. We have had a dry February, and rain for just a couple of days before the temperatures dropped enough for our usual rain to turn to the white stuff. I stood in the shed for a while on Wednesday while it was raining, but Jynx and Blossom just wandered and grazed. By 10:00 am on Thursday the sun was out and the snow was gone except in the shadows. Jynx and Blossom lay down for sun naps in the lower part of the big field, far enough from each other that they both seemed to have their own area, and they were very sleepy. I stood watch while they slept, as the lead horse in a herd usually does.

Why Do You Ride? Pssst - there are PRIZES involved, so read this!

Why ride a horse or pony? Emily is having the Fish Bowl Farm website re-done, and in the process of writing new information for the website she is thinking a lot about riding and caring for horses. She would like to talk directly with you, so I (Biscuit the horse) will take the keyboard back into the house for her to use. clip-clop-clip-clop...off I go down the driveway (Jynx!! Stay in the pasture with Blossom, I'll be right back!)...clip-clop-clip-clop...knock-knock... "Here's the keyboard, Emily!"

Thanks, Biscuit! Be sure to close the gate when you go back out to the field.

Hi friends, Emily the human being here! As Biscuit said, I'd like to talk to you. I teach people to ride and enjoy horses for a lot of reasons. The biggest reason is that I enjoy riding and being around horses so much, and I like to share that with people. But why do I like to ride?

• Because it is fun to feel the air on my face, and the motion of the horse.

• Because working with an animal is so different from (and so similar to) working with people. Different kind of language: body language and physical communication as well as verbal communication and listening.

• Because I can do it alone when I want to be alone with an animal, or I can ride with people when I want company. Yesterday I rode Echo alone and then Annie came out to the arena and rode Inigo, we had a great time riding together. Annie rode Echo for the first time ever - and they had fun getting to know one another. I rode Inigo a lot when he was really young, so I just stood with him and we watched Annie and Echo.

• Because it's outside and I like being outside. Even if it's cold or rainy or snowy -- not too cold or rainy or snowy though! I love observing what's going on around me - the other horses in their fields and paddocks, the birds flying around, the smells of the seasons, the growth of plants. This morning I saw a redtail hawk. Last weekend there was a bald eagle way up in the sky. Yesterday there were raccoon footprints in the arena. I would see these things if I was outside doing something else, but riding and being with horses gives me a reason to be outside, and being with an animal gives me an entrance into the natural world.

• Because riding and continuing my learning and training is a challenge. It's hard to get the horse to do exactly what I want - clear that jump in such a way, bend her body like that for a good leg yield or shoulders in movement. It's a great challenge. My husband and I talk about our individual natures sometimes. He's competitive, but I sometimes think I'm not. I'm not competitive in a "must win" kind of way, but more in an "I can do this better than myself/that" way. It's interesting how many reasons and motives there are for pursuing something.

Mostly I ride because I like horses. We'll save why I like horses for another day!

Why do you ride or want to ride? Let me and Biscuit know: write us a comment below or send Emily an email at ewigley@mindspring.com If you send us a really good reason why you ride or want to learn to ride, we'll give you a prize. No kidding, and it's not something icky or dumb, I have in mind two very nice prizes: one if you're far away (I can send it) and one if you're nearby and can come to Fish Bowl Farm. So get thinking and let us know "Why you like to ride!" Thanks!

Brentina's Positive Progress

Brentina, Debbie McDonald's horse, is doing well after her colic surgery last week. Read all about it, including interesting info on colic, surgery and recovery from Brentina's veterinary surgeon here.

We'll be right back after these messages!

When Emily was little she thought commercials on television were called "messages." The announcer would say "We'll be right back after these messages," and on would come the ads. Messages, commercials, whatever, I'm interrupting our regular news and information with an ad for breeches from Emily.

Breeches! Riding pants shouldn't be that tough to figure out, right? But the thought of shopping for breeches for many people is a bit mind bending. They're tough to fit many shapes and sizes, they're usually expensive, and it's critical that they're comfy in the saddle. After vowing to try on every pair in the tack shop every time you visit and getting discouraged after the first pair comes up to your armpits and the second pair doesn't snap and zip quite as easily as one would hope... aaargh. Enter TuffRider!! Ta-daaa! They give, they move, they're snug but not like a sausage casing, they come in two lengths, they go in the washer and dryer, they're delightfully low priced, and they come in a zillion great colors! Really, these are the best breeches - go find a couple pair of the ribbed TuffRiders at your local tack shop or online!

Now back to our program...

Brentina's Doing Well after Colic Surgery

Brentina, ridden by Debbie McDonald (see blog entry below) had colic surgery on February 10th. Always a high risk, colic surgery involves full anesthesia, days of i.v. meds and fluids, and careful monitoring. Brentina is doing well as of a report on Equisearch.com Hooray!! McDonald put out a heartfelt request for positive thoughts and prayers for her amazing dressage partner, "Mama," and the beautiful chestnut Hanoverian mare is looking good!

We're really lucky at Fish Bowl to have only had a few mild colics. There was one very serious colic requiring surgery on a horse who arrived here to board, and within a few hours was in distress. She was also a chestnut mare, a thoroughbred, and she was whisked away to Pilchuk Animal Hospital in Snohomish where she had colic surgery. That horse recovered at Pilchuk for about a week and then returned to Fish Bowl where she fully recovered and was back to being ridden in a few months.

Braeburn, the biggest horse in the Fish Bowl at 17.2, had colic surgery a few years ago before we met him. He was on his way to a big hunter-jumper show in Bend, Oregon, and coliced in transit from the Seattle area. His smart handlers recognized the signs of colic and got him to a veterinary surgery. He recovered well and is a "whole" healthy horse. Knock on wood.

All these horses are chestnuts! Yikes! I think it's just a coincidence, but really!

(photo of Brentina and D. McDonald courtesy of Equisearch; original website linked above)

Emily adds: my thoroughbred mare, Naughty, was a chestnut and she didn't colic in the five years I had her!!

The Hay Truck is Here

The horses at Fish Bowl Farm eat orchard grass hay. It is delicious and nutritious, bright green and clean smelling. When the hay truck comes down the driveway we hear and see it of course, but the smell is the best part! The horses and I all track it as it comes down the hill - watching with our ears forward and heads up. Coco always whinnies, and sometimes another horse or two does also. The 2 men from Dayville Hay & Grain park right by the feed room and unload it, stacking it carefully and efficiently so it all fits well. Today we got six tons, enough to last at least 2-3 months, depending on how much we all work and how many horses are on the farm. I wish you could smell and taste it!!

Mr. Ed

Mr. Ed was a television show (in black and white) in the '60's. If you're too young to remember those days, you can watch a couple of episodes here . Thanks to Kristine for sending us to that site!

Welcome, Rio!

We have a new horse at Fish Bowl! His name is DJ's Diamond Rio, and we call him Rio. He is a very handsome 15 year old 15.1 hand Quarter Horse gelding. Rio is very good in the arena, on the trail and over jumps. See him jumping above with his last owner? Don't they look great? Rio is a school horse. Call or email Emily, or leave a comment below, to schedule a lesson with Rio!

New Shoes & Trimmed Feet

This morning, Jim Bergevin, our farrier (horse shoer) came to Fish Bowl to take care of all the horses' feet. Some of us are barefoot, some wear shoes only on our front feet, and some wear shoes on all four feet. I am barefoot right now, but will have shoes put on next time Jim is here since lessons will be in full swing by then and I'll need some protection from excess wear on my hooves. Since I don't wear shoes, I just have my hooves trimmed when Jim visits every 6-8 weeks. Three of us are barefoot right now: me, Blossom, who stays barefoot all year around, and Jynx, who will be barefoot until she learns to be ridden as a 3 year old. Jynx has learned to stand pretty well for Jim to trim her hooves. He uses a tool called nippers to trim the hooves and then a rasp to smooth them. It doesn't hurt to have our feet trimmed; it's just like having your finger nails trimmed. Hooves grow, just like hair and nails. A farrier neesd to know where and how much to trim, and how to keep the hooves balanced and correct so it feels good for us to move. It's a technical job, and one that requires understanding how horses move, the anatomy of feet and legs, the proper use of the tools and how to handle horses.

Inigo and Nils wear shoes only on their front feet. Did you know horses naturally carry two thirds of their weight on their front feet? They do! Inny and NIls are quite good for Jim, standing quietly as he moves from foot to foot to pull the front shoes, trim all the hooves, and shape and nail on the new shoes on the fronts. Jim uses a forge to heat up the steel shoes and shape them with his hammer and tools so each shoe fits each foot correctly, and then he nails them on.

Braeburn and Echo both wear shoes on all four feet. Echo used to go barefoot, but she is ridden regularly, and the shoes protect her feet from wear. Echo's shoes will be drilled and tapped for studs the next time Jim is here. Studs are like cleats: they are removable traction devices for horseshoes, and will give her traction on slippery grass.

The shoe in this picture is one of mine, pulled last Fall when lessons were over for the year. Horse shoes are fun to make into picture frames or hang over door ways. Remember, if you hang up a shoe to hang it open end up... that way you'll keep all the good luck in the shoe!