After perusing my posts, I realized that I didn’t post anything about our second Llama, Little “D”.
We purchased this beautiful white gelded Llama from my friend Carol Wolf. Little D was raised with Stormy… they came from the same farm. We thought that Stormy needed a companion of his sort, and he did because he & Little D hit it off right from the get-go!
This story has a sad ending… Little D needed to be sheared – he had over a year’s worth of beautiful white fiber. However, my shearer and I couldn’t coordinate our schedules to make this happen before the weather got warmer.
On Saturday, June 27th, Little D came to me while I was washing buckets. I knew he wanted to be hosed and I did so. However, I should have only hosed his legs and belly but I didn’t know that. Thinking I was doing him a favor, I hosed him until he had had enough and when he walk away, he was dripping wet.
He laid in his favorite place in the sun and just chewed his cud and looked as happy as could be! That day the temperature rose to the mid ninetys.
Around 5:00 pm I went back to the barn for evening snacks and sadly I found Little D in exactly the same spot where he was when I left him at 10:00 am that morning. He was dead and had been for a while.. rigor mortis had set in. There was nothing apparently wrong with him. Stormy was standing over him, guarding him or just keeping watch, I don’t know but it sure was a sad sight.
We let Stormy mourn – he spent the evening & night by D’s side, not in the barn with his goats as he normally did. Early Sunday morning he left D and I tied Stormy inside the barn so he wouldn’t see us carrying Little D away. We buried him on our property…
Apparently the reason he died was because I had totally soaked him and his fiber held in all the water. The sun shining on him overheated him and he died of heat stroke. He just couldn’t get out of the sun fast enough.
Stormy really appeared sad. This is something that should not have happened – it was a horrible accident & I still feel guilty about it. Chalk it up to experience, let this be a lesson to all new Llama owners. Don’t make the same mistake I did… shear your Llamas as soon as summer starts. If you need to keep their fiber growing, keep your Llamas inside with plenty of fans moving the air and keeping them cool.
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse’s halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow. As you stand and watch these two horses, you’ll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell. Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way…. Good friends are like that.. you may not always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell and I’ll listen for yours. And remember…be kinder than necessary – everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live- simply, or Simply Live
Love- generously, or Generously Love
Care- deeply, or Deeply Care
Speak- kindly….. or Kindly Speak
Leave the rest to God…
Note: Horses in picture are not blind, they are my Buddy & Button!
I was recently contacted by a reader, Marsha from Montgomery City, MO., concerning the symptoms & behavior of her goat. The most prevalent was being stiff legged & that the goat was “stargazing”. I quickly did an internet search while Marsha waited on the phone and read what came up with the symptoms she described. I had no idea what her goat had (I’m not a vet & was only going by what Marsha could tell me), and recommended that she bring her goat to a vet promptly. Sadly the goat died within a day or so but Marsha has a necropsy performed on her pet. The veterinarians concluded that her goat died of goat polio and/or listeriosis. By reading the article below, you’ll see why it’s hard to determine one or the other.
This interaction prompted me to do more research & I found a very interesting and informative document which I have copied & pasted (with the author’s permission), below. This document may appear a little technical but it is certainly worth reading.
Note that Marsha’s been raising goats for many years and has never experienced this in the past. After chatting with her, she indicated that they had just recently acquired a small herd of three kids and thought that maybe these new goats brought in this disease. Her vet assured her that this was not the case as goat polio is not contagious. Someone from the University will be following up on this matter with Marsha and I’m sure she’ll fill me in as soon as she can.
The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR’S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!)
GOAT POLIO OR LISTERIOSIS? Different Causes, Similar Symptoms, Similar Treatments Goat Polio (Polioencephalomalacia) is a metabolic disease with symptoms that often mimic or overlap those of the brain-stem disease Listeriosis (Listeria monocytogenes). In most cases, both of these diseases are seen in goats raised under intensive management conditions. Improper feeding, particularly feeding too much grain and too little roughage (hay and forage) is a significant factor in both diseases. Producers pushing the animal to gain weight too fast can induce these potentially fatal diseases in their goats. Sudden changes in feed can also cause the onset of these diseases.
Polioencephalomalacia (also known as Cerebrocortical Necrosis) is basically thiamine (Vitamin B 1) deficiency. Any change in the rumen’s environment that suppresses normal bacterial activity can interfere with thiamine production. Too much grain decreases the pH of the rumen, predisposing the animal to Goat Polio. Glucose cannot be metabolized without thiamine. If thiamine is either not present or exists in an altered form (thiaminase), then brain cells die and severe neurological symptoms appear.
Causes of thiamine deficiency include feeding moldy hay or grain, using amprollium which is a thiamine inhibitor (brand name CoRid) when treating coccodiosis, feeding molasses-based grains which are prone to mold (horse & mule feeds), eating some species of ferns, sudden changes in diet, the dietary stress of weaning, and reactions to the de-wormers thiabendazole and levamisole. Each of these conditions can suppress Vitamin B1 production. The usage of antibiotics destroys flora in the rumen and can cause thiamine deficiency. It is important to repopulate the gut with live bacteria after using antibiotics or diarrhea (scour) medications.
Goat Polio generally occurs in weanlings and very young goats, while Listeriosis most frequently affects adult goats. An increase in Goat Polio occurs in North America during winter when the availability of forage and quality hay is low and producers start feeding increased amounts of grain or expect goats to survive on very poor pasture.
Symptoms of Polioencephalomalacia can be any combination of or all of the following: excitability, “stargazing,” uncoordinated staggering and/or weaving (ataxia), circling, diarrhea, muscle tremors, and blindness. Initial symptoms can look like Entertoxemia (overeating disease). There is a component of “overeating” involved in that the rumen flora has been compromised. As the disease progresses, convulsions and high fever occur, and if untreated, the goat generally dies within 24-72 hours. Diagnosis is available via laboratory tests, but the producer does not have the luxury of the time that such tests take.
Thiamine is the only effective therapy, and treatment can result in improvement within a few hours if the disease is caught early enough. Thiamine is an inexpensive veterinary prescription. Producers should always keep thiamine on hand; the most commonly available strength is 100 mg/ml. Dosage is based on the goat’s weight (4-1/2 cc per 100 pounds liveweight for 100 mg/ml thiamine) and must be given every six hours on a 24-hour cycle until all symptoms have disappeared completely to avoid relapse. Thiamine, like all B vitamins, is water soluable, so the goat eliminates daily what it doesn’t utilize in the rumen. A sick goat’s rumen doesn’t produce B vitamins, hence the importance of adding them to the goat each day until it gets well. Initially thiamine should be given IM (into the muscle) but can be given SQ (subcutaneously) or even orally after several days of treatment. Some thiamine comes in 500 mg/ml strength, making the required dosage 1 cc per 100 pounds bodyweight. If thiamine is unavailable but the producer has injectable multiple B vitamins, check the label for how much thiamine (Vitamin B1) is present. Fortified Vitamin B Complex contains 100 mg/ml of thiamine, so the 4-1/2 cc per 100 pounds bodyweight dosage is appropriate. Injectable multiple B vitamins containing only 25mg/ml of thiamine require four times the 100mg/ml dosage (18-1/2 cc) per 100 pounds bodyweight, so the producer can quickly see the importance of obtaining the proper strength of injectable B vitamins. The key to overcoming Goat Polio is early diagnosis and treatment. Complete recovery is possible under such circumstances.
Since symptoms of Goat Polio can easily look like Listeriosis, this writer recommends that procaine pencillin also be used. Better to cover both possible illnesses with appropriate treatments when symptoms are so similar than risk the goat’s dying. Administer high doses of procaine penicillin (300,000 International Unit strength) every six hours on a 24-hour basis until all symptoms have disappeared and another 24 hours have passed. Higher-than-normal dosage of procaine penicillin is needed to cross the blood brain barrier to put sufficient amounts of the antibiotic into the tissue of the goat’s central nervous system. A chart of dosage by bodyweight accompanies this article. Give this medication SQ over the ribs with an 18 gauge needle so that the goat doesn’t become a pin cushion of holes from repeated injections. Very Important: Continue all treatment until 24 hours *after* the last symptom has disappeared to avoid a relapse.
Summary: To try to avoid this disease, decrease grain, increase roughage, avoid moldy hay and grain, and don’t use feed that is susceptible to mold (molasses-based/textured feeds). Complete avoidance of Goat Polio is impossible. After doing everything “right,” producers can still have a goat contract Goat Polio occasionally. chartlisteriosis
Listeriosis is a brain-stem disease caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which is found in soil, water, plant litter, silage, and even in the goat’s digestive tract. The bacterium generally enters the goat’s body through the mouth and multiplies rapidly in cold temperatures. There are two forms of Listeriosis: one form results in abortions, while the other causes encephalitis. Both types are seldom seen at the same time in the same herd. The organism can be shed in the milk of both carrier and sick goats. Listeriosis is potentially zoonotic (able to be transmitted to humans.) Like Goat Polio, Listeriosis is most often seen in intensive management situations. Unlike Goat Polio, Listeriosis is more common in adult animals than in kids. Because some goats are carriers who never display any symptoms, it is possible to buy infected animals and introduce this disease into a previously uninfected herd.
Listeriosis is brought on by feeding silage, suddenly changing type and kind of feed (grain or hay), parasitism, dramatic weather changes, and advanced stages of pregnancy. The encephalitic form is most common, causing inflammation of the nerves in the goat’s brain stem. Symptoms include some or all of the following: depression, decreased appetite, fever, leaning or stumbling or moving in one direction only, head pulled to flank with rigid neck (similar to symptoms of tetanus), facial paralysis on one side, blindness, slack jaw, and drooling. Diarrhea is present only in the strain of Listeriosis which causes abortions and pregnancy toxemia. Listeriosis can be mistaken for rabies. Immediate treatment is critical. There is no time to waste with Listeriosis. Recovery is more difficult and time-consuming than Goat Polio. A goat can go blind and completely recover its eyesight and overall health if proper treatment is provided; such treatment can take days or even weeks, depending upon the severity of the illness and how quickly treatment was begun.
Treatment involves administration of high doses of procaine penicillin (300,000 International Unit strength) every six hours on a 24-hour cycle up to and through 24 hours after the last symptom has disappeared to avoid relapse. Higher-than-normal dosage of procaine penicillin is needed to cross the blood brain barrier to put sufficient amounts of the antibiotic into the tissue of the goat’s central nervous system. A chart of dosage by bodyweight accompanies this article. Very Important: Continue all treatment until 24 hours *after* the last symptom has disappeared to avoid a relapse. Give the procaine pencillin SQ over the ribs with an 18 gauge needle so the goat doesn’t become a pin cushion of holes from repeated injections during this intensive treatment. This author also uses Vitamin B 1 (Thiamine) along with the penicillin treatment. Thiamine is an appropriate addition to treatment of any sick goat. Dosage is outlined above in the Goat Polio section of this article. Dexamethasone ( cortico-steroid) injections can be used to reduce brain stem swelling. Dexamethasone will induce labor in pregnant does, but the doe is likely to abort anyhow as a result of this infection, so producers might be wise to abort the pregnancy if they wish to save the sick doe. Dexamethasone dosage is 5 to 6 cc per 100 pounds bodyweight given IM in decreasing amounts daily. Example: Goat is 100 pounds liveweight. Dosage is 6 cc into the muscle on Day One, 5 cc on Day Two, 4 cc on Day Three, 3 cc on Day Four, 2 cc on Day Five, one cc on Day Six, nothing on Day Seven. If the goat is over 100 pounds, drop dosages daily in increments of two or three cc’s. Example: Dose a 200 pound goat at 12 cc on Day One, 10 cc on Day Two, 8 cc on Day Three, 6 cc on Day Four, 4 cc on Day Five, 2 cc on Day Six, nothing on Day Seven. Dexamethasone should be tapered off rather than quit abruptly. This writer would be reluctant to use Dexamethasone on young kids six months of age or less except under the direction of my veterinarian.
Prevention: Feed your goats properly. No silage; the possibility of mold is too great. No moldy feed or hay. Clean pens. No sudden changes in types of feed (grain or hay). Lots of free-choice quality roughage, particularly in the latter stages of pregnancy. And don’t overfeed on grain.
NOTE ON HYDRATION/NUTRITION: Do not fail to keep the sick goat hydrated and fed. With Goat Polio and Listeriosis, a goat is usually totally off feed and water. This means that the producer must stomach tube nutrients (electrolytes, energy, protein) into the goat. A 100 pound goat needs one gallon of fluids daily. That is 3,840 cc’s. No producer can syringe 3,840 cc’s of fluids daily into a goat without stressing both the goat and the caregiver. All of the proper medications won’t save a goat if that animal dies of dehydration/starvation. Entrolyte (oral calf nutrient powder containing electrolytes and 13% protein) or comparable product should always be kept on hand for these situations. Do not offer grain to a sick goat but instead provide easy-to-digest forage plants (weeds & leaves) and grass hay.
Alert to Goat Show Participants: The manner in which many of you are taught to raise your animals often results in Goat Polio, Urinary Calculi, Laminitis/Founder, and other metabolic and nutritionally-related diseases. Particularly in 4H and FFA shows, many are beginners and rely upon the information and training being provided by ag teachers, county agents, and judges. Goats are ruminants, and ruminants are pot-bellied animals. A large rumen is an excellent digestive factory. Proper hydration — the rumen must be 90% water to function correctly — and nutrition is critical to the goat’s overall health and growth.
For those producers who are connected to the Internet, join this author’s goat groups. ChevonTalk on Yahoogroups addresses goat health, nutrition, and management, while GoatER on Yahoogroups focuses on goat health emergencies only. Subscribe to these free services at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com or log on to Yahoogroups, search for ChevonTalk and GoatER, and subscribe there.
We finally completed the fencing of the extra property we had!
Our original property is an 11 acre lot where our office building & guest house is located. There’s probably about 8 acres that are fields but we couldn’t use because of inadequate or non existent fencing.
The second piece of property where our house & barn sits is a 4 acres lot which is completely fenced in. Both the perimeter of the house and the pastures for the animals. There are probably only 2 acres that the animals can actually graze on.
Between the miniature donkeys, miniature horses, Ziggy, the Llamas & the goats, that wasn’t quite enough. With the addition of Coquette (formerly Snowball), and her foal, it was obvious that there wasn’t enough pasture & I was looking at big hay bills! Not to mention that Coquette is pregnant & Ol’Blue may be too. At the end of July the donkeys will be bred so we’re looking at about 11 horses/donkeys by the end of next year.
We made arrangements to have the 11 acres on the original lot fenced along with a fenced path go get between the pastures. Well, that all got completed today & I was very excited to introduce the donks & horses to their new “digs”.
Although the donkeys followed me to the new path, it took a bucket with a bit of feed to lure the horses in. But once they were in and discovered all of this open space, they ran like a little stampede & explored their boundaries.
Within their new pasture, they can come and visit us at the office and now they can walk around the guest house.
The dogs will have to get used to their presence but they’ll get over the newness. I look forward to going to the office in the morning and being greeted by my little friends. All it takes is for me to show up with treats and they’ll know to wait for me by the fence.
We’re planning on painting the fence white but we have to wait until the wood cures. I’m sure it will be even more attractive once painted! More pictures soon!
It sure is lovely here at the Dreams Come True Minis farm!
I’m often asked which method I prefer. I’ve used the scalpel method (not for the faint of heart), the Burdizzo & we had our Zebu “banded”. Here’s my opinion of each one.
The first bucks I altered I used the Burdizzo. My husband held each of the 2 bucks while I used the tool. I found it very difficult to handle the tool itself not to mention listening to the little guy scream like a banshee! Both bucks screamed until no more sound came out.
Although I followed the method to a “T”, a few weeks later I noticed that on one of the boys the sperm cord had not been severed therefore I had to do it again. As careful as I was, I managed to put the tool on exactly the same location as the original clamping. When I opened the Burdizzo, I had cut right through the skin! It broke my heart and I put the tool away for good ($49 down the drain). The little buck did fine but it broke my heart.
Earlier this spring we “banded” Ziggy our Zebu. Some call this method inhumane but as I watched Ziggy, I don’t think he felt anything after an hour or so. It took a long time for his sack to dry and fall but he had a really big set!
This past April after studying the scalpel method I castrated Tino. It went well but the fellow helping me by holding Tino didn’t feel so good. Since that day, Tim no longer feels comfortable around me with with a sharp instrument!
I found this method easy & fast but I worried about bleeding. Tino did fine but he was very listless for a few days.
This being said, I did more research on banding and found this great article online submitted by Whispering Willows Acres farm. It shows step by step photo of the procedure but also important it provides pictures of what to expect in the coming weeks. I invite you to read the article and view the excellent pictures provided. This site also provides information on other topics – it is very simple and well done!
I’ll be purchasing a banding tool later today to take care of my little bucks before they get into trouble! Bucks will be boys and I have plenty of little “girls” around to make them happy! I’ll let you know how things go!
Below is a short video of my Pygmy bucks trying to breed Molly, my fainting goat. They did succeed.. Molly is due July 12th! Can’t wait to see the results!
UPDATE
Later this day I “banded” Ace. I bought the necessary tool & rubber bands from L & J Farm Supply. The procedure was very simple & I was able to do this by myself.
I started by giving Ace a tetanus shot along with his CD & T booster. I then held him on his back and gently put the band between his testicles & his belly and he didn’t even flinch (see details on methods on post below).
It’s been about 10 days now and his sack has started to shrink and shrivel. He still hasn’t lost his “studness” and continues to exhibit the “Flehmen reaction”. He’ll be happy to be back in the main pasture with all of his buddies.
I have another buck or two that will need to be banded but I need to wait until they’re a little older.
I recommend this method of sterilization to anyone raising goats.
Please share your experiences with me and my readers by either posting a comment or directly on my Forum.
Scott & I realized since the passing of Murphy (our house Chihuahua), that our home felt sort of empty. We’d discussed briefly the acquisition of a house dog and our only requirements were small & non-shedding.
Wouldn’t you know it, with everything that we have going on we just had to have another responsibility! I couldn’t leave well enough alone…no, I just had to have a dog in the house.
I didn’t care whether it was pure bred or not, it just had to be small (cute), and of course non shedding. Not having a dog in the house for the last few months we had grown used to having a dog hair free home and that was one thing neither Scott or I was willing to sacrifice.
So I scanned the local internet advertising sites. By the way, you cannot list animals for sale on Craigslist unless they are livestock/farm animals. My favorite site is the local sales network There you can open a free account and post any kind of item you have for sale. It’s directed to mid/east Tennessee residents but I have in many cases traveled 2 hours to purchase the perfect animal.
I found our little princess via “Oodle” which directed me to Petfinders Through this website I came across a wonderful lady that breeds Bichons. I called BJ and we spoke a bit. She then emailed me pictures and as soon as I saw the little munchkin face I was done!!!
So here she is our little “Mouse”. She’s a registered Bichon Frisé and she was born April 9th, 2009. She’s nearly paper trained but we need to keep a close eye on her and not let her roam the house. She’s adopted the kitchen area behind the island and that suits us just fine.
Last night around 11pm I locked her up in her little crate and she only whimpered once. I let her out at 6:20 this morning and she played a bit and then peed on the paper. I had to leave her alone for about 20 minutes and I didn’t want to crate her again. When I returned she was on the rug in the kitchen and there were little doggy turds on the paper! Wow! I was sure she’d head for the rug in the dining or living room but she was a good girl!
It’s very hard to take pictures or videos of her because she just wants to poke her nose in the camera! But I did manage to get a few good shots. You can find them all on my Youtube site.
Next week the grand-kids are visiting… I’m sure Mouse will be a big hit!
Spring has brought many little baby goats to the farm! Actually the streak started Valentine’s day. Here are the announcements!
02/14: Valentino & Valentina – Proud mom, Oreo
04/23: Ace – Proud mom, Bambi
04/30: Pepper – Proud mom, Cocoa
05/25: Gizmo – Proud mom, Chausette
06/11: Deuce – Proud mom, Brownie
06/14: Pee Wee & Herman – Proud mom, Boo
06/22: Sadie & Sammi – Proud mom, Blacky
06/24: Doe 1, Doe 2 & Buck 1 – Proud mom, Noel (yes, triplets!)
The only one left to kid is Molly the fainting goat. She was pasture bred with Flip & Samson & is due mid- July.
Most of these babies are sold but if you’re interested in any, please contact me. All does are $100 & bucks are $50 intact, $75 banded. All will be vaccinated before leaving the farm.
I’ve got bunches of videos – please visit my YouTube site and post comments. Below is Noel & triplets, only a few hours after birth.
Everyone is doing great although I had concerns with Boo’s little doe, Pee Wee. She was and still is very small compared to all of the others. Of course, her mom Boo is also very small & I was surprised to have her give birth to twins. She’s much friendlier now that she has babies. Pee Wee (black & white), is okay now but you’d think she was a newborn – especially if you compare her to Noel’s triplets born yesterday… (see video above).
Much has happened here since I posted last more than a month ago! I’m not sure where to begin but I’ll try to remember all the important stuff.
I realized that acquiring Tank had been a mistake. As much as I loved the big guy, I didn’t have the time to exercise him. I put out a few ads to find him a good home.
I finally found a good home for Tank but at some point I thought the big guy would end up retiring here as a large (& expensive), lawn ornament! In the 6 weeks or so that I owned him, I only rode him once and that was in a round pen. He did fine but I was very careful. I hadn’t ridden in over 10 years & I pretty much out of shape so I took it very slowly. Tank was good and although he didn’t respond very well to the bit that I was using, he was a good ride.
Well, two ladies came to purchase him (2 separate occasions), and after being poked and prodded, he was saddled and ridden… about 3 feet. He bucked & lunged and was immediately dismounted. This happened with both riders and I was politely told that this horse needed A LOT of work. Oh well.
Then Lori came by with her 14 year daughter who saddled Tank, mounted him and rode him like a pro! She even rode him bareback and Tank was the perfect gentleman!
They took Tank home to Crossville and the last I heard, Tank is now ridden by Bree an 7 year old! Here’s a quick video of Bree & Tank
So lets just say that Tank didn’t like the 2 ladies that came earlier – he either wanted to stay here or was waiting for the perfect home with Bree!
I’m very happy that he’s found a good home. He was a great pony (I found out later that he was too small to be considered a horse), but needed more than what I was able to give him. Don’t get me wrong, he loved being in the pasture all day and being groomed and loved on but I truly beleive an animal such as this needs a purpose. Now he has one and he works every day, as he should.
A few weeks ago my husband installed a “Forum” feature on this website. I was very excited about this because I thought it would receive a lot of activity.
The funny this is that I continue to receive inquiries via “comments” that you can enter following my posts. Don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoy the fact that people consider my advice. I’m just disappointed that no one is using my “Forum”
I know that I need to be patient! We have a forum type option on our business’s website and it’s been a slow process although it’s been a few years that’s its been offered to the public.
I also know that on most forums, it appears to always be the same people that post & the same people that respond although the sites boast 100’s of members!
I’m also a little leary of “Forums”. I’ve seen many instances where people just seem to wait to read and respond negatively to a particular post. It blows my mind to see that some people are so brave when there’s cyberspace between them and their “prey”!
I’ve actually been a “victim” to this sort of treatment. When it happens you want to respond and justify your statement and this type of response just encourages your attacker! Once you react to it, you start a chain reaction that brings most members out of the woodwork! In my case, I didn’t even have to react – members just spoke out on my behalf!
Why are people so petty? What is it with people that they just have to be mean and nasty behind their keyboard? I’m sure that a lot of these folks are nice people in person. It’s like the guy that curses about all the drivers around him while in the privacy of his car. I guess he gets crap off of his chest while in the safety of his vehicle.
There is a “motto” that I try to follow all the time, no matter what I’d like to say and that is, IF YOU CAN’T SAY SOMETHING NICE, SAY NOTHING!
Don’t be that idiot hiding behind his keyboard being the big man because he can publicly try to humiliate the writer while maintaining anonomity. Why choose to be the “bad guy” when you can be the helpful person?
This being said my friend, please post to my forum. If you don’t see a topic that appeals to you, create a new one. If you have something to sell, post it! You never know who’s reading!
And to all of you that do write to me via the comments section, thank you and PLEASE… please follow up and let me know what happens!
Yep, really didn’t think I’d ever do this but I suspect a couple of my neighbors knew it was just a question of time. I got a horse. I full size horse. Actually I’d call it a horse & a half! Let me tell you how I came to have “Tank”!
Of course with me it’s never simple so here’s what happened… Last week I answered an ad on Craigslist – a lady had 2 trained miniature gelded horses (I didn’t feel either one to confirm their sexual status), for sale along with a couple of saddles. One was from a petting farm and was very much accustomed to having children all around him and the other was just a beautiful little childrens horse that was the pet of a 2 year old boy. I even saw a picture of this little child riding this little horse with a saddle & all! She claimed to have to sell all of her horses because of a sudden re-location. She also had 2 full size horses.
Scott & I got there & a young girl was riding “Buddy” while another was walking “Brownie”. Brownie was quite the looker whereas Buddy looked like a beat up old horse (although they’re both only 4 years old). I bought them both and we loaded them up. I hate to admit to this but it was an emotional purchase – not a conscious one.
The lady sort of pleaded with me to take the full size horses also -she wanted good homes for them. She originally wanted $400 for Tank but gave finally gave in to $100 including 2 saddles. Trust me, I didn’t give in right away. I know how much work full size horses are. She claimed Tank was a very gentle old horse (around 10 – & that’s been confirmed), but only had one speed, slow. Scott thought it was a good idea and we loaded up tank also. She really wanted me to take the other but one was enough.
When we all got home and put the boys in a separate enclosure from my girls it was obvious that Brownie wanted to be with Ol Blue & we let them romp together. He immediately mounted & bred her and she was ready. Wow.. this guy was supposed to be gelded.
My neighbor Earl showed up and checked out the boys. Surprise! Both were intact but Brownie only had one testicle. This condition is called Cryptorchidism & as you’ll read from this link is a very undesirable condition.
The next day my neighbor Val who’s a licensed farrier and horse expert came to tend to their feet and assess my purchase. Tank received a high note & so did Buddy although he’s a little thin and has a dry cough. She strongly recommend that I find Brownie a new home as soon as possible. Surgery for this condition can easily run past the $500 mark & I didn’t intend to spend that for a little horse that I had no idea if he could drive (the purpose of me purchasing him).
Tuesday evening Earl picked him up and brought him to a horse auction in Cleveland (TN), and I sold him to a nice lady that fell in love with him. I told her he was a stallion but she didn’t have any mares so that didn’t bother her. I’m confident that he found a good home. He was a very good looking little horse and was certainly high spirited.
As for Buddy, he still looks like a beat up old horse but he’s very small and very gentle with children. The vet will be here Tuesday to geld him and see if we need to give him anything for his cough. As soon as I get the “ok” from the vet, he’ll share the same field as the donkeys, Ol Blue, Toffee and big old Tank!
I purchased a saddle and a bridle for Tank and I look forward to my first ride on him. I hope he’s as gentle as the seller claimed he was! I’ll keep you posted!
eded a companion of his sort, and he did because he & Little D hit it off right from the get-go!
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The second piece of property where our house & barn sits is a 4 acres lot which is completely fenced in. Both the perimeter of the house and the pastures for the animals. There are probably only 2 acres that the animals can actually graze on.
person. It’s like the guy that curses about all the drivers around him while in the privacy of his car. I guess he gets crap off of his chest while in the safety of his vehicle.
Yep, really didn’t think I’d ever do this but I suspect a couple of my neighbors knew it was just a question of time. I got a horse. I full size horse. Actually I’d call it a horse & a half! Let me tell you how I came to have “Tank”!
ive him anything for his cough. As soon as I get the “ok” from the vet, he’ll share the same field as the donkeys, Ol Blue, Toffee and big old Tank!
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