Billy is Home!

Beth came home with her newest family member this morning...Welcome BILLY to the Westwood gang! Billy is an Appendix Quarter Horse gelding in his early teens....he has been trained in western and english events, but most importantly to Beth, he is a quiet and reliable mount above all else....

After a few minutes looking around at the new surroundings, he seemed to settle right in...

So he was turned out with his new pasture mate, Chip. Chip can be a little bossy, so it was important to see how they would get along...it appears they'll be able to work it out....

So the rest of the introduction was simply pomp and circumstance...

...and lots of it....I almost think he might have been taking a bow here....

...and as soon as the flare began, it ended...it's hot out there after all!

Time for some grass before he comes into the barn and makes friends with his fan.

So glad to have Billy on board....looking forward to seeing what he and Beth can do together!

Happy Trails,

Leah

A Boy & His Goat

I took the kids out in the yard to play last night when it had cooled down a bit...CJ made a B-line straight for the hanging tree limbs...



That is when CJ got a glimpse of Fiddle doing this.....and thought it was the most hilarious thing he'd ever seen! You see, Fiddle has gone and eaten all the leaves off the trees up to about waist level....so now she has to stretch to get the taller ones.....mmmmmmMMMMmmmm

So CJ being the young problem solver that he is, decided to devise a way to help the little lady out.....and started doing this....(video below)....he's a genius.....

Teamwork in Action:




All the while Sophie was preoccupied feeding leaved and rocks to Ginger....and yes, she ate them....all.

Sophie finally started walking this week...on her own, without assistance....at almost 17 months...better late than never!

She's a Walker:

That's my little princess sitting on her stoop letting me know it's time to go in...the mosquitoes are out!

So in we went....dinner, cleanup, and bedtime bound!

Happy Trails,

Leah

The River @ Gma's House

Gma's new house backs to a river....On our last visit, I took the kids there to check it out.




Turns out we have quite the playful water babies on our hands....I can see many more trips here in our future!

...good times.

Happy Trails,

Leah

A Whirlwind Road Trip to Wisconsin....

The whole gang climbed in the Odyssey this past week for the long trek to West Bend, WI. We had three big events to celebrate with JR's side of the family...

1. My niece Kasey's wedding



2. My step-daughter Kaiti and niece Sydney's HS graduation party



3. My father-in-law's 80th birthday party

That's right....all SEVEN of us packed in for the 16 hr/ 2-day trip!

Spirits were high as we set off....our layover would take place in OH...Everyone was anticipating the pool and hot tub awaiting us at the hotel!

This is the first time we have added a layover into this road trip, and it was a great call...at 16 months, the punks weren't interested in being in the car a minute longer!

I failed to get pics of all the water sport that took place, but believe me, it was timely and grand! Although we were warned my a hotel worker that peeing was frowned upon in the pool (yes, he said that), he said nothing about pooping....and CJ is a very literal child.....just saying.....

So, after a good nights rest and a filling breakfast buffet, we set off on our second and final leg of the trip....we hoped to get into town around dinner time.....so we drove....

...and drove....

...and we finally got there! We arrived at by brother and sister-in-law's immaculate, gorgeous, and spacious home right on schedule....we took no time at all to get settled right in to vacation mode!

After a god nights rest, we put our best good duds on and headed to a wedding....Kasey (my niece) could not be a more beautiful bride.

..and Kasey and Mac could not be a more adorable young couple...

We wish them all the best of love and fortune in their lives together.......

Having the whole family together to celebrate a wedding was the perfect opportunity to get some updated family group shots! Here is JR on the top left with the rest of his siblings as well as the cute couple that started this all....

...because of them, we have all these ornery little grand kids running around today.....note that Sophie and CJ are not pictured....that's because all this 'newness' made them a little clingy and a lot fussy on this particular day....and pretty much all the rest too...sigh

I was able to get a couple shots of the punks with their daddy though....love my family!

The day after the wedding JR and the big kids enjoyed some bowling with family and I stayed at the house with the little ones to nap and play....the naps were essential to survival on this trip! Don and Wendy built this handy little play area in their back yard and we enjoyed it thoroughly!

We also climbed all over The Great Wall of Gardening that Don built for all of Wendy's beautiful plants...

..and I got just enough of a break during nap time to kick my feet up and breeeeeeeeeeeeathe before JR and the big kids got home. From there, we headed to Ma and Pa's for food prep...the joint graduation/birthday party was next on the agenda!

Here are a couple of video clips taken of the punks doing their thang at the house...

My Baby Baller:

Leaves Make us Laugh:

We all piled back in the car and headed to the park next door to where JR grew up....where I learned from his brother Don that he got beat up for confronting a guy about bullying his little brother...awwww, so sweet! The way the story goes, a kid was picking on Don and trying to take out his knees during a game.....JR stepped in to stop it, and the altercation ensued....Turns out, said bully actually lives in the same subdivision as his brother now....awkward.

Sohpie and CJ enjoyed their first swing time here....

..and Randi got a good amount of swinging in herself.

Ryan attempted to coax Sophie into playing, but she was content on the bench...she likes her space.

There was plenty of time to catch up...here's Don (JRs brother) and Wendy (SIL), our fabulous hosts during this trip!

So, after a long day of celebration with family, we headed back to the house to pack up and head home...another 2 days on the road and we finally made it back.

Happy Travels,

Leah

4th o fJuly Paint Fest!

So I'm a little slow at updates these days....we've been running around like crazy this summer, so better late than never!

JR, the kids, and I spent the Holiday getting Gma Kathy moved into her new place....she is renting a dainty little abode just down the road....we couldn't let her move in until she has a fresh coat of paint on the walls though...apparently, the previous tenant was a smoker....ugh!


So, we got right down to business....


..and were able to accomplish a couple coats in the kitchen and living area before the day ended.

...even Randi pitched in!

...there....much better....fit for family.

Just a little bit of cleanup and we were ready to leave Gma to decorate as she pleases....

Happy Painting!

Leah

Heat Stress & Anhidrosis in Horses....

HEAT STRESS > ANHIDROSIS > HEAT STROKE

We are going on a week straight of record breaking high temperatures here on the East Coast....as I was driving home @ 730pm from work yesterday the temperature gauge in my truck was registering at a whopping 100 degrees still! As uncomfortable as the heat us for me and many others, it is the pets that often silently suffer even greater.

We have been rinsing the horses and dogs down daily to provide a little relief and checking them for heat stress at every feeding...still, dangerous situations can happen in the blink of an eye so it is important to be diligent in assessing your pets stress levels in this extreme weather....

Case in point: Three days ago I fed the horses as usual....I noticed that my mother had pulled fly sheets off of 2 of the 3 horses in one pasture...the third, Martin, still had his on....they all came to their feed buckets and appeared happy and healthy....I debated whether to remove Martin's fly sheet too, but determined that since he did not appear to be sweating a lot from it that he would probably prefer the relief from the biting insects that the other 2 were dealing with....a few hours later, however, one of my fabulous borders was out tending her horses and noticed Martin panting vigorously....she pulled him in the barn immediately and noticed that when she pulled off his fly sheet he was not sweating at all...she quickly proceeded to cool him down starting with tepid water and working to cooler water until he was breathing normally again...

HEAT STRESS is REAL & COMMON under these weather conditions....what Martin appears to be suffering from is heat stress induced ANHIDROSIS.

What is Known About Anhidrosis

After this incident, I began researching this ailment and I discovered the following:

• Anhidrosis affects approximately one in five horses.


• It can affect horses of all breeds and all ages.


• It is thought to be triggered by stress - exercise, heat etc.


• It can come on suddenly, or develop over a period of time.


• It can vary in severity - from a horse which sweats a little, especially under the saddle and between the hind legs, to one whose coat remains completely dry.


• The horse's normal body temperature is between 99.5 to 101 degrees and can reach as high as 104 after a strenuous workout.


• In a normal horse, the temperature and respiration return to near normal fairly quickly after exercise. In a horse with anhidrosis, the horse's body temperature and respiration will stay dangerously high, risking heat stroke unless steps are taken to help him cool down.

Helping the Horse Through Summer
The only sure fire way to avoid anhidrosis is to move to a cooler climate! Since that is not an option, I have researched ways in which I could keep Martin more comfortable:

• In severe cases, it is best to keep the horse stabled in a well ventilated barn, preferably with a fan to circulate the air and help the horse's system regulate itself. Night turn out is a good option for these horses.


• Less severe cases can be turned out during the day, provided there is plenty of shade. A pond in the pasture is a plus.


• Electrolytes, while very helpful to horses who sweat normally, won't be of much use to a horse with anhidrosis. However, they have been known to encourage sweating if the anhidrosis is accompanied by a potassium deficiency. They won't hurt the horse anyway, and may even help, so if you want to, go ahead and use electrolytes.


• Restrict exercise to the cooler hours in the morning or evening. Allow the horse plenty of cool-down periods at walk and monitor his respiration recovery during these periods.


• Cooling the horse by splashing water over the body, neck and legs, such as we have been doing, help the horse's system cool down. As the heat from the horse's body is transferred to the water, scraping it off and splashing with more water will speed the cooling process.

Consult Your Veterinarian!

The notes I have made here are not meant to replace veterinary care. If you suspect that your horse suffers from anhidrosis, consult your veterinarian. He/She will be able to make an detailed assessment of the severity of the case and will advise you accordingly.

It is interesting to note that I have read several case studies online about horses with anhidrosis that transition from sweating to not sweating depending on their stress levels. This tells me that Martin may not suffer indefinitely, but only time will tell. I am no longer going to be taking him to shows in the summer. I prefer to avoid the stress of warming up and competing in the midday heat, for his sake.....unless his condition changes.

Please watch your pets closely in this heat!

Happy Trails,
Leah