Jasper's mug is in the news today.

Of all the crazy things... there is a picture of Jasper in the news today.

Spokesman Review

Valley Chapel is an out-of-the-way little boarding facility off the beaten path, not even listed in the phone book. I have no idea why a reporter went out there, or of the 40 horses why he was chosen for a photo shoot, but it's Jasper's 15 minutes of fame! (The story is about the herpes virus, Jasper is not sick nor are any of the horses at Valley Chapel).

I am quite fond of the completely random. This definitely tops the list.

ETA: Fri: Aaaaaaand made the front page of the paper today.

(ETA ETA: Apparently today he's in the Wall Street Journal- Sat.)

Front Page

Lisa Talbott of Valley Chapel Farms checks on Jasper, one of her boarding horses, on Thursday. A virus has forced many horse owners and boarding operations to keep their horses away from events until the health issue passes.

May 20, 2011

Deadly equine virus hits Washington

Horses, alpacas and llamas at risk of disease

Three cases of a virulent strain of the equine herpes virus have been reported in Washington state, prompting horse owners to take precautions against spread of the disease.

The Spokane Lilac Association reported Thursday that seven of its 15 equestrian entries in Saturday’s Armed Forces Torchlight Parade have canceled as a precaution.

Some of the area’s horses were exposed at recent competitions in Ogden, Utah, and Clarkston, Wash., said Mike Dedmon, vice president of parades for the Lilac Association.

“I’d rather stop the spread than have them coming here,” he said.

One of the Washington cases occurred at the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

That horse was admitted to the hospital for unrelated problems, but the virus was later detected. The horse had competed at the National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Ogden about two weeks ago.

In a recent letter, state veterinarian Leonard Eldridge said the infection was a variant of the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) known to cause extreme neurological complications and death.

Voluntary quarantines, veterinarian monitoring and other precautions are recommended for horses that were exposed, he said.

Confirmed cases must be reported to the state veterinarian’s office at (360) 902-1881.

“This is a reportable disease,” said Charlie Powell, public information officer for the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

The WSU veterinary hospital has been under a voluntary quarantine, not accepting any new equine or camelid patients except in dire emergencies. Camelids include alpacas and llamas.

“This virus is so contagious,” Powell said. It spreads through sneezing, whinnying and other contact. The virus can survive on tack gear or even shovels to infect other horses.

Its incubation period is two to 14 days.

Powell recommended that horse owners limit their animals’ travel for the next few weeks so the outbreak can be stemmed.

Humans, livestock and pets are not at risk, Powell said.

In Colbert, the McKinlay & Peters Equine Hospital treated a horse that had symptoms of the disease, but that horse was sent home for quarantine and the hospital is under quarantine and taking precautions.

The horse had been at one of the competitions to which the virus was traced, a spokeswoman there said. The hospital was awaiting results of a lab test to determine if the horse was infected.

Lilac Parade officials are taking steps to protect horses during the parade. A veterinarian will be on hand. Equestrian entries will be spaced at least 50 feet apart in staging areas.

Dedmon, in a letter to equestrian entrants, asked that horses that attended the Ogden event stay home.

In the Spokane area, stable owners are taking steps to halt the spread of the disease.

At Valley Chapel Farms south of Spokane, owner Lisa Talbott notified horse owners that the facility was closed to incoming horses and asked that horses at the farm be kept there for the next two weeks as a precaution.

She said she is not concerned about the virus spreading there because “we are more of a recreational facility” rather than a stable for competitive horses.

However, she noted in an email that almost all horse events have been canceled for the time being and many stables have been “locked down.”

The Kitsap Sun reported that equestrian entries were pulling out of Bremerton’s Armed Forces Day Parade on Saturday.

One of the confirmed Washington cases was reported in Snohomish County.

The neurological strain of EHV-1 was first identified in 1971. Treatment is available, but may not always be effective, Powell said.

For more information, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a guide to understanding the neurological form of EHV infection. Also, visit www.vetmed.wsu.edu/.

Jumping!

We went to a Pony Club benefit jumping day at Busy Bee Equestrian yesterday. They had a great idea- we paid $10 to enter and bought tickets for $2 a piece. Every time you wanted to take your horse in for a round you gave a ticket and could either follow the course that was posted or take 90 seconds to jump anything you wanted.

Jasper jumped right in the trailer yesterday morning, and by the time we got to my friend's barn to pick up her horse was sweating and shaking, as usual. He is so nervous in trailers and seems particularly nervous in mine. It's huge- I had to get an extra tall extra wide extra long 2 horse straight load so Alexandre could fit in it. Aluminum so my dad's wimpy truck can pull it. Maybe it's too big for him? I don't know, it does seem loud. I've duct taped all loose parts down to reduce noise. He's much, much better when there is another horse by him. He rode in a 2 horse straight load almost every day last year at this time when I was grooming for Jessica in order to get from her house to the barn, so I don't think it's a desensitization issue. I drive like a snail. I just don't know what else to do to make him more comfortable.

Melissa's horse loaded right up and rode great and by the time we got to Busy Bee they had started the trot pole class. Which went on for hours, literally. I had the lower enormous sand outdoor all to myself to warm up in- NO MUD!!! That was worth the trip right there. Our warm ups usually go like this:

Me: trot
Jasper: canter?
Me: no, trot.
Jasper: canter?
Me: no, we're trotting now.
Jasper: canter here?
Me: trot
Jasper: canter now?
Me: no.
Jasper: canter, right?
Me: no.
Jasper: okay, canter...
Me: no.

In Jasper's warm-up world, there are many cues for canter. A weight shift, a circle, a leg yield, a spook, a loud noise, a moldy hay bale, an eye twitch, a leaf floating by...

And then finally we canter. The arena is HUGE. I got in 2 point and let him canter the length of the arena right down the middle. By the 3rd or 4th time he had finally relaxed and I called it good. Maybe I should start out cantering, it just seems like we should have some sort of connection and responsiveness to leg first. Something to think about.

By the time we got up to the jumping arena the trot pole class was still happening. I took him in the warm up amongst lots and lots and lots of horses and he was great. We must have walked 50 laps until it was our turn to go in. I was thinking trot poles, schmot poles but hey, it was only 2 bucks so why not. Turns out there were horse eating jump parts set out for later use in the arena and he wouldn't even go near the far end. The trot poles themselves were not a problem, but going near the grey wall was. Eventually got through the course and then went around again leading Melissa's horse Mister who had never seen a jump course in his life. He was fantastic and didn't spook at anything.

The 12" course also took hours. Seemed like it anyway. We led Grace and Margie through once and they did great. Cantered around a second time and the spooking got a little better. After the 12" class things started thinning out and we jumped up to 2'3 basically over the same course as they raised the jumps. At 2'6 they put in a roll top, barrels, and a brush box. I really wasn't sure about any of it, and we had some hard looks and a few hesitant strides, but he went over everything the entire day without any refusals. Didn't always get our striding right and I did ask him to chip in rather than rush and leap. I am beginning to trust him more, and I'm sure the reverse is true as well. It's starting to feel like we might be developing a partnership. :)

Wettest spring EVER.

The other day someone asked me if I blog a lot. Lately every blog would pretty much read "it rained today" thrown in with a little "I cleaned Jasper's stall" and "I let him run around in the muddy outdoor arena". This week I could have added "hurricane force arctic wind is fun". Riveting, I know.

BUT, this Saturday might be blog worthy! A pony club is offering their arena for a jumping practice day. Ground poles on up. You pay $10 and then $2 a round. The question is, am I crazy to take a horse I haven't ridden all spring to this? Maybe. But it's in an indoor arena, and I figure at least I can actually ride! Maybe we'll just do lots of trot pole and crossbar rounds. It's not judged or anything.

One of my friends from high school just got a new horse and she wants to go so yesterday we hooked up her Suburban to my trailer and filled up the tires. I also took a look at Jasper's mane:

And realized how horribly out of control it is. It's super thick and grows equally on both sides. I really didn't feel like pulling it (especially in rain and wind) so I took thinning shears and chopped it off. There is a reason you should NEVER DO THIS. Think cross between a Thelwell's pony and a Norwegian Fjord. Yeah. Do I care enough to fix it? Probably not. Not until I actually have to put it in braids.

This could be fun!

Um.

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/03/105.shtml

Tack Swap Score

Went to the annual 4-H tack swap this weekend. It's a HUGE event around here. I took a bunch of stuff in on Friday to sell, and got up at the butt crack of dawn on Sat. to get there early. I got a "get in an hour before everyone else" ticket for $20 it was SO worth it. They only let 100 people buy them and it was like having the whole place to ourselves for an hour. You are literally elbow to elbow once the masses enter.

I actually found an eventing saddle. I couldn't believe it when I saw it sitting there in all it's forward flap goodness. Most of the english saddles there are cheap all purposes made in Argentina. It's in good shape and fits Jasper pretty well. It has a spring seat and I was surprised when I sat on it that it squished down quite a bit, but still clears his withers.

I can't believe how clean he looks in this pic. I was too excited to try the saddle on so he's not even brushed.

Unfortunately it doesn't fit me. It has very minimal padding on the flap and nothing underneath, not even blocks. My knee didn't come close to making contact with it and my lower leg kept scooching forward so I was in chair seat position.

But, I have velcro knee blocks on my Ansur Konklusion. I took those off and took everything to the saddle shop. They're sewing velcro underneath to I can attach the blocks and see if it fills in the gap between my leg and the saddle. Has anyone else ever had that problem? I used to ride in a Crump that had a plain flap with no padding whatsoever on my QH mare and it was fine. Maybe it's his conformation and skinny shoulders or something?

If not I'm pretty sure I can get my money back, it was a steal! (I'd really like a Jeffries Flyover.) I also got a pair of Ariat full seat breeches in great condition and a pair of Tropical Riders that are a bit too big but nice if you fold the waistband down. Oh, and a pair of Tailored Sportsmans that were too big but were only $5!!! I gave them to a friend. Plus I sold almost everything I took, I got back more money than I spent. :)

One Trick Pony

This is Grace. She is teaching Jasper to give at the poll, something I never did with him. Yay! Jasper now knows a trick. We will probably celebrate with running and bucking when the ground dries out. Which could be in a million years.

Grace is my new student, but not in the horse world. She is taking all of her Freshman high school classes online this semester, and I'm helping her get through them. Yesterday she came with me to the barn and started working with Jasper while I cleaned his stall. Luckily we have a horse connection...! She just started her own horse blog called Bucks-A-Penny featuring Margie, a 13.2h palomino POA pony she's taking dressage and jumping lessons on.

She has offered to work with Jasper on the ground. Teach him a thing or two.

Goooooooood boy.

A Snowy Gallop and ...Trails?

Winter wonderland has returned here to Spokane. Saturday's high was 17 I think so I didn't really even bother to leave the condo. I'm staying with my mom as my house has mold issues and the insurance/contractor are trying to get their -stuff- together so it can get fixed. Stalling? Noooooooooooo, surely not. My parent's have cable tv, which is about a million stations I've never even heard of before. It's like crack.

Sunday was a little warmer and I thought I could ride around on the driveway that loops around the barn as the arenas are slippery and full of snow. Unfortunately the driveway was really slick from cars packing the snow down, so the only option was to head out on the trail and through the frozen snowy hay fields.

We hit the first hay field at a very brisk walk. He asked to trot. We trotted, he asked to canter multiple times until I let him. There was about a foot of snow but he didn't seem to be slipping or sliding around, and by the time he was allowed to canter we were at the base of a hill that connects to another hay field. I let him stretch out a little, which was pretty exciting for both of us, and once we hit the top of the hill he very reluctantly came back down to a walk.

The next field is a lot bigger, and instead of following the trail that loops around to the left he chose to head for the biggest, longest, steepest hill at a trot. Then a canter. Up, up, up we went... I braced my hands at the base of his neck and he settled into a nice rhythm through the field. Until the terrifying pile of brown stuff showed up. He spooked, but I'm pretty sure it was just an excuse to take off. It's the first time he's taken off with me. With each bound I'm sure the 100s of acres were calling to him, telling him "look at how much space there is, go faster! faster! faster!" Luckily he's really not that strong (as in determined) and I got him pulled up before things got really out of control. We circled back and oh, the brown stuff is not that scary after all. Here, let me step through it. Then we cantered NICELY for a little bit more to prove we could. Then had a discussion about walking and NOT prancing. One of my biggest pet peeves, the prancing thing. After we got out of the field and onto a narrow trail in the woods he relaxed quite a bit.

All in all the ride was probably 20 minutes. The last 10 were on a loose rein through the woods and back to the barn. He walked through the last field, down the hill, and back to the barn with no problems. Got lots of and lots of praise. Gotta end on a good note.

What are your trail expectations? When you are on a trail ride or out hacking do you have a different set of rules for your horse than when you're in an arena?

My expectations on trails are that my horses walk on a loose rein. I don't care how fast they walk (mine always seem to be speed walkers), or if the meander around a little bit, but they may not prance or break gait without permission. Alexandre (not mine anymore) often stops to take in the views, especially when he's on top of a hill or overlooking a valley. He stops on his own to catch his breath on hills and will continue on when he's ready. He also "S" curves down the trail and sometimes chooses to walk through the woods. He's always happy and interested in his surroundings. I know I could keep him on the straight and narrow, but I let him choose his own path cause he enjoys it.

Jasper is not as confident as Alexandre, and is still learning how to stay on a trail. When he wonders off into the woods, which happens often, it's because he gets distracted by, well... everything. I try to use leg pressure to keep him on the trail rather than reins. I let him meander off into the woods every now and then, and he often gets himself in situations that he can't get out of (uh, gee, there's a big downed tree here and bushes on all sides, uh, duh. Or hey, I'm on top of a cliff of shale, can't really walk down that, uh...) but I figure he'll learn how to plan ahead and find a path eventually. I like to let horses use their brains and make decisions for themselves as much as possible. Alexandre can be in the deepest, darkest woods and can always find a way out. Jasper's just learning to walk through the woods and not get stuck.

And I almost always have light/medium contact at the trot and canter as the need for speed requires half halts.

Do you ride on a loose rein? Keep contact? Are you in control of your horse's every move? Let them make decisions and think for themselves?