molly & olive: 2011

Lend a helping hand...

I thank you in advance for helping the magnificent animals...
It's that time of the year again...

Miller's Equestrian Center and Sanctuary www.millersecs.org
is holding it's annual Poinsettia Sale. Every year at this time we sell locally grown poinsettia plants for the holidays.

HOLIDAY RED

Some Facts:
Plants are in 6 1/2" pots.
You have the color choice of:

RED GLITTER

PLANTS ARE ONLY $10.00 EACH!

MILLER'S RECEIVES HALF OF SALES!

The Sale ends November 18, 2011
Plants will be delivered between Nov. 28 and Dec. 2

The money raised will be used to buy MORE FEED for the horses and to winterize their pastures. Both of these items are very important to the horses to make the wet and cold months more tolerable.
Please email me at
mmp1865@aol.com
with any questions or to place an order.

For my boy...

Some of us are lucky to bond with a great horse or two in our

lives. Every moment with them is cherished. Memories with

them are burned into our minds. We remember the day we

met, the day they left and every day in between. Some horses

are only in our life temporarily or for a short time. Some need

to move on or pass on for different reasons. Their time comes

and goes just as our own. Be kind to the horses that cross the

trails through your life, as you never know when you'll meet

again. We cannot be every horse's person, but we can be

every horse's friend.

In Memory of Ted....

Happy Trails buddy.

I miss you daily and know how lucky I was to

have you.

To Blanket or Not to Blanket...

This is a question I get asked a lot this time of the year... I hope this helps!

How a horse stays warm:

Horses have developed very efficient means of staying warm, even in very cold temperatures. Your horse's coat is comprised of two types of hair: longer stiffer guard hairs; and a soft, fluffy undercoat. The guard hairs "guard" or protect the soft hairs from dirt and water, shed off rain, and collect moisture from sweat that might damage the undercoat. The softer, fluffier hairs of the undercoat trap warm air between and act like insulation around your horse. Natural oils are produced that coat the hair to make them water resistant. Each hair is connected to the piloerector muscle. This muscle allows the hairs to be stood up or laid flat. When they stand up, warm air trapped between them, just above the surface of the skin. When they lie down, warm air is released from between them, cooling the area above the surface of the skin.

When don't I need to blanket my horse?

When he has a natural winter coat
When he is healthy and in good body weight
When it is not too windy or raining
If the temperature stays above 5°F

When do I need to blanket my horse?

When he has been clipped for winter
When he is sick or injured
When he is underweight (or any "hard keeper")
When he is older, with weight issues, or difficulty moving around
When he has been recently moved to a colder climate (Expect it to take 10-21 days for a horse to acclimate to a new climate)
When it is Windy or Rainy or both
When there is no available shelter

Important!

It is very important to keep in mind that there are times when blanketing is worse than not blanketing. A blanket will make your horse's hair coat lie flat, thus removing that insulating layer of warm air. If the amount of insulation in the blanket is less than what your horse's natural coat would provide, then he will be cold. Make sure that any blankets used for turnout are waterproof! A wet blanket will make your horse cold. Too many blankets, or too heavy a blanket will make your horse sweat, make the hairs lie down, and make your horse cold. Stick your hand under your horse's blankets to make sure he is not too hot. Additionally, you should not see sweat marks on your horse when you take the blanket off.

The Lobster's are Coming....

This is 2012 Opening Weekend of Lobster Season! I wait for this weekend all year long... My husband and his friends have been going to the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara for 20 years to celebrate a little "man time" and hunt
California Spiny Lobster.....
Which means Lobster Tacos, Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, Lobster Bisque, Lobster Risotto,Lobster Newburg, Lobster Salad and the list goes on and on.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese my personal favorite!
I can't wait for Sunday...

Little Red Barn

A Barn has always been in my dreams.

For years I have visited barns, studied barns and taken pictures of barns. They make me think of one of my favorite smells, which is not related to food. I love the smell of a horse barn - the combination of alfalfa, dust, leather, horses and even a little manure.

Mail Pouch Barn Spring; San Luis Obispo, Ca. by thomas mayberry (Archuleta) ~ x

We are so lucky here in San Luis Obispo County to have so many beautiful barns.

The Historic Octagon Barn of
San Luis Obispo.

The Santa Margarita Ranch Barn being made more famous yearly by Sunset Magazines Annual Event Savor the Central Coast happening this weekend.

Daddy caters weddings here. It is beautiful.

This is Avila Valley Barn owned by some good friends of ours. They also own Gopher Glen Apple Farm.

It is so fun to visit these barns and taste apples, buy fresh produce and visit the goats and other buddies on the farm!

I love them all but the donkey is my favorite!

Here is my little barn BEFORE....

Today Daddy and I finished painting my little red barn. It will serve my barnyard buddies well. It has all the smells I love and will be a big part of my history!

A girl and her helmet...

Helmets are an important thing...

whether it is bicycles, motorcycles, skydiving or horses they are a necessary part of your regalia to keep you safe.

Friday afternoon I was taking a nice easy ride on my horse Smooch. Not asking much, no contact, just easy gaits with no pressure. Down we went. Both of us. She stumbles and when I saw her nose hit the ground, I bailed off knowing she could not recover.
I work for veterinarians and am constantly around horses. I preach tirelessly to kids about the importance of the helmet. Many riding academy's and boarding facilities will not let you ride without your helmet. A VERY smart practice for sure.
I did not have my helmet on....my stupid attitude of "It won't happen to me" got in the way. But it did.
I am to old to hit the ground that hard.
At the time I was much more worried about Smooch. She stayed on the ground for what seemed like an eternity. It was realistically about 60 seconds. When she did get up she would not put weight on her right front leg, her ear was bleeding and she had a big raspberry on her left shoulder. By coincidence my friend and equine Veterinarian Liz was on her way to my house. We had Smooch treated within 10 minutes of the fall. She was given medicine to ward off swelling and medicine for the pain...She had standing wraps on both front legs and her cuts were treated...Now we wait. With Horses it will be 24 hours more or less before the actual problem will show up.
I, on the other hand felt amazingly well. I had a good scrape on my left elbow and I thought that was about it. WRONG... within an hour a bruise was forming on my left hip and my left thigh was killing me...24 hours later I could hardly turn my neck and my shoulders were around my ears and would not go down...they were like stuck. The pain was intense and uncomfortable. Nsaids to the rescue...Today is day 3 and I am better...Pretty stiff but I am going to live.

Smooch, I am SOOO happy to report is doing great. Being able to treat her so quickly had huge benefits! Today she is walking normal and is sound at the trot.
I am so lucky my head was not injured in the accident...SOOO lucky. That being said
The helmet is the most important weapon you have in your arsenal to keep you safe.
Please everybody...Protect your Head.

Short n' Sweet Dog Rescue

Some days are better than others, and yesterday was one of those GREAT days. My friend Liz organized a group of us to help a wonderful women who runs a dog and pony rescue in Templeton Ca. called
"Short N' Sweet Dog Rescue"
shortnsweetdogrescue.org

Debby Sweet, the owner has the biggest heart for animals of all kinds. Her main focus is on hairless breeds and Icelandic Ponies.

At this time she has 13 ponies and wants to place 7 of them..She gives riding lessons to kids on the ponies. She has lots of dogs to be placed, so cute and ready foo new homes.

Please visit her website...She is living her dream and "Paying it Forward" everyday and can use all the help available. She welcomes volunteers to help with the animals or as we did yesterday clean up the the ranch.
This is the new "Meet and Greet" area ....Her and her daughters are quit artsy and creative and did these cute doggy paintings on the walls..

It is a huge job to maintain this type of operation and I for one applaud her efforts to save these unwanted, abused or abandoned animals. The rescue is located off Highway 46 in a lovely part of this county. Consider a donation$$$ or if possible donate some of your time...It is truly a wonderful feeling knowing you have made these animals day just a bit brighter!

Izzy and Baron

Made my first video to music today. It is of a horse my daughter Izzy is training to jump for a friend. I have posted it to YouTube but I am also putting it here...my blog journal.

http://youtu.be/gbCSkuSAqo4

This weekend my friend Liz and I went to the beach with Olive. Liz took some awesome pictures of her...