Strangles!

For the last few days I have been thinking about how to do this blog. This Farm was a huge part of my life, it taught me more then should ever be allotted into four years! When I think back over those four and half years, my head spins. The things I saw from a medical stand point. Well I have seen and done things that some Vet haven't had to handle!
The first thing to understand is this was a riding school that housed between 70 to 100 horses. And taught up to 700 students a week, with up to seven instructors. When I started there where three barn Managers. One head Manager and two Assistants, but with in one year there was only me!
During this time I  had the chance to work very closely with a amazing Vet, Dr Roger Scullin who is like a grandfather to me. He was a great influence on my life. He helped me develpoe my love of all things medical and a deep love for Fox hunting and hounds. He did more for me then words can say, including helping to give John and I an amazing Wedding! But that is a story for another day.
While working at this Stable I had to learn how to deal with a lot of illness and lameness problems on my own, with the help of Dr. Scullin on the phone. We where on a  very tight budget and part of my job was to stay with in our means.
At one point we had a out-break of strangles. We had this little chestnut TB mare, she was as bright as brass and could run! But she had blown out a tendon, so my boss had picked her up cheaply, to see if she could make a lesson horse. My top guy in the barn brought her to me one day and was pointing to her jaw, with out thinking I stuck my hand under her cheeck, and pulled away and hand covered in horrible puss. I stared in shock, my first thought was "No S*&t!!". I called Dr Scullin and said with out even saying hello "Her glands blew, we have strangles!!". The barn was shut down and about 30 horses come down with it. During that time I was moving horses left and right, trying to get the sick away from the healthy while giving shots in the flank. I only got kicked twice! After about two months every thing cleared up and all was well.
 It turned out that little mare was a carrier, when blood titters are pulled on her she would always show positive. As will many other horses that have been exposed to strangles.
I did not go into a real medical details in this post but if you have any questions about  Strangles and what I mean by a carrier, feel free to contact us or your vet.
Stay tuned for stories of maggots coming out of hooves! And what its like to deal with a full blown case of Potomac Fever, and the lose of a healthy horse with in 24 hours!
Sincerely,
Petra

My own Vet school! Coming soon.

Since I spent four and half years at one very large stable. A stable that i was very involved in, I am going to break a very long story into four different posts. I started as a Assistant, then became a Jr. Instructor as well as the Assistant barn Manager. After a very trying time I became the Barn Manager along with teaching 20 hours a week. Later on a become the head instructor, along with me being the barn Manager. During that time I was working seven days a week from 8:00am to 9:00 pm! Talk about burn out!
One thing I do have to say is a learned so much at this Barn. More then most people will ever learn in a life time. From training to Medical care. (ever run a IV Line, or tube a horse your self? I have!)
Tune back on Thrusday for my account of being the Barn Manager for what I like to call my very own hands on Vet school.
Good Night All!
Petra

A intro to a big part of my life!

  After collage I moved to Maryland in order to become a working student. I spent a wonderful year at Bascule Farm, where I started my career in jumping. After deciding that Eventing was not for me I took a Job as a Assistant Barn Manager at a very large Lesson barn, were I went on to serve as Barn Manager and Head Instructor, sometimes at the same time lol.This lesson barn had up to 100 horses at a time and well over five hundred students per week. I learned more about the medical care of horses then most people will learn in a life time. Ranging from out breaks of Strangles, Flue/Rhino and herpes, and diagnosing every lameness known to man!. I also developed teaching skills that included starting a five year old child on there first pony and up to 4ft hunter/jumpers and 3rd level Dressage. Think of about ten years being shoved into four! This was a very important time in my life, a place of many tears and frustration but also joy. Its where I met John! Please stay tuned for my next story!
Sincerely,
Petra

A topical days menu

  Hi, we are having a busy day, and I was hoping Petra was going to make a post about what she calls her science experiment! No not me, even though sometimes I wonder? It has to do with managing 70+ horses for 4 years. I think she will get to it tomorrow, so look forward to it! It will be marvelous! I promise.
  Ok, so back to today. I thought since it is bussy and I don't have something 100% prepared, I would give you a topical days menu for me, and it might inspire you in some way or not lol, but its better than nothing right? Please consult a doctor or nutritionist before making any changes to your diet. I am neither and just sharing what works for me, what you do is your choice.
  I get up and have a vanilla organic yogurt and two glass's of water. feed the dog and put him out, start the laundry,bring leo back in, exercise, facebook. By then Emma Grace is ready to get up, so I get her some milk and give her a few minutes to stretch. I put on some water to boil and when it has begun boiling I add two eggs.Then get Emma Grace and put her in her chair. We share a banana and each have a small glass of apple juice.When the eggs are ready I peal them and we share the whites. I have a very small drink- 3 ounces of coffee and 3 ounces of milk with one spoon of sugar and a glass of water.After breakfast we do the dishes, and then  we might go for a walk or play for a bit.We mix in laundry , necessary phone calls, and other chores throughout the day as best we can.
  Mid mourning snack is usually an apple or orange and some all natural cheese. There is usually roughly 3 hours between when we eat. Lunch varies of course, but a typical one would be a salad, with a small amount of chicken 3-5 ounces,.with balsamic vinaigrette.In the middle of the afternoon I might have some hummus and  carrots or fresh broccoli.I usually give Emma Grace some of everything I am having chopped well enough she can eat it, but I do also give her some servings of healthy age appropriate Gerber foods,.as needed.
  Diner is usually a portion the size of your palm of a protein ( fish, chicken ,beef,lamb ex. local and organic when possible) a vegetable as much as you want, but at-least a palm size portion, and fresh when possible, and a starch the palm size only! Petra and I split yams or have small serving of new potato's or corn ex.
  In the evening we do not always have a desert, but we do have some sweet fruit and maybe some all natural cheese or nuts or a little serving of *potato chips*You have to be careful here! and get the ones that are cooked in Sunflower oil or something similar that is not too bad for you. (read the label) also not too many.
  Well that's about it, for now. I hope this has helped you in some small way.
                                            Sincerely,
                                                              John
***P.S. I usually exercise  a second time in the PM and we do a variety of other things throughout the day. This is life at the moment, it changes, and I hope it will include more riding , teaching and other things- I can do to support my family again soon. Hopefully better than I have in the past.

Geesteren The Netherlands!!!

   Many years ago I was afforded an amazing opportunity to work in Holland. I want to take a moment to share this story briefly.I apologize for bouncing back and fourth through time, but I am a bit eccentric to say the least, so please bear with me. We have some ideas for interesting topics that are from our more resent past, the present, and hopes for the future, they are just still cooking and not quite ready to be offered for you to taste yet!
   Holland is a beautiful yet small county.  But big in intellectual minds, ingenuity, and heart !!! The people are very warm, generous and kind.They have Fantastic beaches. They grow stunning flowers. They have an amazing night life and cultural extravaganza.They have marvelous restaurants with everything very fresh and delicious.They also breed raise and train sport horses of the highest quality! Partly due to necessity and partly due to their immense pride they are incredibly efficient, organized, and clean, in every aspect of their culture.They put families first and have excellent social, educational, and environmental systems in place that are always improving.They apply this to the horses as well. The selection of breeding stock is as strict if not the strictest in the world, and the results from the world young horse classes all the way to Hickstead, and Totilas, and the WBF rankings give proof it is working well.
   I guess you can tell I liked it. I even considered making it my home at one point. The horses are fantastic, and horse sports are on TV all the time. The horse competitions are extremely well run and affordable, with great audiences, prize money and sponsorship.When there is a competition the whole town comes, and there are vendors, music, and great competition.
  I worked at a jumper sales farm that was the most active in the country at the time. I was able to ride some amazing horses, most of whom went very well for me. I was able to attend some incredible shows. Everything was done first class. Why did I leave? you ask, well the owner of the farm and I agreed that I had the riding talent needed to ride at the highest levels, and all I needed was time, the horses, and experience. I was too nice and too soft and did not like the quick fixes sometimes they felt were necessary at that barn. I will just leave it at that, but I will also say, I am very thankful for the time I spent there. I learned a great deal.
   What was the most amazing thing I saw? An international rider from Canada was trying a young potential GP horse and went through a one stride vertical to oxer at the top of the standards, and was still not sure they were ready to pay the incredible top price for the horse. So another fantastic young rider Michael and I were told to pick up the standards- holding up the back  rail of the oxer to our knees! We did which made it well over 2 meters or well over 7 feet!!! The horses jumped it cleanly and the rider shouted SOLD! on they way down.
   What was the biggest realization for me jumping 2 meters on a horse I had never ridden before and realizing how much the sport is about horse power, and there is probably a lot of truth to the saying "a great horse with a good rider- will always beat a great rider on a good horse"
   What did I like best? The people I am only sorry I have not been able to stay in touch with Michael and so many other truly marvelous, fascinating, and kind people I worked with and was fortunate enough to meet!
  I hope this has helped you in some small way.
                                                              Sincerely,
                                                                              John
P.S. Am I Dutch? well yes and no. If you go back in my family tree you will find Dutch, German, English, French, Irish, Scottish, and possibly a few other origins that can't be verified, BUT I was BORN in the USA so in the end I am an American first, but also a citizen of the planet earth who hopes to find a way to get along and live peacefully with everyone! I hope you can respect that even if you don't agree with it!

The Challenge of Trading Places

  Many times in life we need to be willing to trade places with others. I am doing it again, in one of my favorite ways. Petra has started a new position, and I am taking care of Emma and things at home.I have done this before and I want to talk about the challenges it poses for me and the rewards.
  The challenges, the biggest one has to be being apart. Petra and I are extremely close. I value her opinion on everything. I take great joy in sharing life's experiences with her, laughing at the funny stuff, asking her what she thinks about this horse or that ride, or something like- what shall we have for dinner or  holding hands.
 I feel we work best together but this isn't always possible. When I am working it is a little easier,because I am being kept busy by people and tasks. I still miss her input on everything. She has a unique take on things, which I love, even when we don't always agree.I just love doing things with her no, matter what it is. It is hard to put into words, but if I can't be with her, it is easier to be busy.
  When she is working and I am home its harder in many ways, but not the ones you might think. I don't mind the house work, even cleaning the bathroom. This is partly due to the fact that Petra is very appreciative of my efforts and very rarely critical.Also I find it easier and get joy from doing something that I know will make someone else happy, than I do from doing something for my benefit. I am working on that. Examples like making time to study, work out, or get something I truly need to make my work better.
  Taking care of children is both a challenge and a joy. On the one hand you have to keep them fed, clean, happy, and safe! On the other it is fantastic to watch them grow and learn and laugh! I have been fortunate to have had a lot of time with all three of my kids when they were very young. I must admit, that is one of my greatest challenges now is that I am far away from Grant and Joshua.I mis that time. Not being able to be there for their games, other competitions, boy scouts and ever changing activities is very hard. I just try and be thankful for the time I can be with them, and hope they know how badly I wish I was there always. I really try and make the time I do get count. This has also motivated me to be sure and put things aside for Emma Grace, because they grow up so fast. So I just sit and play or read or walk with her whenever I can. I try focus on how lucky I am to have her in my life, and that she is only this age once. Which is true for all of us everyday!!! WE ONLY GET TO LIVE TODAY ONCE, SO HOW DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IT? That is really the big question, don't you think?
  I hope this has helped you in some small way.
                                                        Sincerely,
                                                                          John

My continued search for a balanced life

   I want to tell a story with a few metaphors about how sometimes people can offer us opportunities and knowledge and yet knowing how to take advantage of this can be hard and complicated.
 I once worked for a very wealthy man. He made his fortune in real estate, banking, and hospitality.He is now diseased so I will call him Mr. B since he is not around to put in his words.We were sitting at a bar alone in a restaurant I was helping run for him and discussing the meaning of life so to speak. Things like turning lemons into lemonade ex. He had 10 small business that were separate from his big ones and he wanted to train me to be able to take them over upon his death, which was very faltering. His reasoning was everyone liked me, I was eager, and I looked like his favorite dead uncle! He told me everything that would happen over the next 8 years as far as the economy, and he was 100% right. I feel stupid I did not find a way to use this knowledge to do some good. He told me how everything in life was like a bell cure, and some people made money when things were on the way up, and others when things were down, but a few really smart people knew how to shift and change with the times and make money all the time.I turned him down, because I was working 7 days a week already, and I  hardly saw my family, and everyone who dedicated themselves to him while financially successful, were unhappy from what I could see as people. I also was not making enough to keep my farm, which I did have to sell anyway.
  I feel badly I didn't get to say goodbye to him though. He was a good guy and only wanted to teach people what he thought would work for them. He had four wives, many children, and grand children who I hope benefited from his hard work, and are using what he left them to make a positive impact on the world he so dearly loved. He told me how he loves them all very much and worried about them all them time. He felt badly when ever he couldn't be there for something that was important to them or he disappointed them in some way, but he also fealt very blessed to have had the life he had.
  For me I would like to use a riding metaphor to illustrate this concept I am still trying to apply to my life, to help achieve my goals. When jumping the landing and strides after a jump are just as important as the approach and take off, and technique while airborne, because there may be another fence to jump and if the course is over you want to be sound and in good health to face the next course. The same principle could be applied to dressage just replace the jump with a movement!
  I am still trying to create the life I hope for myself and those I love. I also feel horrible when I can't be there for any of them in any way and any time I disappoint them in any way.I am thankful for the chance to try and the life I have had even though I have failed many times. I have succeeded a few,and its NOT OVER!!!
***THANK YOU MR B!!! YOU ARE MISSED AND REMEMBERED!!!
  I hope this has helped you in some small way.
                                                                 Sincerely,
                                                                                   John
P.S If I can help you in any way, please let me know,and I will try to do what I can.