Category Archives: horses
It’s Hot for Pets, Too
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just lie in a pond like this during the worst heat?
There is hot, there is July Mid Western United States hot and then there is just extreme heat and that is what we all seem to be suffering under right now.
We all know to slow down and drink plenty of liquids and to not do strenuous exercise in the heat. If you are like me, it is all you can do to just get the minimal things accomplished you have to do to live. However, don’t forget about your pets. After all, it’s hot for pets too.
We have to remember to make sure our pets have an ample and easily reached source of water. We have to remember animals need at least a patch of shade to get under to get out of the direct sun. We have to remember to bring them inside into air conditioning or fans if we have them.
All of these things should seem like a given, because if you are like me you will make sure your dog, cat or other animal friend has the things they need just like you do to get through the hottest days on record. I put ice cubes in the water bowl and make sure it is always filled with fresh water. I put water in the bathroom sink so they can jump up on the vanity and put their paws in or just play in it when they want. I also make sure there is a cat perch that gets the cooling breeze of a fan or air conditioning vent. When I had a pet dog, I made sure never, ever to leave him in a parked car and I also made sure not to let him run or play a lot in the heat of the day.
I know most animal guardians do the same or similar things for their pets. But do you remember your pet’s feet?
That is right, their feet. Think about it. When you take your pet for a walk, are they walking on a cement or stone sidewalk? While you are wearing shoes are their paw pads hitting concrete that is well over one hundred degrees?
If you can’t keep your pet in the grass then you need to get them protective shoes or boots for their feet. I know the shoes or boots can be a little pricey. However, they don’t cost as much as a trip to the vet to treat burned paws.
Try to walk your pet in the early morning or late evening and keep them off pavement if possible. Just use this rule of thumb, if it is too hot for you to walk barefoot on the pavement, then it is too hot for your pet to do it. If it is hot for you it ‘s hot for pets too.
Below is a video of a horse who has the right idea when it comes to hot days. His horse guardians put a sprinkler out just to see what the horses would do. One particular horse named King Joseph took full advantage of the surprise source of cooling water.
Would anyone out there like to tell me once more why you call animals dumb?
Keep cool, keep your pets cool and enjoy your summer without injury. Just remember it’s hot for pets too.
Horses Seized in Maryland
People have really suffered due to the poor economy in the United States and around the world. At this time, many are still suffering from adverse economic conditions. When people suffer hardship, animals and pets they are responsible for naturally suffer too.
When economic stress hit Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Canterbury Farms was home to over one hundred Polish Arabian horses. By the time animal welfare authorities were called in, many of the horses were in very bad shape. In fact, some were as much as three hundred pounds underweight.
From The Humane Society Press Release;
CENTREVILLE, Md.— The Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Days End Farm Horse Rescue and Summer Winds Stables assisted Queen Anne County Animal Control enforcement in the rescue of 133 horses from a Centreville property. The animals were removed from the property by Queen Anne County Animal Control after the County witnessed poor conditions during an inspection of the property. This is one of the largest equine rescues in the state.
When rescuers arrived on the 200-acre property, they found 133 Polish Arabian horses. Many were in poor health and showing signs of neglect. Many of the animals were extremely emaciated and suffering from a variety of medical ailments including overgrown, infected hooves and parasite infestation. Queen Anne County Animal Control initiated this case and reached out to the rescue groups for assistance.
I have difficulty understanding this kind of cruelty and abuse. Certainly this horse breeder could have reached out to animal or specifically horse organisations for help. But the fact is she kept breeding the horses for colts to sell while she was not providing food for them. The horses were starving. I am really trying not to be judgemental, but I truthfully can’t see any reason for this kind of treatment and neglect of animals.
The video below will allow you to see some of the horses.
No animals deserve this. Please, if you know of a situation in which an animal needs help or you yourself need help with your animal, contact the proper people to get assistance. Email fluffy feet and we will also try to find someone to help you.
Animals cannot email, text or make phone calls. It is up to us to be their voices when they need help.
This is what a well cared for Arabian horse should look like.
Hoof Power Returning to Farms
My father and grandfather would be very surprised to hear bringing oxen back to do a lot of work tractors usually do in the US is big news. When they were farming they used both oxen and draft horses to pull plows, clear fields and do any number of other things.
I personally have seen these animals hooked up to different pieces of equipment and working the farm. But that was in Amish country where the farmers don’t usually use tractors at all. However, unless they have gone to a fair or special show, many people under 50 may not have seen these huge and strong animals do their stuff.
It is great really when you think about it. You don’t have to waste fossil fuel and pollute the air when you use oxen and you get a whole lot of fertilizer for the compost heap and eventually the garden.
From The New York Times;
Standing just inside the paddock at Moon in the Pond Farm, where he works, he put a rope around Lucas and Larson, his pair of Brown Swiss steer. He led them to the 20-pound maple yoke he had bought secondhand from another ox farmer, hoisted it over their necks and led them trundling through the fence so they could begin hauling fallen logs.
Mr. Ciotola, 32, is one of a number of small farmers who are turning — or rather returning — to animal labor to help with farming. Before the humble ox was relegated to the role of historical re-enactor, driven by men in period garb for child-friendly festivals like pioneer days, it was a central beast of burden. After the Civil War, many farms switched from oxen to horses. Although Amish and Mennonite communities continue to use horses, by World War II most draft animals had been supplanted by machines that allowed for ever-faster production on bigger fields.
I am all for working and draft animals helping on the farm. They don’t pollute, are quieter, nicer to look at and they smell a whole lot better, too….really.