Dodge

[ljbrooks]

DODGE - VERY sweet older gelding, approximately 18 yrs old, 15+ hands, dk. brown. Easy and gentle to handle and approach, picks up feet ( which are a little long right now), has old bridle path . He is bright eyed and appears sound, we got on him bareback and he is light and responsive in the rope halter, didn't mind us crawling on him. Backed up, stopped, appeared to neck rein, etc. Great older guy with a lot of life left to give. In pretty good condtion really, just needs some personal attention and care. For Adoption Only.

$625

[ljbrooks]

Ranger said the following quote. Not sure if it's the same ranger as here, but I really liked it and think of it often.



"My friends and I always say, "I really start to like a horse after they are over 20!". Horses like these are like gold. Congratulations on both Dodge and Gambler! "

[ljbrooks]

Here's all his info that I posted on the CBER thread.

Gambler and Dodge both went to the vet today. Dodge is in his mid twenties, not 19! His blood tests were mostly okay. Elevated globulin. Could be lots of things, waiting to see if it's just "nothing or something". He got shots, teeth, etc. Had an abscess that had ruptured and that was cleaned and medicated. Swollen eyelids that I get to doctor 3x daily. His teeth were HORRIBLE. I thought Gambler was going to have the bad teeth award. Nope. Dodge won, an unfortunate victory. Vets thinks we will see a major difference within two weeks. Will keep you posted.
* * * *

Dodge LOVES to get brushed. He will just stand and stand for any sort of grooming. That's my hubby, who's taken over.
* * * *

Update on Dodge: I think his main abuse has happened with men. He is totally fine with me, but around men he is very nervous. Soooooo....my Father-in-law has been coming over to groom and mess with him once in a while to get him used to him, since he wants to ride him on trails eventually. He tacked him up just to ride around our drylot for a bit and Dodge was very nervous at first. I was watching the whole time, for both their reactions. FIL is a lifelong horse person. Anyway, about 10 minutes into the ride, Dodge totally relaxed and walked calmly for a couple more minutes. That was enough for today.

Just for comparison though....my 5 year old daughter wanted to ride when "Did-Did" was done and we popped her up with helmet, buddy stirrups, etc. and she totally had Dodge doing it all. Stops, turns, etc. Well...everything for a not-super experienced 5-yr-old. We are very pleased with him.

Oh, he also has a brand. Couldn't tell until we got more shed off. I'll try to get a decent pic of it and you all can tell me if you recognize it. Not to contact anyone. Just curiosity.
* * * *
Took Dodge on a trail ride today. The boy MOVES OUT! He is all about GOING! He is very responsive and listens very well. He has a thing about jumping around during mounting, but this is new. We just took it slow and eventually he stood still and ended up having a fantastic ride. We have 100's of acres of BLM a couple miles from our house so out we go once a week or so and get some exercise.

What a neat horse. I like him more every day.
* * * *
No, we haven't attended any shows, but Dodge won most improved in our household recently by packing my husband all over Hells Canyon last week. It was a "camping" trip while carrying guns (all you anti-hunters ) and they had to camp about a 1 1/2 hour horseride OUTSIDE the unit because it was snowed in. So, two of our horses (Dodge and one non-CBER) trekked in everyday, miles and miles. My husband estimated it was about 15+ miles daily on horseback. Dodge got gimpy on about the 4th day. He's barefoot and I think his feet are still getting used to that. He had horrible feet when I got him and we're still working on that. So, smart hubby that I married, gave him some Bute and gave him the next day off. He lazed around camp and ate the spring grass. Next day he was ready to go again.

This horse is just fantastic. He goes and goes and then wonders why his rider wants to stop. He is SO much better about being handled (that past abuse thing ) and I think he was just perfect for my advanced beginner hubby to learn on. We have lots more trips planned for Dodge (and Mesquite "CBER" when we can get him sound) and will update as they come. Dodge is now my "go to" horse when I want to get away by myself. I am VERY pleased with my CBER horses and Dodge tops the list, riding wise.
* * * *
Love, love, love this horse. His trust in me is becoming absolute. Now, when he spooks at something, he'll stop almost immediately and come back to me, when we're out in the pasture. He's a fantastic boy.
* * * *

Dodge got his feet done on Wednesday!!!!! Nice, nice farrier. No other Central Oregonians may use him. He's MINE! Okay, Tonisha and Wendy, but only because they are the ones who gave me his name.

Will try to get pics in a couple days. He put shoes on the front, not on the back. Took off LOTS of toe. Completely cleaned out the crack (big "V" in it now) and packed it with antiseptic wax. That's new to me. All the stuff I learn every day!

Farrier said something funny. He said that he really wants to make a shoe for humans...one with a 3" piece of plywood sticking out on the toe and make them walk up and down a gravel drive. That's what our horses feel like when we let them go too long. I enjoyed it.
* * * *

I took Dodge camping this past weekend. Just me and him and it was great fun. Happy Trails Cowboy Campground near Chiloquin OR. People were exceptionally nice. Camp itself was well furnished for both horses and people, but right near the highway. Trails were beautiful, though!

On the way home, my alternator belt broke (I'm just staying home from now on! ) in Chemult. I had no idea how long we'd be stuck there, so I unloaded Dodge and thought I'd walk him down to the gas station 1/2 mile or more away. No sense leaving him to bake in the trailer. Then, I thought "Why not just ride him?" Okay, I really did think about the fact that I was on a highway. That my horse just stepped out of a trailer in a new place, but why not? Know what...? He was perfect. I rode him along the highway past broken down cars and trailers and trucks going by at breakneck speed. We had to cross the highway. No help at the first gas station, so on to the second. That gas station attendant pointed across the highway, so back across we went. After dismounting and dragging Dodge over broken car parts and around a backhoe and some serious debris, we found a man leaning over a car. Apparently, he hadn't heard me yelling though his shop and office. He was, however, very helpful and drove back to my broken truck. I rode Dodge back and had to answer questions about him along the way. "Hey! I like your horse!" This from an adolescent yelling out of a second story window. "Is it a boy or a girl?" That's always a favorite question. Do I answer gelding and confuse the issue or just say boy? "What's his name?" Truly, I really like talking with kids about horses. I wish people had talked to me about their horses when I was young.

Car was jumped, back to his shop. Replaced the belt and we were on our way.

I lucked out on this horse. I think all horses can be a guessing game, but for some reason this is the right horse for our situation. I love him, my husband loves him and he fits in very well with our horses. He picks on Chavez, but I guess it all rolls downhill. Wish I had remembered my camera while camping. We rode through some beautiful country. I would hobble him and have my lunch and read a book in a meadow. Very relaxing. Will get more pics up soon.

* * * *

Dodge got trimmed and reset today. He also got shoes put on the hind, since we plan on going through some crazy country in the next few months. I hope to wean him off shoes over the winter and get some good concavity going on down there and leave them off next spring as well. He may always have to have shoes on the front, with the big split.

Farrier told me today that when Dodge sustained his hoof, coronet, almost to the ankle injury, with resulting scar, that that whole side of his foot had to be separated and dangling. It has grown back in a way that shows just HOW apart it was. Imagine a piece of paper. Rip it down the middle. Pull the right side down a bit. Push the left side up a bit. Now tape it back together. That is Dodge's hoof in simplicity. Can you even imagine the horror? Literally, a third of his foot, even a little more, was split apart and dangling. It didn't heal perfectly, of course, but my farrier thought it wouldn't have even under the best of circumstances. At least he's alive. And his feet ARE getting better every time.

He stands like the consummate gentleman every time he is being worked on for anything. Love, love, love this horse. Praise God he survived his injury to find his way to us.

We went for a ride today before the farrier came and my FIL went on Panda (non-CBER). Dodge MUST be in front and FIL kept trying to ease Panda up 'cause he thinks it's funny to watch Dodge react. Anyway, we were loping on a flat stretch and here comes Panda on our heels. Panda is not fast, so they had to be in 4th gear. Panda is at Dodge's shoulder and he literally kicks into overdrive. We were flying! Much to our chagrin, we're coming hot into our turn. Dodge remembers our path every time and will not deviate. I yelled to FIL (who has a hearing problem) that we're about to turn, slow down. He is just laughing! Grinning like a fool. At least I recognize the turn and lean into it. I'm pretty sure we came down to a lope, but it was crazy for a few seconds. I'm embarrassed to admit I lost a stirrup. FIL is still alive and couldn't stop grinning for an hour.
* * * *

Dodge is a good boy. He is doing well. I had to move him away from the love of his life. She is getting fat and he is getting skinny. Not good. So, he is separated from her and getting more food. Silly boy.

I took him for a short ride this morning before my husband went to work (he watched the kids). I would love to start doing that more. Tonisha and Wendy if you are reading this, how about 6:30am-ish a couple times a month?

Anyway, Dodge loves to go fast! He is calm and walks slowly when we are riding in company, but get him out alone and he wants to explore. We played our favorite trail ride game today. I took a very circuitous route out, with lots of turns, up and down hill, then I let him choose the path back and see where he goes. He almost always follows the exact path back that we took going out. I try to only steer if he is taking me under a low hanging tree. Fun game!
* * * *

Dodge is doing well. He is a sweet, happy boy. Nothing new to report, really. I was just updating the others and thought Dodge needed a word or two.

He gets to go on a two week camping trip starting Monday. Will report when he gets back. Sadly, I'm not going. Adam and FIL are taking him and Panda (non-CBER) to Idaho.
* * * *
So the good ole boy, Dodge got to go on a trip to Idaho with hubby and FIL. Hubby (Adam) rode Dodge while FIL rode one of my mares. Both horses did great, but they were in some pretty hairy situations and he said Dodge handled himself like a pro the entire time. They rode some trails that were very treacherous and Dodge slid on to his knees once but didn't panic. They were also right next to a bear and her cub and Dodge was worried, but didn't freak. He climbed hills that, in retrospect, Adam was sure they should NOT have tried. All in all, Dodge is smokin' tired, but happy and healthy. Adam got a 5 point elk and we spent the day vacuum packing it.
* * * *

Dodge got his shoes removed and feet trimmed today. We were going to just reset the fronts, but it turns out his crack is actually mending! The shoes took the stress off his feet long enough to grow a "patch" in there. Farrier wanted to leave the shoes off since we don't intend on doing any hard riding and let it continue to heal. I could actually see the "vein" that was growing from one side of the split to the other. Pretty cool.
* * * *

Dodge and I went on a trail ride with Dustyroads and Wildwoman yesterday. It was fun. Dodge was freaked of Tom's mule, but overall a super ride. Good to get out with CBER friends!
* * * *

[ljbrooks]

Seems so weird to be doing this AGAIN, but I love this horse and want all of you to know about him too.

First day home - March 18, 2006


Home about a week.


Home a couple of months, after a bath.


The hoof injury.


In his super-sexy flysheet.


I love this one.


Ready for a parade in Morton, WA.


Packing hubby and gear all over Idaho.


And...more recently.

[Admin]

What a handsome boy! You've done a great job with him. ;D

[Tate]

Love the pics of Dodge in your care. What a happy horse he is.

[ljbrooks]

This is a picture from December (Oops. Forgot it was on the camera). I took him to the beach and we rode and rode, every day. We both loved it. He wasn't scared of anything. We didn't swim in the ocean (too cold!), but he did walk and lope along the surf, getting his legs wet.

[ljbrooks]

Just received results from a test for insulin resistence on Dodge. Last year he had a LONG winter coat that I eventually shaved off, but I thought it was from bad nutrition, being on the feedlot, who knows what all. This year, same thing, and he's just not shedding it, so we start on Pergolide in the next couple of days. The vet said we could still get it, so that is good. I hope this makes a positive influence on his longevity. I love this horse so much.

He took a friend on a trail ride with me, hubby, and friends wife last weekend and did great. He cantered when his rider didn't want to a couple of times, but I did warn him that Dodge is sensitive to cues!! ;D

[hystyle]

He is such a good boy! So if he's still not shedding he must still have the poodle cut!

[ljbrooks]

We are calling it the "reverse poodle" since he's shaved where poodles would normally keep their hair. But, yes, he looks the same as he did 4 weeks ago or whenever we last rode.

I just picked up the Pergolide yesterday and plan to start it today. Hopefully, this will do the trick.

[ljbrooks]

Faith was taking lessons on Dodge for awhile. He is a bit much for her until she has more control with her legs and such. He likes to go and she was having a hard time getting him to stay at a slow trot. Here are some pics from one of their lessons.





Learning to post.




The Pergolide is working, but not 100%. He shed the long hair, but what grew back still isn't summer-short. So, I bathed and clipped him a couple of days ago. I didn't get any pics of him clipped, but here he is all clean and happy. (He was only on the grass to dry until I could clip him. He wasn't there very long).

[atticus]

He is such a sweetheart & Faith looks so great in her lesson!

[ljbrooks]

I submitted my Success Story and thought I'd post it here as well. I don't think the pics will transfer, but I can post more later. Dodge is okay. Is not holding his weight well. He normally needs his teeth done about every 6 months, but may have to start doing it more frequently. I get my trailer back from the shop in a few days and then plan to take him in for a check-up and Mahan for his foot x-rays (after way too long without!!).

Ah, Dodge. This is the horse I was supposed to find ten years ago…at least. But then, my mind says “no”. I wasn’t in a position to appreciate this horse until now. After the green broke horses had their way with my spine, and an ex-show horse decided she hated trail riding. Only after that came the hairy boy that I adopted as a gift for my husband.

He came home the same day as Gambler (RIP) and together they were a sorry lot. Shaggy, yet bony, it was tough to tell where to start. We fed and vetted them. A day or two after coming home, I went out to feed the QT boys and Dodge was three-legged lame. (Note the left hind in photo) As my first feedlot rescues (my previous rescues had been from other circumstances) I wondered if I had just made a horrendous, and expensive, mistake.

It turned out to be an abscess that healed quickly after treatment. Perhaps these new horses would be okay after all. Dodge didn’t drop his winter coat with the other horses that spring, so I eventually shaved him. He was later diagnosed as Insulin Resistant, for which he gets Pergolide. He is a beautiful seal-brown bay when he is clean in summer coat. I tend to assume, perhaps naively, that any gelding of a certain age is broke to ride. So one day, after he had progressed in his condition and the abscess was long healed, I tacked him up to see what he knew.

To say that Dodge is well-trained would be like saying Michael Jordan likes Basketball. True, but not nearly significant enough to describe him. He is so light in the bridle that I sometimes wonder if I just thought about it and he did it. He is sensitive to cues so much that I hesitate to put beginners on him because they could be in for the ride of their lives, whether they want it or not. One circumstance was with a friend who had ridden horses, but not much. He and his wife wanted to go riding and I put him on Dodge. He’s a grown man, who is kind and gentle with animals. About halfway through the ride, when we had watched Buff (the guy) canter on ahead several times, bouncing wildly in the saddle, I asked him if he was trying to go faster. He said Dodge was acting up and just going faster whenever he chose. This did not sound like Dodge at all. Though he likes to go fast, he does so only when he is told to. I asked if he was inadvertently touching his heels to Dodge’s side. I watched them ride a bit longer and soon, I saw what was going on. Buff was flopping around a bit, talking to us and generally not paying attention to his legs. Whenever his heels just tapped Dodge’s sides, Dodge reacted as he should, with a faster gait. Unfortunately, that just made Buff’s legs smack him more. If Buff wasn’t having a great time and truly not trying to make him go faster, we would have switched horses. Frankly, I think Dodge was messing with him. Giving the green rider a chance to see what a real horse ride is all about.

Dodge also has speed that I’ve never experienced on horseback before, and once he is going, he doesn’t like to stop. Don’t misunderstand and think that he doesn’t listen to his rider. The boy just loves to run! A canter is very rarely adequate, and the trot is a useless gait. The first few months I rode Dodge, we worked on staying at a walk. I didn’t care if he was a speed-walker, but that was the gait he was allowed. Only when he was carefully holding himself at a walk without me constantly checking him, did we shift gears and he learned the beauty of a four (not just 4th!) gaited lifestyle.

Several months after bringing Dodge home, Adam took him on a hunting trip to Idaho with his father and another horse. To chronicle the whole trip is to reiterate the spirit of a horse who has learned to trust after the betrayal of the feedlot. That he let Adam ride him at all (he remains wary of new people, especially men), let alone packed to the hilt with hunting equipment, is amazing.

Adam is a gregarious hunter, often returning to camp after dark. Luckily, Dodge has an uncanny knack for not only finding the trail home, but maintaining his course even if the trip back is only his second time ever seeing that specific route. One evening, Adam’s headlamp burnt out far away from camp. They had been hunting high on a mountaintop and had to traverse down on a deer trail. Coming up in daylight had, of course, not been a major issue. Though tricky, it had not been life threatening. Returning at dark with no light source available is a different story altogether. Adam realized any direction he might steer Dodge could be wrong; either ramming them into the side of the mountain, or careening off a cliff. Adam said a quick prayer and, wisely, gave Dodge his head.

Adam still likes to tell this story of how he was sure they would at least stumble and fall partway down. Dodge never took a misstep. He maintained a sedate (for Dodge) yet forward gait. Adam wasn’t aware of the time that elapsed, only that after what seemed like hours, Dodge halted and waited. Adam saw the outline of the tent in the blackness. Dodge had brought them safely home.

Though I don’t have such dangerous riding stories with Dodge, his efforts for me have been no less heroic. This past summer, Wendy, Tonisha and I joined a riding club that holds play days. Speed events? There is no question on who to take.

I had never (I’d like to repeat NEVER) done any sort of gaming on horseback. I’m not opposed to some au natural pole bending through the Aspens on a trail ride, but this was a whole different thing.

Barrels were first, and we waited for our group with some trepidation. Even as I write this, my stomach is knotting with remembering. Dodge was stoic. He was calm and easy, just as he is normally around people he knows and trusts. As I tightened my cinch one last time, I contemplated the upcoming ride. Do I ride it safe and slow? Or, as my heart demands, do I let Dodge do his job as I’m pretty sure he already knows?

As it should, the heart won. Dodge was calm until we entered the arena, then his head came up, he was trotting in place and turned himself in a warm-up circle. I had no idea which direction he was used to, so I opted right. Wrong. We passed the timer and he strained at the reins to go left, but I had committed right so turned him and he caught on and dug a hole cutting around that barrel. Streaking toward the next barrel he thought he might be done and headed home. I pulled him up and headed to barrel number three. He scooped right around and laid out in a flat-out run to the finish line. Oh. My. Goodness. How do I stop this horse?! One rein stop; that should work. Around and around we went in a galloping circle, until he calmed and relaxed. He walked out of the arena. I hopped off, loosened the cinch and patted him. He was at ease again with no sign that he had just run his heart out. Our time was 33.something seconds, but sadly (remember barrel number 2) we had gone off course. No score.

After that we did another play day (22 seconds on barrels!) and many, many trail rides together. We were even in a parade. Just this past July, I entered my daughter and her mare in the SAFE show in Boring, OR. She had done one show previously, but only in lead line. She wanted to ride by herself this time. I thought it would be fun to ride as well, but with my six year old daughter there, I had to use a dependable horse that I didn’t have to worry about. At all. Dodge.

The day of the show dawned crisp and cool. A few gray clouds threatened rain, but nothing could shake our feelings of anticipation as we groomed our horses and dressed ourselves. Faith and I had signed up for a daunting number of classes. She was first with her mare in non-colored halter horse. She was a trouper, but Panda didn’t place. Then Dodge and I were up in Rescue halter horse. Okay, I thought that was a bit of an oxymoron, but what the hay. As the judge went down the line calling numbers for the group to stay in for placements, I was shocked to hear our number called! Now, I must preface this with saying that I absolutely think Dodge is gorgeous. However…he is ribby. He is graying, well, everywhere. One hoof is split (serviceable thanks to my fantastic farrier, but still…).

The judge walked by each horse and handler and spoke a few words. I wondered what she would say as she walked up to us. If you are disinclined to believe amazing stories, do not read the rest of this paragraph. She, very quietly, said that Dodge was a perfectly formed horse. She would love to place him first (what?!), but just couldn’t given that he was older and ribby and, well, the list goes on. But, she did call him out, and gave him an Honorable Mention. I am not a person who necessarily believes that something must be lovely to be wonderful, but to have that kind of recognition from a judge, that, I assume, does this for a living or at least a time-engrossing hobby, was phenomenal. I wanted to shout from the rooftops that this was a slaughter-bound horse. This “perfect” specimen was relegated to feeding foreigners with his own flesh, and now I hear that he is everything any showman could want? Irony is a funny thing. It can be biting, yet humorous. Blissful, yet tragic.

Later that day, Dodge took 2nd place in Western Pleasure through no help on my part. Did I mention this was my first horse show, other than leading my daughter in her previous show? I hung on and asked for the wrong leads and wondered what I was doing. Dodge switched himself to the correct leads, kept me upright and completed the job himself. Here’s the kicker. Later that day, in stock seat equitation, judging…ahem…the rider, we took 5th (Behind the wonderful Liz Clark and Buena). That was the lowest we placed that day (in the classes we placed in) and it was based on me, not Dodge. How humbling is that?

We also competed in the gaming events. How could we resist? Dodge was raring to go and we were all over the place in barrels. Oops. I wouldn’t mention this except that too many people reading this actually witnessed it; I almost fell off during barrels. The horse is fast and determined. We were circling those barrels whether I was in sync or not.

Despite that he took 2nd in both Idaho and California Stakes races. He would have gotten first (in my opinion) if he’d had a better rider. I think he longs for the days when he had someone who knew what in the world she was doing in an arena, not just out on the trail.

Then again, whoever it was that rode him to certain victory in his younger years, allowed him to be in a situation that landed him in a Washington State feedlot, overlooked and unappreciated. Now, he is mostly retired. That show in July was the last time I rode him. It just takes him too long to recover from such things anymore. He now lives a horse’s dream. He has lots of hay and buddies, a shelter to return to at the end of the day and a blanket when it’s cold, whether he likes it or not. He has an owner who loves and cherishes him. I pray he lives for enough years that someday my daughter can learn to trot the barrels on him. If he’s not up to it by then, he’ll watch from the sidelines, where we’ll cheer her on.

[kidznhorses]

Lovely story, Lisa. What a tribute to a really great horse. That shaggy, skinny, boney guy at the feedlot. But you could see a real champion.

Thanks for sharing.

[gratefulknits]

Sitting here with tears running down my face, hoping no one walks in to my office until I can clean up the mess! What a beautiful story, beautifully written, deeply felt. You and Dodge are wonderful.

[halfwayhome]

Yes, thank you! I was so relieved when you saw the value of those 2 wonderful older guys with hearts of gold that should never have landed at the lot nearing the end of their lives. I was trying and hoping for an adoption for each of them and I loved seeing them leave with you and then get to looking so much better and happier with you and your family! There are many WONDERFUL older guys like these being dumped and if more people like you could just see their knowledge and usefulness they would have a horse worth his weight in gold! Many of these if given the right feed and care will last much longer and if only people would quit throwing them away when they can no longer maintain on just hay or pasture, they would have stories like yours to tell. Thanks so much for caring about them.

[pnp4kidz]

Hey Lisa,
what are you feeding him?
I think you might need to up the pergo, and get his feeds squared away, he should be able to hold some weight... the only one we have who can't is also hypothyroid, and mucho other problems...
you guys should be able to get those MidValley Milling Pellets for Cushing's horses, they are awesome, all hay, and come with a full mineral packet to make them complete... it's important that you do NOT feed anything else at all... nada... except for the salt and vit e stated on the label (or anything else the label tells you to, it does change by the lot sometimes)

He is such a dear... we have to get him stable for winter!!!

(the seasonal rise in ACTH is in Sept thru Jan, so hold on, it will pass... and if he never shed completely, then his pergolide is not high enough... )

[agilitygal]

Great story! Great writing! Thanks so much for sharing. You are both winners!

[cybercat]

Love him, Lisa!

[ljbrooks]

Good news on Dodge. I have started in (about a week ago) on LMF Low Carb Complete feed. He is doing GREAT on it! He is clearly gaining some weight, even after such a short time.

He continues to have some problems with his feet, but I'm so glad he's gaining!!

The closest place I can get Mid Valley Milling pellets is Dallas, OR. That is about 3 1/2 hours away. I will go (almost) by it at the end of December so will see if they are open and pick up a bunch on my way home. The LMF is working great, but as a complete feed that's all he eats, except for some hay to play with during the day. He eats about 20 pounds of it a day and at almost $16 for 50 pounds, I need to find a more reasonable solution. I've even starting making my lattes at home. I figure that's about as much as his feed is per day, not that I got a latte every day, but at least it makes me feel a bit better about it. Not complaining, just explaining. I'm happy to get whatever works for Dodge. It's just been a crazy bad year at work for hubby.

Will try for some pics soon. It's cold outside!!

[ljbrooks]

Moved Dodge to a covered area a couple of days ago. It's been raining cats and dogs (unusual for Bend) and his blanket was never quite drying out during the day. So, he's in a muddy turnout area with a covered, dry place to eat and rest.

Bought more beet pulp and will soak it and start adding it to his feed tomorrow. I also bought some probiotics and will add them in another week or so. I find that if I add everything at once, I never quite know what is working and what isn't. I put a wool stable blanket on him for tonight, so even when he get sprinkled on while getting a drink, the wool will keep him warm. It's not waterproof, they're all wet and gross, but will be back in circulation tomorrow, hopefully.

[ljbrooks]

Dodge continues to gobble up the LMF. He was pushing around and dumping his feed when I started adding all my new supplements at once, so am back to one at a time to see what he will readily eat. So far, he likes the iodized salt and cinnamon. Hates the psyllium and probiotics. Eats the soaked beet pulp only after picking through it for a long time and realizing it's sticking to everything so might as well eat it.

Dodge went on a short ride on Friday. I was going to let my friend Kelly ride him, but we literally got about 100 yards out the gate and had a mishap. Dodge then had a bit of a wild goose chase trying to catch a "runaway", and was then retired for the day. He seemed to like that little bit of a ride. Not ouchy on his feet, except over rocks.

That was not the intended ride for him, of course, but he did a great job and after about 20 minutes, or less, of riding, was untacked and hung out at the trailer with buddies. As always, he was gold. I think he enjoyed getting out and "being in the game" for a short time. He has been sound and good since then. Will try for pics soon. It's so cold, I don't linger outside very much.

[ljbrooks]

Dodge wintered okay. Now that we are warming up, I feel that we're past the worst and can assess the "damage" of winter.

I do plan on taking him in soon to get a check-up and he needs his teeth done twice a year, so we're about due for that as well. He is in a covered area with Chavez and a new auction filly (another story for another day!). He likes them and seems to enjoy having buddies. They are both low, low, low in the herd so don't challenge him for his feed. He chomps it while they munch their hay. Anyone else will eat with him (Belle and A la Mode) or take it (Apple Pie).

[ljbrooks]

Dodge goes in tomorrow to get teeth done and checkup to see how he's doing in general. I'm sure they'll pull blood to check the IR and make medication change decisions.

He's fine and happy. Woke up to snow this morning, so I think he's glad to have his winter coat still!