Mrs. Sun (CBER Rosalinda)

[cybercat]

MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Mare
Post by foxie on Jun 1, 2006, 2:30pm

ROSALINDA - Approx. 16hh, big lovely sorrel TB mare, seems gentle and kind, easy to approach and catch and good to handle. We were told she is broke to ride and does have old shoes on some feet. Very nice mare. For Adoption Only.

$825


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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by foxie on Jun 1, 2006, 2:31pm

More Pictures - www.columbiabasinequinerescue.org/rosalinda.htm





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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by foxie on Jun 12, 2006, 10:03pm

Has been bailed and going to CA with watermarkfarm!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by alekzandra on Jun 12, 2006, 10:41pm

Alright! Another CA Redhead.... We ARE going to start a club! I'm so glad to see this horse rescued! Way To Go, Watermarkfarm.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 14, 2006, 10:31am

Rosalinda (we will be calling her Sunny, which is her real name), is at Sam's and will ship to CA end of June or so (depending on her health).

More later! --Katie
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 14, 2006, 5:32pm

I spoke with Sam today and she said that Sunny is a real sweetie, very easy and good to deal with. She loaded and unloaded well coming home from the feedlot. Sunny just came down with a snotty nose this morning, so Sam has her on pennicillin. I hope to get another update in a few days! I am so excited! ---Katie
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Sunny
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 16, 2006, 11:18am

Since we so often know very little about our rescue horses, I am getting a great big kick out of learning about Sunny's past through a lady who was her neighbor before the feedlot (and who rode her). I thought you would enjoy an excerpt of this email I received yesterday:

>>>>Sunny has a tattoo and was on the track for two years. She only won one race. After that she went to pasture for six years untill someone bought her for a brood mare. She had two foals. My ex-friend bought her from a guy in Burbank, Wa. She was on pasture there for two years. She has been worked with and ridden regularly for the past year and a half.She had the kids on her within three months.Well keep me updated because I truly care about her. And you are gonna love her, she is so much fun to ride!!!!!<<<<
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by hooti4me on Jun 16, 2006, 6:02pm

Awesome!! There are ALOT of racetrack people in Burbank, I live close to there, but actually moving to Burbank in afew weeks. ITs so great to hear about what your horse did in the past life. Congrats on getting her, she is indeed a lovely mare.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by alekzandra on Jun 16, 2006, 6:26pm

Getting an OTTB is like opening a fortune cookie! It's so exciting to learn who they were, what they've done, and so on. Keep us all posted with updates and plenty of pictures:)
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 20, 2006, 7:42am

Just heard from the hauler....Sunny will leave WA for CA on June 26!

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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by rhea on Jun 20, 2006, 8:12am

I am so happy for Sunny, you and all the kids that will get to enjoy her. Thank you for offering her a wonderful home!
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Sunny to arrive in CA Tuesday night!
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 25, 2006, 10:03am

Sunny will arrive in Santa Rosa on Tuesday night! Everybody in Pony Club is excited to meet her. Sunny will probably have little girls grooming her on Wednesday morning----it will be hard keeping them away! More later. Katie
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Jun 26, 2006, 10:11am

Thats so exciting Katie, can't wait to see her in her new home!!!!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 26, 2006, 10:16am

This is a test to see if I can upload photos to Sunny's thread. This is our barn:



Oooohh! It worked!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 26, 2006, 10:43am

More photo uploading experiments.
This is my daughter, Demi, showing her mule "Ears To You" aka "Odie" at her first show. Demi and Odie belong to Pony Club.



This is one of our pastures:



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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by synchronicity on Jun 26, 2006, 10:47am

Awww cute name and cute photo of "Ears" and your daughter. Beautiful place, too.
On layover during his haul Tuesday night, Morocco ain't gonna wanna leave there!
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SHE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 28, 2006, 10:05am

Sunny arrived around 8am this morning. I hardly slept last night as I was so excited. She is a beautiful girl and very tired!

Sunny in her stall:


Sunny peeking out of the trailer, saying "Where am I"


Sunny getting ready to unload with Lori. Sunny is really tired from the trip and just kind of ooozed out:


Sunny seems very sweet and mellow. I picked up all four of her feet while she stood unhaltered. Her teeth are a mess----I am calling the dentist for an urgent appt. I had Sunny shod while she was at Sam's as her previous rider said she needed front shoes on all the time. More later! Katie

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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Jun 28, 2006, 10:38am

Congratulations!!!!! So excited for you two.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 28, 2006, 3:46pm

Sunny is settling in but does not feel well. She is running a 103 temp. and is a bit depressed, but is eating and drinking, peeing and pooping with good gut sounds and lungs sound pretty clear. Have been in contact with vet and am starting her on SMZs---he suspects she is relapsing into feedlot crud from the stress of travel. She has a bit of a cough. Will have vet see her tomorrow. She is beautiful! ---Katie
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by NanciK on Jun 28, 2006, 9:40pm

Hi Katie, great pictures, thank you! With all the love from you and the kids, I'm certain Sunny will pull through, no sweat. Please keep us updated, we are glued to this thread!

Have been traveling on business this week, would love to swing by and check in on both Sunny and Assurance, perhaps this weekend. Stay tuned.

Modified: to correct spelling, duh-oh!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 28, 2006, 9:51pm

Sunny is a bit better tonight. Temp down to 101.8. I took her for a walk and she brightened up a bit. She is wearing a blanket and takes everything in stride. She slept quite a lot all day and perked up when I took her for a walk this afternoon.

Nancy and Michelle, I'd love it if either or both of you wanted to stop by and take a look at her. She is pretty lame. Would be great to have other eyes/minds to mull it over with me! She does have a pretty wierd club foot in front---I had her shod and all looks well. Maybe she is sore from being barefoot and neglected in WA?

Anyway, I am glad she is here. I feel blessed! --Katie


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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Jun 28, 2006, 10:53pm

Hi Katie,
I would love to come by and meet her and you. Lets talk tomorrow.
Michelle
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jun 29, 2006, 11:21pm

Today, Sunny is feeling so much better! Her temperature was normal and she was much brighter.

Since she was feeling so well, we decided to give Sunny the famous Watermark Farm Emergency Beauty Treatment. (For those like me who live in a place where DSL is a faraway dream and have only dial-up, I have put in thumbnails----click on them to see a larger image):

Here she is with Demi (11) and Ethan (5) in a BEFORE the Makeover shot:


This is the "during" shot. Sunny was good about taking a bath. She doesn't like it when her tail is wet and she stamps her feet to tell us:



What is a bath and some show sheen without being braided? Sunny has a beautiful long mane, something which we dressage and eventing people make "short" work of in a hurry. My daughter begged me to keep it long, so a corinthian braid was the solution:




Still, we were not satisfied with braids alone. We decided to saddle and bridle the beautiful Sunny for her photo shoot (don't worry, we did not ride her. We were tempted to sit on her....but resisted. Poor horse just got off a trailer 24 hours ago! She IS soft in the bridle, though...)



Then Sunny posed for a thoughtful shot with Demi. Sunny looks like a show hunter!



Last of all, Sunny asked me if she could wear my straw hat while we posed for a photo together. At the last moment, she planted a big kiss on my face! What a ham!


Hugs from Sunny and her makeover crew at Watermark Farm!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by NanciK on Jun 30, 2006, 8:33am

Tears of joy for Sunny, and congratulations to Katie on a phenomenal "save" of another thrown-away feedlot horse, who, with kindness and love, already KNOWS who her Angel is! And a big smooch to prove it!!

I would agree that all decked out in braids and English tack, Sunny would be most welcome in the H/J show ring! She's stunning, thanks for the wonderful pix of A Makeover Story.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by hooti4me on Jun 30, 2006, 9:45am

She is gorgeous! The girls did a great job cleaning her up. I remember seeing her at my neighbors and was just aw over her.. She looks even better now. Has that glow in her coat, and love in her eyes.. Great job.. I hope she comes sound, and lives a wonderful life with you guys.. She deserves it!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 4, 2006, 11:02am

Sunny update, July 4th:

Sunny is doing well. She seems very healthy and the fever never returned. She has had a bit of a cough here and there, but that is minimal.

Soundness has greatly improved. I gave her bute for a few days, then took her off. She is what I would consider "serviceably sound" at this point (which is really great), meaning that she basically travels sound but has an uneven stride in front due to the deformed hoof. A bit of a "hitch in her getalong" if you will. Her legs and body are clean, clean, clean. So, we will work with this hoof thing and try to make it better. If she is this serviceable at this point, after all the trauma she has been thru, plus I think her feet were let go in WA by previous owner, then she should improve much with time, hoof growth, good shoeing.

Sunny has woken up! Each day, her personality decides to venture out further. Yesterday, she decided that she was in love with our ancient Arabian gelding from a distance, so she could not take her eyes off of him and paced up and down the fence crying for him. She got pretty wound up, so I brought her back in the barn. She spun around her stall and acted like a TB! Then, she calmed down. I think she tends toward being a bit herd bound, so I will work with this.

I had to do a bit of work with her while I was leading her. She was excited and unaware of me beside her. I had to get on her case and let her know to pay attention to ME, and not the other horses. She was a good girl once she remembered to behave!

I think Sunny is going to make a good adult trail horse or pony club horse. I plan to bring her with us this Saturday to the Pony Club meeting, just to walk her around and see how she does. Her "hitch" is acceptable by PC standards.

I think I know who she is: former rider said her JC name is "Wasp," and I do believe this is true. Looked it up and she fits everything. So, she was 11 years old in March, raced two years and did terrible, won nothing, and has had three foals, two of which are currently racing. She was bred in WA. Her sire's name is Wanpum,dam is Syrino. She was bred by a Kim Lawrence. Will confirm all this with the tattoo via the JC.

I wonder if Sunny's former owner reads this thread? I would love to know how she injured her hoof so badly. It must have been while she was a broodmare in WA.

I plan to get on Sunny tomorrow and hack her around a bit. Overall this is a very nice mare. Cannot believe someone would just get rid of her like that.

Katie
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by piopico on Jul 4, 2006, 10:20pm

She sounds, and LOOKS terrific Katie. Keeping fingers crossed that her hoof 'discrepancy' is fixable with good care. She's a keeper, for sure.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 11, 2006, 8:51pm

Hi Friends,

Sunny is doing great. She has been with us for 13 days now and is such a loving, sweet and kind mare.

On Sunday, I turned Sunny out for the first time with another horse. She really enjoyed this. I moved her from her QT area to the part of the barn where she can visit with everyone over the fence, too.

I lunged Sunny very briefly Sunday to watch her move. I have determined that the source of Sunny's funky front hoof is probably a very severe heel bulb injury----probably an overreach. Perhaps a racing injury? She has extensive scarring along her heel bulb, and it causes the hoof wall to grow out with scarring, making the hoof look almost triangular. She doesn't even come close to landing flat, she lands on the outside hoof wall and rolls way in. Her pectoral muscles on that side are really overdeveloped----she almost looks like she has pidgeon fever. Must have been a terrible injury----one of those that makes you feel lucky just to get the horse pasture sound.

Sunny is sound at the walk, and is sound when trotting on the straightaway. She is "off" on a 20m circle. Not lame, but uneven, like this leg is much shorter than the other. I watched her move a great deal and I am going to look into some orthotic work for her pending my consult with the vet, farrier, chiropractor, etc. I think this mare *might* benefit from some sort of shim pad. I will go slowly----don't want to break what is not broken! But I do think I can help her move a bit better with time. It will be a fun project. For sure we can get her sound enough to go on easy trail rides.

I mounted Sunny and rode her at the walk just for a few minutes. She was tense but cooperative----I think maybe her back was bothering her. I palpated it afterward and she was pretty unhappy, and of course I felt like a total jerk for not checking this first. Perhaps soreness from the trip, or ovulation (she's in season), or something else. I will have the chiropractor evaluate her. We walked, turned and stopped. I dismounted and worked on "disengaging the hindquarters," ala John Lyons. I am continuing to work Sunny in hand at the walk to get her "brakes" much more solid.

Sunny seems very smart, and willing, and wants to learn. She liked doing the Lyons work and got it very quickly (or perhaps someone has done this work with her before?). I love Sunny's kind, soft eyes. They are like chocolate!

I measured Sunny this weekend, too, and she is just barely 15 hands---a teensy TB! Weighs about 1000 lbs. She is a solid mare with kind of short legs. Everyone thinks she is Appendix. I am just enjoying her so much, she is so beautiful, inside and out. More soon, Katie


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[cybercat]

Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by alekzandra on Jul 12, 2006, 8:46am

WOW! She is so sparkly and looks beautiful all "dressed up." Keep those updates coming!
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Dirty Looks and Stall Cleanliness
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 13, 2006, 11:13am

I just heard from Rosalinda/Sunny's former rider (the neighbor of her pre-feedlot owner). I emailed her asking for answers to some of my questions regarding the heel bulb scarring and soundness history.

She replied that the scarring was from a barbed wire injury and that Sunny was sounder while she was being ridden in WA. That helps me to get some background on her. I suspect the recent neglect and being at the feedlot with that bad hoof barefoot took its toll on our girl.

Sunny loves to make her stall dirty. I think she enjoys watching me clean it twice a day. Never mind the fact that she has a stall AND a paddock AND an attached 1 acre pasture at her disposal 24/7! Sunny trudges faithfully into the stall to do all her peeing and pooping. I have gone through 25 pounds of oyster flour since she came! Every OTTB I have known has been like this----a stall pig! Is that a track thing because they are confined so much, they just give up being tidy?

Sunny actually gave me a dirty look this morning! I went to move her feed tub while she was eating, and she glared at me! Maybe I offended her by touching her feed tub, or maybe she was shocked and dismayed to see me out there feeding, bra-less and in my pajamas....
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by alekzandra on Jul 13, 2006, 6:28pm

Hehehehe! I know what you mean about the "piggy" OTTBs:) My gelding is the same way. Maybe it's from being stuck in a stall all day at the track? I'm glad you found some more on her background! That is so rare for these horses. Great job!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 14, 2006, 9:03am

Yesterday, I groomed Sunny thoroughly. She is so nice to work around, just paid back and takes everything I do to her in stride. I worked on pulling her mane (she is not crazy about it, but stands there patiently) and we did lots of carrot stretches. Sunny is really "out" in her thoracic area (behind her withers, right where the saddle sits) and literally buckles when I press there with my fingers. I have put in a call to the chiropractor. Meantime, I am going to get ahead of him by starting the carrot stretches I know he will want me to do. I also did some basic bodywork with Sunny, and she fell asleep. She is really, really sore. I wonder if she did something in the trailer, or at the lot?

Today, I am going to introduce her to the pasture. We have a 3 acre pasture with several full-time residents and a few daytime horses. I am fortunate in that everybody basically gets along (what a strange crew it is: one-eyed retired TB; ancient; paranoid POA; big fat happy PMU appy mare; my draft cross gelding; my daughter's mule. Poor Sunny probably thinks she has landed on the Funny Farm). Sunny has been getting turned out beside the pasture, so she has met everyone. I will pull everyone in and just turn her out with one horse. I think it will be good for Sunny to move around more than she does in turnout on her own.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by rocky on Jul 14, 2006, 9:29am

Thank you so much for the perfect style of update! Informative with alot of heart and pictures. Keep up the good work!!!!!!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by peppergirl on Jul 18, 2006, 6:30pm

Oh Katie,
I am literally in tears right now! Sunny looks so great and has probably never had such a caring home. I am so glad you got her, she deserved so much better than she had. Kim sold her for $400 and she was in the paper for a couple weeks. That is how my EX-friend got her. I have tears of happiness and I will no longer have to worry about her like I have for the last year and a half. I remembered that for the last few months before the feedlot she was on a very wet pasture. That may have had effects on her foot. But with your love and attention I know for a fact that she will come back fine. My good friend just moved next door to Kim Lawrence so she may be able to get you more info. Her board name is Hooti4me.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 18, 2006, 6:55pm

Thanks! I have Kim's # and have also been in contact with Hooti4me. It helps to know that Sunny was out on wet pasture, and we do know that your friend let her feet go toward the end. I think we have some work ahead of us here, but at least I know that Sunny is happy and pasture sound as-is. I enjoy working with these throwaway horses, there is much that can be done to help them along.

I just returned from 3 days away in Sacramento (where it was 113 degrees) at a Pony Club event at Rancho Murieta. Had a good time, despite the heat. When we got back today and walked into the barn, Sunny let out a HUGE whinny when she saw the kids. We filled her water tub and she stood right there, as if to say "Spray me, please!" I did, and she stood very still while I wet her down. She is so sweet.

Katie
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SUNNY MEETS THE FARRIER
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 19, 2006, 6:50pm

Miss Rosalinda Sunny had her first farrier appointment today. My friend Stacey met with the farrier as I had to leave early. He felt that Sunny will improve with time, and he will put a pad on her next time and really get a good look at her sole. My friend Stacey has not seen her go since Sunny arrived, and she felt that Sunny was sounder and seemed to think that eventually, this mare will be very happy on the trail. Both Stacey and the farrier agreed that Sunny does not seem in any way uncomfortable, her gaits are confident and free. She is just lopsided.

He did not shoe her today---she is only 4 weeks into her shoes. Will wait another 4 weeks to allow some foot growth. I will take her to Dr. Black in Oakdale in 3 weeks for xrays and a consult. The shoer is thinking about how he can support Sunny's foot better, and he said he will get a better look at her sole by paring it down a bit. He is also going to place a pad on her.

Tomorrow, Sunny goes down to the vet for a real exam and some more dental work (she has some more discomfort, I think something is not quite right). I will take my camera and get some photos.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 20, 2006, 2:56pm

Dear Friends,

Not to be outdone by Salty, I thought I should narrate my own photos today and let my mom take a break. The Family (mom and all four kids) took me on their trailer for the first time today to visit the vet. I showed my foster mom what a good horse I am by loading easily, and standing quietly. This picture was taken of me on the way home (I am sweaty from the drugs the vet gave me, plus it was dang hot!). My mom stopped by her friend's antiques shop to show
me to people.

Everyone came out and admired me, especially the owner, who I am told has Parkinson's Disease and shakes some. He stood
for a long, long time, stroking me as I slept in the trailer. When my mom told him how close I came to being made into horse salami, he was shocked that people ate horses! My mom wants to stand with me in Sebastopol with a sign telling people about horse slaughter. I am so calm, I think I could handle that!



At the vet's clinic, they gave me a shot that made me feel really s-l-e-e-p-y.....The vet got a good look at my racing tattoo. It says: Y0654 (or 9 maybe). I was pretty much out of it, otherwise I might have objected to that icky speculum in my mouth.


OK, so next the vet looked at my teeth, and did some more work to make me comfortable. Mostly, she looked me over, listened to my heart (it was strong, I could have told her THAT!). The vet was worried I might have something called TMJ, which is a problem with the joint in your jaw. I can't open my mouth very wide at all, in fact, it was hard for me to have dental work.

Do you see my new girl looking at me? That's Demi. She is 11 and has some disease called "Horse Crazy." Her parents don't seem that worried about it, so I think it might be OK. She spends a lot of time in the barn with her mule, and she likes me a lot. She is nice, and has a dirty face and shirt a lot. I like that about her. She sprays me down on hot days. The bigger lady is Dr. Spring, and she is nice, too. She must be REALLY horse crazy, because she spent a long time in vet school studying horses.



This last picture shows my other girl, Shelby. She is 8, and she has the horse crazy disease too. Maybe this is a family thing, because now that I think of it, the other horses told me that my new mom has had "horse crazy disease" all her life. She and Shelby are like Demi: they spend a lot of time in the barn and have dirty faces and shirts. You can see that my girls are watching intently and making sure the vet does things right. Hey, look at all those contraptions they have on me! By the way, I do NOT have TMJ, I just have "tight jaw muscles" and now my mom has to massage me there, too. My teeth are now in order, and I had my second West Nile shot too.

I was VERY calm at the vet clinic and everybody came to see me. I got to see a sick goat, a potbelly pig with dry skin, and a horse waking up from surgery. This was my first trip out, and I think I made The Family proud of me.



Love, Miss Rosalinda Sunny Moore

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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Jul 26, 2006, 9:40am

Just a quick note to let you know that Sunny is continuing to do well. She is now out on pasture with our five other horses. She gets along well with them, kind of staying on her own, and she is VERY polite and quiet. Everybody is pretty kind to her (I swear, they do know sometimes when a horse has fallen on hard times) and she has found a good friend in our boarder, Dancer, another OTTB and a big, bay, hunky gelding! Sunny has a boyfriend!

All of the movement in pasture, and all the really vigorous rolling Sunny is doing (gotta love those "dust pits" the horses make) has helped her body to self-adjust, and she is not nearly so sore in her thoracic area. I still have not been able to get the chiropractor out (busy summer season), but will after I get back from vacation on 8/5. You can tell a lot about a horse's spinal health by the way they roll. When Sunny first came, she did not roll vigorously at all; now she is rolling with great gusto, and can *almost* flip over. That part will come! "Tincture of Time" really does wonders. -I am looking forward to riding her a bit after my vacation. She will be in good hands with our resident farm sitter, Mark, and assorted horsey friends who have volunteered to come play with horses while we are gone. --Katie
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by hooti4me on Jul 26, 2006, 9:57am

Great to hear Katie!! Wonderful news about SUnny. Did you ever get thru to Kim? She's a busy lady, let me tell you.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 7, 2006, 12:03pm

Just a quick update on Sunny. She has been out in pasture for two weeks now and seems to enjoy it. She is definitely "low man" on the pasture totem pole----everyone gives her dirty looks, even the geldings. The feedlot must have been very hard on her! She is not terribly assertive, but very polite and smart and stays clear of trouble. Yesterday, I turned my daughter's mule out into the pasture, and Sunny discovered that she could boss HIM around, so I think that made her happy.

We returned on Saturday from our week-long vacation near Yosemite. An entire week at a little cabin in the woods, with a beach and lake just a few blocks away. We swam and ate, swam and ate, and I MISSED my horses terribly! It surprised me! By the last day, me and the two girls were depressed and ready to come home to the farm!

Sunny skinned up her forehead pretty badly while we were gone. I am not sure what she did, but it looks like maybe she ran into something? Nothing serious, but I am sure it hurt.

Sunny's back is even better after an additional week out in pasture. I am going to jump on her today and see how she does. She is scheduled to have (finally) her chiropractor visit on Wednesday. I am pretty sure her most pressing issues have resolved, so it will be interesting to see what he says about her!!! We are also going to discuss her shoeing, and the use of orthotics on her bad foot.

I am continuing to enjoy Sunny's great personality. She is incredibly polite! I have been working with a local bodyworker, Barbara Chasteen, with two of our other horses. I am learning lots of new bodywork techniques, and am really learning a great deal about horse anatomy. Sunny is going to be my guinea pig this month----I will practice a lot on her, since she is willing to stand for just about anything!


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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 7, 2006, 6:25pm

I had my first real ride on Sunny today. Just a few minutes, mostly walking with a teensy bit of trot. She was a good girl, so much more happy under saddle this time. I lunged her before for just a couple of minutes, mostly walking. I was pleased to see that she can now trot a circle on the lunge, and is much sounder than before. Progress!

Forgive my riding attire!



Sunny is soft in the bridle and to the leg. We did a little leg yielding at the walk, and I asked her to stretch down a bit. My girls (8 and 11) each took a turn walking her once around the arena at the end. Sunny is very mellow----way more whoa than go in this girl. She is going to make a fine family horse! I was pleased to see that she is feeling so much better. What a NICE NICE mare----just a heart of gold! ---Katie

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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Aug 7, 2006, 7:10pm

Hi Katie,

You guys look great. I am so happy shes feeling better. Love the pics, keep them coming. Have they started putting in your arena? Would love to come by and see you and the herd.

Michelle
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 11, 2006, 11:22am

On Wednesday, Miss Rosalinda Sunny had her long-awaited appt. with the chiropractor/"trusted old friend who helps Katie fix her less-than-perfect rescue horses" person." His name is Geoff Clarke, he is a lay chiropractor and has also been a friend for the past 15 years. He always helps me fix the hard ones!

Soooo.......Once Geoff got his eye rolling out of the way (he always does this, the "I can't believe you took on another messed-up rescue horse" eye roll, which is always followed by an incredibly long and helpful evaluation, followed by him charging me some token sum of money far below what I know he charges, followed by me turning red and thanking him profusely).....

I was surprised to find out that, chiropractically, Sunny is in "pretty good shape, all considering" and had only a few minor issues.

Geoff (who is also a farrier) wants to see Sunny in some bar shoes and a shim pad (an orthotic), as she has a pretty remarkable length-of-limb difference, something I had suspected. So next week, Sunny is going to see our local farrier, who will be working with Geoff on all of this. Geoff noted that Sunny is sore/sensitive along about 1/3 of her heel bulb and on the inside of her hoof, along the coronet band, where she has such extensive scarring. The farriers are going to "float" that area (cut away, leaving little shoe contact) and see if that helps.

My goal is to get Sunny as serviceably sound as possible. I am pretty sure that with good shoeing and bodywork and gradual fit work, she will go down along the trails quite nicely.

I am having a bit of a quandary about Sunny. Ever since she arrived, we have not felt that Sunny was the right name for her. Her former owner/breeder called her "Wasp," but I don't like that either, and she doesn't really seem to know either name. I feel bad about renaming her, but honestly, I don't feel that she likes Sunny! She seems to need some elegant, feminine name. I have never felt like I needed to re-name a horse two months after getting them. Even my girls have told me that they don't think she likes her name!

Sunny has now become accepted into the pasture herd. The appy mares (who are snobs) are actually sharing wither scratches with her, and the POA mounted her yesterday. AND, the TB gelding not only walks with her, but shared his hay with her last night. I was just about in tears. Sheesh, I really need to get a life!

Another thing. My friend, who is 70 and owns the antique shop I rent space in, met Sunny when I took her by the shop one day (in the trailer). He has never worked with horses, but he told me the other day that meeting Sunny was a "profound experience" for him (he has some serious health issues) and that he wanted to spend some time around horses. I thought that was neat, Sunny helping somebody like that.

All this got me to thinking that perhaps Sunny would be a good addition to a therapeutic riding program. She certainly is steady enough for it. I am going to check out a few in the area.

Katie
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by NanciK on Aug 11, 2006, 11:40am

Hi katie - great update, thank you! Sunny's hoof problems are right in line with most TBs. My OTTB wears bar shoes and pads in front, regular shoes on the back. After 4 years of therapeutic shoeing - by 4 different farriers, all trying different techniques - his heels are still underslung and his soles are often tender. So, I figure that's just the way he is!

I like your thinking about a therapeutic riding program for Sunny. I was contacted recently by a woman who runs one in St. Helena, looking for a compatible horse. I will PM you the info.

As far a re-naming, why not? She does strike me as a very feminine and elegant lady, perhaps we can brainstorm something more suitable!

Vanessa, Renata, Amanda....something along those lines, frilly and feminine!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by horselover4u on Aug 11, 2006, 11:44am

My 2 cents...go for the renaming if it doesn't suit her, all of the horses off the lot get a spur of the moment name (unless someone actually knows their name) and they don't seem to mind, so Sunny probably wouldn't either
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by synchronicity on Aug 11, 2006, 12:25pm

Great updates and pictures! Thank you for sharing with us!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 16, 2006, 3:59pm

I have been worried about our Sunny girl. While we were on vacation a week and a half ago, she somehow skinned up her forehead badly. It looks like she ran (or was run) into a fence, or possibly was kicked. She is missing a lot of hair, and is sore. I have been watching it, but what is concerning me now is that I have noticed that over the past few days, Sunny is quidding (dropping wads of partially chewed hay) quite a lot. She is dropping big, wet quids all over and has lost some weight. I have her back in the barn now so that I can monitor her closely, and she is on moistened hay pellets for ease of chewing. Since she has just had her teeth done, and did not quid even when they were in poor shape, I am really concerned.

I examined her mouth as best I could and could not see anything, but it is difficult to get a good look as Sunny is unable to open her mouth very wide (she has been this way from the start, vet has looked at her, it may be a TMJ type issue).

I am wondering if either Sunny might have a damaged/fractured tooth/teeth or some other facial injury. I am watching her closely, and will have her seen by the vet in a day or two if things do not improve.

Her appetite and spirits are good. I will be having her shod at the end of the month with her new corrective shoes and pads. She is a good girl, very sweet. We are starting to call her "Mrs. Sun," which she seems to like very much. It kind of evolved out of Sunny and her motherly personality----if she were a human she would serve cookies and lemonade to our children.

More soon....

Katie
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by NanciK on Aug 16, 2006, 4:18pm

Hoo boy, that doesn't sound so good.

Alright, please forgive me if this sounds elementary, but have you palpated all around her head/jaw, to see if she responds to a pain point? Would think that she would flinch when her jaw was palpated if she had a broken tooth, or any other fracture around the mouth/jawline.

Keep us updated, Katie!
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 17, 2006, 7:53am

Yes, I have examined her pretty thoroughly. She is tender over the injury site, but doesn't seem reactive anywhere else. Will see if I can get her in for an appt. either today or tomorrow. Poor old Sun. More soon.
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[cybercat]

Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Aug 17, 2006, 8:23am

I hope shes ok.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 21, 2006, 7:07pm

Here is a quickie update on Sunny, aka "Mrs Sun" aka "Sun-Sun" aka "Miss Sunshine"

She is much better today. Consulted with the vet via phone last week, per his instructions, gave meds over the weekend and Sunny is now eating normally, starting back on small serving of hay after quite a few days of living on "old horse soup" (which she loves). All I can say is....Thank God for Bute. There are times when I am really grateful for it.

So, Sun-Sun is back in her own large paddock and on R&R for a few weeks. She has gained back some of the weight she lost. She loves every minute of it, all the babying, the "special" grain, me fussing with her forehead. I will be observing her very closely. My two girls are playing with her a lot, which she loves. She is so....tender....with my kids, it is really neat. They can lead her just about anywhere. I have been in touch with a therapeutic riding program nearby, and once Sun is back to her old self, they are going to come and meet her.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 27, 2006, 9:59am

Sunny is getting back to her old self. The vet said her forehead lump may take a very long time to go away, and may never go away completely. Ugh.

Sun got some pasture turnout yesterday. She was happy about this and liked being with her buddies. She likes coming back into the barn at night to her private suite, though.

Nothing much new to report. Shoer coming Wednesday to do Sun's corrective work. After this, I will start hacking her again lightly and see how she goes. Our goat has decided that he likes Sun best, so I will try to get a photo of them eating together.
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by NanciK on Aug 27, 2006, 5:39pm

Would love to see THAT photo! ;->

Has any hair started to re-grow on her scraped forehead?
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Re: ROSALINDA - Age Unknown - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by Eileen M on Aug 27, 2006, 6:54pm

Nice to hear that things are going well through "Rosalinda's Eyes"
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SUNNY SELLS FURNITURE!!!
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 28, 2006, 5:50pm

No goat photo yet, but here is a look at Sunny's lumpy forehead. I feel very bad about it:


Next, you are wondering what a photo of a dresser is doing in Sunny's thread, aren't you? We are selling this small oak craftsman dresser in our antiques shop in Sebastopol, CA (Older But Better, across from Fircrest Market on Highway 116, 707-829-1837) and donating 100% of the sale price to the CBER pull fund. You can even specify which horse, if you want, and for those in the CBER family, we will even let you make the payment directly to CBER, so you get the tax deduction. The price is reasonable---$195----for a nice little piece.

When this dresser sells, I will replace it with another piece of furniture, and we will do this all over again.

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SUN-SUN GETS A MIRACLE MANICURE!
Post by watermarkfarm on Aug 30, 2006, 6:25pm

Today, our shining Mrs. Sun finally had her long-awaited special manicure with Eric the farrier. Eric and Geoff, our chiropractor, are working together to help Sun become sounder on her bad foot. Sunny was shod today with a bar shoe on the bad foot, her foot was "floated" (cut away) on the bad foot's heel (which grows wierd and is painful to her), and she was given a rim pad on her OTHER foot due to length of limb difference. What a combination! We were hoping it would help her.

Sun-Sun's bad hoof (rear view) BEFORE:


Bad hoof AFTER:



Sun grazing happily with her buddy, Deema:


And now for the REALLY great news....

Sunny trotted off SOUND after the shoeing. We did not expect this! She trotted sound in a straight line, something she could not do before!!!! We are on the right track!

Now, the next few days, Sunny gets used to her "lift pad" and the accompanying soreness in her body that it may cause.

I bought a saddle, a nice used Wintec Isabell dressage saddle, today for Mrs. Sun. It fits very nicely, and she looks very smart in it!

More later,

Katie and Mrs. Sun
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by horselover4u on Aug 30, 2006, 6:29pm

EXCELLENT JOB!!! That looks way better, and she trotted off sound, that is so good!!
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Aug 31, 2006, 5:18pm

Shes looking really good.
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Sun-Sun GETS A PROMOTION!
Post by watermarkfarm on Sept 4, 2006, 12:43pm

Sun-Sun is happy. No more Essie, the "just the facts, M'am" PMU mare. In fact, Essie left for her new home on Saturday, and already, Sun's life has opened up. Meaning this: Merrylegs, the 30-something and very hunky POA pony, who previously loved Essie more than the world (his depression these past few days evidence of that) has decided that Sun-Sun needs a place higher up in the pasture hierarchy. So, only minutes after the departure of Essie, our Mrs. Sun was promoted to "Junior Vice President of Pecking Order" in the pasture. A very good promotion indeed.

What does all of this mean? Well, it means that Merrylegs is now *much* nicer to Sunny! She is enjoying her new-found status, and the remaining PMU mare, Grace (soon to leave, too, as she was adopted last week), is being required by Merrylegs (the boss) to give Sun more respect.

Today, Sun-Sun and her foster mommy (that's me) are loading up into the trailer to go for a "mini trail ride." Which basically means that I will be leading Sunny on a little walk while my daughter takes her pony on a local bridle path.

Sunny is continuing to do well, she is quite even when she trots and now we will slowly work on building up muscle and fitness.

With the other foster horses now placed (thank GOD!), I really have the time and space to focus much more on Sun-Sun's needs. And since I am sans riding horse (my horse being lame), she is IT for me this winter! AND since we are installing an all-weather riding arena any moment now (waiting on the contractor's schedule...), me and Sun shall have a place to school during all weather!

More later!
Katie and our dear Mrs.Sun
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by NanciK on Sept 4, 2006, 3:13pm

Now we just need to see some under-saddle pix!

P.S. My horse wears those same eggbar shoes with rims pads, on both fronts.
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Sept 11, 2006, 8:45pm

Here are some pix of Demi, my 11 year old, riding Sun-Sun yesterday. Although she trots out reasonably well, her bad foot bothers her even after just light work. Demi just did some walking and some trot work in straight lines. I think I am going to pop for a full lameness eval/xrays at some point this winter for her. This is a really sweet horse, it is amazing when you consider that this is my tiny 60 pound daughter riding her. Although Sun is not very schooled, she learns fast and tries hard. She neck reins well----so we are teaching her about accepting light, direct contact, stretching, half-halts, etc. It is fun. Demi loves the challenge of "training" her. Sunny is a great project for the two of us.

Here is Sun walking over poles:



Here Demi is asking Sun to stretch:



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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Sept 11, 2006, 8:49pm

Love the pictures, glad shes feeling better. Trustworthy horses are worth their weight in gold!!
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Sept 24, 2006, 12:43pm

Sun-Sun is happy and doing well. She is getting shaggy! I received a nice surprise in the mail yesterday----Sunny's Jockey Club papers, courtesy of the FLO, who found them in his office.

We are down to just ONE foster horse for the first time in 18 months! I delivered the final PMU appy to be adopted yesterday to Santa Cruz (a beautiful drive). Now I am just down to Sun and it feel good to be able to focus on her. Today, the director of a therapeutic riding program is coming out to meet Sun and see if she shows any promise in a therapeutic program.

Demi continues to ride Sun at the walk/trot.

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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by mkgbuegel on Sept 24, 2006, 1:34pm

Thats great, congrats. It must be nice to have a little breathing room. Hope the riding program works out for Sun, looking forward to hearing about how it goes.
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by foxie on Sept 24, 2006, 3:00pm

Sept 24, 2006, 12:43pm, watermarkfarm wrote:Now I am just down to Sun and it feel good to be able to focus on her. Today, the director of a therapeutic riding program is coming out to meet Sun and see if she shows any promise in a therapeutic program.


How awesome! Hope she passes their tests! She would bring so much joy to the kids.
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Sept 25, 2006, 2:49pm

The therapeutic riding program lady loved Sun-Sun, BUT, they cannot use her in their program unless she moves evenly (sound) and she is ***less*** sensitive about moving off the leg (ha! first time THAT has been a problem in my life!).

Sheila, from the program, was so very helpful and spent an hour going through all the tests. She watched Demi ride Sun, then she rode Sun herself. I have all the lists, paperwork, if anyone is curious about what they look for (it is actually quite amazing all the checklists) in horses. This is a NARHA accredited program, a good one (for you locals, it is Equi-Ed).

I was proud of Sunny and she met MANY of their requirements, except the two. Sheila was very forthcoming about the pros and cons of a therapeutic program (lots of cons, actually). This was SO helpful in determining how hard I pursue this for Sun-Sun (I am thinking that I will NOT pursue it, except with this local group).

We left things like this: If I can get Sunny sounder and less sensitive on the sides, they would possibly have room for her next spring. If that was the case, I would lease Sunny to them in the dry months and then take her home in winter.

This is all a good possibility, but I think I will put some energy into promoting Sunny as a companion/light trail mount locally and see what comes of it. As I mentioned in my last post, now I am down to just one foster horse, I have so much breathing room. Just want to give Sunny all the time she needs and take it very slow in finding her the perfect lifetime home. I really feel so much more....confident.....that these homes are "out there" after my recent experience of placing TWO fosters into homes that I honestly consider to be BETTER than my own. After 18 months with these two mares, I was feeling pretty discouraged, then suddenly two great ladies emerged.

Until next time....Katie
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Oct 16, 2006, 6:52pm

Sunny continues to do well. Not much new has happened lately. I have been very busy over the past few weeks as we are having an all weather arena built (and I have a few new gray hairs...), so Sun has been living the life of luxury out in pasture.

She became a bit thin in September, so I poured on the feed and boy, did she gain weight. Now she looks like a little butterball, the way I like to see a TB go into winter! She likes her friend Dancer, a retired TB dressage horse and former race horse. I think they talk about their racing days. Sun has started running in pasture, which is fun to see but hard on her bad foot, and it makes her pretty lame.

I had a long conversation with Sun's breeder last weekend, who also raced her. They always called her "wasp," her JC name. It is fun to find out a horse's history. Sun was bred by this lady, and was broke by her husband and sent to Santa Anita, CA racetrack to be with a trainer as a 2 year old. She was a really good girl, did everything right, and had really good workouts, very fast. They think trainer used her as a "rabbit" to encourage other horses to run faster, and she developed sore shins. She ran two races, but did poorly. They brought her home to WA, and that was the end of her racing career. She was bred. They entered into some agreement with a guy whom they gave her to----he would breed her and get one foal, and the next year they would get the next foal. Her babies are named Knight Stinger, Wasperino, and Honey Bunny. The breeder says she lets her kids name the foals. Two of Sun's foals are racing/in training, one is 6 years old and still racing, but the owner wants to give it back to the breeder. Uh oh, another feedlot horse, I found myself thinking.

Well, at some point, the breeder gave Sun away to a man who bred her and kept her up on a mountain with a band of mares, really out in a wilderness-type area. The pasture was fenced in barbed wire, and Sun ended up on the other side of the fence. The breeder said Sun nearly tore her foot off, it was a very bad injury. She was pasture sound for them. She was unsure how sound she really ever became.

And then they were done with her, and they sold her thru a newspaper ad. 18 months later, she came to the feedlot.

It was interesting, I told the breeder how I got Sun, and she said very little. I got the feeling that it was not unexpected. I emailed her a photo of Sun, and she is trying to find photos of Sun with her babies to send back to me. I don't know if I will ever see anything.

Anyway, we are enjoying Sun. Every time I see her out in our field, I am reminded of all those horses who are so unfortunate.
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by lora on Oct 25, 2006, 10:41am

FYI - I have the Wintec Isabell - love it! Hose it off, let dry, ready to go again!

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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by NanciK on Oct 25, 2006, 10:53am

Katie, wonderful update, sorry I missed it earlier when you posted it!

What a fascinating story, thanks for sharing Sun's background with us. It is probably pretty typical of the tribulations of the average TB, but with a much more pleasant ending than for most. Thank you again for taking her into your heart!

We of course need more pix!
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Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Nov 9, 2006, 9:29am

A quickie update on Sun Sun. She continues to do well and delight me with her sweet ways. The other day, she escaped the pasture thru an unlocked gate. My 11 year old daughter put a piece of baling twine around her neck and led her back in through the gate. Sun just followed along, she is such a sweetie pie. I really trust her around the children, she is careful and VERY calm. Shelby, our 8 year old, can handle her quite easily. Sun is the type of horse who would stay in a paddock made of one strand of baling twine, if she had to. I just love horses like her, so polite!

We are fiddling around with her shoeing. Took the bar shoe off the funky front foot as it seemed to make her worse with time. She is back in regular shoes. She shoer took the rim pad off her short leg (without checking with me!) and I notice a difference, so will have that put back on next time. Her funky hoof looks SO much better! When I got her, it was kind of grown off to one side, meaning that it did not line up under her leg at all. Now it is squarely under her! I spoke with our vet here and I am doing to do a lamenes evaluation with him, rather than haul Sun down to Oakdale to Jerry Black (cannot face another 4 hour trailer trip now). If our vet thinks a neurectomy would help Sun, he will refer her to Black and we will go there for the surgery. I am really trying to get her sound----she is just such a nice horse in so many ways.

Sun has a big, fat hay belly. She greets me when I feed with a "I love you! Feed me!" whicker. The only funny thing she does is that she gets just a teensy bit grumpy if you mess with her when she's eating (can't say I blame her).

I will take some pix. She is fuzzy. Her head looks better each week-----the external swelling from the skull injury is gradually going down. Will try to get pix posted this week.
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[cybercat]

Re: MRS. SUN ( Rosalinda ) - 16h - Chestnut TB Ma
Post by watermarkfarm on Dec 9, 2006, 9:43am

Mrs. Sun is doing well. She has the saddest excuse for a winter coat, so of course must be blanketed and kept like a hot-house flower. I mean, you could have her in full work and never bodyclip her, that is how thin her winter coat is!

Sun is out in pasture but comes into the barn most nights. I have broken my rules and have her turned out with 3 geldings, as she is the only mare I have here right now and it makes life much easier in the barn. It seems to go well. Her boyfriend is Dancer, a retired TB dressage horse who boards with us. He stays with her and the other geldings know she is HIS.

I have an appointment for Sun to have a lameness evaluation next month. I am really eager to see how/if she blocks out sound with a heel block. She gets more and more lame as her hoof grows out with each shoeing cycle----the heel tissue grows abnormally long and thick. BUT, her bad hoof really looks so much better than when she came. It used to sort of grow to one side, looking like it didn't support her foot, but now it is square under her. Progress!

Our all-weather arena is nearly complete (just have to finish the fencing), so that is exciting to have a beautful space to work horses this winter. I feel as if I have been reborn----no more schooling up and down the driveway! I would love to be able to take Sunny's training further----she is soft and light, like riding a piece of butter. She is SO cooperative and would be lots of fun to school. We just have to get her sounder.

We are not riding Sunny at all now, but we play with her and girls groom her and talk her on little walks. She is so gentle with them! She has a great sense of her handler's personal space and is very respectful of you.

Well, that is it for now. As always, we really enjoy having this easy-going gal around. She has her own Christmas stocking in the barn for Santa to fill, so she should enjoy that come December 25th. Happy Holidays to all!

Katie


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[watermarkfarm]

An update on Sun. She is a happy girl. After fiddling with various shoe configurations in an effort to help her travel more sound, at the end of December I had the shoer pull her shoes. I figured we had nothing to lose. She is pretty darn sound now----big surprise. I have no idea why. Shoer is scratching his head, too. She is actually a pretty mover now that she is going more evenly.

Our vet purchased a digital xray machine and just got it Friday, so I am waiting for him to get up to speed with it (100K toy!), then we will xray Sun and take a closer look at her. Hooray, I can avoid the 3.5 hour drive to Oakdale.

The jury is in.....Sun's head injury last August was indeed a skull fracture. She has a permanent ridge on her forehead from eye to eye, bone remodeling according to the vet. No xray needed, he says, it is a classic skull fracture healed up. Only risk now is that bone fragments could work their way in or out. Hope that doesn't happen. My poor Sun. Survives the feedlot, gets rescued and comes to CA only to fracture her skull out in pasture.

Meanwhile, Sun is getting some very light work. She is such a sweet girl, not a mean bone in her body. I blanket her, grab her, walk up behind her without telling her, lead her with a piece of baling twine. She is so solid. I love horses like this. She is really a little angel.

[watermarkfarm]

A quickie update on our gal. Sunny is in a foster/adopt home nearby and doing well. She has a stall with her own huge pasture. She is gaining weight and looking good. I don't know if this is going to be her forever home ---- her foster mom really wants to ride --- so I am talking to another woman who is really interested in Sun as a companion. She will meet Sun in a couple of weeks and we will go from there.

The neat thing is that the foster/adopt home Sun is in has been such a great connection. A fellow horse lover who is wanting to support people doing horse rescue, has a huge gorgeous place with empty stalls and pastures. She is wanting to help by being a foster/overflow home to local people wiith rescue horses. A great connection, and she is taking super care of Sunny.

More in a few weeks!