Mustang Saga

Here are some photos of the common tansy that is growing around the boys' area. You can see the bare stalks where they've eaten all the green stuff. Cisco smelled especially strongly of it yesterday. I also sometimes notice that Soxy reeks of it. I think that since the two of them have metabolic issues they're more likely to eat anything they can get their lips on, since their bodies think they're starving even though they're obese.



I mowed down anything within their reach, and I sprayed some of the surrounding plants with Roundup. Then I sprayed what was left in their area, the small leafy stuff too low to the ground to be mowed, with vinegar. I wasn't sure if that would be just like adding salad dressing, but it couldn't make matters any worse and it might kill the plants.

I can't find much info on the toxins in this kind of tansy. Since they're not often deadly there doesn't seem to be much info on the internet about it. One site mentioned neurotoxins, one mentioned something that can cause irritability and spookiness. I'm not going to search for more info, I'm just going to do my best to get rid of it. I hate to have to spray chemicals on my property, but we've tried mowing it for years, and I think it has helped a tiny bit, but not enough.

On another note, I just got off the phone with Lea from the Mustang Club in Spokane. I know some of you read her blog. She's been in the hospital since Tuesday. She sounds good. She had fluid in her lungs (very scary, not being able to breathe) but they've helped with that and now they're going to take a really good look at her heart. She should be home tomorrow. I'm sure prayers and healing thoughts would be helpful!

I leave you with a progression of pictures that sparked a lot of emotion and thought for me. What a lot of responsibility for an uncertain youngster! Horses never cease to amaze me.