I worked on my saddle pad project today. I think I posted about it but maybe not... There is a wonderful tutorial in the works on Linda's blog (and it's a wonderful blog to read any old day - I love her photography). I don't have photos of my process but she has plenty. Here's Part 1 and here's Part 2.
I have gotten to the point where I've put it on my horse under the saddle and marked my edges but I'm not going to cut them out until tomorrow. I've put my stinky, spray painted canvas in the pump house for the night so my house will smell better. I'm going to hopefully have my roving soon. My friend Melissa has generously offered to trade me enough roving in exchange for part of the purchase price of a saddle I sold her. So we just have to find time to get together. I haven't seen the roving yet. I know there's mostly white and a little grey, but don't know what shade of grey. I can't decided if I want to do a strip of white, then grey, around the edge, or just grey around the edge and then all white in the middle. Linda's photo titled Signs and Wonders shows a pad like this under a saddle. What do you think, white on the edge or grey? I don't have enough colored wool to make two stripes of grey, I don't think.
Other than that, I wormed the horses today. I used Zimecterin Gold for the first time. I usually use Quest Plus for my midwinter worming, but I still think it was the Quest that made Bella founder, even though a vet told me that doesn't happen, so I don't know if I'll use it again. I don't feel good about using only Ivermectin year-round though, and I don't have a lot of faith in the other wormers out there. I ought to call my vet. What is your rotation? I know the new protocol is to have a fecal test done and then decide whether to worm, but every fecal test I've done has come back positive, so I just assume I do need to worm quarterly.
Cisco is funny, he always has to tell me exactly what he thinks about being wormed before he submits and takes it nicely. Used to be he'd run backward with his head in the air, but I just calmly followed him, then rubbed him with the wormer tube, then wormed him. Now he just pops his head up a couple times and then stands nice. Scout also protested a tiny bit. Other than that it was pretty uneventful. Tonka was trying to take the wormer out of my pocket, he was so eager to get his so he could have treats afterward.
I think I've hurt my back again. Well, I know it hurts, but I'm not sure exactly what I did. And my toes are kinda numb/painful. Not sure if the two are related. I'm only 33, I really don't think I ought to have this much trouble with my body already. I'd like to trade it in, I think it's defective. Good news though, I have health insurance now! So I'll be making an appointment to see the doctor very soon. I think I might ask to be tested for rheumatoid again, and maybe do some physical therapy for my stupid back. New x-rays would be nice. My lower back looked awful a couple years ago, but it's my upper back that always hurts, I'd like to see what my spine looks like there. I was diagnosed with degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis in my back a couple years ago, which made getting insurance an adventure, let me tell you. I'm still not sure how we're going to afford the monthly payment...
Enough of my whining. I think I'm going to go stretch again (which is really hard when every time you sit on the floor your dogs pile around & on you and want a belly rub).
I've just started using fecal tests - and our horses were negative, which was good new. I'll repeat in the spring and then worm depending on what they find. Before that, I had the horses on daily Strongid and then spring worming of ivermectin and fall (after frost) worming of Zimectrin Gold.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I will want to see it when you are done. My goodness alot of work. Don't think my hands would do it anymore.
ReplyDeleteOn your live traffic feed I show up from places other than Odessa. It's sometimes 'Cheney' or 'Medical Lake' and I've noticed 'Spokane' once. Dunno why.
ReplyDeleteI bought Equimax for my after killing frost worming. It's like the Gold as far as the tapeworms go, but stronger. I worm at least three times a year. I've never had them tested because of the cattle I imagine they are full of worms.
I don't think we're ever going to get the healthcare we need in the US. I heard premiums will be up to $23,000 a year soon (I think 2020) for a family!!! Then you have to pay the deductible.... We don't go to the doctors as much as we should and there have been times we've gone without insurance which makes me terrified because if we got in a car crash, or something serious like that, and ended up in ICU..wow.. we could lose what we've worked so hard to for. In Britain it's socialized...everyone gets fantastic healthcare for free. I've given up hoping it'll be like that here. :(
Good luck with your X-rays!
Wow, Andrea, you're amazing to make your own saddle pad! You're good at that kind of stuff.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your back. :(
Andrea, I'm very interested in learning about this saddle pad that you are making. Please post photos and show your progress. I did look through that other lady's blog and it looks very interesting. Where did you hear of this?
ReplyDeleteI made pads a couple years ago with my mom. We sold them to a ton of people who ride Fallis Balanced Ride saddles. But, then we sewed to thick of material on my dad's upholstery machine and knocked it out of alignment. We were banned from doing that anymore!
I'd like to make pads again. It seems I am not ever happy with what's on the market or I hate the price and would rather make it.
Kate - I might think about daily wormer for Bella, that makes a lot of sense for a horse that may be sensitive to big doses.
ReplyDeleteLea - I wonder how my hands will like it. I'm sure I'll probably have to take it slow...
Arlene - the traffic feed does that to me too, it shows Troy, ID a lot of the time and that's not even on the right side of the mountain. I'll look into the Equimax, I hadn't realized that was for tapes too. And I won't get started on health care, but I'll say it really ticks me off. My sister's insurance just did some underhanded trick because they want to charge her more since she has cancer.
Linda - Thanks! And I'm sure my back will get back to normal soon. It's already a little better today.
Alisa - I'll definitely post pics, if I ever find my camera or my phone to take pictures with. I swear there's a black hole around here somewhere (but sometimes I think it's my head). Did you know the Skito company is for sale? I thought that would be an awesome business opportunity, but I bet it's not cheap... Did you ever do thick wool felt pads, and if so where did you get your felt?
Oh, and Alisa, I forgot to say where I heard of these pads. I suspect it was from the same blog. I remember checking out some that were for sale (custom order) a year or more ago, but they were just square, not contoured, and that wouldn't work for Tonka. That lady also sold smaller ones for chair cushions. Someone mentioned making warm, cushy insoles for their rubber boots this way too. Maybe I'll branch out into other crafts with this later. :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when she started this tutorial on how to make them I was thrilled! I may have my own wool sent off to be made into roving so I can have something special made of Roseanne's fleece that I've held on to so long.
My horses are on Strongid 2CX daily dewormer. An old vet I had once told me that you will never get rid of all the parasites the horse has but you need to manage the load.
ReplyDeleteI also use Ivermectin every other month. No rotation with anything else. My theory (pulled from goat breeders) is that if you rotationally deworm then if the parasites become resistant to a drug you won't know which drug it was. Also, you won't have another drug to change to.
Hey thanks for the shoutout....I racked my brain wondering if I had a picture of a saddlepad on a horse and never thought of that one....so thanks again. I like a row of gray as my first color because it stays "cleaner" looking than white;)
ReplyDeleteAKPonygirl - good point about the resistance, I hadn't thought about it that way.
ReplyDeleteLinda - Thanks for the tip! I'll do grey right at the edge then.