Sad day

It's been awhile since I posted anything. I've been very busy with some irons in the fire. But this post needed to happen. M & M Farms would like to extend it's condolences to everyone who is feeling the loss of Theodore O'Connor. "Teddy" may very well be one of the most unique equines to have ever walked the earth. At only 14.1 hands he was still a pony, but carried his rider who shared his name, Karen O'Connor to gold medal wins at the top of one of the toughest and most dangerous equine sports. His loss at such a young age will be missed. Full details are available at USEF.org

Save the date

We're going to host another funshow on the 21st of June. All are welcome

Techical difficulties

It's been almost 10 days since i last posted. at this moment we are having technical difficulties. I want to upload the videos from the cross country schooling, but my dvd rom is dead. SO is the media card reader, so I can upload pics either. If anyone wants to send some of the cross country videos via e-mail I'll put them up

Great tip

I know, I know I have to post the pics and videos from cross country schooling but the cd rom is broken on my laptop right now. In the meantime here's a great tip.

Tick Removal
Please forward to anyone with children . orhunters,etc!! thanks!
A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- And it really works!!
I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair , etc. Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and let it stay on the repulsive insect for a few seconds (15-20), after which the tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say, "It worked!" It is that time of the year again. Just a reminder. :)

Amazing...

A Fantastic Pony Story

Meet Molly. She's a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana , USA . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes. But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he chang ed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic. Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there. 'This was the right horse and the right owner,' Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse. Molly's story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana . The little p ony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg. The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too.' And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse', she laughs. Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it. 'It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life', Moore said, 'She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.'<>'She's not back to normal,' Barca concluded, 'but she's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.'
This is Molly's most recent prosthesis. The bottom photo shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it. Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind! Is that cool or what???????

Visit from the Vet

Shambley Equine was here on Tuesday. It was a busy visit. We started with India having her hocks injected. They use a combination of steroids and hydralonic acid to lubricate the joint. It will make her more comfortable and free up her gaits. She has received routine injections for the last couple of years.

We then had Shiloh evaluated for the same thing. Shambley agreed that he also was limited in his movement and that his hocks were in the process of fusing so he also was injected.

We then looked at Rosie to determine if there was a reason for the funny faces she makes, but it appears to be behavioral.

After all of that it was time for the big event... Rizzie became a gelding. Here is a picture or two. If you have a weak stomach I apologize the pictures are courtesy of Jessica our resident vet tech.