The Right Tool at the Right Time

We spend our lives collecting tools.  Through trial and error we learn when, where and how to apply them.  

With Spring comes shedding season and this year, thankfully (we really need the moisture), mudding season.  Its Admiral’s favorite time of the year.  Admiral loves mud so much that he has systematically dug himself a pond in the turnout field.  Apparently he has more sense than the average suburbanite, because he put his pond at the bottom of the hill where it happily collects water and nearly always provides ample mud for his daily play time.  What does this have to do with tools?  Well, I learned long ago that Spring requires a separate set of grooming tools.  A soft brush is worthless when faced with caked on clay and flying fluff.  Admiral’s grooming tools this time of the year include a metal curry and the stiffest stiff brush they make.  Given enough time and energy, the job gets done.  Of course, my preferred tool is the garden hose, but the mud always seems to come before the warm weather.  While the curry comb takes way more time and energy, it is much better for his coat.

Thankfully, the long and laborious isn’t always the best answer.  This past weekend I helped my husband give his dream car a little TLC.  I should have taken before and after pictures because the three plus hour transformation was astounding.  We learned something too.  When waxing a car, use a sheepskin mit not a chamois.  I don’t know what the difference is, but when I was applying the wax and taking half of it off in the same time it took my husband to remove about a foot square of wax, he began to wonder if I’d given him the wrong tool for the job.  I thought he was just being a perfectionist.  Turns out, not so much.  The mit is truly the superior tool and it turned the back breaking project into an enjoyable afternoon.  The right tool makes a difference.

When waxing, Use This

Not This

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been battling with Nutmeg’s stall kicking habit for some time now.  She does quite well over the winter, but as soon as the Spring Heat starts she becomes a mennis.  We’ve tried every trick in the book: moving her away from neighbors, giving her more hay then she can possibly eat, leaving her window to the outside world open, closing said window, feeding her supplements to lessen her “mare-ish” behavior, keeping her loins warm, even kicking chains.  Nothing seems to help.  When she feels the urge to kick down the wall, she does (or at least attempts), no matter the consequence.  Finally, after a particularly bad night, I took the final suggestion from a friend, “try a horse shock collar.” 

Before we go any further, let me clarify that the horses are outside 24/7 unless their safety could be compromised by bad weather, then they come inside.  I believe completely in maintaining the welfare of my animals and that is why I went to the shock collar.  Stall kicking isn’t just annoying; it’s detrimental to the horse’s legs.  It was time to fix the problem, and so far I’m pleased with the results.

The collar (or necklace as I’ve been referring to it) has an elastic insert for comfort and fit.  The remote has multiple levels of “reprimand” so you can adjust from the most sensitive to the thickest skinned horse.  Plus, it works through walls so I can sleep in my bed and with a touch of a button, remind Nutmeg that stall kicking is a bad idea.  There is the added bonus that she won’t associate the reprimand with me.    

Night one brought ample opportunities to test it out.  Normally when she kicks it is a barrage of kicking.  Bam-ba-bah-da-bam, bam.  With the necklace in place I was able to interrupt the rhythm and she only ever kicked once.  Plus, she left a healthy hour or so between kicking attempts.  I was satisfied.  Night two, she didn’t kick at all.  It might be a fluke.  We’ll see, but for now I’m optimistic that through quite a bit of trial and error and a bit of desperation, I may have found the right tool to stopping Nutmeg’s stall kicking vice.

And now for some further experimentation.  Nutmeg has been having some soundness issues.  We thought they were coming from her pelvis, but I’m beginning to think there is something more.  We’ve tried chiropractic adjustments.  We’ve tried joint supplements.  Now we’re in hunt of the cause instead of just addressing the symptoms.  Nutmeg gets to be a demo horse at University of Missouri.  We’ll be showing off their state-of-the-art Lameness Locator®.  I’m super excited about the experience.  Obviously, I’m not excited about the circumstances that have led to this opportunity, but I am excited to see some of the industry’s leaders at work, trying to pinpoint what has gone wrong and where.  With that information, hopefully we’ll be able to find the right tool and the right time to apply it.

Fingers crossed.  Our appointment is tomorrow.  Sometimes opening your mind to a different approach is all it takes.  So for today’s Fresh Perspective, “here’s to finding tools and learning to use them appropriately.”