Daytona's story

It's been a while since my last post because I've been planting or preparing for planting and otherwise occupied with spring chores.

Traditionally the May long weekend (Victoria Day) is the acknowledged doorway to spring, because it's almost always the day that guarantees no frost up here in the north country. So gardeners here all do most of their planting on this long weekend.I've learned over the years to scale back my planting. When I first came here, I was ambitious and planted everything -- annuals, perennials, vegetables, trees.

But the weeds are very robust, and I found I was losing the battle, so I adopted a different tactic -- plant only a few perennials each year, and scale back the annuals to simple potted varieties. It reduces weeding and thus provides more time for everything else.

I went out tonight to get some photos of the two boys who live here, Rustler (Rusty) and Daytona, also known as The Prince of Darkness. They are Dan's horses.

Rusty is the oldest at 17, and he's a jovial, social bozo. He's quite tall, was ridden as a jumper. He's a quarter horse. (Quarter horses are a breed created for working with cattle. They are named that because they can sprint a quarter of a mile, and their speed and ability to spin quickly on their powerful hindquarters, makes them invaluable at roundup time.)

I asked Rusty to pose but he scratched his ear and fidgeted, and this was the picture I got.

Daytona is also a quarter horse. He has had a rough life until recently. First he was "broke" by a "trainer" whose idea of discipline was to punch and hit Daytona in the face. This has made Day headshy and distrustful, especially of men. Then he was put to stud for 5 years, after which time he was castrated. Daytona still has a stud mentality, by which I mean that he considers himself the leader of the herd, which causes him to need to be number One in a group. If you take him riding with another horse, for example, he will race to be ahead. This requires some remedial riding, and you have to be a very good rider to work with him.

The next unfortunate thing that happened to Daytona was that he had a problem with his mouth. Dan took him to several vets, all of whom found nothing wrong. Then he took him to an equine dentist to have his teeth "floated". (Horses wear their teeth unevenly, and periodically need to have the sharp side ground down so that they can chew properly, this is called "floating"). The dentist found a huge splinter of wood in Day's gum, and also a tooth that was growing sideways into his cheek. The dentist fixed Day's mouth. Without his diagnosis and care, Day might still be living in the constant pain he no doubt endured for many months.

The Canadian Veterinary Association has now imposed restrictions on equine dentistry. Dentists used to administer anaethestic (local, not general) to horses. The Association has made this illegal, and requires a veterinarian to be present at dentistry sessions-- which has made it very difficult for dentists to practice, since they must double their fees to pay for the vet, plus schedule and provide a veterinarian everywhere they go. I might add that vets do not study dentistry per se, whereas equine dentists study it exclusively, and know far more about dental equine health than general vets. Daytona's experience, and the shameful way he was misdiagnosed by 4 different vets is an indication to me that we need equine dentists to be able to practice without interference -- perhaps the Association should simply certify them to administer anaesthetic and stop imposing protectionist measures against other professionals.

Daytona is here learning to enjoy life again. All the anger and tension that he has absorbed from humans made him an unhappy and unwilling horse -- we are trying to show him through gentleness and consistent behavior that life can be enjoyed and that human companionship can be worthwhile. We make progress, though it is slow, and patience is required, since we are undoing years of abuse and ill treatment. Our latest breakthrough was when Day learned that he could communicate with me, or rather that I would listen to him. It helps create a bond since too often animals exist for humans as targets of communication -- that is, all communication is one way, from the human to the animal. Do this, do that, sit here, go there. They are expected only to listen to us, not to express themselves. It makes a difference to them if they can tell us things in their own way, and we comprehend and act on it -- even if it's just "scratch my ears" or "please may I have some of my favorite food". They become less like prisoners and more like friends.

And last but not least -- here is Miss Miranda in a contemplative mood while out on our walk. There is a 20 acre stand of aspen and poplar on our place, and in that area is a singular black spruce tree. We call it the "coyote tree" because coyotes like to lunch and gather under it. We find lots of evidence of their meals there, and sometimes antlers of deer who go there to shed.

Miranda is here just walking toward the coyote tree. See how her brindle coat is camoflaged against the willows and dogwood.

And finally, here is a grain augur that was abandoned in my middle pasture. The label says "SPEED KING", Dodge City, Kansas.