Step right up!

Gee, I was posting so regularly there for awhile, and then I missed Easter...

But the good news is that Pookey Bear is doing fabulously well!

A tightened up diet, a new trim, and a new pair of shoes (thanks, Joe, Pookey's hero...) and he is feeling no pain!

In fact, miraculously, we are even starting to ride a bit again.

But to spare his back--which is far too atrophied now for his Blue Ribbon saddle--and to keep from adding extra weight to his still-healing feet, I have opted to ride with an English saddle.

This means that I needed a mounting block, a luxury our kiddos never enjoyed. But old knees, and a tall, skinny, unbalanced horse....anyway, here it is, in all its glory, a fabulous, three-step mounting block:

Poor muzzled Pookey.

A little horse that can't graze spends a lot of time exploring his environment.

Here he is taking a closer look:

And here he is contemplating his next step:

And here he is...oh, my, Pookey Bear, wait! The mounting block is for the rider, not the horse!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Pookey Bear wishes you a 'Happy Belated Valentine's Day,' straight from the heart!

The delectable treat you are viewing here is a Dukan-diet approved 'brownie,' made from organic oat bran, fat-free Greek yogurt, and Splenda.

It is a treat that I would have turned my nose up at just a year or so ago, but now, it tastes quite divine!

That's because a year or so on 'Pookey's diet'--a diet adjusted to humans to battle insulin resistance--I am finally pretty much weaned off the carbohydrates, and enjoying food as fuel, not as a reward.

Pookey still struggles with this. He has been 'low-carb' for more than 18 months now, but still gazes longingly out his window at the green grass.

In an effort to trick him, I have taken to scattering his hay around the round pen, allowing him to mimic grazing behavior.

I do the same thing to trick hubby and myself, leaving delicious low-carb treats lying around (celery sticks! soy nuts! dehydrated beef!) so that we can mimic normal grazing (snacking) behavior.

Coming soon: details on Pookey Bear's current diet, and some fun hoof pics and radiographs. That's right, girls--after a brief hiatus, Mom's obsession with The Horse has come roaring back!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

Your friend,

Pookey Bear

The Well-Dressed Horse

In what is certainly a first for me, I am finding that I am not experiencing buyers remorse over the gorgeous Schneiders hunter-green blanket I invested in last year for Pookey.

The thing is gorgeous.

It looks like it did the day I took it out of the box, with nary a mark on its smooth denier surface, and plenty of loft. It repels dirt and grime, and when it can't repel any longer, coughs up the dirt with just one swipe of a wet cloth.

Last winter it fit his super-sized body like a glove. Now that he is once again lean, the bellyband with its handy velcro closure keeps the blanket snug against his frame, while the generous wither pocket allows me to tighten down the Adjust-A-Fit neck to his smaller size.

No question about it--Schneiders sure got it right with this blanket.

So right, in fact, that I am ordering him a matching neck cover, to keep that little pencil neck sleek for the early spring shows.

Shhhhh.....

Don't tell his banker!!!

The 'eyes' have it...

In my endless quest to create the perfect living conditions for Mr Wonderful, I am once again struggling with how much turnout to allow.

Too much, and I fear that he will pound around on those delicate feet too hard and make himself sore.

Too little, and he fails to move enough to stimulate good hoof growth, and may go stir crazy, to boot.

So I let Pookey have a say in the matter. We were democratic, and voted. Me against more turnout, Pookey 'for.'

Take a look at that lovely pleading brown eye and tell me you could refuse his plea?

Needless to say, the 'eyes' have it!

More joggin'

I just can't help myself.

Pookey Bear is jogging so nicely in his boots, I simply had to post another short clip.

I know. This makes close to a dozen round-pen clips I've posted, and they all look pretty much the same.

So humor me, okay?

Here it is: 'Scrawny Bay Horse, Jogging, Redux.'

Happy Horse!

It is hard to believe that just one short year ago we were living in Laminitis Land.

Today, amazingly, we have a healthy, happy horse!

Pookey Bear just got back from a visit to his farrier Joe at La Mesa, where he got a 'touch up' trim on his nearly-grown out feet. He still has an inch or so to go on his right front before he is standing on nice new growth, and solidly attached hoof wall, but his left front is almost completely grown out, and his movement has improved accordingly!

I snapped the photo above as he was enjoying a big bowl of soaked Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes (Triple Crown Feeds) during his afternoon turnout time in his round pen. Green oak tree, deep blue sky, happy horse! Note the lovely chiseled features, no longer obscured by layers of insulin-driven 'puffiness.'

Pookey's low-carb diet worked so well for him that hubby and I were compelled to try it, and after six months, between the two of us we have lost almost as much weight as the horse did.

(Of course my features don't look quite as chiseled, but who's complaining?)

We are now intensifying our rehab efforts to try to build back some of that lost muscle over Pookey's hip and hindquarters. Our goal is to get him fit enough to do showmanship again, perhaps by next spring. He would love to hop in the trailer to go somewhere besides the vet clinic. And he would love to bask in the glow of the adoring crowds again (well, okay, the handful of spectators who clap), instead of just being poked, prodded, and x-rayed.

Thanks so much to all of you who have checked on Pookey over the past year and a half, and special thanks to those who were instrumental in helping him heal.

We are so grateful!