Ok, so I really just need your brain power. The Question is:
How do I keep pony-butt mentally & physically happy while she's laid up WITHOUT her getting fat or slowing down healing?
For Dax, eating = happy (well, that's true for most horses!!). Eating hay also = no tummy ulcers, less risk of colic, laminitis, etc..... But, as mentioned before she's a super easy keeper.
Of course I can't ride her, and shouldn't even walk/work her in hand much before the 60day mark (mid-March). She's also limited to her little pen to keep her from running around.
What would you guys do? Any brilliant ideas?? I'm playing with the idea of clicker training, but don't know what I'd train her to do.
Comments!! I need comments!!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
THE Interview.....
First off, I should probably clear up for anyone new (or confused) what exactly is going on career-wise for me:
I've applied to DVM/PhD combined degree programs. (That's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine). It's typically 7-8yrs to complete both degrees, and each Vet school integrates the two programs slightly differently. The point of the combo program is to produce individuals with a combination of clinical skills as well as an understanding of basic science research. Typical careers paths include becoming a professor at a university, directing animal research facilities, positions in government, etc.
I personally want to be a professor - treating patients, teaching, directing research, writing grants, and ideally doing clinical research, i.e. the bench-to-bedside type of work. That's my first choice, but I'm not closed to other possibilities, it's more that I've been working in academia around professors long enough that I'm sure it's something that I can do and want to do.
Combining the degrees not only makes "educational" sense (by which I'm referring to the integration of two knowledge spheres), it also makes time-sense b/c some of the courses will overlap and can count towards both degrees (although that's only a few), plus research can be done during DVM summer vacations. Most, if not all, DVM programs run on a typical university schedule with summer breaks and winter breaks. PhDs work a bit differently because research is done independently of courses, so you're expected to be working on your research when you're not in class. That's where the two combined can save a bit of time.....avg PhD degrees around UVa take 5-6 years to complete. A DVM program is 4years no matter where you go or what you do. The idea is that with the combined program, you can complete both in 7-8yrs, as I mentioned before. Of course the timeline is entirely dependent on the PhD....some projects take longer than others, some people luck out and have projects that generate useful data immediately. Other folks, not so much. If you wonder what I mean, go to youtube and check out "Bad Project":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl4L4M8m4d0
So that's the back story for how I ended up in Blacksburg, Va on a snowy January morning. Virginia Tech has the only veterinary college in the state, and I was invited for interviews!!! I interviewed for the combined degree with a small group of faculty and also went through the standard DVM interview that all the DVM applicants had to do. More on that in a moment. I was super nervous as I haven't had to do any really formal interviewing since....well....ever. Lab technician interviews tend to be fairly casual (as in they're just making sure you don't have horns or that you weren't obviously lying on your resume/CV). This was a whole 'nother ball of wax! It doesn't help that I've been pursing this path for about 8 years.....yeah, I've basically been working towards this interview for EIGHT YEARS. It was physically impossible for me not be slightly freaking out about it. The saving grace was that I was so freakin' happy about just having an interview, I think that helped balance the nerves a bit. I was a big ball of excited-happy-nervous, which I think is better than just straight nervous.
Not surprisingly, my small group interview flew by, and I don't have a clear memory of what-all I said :-) My hands were still shaking afterwards. I then got to stew in my own cortisol-laced juices for 1.5 hrs until the DVM multiple-mini interviews (MMI). If you're really interested in what that interview format is, google it - it'll take way too long for me to type out. My summary is that it's like speed-dating crossed with a pop quiz. I interviewed with 8 different folks, and got ZERO feedback so I have no clue if I flubbed it or not. However, I'm pretty sure I didn't offend anyone nor did I draw a complete blank at any point. There was only one bad one in which I confused the interviewer and he asked me to clarify twice/three times.....not good when you know you're being evaluated on soft skills like communication!!! It was the last person I talked to, and by that point my brain was completely fried....I'd had little sleep b/c of nerves, very little food, very little caffeine and it was ~3:30pm (I'd started the first interview at 10:30am). I'm a bit frustrated that I didn't force myself to eat to make sure I'd have the mental stamina.....such an obvious thing.
Other than the food/tired issue, I did prepare like crazy for it all. I researched the MMI format carefully since it's relatively new. The original paper describing it (and comparing it's efficacy against traditional interviews) was very helpful and publicly available I think...I get access to research journals through work so I could be wrong about that. Regardless, the appendix of the paper had practice interview questions, and since I knew the whole thing operated on a timed system, I practiced with the wonderful hubby to make sure I wouldn't run over or under too much. I also went through about 20 of the most common interview questions and actually typed out my answers (again after discussion with hubby about my thoughts :-) I think that was helpful for me b/c I can run on sometimes in stories, loosing site of the point. That's probably the biggest advice I have for anyone interviewing at all - regardless of what you are being evaluated on, make sure you have a very clear, one sentence answer you can start with AND end with. The responsibility for communicating your answers, your personality and your skills completely lies on YOU, and no matter how good the story is or your list of skills or whatever, if you can't make sure that the over-all point gets across and can be remembered, you're screwed. When all you are relying on for communicating is speech, repetition and simplicity are key. Anyone tried remembering something from a class/talk with no visual aids and no writing, particularly if the speaker rambles a bit? It's impossible!! But that's the position the interviewers are in, so just keep that in mind.
I'll admit that I didn't always follow my own advice, but since I know I'm prone to rambling, if I followed it 80% of the time, I think I did pretty well (especially adding in nerves!!). People might be wondering why I don't post more about interview questions, etc, but it's because we are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. A big part of the MMI format is thinking on your feet which, if you know the questions in advance, doesn't work so well. The beauty of the system is that it eliminates interviewer-driven bias and apparently accurately measures soft-skills to the point it can predict success in the program as well as in the career. Knowing that made me feel a little better about a process that was otherwise slightly tortuous. And I can get feedback on the interviews after all offers have been settled.
I'm approaching the impending acceptance/rejection philosophically. If I don't get an offer, there will probably be many reasons why I wasn't considered a suitable candidate. I don't want to put myself into a program where I can't succeed. I'll get feedback on precisely why I didn't get an offer, but if it's something like "Her interview went poorly, her communication skills suck and her critical thinking was weak" then maybe being a professor with teaching responsibilities isn't the best choice ;-) I'll take the info and learn from it - learn about myself, what I need to work on, and what the right path is.
If I get an offer....well, then I'll just freak out. Freak. Out. Oh, and there will be beer consumed. Did I mention I've worked for eight years towards this??
I'll find out *gulp* Tuesday. Offers for the DVM go out Tuesday, and after that, about 10days later I'll hear about the combined degree program. I HAVE to receive a DVM offer in order to continue to be considered for the combo degree, and I can still do just the DVM even if I don't make the cut for the combo degree (it's more competitive, and they only take 2 DVM/PhD students per year). I could type another three pages about alternatives if I don't get an offer, but I won't since people have probably already stopped reading :-) Oh, and it's way past my bedtime now. Oops!
Everybody keep their fingers crossed!!!
I've applied to DVM/PhD combined degree programs. (That's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine). It's typically 7-8yrs to complete both degrees, and each Vet school integrates the two programs slightly differently. The point of the combo program is to produce individuals with a combination of clinical skills as well as an understanding of basic science research. Typical careers paths include becoming a professor at a university, directing animal research facilities, positions in government, etc.
I personally want to be a professor - treating patients, teaching, directing research, writing grants, and ideally doing clinical research, i.e. the bench-to-bedside type of work. That's my first choice, but I'm not closed to other possibilities, it's more that I've been working in academia around professors long enough that I'm sure it's something that I can do and want to do.
Combining the degrees not only makes "educational" sense (by which I'm referring to the integration of two knowledge spheres), it also makes time-sense b/c some of the courses will overlap and can count towards both degrees (although that's only a few), plus research can be done during DVM summer vacations. Most, if not all, DVM programs run on a typical university schedule with summer breaks and winter breaks. PhDs work a bit differently because research is done independently of courses, so you're expected to be working on your research when you're not in class. That's where the two combined can save a bit of time.....avg PhD degrees around UVa take 5-6 years to complete. A DVM program is 4years no matter where you go or what you do. The idea is that with the combined program, you can complete both in 7-8yrs, as I mentioned before. Of course the timeline is entirely dependent on the PhD....some projects take longer than others, some people luck out and have projects that generate useful data immediately. Other folks, not so much. If you wonder what I mean, go to youtube and check out "Bad Project":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl4L4M8m4d0
So that's the back story for how I ended up in Blacksburg, Va on a snowy January morning. Virginia Tech has the only veterinary college in the state, and I was invited for interviews!!! I interviewed for the combined degree with a small group of faculty and also went through the standard DVM interview that all the DVM applicants had to do. More on that in a moment. I was super nervous as I haven't had to do any really formal interviewing since....well....ever. Lab technician interviews tend to be fairly casual (as in they're just making sure you don't have horns or that you weren't obviously lying on your resume/CV). This was a whole 'nother ball of wax! It doesn't help that I've been pursing this path for about 8 years.....yeah, I've basically been working towards this interview for EIGHT YEARS. It was physically impossible for me not be slightly freaking out about it. The saving grace was that I was so freakin' happy about just having an interview, I think that helped balance the nerves a bit. I was a big ball of excited-happy-nervous, which I think is better than just straight nervous.
Not surprisingly, my small group interview flew by, and I don't have a clear memory of what-all I said :-) My hands were still shaking afterwards. I then got to stew in my own cortisol-laced juices for 1.5 hrs until the DVM multiple-mini interviews (MMI). If you're really interested in what that interview format is, google it - it'll take way too long for me to type out. My summary is that it's like speed-dating crossed with a pop quiz. I interviewed with 8 different folks, and got ZERO feedback so I have no clue if I flubbed it or not. However, I'm pretty sure I didn't offend anyone nor did I draw a complete blank at any point. There was only one bad one in which I confused the interviewer and he asked me to clarify twice/three times.....not good when you know you're being evaluated on soft skills like communication!!! It was the last person I talked to, and by that point my brain was completely fried....I'd had little sleep b/c of nerves, very little food, very little caffeine and it was ~3:30pm (I'd started the first interview at 10:30am). I'm a bit frustrated that I didn't force myself to eat to make sure I'd have the mental stamina.....such an obvious thing.
Other than the food/tired issue, I did prepare like crazy for it all. I researched the MMI format carefully since it's relatively new. The original paper describing it (and comparing it's efficacy against traditional interviews) was very helpful and publicly available I think...I get access to research journals through work so I could be wrong about that. Regardless, the appendix of the paper had practice interview questions, and since I knew the whole thing operated on a timed system, I practiced with the wonderful hubby to make sure I wouldn't run over or under too much. I also went through about 20 of the most common interview questions and actually typed out my answers (again after discussion with hubby about my thoughts :-) I think that was helpful for me b/c I can run on sometimes in stories, loosing site of the point. That's probably the biggest advice I have for anyone interviewing at all - regardless of what you are being evaluated on, make sure you have a very clear, one sentence answer you can start with AND end with. The responsibility for communicating your answers, your personality and your skills completely lies on YOU, and no matter how good the story is or your list of skills or whatever, if you can't make sure that the over-all point gets across and can be remembered, you're screwed. When all you are relying on for communicating is speech, repetition and simplicity are key. Anyone tried remembering something from a class/talk with no visual aids and no writing, particularly if the speaker rambles a bit? It's impossible!! But that's the position the interviewers are in, so just keep that in mind.
I'll admit that I didn't always follow my own advice, but since I know I'm prone to rambling, if I followed it 80% of the time, I think I did pretty well (especially adding in nerves!!). People might be wondering why I don't post more about interview questions, etc, but it's because we are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. A big part of the MMI format is thinking on your feet which, if you know the questions in advance, doesn't work so well. The beauty of the system is that it eliminates interviewer-driven bias and apparently accurately measures soft-skills to the point it can predict success in the program as well as in the career. Knowing that made me feel a little better about a process that was otherwise slightly tortuous. And I can get feedback on the interviews after all offers have been settled.
I'm approaching the impending acceptance/rejection philosophically. If I don't get an offer, there will probably be many reasons why I wasn't considered a suitable candidate. I don't want to put myself into a program where I can't succeed. I'll get feedback on precisely why I didn't get an offer, but if it's something like "Her interview went poorly, her communication skills suck and her critical thinking was weak" then maybe being a professor with teaching responsibilities isn't the best choice ;-) I'll take the info and learn from it - learn about myself, what I need to work on, and what the right path is.
If I get an offer....well, then I'll just freak out. Freak. Out. Oh, and there will be beer consumed. Did I mention I've worked for eight years towards this??
I'll find out *gulp* Tuesday. Offers for the DVM go out Tuesday, and after that, about 10days later I'll hear about the combined degree program. I HAVE to receive a DVM offer in order to continue to be considered for the combo degree, and I can still do just the DVM even if I don't make the cut for the combo degree (it's more competitive, and they only take 2 DVM/PhD students per year). I could type another three pages about alternatives if I don't get an offer, but I won't since people have probably already stopped reading :-) Oh, and it's way past my bedtime now. Oops!
Everybody keep their fingers crossed!!!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Some pics and Thoughts on Horse keeping
Good Morning!
Once again it's Saturday morning and I'm nursing a cup of coffee and contemplating the 23* gray weather outside.
I've finally got the pics of Dax's new pen area. It raises a few thoughts/questions on horse keeping for me. First the pictures:
Once again it's Saturday morning and I'm nursing a cup of coffee and contemplating the 23* gray weather outside.
I've finally got the pics of Dax's new pen area. It raises a few thoughts/questions on horse keeping for me. First the pictures:
The view from my house to the pen area. Zack is supervising.
Dax waiting for.....food. What else?? You can see the shed/shelter on the right.
The gates and tarp are protecting some beautiful bales of timothy hay.
The easy keeper herself. And this is a relatively low weight for her!! I try to keep her in this condition or lighter, but I tell you she can look at a piece of hay and put on 50lbs. If I lived out west in the desert I'm sure I'd appreciate not having to buy as much hay, but around here the lush grass in spring, summer and fall poses a real problem. I've never had a laminitis scare with her, but it's something I'm aware and of course equine obesity leads to insulin resistance and joint damage which can shorten her working life dramatically. So basically Dax is in a constant state of "dieting".
The bone cyst injection site. She's remarkably not sore and really the picture makes it look worse than it is. I didn't want to scrub on a sore spot at first so that's why the dried blood is still there (plus I don't have to worry about flies this time of year).
Notice the eye and ear? I was definitely getting the "What are you doing, Mom?" look. Nobody freak out about the cloudy water....the water system is spring fed so we get a bit of silt but pony doesn't mind it and I'm pretty sure it's no more hazardous to her health than the dirt that she likes to eat. Yes, she's a dirt eater even with a mineralized salt block, complete supplement feed and lots of good quality hay (and being wormed regularly. Although we did have a worm issue at the last barn b/c of another horse but she's been treated and had fecal counts checked).
So the pen is roughly triangular shaped, about 100ftX50ftX30ft, including the sheltered area. It's only taken her a week to pick out her "poo corners" which makes mucking easier on me. It's such a small area and being winter I've decided to pickup all the piles, otherwise by spring there will be a mountain manure :-P
Thoughts on horse-keeping and horse "personality":
So some of you might be thinking "She's by herself?? Isn't she lonely?". To be truthful, of course she's lonely. Horses are herd animals and prefer company so at the very minimum they can sleep while someone keeps watch. BUT the herd mentality varies, and Dax is one of those horses that is at the pretty far end of not being herd-bound. She's never bonded closely with another horse even when she lived with a herd of about 20 mixed horses, but that could also be party due to the fact she's always been bottom of the herd hierarchy. I have suspicions that she actually prefers cows and goats for company b/c she can always boss them around - it's pretty much the only time she gets to enjoy any sense of dominance. That being said she's not pushy at all...she'll let calves chew on her tail and lick her legs, and she even would curl up with her pet goat for naps (freakin' ADORABLE!!!). And she does sleep without company. Her preferred nap time is late morning, when the sun is fully up. Dax just has one of those very independent minds coupled with a generally positive outlook - the world is a friendly place which she approaches with curiosity rather than fear. In other words, she wouldn't survive two seconds in the wild. (What I imagine goes on in Dax's head - "Aww, look at the funny black and white cat!! I wonder if I can nuzzle it like a barn kitty? Hmm, it seems to be lifting it's tail.....maybe it wants to play?" Seriously, she got sprayed by a skunk a couple of years ago because she went right on up to it.)
Now I realize it sounds like I'm doing some serious bragging, and of course I partly am, but there are some downsides to her personality. She basically isn't affectionate. And while I'm pretty sure after 6 years of sole ownership, mostly just me riding and having her at home I'm pretty sure she recognizes me, at the same time she doesn't show any preference for particular people. (Except that she will test new people to a limited point like any horse, just to see if they mean business or not :-) She's not playful - she's not particularly interested in people games unless there are treats involved (clicker training anyone??). The lack of bonding thing actually means she'd make an amazing school horse, and every rider I've ever put on her has been impressed with how well she'll listen to them right off the bat (even my poor never-ridden-a-horse husband!!). In fact, she's got my number down and generally behaves worse for me than for new folks. But it does make for a different pet-owner-rider relationship. I'm more of the "bond tightly with just a few folks" person. I like my uber-clingy cattle dogs, and even the ridiculously attention-craving Sammy cat (Cato is adorable, but, well, just weird. She has issues.)
My desire for a more bonded type of relationship with animals also has to do with the level of trust involved. I'm well aware that every time I sit on Dax (or get in a trailer with her, or walk behind her...) I'm basically entrusting my life and safety to her. Now the same is true for her part to a degree, but really, I'm just the food delivery person, I don't think she has a clue that I could possibly endanger her in any way. For me, riding is about the communication and trust bond between two completely different species (and maybe a little bit about getting to enjoy the athletic abilities of a 1,000lb+ animal). I think that's why dressage AND endurance are appealing to me....lots of time alone together, figuring things out and navigating together, having "discussions" about horse vs. human opinions :-) But Dax is more of a go with the flow, all people are good and generally alike, kind of horse. Ultimately the positives of her type of horse "personality" far outweigh the negatives. Considering I usually only find time to ride by myself, don't have equine company for her at home, that I like to explore and have little patience for horses scared by their own shadows means that Dax is the best horse for me. I have developed trust in her, regardless of the level of "bonding", because she is a trust-worthy, sensible horse.
Oh, and she has mad athletic skillz. Check it out:
3ft warm up fence. She did her hunter show in the morning then trailered to a polo game to act as a referee horse (8 galloping TBs and balls whizzing around). How many horses do you know can do that??!?
Now off to lab!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Funny how that happens
So after saying that I'm going to be posting once or twice a week, I manage to neglect my nascent blog for over a week. I don't even have an interesting excuse like "Ed McMahon showed up at my door with a huge check and I flew to Fiji where there wasn't any internet and....". Nope - my excuse, like always, is "I was busy". Busy included:
- re-writing my personal statement for the ump-teenth time and finishing an application to UVa's PhD program (my backup, but only because I'd rather do animal research).
- helping haul pony-butt to and from Blue Ridge Equine Clinic for the injection into the bone cyst, then bringing her home.
- finding then getting hay delivered at home, clearing out a LOT of cow manure from the shelter area then re-arranging gates to block off some space for hay storage (much to pony's delight).
- buying lots of expensive feed and a SUPER expensive supplement to decrease inflammation in joints, that pony hates. In fact, pony hates said supplement so much that she won't even eat around it to get at her grain or soaked hay cubes. This is the horse who eats potato chips and oreo cookies. Seriously??!?
- clearing out our entire back porch and rearranging for the return of the gi-normous tack trunk my father-in-law made for me (seriously huge...if I had no place to live, the trunk could be temporary housing). This involved moving four large window A/C units and a lot of accumulated stuffs that didn't have homes and therefore had piled up.
- actually moving all of my crap from the barn back home (which took two trips with my truck, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit).
- that embarrassment propelled me to go through all of my horse crap and do a major purge, so now I have an HUGE amount of stuff to take to the used tack guy - fingers crossed he's interested in any of it!
- attacking the mountain of filing that I've left sitting next to the empty filing cabinet just to drive my poor husband nuts. most of it has finally found a home....baby steps :-)
- the requisite stop by lab for something....this weekend's something is a mouse experiment, but trust me, there's always something to get me in lab on a weekend!!
- and a bunch of other little crap that is so trivial I don't even really remember it...ugh.
And is my to-do list any shorter for having been "busy" all week and weekend? Of course not!! Now I just have less time each day to devote to the list b/c I get to feed the pony twice a day then pick up what comes out the other end...but for some inexplicable reason, that makes me happier than checking things off the "To-Do" list anyway :-)
- re-writing my personal statement for the ump-teenth time and finishing an application to UVa's PhD program (my backup, but only because I'd rather do animal research).
- helping haul pony-butt to and from Blue Ridge Equine Clinic for the injection into the bone cyst, then bringing her home.
- finding then getting hay delivered at home, clearing out a LOT of cow manure from the shelter area then re-arranging gates to block off some space for hay storage (much to pony's delight).
- buying lots of expensive feed and a SUPER expensive supplement to decrease inflammation in joints, that pony hates. In fact, pony hates said supplement so much that she won't even eat around it to get at her grain or soaked hay cubes. This is the horse who eats potato chips and oreo cookies. Seriously??!?
- clearing out our entire back porch and rearranging for the return of the gi-normous tack trunk my father-in-law made for me (seriously huge...if I had no place to live, the trunk could be temporary housing). This involved moving four large window A/C units and a lot of accumulated stuffs that didn't have homes and therefore had piled up.
- actually moving all of my crap from the barn back home (which took two trips with my truck, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit).
- that embarrassment propelled me to go through all of my horse crap and do a major purge, so now I have an HUGE amount of stuff to take to the used tack guy - fingers crossed he's interested in any of it!
- attacking the mountain of filing that I've left sitting next to the empty filing cabinet just to drive my poor husband nuts. most of it has finally found a home....baby steps :-)
- the requisite stop by lab for something....this weekend's something is a mouse experiment, but trust me, there's always something to get me in lab on a weekend!!
- and a bunch of other little crap that is so trivial I don't even really remember it...ugh.
And is my to-do list any shorter for having been "busy" all week and weekend? Of course not!! Now I just have less time each day to devote to the list b/c I get to feed the pony twice a day then pick up what comes out the other end...but for some inexplicable reason, that makes me happier than checking things off the "To-Do" list anyway :-)
Monday, January 10, 2011
Quick update on Dax and Vet school
So Dax is getting the bone cyst injected this Friday!! I'm really excited about this because I view it as the first step towards recovery and possibly riding again (which I'm going a bit stir crazy for lack of :-( That also means she'll officially be moving home Friday, and I've got to get my arse in gear to get things together. Hay is the biggest question at the moment....I've got a few folks to call but it is slightly last minute. Plus clearing out the old water tub, moving pallets, buying grain....um, yeah, a bit to do.
Also found out I should hear from VaTech about my application for the combined DVM/PhD program this week. I already found out I've gotten an interview invitation for the DVM. Apparently they review the DVM side of things for everyone first. Once they make decisions on DVM interviews, then they review the people who want to do the combined degree. If I'm chosen as a candidate for the combo, I'll do additional interviews on the same day as my already scheduled DVM interview. It's all pretty complicated, and each school handles it differently.....the application process has been a learning experience!! (an EXPENSIVE learning experience). I think my next post will the about the application saga and to fill in folks on exactly why I would even dream of going back to school for 8...count em...8 YEARS. It's a long story.....
Also found out I should hear from VaTech about my application for the combined DVM/PhD program this week. I already found out I've gotten an interview invitation for the DVM. Apparently they review the DVM side of things for everyone first. Once they make decisions on DVM interviews, then they review the people who want to do the combined degree. If I'm chosen as a candidate for the combo, I'll do additional interviews on the same day as my already scheduled DVM interview. It's all pretty complicated, and each school handles it differently.....the application process has been a learning experience!! (an EXPENSIVE learning experience). I think my next post will the about the application saga and to fill in folks on exactly why I would even dream of going back to school for 8...count em...8 YEARS. It's a long story.....
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Yay for Saturdays!!!
And particularly Saturday morning :-) Mmm, coffee-hot chocolate and "This Old House" on PBS (I've finally graduated from Sat morning cartoons!). Got up to flurries this morning, but they're not supposed to last or accumulate. I'm ok with that - I do love snow, but we're not equipped to handle it around here at all. By "we" I mean pretty much all of central Virginia, but specifically in my case we've got two rear-wheel drive small trucks, one small snow shovel, and we live in the country with a relatively long driveway. Not a good combo for lots of snow!!!
Well, this will be relatively short as I've got some pen-arranging to do for Dax's hopefully-imminent arrival. Just as a heads up for folks, I imagine I'll be posting on the blog about twice a week/once a week when really busy. That seems like a reasonable interval both news-wise and time-wise. Well, off to bundle up to play outside!
Well, this will be relatively short as I've got some pen-arranging to do for Dax's hopefully-imminent arrival. Just as a heads up for folks, I imagine I'll be posting on the blog about twice a week/once a week when really busy. That seems like a reasonable interval both news-wise and time-wise. Well, off to bundle up to play outside!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Dax is coming home and a gimpy dog
Well, it's official. Dax will be coming back "home" after her bone cyst injection. The first reason for doing this is because it became an option! For those of you unfamiliar with my housing arrangements, my furry family + hubby + me live on a 120+ acre farm that has roughly 90 rolling mixed acres fenced in for cattle. There's also a large covered run-in metal shed with smaller pens attached (primarily for sorting cattle). A while ago we had Dax living "at home" in 2acres fenced off with electric fencing. Unfortunately, this 2acres was the windiest-least-sheltered acreage possible, right off of our backyard. We have a water spigot outside, but it's not frost free. So yeah, that basically resulted in hubby and I dragging muck-tubs of water from our bathtub out to pony-butt in 30mph winds from which she essentially had no shelter. Just so you don't think we were totally neglectful, we did have one of those Cover-All tubular steel/tarp shelters up for her....however those things are not made for wind (it even says so in the instructions). We didn't take the tarp down one spring storm and the wind actually COLLAPSED the entire side of the structure. Seriously - bent 6 2inch metal ribs like they were toothpicks. Did I mention we get a lot of wind in Crozet?? Actually, it's really just at our house where the Blue Ridge funnels wind onto the farm. Nice in the summer but nasty in winter. At the time Dax was separated into these two acres (she couldn't be with the cows in the rest of the field) because the cows were fed liquid molasses with enzymes that would be poisonous to a horse. Plus I don't relish the idea of my already spunky little mare constantly hyped up on molasses.
So the less than stellar shelter situation combined with me starting a masters degree program equaled moving Dax to a barn where she would receive good care and shelter and I would have a lit indoor arena to ride in when I got out of lab late at night. Win-Win right?
Right...as long as the pony is ride-able to make use of all the wonderful facilities which we paid a very reasonable board considering the location, care included and facilities available (but it's still not cheap!!) First Dax got hurt within 2months of moving her (damaged a collateral ligament in her hoof) which, combined with the 4th snowiest winter on record in central Virginia, made for a solid 4months of no riding. But she healed, the snow melted and we did our first little schooling dressage show in the spring! That was great, but then my Masters started to wrap up and before I knew it I was deeeeeep in to thesis writing with nary a thought for fresh air or sunshine. There goes two more months. A very sweet girl half leased her for two months, but I'm pretty sure there were more cookies than riding involved. So late summer/fall brought a getting-back-into-shape-riding-schedule. We were doing a ton of trail rides, adding in slowly more trotting and canter to improve fitness. (Brag moment - Dax is a champ on trails. During a little canter session on a nice flat stretch next to a creek, we jumped a doe which proceeded to run along NEXT to Dax for about 15 yards before sprinting ahead of her and across our path. Dax just kept cantering at almost exactly the same pace, although I do think her eyes almost fell out of her head!!) It was when we returned to the ring and began working in smaller circles that I realized something wasn't right going to the left. It was inconsistent and not noticeable at all going straight or to the right. After a couple months of inconsistent "weirdness" to the left, it rather suddenly became consistent and significant - enough for serious diagnostic tests. Some surprising results, way more needles in joints than I care to remember and a LOT of money later, the vets found a 1inch bone cyst in her left femur head. It's large and Dax is relatively old for this (9yrs old) so the prognosis is only 50/50 that she'll come sound with the best treatment - which is a steroid injection directly into the cyst. (As a side note for those of you interested, the name "cyst" is actually a misnomer. It is not a fluid-filled void like we would commonly think of. More likely it is an area of dead and dying tissue - yes, bone has living tissue all throughout - which has set up an inflammatory cascade leading to de-mineralization of the bone. So basically it's really a nasty mushy spot in the bone where it should be nice and hard.) So now Dax is not ride-able until we find out if the shot works.
In combination with Dax's bone cyst, the new folks renting the cow pastures have taken their cows home for the winter. That means we have access to the whole place - of particular interest the small well-fenced pens and attached large metal run-in sheds. I can close off the perfect lay-up pen with shelter, and if necessary close her into a makeshift stall with metal gates in the run-in. There's plenty of room to store hay under shelter AND there's a frost-proof spigot next to the run-in. This is such a better arrangement than the 2 acres we previously tried, it just makes all sorts of sense!!! The only bummer is Dax will be alone. I know this really isn't ideal, but she will be recovering from a majorly invasive injection and doesn't need to be chased around or be chasing anyone else around. Plus she's been pastured alone before and handled it great. I won't say it's perfect....but there's also the possibility that we might reunite her with a goat buddy for the winter. (Oreo the goat lived with Dax for a while until Dax went to the boarding farm. Oreo went to an Aunt's milk goat farm and gave them a cute baby this past spring!! We do have very fond memories of her :-) But Oreo's return is a BIG if. There's also the question of what happens when the cows return - in April. That is really going to depend on how Dax is doing soundness-wise so we've decided to cross that bridge when we get to it. There are just too many variables to plan everything out!!
Whew, I just realized I shared Dax's entire history for the last two years......hope nobody is snoring ;-)
On other news, we also have an unsound dog, as the subject line suggests. Poor Haley is getting older but just doesn't seem to realize it. Now both our dogs are as out of shape as I am. During the holidays, my dear hubby had more time off and took both pups for hikes and then had a good fetch session....and when I got home and Haley got up off the floor she was hopping on three legs. That lasted for a couple of steps, but then seemed to work out of it to an almost undetectable limp. We popped her a baby aspirin and have been taking it easy (i.e. no fetching!!). She's doing fine and hasn't had any more significant limping, but we'll wait another week before testing it with some more vigorous exercise. Both dogs are already on glucosamine and fish oil supplements per the vet's recommendation to head off joint issues early. Haley is 8yrs old and Zack, the other one, is roughly 10. Again for those who might be visiting, both dogs are Australian cattle dogs, more commonly known as blue heelers, and both came from the SPCA (ergo the less than precise age on Zack). Yeah, so the lack of fetching is a pretty big bummer since Haley lives for her ball....well, any ball really. In fact, if no ball is available, a small bit of mulch will do. If you can throw it, she can fetch it. No, don't try to pet her and tell her how cute she is and how smart she is, just THROW something!! Luckily when she's inside the fetch thing turns off a bit and she's a real snuggle bug....but we can't keep tennis balls in the house!
Well, I think that's enough detail for tonight. Now I need to get back on more PhD applications....maybe I'll blog about that next *YAWN*
Windy much?
So the less than stellar shelter situation combined with me starting a masters degree program equaled moving Dax to a barn where she would receive good care and shelter and I would have a lit indoor arena to ride in when I got out of lab late at night. Win-Win right?
Right...as long as the pony is ride-able to make use of all the wonderful facilities which we paid a very reasonable board considering the location, care included and facilities available (but it's still not cheap!!) First Dax got hurt within 2months of moving her (damaged a collateral ligament in her hoof) which, combined with the 4th snowiest winter on record in central Virginia, made for a solid 4months of no riding. But she healed, the snow melted and we did our first little schooling dressage show in the spring! That was great, but then my Masters started to wrap up and before I knew it I was deeeeeep in to thesis writing with nary a thought for fresh air or sunshine. There goes two more months. A very sweet girl half leased her for two months, but I'm pretty sure there were more cookies than riding involved. So late summer/fall brought a getting-back-into-shape-riding-schedule. We were doing a ton of trail rides, adding in slowly more trotting and canter to improve fitness. (Brag moment - Dax is a champ on trails. During a little canter session on a nice flat stretch next to a creek, we jumped a doe which proceeded to run along NEXT to Dax for about 15 yards before sprinting ahead of her and across our path. Dax just kept cantering at almost exactly the same pace, although I do think her eyes almost fell out of her head!!) It was when we returned to the ring and began working in smaller circles that I realized something wasn't right going to the left. It was inconsistent and not noticeable at all going straight or to the right. After a couple months of inconsistent "weirdness" to the left, it rather suddenly became consistent and significant - enough for serious diagnostic tests. Some surprising results, way more needles in joints than I care to remember and a LOT of money later, the vets found a 1inch bone cyst in her left femur head. It's large and Dax is relatively old for this (9yrs old) so the prognosis is only 50/50 that she'll come sound with the best treatment - which is a steroid injection directly into the cyst. (As a side note for those of you interested, the name "cyst" is actually a misnomer. It is not a fluid-filled void like we would commonly think of. More likely it is an area of dead and dying tissue - yes, bone has living tissue all throughout - which has set up an inflammatory cascade leading to de-mineralization of the bone. So basically it's really a nasty mushy spot in the bone where it should be nice and hard.) So now Dax is not ride-able until we find out if the shot works.
Keep in mind how big the knobby end of a horse's femur is, then look at the size of that dark spot.
Oof.
In combination with Dax's bone cyst, the new folks renting the cow pastures have taken their cows home for the winter. That means we have access to the whole place - of particular interest the small well-fenced pens and attached large metal run-in sheds. I can close off the perfect lay-up pen with shelter, and if necessary close her into a makeshift stall with metal gates in the run-in. There's plenty of room to store hay under shelter AND there's a frost-proof spigot next to the run-in. This is such a better arrangement than the 2 acres we previously tried, it just makes all sorts of sense!!! The only bummer is Dax will be alone. I know this really isn't ideal, but she will be recovering from a majorly invasive injection and doesn't need to be chased around or be chasing anyone else around. Plus she's been pastured alone before and handled it great. I won't say it's perfect....but there's also the possibility that we might reunite her with a goat buddy for the winter. (Oreo the goat lived with Dax for a while until Dax went to the boarding farm. Oreo went to an Aunt's milk goat farm and gave them a cute baby this past spring!! We do have very fond memories of her :-) But Oreo's return is a BIG if. There's also the question of what happens when the cows return - in April. That is really going to depend on how Dax is doing soundness-wise so we've decided to cross that bridge when we get to it. There are just too many variables to plan everything out!!
Whew, I just realized I shared Dax's entire history for the last two years......hope nobody is snoring ;-)
On other news, we also have an unsound dog, as the subject line suggests. Poor Haley is getting older but just doesn't seem to realize it. Now both our dogs are as out of shape as I am. During the holidays, my dear hubby had more time off and took both pups for hikes and then had a good fetch session....and when I got home and Haley got up off the floor she was hopping on three legs. That lasted for a couple of steps, but then seemed to work out of it to an almost undetectable limp. We popped her a baby aspirin and have been taking it easy (i.e. no fetching!!). She's doing fine and hasn't had any more significant limping, but we'll wait another week before testing it with some more vigorous exercise. Both dogs are already on glucosamine and fish oil supplements per the vet's recommendation to head off joint issues early. Haley is 8yrs old and Zack, the other one, is roughly 10. Again for those who might be visiting, both dogs are Australian cattle dogs, more commonly known as blue heelers, and both came from the SPCA (ergo the less than precise age on Zack). Yeah, so the lack of fetching is a pretty big bummer since Haley lives for her ball....well, any ball really. In fact, if no ball is available, a small bit of mulch will do. If you can throw it, she can fetch it. No, don't try to pet her and tell her how cute she is and how smart she is, just THROW something!! Luckily when she's inside the fetch thing turns off a bit and she's a real snuggle bug....but we can't keep tennis balls in the house!
The fetching-pool gremlin!
Well, I think that's enough detail for tonight. Now I need to get back on more PhD applications....maybe I'll blog about that next *YAWN*
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2011 Goals
I've been thinking of "resolutions" for 2011 when I read on another that the author was setting "goals" rather than making resolutions because of the difference in connotation between the two. I really like that. To me, it's the difference between working towards something vs. trying to just change your behavior cold turkey. And I know the whole behavior modification thingy isn't so easy. For instance, as much as I desperately wish I was a morning person and could operation on 4hrs of sleep....it will never happen. Ever. I'm an 8-9hr girl who can sleep on speeding motor boats or in the middle of small meetings (much to my embarrassment). My poor creatures have just learned to adapt and will only pester my husband to get up to feed them in the AM. They know I'll only growl and turn over if a cold dog nose is applied to my face. Actually, talking about sleep brings me back to my goal list for 2011. Here are a few of my ideas in no particular order:
1. Drink H2O every day - 750ml/24oz. (that just happens to be the size of my favorite camelbak bottle) I'm terrible about drinking water, except for when I'm doing obvious stuff like backpacking, riding in the middle of the Virginia summer, etc. There's just too much solid research out there about the benefits of regularly drinking water, and it fits into my general goal to get more healthy.
2. Get 30mins of aerobic activity EVERY DAY preferably with my doggers. Today I took the pups for a jaunt through the dormant fields on the farm where we rent/live. Just walking vigorously up and down hills is sadly enough to get my heart going....I have never had great cardiovascular endurance, even when I was relatively fit working on a horse farm. I want a bigger heart for many reasons :-)
3. Start volunteering - at the SPCA or another rescue operation.
4. Successfully rehab my mare, Dax and get her fit carefully and responsibly to keep her sound for the long run. Ok, this one might be a little out of my hands b/c it totally depends on whether or not a steroid injection works to repair a bone cyst in her left stifle , but she's got a 50/50 shot and I'm a "glass is half full" kinda girl. So WHEN she recovers from the bone cyst, this goal kicks in.
5. Get into grad school, get my career moving forward. I'm 30yrs old and it's taken me a lot of time to get focused and try different things to really figure out what I want my path to be. I couldn't tell you why, but this last year things just crystalized for me. I know what I want to do, how I want to live my life and what I want to leave behind me when I die. So now I'm going for it! My dad has always said "Us Co***s are late manurers..." by which he means "late maturers", but really he's not joking!
6. Continue keeping a better schedule and commuting with my husband to save money and pollution. A carry-over goal, I'm happy to say!
7. Pinch EVERY freakin' penny. Because we should, because I'm going back to school...and because I reallllllly want my own horse trailer one of these days :-) More than I want a latte or a new sweater.
8. Support my husband in finding his own balance and happiness. I am married to an amazing, supportive and selfless man. And I can be a bossy control freak. I want to sit back, look at our life and remember the things I need to do for his sake. Even when it's simply doing dishes *shudder*
9. Do dishes...more...often....
Boy, I could really keep going. It's a sad statement that I feel like I need to do so many things to improve myself as a person, as a wife, horsey-mom and doggie-mom. It's all a bit ironic really because I want to make these changes ultimately because I want to be a more selfless and contributing-to-the-world type of person....however, to get there I'm doing an awful lot of "personal exploration". Which is a nice way of saying navel gazing. So my final goal is:
10. LESS PLANNING/TALKING/WHINING AND MORE DOING.
And now I am getting off blogger to go do some weekly meal planning. HA!
1. Drink H2O every day - 750ml/24oz. (that just happens to be the size of my favorite camelbak bottle) I'm terrible about drinking water, except for when I'm doing obvious stuff like backpacking, riding in the middle of the Virginia summer, etc. There's just too much solid research out there about the benefits of regularly drinking water, and it fits into my general goal to get more healthy.
2. Get 30mins of aerobic activity EVERY DAY preferably with my doggers. Today I took the pups for a jaunt through the dormant fields on the farm where we rent/live. Just walking vigorously up and down hills is sadly enough to get my heart going....I have never had great cardiovascular endurance, even when I was relatively fit working on a horse farm. I want a bigger heart for many reasons :-)
3. Start volunteering - at the SPCA or another rescue operation.
4. Successfully rehab my mare, Dax and get her fit carefully and responsibly to keep her sound for the long run. Ok, this one might be a little out of my hands b/c it totally depends on whether or not a steroid injection works to repair a bone cyst in her left stifle , but she's got a 50/50 shot and I'm a "glass is half full" kinda girl. So WHEN she recovers from the bone cyst, this goal kicks in.
5. Get into grad school, get my career moving forward. I'm 30yrs old and it's taken me a lot of time to get focused and try different things to really figure out what I want my path to be. I couldn't tell you why, but this last year things just crystalized for me. I know what I want to do, how I want to live my life and what I want to leave behind me when I die. So now I'm going for it! My dad has always said "Us Co***s are late manurers..." by which he means "late maturers", but really he's not joking!
6. Continue keeping a better schedule and commuting with my husband to save money and pollution. A carry-over goal, I'm happy to say!
7. Pinch EVERY freakin' penny. Because we should, because I'm going back to school...and because I reallllllly want my own horse trailer one of these days :-) More than I want a latte or a new sweater.
8. Support my husband in finding his own balance and happiness. I am married to an amazing, supportive and selfless man. And I can be a bossy control freak. I want to sit back, look at our life and remember the things I need to do for his sake. Even when it's simply doing dishes *shudder*
9. Do dishes...more...often....
Boy, I could really keep going. It's a sad statement that I feel like I need to do so many things to improve myself as a person, as a wife, horsey-mom and doggie-mom. It's all a bit ironic really because I want to make these changes ultimately because I want to be a more selfless and contributing-to-the-world type of person....however, to get there I'm doing an awful lot of "personal exploration". Which is a nice way of saying navel gazing. So my final goal is:
10. LESS PLANNING/TALKING/WHINING AND MORE DOING.
And now I am getting off blogger to go do some weekly meal planning. HA!
So here's the plan...
You might be interested in my reasons for starting a blog. Or you might not! In which case I'm not sure why you'd be reading this anyway....ok, back to my point. So my main reasons are as follow:
1. This coming year in my life is going to be, well, hectic. It occurred to me a forum that my family and friends could check for painfully-detailed updates on what is going on might be nice. I like the "optional" format of a blog in comparison to facebook where every post is forced on every friend. I realize that I've got a few friends who really are interested in the medical details of my horse, but there are probably a lot more who aren't. Here, they get the choice to read or not!
2. The "hectic-ness" previously referred to deserves to be documented for personal reasons, and I've never been one to keep a journal. Even when it was assigned as part of a class, I HATED doing journals. But for some reason, blogging is, well, kinda fun. Go figure.
3. Feedback....maybe, just MAYBE, some interesting, experienced and educated people will read some posts and possibly leave comments. I can use all the help I can get!!!! This particularly relates to horsey activities, where I feel like a perpetual novice....more on that later.
So those are my reasons. Now what is the blog going to focus on? Well, I'm in the midst of applications to different animal-oriented graduate programs. For instance, I've got an interview with Virginia Tech on Jan 28th for their DVM program!! WOO!!! So I imagine there will be lots about veterinary medicine programs, graduate school, animal research and that whole personal quest towards a career in large animal medicine/research. I also just found out that my very dear horse, Dax, has a large bone cyst in her left femur. Now that we've got a diagnosis, we've got treatment and rehab and all that fun. Plus I'm aiming to complete a Physics class, start volunteering at the SPCA, volunteer at some more endurance rides, and....well, as you can see things will probably be fairly animal oriented, but that won't stop me from waxing philosophical on other subjects like food, weather, husbands, farming, trying to stay healthy, etc. That's what the "finding balance" bit is all about.
I realize that description sounds fairly vague, and all I can ask is for a bit of patience and leeway until I've got a better idea myself :-) That's part of why this blog is titled "A Wander in the Woods". Let's hope it turns out to be a relaxing stroll on sun-dappled trails!!
I realize that description sounds fairly vague, and all I can ask is for a bit of patience and leeway until I've got a better idea myself :-) That's part of why this blog is titled "A Wander in the Woods". Let's hope it turns out to be a relaxing stroll on sun-dappled trails!!
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