Rollin NJ Ranch

Does anyone know anything about getting into horse chiropractic? Specifically in California? My husband is a Chiro and has looked into getting certified to work on horses but we are finding conflicting information on what is required. There aren't many (1 I think) in our area and there is a high demand for it so any information or links would be great. Thanks!

I drive by these poor horses several times a day, 6 of them in a small dirt paddock less than an acre. All are dirty with no muscle and I have never seen them out or being worked. The other day as I drove by one of them was chewing on the tree eating the bark. When I drove back by I noticed that he had eaten a 1.5 foot wide ring almost all the way around a stout oak tree and today I saw he started on another. I notice my horse will do this if tied up for long periods so is it a boredom thing? Just curious. Thanks!

Yesterday I asked about a huge lump on my horses chest which I thought was a hematoma and all the people on here said that is what they thought too. My aunt stopped by to look at it last night and told me it was Pigeon Fever which is a horrible infection that manifests in absecess on the chest area or stomach. I have Googled it and read up but has anyone else had a horse with it? Any advice? Probably going to the vet later today or tomorrow to have it lanced.

Just want to throw caution out there, remember this is just a forum, although answers and advice on here are appreciated do what is best for your horse! I would have just waited for the "bruise" to go away and he could have gotten really sick!

This morning we went out to feed our horses some carrots before work and my Arab had a huge grapefruit size bump on his chest, kinda off to the right but he is so narrow it pretty much takes up the whole chest! There are no puncture wounds that we can see or any open sores. He came trotting/loping up, ears pricked forward, his eyes were clear, no snotty nose and a ravenous appetite as usual. It didn't seem to bother him but when my husband tried to feel it he did act as though it was tender. We last saw them on Sunday when we brushed them down at the barn but they haven't been up to the house since (they are on 90 acres so we don't see them everyday). So it happened sometime between Sunday night and this morning. My guess is he ran into something and it is a goose egg of some kind but just to be sure any thoughts?

Please no answers with just "take him to the vet", someone will look at him tomorrow.

I cannot seem to find a number or a website that will give me definite information on California Maternity Leave. If someone knows where I can get this info I would appreciate it. I work for a small company and need to know if it is worth it to stay here since they are under 50 employees so I am not sure I qualify for anything. Thanks!

Ok I am pretty dense when it comes to showing. I did 4H when younger then some drill team, barrel racing but no real shows. Now I just do a few playdays and trail ride. I know someone with what looks to be a mostly TB if not TB/QH and they showed in the AQHA regionals. How is that so? I just assumed to show AQHA you had to have a QH. Just curiousity. Thanks!

Ok since I can't ride anymore (or at least till next spring) can you all give me some good suggestions on ground work to do in the meantime? I do not have a round pen and am looking into getting a trainer but closer to my due date so I don't train then let him sit for too long. He gets pretty ornery when he isn't ridden in awhile so until I get a trainer I want to be hands on with him as much as I can so he doesn't "spoil" on me. Thanks!

Question to you ladies out there who are/have been pregnant, work full time and have horses. How do you do it? I feel horrible that I haven't been on my horse at all lately and haven't had the time or energy to work with him. He is a little snot to start but I can just imagine what he is gonna be like if I don't get my hands on him soon. I can't ride which is killing me and I don't trust too many people to ride him. My hubs is tall and 180 which is pushing it for my little arabs limit. So what do you all do with your horses for 9+ months that you can't ride?

Can anyone help me find information on maternity leave in California? This is our first so I am trying to learn all I can right now. I have a feeling by employer will not be fair to me and I want to be educated going into the dreaded discussion. I work for a small company, only 8 employees but work 40 hours a week. I am in my first trimester and having horrible morning sickness but continue to come in because I cannot afford to stay home upaid. Any information or links will be helpful and thanks everyone!

Hey all, I am wondering how long you should store hay. I bought hay last winter for my horses and stopped feeding in spring when the grass started growing and have some left over. Right now we have them turned out in the irrigated pasture because hay is so expensive but I am wondering how long I can keep the 6 bales I have left in the barn. It is dry and away from elements so would a year be ok or should I just start feeding it to get it out? Thanks!

I just had some very light brown spotting at just over 4 weeks (estimated). Not crampy (although I think I am freaking myself out to think I am) or anything but pretty worried. This is my first so any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

Ok so another question, I just got convinced that a false positive is unlikely (Yippee!) so I guess I am 4 weeks along or maybe only 3 but I feel really really bloated. Is that normal this early? Don't see a doc for another 2 weeks or so. Just getting a feel for this pregnancy thing, need to go buy some books but sometimes first hand experiences are better and my hubs will get tired of this "is this normal?" question quickly!

I took a pregnancy test this morning and it came out positive. I feel like it is too soon to know and hesitant for my husband and I to share yet. I was supposed to start yesterday (I am like clockwork) and have been tired the last few days so all signs point to being pregnant but I still have this feeling it is too early to tell even with a positive test. Am I crazy? I haven't seen a doc yet, my new insurance won't kick in till next Fri and have an appt on Mon. Has anyone else found out so early? Just an anxious, possible Mom to be here! Thanks!

Out of the blue my dog has started tipping over the garbage can in the kitchen everyday and pulling everything out of it. Nothing in his life has changed; diet, schedule, toys, everything the same. We have 2 dogs so he isn't alone (and we cant blame the chi/rat terrier for tipping over a large stainless steel can!), they have a dog door with a huge yard and an abundance of toys and bones. He is 2 1/2 and has been an angel since he got over his "i'm a puppy and gonna chew everything" stage. I can't figure out what started this or how to stop it!

I hear different arguments on this one. Some say you shouldn't get your hair dyed or highlighted during pregnancy but I see pregnant women all the time with colored hair and some studies show it does not affect the fetus. I currently have highlights in my hair and my husband and I are planning on trying for our first this summer so I am basically just trying to figure out whether or not to just dye it all brunette prior to conceiving. If anyone can give some good links to studies or articles on it I would appreciate it or just your personal experience. Thank you!

Can't decide whether or not to clip the donk. He just turned a year old in March and last year he never shed out his winter/baby coat but we just let it be. This year he isn't shedding it well either. We brush him and although all the hair we get off suggests he should be bald he still looks like a little yak! I know when the nasty brown winter coat comes off he is going to have a stunning grey coat but for now I can just see grey on his little tush where he keeps rubbing it on a tree. I know he is starting to get hot so clip or not clip?

Sheesh the flys are out early this year! I usually don't have to mask until June but had to start in April and with that comes my fly spray issue. Neither of my horses want me to spray them, they totally freak out. Any good advice on how to get them over it? As of now I spray it on a cloth and wipe them down but would like them to get used to the bottle if possible as that is easier in the morning when on a time crunch. Someone said horses are "monkey see monkey do" so since my TB flips out our Arab does too now. And just for kicks the Arab now flips out when I put his fly mask on he wore all summer last year. Wonder if TB will pick this lovely trait up too! I wish there was a way to communicate that this is going to HELP them not HURT them but for now they still think I am evil and trying to kill them with a bottle and a mesh mask. Advice? Thanks!

My horses and 1 year old donk are all of a sudden chasing/attacking my dogs. We take our 2 dogs out just about everynight for a run and have to go thru the pasture to get to the trails. The 2 horses and baby donk have never been bothered by them in the last year we have had them. Horses/donk will come up and get some pats and scratches as we walk thru then go on grazing completely indifferent to the 2 dogs running around them. Now my Arab is chasing the dogs anytime they get close and he means business. The donk actually chased our big dog and knocked him to the ground. Guinness used to walk right up to the donkey and lick his nose, they were fine. We have had him around the dogs since the day he was born but now Willy chases him and tries to stomp him. What happened here? No the dogs do not and have not chased them EVER.

What the heck is that noise coming from my horse when he comes trotting up to me? It's almost like a grunt coming from his stomach and only when he trots. I have heard it in numerous horses of different ages and breeds, mostly gelds but never knew what it was nor asked for that matter. Anyone know? Thanks!

Ok need some advice. I have a horse, Mo, who I got last June out of pity for him. I went to see a "nice QH/Arab cross" to trail ride with and found a small, sad, half starved, beat up, very Arab looking horse. I cried after seeing him and although he was not at all what I wanted my husband and I just couldn't leave him there. We bought him and less than a year later everyone loves him and tells me how gorgeous he is. Not confromationally perfect but hey at least he's a gelding!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2434794244_c96...

The problem is we don't click, haven't since day one. I have always been used to my stocky quiet QH types and I just can't seem to attach to this narrow, flighty horse. I really don't know what to do. Do I sell him? And how? I love him, I really do but I find myself scanning the ads for a QH each week. Advice?