Sassy Aussie

So I had a dream last night about a black bear wandering into my house and just calmly walking around my kitchen. I shooed him out and he came back in a few minutes later. He was very docile and nonthreatening but I was still freaked out by the bear in my house. I've been under a lot of stress lately in my personal life, any idea what this dream means?

So turning into my driveway this evening my car engine stalled and the power steering stopped working, my car coasted to a stop while all the lights and radio remained on. I let it sit for about an hour and went to start it again, the lights came on and the starter cranked and the engine sputtered but wouldn't start. It has a half a tank of gas, the starter and battery are only about 2 years old. Most of the cooling system, radiator etc was replaced last summer and all the wiring was redone in the fall. All the fluid levels are fine and were just done last month and the brakes, calipers and rotors were replaced in May.

I'm looking for suggestions as to what may be wrong and if possible a rough estimate of what it will cost to get fixed, as I'm a poor 21 year old.

My dog got in a little skirmish with another dog 2 1/2 weeks ago. She initially had a small puncture that she would not stop worrying and made it a larger wound. We put her on a course of penicillin to prevent infection and have had a cone on her. The wound had been healing up nicely and was scabbed over but she managed to pull the scab off. The wound is mostly healed but is still red and slightly open. I think it is healing ok but is there anything that can be done to expedite the process now that she's gotten the scab off? Will another scab grow or should I wrap it?

I have a qhxarab gelding who needs a show name. His barn name is Hawk, he kind of has a split personality. Some days he is sweet and quiet and other days, well his name on those days is 'hell-beast.' I plan on eventing and foxhunting him, and occasionally hauling to barrel races. His name last season was Redneck Romeo but I'm not sold on it. I want something unusual and a bit spicy, like him.

http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/Sarah_Balboni/me...

http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/Sarah_Balboni/me...

http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/Sarah_Balboni/me...

Hi guys, I really know nothing about cars so please try and dumb down your answers for me.

I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty Limited Edition, I've owned it for about 2 months and I'm having a problem with the tires spinning but the car not moving.

This usually happens when I stop at the end of a driveway/ stop sign and try to pull forward again. I will be stopped, and then press my foot down on the gas and the tires will start spinning like they're stuck and aren't getting traction.

So far it's happened on gravel driveways, ice, snow, and slush, sometimes even regular pavement, even when it's in 4 wheel drive. Usually I manage to get it moving after a moment, but it usually slides/drifts when I do. Other times I need to throw it in reverse, back up a few feet, and then try to floor it forward.

Any ideas whats going on? It makes me nervous when it slides out into traffic or when I have to try and floor it forward.

Today I was in a car accident behind a jeep at an intersection, they pulled out of the intersection fast and I thought they were gone. So I pulled up to the stop sign and was looking over my shoulder and it ended up that the car I thought was gone was stopped in the middle of the intersection.

The intersection formed a V where we were pulling onto a main road from a side road (like merging onto the highway), and since I was looking over my shoulder at oncoming traffic I know that there was no traffic that would have caused the lady in front of me to stop. But she claims she had to stop because of a big truck, the thing is is that I know there was no truck or any other reason she would have stopped, but she was stopped in the intersection.

I rear ended her going about 10 MPH, my hood was crushed by the spare tire on the back of her jeep but she had no damage to her car.

I think she might have intentionally stopped so that I rear ended her. She said that she had been in an accident where another car swiped the front of hers. She was also unnaturally calm considering she was just rear ended. I'm wondering if she might have done this intentionally so that my insurance would pay for repairs on her car unrelated to the accident, since I noticed she was leaking fluids from the engine but I hit the back of her car.

There's obviously no way to prove this, but I'm wondering if I should mention it to my insurance company. It just doesn't seem normal how she was acting (like she was expecting it), and she shouldn't be stopped in an intersection regardless. She kept pointing out the scratch on the cover of her spare tire like it was huge damage, when it was only a hole in the fabric and was probably there before since my hood was crushed by her spare tire.

It would be her word against mine, and I know that I will be put at fault anyway since I hit her. Do you think I should mention it just in case she tries to get more work done than what was caused by the accident?

We had a police officer come and exchange info for us, but he didn't take statements from either of us or take pictures of the damage. It was pretty self explanatory what happened, but he didn't seem to notice that her car was in the middle of the intersection, or that the 'damage' to her car might not have even been caused by mine. He swapped our info and left, didn't ask for our accounts or anything.

11 year old QH/Arab gelding, at a good weight getting good quality grass hay only (all he can eat), but has no energy. My gelding is very laid back, in the three years I've known him he has been very lazy. One summer when he was in heavier work he had to get grain to keep on weight, it was just generic livestock feed (Blue Seal I think), and his energy level improved significantly.

I've since moved barns and am going to be working him harder, but he doesn't have the energy to perform at the level I know he's capable of. He's sound, just lazy, he doesn't even want to jog on the lunge for more than 1 circle at a time. And he is in decent shape from trail riding, like I said he's lazy. He's a good weight, but I'm thinking that maybe he isn't getting enough calories to perform the way I know he can.

I'm looking for a feed that will give him some energy without making him hot or making him put on a lot of weight. And I don't want to feed a lot of it either, he has no trouble keeping weight on, so maybe something concentrated? He just needs a little boost, he obediently does whatever I ask but I have to really push him to get him going.

I have only been on the Mass Pike twice, both times the driver had an E-Z pass. This is my first year driving it alone and I don't have an E-Z pass, what's the point since I only use it once a year? Can I pay the tolls in cash?

Also, what are the current toll rates, anyone know?

I have seen a lot of english riders kick their horses every time they go up in the posting trot.Are the horses they're riding need to be pushed to keep going? Why do they do that? Are they taught to do that or do they just lack the body control to prevent it? If I did that on one of my western horses they would canter or gallop. I was taught how to do the posting trot but my heels/calves don't bump the horse's sides with every stride.

I'm 17, and I have horrible periods. I have a heavy flow the first 3 days of my period, on day 3 I typically I have to use a tampon and pad, and still change every hour. After that, the flow slows down significantly. My abdomen usually feels like it is about to explode every day, even with Ibuprofen. My hips and back are so bad I can't sit, or lay down, comfortably either. Today every time I stood up after class I felt a bit dizzy/ lightheaded. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, and I am stubborn, so I tend to push through and still go to class and work, but I pretty much want to shoot myself because I am so miserable. Sometimes the pain is so bad that I can barely stand up straight. All of my friends I have talked to say they haven't experienced such pain.

Is this normal or is there another possible cause?

I know that many people prefer geldings over mares because they typically aren't as moody. I prefer mares though, I feel like I can bond better with mares and they give a more 'competitive' ride?

Also, do you prefer hot horses or quiet horses? I like the horses I ride regularly to be hot in temperment, but not crazy. Wat do you think?

Lets say that you are a barn owner/ manager at an English barn, whatever discipline you chose.

Here is a rundown of my experience:

Riding western, trail, and bareback for five years. Intermediate rider, can handle energetic or misbehaving horses. Gentle with horses but firm when necessary.

Understands English fundamentals, posting, etc but no recent experience in English riding. Good seat, light hands, understands leg cues.

Can do all basic barn chores: mucking, grooming, tacking, worming, feeding, turnout, blanketing, putting on boots, etc.

Does not have experience in but knows how to trailer load and put on leg wraps.

Can lunge and teach ground work.

Good attitude, hard worker, friendly, agreeable, willing, good interpersonal skills, doesn't complain, observant.

Willing to work for minimum wage with 1-2 weekly lessons taken out of wages.

Would you hire me? What else would you want to see on a resume?

Hi there,

I have ridden western for about five years, I am mostly self taught, a few lessons here and there. I have been told when I take lessons that I have a good seat and light hands, I am probably an intermediate rider. I can walk, trot/jog and canter/lope. I also ride bareback for fun in walk and trot, I can canter when I use a bareback pad with stirrups and I will try without stirrups on Friday. Also I can kind of post bareback without stirrups, I definitely need more practice at it though.

I thought yesterday that would raise the stirrups on the bareback pad to an English length for fun, and I loved it. I have been toying with the idea of switching to English riding at least for the winter so that I can use an indoor.

I understand English riding fundamentals, using two hands, posting, constant leg contact, shorter reins, etc. My main concern is the saddle, I have some friends who used to ride English and they have told me, after riding western for about a year and taking an English lesson, that they have felt so unstable cantering in an English saddle. I was kind of hoping to get an evaluation lesson and working with rescue horses as an exercise/training rider, however they are at an English barn and I am kind of worried about looking like a complete beginner (the position is for intermediate-advanced riders).

If I have a good seat bareback how much will an English saddle affect my seat? Are my friends exaggerating how unstable the feeling is?

I ride mostly on the trails at a barn that does not use groundwork or do much in the arena or lunge to "take the edge off." There are some highly strung horses there that we use for guided trail rides. I am a competent rider, but I wouldn't say that I am the most experienced, I have ridden horses that act up, buck, jig, toss heads, etc. Please don't say lessons, I cannot afford them and I already know how to ride.

Usually when a horse acts up I turn them in tight circles. I can't really make them speed up like I would for bucking, because I lead inexperienced riders who could not control their horses if I did.

My main question is how to calm down a nervous, prancy horse. Also, when we have to stop, there are some horses that you stop, and then they walk off when you give a loose rein or back up when you stop them again.

My dog's health is failing, she is senile, half deaf, and is having trouble with getting around, as well as occasional incontinence issues. Euthanasia is probably her only option at this point as she is twelve. It is going to be getting cold soon and we just got the floors redone, we really can't have her on the hardwood or carpet because of the incontinence. She has has about 5 accidents in 2 weeks.

I have had her since I was 6, she has been my best friend and she is the only reason I have overcome my depression. I simply can't bear the thought of not having her with me any more. And it is not fair to her to have her last days be living outside.

I want to be in the room with her when she goes, I owe at least that much to her. But I don't know how I will handle it emotionally. I will probably miss school for at least 3 days after, as well as work. I know that I couldn't just pack her up in the car with my mum to go to the vet, or even stay in the waiting room while she goes. And I would be absolutely heartbroken to not be home when she leaves.

How do you deal with the grief? What is it like to be in there? What happens to the body, does the vet take it away in front of you or do you leave the room first?

It is the only fair thing to do for her, and I know that it needs to be done. I don't know how to cope with it though. This dog is my baby and if I didn't have her I probably would have killed myself long ago. Please none of the 'she will be in a better place' stuff. And there is a very slim chance of me getting another dog while I still live with me parents.

My horse was really lame two weeks ago. I wasn't informed by the boarding facility, and wasn't until I came to the barn the next day. My horse was walking with a slight limp and had a crack in his hoof as well as a much smaller crack going horizontally across the coronary band. They told me he had an abscess and the on-site farrier confirmed it for me.

The only thing they told me to do were hot soak with epsom salts and give him a bute. He was kept in a small, private paddock until last Friday. When I came out to the barn that day he was walking and trotting with no signs of lameness and was chasing his pasture mate around. We had assumed that he had burst the abscess on his own and I took him on a light trail ride.

I was then away for a week. We had thought that the abscess had burst and so I had him put back out with his herd. I told the barn to contact me if he had any issues.

I arrived back today and went out to the barn. My horse was fine walking up to the barn and when I briefly lunged him. As soon as we started to leave the yard and I asked him to trot, he was lame again.

What can I do to make him more comfortable, other than the hot soak, before I get the farrier back out? I am going to ask about having him draw out the abscess if possible.

Also, is there anything else he could have?

My lease horse has had the same farrier for his whole life, and after discussing it with his owner, we have decided to switch farriers. The main reason is that the other farrier is cheaper and does just as good of a job. I have to tell her that I'm switching because his owner is living out of state currently and doesn't have the time.

His current farrier is awesome. She is really patient with my horse and is always on time and is very nice. But she is ridiculously expensive, she charges $95 just to put on front shoes. Also at the last visit I mentioned to her that my horse was 'off' and seemed to have sore rear feet. She said she would put rear shoes on if I wanted her too, but seemed pretty reluctant to do so. She banged on his feet with the rasp to show me that he wasn't sore and had no signs of stone bruising, etc. So I figured she was right and only had her do the front shoes.

Well he came up sore again a week later, again on the rear feet. I asked to farrier who is on sight, the BO's son, to look at them. He did some hoof testers and confirmed that he was really sore and he needed rear shoes. So I paid him to put on rear shoes the same day after calling his owner, the BO's granddaughter. Also he charges only $100 for a full set of shoes, and he will do them even if I am not there.

Well my horse's next appt. with his original farrier is in two weeks. And I need to call her to cancel the appointment and tell her that I'm switching. How can I tell her without upsetting her? She and my horse's owner are good friends, I think that that's why his owner doesn't want to do it.

I work in a barn with 2 mares. There is one young, disrespectful alpha mare and a sweet older mare who i think is going blind. They live out in a pasture together with a run in.

Every time the older mare is in her run in while I'm cleaning it, the younger mare will inevitably come into the run in to see me. Every time she comes in, the older mare desperately tries to avoid the alpha mare. She often barrels into me in her attempts to escape.

I feel like tying them up is just a quick fix but not a solution.

Is the problem the alpha mare driving the other horse into me, or the older horse not caring to avoid me when she tries to get away? I know that the mare just has to come near the old mare to make her flee.

The young mare isn't even being aggressive. I don't feel like I should have to tie her up just because she wants to be friendly with me but I don't think I should have to hit the old mare to keep her off me either. What should I do?

I know if I tie the old mare and the young mare walks past her she will panic. There is only one pasture so I can't separate them. Plus they're not my horses so I don't really have the option to move one of them either.

Also at the hay feeder (one of the big ones that's raised off the ground) I can be standing next to the old mare and if the alpha mare is on the other side she will jerk her head towards me as if she was being threatened.

The young mare doesn't even have to appear threatening to make the old mare run into me. The old mare is very sweet and gentle, so I know she wouldn't try to hurt me, but she just gets so frightened of the young mare that she seems not to notice anything else around her.

I have an 11 year old collie, she has a condition called hystiocytosis, but she no longer shows any symptoms and has been very healthy for years. All we did was switch her diet and its been smooth sailing since. She has been puking small amounts of a clear, somewhat yellowish liquid more often for the past few weeks, but it is usually not all that unusual for her. She has also had Lyme 2 years ago that was treated and has gone away. She has had an incontinence issue for the past 2 years, but she only has one or two spells of it a year and it always clears up within 2 days after antibiotics. She has a very minor bout of it about 2 weeks ago.

I came home today and started brushing her when a horrible stanch hit my nose and I gagged. I looked under her tail and sure enough she is leaking a very minimal amount of diarrhea. It mostly is just enough to mat in a small region around her anus.

She has an appointment with the vet on Wednesday. When I came in to tell my mum what I found my grandmother informed me that on her walk this morning she seemed to be having some sort of issue, she couldn't really tell, with either urinating or pooping. She said before she noticed this my dog did do a normal poop, but after tried to squat 2 more times without success.

I have no idea if any of these previous symptoms are related to her current problem. My mum seems to think she has cancer, but she has "killed" the dog with her other diagnoses 4 times in the past 2 years, and yet the dog is still alive. Therefore I'm not really inclined to believe what she thinks.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of issue? Any ideas what might be going on with my old girl? I am praying it is something that my vet can fix, because this dog is my world. I have had her since I was 6.