Yeah, I didn't get that part where they were new needles on the syringe, pre-filled. So it makes more sense now that you put it all together for me. Cheap as needles are, best to take the safest route.
Whoa~! Rein 'em in here and show your horse! 2026
- Thread starter MyBuddy
- Start date
If it's not one thing it's another.
First Kali,
then I'm down for a week with probably the flu. I don't know what it was actually. My friend, who's a nurse, told me influenza A since I had no energy and a headache. But the headache was from sinus. So I thought it was more like a head cold. But yeah I was no energy. Flat on my back for at least 5 days and I am still not feeling completely well. That started a week ago Thursday. So the 19th?
So all this time my husband has been taking care of the animals. I was really worried about the horses since I have the main care of them and of course, only really trust myself.
Each have their own problems as they get up in age. Cheyenne will be 28 years old this year and she has a bad heart murmur. After what I just went through with Kali, that scares the hell out of me. Worse now than when the vet first told me and I was a bit naive to what it all meant. Sandy is 26 years old and of course she has heaves which is like COPD in people. Then, in January we went through the whole choke issue that I told you about above.
Then there's Stilts. He is 24 years old and blind in one eye. He went completely blind in his left eye over the last year.
Before I got sick I noticed something changing in his eye. It was that little white thing in the middle of his eye. I wasn't sure what that was.
But then of course I got sick and wasn't even thinking about it. As soon as my brain cleared, I went out there to check on him and his eye looked much worse.
I'll leave these pictures as thumbnails for your convenience! LOL they're not pretty!
When I sent my vet the picture, she said it looks like his lens rupture through the cornea. She said you'll have to get removed. I'm like, what? Okay. My mind was reeling!
First thought was, I don't have my trailer anymore. I sold it several years ago. I never went anywhere that I needed to haul my horses so I gave it up. And most people I know don't have one either. Plus even if I did, I would never feel comfortable driving down there. My husband probably could but I also didn't want to use somebody else's trailer. My one friend who still has two horses and a trailer just dropped her trailer off to get some cosmetic work done.
Plus she's a nurse and she works nights. I didn't know what her schedule was and I really hate to ask anybody, for anything. But I texted her the pictures before I even sent them to the vet, so we were already in conversation about everything.
I was a wreck. Crying, undecided what to do and she was trying to keep me focused. After trying to think of all our options I said, you are my best bet. You have a trailer, you trailer all the time, I trust you driving my horse. I knew she was off work next week but she worked the weekend. Which would put this off until Wednesday. She checked on her trailer and the guy hadn't even started on it. So she said she would pick it up on Monday. Thank God for small blessings.
In the meantime I called the University and they had been in touch with my vet. They got all the records and told my vet they would make an appointment for 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. I like, Um, that ain't going to work! LOL I'm sorry, but my friend is working nights and probably wouldn't even be home by then. On top of that we have an hour and a half drive, at least. Maybe more since we're hauling a horse and it looks like rain. (Of course!
)
I tried to call but now it's the weekend and I can't get a hold of anybody to check on other appointment times. They're only taking emergencies . I'll have to call on Monday first thing.
But I did talk to one of the doctors at the University today. They were very nice and she told me it's a very routine surgery. It's a standing surgery, meaning they do it with the horse standing up. They're not laying down under anesthesia. They just get a tranquilizer and a shot to numb the pain in the eye. Once he's coming around, I can bring him home barring any complications.
I told her he has not been in a trailer in years. What happens if I can't get him in or it takes me an hour and now I'm late? She's so just keep us abreast of what your ETA is. We are crossing our fingers that he will go in like Flint. But I doubt it. I know him. He's a little chicken and he has one eye now. So he's not seeing that good to begin with and he's not going to like going in there. So we are going to have to get a later appointment so that we have time to get them in there, get everything set and get on the road and take our time. Such a hassle! I wish they had more animal vets around. More facilities.
So this is how I spent my life since the 1st of February. It has not been fun.
This was his eye this morning.
First Kali,
then I'm down for a week with probably the flu. I don't know what it was actually. My friend, who's a nurse, told me influenza A since I had no energy and a headache. But the headache was from sinus. So I thought it was more like a head cold. But yeah I was no energy. Flat on my back for at least 5 days and I am still not feeling completely well. That started a week ago Thursday. So the 19th?So all this time my husband has been taking care of the animals. I was really worried about the horses since I have the main care of them and of course, only really trust myself.
Each have their own problems as they get up in age. Cheyenne will be 28 years old this year and she has a bad heart murmur. After what I just went through with Kali, that scares the hell out of me. Worse now than when the vet first told me and I was a bit naive to what it all meant. Sandy is 26 years old and of course she has heaves which is like COPD in people. Then, in January we went through the whole choke issue that I told you about above.
Then there's Stilts. He is 24 years old and blind in one eye. He went completely blind in his left eye over the last year.
Before I got sick I noticed something changing in his eye. It was that little white thing in the middle of his eye. I wasn't sure what that was.
But then of course I got sick and wasn't even thinking about it. As soon as my brain cleared, I went out there to check on him and his eye looked much worse.
I'll leave these pictures as thumbnails for your convenience! LOL they're not pretty!When I sent my vet the picture, she said it looks like his lens rupture through the cornea. She said you'll have to get removed. I'm like, what? Okay. My mind was reeling!
First thought was, I don't have my trailer anymore. I sold it several years ago. I never went anywhere that I needed to haul my horses so I gave it up. And most people I know don't have one either. Plus even if I did, I would never feel comfortable driving down there. My husband probably could but I also didn't want to use somebody else's trailer. My one friend who still has two horses and a trailer just dropped her trailer off to get some cosmetic work done.
Plus she's a nurse and she works nights. I didn't know what her schedule was and I really hate to ask anybody, for anything. But I texted her the pictures before I even sent them to the vet, so we were already in conversation about everything. I was a wreck. Crying, undecided what to do and she was trying to keep me focused. After trying to think of all our options I said, you are my best bet. You have a trailer, you trailer all the time, I trust you driving my horse. I knew she was off work next week but she worked the weekend. Which would put this off until Wednesday. She checked on her trailer and the guy hadn't even started on it. So she said she would pick it up on Monday. Thank God for small blessings.
In the meantime I called the University and they had been in touch with my vet. They got all the records and told my vet they would make an appointment for 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. I like, Um, that ain't going to work! LOL I'm sorry, but my friend is working nights and probably wouldn't even be home by then. On top of that we have an hour and a half drive, at least. Maybe more since we're hauling a horse and it looks like rain. (Of course!
) I tried to call but now it's the weekend and I can't get a hold of anybody to check on other appointment times. They're only taking emergencies . I'll have to call on Monday first thing.
But I did talk to one of the doctors at the University today. They were very nice and she told me it's a very routine surgery. It's a standing surgery, meaning they do it with the horse standing up. They're not laying down under anesthesia. They just get a tranquilizer and a shot to numb the pain in the eye. Once he's coming around, I can bring him home barring any complications.
I told her he has not been in a trailer in years. What happens if I can't get him in or it takes me an hour and now I'm late? She's so just keep us abreast of what your ETA is. We are crossing our fingers that he will go in like Flint. But I doubt it. I know him. He's a little chicken and he has one eye now. So he's not seeing that good to begin with and he's not going to like going in there. So we are going to have to get a later appointment so that we have time to get them in there, get everything set and get on the road and take our time. Such a hassle! I wish they had more animal vets around. More facilities.
So this is how I spent my life since the 1st of February. It has not been fun.
This was his eye this morning.
Oh boy just what you didn't need. Prayers are sent that his procedure goes well and that you are feeling better quickly.
The eye photo from this morning; did the big swelling rupture or go down on it's own? I would think it relieved some of the pressure anyway.
The eye photo from this morning; did the big swelling rupture or go down on it's own? I would think it relieved some of the pressure anyway.
I had a horse at the race track with one eye. She was injured as a foal and they removed it before she was a year old. She did great in training and was one of my best racehorses with many wins. It's not a complicated surgery so I'm sure it will all go well, plus making him feel so much better in the long run. Holding you find some relief as well.
LifeofRubie
Moderator
Knowing nothing about it but reading that the vet and @Ravenbird say it's a pretty straightforward surgery, I will believe it and send good vibes 
gosh it seems you can't catch a break.
gosh it seems you can't catch a break.
Well to continue my story....
My friend called the guy that was going to work on her horse trailer and he did not even start anything except for ordering some parts. So Monday I called U of I and we set the appointment for Wednesday at 10:30. My friend was working until Tuesday morning. She works nights so there's no way I wanted her to work all night and then drive down there. So Wednesday it was. I kept a face mask on him the whole time to protect the eye.
She arrived at my house Wednesday morning at 7:30. We were really afraid that my horse would not get in her trailer. It's been a long time since he's been in the trailer. Well, getting in was actually a breeze!
(Coming home was another matter that I'll explain later.)
He put two feet in, and then jump back. The next go round he went right in! We hitched him up, closed it up and we were on our way!
Of course the day had to be super overcast and foggy.
I was a nervous wreck the whole ride down.
I actually brought a camera that I thought I can use to keep an eye on him. But I forgot that the trailer is aluminum and the magnet wouldn't work for holding the camera. So the whole time I was worried ....is he still standing? We did stop once and checked on him and he was fine. She said if he was throwing a fit back there, we would feel it. But he seemed to be quiet the whole ride.
When we got there he was soaking wet. I think he was probably terrified. He came out easily and we walked into the Stalls area where they had his stall ready for him.
They asked me a few questions and then did an exam on him. Then she told me it would probably be 6 hours before he was ready to go home! She said they had a lame horse in front of us and they would try to get to him next but between that, the surgery and the recovery time before he can go home, it would probably be 6 hours. She said you can drop your trailer and go get something to eat or do whatever or you could just take the trailer with you. I said, you mean I can't stay here with him? And she said no. Immediate tears were falling down my face! I said, I'm sorry I just thought I would stay with him. The thought of leaving him really upset me. But I was an emotional wreck as it was. Of course I couldn't stay there with him.
So we took her car and trailer and went looking for some place to shop and eat. That was about 10:30am when we left him. We had just finished eating when I got the call that he was ready to go home in 45 minutes! It was about 2:00pm! So we were pretty excited that he was ready!
Except by now, it was raining. By the time we were trying to get him into the trailer it was a steady rain. And he would not. go. in. We tried and tried and tried. By now he is soaking wet and shaking all over. I wasn't sure if that was fear or if he was cold. But I suspected that it was fear. He's never driven in a trailer for that length of time, on the expressway, passing noisy semis, and I think he just did not want to get in there again. I thought for sure with the rain he might want to! But nope.
Finally two people came out with a rope that they put under his butt with a person on either side trying to push him in. That didn't work either. Then the vet came out and she was trying. Finally a young girl came out with a syringe and said, let me give him a little sedative. That should help. And then the vet took the lead rope and turned him around and tried to walk him in and when he hesitated, everybody was pushing and talking and slapping him on the butt and everything until he finally jumped in! Crap! What a fiasco. I was worried about the vet up there with him because we had to try and close the dividing panel so he wouldn't back out. I was afraid she was going to end up getting trampled or something but she was fine. She hooked him up ducked underneath the panel and we were done. Sigh.
My friend was soaking wet! Her coat was not rain-proof totally but she brought another one. So she changed and we turned up the heat! So we had to drive home in rain and dense fog once again. I thought we made pretty good time but it was a nerve-racking ride. And of course there's always Construction.
When we pulled in my other horses were in the Corral and they were running and excited. I thought, oh boy he's going to fly out of that trailer and be a maniac. But he was fine. He knew he was home!
We were supposed to change the bandage in a couple of days. But when we were out in the rain I asked the vet, now what? That shouldn't be getting wet right? And she said no, change it tomorrow.
I also had one large pain pill to give him twice a day, for 5 days. If you think that's bad, I also had 16 pills to give him twice a day for 7 days! What a fiasco that has been! The first night I soaked them in water to soften them, added applesauce, and spooned it into a large syringe to squirt into his mouth. He was on to me from the get-go! I couldn't get near him to squirt that in his mouth. I tried on his Blind Side but I had to do it very very very quickly and he reacted just as quickly. Swinging his head in the air and side to side. Trying to avoid me. I had medicine on the floor, on my coat, one time it actually got on my face! We gave up that night and squirted it into his grain hoping for the best. The next morning I tried again. But boy he just would not stand still for any of this. He wasn't having it. I got some of it in his mouth. The rest I threw in some grain again.
Later my friend came over and we rewrapped his bandage. We really thought we were going to have an issue. She said, you realize we have to do this without a halter on. I said yes, of course. Fun times!
So I threw a rope around his neck, and I distracted him by brushing him. He loves it. They all do. So I knew that it was a feel-good thing. We got my three step mounting block and she started taking off the bandage. Then she started the new one and the whole time he stood fairly still. Really good! So that was a plus! Much easier than giving him medication! So that one was able to stay on 4 days which means today it needs to be changed. She's going to come over and help me this afternoon. It really helps to have two people. I told her the vet was lucky. She probably put the bandage on when he was still out of it! But my friend did a great job. It's stayed in place all this time. He has to wear a fly mask over it to help when he's scratching himself. She said he will be rubbing on stuff. Not only because it feels weird but when it starts healing, it'll be a little itchy. Great. And he has been rubbing himself. But so far so good.
Saturday and Sunday my husband and I tried to give him his medication. Both of us got whacked in the head with his head at one point. I said that's enough! I am just going to put it in his grain and hope for the best. I mixed it with applesauce and even some maple syrup and water and carrots and a little bit of hay LOL I mean it was a concoction that I was hoping would taste a little better! Plus the maple syrup might stick to his face a little bit forcing him to eat some of it. I'd much rather give him an injection then these stupid pills. The 16 pills was the antibiotic. The one large pill was a pain pill.
When we took off the bandage I didn't know what to expect but I really thought it looked good. It didn't look swollen or look infected. We'll see again today. I'll take another picture but I was happy that it looked so good. The vet said it would first have a hematoma behind it? So I guess it would look like a bump. But she said after a while that will diminish and it may even sink to a little bit of a crater.
But neither one of us thought it looked very swollen at all.
He has dissolvable stitches but she said after 10 days or so if they don't dissolve you may want to try and get them out cuz they may bother him. I told my friend, who's a nurse, you could do that, right!? LOL She says, I've done it on people... I said, well there you go! You can do that on a horse too!
Poor girl! I am putting so much on her! LOL But honestly, I don't know what I would have done without her. God bless her!
And we've had some beautiful days. We did have a storm go through one day. Don't ask me what day cuz my mind is messed up and I can't even remember days anymore! LOL but we have had some beautiful days and I am able to hand walk him. So I took him out and walked him around a bit.
Today is going to be another beautiful day reaching almost 75°! I actually thought about putting him out in the pasture by himself. I mean, I don't see why I can't do that?? The reason why he stallbound is mostly so the other horses don't bother him. There's only a little bit of green grass coming up out there so I don't think that would bother him too much. What do you think? I sure would love to get him out in the sunshine. Poor thing is board stiff.
My friend called the guy that was going to work on her horse trailer and he did not even start anything except for ordering some parts. So Monday I called U of I and we set the appointment for Wednesday at 10:30. My friend was working until Tuesday morning. She works nights so there's no way I wanted her to work all night and then drive down there. So Wednesday it was. I kept a face mask on him the whole time to protect the eye.
She arrived at my house Wednesday morning at 7:30. We were really afraid that my horse would not get in her trailer. It's been a long time since he's been in the trailer. Well, getting in was actually a breeze!
(Coming home was another matter that I'll explain later.)He put two feet in, and then jump back. The next go round he went right in! We hitched him up, closed it up and we were on our way!
Of course the day had to be super overcast and foggy.
I was a nervous wreck the whole ride down.I actually brought a camera that I thought I can use to keep an eye on him. But I forgot that the trailer is aluminum and the magnet wouldn't work for holding the camera. So the whole time I was worried ....is he still standing? We did stop once and checked on him and he was fine. She said if he was throwing a fit back there, we would feel it. But he seemed to be quiet the whole ride.
When we got there he was soaking wet.
I think he was probably terrified. He came out easily and we walked into the Stalls area where they had his stall ready for him.They asked me a few questions and then did an exam on him. Then she told me it would probably be 6 hours before he was ready to go home! She said they had a lame horse in front of us and they would try to get to him next but between that, the surgery and the recovery time before he can go home, it would probably be 6 hours. She said you can drop your trailer and go get something to eat or do whatever or you could just take the trailer with you. I said, you mean I can't stay here with him? And she said no. Immediate tears were falling down my face! I said, I'm sorry I just thought I would stay with him. The thought of leaving him really upset me. But I was an emotional wreck as it was. Of course I couldn't stay there with him.
So we took her car and trailer and went looking for some place to shop and eat. That was about 10:30am when we left him. We had just finished eating when I got the call that he was ready to go home in 45 minutes! It was about 2:00pm! So we were pretty excited that he was ready!
Except by now, it was raining. By the time we were trying to get him into the trailer it was a steady rain. And he would not. go. in. We tried and tried and tried. By now he is soaking wet and shaking all over. I wasn't sure if that was fear or if he was cold. But I suspected that it was fear. He's never driven in a trailer for that length of time, on the expressway, passing noisy semis, and I think he just did not want to get in there again. I thought for sure with the rain he might want to! But nope.
Finally two people came out with a rope that they put under his butt with a person on either side trying to push him in. That didn't work either. Then the vet came out and she was trying. Finally a young girl came out with a syringe and said, let me give him a little sedative. That should help. And then the vet took the lead rope and turned him around and tried to walk him in and when he hesitated, everybody was pushing and talking and slapping him on the butt and everything until he finally jumped in! Crap! What a fiasco. I was worried about the vet up there with him because we had to try and close the dividing panel so he wouldn't back out. I was afraid she was going to end up getting trampled or something but she was fine. She hooked him up ducked underneath the panel and we were done. Sigh.
My friend was soaking wet! Her coat was not rain-proof totally but she brought another one. So she changed and we turned up the heat! So we had to drive home in rain and dense fog once again. I thought we made pretty good time but it was a nerve-racking ride. And of course there's always Construction.
When we pulled in my other horses were in the Corral and they were running and excited. I thought, oh boy he's going to fly out of that trailer and be a maniac. But he was fine. He knew he was home!
We were supposed to change the bandage in a couple of days. But when we were out in the rain I asked the vet, now what? That shouldn't be getting wet right? And she said no, change it tomorrow.
I also had one large pain pill to give him twice a day, for 5 days. If you think that's bad, I also had 16 pills to give him twice a day for 7 days! What a fiasco that has been! The first night I soaked them in water to soften them, added applesauce, and spooned it into a large syringe to squirt into his mouth. He was on to me from the get-go! I couldn't get near him to squirt that in his mouth. I tried on his Blind Side but I had to do it very very very quickly and he reacted just as quickly. Swinging his head in the air and side to side. Trying to avoid me. I had medicine on the floor, on my coat, one time it actually got on my face! We gave up that night and squirted it into his grain hoping for the best. The next morning I tried again. But boy he just would not stand still for any of this. He wasn't having it. I got some of it in his mouth. The rest I threw in some grain again.
Later my friend came over and we rewrapped his bandage. We really thought we were going to have an issue. She said, you realize we have to do this without a halter on. I said yes, of course. Fun times!
So I threw a rope around his neck, and I distracted him by brushing him. He loves it. They all do. So I knew that it was a feel-good thing. We got my three step mounting block and she started taking off the bandage. Then she started the new one and the whole time he stood fairly still. Really good! So that was a plus! Much easier than giving him medication! So that one was able to stay on 4 days which means today it needs to be changed. She's going to come over and help me this afternoon. It really helps to have two people. I told her the vet was lucky. She probably put the bandage on when he was still out of it! But my friend did a great job. It's stayed in place all this time. He has to wear a fly mask over it to help when he's scratching himself. She said he will be rubbing on stuff. Not only because it feels weird but when it starts healing, it'll be a little itchy. Great. And he has been rubbing himself. But so far so good.
Saturday and Sunday my husband and I tried to give him his medication. Both of us got whacked in the head with his head at one point. I said that's enough! I am just going to put it in his grain and hope for the best. I mixed it with applesauce and even some maple syrup and water and carrots and a little bit of hay LOL I mean it was a concoction that I was hoping would taste a little better! Plus the maple syrup might stick to his face a little bit forcing him to eat some of it. I'd much rather give him an injection then these stupid pills. The 16 pills was the antibiotic. The one large pill was a pain pill.
When we took off the bandage I didn't know what to expect but I really thought it looked good. It didn't look swollen or look infected. We'll see again today. I'll take another picture but I was happy that it looked so good. The vet said it would first have a hematoma behind it? So I guess it would look like a bump. But she said after a while that will diminish and it may even sink to a little bit of a crater.
But neither one of us thought it looked very swollen at all.He has dissolvable stitches but she said after 10 days or so if they don't dissolve you may want to try and get them out cuz they may bother him. I told my friend, who's a nurse, you could do that, right!? LOL She says, I've done it on people... I said, well there you go! You can do that on a horse too!
Poor girl! I am putting so much on her! LOL But honestly, I don't know what I would have done without her. God bless her!And we've had some beautiful days. We did have a storm go through one day. Don't ask me what day cuz my mind is messed up and I can't even remember days anymore! LOL but we have had some beautiful days and I am able to hand walk him. So I took him out and walked him around a bit.
Today is going to be another beautiful day reaching almost 75°! I actually thought about putting him out in the pasture by himself. I mean, I don't see why I can't do that?? The reason why he stallbound is mostly so the other horses don't bother him. There's only a little bit of green grass coming up out there so I don't think that would bother him too much. What do you think? I sure would love to get him out in the sunshine. Poor thing is board stiff.
I learned a great way to get a stubborn horse into a trailer. Attach a LONG line to their halter, feed it through the front of the trailer, so the rope goes into the trailer and out the side, back into your hand. Take a crop and attach a plastic bag onto the end of the crop.
Pull on the rope, and shake the bag on the crop at the horses butt, steadily pulling on the rope to encourage the horse to get into the trailer, all the while shaking and tapping the horse on the rump to encourage it to go into the trailer. The horse needs to be right up to the trailer door, not 10 feet away.
My horse knew he was supposed to get into the trailer, but could be a butt sometimes. Someone showed me the above technique and it worked like a charm.
I was hiking once, parked at a staging area where 2 young women were having a problem loading up one of their horses to leave, dang horse refused to get into the trailer. They had a nice long rope, I had a plastic bag, we used the above and he got right in.
Pull on the rope, and shake the bag on the crop at the horses butt, steadily pulling on the rope to encourage the horse to get into the trailer, all the while shaking and tapping the horse on the rump to encourage it to go into the trailer. The horse needs to be right up to the trailer door, not 10 feet away.
My horse knew he was supposed to get into the trailer, but could be a butt sometimes. Someone showed me the above technique and it worked like a charm.
I was hiking once, parked at a staging area where 2 young women were having a problem loading up one of their horses to leave, dang horse refused to get into the trailer. They had a nice long rope, I had a plastic bag, we used the above and he got right in.
LifeofRubie
Moderator
My friend came over and we re-wrapped his bandage. He did really good. And the wound looks good too
I've got him out in the pasture now and he seems to be doing very well. It'll do him good to get out in the sunshine on this beautiful day.
@MyBuddy he's looking great. I think it's going to be fine. I'll see if I can find any old photos of the horse I had that lost her eye. As it all heals and inflammation goes down the socket will appear sunken in a bit. I spent years with this mare though and I never even thought about it. She did have a slight tilt to her head when riding, and I think it was her using her ears more. Like when humans tilt their head when they think they hear something. So glad for the update and happy to hear he's doing well.
@MyBuddy
You sure have some beautiful horses! My girls wanted to plan a family vacation to a Dude Ranch. Funny thing I immediately thought of you. Your spread would be big enough for us and we could work for the room and board all the while enjoying the great company!
I didn’t see it in your post but what is the eye condition called? Why do they have to remove it? At first I thought of macular degeneration since it started in the center but seems as if the entire eye became rotten/infected and had to be removed?.?
You sure have some beautiful horses! My girls wanted to plan a family vacation to a Dude Ranch. Funny thing I immediately thought of you. Your spread would be big enough for us and we could work for the room and board all the while enjoying the great company!
I didn’t see it in your post but what is the eye condition called? Why do they have to remove it? At first I thought of macular degeneration since it started in the center but seems as if the entire eye became rotten/infected and had to be removed?.?
@MyBuddy - I found pics so you can tell Stilts he's not the first one to go through this. I never owned this mare but I had her in training on & off for several years and when she retired I leased her for breeding, but I still saw her a few times up until she was in her teens. It was different because she lost her eye in an accident as a foal, so she lived one-eyed almost her whole life, but let Stilts know it'll be A-OK! You may find that he will turn around a lot to keep things in sight or if he hears something he may wheel around to look since he can't see on that side. You know how horses can wheel & spook so just be aware that he can run over you without meaning to. 
LifeofRubie
Moderator
Had a random impulse over the weekend to bring out my saddle and give her a glow up. It is a Stubben that my dad bought me from a yard sale probably like 25 years ago. She did get used but now she hangs out in her saddle bag and get's a nice refresh every few years.
Didn't get a proper 'before' photo but she was a little dull and lackluster. I had both a liquid spray type leather cleaner/conditioner as well as a more solid one. Soaked a few rounds right up!
Much better! I'm going to try and make it a point to get some really quality conditioner and go another few rounds. Stirrup leathers were pretty sad looking but I gave them a quick dip in warm water to "wake them up" and they readily took up the conditioner, let them dry, more conditioner. Much more supple but could still be better.
Didn't get a proper 'before' photo but she was a little dull and lackluster. I had both a liquid spray type leather cleaner/conditioner as well as a more solid one. Soaked a few rounds right up!
Much better! I'm going to try and make it a point to get some really quality conditioner and go another few rounds. Stirrup leathers were pretty sad looking but I gave them a quick dip in warm water to "wake them up" and they readily took up the conditioner, let them dry, more conditioner. Much more supple but could still be better.
Very, Very Cool! I have a Stubben Lacley, or maybe it's a Lacey?? Made in Germany! When I got my horse in 1987, my brother, whos ex-wife had horses, gave it to me. Guess she didn't want it in the divorce, and since I'd just gotten a horse he shipped it off to me. Can't find ANY info on it, other than Stubben moved out of Germany before WWII, and settled in Switzerland, from what I understand. In my photo's, where I'm on the grey, that's the saddle.
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Stubben was my first saddle and I loved it to literal death. It was 20+ years old when I bought it for $25 in the '80's and I rode it for years until it was falling apart at the seams. @DobieDesire you did the Tevis? I did a little endurance but none over 50 miles.
