Results of Kylie's necropsy and Mazzy is jumping

Since I have Mazzy to take care of and ride, I am forced to go to the barn. I don't know if it would be quite that easy to go there if I did not have something to focus on other than Kylie's empty stall. I am greatful for everyone at the barn that has been respectful of me not wanting to talk about it, or even acknowlege it for that matter. When the subject has come up, I can't fight back the tears. Last weekend Kylie's first vet came to the barn to visit some friends. I was very sad when I had to switch vets, because we both loved her and she had know Kylie since the beginning when she did her pre-purchase exam, but she no longer practices due to raising her family. I have seen her regularly over the years since she has kept her horses at Kylie's barn. Anyway, she expressed her condolences and of course, I had a major breakdown. So many memories.

I did find out the results of Kylie's necropsy. There were a few things the vets thought they might find that was causing her to be so sick after the colic surgery and not recovery normally. What they did find was that at the point where the colon was resectioned, the opening had decreased from the initial six inches to two inches after surgery. So the food wasn't passing through very easily causing alot of pain. This may have been caused because she had a lot of reflux and could not eat for days and days after surgery. Since 95% of her large colon was removed, there was not enough left to repair it. It does give me a bit of comfort knowing there was nothing that a second surgery could have done for her.

Mazzy has been coming along really, really well. For the past few weeks, I have had great lessons on her! Last week I jumped my first line with her, including a 2'9" oxer, so exciting! My trainer has been doing such a great job with her. Mazzy was on a plateu of learning for quite a while, but it seems as though she is on the upswing of things. Her lead changes are coming so easily. Her jumping corrordination is improving. She is cantering away from the jumps instead of coming to almost a dead halt after landing. She is holding herself up alot better, instead of relying on the rider. I don't feel like I have to direct her every single step of the way (only every other, haha). And most importantly she seems to really be enjoying what she is doing. Just over the past few weeks I have felt a such a huge change in her.

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It is so hard to see a beloved friend go

Animals and their love stay in our souls, once we've let them in. And we are better for it, more complete, more whole, more compassionate, and often transformed. Loving this much, we also know the searing pain of losing them.

My thought is that one fine day we shall see them again, and that my dear, Kylie, just went on ahead.

Two wonderful friends sent me flowers last week. It was so unexpected to see them on my front porch and really made me smile. I was overwhelmed and so thankful for their thoughtfulness.

Over the weekend I got a call from the vet with the autopsy results and thankfully it revealed something that was a complication from the colic surgery and not something that they could have fixed in a second surgery. It actually did bring some piece of mind that truly there was nothing else that could have been done for her. I felt that the vet was sincere, when he expressed how bad he felt that he was not able to save her.

It is hard to go to the barn and see her empty stall, but I am thankful I have her daughter, Mazzy to bring me happiness and help fill the void Kylie has left.

After a week off of riding due to rain, I had three great rides in a row with Mazzy on Saturday, Sunday and yesterday. She is on the upswing right now and feeling better, stronger, and much easier every time I ride her.

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A better day

When I went today to see Kylie, she was definetly more herself. And she was HUNGRY. I welcomed the spoiled behavior of pawing for treats or attention when normally it drives me crazy. She is back on the IV drip of Lidocain for pain, which is a step back, but I am happy it is keeping her comfortable.

I took her for a walk and was so happy and content to just be with her. I wish I wasn't so emotionally attached so that I could make clearer decisions, but after being in a relationship for 11 years, there is an attachment that clouds everything. I want what is best for her not just today, but for her future. She deserves a great quality of life, and I am trying to take that into account when making all of these difficult decisions.

I had a long talk with the vet today (it seems like he is there 24 hours a day, seven days a week!) and is happy with how Kylie looks today, so he has backed off the pressure of giving her a second surgery. Thankfully! I learned some interesting things about ulcers and treatment that I did not know before. Kylie developed ulcers that she did not have when she first came in from all of the acid in her stomach. Hers are caused from fasting and all the medication. Horses evolved to graze, eating many small meals frequently. This way, the stomach is rarely empty and the stomach acid has less of a damaging effect. If horses do not eat frequently, the acid builds up and ulcers are more likely to develop. Research has found that an average horse can produce up to 16 gallons of acidic fluid every 24 hours. Thety started her on Zantec (ranitidine) on Friday, but it takes 24 to 48 hours to take effect. This is one possibility for her discomfort on Friday,

It's been well-documented that over 90% of race horses and over 60% of performance horses (hunter/jumpers, dressage, endurance and western) have ulcers. Even small changes in the routine of a recreational horse can cause ulcers in as little as five days. The signs of ulcers in horses include poor performance (often mistaken for musculoskeletal or back pain), behavioral issues (poor attitude, resistance, girthiness), colic and loss of weight or condition.

The part I did not know was associated with the treatment of ulcers. I have had Kylie on ranitidine in the past due to a heavy show schedule and to prevent ulcers, but this vet told me that unless I administer it every 8 hours it does no good. I have also used GastroGard and given just one tube, which I have done during a show, and come to find out one dose does nothing . Good to know because it is expensive! GastroGard or UlcerGard (Omeprazole), requires three to five days to reach a steady level in the body; after the first dose, there is only 25% inhibition of the parietal cells (large oval cells of the gastric mucous membrane) that secrete gastric acid. So, for it to do any good, you have to start at least two to three days prior to stressful situations. Alternatively, you can use an H2 blocker, such as ranitidine, which inhibits parietal cells with the first dose, but this medication must be given three times per day for continued effect.

So basically to treat ulcers you can use ranitidine, which is much more cost effective, but must be given every eight hours for it to work OR GastroGard can be given only once a day for 30 days. Research showed that once treatment stopped, the ulcers came right back. That means you have to do more than just treat the existing ulcers, you have to create an environment in the stomach that makes it hard for ulcers to form. For the prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers, continue treatment for a least an additional 4 weeks by administrating at the recommended daily maintenance dose.

Here are some diet and management tips to reduce the risk of ulcers in your horse:

■Provide pasture turnout--this is the best method of preventing ulcers!
■Provide constant access to hay—keeping hay in front of your horse is next best
■Provide hay frequently—if free-choice hay is not an option, feeding it four to six times a day is an acceptable substitute
■Use alfalfa hay—the protein and calcium in hay help reduce stomach acid
■Limit fasting periods—keeping food in the stomach at all times protects it from acid which causes ulcers
■Limit grain feeding—sweet feeds especially lead to heavy acid production
■Provide “down time”—heavy exercise is a risk factor for ulcers so include less intense work days and even rest days in your training and showing plan
■Reduce stress—allow social interaction with other horses and keep the feed, turnout, and exercise schedule as regular as possible
■Limit NSAIDS—anti-inflammatories like phenylbutazone have been linked to ulcers, so give the smallest amount necessary for the shortest time possible.

And she got some alfalfa leaves today! She was so happy!

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A step back

What a gloomy Saturday. Kylie has had a rough weekend so far. She doesn't feel well and they aren't sure why. So she is back off of all food and back on all the pain meds. So frustrating. I hope this is just a bump in the road. I spent a few hours with her Friday night. I took her for a walk when I got there and she seemed ok, but as soon as she got back to her stall she layed down and was acting colicky. She rolled and groaned and did not look comfortable. It was heartbreaking. They gave her a round of drugs to make her more comfortable, and they gave her visible relief. Then after they wore off she seemed ok. I groomed her for a couple of hours, and she definetly seemed to enjoy that. Every time I stopped she would take a step closer so I would continue.

This morning I went back and she seemed more comfortable, but she is back on all the pain killing drugs and back on the IV. The vet wants to do more surgery to see if he can find out what is wrong, but I do not want to put her through any more torture than she has already been through. I wish someone would tell me what the best thing to do for her is.

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The Dreaded Colic

I know I have been gone for a long time. It is due to a horribly long commute which is eating up all of my spare time. Commuting 17 1/2 hours a week + riding every night = no time for blogging. It actually doesn't leave much spare time for anything. No time to make jewelry either :-(. But I wanted to document this awful event I am trying to live through.

I got a call on Friday afternoon from a friend who said Kylie didn't look right. She got up and down a few times and was lifting her lip. She took her out and walked her for a while. I asked her to show her to the barn manager and get her feedback. The barn manager took her vitals and they seemed normal. I called my vet and she was a couple of hours away so she told me to give her 10cc of Banamine IV and if she still didn't seem right to get another vet out. The Banamine seemed to make her content for about an hour, and then she layed down again right at feeding time. My friend recognized this as a red flag and notified the barn manager, who said as long as she wasn't rolling that she was fine. NOT TRUE. Thankfully, my friend followed her instinct and decided to start walking her again. At this point I was trying to get there, but friday rush hour traffic in LA is brutal. Within a half an hour Kylie started going down hill fast. I got another call as I sit stuck in traffic that she was now trying to lay down while my friend was walking her. She told the barn manager, who apparently had something far more important to attend to becasue she got in her car and left. This I find to be a HUGE problem, since the horse was getting worse and the girl walking her was just being nice and had no responsibility to the horse, but I will deal with this later. I had a vet on the way and I was trying to brave the traffic and get there as soon as I could. By the time I got there around 6, Kylie was in bad shape. Her legs were buckling and she was trying very hard to lay down. The vet showed up soon after and gave her some sedatives to make her more comfortable. He oiled her and palpated her. I continued to walk her for a while hoping things would work themselves out. The vet said as soon as the drugs start wearing off in 20 min, if she is still uncomfortable I needed to get her to the hospital. He gave me another shot to give her right before she got on the trailer to keep her comfortable for the ride there. When the drugs started wearing off she was even worse, and I could tell in major distress. We had to kept her walking for a while until my husband showed up with the truck. That was a challenge. I am so grateful my friend was there to help me and to have noticed there was a problem to begin with. She saved her life. I gave her the shot and she reluctantly loaded on the trailer. By the time we hit the end of the driveway the shot wore off and she was not a happy traveler. It was the worst trailer ride of my life. She thrashed the whole way there, and I could hear her trying to go down. Nothing we could do but get there as fast as possible. Luckily the hospital is only 30 min. away. When we pulled in I was afraid I was going to open the trailer to a pile of body parts. It wasn't that bad but when she got off the trailer she wanted to go down BAD. They gave her some more drugs to ease the pain but they wouldn't hold for more than 2 min. The vet said I needed to make a choice right then, put her down or surgery and I didn't have 5 min to decide.

Surgery....
After a few hours, the surgeon came out to talk to me. It wasn't good news. On a scale of one to ten, it was a ten. Her large intestine was twisted like a wrung towel. He needed to do a colon resectioning to remove most of it. The chance of survival was 50/50 if that. Oh boy! Not what I wanted to hear. I looked around for second wondering if someone could pinch me and wake me up from this nightmare. Then I looked through the window to my precious baby upside down on the operating table with all of her guts outside her body. I said ok do whatever you have to do.

to be continued....

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Catch Up

I know I have not been very good at keeping up with my blog lately. Time just seems to get away from me these days. I want to make things more efficient, I want to be more productive, but there just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes. Work consumes most of my day and then its an hour and a half drive to ride and take care of my horses. I try and spend some time with my wonderfully understanding husband on the nights he is home, and work on my jewelry on the other nights. Household duties...I'm not even going to go there.

The weather here has been crazy!!! We had record breaking temperatures in the 100's two weeks ago (113 degrees on 9/27!!!). Kylie had already grown a 2 inch long winter coat, so she got body clipped. Last week it rained and dropped into the 50's, so I had to put a sheet on her. Now it is back to about 80 degrees and low 60's at night.

Mazzy's coat isn't nearly as thick as Kylie's, so she hasn't needed a body clip yet. It sure is shiny and dappaly (is that a word?), must be all the good stuff they are feeding her. She gets a hot lunch everyday. I can start riding her again at the end of the month, and I know we are both going to miss all the pampering she gets at the place she is at now!!!

A new equestrian mixed media necklace creation. It has a fox hunting theme. I'll be posting it in my etsy shop soon.

Here are some new goodies I just got with a verdigris patina that I can't wait to create with.

We saw Berlin at the Brixton this past weekend. Our friend Carlton is the guitarist in the band, so we got to go back stage! They played a great show including "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun, “Sex (I'm A...),” “The Metro,” “You Don't Know,” “No More Words”. Carlton just released a solo project, Shades of Scar "The Hollow Season", available through itunes. If you are into Electronic/Synth/Industrial/Darkwave music, you should check it out.

Terri Nunn

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Busy, Fun, Hot Weekend

This is the first week of fall and the hottest weekend of the year so far. It has been an unusually cool summer, however, at five o'clock tonight was was 106 degrees!!! Red-flag fire warnings are in effect due to the hot dry conditions, so I have my fingers crossed that no wild fires break out. I rode early before the heat really set in so as not to torture my horse too much. Poor Kylie has already grown a winter coat. As soon as the days begin to get shorter the hair grows. Time for body clip #1.

We had a nice dinner at Edendale in Silver Lake on Saturday night. It is located in a beautifully restored craftsman-style firehouse, built in 1924. The restaurant is named after the Edendale Valley, a stretch of what is now Glendale Boulevard that was home to some of L.A.'s first film studios. The bar has a really cool hammered-tin ceiling and firehouse doors and sits on what was once the station’s fire-truck bay. We enjoyed the perfect night on the large outdoor patio, which was really charming all decorated in twinkly lights. The food and drinks were good, but it was our good friends that really made the night fun.

This morning we met a friend and her two doggies for the 12th annual Wiggle Waggle Walk fundraiser to benefit the Pasadena Humane Society. Literally thousands showed up to walk around the Rosebowl - a gigantic dog party!!!! It was fun checking out all the other dogs in every possible shape and size.
After the dogs were exhausted we dropped them off at home (in the air-conditioning) and me and my friend headed down to Santa Monica for the gem & jewelry show. I found some GREAT things today. Lots of vintage equestrian themed clasps, charms, pendants, and a few rings.

Murphy beating the heat by enjoying some yöghund, doggie yogurt. He absolutely LOVES it! But then again he loves anything remotely edible.

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Horse Show

I don't show Kylie too much anymore, just a few times a year, but decided to at the last minute this weekend. I woke up super early to go pick her up and get her to the show and into the ring before the show started. Luckily she got right in the trailer, since I was the only one there to load her, and it was pitch black out. We got to the show and she was so relaxed and happy. She warmed up perfectly. My first equitation class was pretty good, she was forward and relaxed, all my distances were good, but I added a little leg in the line (just to make sure) when I should have just sat still and she swapped leads coming out over the oxer. I was happy with that round. In second round, she was great, but I had one fence I would rather forget. Stupid mistake, again if I had just sat still and stayed out of her way, Kylie would have made a better decision than me. I won the flat eq, and ended up reserve champion of the equitation division. The last class was a medal class. I laid down an awesome round, nailed ever jump and felt great. I was called back on top for the work off and not sure what the judge didn't like about my work off, but moved down to third. My trainer said I should have won (and the girl who moved up from 4th to 1st was also her student). Who knows? It didn't really matter to me because thankfully, I wasn't trying to qualify and I didn't need the points, but I'm sure I would have felt differently if I was trying to qualify and needed to win to get the points. I was just super happy at how good Kylie was after not showing for so long. Fun day!

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Bridle Rosettes

My friend Kacy over at All Horse Stuff got me interested in finding out more about bridle rosettes since they resemble my beloved intaglios. I really love these, but like intaglios, the vintage ones in good condition can be quite pricey. Here are my two...the green one was my grandmothers, which was made into a pin, and the other I strung on a choker of vintage pearls.

Bridle rosettes, the traditional decoration on bridles for driving horses, have a very interesting history. In ancient Egypt they were used to attract the evil eye to the adornment and spare the horse from harm. They surfaced in the U.S. around 1880 as the "Victorians" (late 1800-early 1900) liked their adornments and felt superstitious enough to still want protection from the evil eye. The Victorian era brought forth rosettes with the colorful die cuts used then and calling cards, under thick glass domes. Companies started using them for advertising as did presidential candidates. Most rosettes were made in pairs with the second being a mirror image of the first and measure around 1 3/4". Production of bridle rosettes stopped in the 1950's but started up again in the 1990's. Very few antique pairs have survived over the years. At best you can find a single rosette that is in decent shape and a nice pair is a great find that brings top dollar. Many have been converted into jewelry by converting the backs to pins or pendants.

Show Stable Artisans has a beautiful selection of bridle rosettes:

Original Huntsman with Hound on Yellow Bridle Rosette as PIN $250

Original Horse and Rider Bridle Rosette as Pin $225

White Horse with Rider Bridle Rosette Pin $210

Fox on the Run Bridle Rosette $235 by Etsy seller shinybycharlotte (she has a bunch of beautiful ones in her ETSY shop)

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Intaglios - Reverse Carved Crystals

Intaglios are my favorite - they are miniature works of art! The art of carving gemstones in the intaglio technique originated in Europe is over a thousand years old. Belgian Artist Emile Marius Pradier is attributed for using this technique with crystals. His designs were hand etched and filled with different materials or hand painted. Some of Pradier's early pieces were signed, which makes them particularly appealing. Such was the beginning of a treasured art form, which evolved into incredible works of art in miniature. The designs varied and included miniature portraits of people, animals, flowers landscapes and many other images too numerous to mention.

In the 1960's, Thomas Cooke who resided in England began making crystals for Lambeth and Company. The crystals gained immediate favor and as their popularity increased Cooke trained a student to assist him. This student - Thomas Bean - later trained his own son, Edmund and subsequently his grandson, Edgar (d. 1954) in the crystal making process.

NOTE: At one time, crystals were wrongfully attributed to William Essex, an artist well known for his miniature enamel work. Although he had no connection to the reverse intaglio process, many people commonly refer to "Essex Crystals" even today. His rock crystal miniatures were popular during the Victorian and Edwardian Era. The most popular backgrounds for the crystals included Mother of Pearl and foil.

Technique:
The reverse intaglio technique requires patience and time. Whether you are carving Lucite or rock crystal the "stone" will need to be cut, polished or prepared/prepped to accept the carving. For example, carving rock crystal which is a natural quartz mineral will need to be cut with a diamond saw and ground into the perfect cabochon and that requires polishing and more polishing which is all done by hand. The design is then painted on usually with watercolors. Next, a scribe etches the design into the stone. Finally, when the engraved design is finished it is painted. The design is so tiny that often brushes with a single hair are used to apply the paint. In some case, silver was employed to further enhance the design. The clear cabochon dome magnified the miniature a bit. These pieces are generally unsigned. These "paintings under glass" are remarkably life-like with the produced three-dimensional effect and its exceptional depth. Their value depends on age, condition, subject matter, setting, and size. An intaglio that gives the illusion the subject rises above the base is termed cavo rilievo.

As time went on types of materials used changed, rock crystal was replaced with glass, and clear Bakelite and transparent Lucite were very popular. When designers used plastic, they stopped framing the carvings because unlike glass Lucite has very smooth edges. Advanced paints became available. Designs changed along with the size and material of etched or molded matter. After World War II, there was an abundance of Lucite, which was used for manufacture of windows for our planes, and artists and crafters scooped the rest. Reverse carved Lucite Jewelry was very popular in the late 1940s - 1950s. All of these changes help us to date a piece.

Crystal carving and painting has always been a family enterprise and is one of the few art forms of modern times to develop in secrecy, and passed on from one generation to the next. Yet, today, with very few artists possessing either the knowledge or ability to produce crystals, the process of reverse intaglio is considered one of the most respected art forms. The popularity of these crystals lasted until the 1960's.

Show Stable Artisans have some exquisite pieces:

Grey Horse Reverse Crystal In 14k Gold Pendant Setting $1,800

14mm Bay Horse Head Reverse Crystal Earrings $2,800

Bay Horse Head Reverse Crystal Pendant/Enhancer $3,200

18k Gold Reverse Crystal Fox Mask and Horse "Accessories" Bracelet $6,800

Three Reverse Crystals Bay Horse Heads Bracelet $5,500

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