Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Joint Injections
I could feel it was time to lube up Kylie's joints. She missed a lead change the other day, which is extremely rare and her stride has been feeling a bit more choppy than normal. It has also been quite some time since her last injections. Horses with coffin-joint inflammation may show soft swelling above the coronary band, which you could definitely see on Kylie. This is caused by increased fluid in the joint capsule.
Reasons for injecting a joint: Joints that have experienced wear and tear can be injected with a variety of medications to restore synovial lubrication which help them heal and and remain flexible. This can prolong the usefulness of the horse. Injections stimulate cartilage repair. The health of the cartilage determines the health of the joint. Injections stop or slow the disease cycle by inhibiting harmful enzymes from attacking synovial fluid. They also relieve pain caused by inflammation and swelling and restore the natural wear and repair cycle. I know there are risk, but for Kylie the benefits out weigh the risks.
The hock is comprised of four joints, of which three are low-motion. The upper joint, or tibiotarsal, is high-motion because this is where flexion and extension occur. The three lower joints-the proximal intertarsal, distal intertarsal, and tarsometatarsal-move very little.
Coffin joint - The joint at the level of the coronary band on the horse.
Acting similarly to the grease around ball bearings, joints are lubricated via synovial fluid. It is normally clear, pale yellow and viscous; in the face of joint damage it tends to loose viscosity—it becomes watery and is not as efficient. This synovial fluid is crucial to healthy joints, because it lubricates the joint’s soft tissue and provides nourishment to the cartilage, which does not have a blood supply of its own. This is also why damaged cartilage often does not heal well. Kylie's fluid was very watery in the joints that did have liquid. One hock joint was bone dry which has not happened with her before and it is not particularly a good thing. She has the classic wear and tear type of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease or DJD, is one of the leading causes of lameness in horses. When a joint is subjected to repeated stress or trauma, such as can occur with everyday riding, training, or racing, it often leads to damage of the synovial membrane and joint capsule. At this point, lameness is not always present. However, as the damage worsens, the horse becomes lame and the joint becomes hot and swollen. The damage to the tissue allows white blood cells to escape nearby blood vessels and invade the joint space.
These white blood cells then release destructive substances which start to degrade the joint’s cartilage. Enzymes from the white blood cells also begin to break down the hyaluronic acid molecules. This results in synovial fluid that is thin and watery, and has poor cushioning and nourishing qualities. If left untreated, the joint damage progresses to arthritis and, eventually, degenerative joint disease that can become crippling.
Kylie was injected with a combination of Depo-Medrol (anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid for intramuscular, intra-articular, soft tissue or intralesional injection), Hyvisc (hyaluronate Sodium), and Amikacin (antibiotic). She gets to walk 30 minutes a day for the next 4-5 days while the injections do thier magic. I am sure she will feel a whole lot more comfortable now.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Fire, Laura, Remodeling
A quick catch-up on the weekend. The Station Fire continues its journey in the mountains. This is the second recent fire I have discussed which originally started in La Canada and has made its way all the way across the San Gabriel Valley to the barn where the Morris fire was threatening the barn where I keep my horses last week. I am so very ready for these fires to be done. Out. A memory. The road was closed to EVERYONE this weekend to the barn, so I couldn't even getup there! The fire has consumed 160,357 acres at this time. Containment is at 56%. It is the largest fire in the recorded history of Los Angeles County. Cause: Arson and is now a homicide investigation due to the two firefighters that lost their lives. We will be attending the memorial service this Saturday.
My friend Laura was in town this weekend. It is always so nice to spend time with her. We did some wine tasting at Red, White + Bluezz while listening to Eli Brueggmann and then finished off our evening with a Champagne flight at Pop.
The remainder of our weekend was spend sanding, stripping and painting our laundry room walls and trim. We got new windows to replace the drafty louvered windows, and a new door. We are about half-way through the project and it is looking much better already. We ripped up three layers of the ugliest linoleum you have ever seen and now have to figure out what kind of floor we want. Can't be tile or anything too heavy due to the large trap door in the floor that leads to the basement. We are leaning towards a wood floor to match the rest of the house. Still need to stain and varnish the windows and doors.
BEFORE
DURING
DURING
Murphy has a new friend, his name is Baxter McLovin. He is my friend Michele's puppy and lives across the street. They have had several play dates and are so cute together! 
Monday, September 7, 2009
Stable Spotlight: The Oaks Equestrian Center
The Oaks Equestrian Center in Lake City, Florida, is the inaugural O'Connor Signature facility and the first branded equestrian resort in the world. The 76-acre Equestrian Center is a private facility nestled within The Oaks Equestrian Community and caters to the community's residents and their guests.
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The Oaks community, home of The Oaks Equestrian Center, boasts 15 miles of looped trails and 5 equestrian recreation areas for residents and their guests.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Stable Spotlight: Stargate Sport Horses
Stargate Sport Horses, the Texas premier dressage and breeding facility, is located just north of the Dallas, Fort Worth Metroplex in Bartonville Texas.
Main Barn
The premier Show Horse and Stallion Barn has 20 stalls, two climate-controlled tack rooms, two large tiled wash racks, laundry room/kitchen and conference room as well as bathroom facilities complete with a shower. Each stall measures 13' x 14' and has its own owner's grooming closet/tack locker. The facility is well-ventilated and has cross ventilation North to South and East to West with industrial fans in each stall that automatically turn on when the temperature in the barn reaches 80 degrees. Each stall has an outside door and over-hanging porches encircling the barn deflect direct sunlight from the stalls. This state-of-the-art building is well equipped with modern features such as an industrial fire suppression system, an overhead fly-control system, security cameras, security motion sensors and commercial washer and dryer.
Training Barn
The Training Barn has 20 stalls measuring 12 X 12 with each having its own owner's grooming closet/tack locker. The training barn is also equipped with industrial fans in each stall as well as a fire suppression system, overhead fly-control system and a security camera. Designed with canopy roof, the overhead cross ventilation keeps stalls at a comfortable temperature even on the hottest Texas days. The large outdoor wash bay will service four horses at a time. For comfort and convenience, the training barn tack room/break room is air-conditioned and has a bathroom/shower as well as a commercial washer and dryer.
Indoor Arena & Viewing Area
For year round comfort, the indoor arena is climate-controlled with central air. The riding area measures 200' X 100' of custom cushion footing. Both the rear and front arena walls have mirrored panels across the entire width of the arena. For training and event purposes, the arena is also equipped with a sound and P.A. system. The custom viewing area, complete with kitchen and bar, can also function as an entertainment and conference room as well as a library and area for viewing videos. Event officials can enjoy the comfort of an office and a guest room located within the viewing area.
Outdoor Arena
The outdoor arena measures an amazing 450' X 500' of all-weather cushion footing. An in-ground watering system maintains consistent footing, and this area is more than large enough for both the large Dressage arena as well as a large jumping area.
Jumping Arena complete with Jumping Chute
Adjacent to the indoor arena is a jumping arena. The jumping chute located in this arena allows for free-jumping of horses…an excellent training tool to build jumping confidence. Stargate's own custom cushion footing is used in this area as well.
Covered Round Pen & Uncovered Round Pen
The round pens provide an excellent controlled environment in which to exercise horses or practice ground-work of young horses. Clients also enjoy lunge line lessons in the confines of the round pens.
Covered Walker
The Euro-Walker provides for horses to be walked freely and without restraint in all kinds of weather.
Paddocks
Thirty fenced paddocks, from a quarter-acre to 20 acres, surround the main barn and provide for each horse to be turned out separately on a daily rotational basis. The pine fences, coated with a special preservative formula, are comprised of sturdy 2" X 6" boards.
Breeding Barn and Lab
Stargate has an on-site breeding and collection facility. The state of the art breeding program insures semen is collected, processed and shipped to customers as fresh as possible.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Los Angeles Wildfire Rages On
Fire above JPLWhen I walked out of the house this morning I knew the fire was getting much worse. I could barely even see the houses across the street because the air was so thick with smoke. The heat-driven fire nearly doubled in size overnight and has now burned burned 35,000 acres of bone-dry brush in the mountains above five towns, a 10-mile stretch from La Crescenta to Pasadena, the California Fire Department said. The La Canada Flintridge fire is only 5 percent contained. Mandatory evacuations are in effect in La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, La Crescenta, Altadena, Glendale and Big Tujunga Canyon.
A massive plume of smoke can be seen for miles and bits of ash descended on cars as far away as downtown Los Angeles. The air quality for cities surrounding the San Gabriel Mountains is deemed unhealthful by the regional air-quality agency. I went out this morning to check on the horses and felt like I smoked a pack of cigarettes by the time I got there. I hosed them off and they seem content, but I'm sure their eyes are burning because mine sure are! I always worry about all the animals effected by these fires. They are helpless.
No matter where you drive there are people pulled over everywhere checking out the fire at all times of the day and night. Some less intelligent people even pull over right on the freeway and get out to take a look! Any road that has a view is congested with spectators. The massive mushroom cloud of smoke looks like a volcano erupted!
On our way home last night you could see the flames.
God Bless the firefighters and all of their hard work in these grueling conditions!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Blog Carnival - My Favorite Food
Thanks to Stormy Designs for hosting the EtsyBloggers August 28th Blog Carnival!
I would have to say sushi is my favorite food, at Katsu-ya in particular. I don't go there very often, it is a bit far, it is always packed to the gills with a long wait, the parking situation is terrible and there about 100 sushi restaurants between my house and Katsu-ya, but on special occasions, that is the place. It is by far my favorite. I am going there next week and I am am so looking forward to it!
They have some unique concoctions. Here are some of my favorites....
Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice with Jalapeno - Hands down the best sushi creation ever made! Honestly it is a celebration in your mouth!
Baked Crab Hand Roll - Baked snow crab lightly kissed with Chef’s signature sauce wrapped with rice in soy paper... One taste will leave you wanting more.
Honey Hand Roll. Baked crab, spicy tuna, creamy avocado wrapped in a black sesame-flecked soy paper. Luscious.
Spicy Albacore with Crispy Onion. Packed full of flavor, the textures meld together well.
Crispy Sesame Tuna. Spicy tuna and creamy avocado on a crispy wonton.
Seared Tuna With Japanese Salsa - Seared tuna sashimi served with fresh tomatoes, cilantro and avocado
The weird thing is I don't think I've ever ordered traditional sushi here, thier specials are so delicious I never have room for sushi I can get anywhere else.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Fire, fire everywhere! Thursday Evening
Four major wildfires are buring in southern California. Hemet, Azusa, Rancho Palos Verdes, La Canada Flintridge are all getting smoke in their eyes, several homes lost, more threatened. Most of the fires began yesterday. The Station fire (La Canada), burning in the Angeles National Forest is picking up in intensity and spreading fast. We went out driving around tonight to check it out because you can see the flames from around where we live. It is not too close to us, but the flames are high and what a sight to see when I was driving home from the barn tonight. They announced that 500 acres had already burned in the Station Fire and that five buildings and 500 homes were possibly at risk, evacuations have begun. We were not the only ones out tonight checking it out, there was a full parking lot at a lookout with a view of the fire. People even brought chairs to sit watch the flames!
We stopped for some gelato at Bulgarini Gelato in Altadena on the way home from checking out the fire. I get the small size. You pick three flavors and get scoops the size of a melon baller - perect size for me and I love trying different flavors. My choices tonight were Hazelnut, Goat Milk with cocoa beans, and Yogurt with Olive Oil. Very unusual flavors, but all very delicious. Hazelnut - Ground hazelnuts studded throughout the creamiest base. The goat's milk is rich and pleasantly tangy. The yogurt with Olive Oil was tart and delicious, a traditional Roman flavor. Sounds weird, but it was really good! Can't get too sick of any of the flavors because there is only about two bites of each.
I cannot figure out how to take night shots on my camera, but this was a view of the La Canada Fire overlooking the JET Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
View out my car window on the way home.The Morris Fire (Azusa), the one near the barn, has scorched more than 2000 acres and is only about 60 percent contained. It is not threatening the barn anymore, it is burning in the other direction. There is still no electricity at the barn, but they have a generator running, so at least the automatic waterers are working. The road to the barn remains closed based on the status of the Morris Dam fire, but the highway patrol officers have been very nice and let me through every night. The entrance to the ranch is not too far past the road block they have set up and now they recognize me and don't ask too many questions.
The horses got a beauty session tonight but no riding. Besides that fact that it was 100 degrees at 6pm, I was worried about the air quality.
Day three - Morris Fire Update
An air tanker drops retardant during the Morris Fire up highway 39
The fire continues to burn out of control in steep inaccessible terrain above Azusa, and has grown to 1750 acres. The fire remains at 10 percent containment.
Air quality officials issued a smoke advisory Wednesday for areas of the Southland impacted by smoke from the wildfire. The photo above was taken at the barn in the early afternoon, but last night by the time I got there after work, it seemed the winds had blown much of the smoke away. I didn't even smell the smoke in the air and I could see blue sky, which I was glad about for the horses sake.
The forecast for today is another hot, dry day with 10-20 mph winds out of the west, very low humidity and temperatures as high as 104 degrees at low elevations. Ugh! Thankfully, the forecast did not call for any strong Santa Ana winds that typically stoke the worst
Late Wednesday, a new fire erupted in the Los Angeles suburb of La Canada Flintridge. At least 20 acres had burned by evening with 20 percent containment, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Bruce Quintelier said.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Update on the Morris Fire
Since yesterday at 4:30 when the fire started, it has spread to over 750-acres as of this morning and is only 10% contained with no estimate on containment. The weather conditions are not in our favor. The National Weather Service issued a red flag alert for low humidity and extreme fire danger. Weather officials expect temperatures to reach into the triple digits in the valleys today. I believe the fire is burning in the opposite direction from the barn, but fires are never very predictable. It's a tough battle for firefighters because of the difficult steep and rocky terrain.
The smell of fire is very heavy in the air. I can smell it very strongly at my house and I am about 15 miles away from it. 
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Fire in the canyon
On my way from work to the barn tonight I noticed a large plume of smoke in the sky. Unfortunately, not too rare of an occurrence here in southern California. As I drove along the freeway I started wondering where the fire was burning, and as I drove further along I started worrying that it was burning in the area where I keep my horses. After a couple of phone calls it was indeed burning very close the the barn! I couldn't get there any faster than the heavy traffic would allow, and it seemed like it was taking forever! As I got closer and closer the smoke cloud grew. The sky was filled with helicopters and planes. Six air tankers and five water-dropping helicopters were trying to halt the flames at a ridge top not far from the barn. Chad and I were ready to load up the horses at a moments notice, but as the sun set the fire seemed to lay down. At a press conference tonight, officials said we should be safe for the night because the fire was burning in the opposite direction.
The fire has grown to at least 250 acres, with no estimate on containment, authorities said tonight. More than 600 firefighters are battling the blaze near Morris Dam, the U.S. Forest Service said. But air operations have been suspended during the nighttime hours, officials said. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
I am on notification duty...the electricity at the barn is shut off so no TVs or computers to get updates. If I get any updated information, I will call them and inform via cell phone. There are people that live on the property, so I am not too worried right now. We have been through this before and had to evacuate ALL 80 or so horses. I am hoping we do not have to evacuate this time.
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