We Are Flying Solo

July 5, 2010

2 Out Of 3 Horses Were Delighted By De-Lyte!

By eventer79 July 05, 2010 6 comments

Our lovely reader, Heather, was beyond brave when she kindly sent us a sample of her De-Lyte Bites for Solo to try and review. These treats are "designed to replenish lost electrolytes" in the equine athlete while providing a tasty treat all rolled into one neat package. Each one is about the size of those Mrs. Pastures things and a serving size is four treats.

It was a hot and humid day when the taste test commenced. The stakes were high -- Solo is notorious for his ability to dismiss the tastiest item proferred if it does not meet his standards of "horse food." Even peppermints are usually rejected in a fit of snobbery. Then he begs for the next one as if it will taste any different.

The players:

Solaris. 14 year old Appendix QH. Food critic renowned for his cruel rejections.

Jeff. 9 year old Hanoverian/TB. Eager to please younger chap, always interested in new things.

Moxie. 11 year old Oldenburg. Lineage possibly traces back to a hippopotamus. Has never been known to reject something that fits in her cavernous mouth.

And of course, S.O., the professional treat-giver and bringer of scratches, who generously agreed to participate in this very scientific endeavor.

So it begins.

Solo: Mmmm, treat proximity possible??

GIMME!

This tastes weird.

BLECH! No likey! Now give me the next one.

Oh no! The critic has struck again with his derisive spitting-out-on-the-floor! But as we all know, no experiment with a sample size of one is very meaningful. So, from across the aisle...

Jeff: ME ME ME ME ME!

Yessss! I takey reject treats, please can I help you dispose of them?

Hmmmmm, this is intereshting, not quite what I expected...

Wow, that was weird, but I think I would eat another.

So now it's a tie at one to one! What will Moxie's verdict be?

Moxie: HEY! YOU! With the food! Bring it here!

I eat it and it is mine. MINE!

It was fine. Now want MORE!

So, the verdict is in. Horses with normal eating habits find that De-Lyte Bites are a tasty treat worthy of snarfing. Solo the giant food snob maintains his aloofness and refuses to lower himself the base levels of the masses. He will stick to his cheapie nasty smelling TSC apple licorice treats. Ew.

Vacation Time!

By eventer79 July 02, 2010 4 comments

I am off to be spoiled rotten for the long weekend, tucked away in a little bed and breakfast in the North Carolina mountains, so I must take my leave of you for the time being. But never fear, posts await on the other side.

A preview of coming attractions:

So long, side reins: your step by step guide to the loveliness that is vienna reins

New purchase reviews that have made me happy, including FINALLY bell boots that survive turnout and summer saddle pads.

Electrolyte treat taste test results! Hint: 2 out of 3 horses agreed that they were edible.

Enjoy your holiday and the perfect riding weather that always happens when I can't ride!

Back To Work

By eventer79 June 27, 2010 5 comments

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, IT'S HOTTTTTTT. Weather Underground tells me the heat index is a sticky 93 degrees, but I think they lie. It's at least 304. Haha, you can tell that picture is old, Solo has a mane!

Solo has had three luxurious weeks off to let any stress injuries or sore spots heal and to just chill out. He feels good, despite losing a little condition. I got back on him this morning to just trot a few hills and such. We nearly melted into little puddles of humidity-stricken goo, but he moved out n-i-c-e. Breaks are good. But it's time to go back in training. As best we can without cooking ourselves.

Just a few summer reminders: keep an eye on respiration, a hot horse can start puffing and descend into heat stress faster than you think. Don't be shy about throwing cool water onto and into your horse immediately; horses coming off Rolex cross country get ice water thrown on them before they even stop moving. The important thing is to SCRAPE SCRAPE SCRAPE. Water just sitting on a horse's skin traps heat and raises the body temperature. And don't forget to hydrate YOU.

Remember to check those little spots you don't normally brush for ticks or fungus: under the jaw, between the front and hind legs, up under the flanks. I found some itchy funk under Solo's jaw the other day, he nearly moaned with pleasure when I scratched all the bits off.

We're trying out some new gear that we'll have reviews for, including a sample of one of our lovely readers' new product, an electrolyte treat. Will it pass the Solo-Food-Snob taste test???

I Iz Not A Skool Horse

By eventer79 June 23, 2010 6 comments

I iz a gallopy jumpy horse. I iz a shiny shiny athleet. Athleets do not do mundane things. If'n you make me go round & round on the torture string, I will do my best impreshun of the Hunter Under Saddle shuffle.

If'n you make me canter on the torture string, I will run back to my stall as fast as I can. After all, there are treets & a nice wind-maker there. NO torture strings to be found at all.

Thankz,
Solo

(Me back in) Solo did in fact survive his school horse stint. You see, since mum & I are going on our Grand Ecuador Adventure in September, mum has to get back in the practice of the whole sitting on the horse thing. So Solo was assigned the simple task of complying with a longe lesson. His most favouritest thing (insert sarcasm here).

Despite his best shuffling, mum still managed to pull off a quite good demonstration of how to post properly (your hands don't keep you on the horse, people, don't post with them!). I let her keep her stirrups, but I did take away the reins, so there was no temptation to balance on them.

Solo also wanted to make sure I did not forget how much he hates cantering on the longe line. However, he did not succeed in escaping his duties & mum rode it out like a champ & proceeded to demonstrate that it IS like riding a bike -- once you're up there, it all comes back.