Author Archives: stablewomen

How many people have had a horse since the beginning of his or her life? There is such value in knowing about everything that has happened to a horse, both physically and emotionally. Questions are answered easily about “what is that bump”, “how did that hoof get like that”, “why does she always get scared of those”?

Because the horses that come to us in Sanctuary can arrive with many mysteries, we often wish they could simply tell us about their past and their feelings. If we are open and really pay attention, though, we can figure out a lot about a horse. And if we get background information, we can set things up to comfort the new arrival with as much that is familiar as possible. Horses are comforted by familiarity, especially when what was familiar was kind.

Each horse comes to us with a well of experiences. Each experience in his life is like a “drop” into the well, like water filling a vessel. We can tell early on if a new horse’s “well” is of mostly positive or mostly negative experiences. The horse will approach each new thing with the expectation of what has usually happened.

With the horse whose life has had mostly positive experiences, there is an openness and curiosity about his surroundings and the people who have contact with him. The horse with a well of negative experiences will be suspicious of anything new and will often shut down to protect his emotional body if he thinks something negative is happening. The horse who has experienced aggression will prepare for fight or flight. We can even overfill a well of negative experiences with enough positive experiences to eventually overcome the negative – and, sadly, the opposite is also true.

A friend of ours bought a lovely horse whose sellers told stories of how to “handle” him and the equipment to use. After bringing him home, our wise friend took the time to listen to her new horse. She backed off of the severe equipment. She changed from a bit to a bitless bridle. She built a relationship with this horse. Now they have a bond and trust in each other that most people dream of. Instead of taking the human advice, blaming the horse, insisting on maximum “control” and ignoring the horse’s perspective – she put herself in her horse’s place and thought about how she would want to be treated. Because she has a lifetime of experience with very many horses, she had a personal “toolkit” to draw from and help her horse.

I have worked with a lot of people whose first instinct is to blame the horse for anything that goes awry. I always told all of our young riders that they can take credit for the good things they get the horses to do. It means they communicated clearly and when a horse understands something, he is able to respond. This also means that, when we are unclear or abrupt, the horse cannot be as responsive as we want him to be. If we take credit for the good stuff, we must take responsibility for the “bad” stuff. And, horses do not have to let us handle or ride them. They are ten times bigger than we are! They partner with us because of their kind natures and their generations of bonding with humanity. If we work to understand each horse as an individual, we can build a foundation of trust.

Today started out with frosty windows and chilled to the bone temps – then, we started burning weeds in the driveway at our original facility! We had a lot of old wood we added to the burning pile. Soon, I was regretting the flannel lined jeans I’d grabbed at 5:30am…

With the help of amazing friends, we got DH1 tidied up and kept the fire burning all day (we call in for permission and call back when we finish). The rains this year were often and dramatic and weeds went wild at both facilities! It’s almost 4:00pm and I’m watering down the embers, raking and soaking, raking and soaking. You can see smoke spirals coming up from other places, it was a clear, still day and neighbors are on the same mission we are.

The work is never ending. In between outdoor chores, I got Thank You cards in the mail to donors. I ran back to DH2 to do Dream Cat’s treatments and check Hubba’s hoof boots (still on, pleased about that!). It will get cold again tonight (low 30’s) and even colder (20’s) next week. But the horses have winter coats, heaps of hay and good shelters to choose to use, so, we won’t blanket them all… yet. If the temperatures get too low, it gets windy or we get moisture, we will put their rugs on.

Now, myself, I need my flannel lined jeans lately (with the exception of tending “bonfires”!). A dear soul gave heated vests to Mark and to me – a miracle for us for winter. I’ve already worn mine!

I’ve lived in cold places, hot places, wet places, dry places, always with horses. I rode colts off the track in Florida in my teens; lived in Boulder, Colorado with only a motorcycle or giant horse van for transport through a winter (moved to New Mexico after that); I lived in southern Arizona with my horses when the days stayed 114 degrees or more and nights cooled to a disappointing 98 degrees… I’ve lived at a family estate back east, in a very tiny cottage on the mountain and in a shack (I’ve even lived in a pasture with my horses). The real consistency in my life has always been horses and being responsible for them.

So, no matter the weather, Mark and I make each day as comfortable as possible for these equines. We miss driving an hour north to the hot springs to soak… that stopped during covid and now, we can’t find time to do that again. I think we need to. Hot Springs heal mind and body… It is especially wonderful in the winter! Hmmm… some needed human comfort, methinks! I like being too warm better than being too cold!

We woke to thick fog after a night of drizzling rain. We shifted horses around so everyone could get under a roof (we’d had Sage and Hubba in the giant round yard for weeks)… not that they used them. Most stood in the relatively warm rain. But they have to have the choice of shelter!

The air was dense with the smell of desert plants – chaparral, chamisa, desert sage and our pine trees. It was strong! And wonderful.

I sat “in the clouds” as the sun rose, feeling that emotional high from the scents surrounding us. Aromatherapy is a real thing! Essential oils (and the volatile oils from the desert plants) trigger our emotional bodies – often with feelings from memories (a father’s aftershave, smells from childhood or from places we’ve visited).

It was a marvelous way to start the day.

As the weather and the light change approaching winter, we have to shift routines and supplementation here at Dharmahorse Equine Sanctuary. With horses from different backgrounds (some with health issues, some as old as 36 and young as 1 year), we tailor our programs for each individual.

Our herbal health protocols for winter here are designed around specific herbs to maintain health and prevent disorders. Of course, this information is never meant to replace a health care practitioner.

ANISE seed, Pimpinella anise, is an herb we use to prevent and in treatment of colic in horses. It is also great for coughs and lung disorders. We add the powdered herb to a bucket feed using a tablespoon once daily as prevention for horses prone to colic. When a horse is starting to look distressed, we feed a quarter cup of the ground seed in a very wet wheat bran mash with an ounce of milk of magnesia.

We feed it similarly for lung disorders, usually with large amounts of Yarrow tea either dosed carefully into the mouth (keep head low to avoid aspiration into the lungs!) or used to soak the mash.

CALENDULA, Calendula officinalis, blossoms are fed to horses to support skin health and healing. I’ve fed it to mare and used homeopathic calendulated oil topically to heal her severe rainrot. It is high in vitamin C, vitamin A and phosphorus. Calendula ointment made with blossoms infused into olive oil and stabilized with bees wax is used to dress wounds, burns, rashes and chapping.

We have used calendula tincture on bruises and strains. It has some good anti-inflammatory properties used externally as well as fed in the bucket feed. I feed one or two big handfuls of the dry blossoms daily. The oil is a good treatment for mud fever / scratches, rainrot, rope burns, eczema and contusions.

CINNAMON, Cinnamomun zeylanicum, is an evergreen tree whose dried inner bark is used as a culinary herb / spice and as a medicinal herb for people, horses and dogs. The scent itself has immune boosting, antiseptic and anti-nausea properties.

Horses with conditions like Cushing’s Syndrome can be helped with the addition of half ground Cinnamon, half ground Fenugreek seeds to the ration – about 2 tablespoons daily. Horses prone to gassiness or flatulent colic can be aided by a half Cinnamon, half Fennel seed mixture fed daily 1 to 2 teaspoons.

ECHINACEA, Echinacea Augustifolia / Echinacea purpurea, is an effective remedy for bacterial and viral infections. It “boosts” the immune system and therefore is contraindicated for any being with auto-immune diseases. The root and leaves are both used. We tend to use the root for treatments; the leaves for prevention. It contains vitamins and minerals (ZINC, iron, manganese, selenium and silicon) and “undiscovered properties” that make it a premier herb for all infections – from tooth/gum infections to lung disorders to hoof abscesses – added to the bucket feed. We feed a handful of the dried leaves daily to a horse for at least 21 days or a heaping tablespoon of root in the feed for at least 14 days.

FLAXSEEDS, Linium usitatissimum, are a nourishing herb that is used for humans, horses, dogs, cats, cattle, llamas, you name it! The seeds contain 40% fixed oil, linoleic, linolenic and oleic acids, mucilage, protein and linamarin. The oil (edible, coldpressed flaxseed oil) is used as a daily supplement to strengthen and heal the lungs, heart, digestive tract, skin and mucus membranes. The seeds can be cooked into “linseed / flaxseed jelly” to be fed to horses (the raw seeds can colic a horse – they release gases) or ground into a meal.

Flaxseed Jelly: For each horse use one handful of seeds and 2 quarts of water. Soak the seeds overnight (for 8 hours). Then bring to a boil, watching constantly! If this mixture boils over, and it tends to, it will make a gooey mess. Use a non-metal or enameled pot and wooden spoon. Stir often. Boil for a full hour. You will have reduced the water considerably and have a thick jelly to add directly to a bran mash or hard feed of grain or pellets. Do not strain it (you can’t!). Just mix it well into the bucket feed and offer it 2 to 3 times a week in winter.

MILK THISTLE, Carduus marianus, seeds are the supreme liver support and healing herb. We add 2 tablespoons of dried seeds to the bucket feed once daily for a horse with liver stress.

I have seen milk thistle cleanse the damaged liver of a gelding in his 20’s who had been dosed repeatedly with Ivermectin wormer until he jaundiced (mucous membranes turned yellow).

ROSE HIPS, Rosa species, are rich in vitamin C, A Rutin, selenium, manganese and B Complex vitamins. Rose hips can be fed whole or ground to horses in a bucket feed for stress, coughs, inflammation, infections and to support hoof health.

WHITE WILLOW BARK, Salix alba, is “Nature’s Aspirin”. The bark contains Salicin and Tannin. White Willow is actually used to heal digestive tract debilities, so it is not an ulcer inducing compound like regular aspirin is (which is synthesized from the medium of the bark). It can be used for pain and inflammation relief for people, horses and dogs but never for cats. Just as aspirin tablets can be deadly for the feline; white willow bark’s salicin is contraindicated!

Sitting under the now leafless trees with a hot cuppa tea this morning… I’m reflecting on the past few days. It’s Wednesday. On Friday, LungTa went downhill. He was lethargic that morning. His anorexia had left him thin and not well hydrated. I was doing everything I could to get nutrients in him by dose syringing oils and vitamins into his mouth… magnesium and colloidal silver, all the things I had been doing for three full months with soaked feeds, dry feeds, all kinds of hay and a water bar, keeping him alive while hoping his kidneys would heal.

The day before, he had been perky. He visited with his herd through the fence of the round yard. He looked for grass to munch that had now all died back. He drank water and even almost trotted back to his stall in the Infirmary. I was not expecting what happened at noon.

Our surveillance cameras caught it. All I saw from the house was him lying down… I had gone inside to have lunch. He had not laid down for months and I knew he was sleep deprived – for a moment I thought it was a good thing, he was resting. But my rational mind realized it was not good. I called Mark and ran to the barn. LungTa could not get up.

Our friend Sarah came and the three of us tried to help him up with ropes around his haunches. We quickly learned that he had no strength. Inside the stall and under him in the pen was copious, thick urine with tiny crystal-like stones… he was passing them. He was in pain. I gave him pain killers. It was the day after Thanksgiving, no Veterinarians were available. There was no way to transport him to a hospital if he could not stand. I settled in to keep him drugged until we could find someone to euthanize him.

We found the video of how he had collapsed… probably as the first stones hit as they passed. Watching it once was enough. All I could do was cry and wish that I had let him go sooner. Hindsight… it’s always a bitch. Yet, he had been improving. A “crystal ball” would have been handy.

So, I sat with him. We put hay bales behind him for support. We took down fence panels to give him (and me) more room. We covered him with blankets (he was wearing a good one, it’s been so cold these days). I gave him tranquilizers. Being “sedated” seemed a good thing for him. I kept stacking his painkillers. He needed to be oblivious. As night fell, I started fluids subcutaneously – I could not find a vein at that point. We piled padding under his head. Mark set up a camera directly over him.

At midnight, LungTa died. It seemed peaceful enough. Like going deeply to sleep. After three months of literally living beside him, day and night, I felt so empty. He was probably around 26 years old… he spent the last 6+ years with us in sanctuary. He had been bound for slaughter. With us, he had known joy living in the herd. With us, he knew pure love. He had scars on his eyes and at some point, in his past, his jaw had been broken. Here, we cared for all his needs. And I felt so empty… he was gone.

Saturday morning, we had him buried. I placed an Amethyst crystal with him. The herd stood around all day and night, in reverence.

On Monday morning, Phoebe, our beloved very old Great Pyr dog appeared to have had a stroke. It turned out that she had a vestibular disease (of the inner ear and brain) but trying to treat it would only have delayed the inevitable. At over 15 years old, she had had a good life, full of love and joy. Her hips were failing, and we had the mobile Vet euthanize her. It was peaceful, Phoebe was ready. The lovely Vet and her Tech helped us bury her. I put a crystal heart with her.

As I sip my tea and contemplate this life with very old animals, I have come to the conclusion it is an honor, not a burden. The certainty is that we will be losing them. At some point, their quality of life diminishes, and the ultimate kindness is to let them go. Sometimes we have no warning, sometimes it becomes a slow realization… we would never give up knowing them to avoid the pain of losing them. Sometimes, I feel like a midwife to the next life. What an honor that actually is.

We’re feeling grateful that we added blankets to some of the horses we usually leave “naked” – it all depends upon their age, whether or not they grow much winter coat and if they are special needs…

I woke to the mountain shrouded in clouds and the air full of mist. Cold mist. We fed extra hay last night. They had bran/herb mashes yesterday. Our Thanksgiving was warm and cheerful with fake turkey, wine and pumpkin pie. It is really starting to feel like winter, even though we have another month to go before it’s official.

The high desert can have weather swings several times in one day. We are always “on alert” with this large herd of varied ages, body condition and compromised health. It’s never easy, but it is always gratifying. It is always worth it. They matter.

I think about the elders (horses, dogs and humans) that I care for… when I blanket 30 year old Gita, I cry, thinking about how someone dumped her, blind and starving in the desert. I wonder if she thinks about it, too, now that she is plump, warm, with her own stall and safe pen and unlimited love. I hope she only dwells on the present. On comfort. On love.

I would likely be a more centered person if I could let go of the knowing of cruel acts and dire situations these animals faced. But I would probably not have as much compassion without knowing these things… Today is a quiet, damp day with the opportunity for introspection. I will use it wisely.

This morning, Murray, our Appaloosa with Navicular syndrome on both front hooves and a rotated coffin bone on a hind, galloped past me, bucking as I fed! To see that has started my morning off in a very positive way.

See his story here.

He is healing. He will never be ridden but living in a huge paddock with his bonded mate, Comet, has created the environment Murray needed.

Horses are comforted by familiarity. Just as a human can return to a brutal relationship because it is what they know; horses can find solace in strange situations for the same reasons.

If you buy a new equine, find out all you can about that horse’s care, training, feeding and preferences. You might be planning to greatly improve aspects of his or her life, but to change things suddenly (even for the better) can be alarming to the horse. Try to maintain some of the familiar routines, especially what has been fed, and make changes gradually for the good health physically and mentally of your horse. They say it takes at least ten days for the horse’s digestive system to adjust to a new item in his or her feed. You want to add the new food in a small amount the first day then slowly add more of it while reducing the familiar feed until the complete change is made. This is especially important when going from dry feed like hay to the richer pasture.

If you plan to dramatically change the style in which your new horse is ridden, spend a few days with the type of equipment he or she has been used to so that your communication makes sense. Then you can change one aspect at a time to allow adjustments in the horse’s perceptions, understanding and how it all feels physically. Do a little bit often. Sometimes working with the horse 3 times a day for 15 minutes does more good for the adjustment period than one 45 minute session.

Think about the type of facility this horse has been used to – if he has never touched an electric fence wire, he may become panicked when he is first shocked on your electric fence! Think about the visibility of your fences. The smaller a fenced area is for a horse, the sturdier the fences and gates must be. The larger the fenced area, the more visible they must be. Tie white rags on fences to make them more visible.

If you want your new horse to become comfortable in his new home, establish a routine that you can maintain and soon, your methods will be the familiar ones that bring confidence and calm to his life. You do not have to have strict, unyielding times for meals, times to ride, turn out times. You do need to maintain consistency in the way you warm up, ride and cool down. You need consistency in the number of meals per day and should keep them within an hour or two of a regular time. I recommend doing turn outs in the day time during winter and the night time during summer if it is safe and convenient to do so.

Keep your horse’s perspective in mind and you can build a great relationship.

My Mum called the swirling, unpredictable winds we get here in New Mexico “spirit winds”. I sat in the front of the stable yard this morning with my coffee, watching the turbine vents on the hay barn – there are four of them and only one, then two would spin. Then a different one would spin. I thought about my Mum and found it fascinating to watch.

It started out cold this morning, in the 20’s in this high desert. We had winterized faucets and hoses and blanketed the most elderly (and truly “naked” horses who don’t grow winter coats, like Sage). I’m waiting for the sun to burn off the clouds before I pull their blankets.

We dress in layers here. Midday can turn quite warm. One must stay aware for the horses’ sakes and not leave blankets on as it warms up. But a frosty wind or some precipitation can chill the elders and special needs horses to the bone! It’s a balancing act, come winter.

Comet and Murray were full of themselves this morning! Both trotting to their hay and trying little “bucks” in the freezing air as I fed. I can never guess who will love or who will hate a frozen morning. Personally, I don’t mind… if there’s no wind!