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All about horses in northern B.C. Issue # 100: November 6, 2001 Published each Tuesday by Kristi McCrindle, editor, from Grassy Plains, BC Wow, where does the time go? Seems I'm no sooner done one column than it is time to do the next one! Scheduling of time is an important part of setting goals. There are many things that take up our days, work, school, food and sleep being some of the main ones. Around that you have to fit family, hobbies, sports, and any other interest you may have. Sometimes it feels there are not enough minutes in the day! If you, like many other horsepeople, feel like you don't spend enough time with your horses, perhaps you need to look at rescheduling your days. Rearrange your priorities. Take control and organize your life! I know that I have found the best way to do this is to try and be productive no matter what I am doing. To this end, I write endless lists - and take great satisfaction each time I cross something off the list. I have learned to quit putting things off, and just do them when I read them on the list. Of course, it doesn't always work, which is why this column was late today - haha! I have also learned to cut down on things that take up my precious time with very little return to me. I don't watch TV or rent movies. I seldom play computer games (though once in a while they make great mind-numbing time!) or surf the 'net. I don't cook elaborate meals nor worry too much about housecleaning (in fact, we recently hired a housekeeper who comes in every week or so to clean up behind us!). photo courtesy Chris Hassell In fact, the only things I do spend too much time on is reading books and emailing - and when my life gets really hectic, I'll skip the emails too... well, the least important ones anyway! Something else that I have learned is to take some time out for yourself. It is important for your body, mind and soul to just have some rest and relaxation. I'm working on setting up one day a month where I have nothing to do but feed my horses. No riding, no housework, no club stuff, just a day to kick back and relax. If I don't want to do it, on that one day, I don't have to. Usually days like this are spent on the couch, reading a good book, looking out the window and just enjoying the day. The most important part of this type of therapy is to give yourself complete permission to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Doing nothing sounds awfully good to me, but instead I have a list as long as my arm today! I'll just have to schedule that day off later this month! Till next week, ~ Kristi :) email to editor: kristi@hiway16.com Photo Show for horse photos Horse articles (word search: horse) Check our Horse Trailer Sharing Page or... add your listing if you wish to share your horse trailer ride Join us for a discussion about everything to do with horses on Horse Talk Your opportunity to meet horse enthusiasts across northern B.C

	Past articles are all available in the
Emergency! Part 3 Preparedness		Buying a Horse Trailer, Sharp edges
Something as simple as a flashlight can be crucial. When we had our emergency at the beginning of October, we had one working flashlight, and it was dim at that. It is extremely hard to see how serious a situation is if you can't see it - and as you know, many horses get into trouble at night! Check and replace batteries frequently and have spare batteries on hand - make it part of your shopping list along with laundry detergent or note it along with some other chore that you do on a consistent but not every day basis. Also consider more lighting than that - yard lights, trouble lights, halogen work lights, all can be utilized to better assess an emergency. Know where your lights are located, where your extension cords are, where the nearest electric outlets are, and if the circuits will allow that much draw (for instance, a block heater draws a lot of power, so plugging in a big light to that same outlet may blow the breaker). Keep those old torn up winter blankets for emergencies. A shocky horse needs to keep warm, and if the horse is bleeding or thrashing you may not want to use your best blankets. Also, a thrashing horse will go through a lot of blankets as they move around, and you keep re-piling the blankets on them every time they stop moving. On a side note, wherever you stick these mostly useless blankets, KNOW where they are in time of need! Keep several pairs of work gloves nearby or in your emergency kit. These are a necessity to prevent burns if you have to try and hold ropes on a horse in a panic situation. You can also add some pairs of surgical gloves to help prevent wound contamination and long sleeve vet gloves as well (these cover most of the way to your shoulder, great for foaling emergencies). Check your watch as often as you can and tell others with you (if any!) what is occurring at what time. This can help give you a time line on how serious a situation is. For instance, if a horse has been down and unmoving for several hours, internal complications can arise. Time passes in strange ways (sometimes fast as a blur, sometimes slow as eternity) so checking the actual time helps to keep a handle on things. If you can take notes as you progress through the situation, they will be handy in assisting the vet when he/she shows up, or in future treatment. More on emergency preparedness next week.	Northern B.C. Horse is brought to you courtesy of our advertisers including: Burns Lake Building Supplies Griffin Enterprises Hoskins Ford Northern Horse Supply Ridennoure Paint Horses The Tack Store Thanks to our advertisers for making this all possible... ...for information about advertising, email jim@hiway16.com Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page. Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.	There are many other areas to examine carefully when you are buying a used trailer (and even some new ones have dangerous areas that might surprise you!). Sharp edges and horses don't mix - period. You will need to thoroughly go over every inch of the trailer to check for things that may be dangerous to your horse. Start in the horse compartment and work your way outside. Check out the manger - look for splinters (if made of wood), an unprotected metal edge (like the lip going into the manger), and so on. Look up - check the areas where your horse's head will be during transport. If anything that he can reach can be considered dangerous, find out if you can have it fixed and add the repair cost to the price of the trailer. Run your eyes and your hands slowly down the walls - both the side walls and also the divider if there is one. Look for un-filed welds, splinters, and other sharp edges. While you are there examine the condition of the bumper pads if the trailer is equipped with them (upholstered foam padding to help reduce bruising should the horse bump into the walls or divider). At the back end of the trailer, don't forget to check the inside of the doors, and the welds where the bum ropes attach (if the trailer is so equipped). Pay attention also to the floor level - wooden floors are held in place with channel or angle iron, and if the top of the channel is rusted and falling apart, it can leave sharp edges at hoof level where they can cause serious damage to coronet bands and lower legs. Check all latches inside the trailer that the horse may get himself cut on or caught on, especially if wearing a halter. Most people haul horses with halters on (which is considered safer because if you have to unload in an emergency, the horses are already haltered) but beware of things they can get caught on, possibly causing them to panic and risking serious injury. Before you get out of the trailer, look up at the roof and check for sharp edges there as well. Some horses will throw their heads up and pull back - and more than one has hit their head on the ceiling. If you know your horse has a tendency to do this, consider purchasing a leather head bumper that attaches to the crownpiece of his halter to help protect his sensitive poll area. Next week we'll move outside and examine the trailer for potentially dangerous items.
	If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com

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