On The Fly

Croome & West Warwickshire opening hunt 2011.

I had the privilege,  while on a recent trip in England, to attend opening meet of the Croome & West Warwickshire Hunt.  This hunt, in the Midlands of the UK, was  attended by 100 riders and many following on foot.

It is with this in experience fresh in my mind that I researched the history of the hounds in the pack,  better known as Fox Hounds.  And, beauties these canines are.

In the book, Why You Say It, by Webb Garrison I found a nice summary of the origin of the term, Hound.

” Before the Norman conquest of England, French hunters bred a keen-nosed dog that they called the St. Hubert.  One of their rulers, William, took a pack to England and hunted deer–following the dogs on foot.

Saxons had never before seen a dog fierce enough to “seize” its prey, so they named William’s animals “hunts”, meaning “seizure”.  Altered over time to hound, it was long applied to all hunting dogs.  Then the meaning narrowed to stand for breeds that follow their quarry by scent.

Many medieval noblemen kept large kennels that included deer hounds, boar hound, and hare hounds.  Though they varied in size and appearance, all hounds were noted for their tenacity.  A pack would follow a scent for miles.  If the trail was lost, dogs would often double back and find it again.  The animals were admired for the way they pursued game with such singular determination.

A human who engages in relentless pursuit of a goal or plan, dogging the footsteps of someone else, is still compared with a hunting dog and is said to “hound” his or her quarry.”

Best wishes to all good hounds and dogs in my life and yours.

a happy relaxed pack ready for day of hunting in England

The Horn Fly

Where do all of these nasty flies come from?  These little guys are half the size of the stable fly which

Horn flies can bother horses the most

blood suck their diet from the back and belly of the horses.  They will remain on their host day and night.  But the most important fact is that they are breeding in freshly deposited manure during hot and humid weather of late summer. At this time the Horn Fly life cycle is 10 days.

Another  important fact to remember about these flies is that they are most often found on horses who are pastured in regions where cattle are raised.  The regular manuring of cattle gives the horn fly its continuous supply of breeding material.  The pupae overwinter under cow patties. Cattle suffer these bests as well and show up as blankets of flies on their backs.

Controlling Horn Flies is difficult for pastured horses.  If possible move horses away from cattle.  It helps to keep paddocks and stalls free of manure and cover the stock piles to reduce breeding of the Horn Fly.

This is not the fly that bothers the horses face therefore face masks are a nuisance, putting them on, keeping them on.  Dragging fields to break up the manure pile will help and using a small buckets to pick out stalls quickly will help.  But, manure stockpiles should be covered, mulched and taken away.  Horse Fly Nets on run-in-sheds and fly spray will ease horses while they are in the field.  Horses who live out with little attention can be so bothered by the swarms of biting Horn Flies that they will loose weight and condition.

Horse Fly photo by Jim Kalisch, University of Nebraska

It’s that time of year.  The weather is getting cooler for trail riding.  So, guess who arrives late summer, the Horse Fly?  Now, he is that big guy, one of the world’s largest flies and with 350 species of fly in the North Americas we have to be specific.

We know this pest as she, yes the female, bites with a bayonet-like mouth piercing the skin for a blood meal.  And, it may take her many bites to get a full meal.  She will do this during the day and prefers sunny areas.  That meets the  description of most fields and riding areas that are habitat of our horses.

The Horse Fly prefers moist wet areas for breeding. It is here that the female Horse Fly lays her eggs in the spring where the larvae thrive in wet vegetation, pupate in spring, then hatches.

I posed a question to a group I am in on Linked In.  I got a great response from fellow trail riders around the country about products and ideas for warding off these big bombers that attack our horses.  I am  listing  their opinions, some are creative, to   “Shoo fly don’t bother my horse”.

• 2 parts Equicare Flysect Super-C and 1 part Skin so Soft from Avon.
• Bounce dryer sheets, tied in strips around saddle and bridle.
• War Paint Insecticide Past, but keep it away from the face.
• Antiseptic Mouth Wash but keep it away from under the saddle as irritating
• 98%DEET which can be purchased from www.harveysenvironmental.com
• Endure roll on and spray
• Fly whisk, dressage whips and Carrot Sticks.
• Pyranha or a less expensive solution is 16% Skin so Soft mixture with alcohol and 1/2oz. permethrin.
• good heavy branch
• Neem oil (about a tablespoon)  It must be high quality cold press and is available through www.neemtreefarms.com
• ear nets wet down with fly spray which is particularly helpful to gray horses who are so susceptible

It would be unfair to my company if we did not add our  Croup Cover™ to the list. Its economical, made in the USA and works.  You may order on line http://horseflynet.com.

Croup Cover™ by Horse Fly Net®

American Equestrian Trade Association show

Maybe you have wondered why your tack store or feed store is choosing some products that you like over others.  How do they acquire all of the catalogues of the companies with which they do business?  AETA, http://www.aeta.us puts on huge trade shows through the year and encourages ATEA members to register as buyers and to attend the show free of charge. Vendors may spend thousands of dollars to display their products and supply information. Orders are taken at this time for the helmets and britches and saddles that you may choose from  your tack store.  And,  buyers move through the show with rolling suitcases stuffed with samples and catalogues and ideas for new products, such as a new riding shirt out by San Soleil with a sun screen in the fabric.

I attend these shows for various reasons.  I am an on-line retailer with http://www.horseflynet.com and I am a buyer of advertising from magazines who have booths at these events.  This is a chance for me to talk to editors and management of the magazines. It is great meeting them face to face. Therefore, I come to the show as a buyer with a large ID around my neck telling the world who I am.  We get an AETA gift bag filled with goodies.  Best product this year, in my opinion, were the new plaid socks given to us by http://www.tuffrider.com.  They are cozy and warm but pretty for winter.  Kerrit did a well positioned style show right in the middle of the front of the building that was easy to view and Kerry was there to answer questions, http://www.kerrit.com is featured in the picture above.

The other draw for attending a show such as AETA is the seminars.  This year the trade association offered two excellent presenters.  They did a Social Media Marketing course for the horse industry.  This is the wave of the future, yet it is not easy to find coaching on the subject much less classes on that subject.  I would like to thank Lisa Kemp, http://www.kempequine.com and Chad Mendell, http://www.cowdogmedia.com for 4 and 1/2 hours of inspiring information and ideas on social media. Yes, I learned one or two things. One suggestion was don’t make your blog too long.  So I am finised.

6 Labradors, three yellow and three black

This is the beginning of life in the big world.  It is not just the canine beginning of life but it is the beginning of life for a person  with difficulties mentally or physically who will benefit from canine assistance.  The careful breeding, nurturing and training by many volunteers is the first ingredient in a successful service dog development.  It takes years of work to select and guide these dogs into their careers.

volunteer with one of the puppies

We are told by one organization Saint Francis Service Dogs (a non profit organization that raises and trains service dogs for children and adults) that the two years of training can cost $25,000. ” Ultimately these specially trained dogs can help by retrieving objects that are out of their person’s reach, by pulling wheelchairs, opening and closing doors, turning light switches off and on, barking to indicate that help is needed, finding another person and leading the person to the handler, assisting ambulatory persons to walk by providing balance and counterbalance,  and many other individual tasks as needed by a person with a disability. “

Service dogs are not trained for the hearing or sight impaired person which requires different criteria.

Careful selection of the parents and dogs temperament are necessary as well as confirmation.  This is done to insure that the dog is fully qualified and will tolerate the demands both physically and mentally to meet the challenge for years to come.  The facility and the skill of the breeder is the first hurdle in achieving good results.

Dr. Pam Hand with a pup in training

Dr. Pam Hand of Free Union, VA has devoted herself  as a retired vet to providing the best puppies available.  After breeding, she keeps them for 8 weeks and then they go to a center such as Saint Francis where the dogs continue their rigorous training.  After the second stage of training the dogs are ready to work in partnership.  At Saint Francis a team must pass 4 levels of test before the ownership of the dog is passed to the recipient in need.

Pam has provided a healthy environment with years of experience to this indevour. Horse Fly Net is happy to volunteer and assist in providing the shade for the kennels in the intense Virginia sun.  Fresh air in a secure space is achieved at her kennel by attaching nets over the dog runs.

comfort for the breeding females from the sun

Please volunteer your time or your monetary donation to assist with  this wonderful program by contacting:

Saint Francis Dogs or    Service Dogs of Virginia

Both are accredited by Assistance Dogs International.

Beebop and Sam's pups 14 month old in training

a hippopotamus is Greek for water horse

We have heard about the restorative value of horses for the penal system and many prisoners given a new outlook on life,  war vets who come home mentally and physically wounded find solace in a horse friend.   What else touches the horse owner with the beautiful ability of our four legged friend?  I am always touched by the dedication of one woman who has put her training as an occupation therapist and love of horses to good use.

Brenda in shaded arena by Horse Fly Net

Brenda Stephens has built a practice of using the warmth and rhythm of a gentle horse to aid in the physical improvement of children with severe physical and neurological ailments. With her training as an occupational therapist she can qualify as a director of what is recognized and termed Hippo therapy.  From the Greek word “hippos” which means horse.  A treatment is recognized which uses the multidimensional movement of the horse to assist challenged children.

After acquiring a piece of land Brenda was able to design a unique facility to accommodate a hippo therapy program as well as accommodate the space for caring for the animals involved in that program.  When parents of a child in need are put in touch with Brenda they schedule a time to visit then bring their child to an appointed time once or twice a week for what is  essentially a horseback riding lesson.  The needs of the child have to be carefully monitored.  One volunteer leads the horse or pony and one or two volunteers walk along side of the rider.  Brenda keeps a continual dialogue with the child challenging them to stretch, reach, and work their body in a way they do not in a wheel chair or walking on the ground in her beautiful shaded arena.  She invents games of basket ball, picking up balls or reaching for the chimes while riding the horses.  These activities with the motion of the moving horse are a new challenge to the body and a joy to the mind. It bring progress and happiness in a way that is heartwarming to the volunteers and the observer.  Brenda is an unsung hero of life.

We salute her and the wonderful horses like Sunny and Casper that work together for a common purpose.

volunteers with a client

Chiffon and her surprise

A few blogs ago we had the pleasure of sharing a story about a woman,  who tries to solve problems.  The horse involved is Ethan, who was terrified of llamas and making the owner and horse at odds with each other.  The solution was to desensitize the horse by putting him in direct contact with llamas. It was a three month run that had an end result of FAIR as we reported.

But, we are pleased to say that when the experiment was over and Chiffon and Tamarack went back to their llama farm a surprise was to unfold.  Rather fat in appearance during her stay at Brenda’s farm with a habit of lying down a lot Chiffon had been declared barren.   On return to home turf Chiffon presented the unexpected llama owner with a new little llama one morning in the March sunshine.  This little guy had big nostrils for snorting and showing off.  He was black and adorable.  Was it immaculate conception?  Ethan has a namesake, Ethan Jr.