Cinnamon Goes Home!

Cinnamon has found a home!

A lovely woman named Gerri in Ramona has adopted Cinnamon! Gerri is a long-time experienced horse owner who formerly had an Arab, so she'll understand Cinnamon's idiosyncrasies. She also owns a Thoroughbred mare named Rosie, who will be Cinny's new pal. Their initial meeting went great and Cinnamon seemed happy and relaxed. Cinny's new view is of a beautiful grassland valley in Ramona. Check out the pictures below!

I wish Gerri many wonderful adventures with Cinnamon! Thanks to everyone for the support and for visiting my blog. Special thanks to my Mom for her hard work helping me with Cinnamon and transporting her over the past year! I'll miss my little Cinny but I know she'll be very happy at her new home.

There are plenty more horses needing forever homes at Falcon Ridge Equine Rescue! Please encourage others to adopt a rescue horse! Visit their website here: www.falconridgerescue.org

And please adopt your dogs and cats and puppies and kittens! Visit www.petfinder.com to view hundreds of gorgeous, and often purebred, doggies and kitties!

On the way to her new life!

With Rosie, her new buddy! Notice how their necks form the shape of a heart! Awww!

With her new Mom, Gerri and Gerri's son.

Cinnamon's before and after pics! A little love and attention go a long way!

Cinnamon is Still Available! Can you help find her a home?

Cinnamon is still available for adoption!
She's made great progress in the past 10 months and is healthy, happy, and ready for her forever home.

We are looking for someone to adopt her with the following characteristics:
1. Experienced horse owner and rider. Cinnamon is a bit rusty and can be nervous at times, so she needs someone who is confident enough to handle and ride her through some spookiness. She does best riding with other horses, so if you ride mostly with others, she would be great for you.
2. Someone who loves trail riding and riding on the flat. Cinnamon is a middle-aged horse, so she won't be able to do any jumping or other strenuous exercise.
3. A person with a lot of time, love, and patience to bring out her full potential. She is very smart and eager to please, so the more time and energy you are willing to put into working with her, the more she will shine.
Do you know anyone like this?
If so, please forward this blog or email me at cdobransky@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Claire

Mouth full of carrots!

Cinny's new favorite treat: baby carrots fresh from the garden!

Mouth full of carrots!

Joanna Schwartzel, Natural Horsemanship Farrier Saves the Day!

Cinnamon’s Phobia of Farriers

Cinnamon the rescue horse developed a phobia of horseshoers after not having her feet trimmed for a long period of time. The first farrier I had work on her was unwilling to take the time to develop trust and bond with her. Instead, he was rough with her and triggered a panic that caused her to act dangerously when he attempted to trim her feet. He insisted that the only way to safely trim her badly overgrown feet was to tranquilize her.

Phobia of Farriers turns into Terror of Tranquilizing

Cinnamon quickly became terrified of the intravenous jugular injection required to tranquilize her. What’s worse is that, once tranquilized, she would not remember any of the procedure, so there was no hope for her to get used to the process over time. She became more and more difficult to inject, rearing up and striking out when the needle was inserted. Trying to hold a rearing horse next to someone wielding a long needle oozing horse tranquilizer is not a process I’d like to soon repeat. The third time we attempted to trim her feet, the farrier was unable to tranquilize Cinnamon.

I knew this was not a long term solution to the problem, and I worried about the effect of repeated tranquilization on Cinny’s physical and emotional health. I was at a loss when it seemed like there was no safe way to trim her feet.

Joanna Schwartzel, Horse Whisperer

I found Joanna on craigslist, where she described herself as a provider of Holistic Hoof Care through Natural Horsemanship. Joanna came out to work with Cinnamon and immediately connected with her. She did some groundwork in Cinnamon’s corral, laying down boundaries and developing trust. She worked with her in the turn-out ring for about 15 minutes, desensitizing her to sudden movements and picking up each of her hooves.

Once she felt that she could handle each foot without resistance, Joanna got her gear and easily trimmed all four feet with Cinnamon standing patiently. I was shocked and amazed that Cinnamon stood quietly, without being tied up, while Joanna trimmed and filed each of her hooves. Cinnamon felt no fear and was relieved of the panic that she previously had associated with farriers. Her feet looked great when finished, with a huge improvement in the shape and angle, which will only be improved with subsequent trimmings.

The whole process took 90 minutes and the charge was $60, which is absolutely wonderful compared to the previous charge of $60 that I was paying for the trimming, plus $25 for the tranquilizer and the impending $25 for the vet call to administer the tranquilizer.

Joanna’s method was a miracle for Cinnamon and has solved her biggest problem as a rescue horse. I look forward to getting her feet back in shape and learning more about Joanna’s methods so I can implement them to work on Cinnamon’s other issues!

Joanna's email is joschwartzel@gmail.com.

Hooray for Natural Horsemanship!

Interested, but not alarmed!

Waiting patiently...

A miracle and a natural horsemanship success!

New Pictures - Cinnamon at 7 Months!

Cinnamon is doing great and is ready to be adopted!
Here are some new pictures!

I'm so cute - Will you adopt me?

Cinnamon deserves a forever home - do you know someone that would be right for her?

Take me home!

Happy after a bath!

Cranky for bath time!

Cinnamon and Claire Vs. The Hornets!



Cinnamon and Claire



Vs. The Hornets

Yesterday Cinnamon and I went out for a ride in the afternoon on a small trail near the ranch that we've ridden several times before. We were walking over a hill enjoying the flowers and sunshine when all of a sudden - hornet attack!!

The stings felt like shocks of electricity, so painful I jumped off of Cinnamon in a state of panic. She was being attacked more than I, with hornets on her face, neck, legs and back. At one point I let go of her because I needed two hands to swat hornets off my arms! Lesser horses would have run home, leaving me to be eaten alive, but Cinnamon stayed close, biting and kicking at the little devils.

I quickly realized I needed to get back on her so we could get out of there. Cinnamon stopped bucking and stood still so I could get back on, then carried us to safety, despite hornets hanging on and still stinging her face, neck and back.

When we got back to the ranch she started having an allergic reaction and seemed like she was having trouble breathing. Her stings swelled up and she began stretching her neck and yawning over and over. The vet came out and gave her an emergency intravenous steroid and checked her heart, lungs and digestive system to make sure she was okay.




Distressed look in eyes and unnatural flared nostrils. Very scary.


With emergency vet treatment, some treats and sympathy, she calmed down and she's doing fine today.

Studly, Cinnamon's best friend and next door neighbor, was unmoved by the day's events.

Claire required a glass of Cabernet and a bar of dark chocolate to fully recover.



We're going to apply bug spray before going for rides and avoid that trail for a while!

Hornets: 1, Claire and Cinnamon: 0.

This story is a great example of what a wonderful horse Cinnamon is: dependable, trusting, and intelligent. She is still available for adoption. If you know of a good home for Cinnamon, please email me at cdobransky@gmail.com.

Cinnamon's Before and After Pics

Here are Cinnamon's official before and after pictures! The process of fostering her has been incredibly rewarding and a lot of fun. If you are interested in fostering a horse, click on the "Fostering a Horse" link. Thanks!

De-Worming a Horse the Easy Way!

Why didn't I think of this? I read about this method on the Internet. After trying it, I'm scratching my head as to why I've needlessly traumatized myself and horses in the past de-worming the old fashion way.

Normally, the quarterly process of de-worming a horse involves a wrestling match to deposit the de-worming paste in the back of their mouths. Not anymore! Mix the paste with OatMo or AlfaMo and the horse will happily devour the medicine!

Here's proof!

Start with the wormer, a yummy treat, and a feeding dish.

Deposit the correct amount in accordance with your horse's size.

Mix it up!

Warning: Wash your hands immediately or wear gloves.

Happy, healthy horse!

Grateful for the delicious treat!

Cinnamon's Three Month Pictures!!

After three months of training, excercise, supplements and pampering, Cinnamon is looking and feeling great! She is also ready to be adopted! Please check out the flyer and forward it to your horse friends! Thanks for visiting my blog! If you are interested in adopting Cinnamon please email me at cdobransky@gmail.com!





Good Article on Horse Skin Problems

EquiSearch

Cinnamon has some hair loss around her mouth that I think is either mites, ringworm or another fungus. It is in the form of circular patches that do not appear to itch. I'm going to try anti-fungal (since I suspect fungus) then hydrocortisone (which is supposed to treat mites and mange).

Cinnamon's Two Month Pictures!

I've now had Cinnamon for just shy of two months now and she's doing great!
Here are her two month pictures! Special thanks to my Mom for coming out to be the photographer!
We've been focusing on walking, trotting and cantering in the arena in both English and Western tack. She's been doing amazing and has been enjoying her rides a lot.
Next month will be devoted to getting her used to riding on the trail!
Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Fostering a Horse

Welcome!

This blog is about my Foster Horse, Cinnamon. I am helping Cinnamon get into adoptable shape so that she will find a loving, forever home.

If you are a horse person that has the time, resources and energy to foster a rescue horse, I encourage you to contact myself or Falcon Ridge Equine Rescue to learn more about the opportunity!

What is Horse Fostering?

Fostering a horse means that you take on responsibility for feeding, boarding, caring for and sometimes training a rescued horse. The purpose of fostering a horse is to get the horse in better shape and more accustomed to being handled and/or ridden so it is adoptable to a wider range of people.

Why Foster a Horse?

Fostering a horse is a great way to be involved with horses without taking on the long term commitment of owning a horse. Fostering helps rescued horses become adoptable to a wider range of people, which improves their chances of finding a great home. There is currently an overabundance of rescue horses looking for homes or foster care. Without sufficient space in local rescue organizations, many horses are being sent to slaughter.

Foster Care Cost

The cost is about $400 per month, which includes boarding, feed, supplements, farrier and vet care. This is heavily dependent on where you plan to keep the horse and varies by location and boarding amenities.

Time Commitment
I spend on average one hour per day with Cinnamon, five days per week. Usually, I groom and exercise her five days per week, then give her one day off completely and one day that I just check on her and hang out.
I hope that the total process with her will take about 3 months, at which point she'll be ready to be adopted.

Benefit to You!
Not only are you helping a horse, but you're donating to a worthy cause and getting the benefit of a wonderful and fulfilling hobby! It is an incredibly rewarding, soothing and fun experience that I am very grateful for.

How to Get Involved

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email me at cdobransky@gmail.com or visit  http://www.falconridgerescue.org/ to learn about the Falcon Ridge Foster Program and the horses.

Thanks!

Claire

858-200-6609

Essential Grooming Tools

These are my favorite grooming tools to date. Click on the title links to see where to purchase!


Grooming is a very important part of bonding with a horse for me. I also find that it's a great way to channel energy and relax. For the first two weeks all I did was groom Cinnamon every day then turn her out. This was important because it got her used to being handled every day and her coat really needed it. It's a great way to connect with a new horse and get them looking great!


Ultimate Groomer
This is what I start with every day to remove any mud, extra hair, etc. Even sensitive horses seem to love it. It's like a massage and it helped Cinnamon get used to being handled and to start to enjoy grooming.

The Best Shedding Tool Ever
This can take some getting used to with a skiddish horse, but it takes the old hair off like nothing you've ever seen. It makes any coat shine. Warning: don't get it wet or it will melt, but each block should last at least a month or two, and at $3.99, that's pretty good.

Miracle Ointment

I put this on every hairless patch, scratch or wound every day and it miraculously clears them up. The horses seem to like the soothing feeling and it's much cheaper than Cortisone. I even use it on my own scars. If you're worried about flies, put SWAT on top of this.

Fly Spray

This is the best fly spray I've found. The horses (and people) don't seem to mind the smell, but it repels flies for several days. I spray about 4 sprays per side, then wipe the whole horse down with a rag to evenly distribute. You really only need to use it every other day.

My Fav Tool: The Horse Shaver!

This is the coolest little tool in the world, and it's only $1.89! If you're like me and you don't want to torture your horse with clippers or scissors, you'll love this! It's a little one sided razor with a protective siding that you slide over your horses muzzle and it shaves their whiskers. Cinnamon even likes it! I haven't found it online yet, but they have it at Mary's Tack and Feed. You only need to use it about once a month and it takes about 5 mins.

Cinnamon's One Month Pictures

Here are Cinnamon's One Month Pictures! She's gaining a lot of confidence and she's more calm and curious in general. She is still very human-attached and has a little bit of separation anxiety, but she isn't barn sour anymore and now she likes to go out for grooming or for exercise. She is getting used to riding and getting better every day!

Here are the changes I see...

When contrasted with the "Before" Picture...

I can't wait for her to improve more for the 2 month pictures!