Keeping Horse Manes and Tails Beautiful

October 8, 2009

It’s a popular notion that the hair is a person’s crowning glory. If you spot someone in a crowd that may not be considered pretty by normal standards, a great hair cut and lustrous tresses can almost always sway a judgment. Gorgeous hair is a priceless asset, and the dozens of hair salons in every city are a testament to this. Keeping your horse’s mane and tail beautiful is one of the most important steps in having a gorgeous horse. The difference between a beautiful mane and tail and a scraggly, thin mane and tail can make as much difference in a horse’s beauty as a person’s attractiveness. The first step is to untangle the mess that often happens over winter. Start by untangling the hair and getting out all the dreadlocks. Don’t rush this process, as you don’t want to pull the hair out. Work your way through the matted mane and forelock first. Start at one end of the mane and work your way slowly down the mane untangling one section at a time. Saturate sections of the hair with any over the counter detangler. Choose a large tangle, and slowly apply the product and separate the tangles with your fingers. Start at the bottom of the tangle and work your way up to the roots. Work the product into the hair by using your fingers, and gently pull the hairs, a few strands at a time. Keep doing this until the knots and tangles get smaller and then are gone. Repeat the same process with the tail once you have the mane and forelock untangled. You should stand to one side while detangling their tails, so you avoid being kicked by the horse. Help them maintain a calm and relaxed attitude by patting them gently, and then slowly move your hands down their necks and sides until you get to the tail. Once their hair is free from tangles, it is now safe to brush their hair by using a stiff bristle hair brush. Never use a comb, which does nothing but pull hair out. Start brushing the bottom of the hair and then work your way up to the roots. Don’t use too much force, and make sure that you don’t stretch the hair while brushing. Try to brush as gentle and slowly as you can. Patience is the key to leaving the most amount of mane and tail possible. It takes a long time to grow, so you don’t want to pull out what you have already grown by rushing this important step. Beth Moore has been a leading authority on horse grooming and especially on growing long, thick manes and tails on horses for over 20 years. You can learn more about her methods and claim a free report on the benefits of owning gorgeous horses at http://tinyurl.com/amazingmanes


Search Engine Helps Non Profits Raise Money

July 3, 2009

 Hi Melody here from Peace At Last Farms Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Inc We are a non profit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abused domestic and farm animals. Please help us to continue to help them.

Here’s a new easy way to raise money for us or your favorite cause. Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they’ll donate about a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search!

In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 900 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the charity or school of your choice. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to your cause!

Here’s the web site —http://www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

At the bottom of each page on our website is a Good Search / Good Shop badge. You can help us raise money doing what you already do! Please go to our website anytime and click on the badge and search in the support of PALFARR. Good Shop donates a percentage of everything purchased through Good Shop. You can download their toolbar and set Goodsearch as your home page.

We are also in need of donations and sponsors. All Corporate sponsors will be listed on our Corporate Sponsorship page.

Warm Regards,

Melody

 

YOU SEARCH OR SHOP… WE GIVE!

Search the Web Free coupons at top stores

Raise money for Peace At Last Farms Animal Rescue And Rehabilitation  just by searching the web and shopping online!

Peace At Last Farms Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Inc.

June 29, 2009

My passion and motivation is, and always has been, animals. I have a non profit animal rescue Peace At Last Farms Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Inc. Since the farm and the animals are a full time job in itself I help support the rescue with online programs and we depend on donations. You are even welcome to sponsor one of the animals. All donations are appreciated and tax deductible.

I have a donation button available on my main webiste.

http://peaceatlast-yourcashflowcreator.com/aboutus.aspx

We are in need of regular monthly sponsorship. Every little bit helps. Even $20 a month goes a long way combined with the donations of others.

 There are dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, pot bellied pigs, a goat, horses, a parakeet and an umbrella cockatoo that currently reside here. All of these animals are abandoned and/or abused. I get the hard cases, the ones even other rescues were unable to care for so many are here to stay.

 These programs and peoples continued support is what gives these animals a chance for “Peace At Last.”

Wish List

Some items always needed here at the rescue:

Purina Equine Sr, Whole oats, Hay, Sand clear, pot bellied pig food, all stock, dog food, cat food and chicken feed, cat litter.

Other things we can always use:

Kiddy pools, feed and water dishes (low to ground), extra wood and tin, blankets in winter and any construction or fence materials (a piece here and there adds up to a new shelter).

 

 

 I have a published article on one of the horses in my care. This article is something all women and anyone with a women in their life should read too, be it a mother, daughter, sister or wife. You may read it at

http://ezinearticles.com/?Micante—A-Story-of-a-PMU-Mare&id=1543217

 My main support program is Message Magic . A big thank you to Grant Andrews for such a wonderful program.

http://peaceatlast-yourcashflowcreator.com/messagemagic.aspx

 

If you’d like to see pictures of them you can see them here http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=330587011

It is public profile so anyone can view them. If you are on myspace you are also welcome to send an ivnite!

 This is a link to a video of my horses and some more of the horse and piggy videos too.


Questions about Swine Flu

April 29, 2009

Because I rescue pot bellied pigs many people are asking me about swine flu and/or telling me to be cautious. Well the truth of the matter is your more likely to come in contact with Swine Flu going to the store or especially the airport.

Swine Flu is only named this because it was first discovered in pigs in 1930. This is not even the same strain as it has changed. There have been no occurrences of Swine Flu found in pigs here in the US and they are not even clear if pigs can catch this particular strain or not from humans.

Swine Flu is air born and can not be contracted by eating pork either. It is not a food pathogen. The best way to prevent Swine Flu is the same with any other flu or cold…wash your hands.

To read the full story on the origin of the swine flu and the findings please see the following article from news crop weekly.

Swine Flu Has No Connection To Today’s Pigs: What You Need To Know About Swine Flu http://bit.ly/YRn10

I just read another very informative blog post about Swine Flu from a fellow twitterer and wanted to link it here too.

http://drmommyhealthtips.com/2009/04/swine-flu-really/

AboutVetMed passed this article along from the American Veterinary Medical Association with great questions and answers about Swine Flu and your pets.

http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus/new_flu_virus_faq.asp


Why Natural Horsemanship Training?

April 28, 2009

Common Misconceptions about Horse Training

I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen or talked to people who have sent their horse off for 6 months of training and been dissatisfied with the results. Everyone seems to think if they send their horse away to a trainer like this they are going to get back this dream horse they can do anything with. Instead they bring the horse home, put them in the pasture, and sometime later they get the horse out and wonder why in the world they can not do anything with them.

The average person, and all the people I’m referring to above, simply sends their horse off for normal handling and riding. Not for show competition. This is totally unnecessary, expensive and does not give you the results you are looking for. Just because a horse will do things for a trainer does not mean they are going to do it for you. Nor, even if you get them home and they do, if you do not work with them on your own they will revert right back to the behaviors of before.

How I look at it….

When ever someone asks me how much it is per month for training I say “Well it depends, I look at it weekly, most times its something that can be worked out in less time than that.

How I go about it…

What I do is bring a horse in for a week and evaluate the horse, address the underlying causes for their behavior and work on building trust, respect, confidence and a willing partner. I then work with the owner and repeat the same process with them. People have to understand that just because their horse gains the above attributes with a trainer DOES NOT mean they are going to have them with the owner. The owner and horse need trust, respect, confidence and be willing partners to each other.

Why It Works….

Having a horse is a commitment. You need to constantly build on your repore and understanding of your horse. Most people do not know how to do that. They are not a car. Yet on that note, to put what I’m referring to in easier terms, what would happen if you never maintained your car? You didn’t check the oil? You didn’t give it a tune up? You didn’t fill it up with gas? Your car would no longer do the things you expected of it. Now think of a horse, that has its own mind to add to that.

How many of you watch RFD-TV? Do you have a favorite horse professional you like to watch? Say you went out and bought Magic, Diez or any number of horses that belongs to one of these professionals and bring them home only to stick them in the pasture and pour food to them every day. Then six months down the rode you decide to ride them. How cooperative do you think they are going to be? Or how responsive? How happy are they going to be? Not very…

 http://naturaladvantagehorsetraining.bravehost.com/


Care2 – A Website Dedicated to Making the World a Better Place

April 19, 2009

Care2 is a remarkable social environment filled with people dedicated to making the world a better place. It is free to join and by doing so you become a part of a family of people striving to make a change for the better. Even if you have little time but want to make an impact by helping preserve our environment and its inhabitants you can do that daily in less than five minutes.

One of the many things Care2 offers is their Care2 Click to Donate Races. They have 10 causes that you can do daily free clicks on and make an impact on each individual cause. The 10 causes are Global Warming, Habitats (Rain Forests, American Prairies or Marine Wetlands), Seals, Oceans, Big Cats (Tiger, Leopard or Jaguar), Primates, Children, Pets, Stop Violence and Breast Cancer. Look at the wealth of causes that you can make a n impact to in less than 5 minutes.

A long side of that they have Daily Activities. This is where you can learn ways to preserve the environment by taking daily action to prevent waste, reduce energy use and make are world a cleaner place and much more.

Beings it is a social environment you get to interact with others like yourself who are concerned about our earth and its inhabitants. You get your own page where you can post your causes, pictures, blogs and such. You can join groups and participate in group forums. You can even set up your own polls or petition site.

Care2 is what I would label “a feel good site.” You feel good knowing you are making a difference. You are met with warmth by good people doing good for others. I learned about this site from a dear person who does a lot with animal rescues. She told me about the site and I went and joined to look around. I was truly impressed with what they are doing and what they are accomplishing. They are making a great resource available to people who care.

You will find Care2 gives you a sense of peace the moment you arrive. You will be rewarded with gratitude and knowing you have done your part to make this world a better place for you and yours and for generations to come.

Have a particular cause you are concerned with or follow? I am sure you will find it at Care2. There is a wealth of causes from a wealth of people available. Take advantage of the search feature and find others who are interested in the things you are and join in the groups and discussions about them.

I invite you to go and see for yourself what Care2 is all about. Make a difference and do your Care2 Clicks. Create your profile and you can track the difference you are making by spending that 5 minutes each day on 10 great causes. Make friends, influence people and make a stand for what you believe in.

This article is dedicated to Jerilyn. Thank you for all you do and for telling me about this wonderful site.

Melody Baum

For more information about this great community go to http://www.care2.com/

Copyright © Melody Baum, All Rights Reserved

You may reprint this articles AS LONG AS the entire article remains the same including this author resource box!


My profile picture…

March 31, 2009

People often ask me about my profile picture. Things like “is that your daughter?” or “why such an old picture?’ and such. Well here’s the story behind that picture.

That is a picture of me when I was 2 and a half years old on my pony Prince who was given to me at birth. Prince was 10 at the time. Little did anyone know what that gift would lead to.

You see, Prince is my inspiration. He was my teacher and friend. Prince taught me more than any book or teacher ever could. He taught me compassion, patience, honesty, loyalty, love, friendship, faith and well to many to even name. The biggest lesson of all was that all things are possible if you do not give up.

When I was 14 I headed to the pasture expecting to find Prince waiting at the gate as usual and he wasn’t there. I headed through the gate with a since of dread. I knew something was terribly wrong. With no sign of him in the front half I started running and as I got to the gate heading to the far back pasture I saw him grazing but even from the distance I could see something odd about his leg.

When I reached Prince I saw that his leg was broken. Badly broken. With his head down to graze mid shin of his leg was bent foward like and elbow rather than a knee. My life and his flashed before my eyes the moment I saw it. Why you ask?

This was in the 70’s and Prince was 24 years old at the time. I knew immediately what everyone would say. My parents called the vet and I waited with him. My heart was breaking and I was absolutely dieing inside. Prince would have no part of it. He nudged me and nearly pushed me over. This actually made me laugh. It also nudged me into determination. I was not giving up on him without a fight.

When the vet arrived I cried, begged, pleaded and demanded my course of action be listened to. The vet and my parents listened and they looked to the vet for his opinion. The vet, who I’d been raised up with and helped with all the animals when he was out on our calls looked at me, and then to Prince and back again for what seemed an eternity… He then turned to my parents and said “if anyone can get through this it’s the two of them.” and then looked at me and said, “come on, we’ve got work to do”. I buried him and Prince in the biggest hug! We set and cast Prince’s leg and the vet explained that it was up to me to keep watch and make sure it stayed clean and dry and to watch for any sign of decay.

I made a place for Prince in the garage and he stayed there while he had his cast on. Prince being Prince would not go potty in the garage so I had to take him on walks. I learned real fast not to stand on that side where the cast was too. When he walked he’d swing it out to the side and around and if you didn’t move you got whacked! We all signed his cast too and spoiled him absolutely rotten (as if he wasn’t already). So how did it all turn out?

To make a long story short, I had Prince until I was 28 years old. So as I said, he’s my inspiration and teacher and now you too know how many wonderful lessons this dear pony taught me and why this picture is so precious and important to me.

Dedicated to and in loving memory of Prince 1953-1991


Horse Feeding Guidelines-How To Understand Them

August 30, 2008

Due to the number of questions and concerns I field from horse owners unable to maintain weight on the horses I’ve written the following to explain feeding guidelines found on feed bags. Also, how to determine what amount your particular horse needs.

Typical Guidelines call for:

Recommended feeding amount is ½ to 1 pound of feed per 100 pound bodyweight.

Feeding amounts may be adjusted slightly to meet the needs of the horse.

Feeding amounts should be split into 2 or more feedings per day.

I.e. a 900 pound horse would need to be fed 4 ½ to 9 pounds per day.

Now comes the tricky part

I know you’ve all probably heard the terms “easy keeper” and “hard keeper”. What that boils down to is the metabolism and energy level of that particular horse. You also have to factor in the size of your horse. A taller horse will weigh more than a shorter or smaller horse. If you have a low energy low metabolism horse you’d go toward the low end. If you have high energy high metabolism horse you’d go toward the high end. The average person is not good at guessing the weight of their horse nor the proper weight their horse should be.

The best judge of your horse is you. If your horse is getting to heavy or losing weight look at the nutritional needs of your horse and see if they are within the guidelines. Use a body scoring chart to see if your horse is within optimum weight range.

I’ve had people with a small, average and large horse ask me why one is doing well, one is doing okay and one is losing weight. When I ask what they are feeding they answer “one scoop”. Here lies the problem.

Different feed weighs different amounts. Also, some people fill the scoop to different levels. You should scoop out your feed and weigh it. Find out exactly what you have been feeding. Then compare that to the guidelines.

In the example above an 800 pound horse, a 1000 pound horse and a 1200 pound horse were being fed 6 pounds of feed daily. It was the appropriate amount for the smaller horse but way to low for the others. The 1200 pound horse guidelines call for 6 to 12 pounds per day. I recommend splitting the difference and seeing how the horse does then increase or decrease according to body condition. If your horse is underweight go to the high end. Just remember, do it gradually and increase their feed no more than 1 pound per meal.

Quick Reference Table Chart

Horses weight ____________________Feed bag rec_______________________Amount to feed horse

800………………………………………… 4-8 pounds daily ……………………………………6 pounds per day

1000…………………………………….. 5-10 pounds daily…………………………………7-8 pounds per day

1200………………………………………6-12 pounds daily………………………………….. 9 pounds per day

This is based on an average horse. If your horse is high energy you go to the high side, low energy to the low side average you fall in the middle. Start out with the mid range and adjust accordingly.

Feeding Need To Knows

 

  • An average horse can not utilize more than 5 pounds of feed at one meal. Anything more they are basically just pooping out without being able to utilize the nutrients. This is why feeding horses must be broken down into 2 or more feedings per day.
  • In order to achieve the nutrient value on a bag of feed the horse has to consume the pounds required for their size and metabolism or their nutrients are falling short.
  • Do not increase a horses feed ration more than 1 pound per meal over a course of a week..
  • Do not change a horses feed without mixing it with the new feed for at least 7 to 10 days. Feed changes must be made gradually.
  • Do not feed less hay than feed. If a horse is getting 6 pounds of feed they need a minimum of 6 pounds of hay.
  • Typically, the average horse should consume 1 bag of feed and 2 bales of hay a week.

 

Conclusion

The best judge of your horse is you. Feed your horse according to their needs. Stop being of the “scoop” mind and get “pound” wise. Listen to your horse, they can tell you a lot. Don’t be afraid to ask questions from someone. If your horse doesn’t appear to be doing well to you they probably are not. Get in the habit of observing horses body condition. Rate horses based on a body condition scoring guide. Rate your horse and other horses. Get to know your horse and your horses individual needs.

Horses do not fit into a nice tidy package. They are as different as us in their nutritional needs. Obviously a 5 foot tall person is not going to have to eat as much as a 6 foot tall person to maintain their optimum weight. So goes it with horses. Also, we’ve all met that person with the high metabolism that seems to be able to eat anything they want and they stay skinny or the person that watches everything they eat and still gains weight. Again, so goes it with horses.

Melody Baum

Peace At Last Farm & Feed

Website http://peaceatlastfarmandfeed.bravehost.com

Myspace http://www.myspace.com/peaceatlastfarmandfeed

My animals health are important to me. That is why I strive to have the highest quality feeds and supplements available for them and my customers. As an extension of that quality service and dependability are of utmost importance to me.

For more information, fun facts, forums, videos and more visit the above websites.

Copyright © Melody Baum, All Rights Reserved

You may reprint this articles AS LONG AS the entire article remains the same including this author resource box!

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Natural Advantage Horse Training

August 2, 2008

Peace At Last Farm & Feed is also home to Natural Advantage Horse Training.

Ask how we can help you and your horse be naturally confident and respectful to each other and form a lasting partnership filled with fun.

The best way to a horses heart……

Is going naturally. Let me show you how to get the best from your horse. To many times we fight against nature. Learn how to go with nature and develop a relationship and confidence level for you and your horse like you always dreamed of.

For more information go to my main website and click on the training tab.


Rain Awareness

July 23, 2008

Horses have a tendency to not drink enough water when we are receiving rainy days. This can cause colic. For your horses health pay special attention to their water and how much they are consuming on rainy days. Make sure they have salt blocks available, use electrolyte supplements to increase water intake and be sure their water is cool, fresh and clean. I look at water like this…if it doesn’t look appealing to you it doesn’t look appealing to your horse.