Hawthorn- Cross Farm

09/15/2023

Jesso wants his photo taken.

08/31/2023

Hey Gang, Here's an Arion update. He's filling out and getting stronger. He's completed his round pen work and is now lunging w/saddle and bridle. He's very smart and knows his verbal commands. So, we sacked him out the other day and he did great! Next, being ridden. We love this boy!

08/02/2023

Metral is enjoying his massage and spinal alignment. Thank you Amber - he is moving great under saddle, very forward and happy.

05/30/2023

Greetings from Hawthorn- Cross Farm. Here's an update on Arion (aka Ari). About 1 week after he arrived he developed a nasty respiratory infection, which luckily did not spread through the barn (hopefully because the others were vaccinated). For about two weeks he was ill: wouldn't drink much (water just ran out his nose, as he had trouble swallowing) or eat much hay. I kept him going on beet pulp and homeopathy. We're grateful that is all behind us now! He has gotten stronger and dare I say - a bit full of himself. He's now on summer pasture with our other 3 geldings. I'm just thrilled with him!!

05/08/2023

Happy May everyone! Introducing our new horse, Arion. He is a 5yr. old, Dutch Harness horse from a Mich. Kill Pen. Sadly underweight and ready for us to give much-needed pampering and TLC. We're looking forward to having his feet done, worming and teeth floated. He is a bit scared today after his arrival, but all in all, seems like a quiet, gentle boy. Look for updates soon.

04/08/2023

A very sad day yesterday for us as we had to have our Dutch Warmblood mare, Raphaella (1998 -2023) euthanized. She was a horse forged of iron with a strong will and personality. She came to us as a yearling - a true member of our family for 24 yrs. Today we are in grief. RIP our beautiful, brave, black girl. We love you so, and will miss you. You will live on in our hearts forever.

12/11/2022

Happy Holidays from all of us at Hawthorn- Cross Farm.

06/29/2022

Here's my third ride on my Lusitano 6 yr. old gelding, Metal (aka Metralhadora FHI). This is the second time we've hacked down the road. I love him - such a good boy!

03/27/2022

Here's an update on Metral, who has gained his weight back, along with all of his exuberance and energy. He's running with Beau George and Indy. In the second photo, B.George is playing in a puddle, while Metral looks on.

02/27/2022

I'm so overjoyed to report that within the last 2 days, Metral has started to eat again. He did fall in his stall a couple of days ago, because he is still weak, but he continues to improve. Today, he is acting a bit sassy, which I'm delighted to see; especially when for almost the last 3 weeks he was so listless, we thought he was going to die. Thank you to everyone for all of your kind words and prayers - it has been so appreciated and I feel that it is a miracle that he is recovering!! Here is a photo of him from tonight - his bright eyes are back! Also a shot of his blood-work when he was first diagnosed. Thank you again - I'm so grateful!!

02/17/2022

Update on Metral: I'm sorry it's taken so long to post this update, but it's been a rough week here at the farm. Metral seemed to rally after a few days on the antibiotics. However, today we had a set-back and he was down again this morning, with colic and fever symptoms. I was able to get him to his feet, but he did not eat well for the remainder of the day. He was arching his back again, which he did when he first got sick. He seems slightly better late tonight, but not much manure in his stall. He has to remain on the antibiotic for another week. I snapped a photo of him tonight, along with one of the antibiotic. We're all praying for our best boy.

02/09/2022

Thank you to everyone for all of your support and comforting words. Metral and I thank you for your prayers. Update: Metral ate a little bit of hay overnight and drank some (maybe 2/3 bucket) water. He seems to not be in as much pain. His temperature is now 100 degrees (normal) and he had another dose of banamine. I had the emergency vet out again today. She came with the blood results and I'm afraid the news is not good. She said today when she walked in the barn "he is a very sick horse". She thinks he has peritonitis- his blood readings for white blood cells is so low it is almost off the chart. We are going to try an aggressive treatment with oral antibiotics. He is very difficult to give medication: it took 3 of us to get the first dose in his mouth. We are going to do our best with the medication and the vet (Dr. Christine from Countryside, in Cement City, MI) will return on Fri. to determine if he has improved at all. I will post another update then. I have cried a river of tears - I love this little guy.

02/09/2022

I've had a horrible 24 hrs. with Metral starting yesterday. He developed a fever and did not drink or eat since yesterday around noon. I stayed up with him until 4 a.m. last night and was finally able to reduce the fever with homeopathy: Belladonna 1 M. He was down in his stall with his eyes shut in narrow slits. The emergency vet was out today and concurred that he did have a fever, now registering @ 103 degrees. She administered Banamine and took blood to run diagnostics. She doesn't know what is wrong, but he has low gut sounds and his breath is awful. I'm happy to report that this evening he is picking at his hay and he is staying up on his feet. Still hasn't drank any water. I'll know more when his blood panel results are in tomorrow.

02/05/2022

Oh yes, I can relate!

12/21/2021

Please Santa:

What have you asked for this Christmas?

12/15/2021

Happy Holidays from Hawthorn- Cross Farm!

12/13/2021

Here's one last photo with the kill pen photo for comparison. He's gained almost all his weight back and he now has the glow of good health.

12/13/2021

Here's some updated photos of Indian Creek Dreamer (aka Indy) from end of summer into autumn. He is doing great! He runs with George and Metal in the paddock. He is finally beginning to trust - greeting us with whinnies and affection!

10/31/2021

Here it comes

10/15/2021

Here's an update on our little rescue Appaloosa - Indian Creek Dreamer, aka "Indy". Enlarge each photo to read description.

10/07/2021

Here is Metal in March getting used to wearing his saddle.

09/10/2021

Introducing Indian Creek Dreamer, a 14 yr. old Appaloosa gelding we saved from an Arkansas kill pen. He arrived in very bad shape. He had been starved, almost to the point of death. The shipper took him home for a week so he could get stronger for the long trip to Ohio (thank you Dee!!). Why would anyone do this to a horse? It is pure evil to do this to one of earth’s most majestic creatures. He is gentle, smart and easy to handle. Our big T.B., Beau George has adopted him and is very protective. Look for new posts on “Indy” as his health improves.

06/23/2021

So true.. such a beautiful quote.. ❤🐴

06/23/2021

“When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine…you know you are loved.”
John Lyons

06/03/2021

Today we honor and remember ALL the fallen for their service.

05/27/2021

This horse snowshoe is a such a great find😍 We discovered it on the ice surface in the Lendbreen pass. Check out the preservation!❤ Looks like it was lost yesterday, but the radiocarbon date (just in) begs to differ: It was lost in the 3rd century AD, at the very beginning of the use of the pass😮 The unlucky horse with only three snowshoes left was one of the first pack animals to cross the Lendbreen ice.

05/24/2021

05/23/2021

From the horse’s mouth... actually the horse’s tongue

After my recent post regarding fitting a bit to the individual horses mouth, it has become clear that horse riders don’t understand the horse’s tongue. At all. The horse’s tongue is the key to everything. It can tell you what a horse is feeling and thinking, it can tell you how true a horse’s carriage is or can reveal tension that is limiting their performance.

The horse’s tongue is a huge bunch of muscle, like way bigger than you think. The last tooth is about level with the horse’s eye, and the tongue goes even further back than that. Just behind the bit, the tongue doubles in height to completely fill the mouth. The tongue connects, via a long line of interconnected muscles, all the way back to the hind legs. What happens with the horse’s tongue DIRECTLY affects the horse’s ability to use his hind legs.

Yet many many riders consider the tongue a nuisance and tie it away. Using drop nosebands, flashes, grackles, micklems, “anatomical” nosebands, cranks etc. Some use spoon bits (remember the tongue doubles in height behind the bit), while others actually tie the tongue down! You are missing a vital source of information that the horse is eager to give!

Why does a horse stick it’s tongue out? It is NOT bad manners and it is not a bit evasion, it’s a cry for help. When the tongue is in the mouth, it is short and fat. Any sharp points on the teeth can cause pain, and pressure from the bit is amplified. The horse’s immediate reaction is to stick their tongue out. This makes the tongue long and thin, reducing the pressure from the bit and any sharp teeth. If this is prevented using nosebands, even loose ones (if it’s below the level of the bit, it’s a problem, loose or not, consider leverage distance to the temparomandibular joint) then the horse will resort to pulling their tongue back by tensing it or even putting the tongue over the bit. A drop noseband will not stop this happening, you just can’t see it happening anymore.

When the tongue is pulled back, it causes tension all the way down the neck, along the back and into the hind legs. If the tongue is over the bit, the bit lies directly on the bars. The bars are knife-edge-sharp bone with a very thin layer of gum over the top. When the bit directly contacts the bars it is extremely painful and horses will react very strongly, sometimes rearing or ditching the rider. This is not naughty behaviour, it is pain. The horse is creating pain trying to avoid pain, they can’t win and they can’t vocalise this. No matter how hard they try.

Tension in the tongue isn’t only caused by poorly managed teeth and poorly fitted bits however. The outline a horse is worked in also affects the tongue’s tension. Tuck your chin up and in, feel how large your tongue feels. Hold it there for a while and the back of your tongue will begin to ache. Now open your mouth and stick your tongue out. Sure it’s not comfortable, but it’s a relief from that tension. This happens in the horse too, but on a much larger scale. Anything that makes the horse carry itself like this (over bent, nose behind the vertical) will cause tongue issues. Whether that be poor riding, back pain or subtle hind limb lameness. This reaction is not limited to a bit, an overbent horse in a bitless bridle will still have a restricted tongue as soon as the head moves behind the vertical. Looking at it the other way around, most have heard of bridle lameness, this is when the tension in the tongue actually causes a visible lameness.

There is a reason why having the tongue out is seen as a bad thing in dressage, and it’s not because it’s bad manners. It’s because it highlights tension or poor training. The lazy solution seems to be, tie the mouth shut. Personally I believe all nosebands below the bit should be banned for dressage and 2 fingers should comfortably be placed under the bridge of the nose of a cavesson. That would sort the wheat from the chaff.

To summarise, make sure your horse’s teeth have been checked by a qualified EDT or dental trained vet, make sure your bit fits the anatomy of your individual horse, ride with a loose noseband that does not sit below the bit, make sure your horse is working correctly over their top line, truly engaged and swinging over their backs. Then your horse will not feel the need to stick their tongues out.

As a side note, the tongue is a symptom and not a problem in itself. Do not allow anyone to mess with your horse’s tongue. The trend of releasing the Hyoid apparatus using the tongue is not only dangerous but a load of BS. Do not fall for it.

Always remember, dentistry is basic care NOT a luxury.

09/13/2020

Here's Metral wearing his bridle, surcingle with side reins and lunge cavesson.

08/21/2020

We are heart-broken at the passing of two of our horses in the last 3 weeks: Galiway our 30 yr. old appendix Q. H. and Baja, our 23 yr. old Lipizzan mare. Galiway succumbed to colic and Baja to extreme anemia which was related to melanoma. Baja came to us as a 4 mo. filly and Galiway was a kill pen rescue who lived with us for 25 years. Our brave, beloved darlings may you run free across the rolling hills of Summerland. Forever in our hearts.