Internet Games

My kid introduced me to a internet game for horse lovers. It is originally made in France and has been formated to fit the American screen. The address is www.howrse.com and it is FREE to play. There is a cost involved that is purely optional and in no way is required for fun on the game.

The objective of Howrse is to become the best breeder of horses in general, and your favorite breed specifically. You start with a foal and raise and train it to compete in English riding events. The competitions include trotting and galloping races, cross-country events, and show jumping competitions. You can also breed, buy and sell the virtual horses in this community and run an Equestrian Center (EC).

There has been some discussion about adding Western competitions to the game, but I don't know if that is in the plans or not. There are competitions for virtual prizes for the players, and forums for discussions of various kinds. These forums are HIGHLY moderated and if there is unseemly language or discussions, they are removed. The moderators and administrators of the game work very hard to keep the game PG rated. As always, parents should monitor their "kids" on any internet site to ensure their safety. Any repeat offenders are locked out of the game completely.

This also has a small amount of educational activity mostly about the horses. However, it does encourage reading and writing, money management, and responsibility towards animals.

If you want to try it out, use me as your sponsor. My username is d2cmom. Also, you can see my horses and EC.

Hoof Care

Ok. So I have been having problems with Thrush on my horses. I had been using a store bought thrush medicine that is green, thin, stinks and expensive. I would try to use a little each time but the liquid was so thin I always wasted some. At $10+ a bottle, I was getting kind of aggravated that I would waste so much and the horses still had thrush. The real owner of Scarlet (She's really just on loan) suggested that I mix water and plain bleach. She said this wasn't dangerous for the horses since they don't lick their hooves. So I got a small cosmetic spray bottle and mixed half bleach and half water together. I have used it to help clean the hooves. First, I scrape and brush the packed dirt and stuff out of the hoof. Then, I spray the hoof with the bleach and brush again. I may spray again and brush again if needed. Last I hold the hoof for a couple of seconds to allow the hoof to dry a little.

This has been a wonder! Their hooves all look (and smell) a lot better. THANKS, GIRL-FRIEND!!

HORSE FOR SALE

We have reluctantly decided that Tonto is WAY too much horse for us amateurs. We are asking $800 for him. He is an upper level intermediate or experienced rider horse. He has learned to back and lunge since we got him, but he has a teenager attitude. I don't think we are good for each other. If you know anyone who needs an Appaloosa, feel free to respond.

Official and Professional and everything

Yesterday, the kid and I went to our first professional riding lesson. We had to be there at 7:00pm and there was so much we needed to learn and discuss. We didn't leave until 10:00. First, I learned the proper way to hold a hoof-pick so that it's comfortable to go from the back of the hoof to the toe. Then I discovered that Scarlet will neck reign very well. She will trot, but not over pipe obstacles. I found out that you have to do "The Twist" when trotting for more comfort for the horse and myself. In other words, keep the shoulders still while twisting your tail. Of course, I can't quite get it, yet. But I'm practicing.

The stables where we are taking our lessons have several beautiful Arabians. Their website is: http://rlarabians.com/index.html. She offers Western and basic English lessons, as well as bareback.

I think we're going to have fun.

The animals.

Scarlet - Our first horse. Really, she's on loan from a good friend so we can learn how to ride horses. Scarlet is a 30 yr old red and white Quarter horse/Paint mix. She's the boss mare if I'm not there. Her baby is June.

Tonto- Our 10 year old gelding and the first horse we have bought. He's for sale especially if I can't get him where I (the new horse person) can ride him. He's a beautiful Red Roan Appaloosa.


June - Scarlet's goat. June was born on our ranch and we kicked her family off. (They belonged to someone else and we needed the land for the horses.) Scarlet has adopted June and June follows Scarlet on all our trail rides.


Tama - 4 year old purebred rottweiler and rotten to the core. She's my husband's dog and we've had her since she was 5 weeks old.


Samson - My big boy labweiler or rottendor retriever. He appears to be a cross between a black lab and rottweiler. He's pretty big, but he's my lap dog. He's 4 yrs old and was a Mother's Day present in 2007.

Cloud - reasonably ok cat used for mousing purposes. Of all the animals, I am NOT a cat person. The kid thinks he (the cat) needs to come inside when it's cold outside. I think his coat's thick enough that he could stay outside in the extremely cold 30 degrees we get in Texas. Especially since it lives in the garage.

Pictures will be posted soon. Keep watching.

My first post!!

Hi, My name is Carol and my husband and I own D²C Ranch, a small ranch in the heart of Texas. We started D²C Ranch about a year ago with a small patch of land and some borrowed cows. Since then we have acquired a goat and two horses. Our goal is to eventually have our own working horse and cattle ranch. I am absolutely in love with horses. My husband calls it a contagious disease. He says I have infected our kid.

I got the idea for a blog from a nice family in Tennessee at www.ourfirsthorse.com. Check them out for more horse experiences. Also, check back for more of our story, issues, and experiences we have as we go though the effort to "Treat" my disease.