Eat All The Things, OTTB Style

First off, S/O to everyone for the huge outpouring of support in my last post. 

Confronting fear in adulthood is embarrassing and difficult enough, without adding in a thousand pound animal that could also kill you. Love my blogging nerds for their virtual shoulders.

Secondly, I got a massive response on my FB to my most recent progress pic of Mr. RedBaby and his eating habits. Quite a few asked how I did it.

No but really

Ok, but really. It is really expensive and not for the faint of heart to try and fatten up an OTTB. Let alone a five year old. Notoriously difficult, renounced for their ability to eat everything in sight and not gain a pound, the thoroughbred, IMO, is one of the toughest keepers out there, in general.

Yankee was my guinea pig. He wasn't exactly skinny, but he wasn't in excellent condition either. I got him about 3 weeks off the track and he looked like a greyhound. OTTBs come right off the track with tight bellies and huge muscles. Transforming their bodies around into riding horses takes a massive amount of calories. Lets not even mention winter. I spent about 6 years finding the right mix of grain, hay and supps for Yanks and now he's fat as a fiddle.

Lets start with this picture of B, the day I brought him home.

NOMNOM EAT ALL THE THINGS

I want to say he was 8 months off the track here. Not emaciated by ANY means. Not 100% sure of his backstory, so I WON'T guess, and supply incorrect information. His old owner is by NO MEANS at fault!

That being said. I wanted another 100# at least on him. Ribs gone, hips filled in and hulk out those muscles. This would not be cheap or easy.

Since the diet Yankee was on kept him slick and fat, I decided to go with that for B as well. I'd played around for years with different nutritional information and finally found one that worked. Why mess with a good thing? The key to success is READ THE LABELS.

The boys get TWO types of grain NOT pre-mixed, hand mixed at every feeding. This ensures exact proportions everytime! The first grain is SafeChoice Perform by Nutrena & the other is Omelene 200 by Purina. Both available at TSC for about $17/bag.

Click the link for more info. At a glance though,
SCP has 14% protein, 9% fat, 15% fiber + array of other nutrients
Omelene 14% protein, 6% fat, 7.5% fiber + amplify fat nuggets

I chose this particular blend for the high fat, high protein in each. 9% fat is A MUST for my boys. Anything less, and they drop weight. I mix grain to balance out the nutrients in each, and cut back on the sweet feed component in Omelene.

Bacardi gets an entire scoop of each at each feeding. Twice a day. Thats 6 lbs @ AM/PM, for 12 lbs A DAY!

At first, I was also giving  him 2 lbs of beet pulp in the AM. but he got picky and quit eating it after 4 weeks. I also did not see much of a difference with it. So, I have an entire unopened bag just chillen in my barn if anyone wants it.

What REALLY made the difference was getting his skinny ass on Smartpaks. I know there are a lot of you out there skeptical of the benefits of feeding supplements. I swear by it though! I actually did a post a while back on what I give Yankee (also took years to perfect) if you're curious.

Bacardi gets Cool Calories 100 (2 sc in AM, 1 in PM), SmartDigest, SmartShine and SmartFlex II Support. CC100 provides essential fatty acids for skin and hair condition, calories for weight gain and exercise performance. Contains 5 times the fat of an equal amount of high fat, stabilized rice bran, which is bangin' when it comes to a fat supp. SD is designed to support healthy digestion by providing probiotics, prebiotics and digestive enzymes. The key to sups? SHOP AROUND. Use that handy "compare" button SmartPak gives you to find what exactly benefits you and your horse!

SmartDigest and CoolCals obviously related to digestion. Click links for more info!

Another BIG thing to remember is Roughage/forage! "They" say 2lbs of roughage per 100lbs of body weight is appropriate, PER DAY. So, a 1,100 horse would require approx. 22lbs/day through grass or hay. This is a guesstimate though and EVERY horse is different!

People tend to measure by FLAKES, but this is not as accurate as actually weighing the hay out as flake and bale size can differ greatly.

To be honest, I just gave Bacardi as much hay as he would eat, without bothering to weight it. I'm trying to get him to gain weight so I wanted him to stuff his face! (This is the most important key aspect in getting weight on an OTTB, besides providing clean water at all times.) Which attunes to half a bale a day PLUS 12 hours turnout on good quality pasture. With Yankee, he also required alfalfa hay in addition to the grass hay/pasture. (In winter, the boys will get 3lbs of alfalfa cubes/day.) This amounted to a shitload of hay and I've been through about 100 bales in 3 months....and @ $5/bale....

Along with allllll of that, Bacardi (and Yankee) get stalled half the day. In summer, its during daylight, with fans, because they are princess ponies who loathe bugs. In winter, it will be at night. If they had choices, they'd never go out. This is essential to weight gain as well! Horses outside will expend MORE calories by walking around, stomping, etc etc than those inside, sedentary.I TRIED having Yankee on full turnout and not only did he hate it, bu I basically was dumping money down his throat and nothing ever stuck to his ribs.

They also get free choice Himalayan salt licks, as well as access to fresh, clean water at ALL times. They drink so much, its insane. Once I start work, I will have to equip Bacardi with three buckets in his stall.

To sum up a very lengthy post, 12lbs of grain a day, unlmited good quality hay, 12 hours turnout, 12 hours stall, salt, water, and supplements!

Pictorial evidence that it works

Week 1 on far right, week 4 on bottom left, week 6 on top left

Week 8 on top, week 12 on bottom

And that my blogging friends, is how I get my OTTBs fat. Its not cheap and its not fun running to the feed store so frequently, but the evidence is in that last pic. Just look at him! (I wish he looked like his shiny self, but the lighting was AWFUL).

In just 12 weeks he's gained probs 10#, and his topline and loins have filled in nicely as well! HILLWORK people! Hillwork, trails and dressage!

Getting My Balls Back

Deciding what to blog about was really difficult. For once, I actually have blogposts for days and deciding on one was not easy. I had a ridiculously busy weekend, so before my high wears off from XC schooling, I shall share, and the other topics will have to wait for now.

The last time I went XC schooling was ages ago. Last spring I think. It was always an ass pain to school XC in Missouri because the opportunities were limited, cost a pretty penny and were far away. It also was the most important because I don't think Yankee and I ever got a clean XC at Training level. Main reason we have yet to move up to Prelim. He either spooks at spectators or we have time faults. Because we NEVER practice it! I was SO spoiled here in Ohio because Twin Towers Park is like 20 minutes from my house and is free to use. FREE.

Literally, one the only thing I missed most about Ohio, while living in MO. TTP almost makes up for the shittiness of Ohio in general.

So, to say I was ecstatic about going this past Sunday is a major understatement. SCHOOLING SUNDAY BITCHES OOO KILLEM.

 To be honest, I was scared out of my mind. I've spent the last 2 years denying I have a problem. And we all know the first step to fixing it is accepting it.

I spent my entire life completely, 100%, stupidly fearless. Spirit didn't help considering he jumped anything you pointed him at. Refusals? What are this. Safety? Is that a thing? #zerofucks

Falling off at sanctioned show on a horse who had never refused once, or ever had issues jumping, will fuck your brain up though. Permanently.

Didn't know my pic was being taken, but obviously deep in thought and worried

I always thought to be scared was weakness. Maybe it is. But I also savor life and really don't want to die  jumping. My older self now realizes that falling off CAN happen and it HURTS and you COULD die. Thus, my issues with jumping were born. Aimee had a very good post early this month on fear. It summed it up perfectly. You can't describe why to anyone. It just is.

Unfortunately my fear is easily transferable to a hot, emotional OTTB.

Not yesterday though.

Oh hai eq! I love you!

 Yankee was ON his game and unstoppable. Literally. He was slightly brain dead when it came to half halts, but he jumped every single thing I pointed him at the first time, without hesitation.

Baby Trek=still looks like massive death trap

We warmed up briefly over BN fences, and he was basically ripping my arms out in excitement and anticipation. I was just happy to be jumping again and feel all his positive energy towards jumping. But I was terrified.

And I was scared I was scared. I had NEVER been that nervous on a horse in my life. But all my thoughts about failure, fear of falling, and sliding into jumps came rushing back. I almost felt paralyzed and it freaked me out more than the thought of jumping a training level height fence.

I told myself to snap out of it and grow some balls. Yankee was more than game for anything and I had jumped every fence on the park hundreds of times without fear or getting hurt.

So I did the dumbest thing you could possibly do when petrified.

I pointed Yankee at a Prelim jump and closed my eyes.

BOING!

Didn't die.

In fact that's my favorite picture of the day. Yankee carried me, ignored my anxiety and looked FAF doing it. Seriously, what a guy.

I won't say I was "cured", my fear still lived in my belly all day. But Yankee was so game for everything that I was able to push it aside and ride my horse to each and every fence.  It was mildly liberating.

My happiest moment was our ability to stay relatively put together through a pretty big and complex coffin. Not only did it seem massive and SOLID, but it was on a bending line. Course designers, I swear.

"Shit, what am I doing and why?"

Trying to prep for that bending line

"Oh god, dying"

 Sort of what it looked like, haha. Those rail fences were very...upright....and that ditch was huge in my eyes. But we nailed it first time through.

Yankee. Such Majesty. Such awesome. Very horse.

I knew it was probably pretty stupid to be jumping things that scared me shitless, but my logic was that Yankee could attack anything I pointed him at and it was only giving me confidence. Right?

Really though, I lost my damn mind when I saw the biggest jump on the course and was like, "why not?" Yankee was aching to jump it (literally, everytime we got near it he would get all prancy and try and rush it like a linebacker) so I gulped down my nerves and pointed him at it.

Chanting my mantra, "eyes up, heels down, shoulders back", Yanks sailed over it without a second glance.

I almost peed a little. Why does he carry me over shit like this? #beastmode

 The feeling after not dying and effortlessly flying over possibly the biggest fence I've ever jumped with Yankee, is hard to explain.

I don't know if I'm just stupid, or deep down actually brave. But either way I feel like I gained a shred of confidence back. I was also proud of myself for keeping my shit together over fences. My eq didn't suffer greatly in my time off and I'm happy with that. Solid schooling day.

I doubt I would be able to do this in competition for a while yet, but just knowing my horse is game for it still is a massive reassurance.

I don't usually brag intentionally. In fact I try to avoid it because I find it egotistical. I share experiences, but I rarely say "Yeah, Yankee is basically the shit and I know it" but after yesterday I can't help it. HE IS AWESOME. Not only  does he have the ability to scale shit like that ramp, but he has the drive, heart, attitude and beauty that goes along with a champion. I loved Spirit, and cherished my time with that ponybeast, but I've never had a connection with an organic being like I do with Yankee. Its like our brains are connected. Where one of us is weak, the other makes up for it and carries the other through. We have each others backs, always and nothing can break that, or top it. I wish we had had more opportunity to exhibit his talent in sanctioned events, but just knowing I own one of the most badass horses I've ever come across is pretty cool. And I trained him. Me. It may have taken 8 years, but I can now hop on him ANYWHERE and he is cool as a cucumber. Flying changes. Lateral work. 5ft stadium fences. Combinations. Trails. Cross Country. Galloping. Flawless transitions. Willingness. Trust. Love.  Maybe he wasn't meant to win events, or show, but to be that horse of a lifetime for me. I hope each and every one of you have or get the chance to own a horse that makes such an impact in your life like Yankee does for me.

E@H Blog Hop: Wardrobe-Extra Ratchet Style

First off, thanks to everyone for Yankee well wishes! He's back to his old rambunctious self!

Extra rad Dino for Blog Hop

A little slow on the uptake but I was reading everyone's posts and was like I WANNA JOIN LEMME

So I did. Because I felt really left out on the last one, discussing all the extra neat topics with all the cool kids.

As any of you may be aware of by now, the blog hop question (BHQ for further reference) was:

I want to know about what you ride in and why? Show us your Equestrian Fashion choices and tell us why you wear them!

Well, my dear readers. There is a reason my twitter handle is Ratchet Eventing.

Completely, one hundred percent ghetto from day one.

I know I look well put together and really fashionable

But I have never been blessed with a swagtastic riding wardrobe (I have the short rubber "show" boots as a child. Extra classy) and most of my clothes come from discount stores like, Wal-mart and Plato's closet, or are hand-me-downs. The very few "nice" items I own were most likely snagged off eBay or were also hand-me-downs.

For example, my XC vest WAS a Tipperary- as a christmas present. My show boots WERE a super expensive (like $400) amazing birthday present. I use past tense because neither are here with us today. My vest was trusty, and lasted 10 years before it was...."lost". My boots were eaten by rats after 8 years of dutiful service... THOSEFUCKERS. Its okay though, they were held together by duct tape and on occasion, black vet wrap. My name brand breeches were bought with gift cards from christmas, years ago. They are still hanging on somehow, but with numerous holes in varies places. Do you see a trend? I keep everything. Until they die.

Without further ado though, I present,

Monica's Guide to Style: Pretending to Be Classy On Little-To-Zero Budget

From the top down;

My Charles Own Pro II I got off eBay in 2011 for a SERIOUS discount. You will note the very stylish headband keeping my helmet cover in place, because apparently part of the discount included hardly any grippy action on the skull cap. I've also fallen off 4 times with this helmet and probably need to replace at some point. I also sweat like a faucet and I'm pretty sure it reeks. BUT, my favorite helmet ever purchased BY FAR on accounts of comfort, function, and looks. #eventerfashion

Apologies for the seriously blurry pic of some of my super expensive riding shirts. 5 whole dollars at Wal-mart! But whatever, they are comfortable, light in the summer and fun colors! Downside, they get ruined quickly with my mega sweaty body. I'm gross.
I also ride in tanks acquired from Plato's Closet, ranging from $3-$5. Really good at preventing that farmers tan look by tanning shoulders and chest adequately.
I also consistently ride in baggy T shirts, cutoffs, or no shirt at all. I have not updated upper body wear in probably minimum 3 years and most t shirts are probably from middle school.

My gloves are one of the only "name brand" things I own, and even then the ones on the left I believe were $10 on eBay? The Heritage on the right were hand-me-downs. Other peoples sweat gets me going. But seriously, I LOVE the ones on the left. Whatever brand they are.

I didn't even know belts were a big deal until I read other posts and absolutely swooned over Mango Bay belts. I  NEED. Up until janking the above belt from boy, I had none. I might've worn a fabric belt that came with a pair of jeans you buy at kohl's in like 7th grade, but really I don't own many breeches with beltloops so I don't remember. I do adore this belt though for whenever I might actually wear actual riding pants WITH loops. Its very well made and looks like an equestrian belt, even though its for golfing #frattastic

So yeah, riding pants. Most of mine have been collected through eBay (don't fit very well/uncomfortable) or given to me by friends. They live here

...in the drawer of forgotten pants.

I ACTUALLY ride in leggings from Old Navy/Walmart the majority of the time. And by the majority, I mean literally almost every ride. Sometimes I don't even wear pants. Sometimes I wear sweatpants. It really depends on my mood and the weather.

Blue heeler is helping.

I don't really remember WHEN I got these, but I know they were cheap. THATS how old they are. Also, full of holes for aesthetic value. I just tell myself its really helping my position because there is zero grip. In fact, they are really slippery. It can be fun!

I have 2 pairs of breeches I sometimes utilize when I take pictures, clinic's or really, ride in the presence of other people.

I am very fond of Kerrits schooling tights and breeches. They fit my curvaceous lower body without extra material, are very lightweight, and contain all the "jiggle" without pinching. I also like the pull-ons because no fly. Very adverse to fly's because bunching. You might note the visible holes in the knees of both pairs of pants. I believe they are about 5 years old and were absolutely bought with gift cards.Though, I definitely drool over Fits breeches #WANTNEED

Ok, even if I were rich I would NEVER buy socks from an equestrian place. Can you say over-priced. They live on your feet and absorb sweat. That is their job. If the sock trolls don't steal them first, they will eventually be thrown away. Guess where I get mine? Yeah. Walmart. BUT FUN COLORS.

Both my boots and half chaps are Ariats. My boots are the ONLY thing I paid full price for. I bought them in Missouri in 2009 and I believe I paid close to $250 for them. I obviously didn't take care of them, and they have yet to start disintegrating. Love Ariats. My ONLY pair before these were also Ariats and lasted me 9 years. My half chaps were hand-me-downs from Jackie over at The Wondermare. I ADORE them and have worn the absolute fuck out of them. I have yet to retire them though. My favorite thing is that my boots are brown and my halfchaps are black. Coordinating is not my strong suit.

In winter I build upon summer with nasty old zip sweaters, high school/college hoodies and Plato's Closet vests. I have a Carhartt I wear outside that was a Christmas present. Half the time I wear the boots you see pictured below and sweats. God, I am a mess.

Best outfit to date

Old Navy tights

Oh hey look, Old Navy tights

Those Old Navy tights are everywhere

Ridiculous

Classic baggy T and wal-mart leggings

So yeah, that's me and my wardrobe.  I realize my stunning good looks and overall polished appearance would floor even George Morris and for a mere, oh $30 on average  YOU TOO can dress like me!

All aboard the hot-mess express!

Just A Spot Of Colic

The real question here is, which is it "colicing" or "colicking"? I go with the latter when furiously texting all my people that Yankee is surely going to die from colic. Vets? Beuller?

If you're not friends with me on FB or follow me on insta (ottb_eventing) you might be unaware that my angelface had a brief tiff with colic on Monday night.

You know how when you're a parent (be it of a dogchild, horsebeast, or actual human spawn) you just KNOW when something is wrong, like, the second it happens. I had been sitting in my room (not in the barn) on the computer doing stuff for work and I just got this FEELING, like, "I should go check on the horses" even though it wasn't close to dinner time. I didn't. I brushed it off.

Wrong move.

 When I went to feed, Yanks didn't move when I rustled the feed buckets, his ears flopped and he just stood there like "Hai, I'm dying". OK. Yeah..

 

 

 

Me. On the phone with vet.

NO hesitation. I called the vet immediately. He wasn't outright colicking with telltale signs (sweating, kicking, rolling, etc) but I KNEW this wasn't my horse. He was not feeling good at all and I wanted to vet to come out. Luckily he was close, so I just paced around and cleaned, and rolled polos and did the stalls and watched the chickens and ducks wondering WHERE THE ACTUAL FUCK IS MY VET MY HORSE IS DYING FOR SURE, when really it had only been 20 minutes.

In real life I waited less than an hour but it felt like an eternity. The whole time Yankee just stood in his doorway with his head down and ears flopping, not moving an inch. It was unbearable. Of COURSE my mind was racing.

Me. Everyday. With all the things.

Vet was very reassuring, telling me I did the right thing calling him out. Yankee was mildly colicking, vet jargon, rabble rabble, caught it early, would get worse before it got better, need to stay up all night, walk every hour, monitor etc etc. Good??

If any of you have ever had a horse colic on you, its HELL. Hard to describe. It could really go either way. They could be fine, or not, and the waiting is the worst.

This still almost makes me cry,

 I've had 3 of my own horses colic, and one I was watching for a friend and let me tell you, I do not wish that on anyone. My mom made Yankee colic horribly in 2009 by feeding him a scoop of DRY beet pulp while I was out of state. He almost died and she didn't tell me until a month later. THANKS MOM.

I spent all night at the barn. Reading my ipad inbetween coddling Yankee, brushing him, freaking out he wouldn't get better and slowly dying from anxiety and lack of sleep. He finally pooped at 4 am and I have never been more happy to see shit in my life. HORSE PEOPLE ARE FREAKS.

Gradually he improved, but there for a while, I really had no idea.

I now have FULL respect for real human moms because I got zero sleep and was still expected to function the next day. nope. Literally impossible. I felt like I was colicking. I still feel like hell two days later, just from staying up one night, worrying.

YANKEE YOU ARE MY PROBLEM CHILD, but I am glad you are here still.

Hug your horses. Seriously. Right meow.

I Wanna Go Fast

Shout out to Ron Burgundy.

Riding has really picked up lately thanks to the addition of a newly found friend and her closeness to me and equal obsession with eventing and jumping and going fast and stuff.

Jumped the boys last week, scheduled to jump Yankee tomorrow with G, and then XC school Sunday with a workout or two in between.

TOO BAD SHOW SEASON IS BASICALLY WINDING DOWN BUT WHATEVER. I also start working in 3 weeks so BAI to my mostly "tress free", relaxing days. Soon I will be properly dressed like a real human, commuting to my respectable desk job and hopefully cramming in riding, working out and boyfriend time somewhere in there. No sleeps most likely. So trying to make it to a local show even, is really out of the question for the rest of the year I think.

WHATEVER I'LL BE FINE.

I take solace in the fact that my boys are sound and CAN be ridden, so, positive thoughts there.

G & I had a hankering to gallop, so we took the boys to the sunflower field and let em rip.

It was exhilarating. And wonderful. And frightening. And all the adjectives.

Yankee always surprises me with his mind blowing speed and stride. That horse is like a tiny powerhouse. Bacardi truly impressed me as well. Not only can the horse FLY, but he listens exceptionally well for a horse relatively fresh off the track. He even gave me a cute little flying change.

ADORABLE

He's like a fucking freight train. Those massive shoulders are SO powerful and he can really MOVE. Yankee always feels like a little piston, churning up the ground with his quick strides, while Bacardi feels like a runaway train with absolutely huge strides. Both truly powerful gallops in their own way.

Thats both of them pretty fully opened up. I love the stretch Yankee gets. He's always so low to the ground and quick. Then there's the big goon called Bacardi who keeps up with sheer stride length and size. I wish you guys could ride them both and feel what I'm talking about!

Its pretty cool to gallop alongside Yankee, because B will just be meandering (aka galloping "slowly") and as soon as he hears/sees Yankee on his flank, there is no way he's losing. He switches into a gear I've never felt with Yankee and its almost scary because he felt slightly out of control. He's just so BIG!

 I wish I had better video of Yankee, but B completely lost his fucking mind when Yankee blew by him and he basically exploded upwards. I could imagine him just thinking

"oh god, oh GOD, HES COMING CLOSER. Let me...lemme go, lemme lemme LEMME, LET ME RUN WOMAN!!! ARRRGGGHH HES ESCAPING- WHY WONT YOU LET ME.. AHHHHFGFGFGHHH..." *brain explodes* *rears*

Yankee also managed to flip BOTH bell boots off and a shoe. Which makes 6 lost shoes in various ways over the last 3 months. I might point out the farrier had JUST been out 2 days prior to nail back on a HIND shoe he twisted off. I can't even.

So that was fun.

Then on Sunday Funday my wonderful boy SUGGESTED that we go for a ride. He was so keen to try and ride, and confident that he could handle Yankee. I was skeptical because while Yankee is a great horse, he is still an OTTB and pretty hot, especially out in the open. And boy had never ridden...like ever. I wanted him on Lazy Lilly, but he was persistent. Had to ride the ferrari.

I had underestimated the size of his head so unfortunately the FOUR helmets we own did not fit him. He also forgot his boots at  home. (yes, he owns cowboy boots. He's from TN. Apparently they all have boots there?) Naturally I started off slightly worried, knowing how Yankee could be.  And the greenness of boy. But boy signed his own death warrant, knowingly, so off we went. Mom came with on Lilly lady. 

Precious. Yankee is like WUT are these things on meh

Poor Yankee. He tolerated the extra 100# that was a western saddle and a weightlifter who is thicksolidtight on his back. And poor boy. He was taken aback by the power of a horse and spent the first 20 minutes gripping with his knees for dear life when he couldn't get Yankee to turn or go anywhere and Yankee getting increasingly more and more anxious.

I was pretty sure they were going to both have brain explosions and die. Luckily I had thought ahead and rigged Yankee with a halter and lead, and just ponied them for a bit until boy relaxed and then realized that yes indeed  horses can feel EVERYTHING, including emotions and if you relax, they will too. He then figured out what I had been saying on how to steer and slow him down and for the next 7 miles rode like a greenie pro!

So proud of everyone. Shout out to Bacardi for ponying a slightly insane Yankee, and for boy for staying with it, and for Yankee for tolerating all the new things and eventually rocking out on the trail with my boy. And for mom. Who led the way the whole time on the less insane Lilly Belle.