Made in Virginia

According to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, people should buy food grown in their own backyard. The Richmond Times-Dispatch (September 24) reported that " Kaine made a push for state residents to spend $10 of their weekly grocery bills on Virginia-grown products, saying that would pump an additional $1.65 billion into the state's economy."

We couldn't agree more and we give the Governor a round of applause for recognizing this simple solution to several problems. This past week, we watched in disgust as the number of children affected by melamine contamination in milk reached 53,000. And unless you have been living under a rock (or possibly in the White House), you know that we are in for a mighty rough ride while Wall Street gets itself sorted out- most likely on our dime. Money is going to be tight, and this is on top of already history-making high prices for petroleum and food.

We've been trying to become more self-sufficient for some time, now. We produce our own eggs and dairy products, as well as some vegetables. We buy locally, whenever we can. We trade horse manure for vegetables grown by a local organic farmer. We also know what's in our food, though in the case of the eggs, we'd rather not dwell on that too much.

But you don't need to live on a farm to grow your own food, and whether you do or not, you may need less money to buy the food you can't grow. If everyone were to grow even one tomato plant, you'd save more each year than the $10 Governor Kaine is proposing we spend in Virginia. Of course, by next summer, one tomato will probably cost $10. But if you grow two tomato plants, you can trade some of your tomatoes for your neighbor's zucchinis. Then your neighbor can bring his zucchinis and tomatoes over to our place and trade us for cheese and horse poop, which he can then trade back to you for whatever else you decided to grow in the meantime. If you really don't want to grow anything and you are going to spend that $10 anyway, you can buy something from your local farmer's market or vegetable stand and at least know what you are eating.

Still thinking about buying another horse, despite the rotten economy? Contact your local horse rescue and adopt one. You'll not only save money that you can use to buy tomato plants with, you'll provide a good home for a horse that needs one, you'll open up space for another needy horse at the rescue, you'll generate poop for your tomato plants and you'll support your local feed supplier, who may not have time to grow tomatoes and could buy yours. In an effort to help Virginia's horses find homes, our friends over at Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary have developed a web resource site to help you find horses that are seeking homes. The site is located at: http://forums.delphiforums.com/VAhorsesneed. Some owners might even trade for tomatoes.

Below is a picture of our friend Heath, and Tillie, the horse we adopted to him. Heath is demonstrating an additional benefit of adopting a horse, which is having company while you rest after planting all those tomatoes. Seriously, we do not suggest that anyone do this, as horses startle easily and one could end up planting its feet on your head. But the picture tickled us and does show the nice chemistry between Heath and his friend, Tillie.














Photo of Governor Kaine: www.governor.virginia.gov

The Myth of the Old Horse

When I was a teenager, it was common knowledge that a 20-year-old horse was old. And we all knew what that meant. The horse would get progressively skinnier and no amount of food would fatten him up. He would cost a fortune to feed. It was only a matter of time before he died.

But things have changed a lot since then. We know a lot more about dental care; we have softer foods for horses that have started to lose their teeth and foods with a better nutritional balance for this group. We know how to keep them properly hydrated so they are less prone to impaction colic and we have better medications to ease the aches and pains of those old guys and gals with arthritis. We have medications that can help treat age-related conditions such as Cushing’s Disease.

The horse in the photo is Bear. Bear was a severely malnourished horse when we obtained him at the ripe age of 27. He had a body condition score of 1 (a weight and condition index that ranges from one to ten). He also had severe rain rot and a rough coat that indicated that he was loaded with parasites. Today, he is 38. Bear has very few teeth and thrives on a diet of soupy senior mix. We put a lot of water in his food because, if it is a mash consistency, he will choke on it. Bear receives regular dental work because, otherwise, the teeth that are opposite of those he is missing (and there are many) will not wear down and will become sharp and uncomfortable. But while all of this is important, none of it is difficult, expensive or time-consuming.

Some horses, like some people, just have good genes when it comes to aging gracefully. But nearly all horses need a little help from their friends to keep them comfortable. Bear loves people, especially children, and his girlfriend Lily. He has a good life and with a little help from us, should have a long one.

For more information about the care of senior horses, please visit our friends at Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary at: http://www.equineelders.org/