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Wayne Lomman
07-31-2016, 8:22 PM
August 1st and our last remaining Appaloosa mare Delgenny Osiris (no, we didn't name her. If we had she would have been Isis...) turns 29 today. She still looks good but winter has been a bit tough with so much wet weather. Our previous best for a brood mare was 23. Advances on 29? Cheers

Ken Fitzgerald
07-31-2016, 8:34 PM
Wayne,

The appaloosa horses are native to this area where we live. They were first discovered being raised by Nez Perce Indians on the Palouse prairie. The mountain men and fur traders that first came into the area often traded for them. When asked by others what breed of horse they were, the mountain men/ fur trappers would say "That's a Palouse." Eventually that morphed into "appaloosa". The Appaloosa Museum and Heritage Center is located in Moscow, Idaho about 30 miles north of Lewiston, where I live. Moscow is also the international headquarters of the Appaloosa Horse Club and registry.

29 is old for a horse. Someone has taken good care of her.

Mel Fulks
07-31-2016, 9:10 PM
twenty nine....she gives her harness bells a shake ,to ask if there is some mistake. But makes no complaint about her name. Happy birthday,all is well.

Wayne Lomman
07-31-2016, 9:38 PM
Ken, the Appaloosa centre would be great to visit. We have had them for about 25 years. My daughter used to ride competitively. They have all been Western style trained by my wife. Mel, there is no mistake about her age. She is legibly branded and registered. She is still the boss of the paddock too. Cheers

Ken Fitzgerald
07-31-2016, 10:36 PM
Wayne, should you come to this area for a visit, I have a spare bedroom, plates and I could act as a guide/driver. Within a day's drive of here, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Monument Valley and more.

Mike Chance in Iowa
07-31-2016, 11:00 PM
Our last Quarter Horse was almost 30 when we had to put her down last year. She still moved very fast for her age. We had been battling some hoof issues brought on by a "new to us" farrier that damaged her hooves quite bad. (Previous farrier retired.) Several emergency vet visits later and over a year of recovery involving daily soaks and wrapping them with newborn diapers & duct tape, and the help of a good farrier, she had a full recovery. The last time she had her teeth floated, she woke up quite quick - which our vet said was a good sign for her age. For her last year, she wasn't processing her food very well no matter what we tried and she was losing some weight and so much wet weather triggered rain rot. Bleach baths and apple cider vinegar baths solved the rain rot, but nothing put the weight back on. She probably could have lived another year, but we had to move from the rental we were in and the place we ended up buying wasn't suitable for a horse when we moved in. She had become incredibly bonded with our full-sized goats and panicked if she was separated from them even 1 stall away. Stabling her elsewhere and dealing with her added special needs wasn't an ideal option for her or us during the rush move. It was more humane to let her go and not put her through all the added stress.

When we brought her to our farm, she had already had several foals and we were told she had become swayback during her last pregnancy. We can't count the number of times we dealt with people driving by and stopping to get out to tell us that we were abusing "that poor swayback horse" and they were going to report us. We had to look at it with humor and tell them they were looking at an "old lady" and invite them to take a closer look and see she was well-groomed, well-fed, well-cared for and is content being a lawn mower.

The local farm management/animal control gal knew us well because we had "the swayback with the goats." Her Appy was 2 years older at the time, making her 31. When we commiserated over owning "cranky old ladies" and compared them, her old gal had lost most of her teeth while our old gal would be able to have her remaining teeth floated at least 1 more time (had she lived). Her old gal was quite stiff with arthritis while our old gal was only stiff when lifting her legs to have her hooves cleaned. We both joked that we kept telling our old gals to "Go to the Light" but they weren't ready. She new of someone else in the County that had a 35 year old horse.

Best wishes on your remaining time with your old gal.

Wayne Lomman
07-31-2016, 11:40 PM
Mike, Iris shares our farm with goats but only grudgingly! She has a younger nondescript pony mare as a companion. Ken, thanks for the invitation but unless there is a money tree somewhere I am unlikely to be able to turn up. One thing I forgot to ask, is August 1st the traditional annual birthday of all horses as it is here in Australia? Cheers

Jim Becker
08-01-2016, 9:47 AM
Happy Birthday to your ponies from mine!

Horses can live well into their thirties and sometimes early forties if "all the stars align". At the previous barn we boarded at, the longest lived was 41 and several went to mid-30s.