Tom Balding Bits and Spurs

If you've been in my tack room you might know that my favorite bits are Tom Baldings. Now, I don't have just a whole lot of them, but I think I have more of them than any other single maker. Except for maybe Duttons. But anyway, for finished horses they are my absolute #1 first choice. Here is a neat slide show that takes you on a tour of Tom Balding's Bits and Spurs. If you ever get to Sheridan, Wyoming stop in and see the real deal. I know I will!

Stacey

http://www.tombalding.com/tour.htm

Words from the Miller's

On August 15, 1987 Howard Schultz purchased a small chain of coffeehouses in Seattle, Washington. That was what it was--a small chain. Howard at the time said it was his biggest goal to open a store in Portland, Oregon. A few decades later there are 11,000 stores in 37 countries and every week there are approximately 35 million customers! You have probably guessed what Howard bought back in 1987--Starbucks--yes that is right. His biggest goal then was to open a shop in Portland and for the record Starbucks opens 5 new stores everyday, 365 days a year!! He almost passed up the opportunity because it was in his mind a little pricey, $4 million. He knew he had to seize the opportunity, if he let too much time slip by and not step out of his comfort zone the moment would pass. On June 26, 1992, less than 5 years after Howard stepped out of his comfort zone Starbuck's stock went public. It was the second most active stock traded on the NASDAQ and when the closing bell rang its market capitalization was at $273 million. Do you remember he only paid $4 million. Not a bad investment.

With all that said and the history of Howard and Starbucks the point is this: You don't have to have $4 million to buy a business. All you have to have is the heart to seize opportunities around you. The bible says this in Colossians 4:5, " Make the most of every opportunity". We are surrounded by God-ordained opportunities--opportunities to love, laugh, to give, to learn, and to serve. Seeing and seizing those opportunities is exactly what it means to follow Christ and be filled with the Spirit.

What we have to understand is that "Starbucks opportunities" don't come to us gift wrapped on a silver platter with a neon sign saying this is our opportunity! It often times comes at the most inopportune times and in the most inopportune places. What we as Christians have to ask God to help us see are the opportunities not the problem. The Chinese language captures this truth. The Chinese word for "crisis" is made of two characters--one means danger and the other means opportunity. Problems are really opportunities in disguise.

So, it is easy to read and say Colossians 4:5, "Make the most of every opportunity", but how do we do it. The answer is found in verse 2, "Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful". Those who live in prayer mode see further than others, before others see them and things that others don't see.

In closing, the biggest opportunity we can seize is to accept Jesus as our Savior. John 1:12 says "But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God." All you have to do is agree to a set of terms like the ones in Corinthians 5:21. "God made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." God says to us let me have all your wrong and give them to me. I will give you everything Jesus did right and give them to you and we will call it even. Very simply put we put our faith in who Christ is and what he has done for us.

So why wait--SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY!!

Oh yeah, another girl for the Miller household!! I think we are still in shock from the news but once she is here we won't know why we ever thought we needed a boy. Kelly on the other hand may disagree in about 10 years. I'm sure we will deal with lots of drama!!

Kenley just celebrated her 5th birthday this week. Can't believe she is that old already. She loves horses and all that goes along with them. She got to go and help Robyn do a photo shoot for Coolhorse by helping get the horses where they needed to be-with a little help of course!

Brylee loves cats of all ages. She got kinda attached to one during our photo shoot and named it Elena. Because we have 2 dogs we decided that taking home a kitten might not be a great idea, Grammy got to take it home with her.

Returning from HPJRA Finals

Well, the Harris family has just returned from a week in Clovis, New Mexico at the High Plains Junior Rodeo Assoc. finals. It was a great trip, considering several inches of mud and slop! The kids had fun and made some awesome runs inspite of the weather. Luckily the arena began to dry and the kids were able to step up the competition.

Matt and I have discussed the pros and cons of our kids competing in rodeo. We do spend almost every weekend during the summer on the road and it's difficult to be away from home and the store. We are so blessed with the wonderful people that work at Coolhorse. We couldn't do this without them. Even still, being gone so much isn't easy and we don't travel near as much as some of the families that we know. Many of these 'rodeo families' will be gone as much as five weeks this summer! That is unbelievable!

However, the flip side to this is that, we believe, something is being instilled in our children that they might not gain anywhere else. Yes, any rodeo parent knows that there are many frustrating times. The practice pen can get pretty intense and some rodeos don't turn out the way we had hoped. There are the times that Addi leaves the arena with tears in her eyes because her horse hit the end pole; the times that Jake is frustrated because he didn't draw a steer that bucks; the times that Pryce loses patience with his calf horse because he's not working the rope. But at the end of the day, the trials have taught them to find something to be happy about during a sad time, to turn a frustrating situation into something positive, to dig down deep and find patience even when they don't think there is any patience left.

Oh yeah, we're tired! But we're all together every weekend and I'd rather be tired together than rested apart!

Missy

Equine Dentistry

T. J. Barclay, DVM

Horses have teeth that are much different than those of most other domestic animals or humans. Horses’ teeth erupt, or grow, throughout their entire life, unlike our teeth which fully erupt when we are young and then stop growing. These teeth are ideally suited to the way a horse naturally eats – grazing plants almost constantly throughout the day. This constant grinding action would quickly wear down teeth like ours, but horses’ teeth grow to match the rate of wear.

However, problems can arise when we take our horses out of that natural setting and change the way they eat. We feed them a different diet, often partially made up of grain which is softer than roughage, and limit their time spent eating to just a few hours a day.

This causes the horse’s teeth to wear unevenly and develop sharp points which interfere with the grinding action of the teeth and can also cause ulcers on the cheeks and tongue. This, along with other dental abnormalities such as diseased or broken teeth, retained deciduous (baby) teeth, and gum disease can lead to several different symptoms in the horse. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), these include:

1. Loss of feed from mouth while eating, difficulty with chewing, or excessive salivation.
2. Loss of body condition.
3. Large or undigested feed particles (long stems or whole grain) in manure.
4. Head tilting or tossing, bit chewing, tongue lolling, fighting the bit, or resisting bridling.
5. Poor performance, such as lugging on the bridle, failing to turn or stop, even bucking.
6. Foul odor from mouth or nostrils, or traces of blood from the mouth.
7. Nasal discharge or swelling of the face, jaw or mouth tissues.
   

If you see any of these symptoms in your horse, you should have an oral exam performed by your veterinarian. He or she can then diagnose the problem and provide the appropriate treatment. Many of these problems can be prevented by routine dental examinations by your vet. Mature horses should be examined yearly. Horses from 2-5 years of age should be examined twice yearly, as many problems arise in these young horses. During this time period the horse sheds its 24 deciduous (baby) teeth and up to 44 permanent teeth erupt.

One of the most common dental procedures performed is occlusal equilibration, often referred to as “floating.” This is where the veterinarian uses a rasp or, more commonly these days, a motorized instrument to smooth the points that have developed on the cheek teeth. Other procedures that may be performed if needed are extraction of retained deciduous teeth, extraction of wolf teeth (small vestigial teeth that often times interfere with the bit), correction of malocclusions, and extraction of broken or abscessed teeth.

Most veterinarians who practice equine medicine provide dental services. If your vet does not, he or she can refer you to another vet who does. Also, the Texas Veterinary Medical Association has provided an online list of veterinarians who practice equine dentistry. This list can be viewed at www.tvma.org. For more information about equine dentistry and other health issues, visit the American Association of Equine Practitioners website at www.aaep.org.