I'm not telling you dates, because to cement my plans on this blog also seems to curse them into non-existence, but there are things on the horizon for the giant #SpottedDick.

Because of those things, I'm looking at registrations that I've never previously had to consider, because I've never been this fucking legit.

• USDF Annual Membership ($90)
• USEF Annual Membership ($80)
• USDF Horse ID ($35-115)

This post wouldn't be complete without the big guy looking legit AF. Many thanks to Britt for photographing during her visit! (yeah, i'll blog about it)

A month ago, I attended another informative session from my amazing vet.  You can read about my first session here: Munchausen By Proxy.

Once a year, my vet sets up these informative and informal meetings, with the sole purpose of educating his clients.  It's open to non-clients, but I don't think they'd remain non for long.  He doesn't charge anything, he doesn't ask for anything back, and there's no pressure.

This year, he tried to organize each meeting with a topic, so you could attend the barn hosting your chosen topic (and theoretically network within our tiny equestrian community) or attend all the meetings and learn something new each time.


Because of my trip to Houston/Austin in January, I missed the meeting that was hosted at my barn.  I would have gladly offered Grandpa up as a guinea pig.  So I went to the meeting on the 2nd at my friend's barn and learned about dental care.


Here's some notes and a video I took after working my way through the best bottle of red wine I've ever had:

• Eruption cyst - the non-painful, non-hot, non-infected bumps that 3-4 year olds get as their grown-up teeth come in.  No treatment really necessary.
• External symptoms of crappy teeth (please note:  dropping feed isn't one of them!):
• slow chewing
• excessive salivation
• stinky mouth
• making tobacco wads out of grass and hay
• turning 90 degrees while chewing
• Vet also notes that dropping concentrated feeds is normal
• The "bit seat" (I knew nothing about):
• Aggressively go after the leading edge of the premolar to sit the bit
• Is not a procedure that anyone who knows anything would do
• "Equine Dentists" - I specifically asked about this
• Not a legal practice in my area
• No certifying body - I could buy the supplies and become one tomorrow.
• Material of Bit (asked about this, too, since leather):
• material doesn't matter in regards to dental health
• low palate isn't as common as everyone seems to think

The other day, last week, some point this month: I didn't have a book to read during lunch. As should be no surprise, I am a voracious reader and leave lunchtime socialization to those better equipped. So, yeah, no book is a big deal.

• If treatment isn't working, then you have the wrong diagnosis.
• Diagnostic analgesia (blocking): lesions are clinically significant if they correspond with blocking.  (Which, I think also can be taken the other way:  if there's a lesion but lameness doesn't improve with blocking of that lesion, then it isn't clinically significant.)
• Imaging modalities: 
• radiographs (x-rays):  due to cost/size/ability to transport, this is still the first line.  
• Always take all four directions, because it's easy to miss stuff.  In fact, you still might be in the wrong area or performing the wrong test (which leads back to performing correct diagnostic analgesia).
• There has to be a 30-50% increase in bone mineral before the human eye can detect it.  So, you know, shit has to be pretty fucked up.
• ultrasound:  high user dependency, which means that if the person performing the u/s isn't the best at his or her job, you may miss stuff or misread stuff.  
• nuclear scintigraphy: (I'd never heard of this one until I googled it later and found out that this is the fancy name for a bone scan)  sensitive, but not specific.  Difficult for soft tissue, but good for the sacro-illiac joint.  Rood and Riddle has some pretty good information and photos on it.
• computed tomography:  AKA, "Cat Scan".  She didn't even touch on this one because she said that it just doesn't happen.
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI):  this was Dr. Holmes' favorite.  She said that in the past, there was an issue with horses waking up from general anesthesia, but that it is now very safe.  She talked a little bit about the two types of MRI magnets and what they were for and showed a few photos, but essentially:  it's safe and they're going to shove as much of the horse into the machine as they safely can.

Here's a photo of an MRI.  Of course, it isn't a UGA photo because they haven't shared the presentations.  (I've requested!)

L introduced me to Coursera a really long time ago.

And I signed up for a course.  ...And never did it.

But here's another one!

The Horse Course

It starts today, so I'm not sure when the registration closes.  Six weeks, free, through the University of Florida, and you can receive a "verified certificate" (for $50).