Spot-on Fly Repellant

I saw the new product, Farnam’s Equi-Spot, spot-on fly control, over the summer and thought about picking some up.  The reviews were mostly good, but I held off for no good reason.

Last week I was at a horse auction with some friends and during the tack sale they had a box of the Equi-spot so, for a few bucks, I picked up a box to try.

The box had three applications in it.  They look like giant Front Line  Flea and Tick applicators.  I applied it according to the directions with a dot under Simon’s forelock, one on his pole, then down his neck and along his top line.  Then a short line on the back of each leg.  easy.

the dust in the application area on day 2

The next day I noticed that there was a bit of dust near the application area, apparently a little stuck in the oil that had spread out some.  Nothing big, and it brushed right off.  But, there were no flies on him.  In fact he stayed pretty fly free all week.

dust on leg application area on day 2

Each application is recommended to work for a two week period.  Its been a full week today.  There were a few flies on his face but not many and they just seemed to stop by then take off pretty quickly.

It seems to have worn down noticeably, and could be reapplied at this one week mark.  The price tag on the box puts it at $12 for the three applications which is only about $4 for the week.  But I picked it up for $7 for the box, so just over $2 for the week.

I think it is fully worth the $2, and I will probably still pay the $4 for it next fly season if I can’t get it cheaper.

 

Ho Hum – 2012

Simon and I have not done anything special fun in about two weeks.  We have restricted ourselves to some leisurely hacks around his field and a little light games practicing.  I did pull his mane earlier this week, but it still needs a little more work.

I have called and emailed about a few ponies and there were a few that made the short list.  Wednesday I went and tried a pony out, but he was too tall for me to use for games.  So I passed.  I am going to try out another pony Saturday evening, and I am really excited about it, so toes crossed.

And I reserved Sunday for pony time (and house cleaning, yuck) so maybe we will get to have a little blog-able fun that day.  woo whoo!

A Mare’s New Shoes – 2012

I saw this today and it made me bust out loud in laughter.  But then, I do laugh pretty easily.

enjoy

Awesome For Sale Ad Photos – 2012

Pony shopping continues.  I currently have four ponies I am following up on.

I am hoping to go see one or two of them this weekend and maybe go to the small monthly Orange horse auction.  Which will be a total long shot but fun.

While looking at ads, I have noticed the lack of some sellers ability to provide helpful photos.  Not everyone is a photographer, and not everyone has an eye for what a buyer might be looking for specifically in a horse.  I get that, and have become accustomed to the bad angles and super closeups of rumps and heads and images with the legs cut off.

One of the oddities that gets me is when someone posts multiple photos all of the horse from the same side and angle.  They are virtually the same photo.  Very helpful.

But I am still annoyed by the tiny little thumb nail photos taken on older cell phones.  They get even smaller when you open them up.

The horse that is far off in the distance in a field, usually in a mixed herd is another of my favorites.  Or the ever so helpful horse with it’s head turned the other way.

Here are some of the bad shots I ran across yesterday in my search.

The horse on the left is the one for sale.

Certainly not the worst photo, but couldn’t they get one in focus?

The classic mixed herd photo. Super helpful.

I actually like this photo, but not for pony shopping.

 

very helpful angle

The ant on the horizon, awesome.

 

The 12.5hh Ad Anomaly – 2012

I am currently fully invested in a pony shopping endeavor.  I am looking for a pony that fits my very specific criteria.  The pony needs to be 13.1-13.3hh, with a solid build, a gelding, level headed ,etc.  And to make the search just that much more challenging, I am searching in the oh so exclusive $500 range.

Fun.

Not.

Luckily the market is in my favor being a bad economy and going into fall and hay feeding season.

Most people buy ponies for kids, and want them already finished and ready to safely pack their kid around.   But I prefer a pony that is green broke, and that has either ‘needs miles’ or the tag line ‘finish your own way’ in its ad.  This means the pony won’t come with issues that need to be retrained (hopefully) and I can finish its training to my own preferences.

So with all these advantages on my side, I am fully submerged in the adventures of pony shopping.

One of the ad quirks I see frequently when shopping in the next to free price range is the pony listed as 12.5hh.  Say what?

Does the seller think that a hand is 6 inches?  So does that mean the pony is really closer to 19hh? nah, not possible.  Did someone else tell the person that their pony is 12.5hh?  Was the seller told the pony was 12.3hh and they forgot and knew it was 12 something so they figure 12.5 sounds good?

errrrrrrrrr, thats the sound of my mental breaks screeching to a complete halt.

I am searching for a very specific size that only gives me a 3 inch range in height.  If the seller doesn’t see a problem with listing a pony for sale that is 12.5hh, then clearly, there is no way they are going to be able to properly measure a pony and accurately tell me if said pony fits into my 3 inch height range.

No pony is 12.5hh.

Image clipped from a craigslist ad