Thursday, February 11, 2010

There is Something Amiss with Le Menu

Since last Saturday there has been something really wonky with my food. All the good stuff has gone away. Brita says the test results came back and my horse juice was way too sweet, so I am on an emergency diet. Face-Off is too. His is way worse than mine. Apparently, this is the same thing that ultimately did ole Hairy in so everyone is in a panic, and they have made some pretty rash decisions about my diet.


Firstly, no more carrots. OMG! WHY?!? Brita has been on an exhaustive search for sugar free horse treats, and she found some here at Withers and Withers. Thank Heaven! Those are on the way, and in the mean time, Brita has made some homemade cookies that aren't too bad. But they don't crunch, and I'm really in the mood for something crunchy. The can it comes in is so pretty! The horse looks just like me!




Secondly, my Uncle Jimmy Ball is used up and it will not be renewed. Not to worry, Brita says, she as corresponded with Uncle Jimmy himself and she assures me that he has a treat ball in the approval phase that will fit in my diet. I just have to be patient.


Thirdly, Mom has created what looks like a seaweed factory. She is soaking all our hay. This washes out all the taste. Bleh! I don't mind eating wet hay so much. In fact, now that she is wetting it for me, I don't have to dunk every bite, and now I have a sparkling clean water bucket instead of frothy, frozen hay tea. That part isn't so bad. I think it is more of a trauma for Mom than it is for me. I would like some sweet dry hay now and then though. We do have some hay that doesn't have to be served soggy. We can have little bits of that. Boy is that a treat! It's hay I would have turned my nose up at in the past but suddenly it tastes so much better!




Fourthly, Mom used to feed me sweet feed. Brita says she didn't know this was happening and has put a complete stop to it. That made me mad. It wasn't much grain, but it was really important to me! Mom gives me more hot beets, but it isn't the same. Yes I love my beets, but I've eaten beets until they're coming out my ears, and I want some grain! The Sunflower seeds she sprinkles on the top are yummy but they aren't enough. You know how it is.


And lastly, I'm back to work. That isn't really out of the ordinary. We were planning to get back to work because spring should be just around the corner, and we want to be ready for it. But getting dressed for work is kind of a hassle in the cold, and with shedding season starting up, we really need to spend more time scratching than usual. And it's so boring going in little circles. I miss galloping through our fields and perusing the roadsides. That's what is fun about riding. Not this circle stuff. My girth is a bit tight. Apparently I've put on about 100 pounds since last spring. I'm not really fat, you can still feel my ribs... sort of...but I should probably lose a few pounds until this gully on my topside goes away.


Brita says all this dieting is good for her too. She says every time she gets a snack she thinks about me and feels guilty. So far, she's lost 2 pounds. I think that's only fair since I end up having to cart her extra weight around too. So I guess all this food study is going to benefit us both.

7 comments:

Bif said...

Oh, golly, that all sounds AWFUL, Grey! I mean, it's good she's worried about your health, but a horse needs his food!!

Mother has made comments about me and my easy propensity for keeping a rotund figure on little feed, but she says I'll probably have "other issues" before IR or anything really becomes an issue.. but you're young, too?!

What's up?

I don't want Mother to cut back on my cookies!!

SmartAlex said...

Thanks for your concern Bif. We're hoping some simple changes will bring this in check. Last year my Insulin was 41. Target range is 10-40. This year it was 105. Face-Off's went from 118 to 157!

This was the first year we bought hay instead of making our own. Previously we just had normal timothy and orchard grass. This hay is much more rich, and Ohhh it was soooo good! I ate A LOT of it.

Also, this is the first year I've ever taken a vacation, so I've put on a few unnecessary pounds.

SmartAlex said...

For Bif and anyone else interested in IR, I finally found a website worth passing on. This is the most readable and comprehensive info I've found to date.

http://equinemedsurg.com/Heiro%20article.html#2

Pony Girl said...

Great post, your writing always cracks me up, WP! Give your new diet a chance and I bet you'll feel much better soon w/out all that sugar! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh William, I feel for you... Ok. I lied. Not so much. I'm a cold and heartless ice queen when it comes to foodies, just ask Elvis! Sure, I've slipped up a bit here and there, but I figure starvation always makes health food taste delicious. I'm on your mom's side on this one!


:D

Brooke (FBX Adventures - In Parenting) said...

Grey, Pleas do not show my mom this link. I loves my foods. Denali

Denali's mom in- What made you get his insulin checked?

www.wildponybeast.blogspot.com

SmartAlex said...

Insulin Resistance is very common in Saddlebreds, so it's always a good idea to check the levels on an easy keeper.