Category Archives: Dalton

Bird Catcher Spots.






I had never heard of Birdcatcher spots.  Have you?

But I had noticed these tiny white spots that appear and disappear on Dalton’s coat.  I thought they were just injuries that would heal over the winter… but it didn’t make sense because he had a lot of them…  there were never any obvious injuries … no scars … and the spots would reappear in different places!  I’m glad to finally have an answer.  Birdcatcher spots!

Here is the video that enlightened me on birdcatcher spots from Tim Anderson.

Click image to go to video

WHAT ARE BIRDCATCHER SPOTS?

The video above explains it well, and then I googled it.  Mr. Google said:

Birdcatcher spots are unique markings found on some horses. Birdcatcher spots are small, white markings that are found on some horses. These spots are believed to be a result of a genetic mutation, and they are most commonly found on horses with dark coat colors.

And then I found this article from Equus.

Click image to go to article.

DALTON’S SPOTS!

I’m glad to finally understand about these spots.

These are all bad photos and I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize how out of focus they were until too late.  But, you will get the idea.

These two spots on Dalton’s hip

These two spots are on his right shoulder

This is on his left side barrel.

AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I DID KNOW ABOUT BIRDCATCHER SPOTS (EYEROLL)

OK, so now I feel old and ridiculous… not only have I written about birdcatcher spots, I’ve reposted the original post about birdcatcher spots … so I’ve written about them twice before!  Granted… the article was about many unusual markings… but I still had heard of birdcatcher spots.

Do you know how I realized that I had written about birdcatcher spots previously?  Because Mr. Google returned my own article (double eyeroll).

Sheesh.

Here is that article of mine from 2010 and again in 2021.

click image to go to story

 

 




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What Nancy said to get Dalton into the trailer?






What did Nancy say to get Dalton into the trailer?  I’m not actually sure… She worked with him offline, telling him it would all be OK.

In case you missed the post where animal communicator Nancy Mello answered my one question, it is linked here.

My question was: Dalton, we need to trailer for fun activities… what can I do to help you get into the trailer?

Dalton.

Here is the transcript of Nancy asking my one question to Dalton.  I’ve inserted my thoughts in RED.

00:01:02.000 –> 00:01:07.000
So we’re talking to Dalton forget and forgive me if I don’t know all the horse terms I adore horses.

00:01:07.000 –> 00:01:13.000
I did not grow up with them, unfortunately. So if I say something and I say, I don’t know what it is, I’ll try and describe it as much as I can.

00:01:13.000 –> 00:01:18.000
Okay, so we’re talking to Dalton who has a hard time with the trailer. I so sorry.

00:01:18.000 –> 00:01:25.000
And that’s the weird thing I do is talk to the horse other than that totally normal. Oh look at the sweet boy.

00:01:25.000 –> 00:01:34.000
He is beautiful. Oh, I’m so sorry. So the first thing I’m picking up on Dalton is he’s very sensitive to sound, very sensitive to sound.

00:01:34.000 –> 00:01:49.000
And it’s interesting because the photo you sent me is kind of like the metal trailer but it’s kind of he doesn’t like the, it almost, you know the grief they remind me of our almost like those cowguards that you see in a field where like you don’t want the cows going over it.

00:01:49.000 –> 00:01:54.000
If that make, I hope that makes sense. But he doesn’t like the greats. He doesn’t like that sound of that.

Gillian had a cow grate just outside of her ranch.

00:01:54.000 –> 00:02:00.000
You know when you’re walking over metal or like like a playground and you have that metal or like you’re going on a like a playground bridge and it’s kind of got that sound, that metal sound.

00:02:00.000 –> 00:02:07.000
That’s what Dalton says is first kind of bug in him. I’m so sorry.

00:02:07.000 –> 00:02:11.000
Has one of his hooves? His right hoof, I feel like has been a little bit tender.

00:02:11.000 –> 00:02:20.000
Especially on the inner like on the pat in the in the pad on the pad like in that center of his I think it’s his right front foot.

00:02:20.000 –> 00:02:31.000
That seems to be a little bit tender. I and and if it isn’t now, I wonder if it’s kind of a old injury that he’s just pointing out.

00:02:31.000 –> 00:02:38.000
But something about sometimes when he puts pressure on that foot, it’s a little bit tender and I feel like you may kick it a little bit like kick his foot out a little bit.

This is interesting because he doesn’t like picking up his left front foot… so I’m having the vet out on Wednesday to Xray his right front, just to be certain he is OK.

00:02:38.000 –> 00:02:44.000
But let’s focus on the trailer. Why are you so, why don’t you want it on the trailer?

00:02:44.000 –> 00:02:49.000
You’re safe. So I’m just letting him know he’s safe and this is his home.

00:02:49.000 –> 00:02:55.000
And you’re never he’s never gonna leave his home for very long you only go to fun stuff but you are his person.

I do believe he enjoyed being at Gillians as he had 79 acres and 3 fillies as his pasture mates… but maybe he likes being special or having his own person…

00:02:55.000 –> 00:02:59.000
You’re a good boy. Oh, you do. He says he loves the background. He loves when you’re when you pet him and he shows me a real stiff brush.

00:02:59.000 –> 00:03:08.000
He loves the brush going all the way down his back. Oh, you’re such a good point.

Yes, we do daily grooming and I do run a Brush down his back.

00:03:08.000 –> 00:03:12.000
And he says he gets very itchy, especially on kind of the left side of his neck and under his chin.

Yes, he even rubbed out his tail.  I was waiting for a special kind of oil to arrive, but after this, I’ve gotten some quality olive oil and added it to his bucket.  (I don’t like corn oil or any kind of vegetable oil that we cannot determine the quality.)

00:03:12.000 –> 00:03:16.000
I know you’re just gonna tell me all the things because you don’t wanna talk about getting in the trailer.

00:03:16.000 –> 00:03:20.000
I know that’s okay. You can tell me all the things. You’re such a good boy.

00:03:20.000 –> 00:03:28.000
You do get pretty itchy, huh? He does like scratching on like hard things. And I know you can say, oh, it’s a horse thing, but I just see him really enjoying scratching.

00:03:28.000 –> 00:03:36.000
So I’m showing him that when he’s in the trailer that he can scratch things. And he needs to be gentle, cause I’ve heard of forces that I heard themselves.

00:03:36.000 –> 00:03:41.000
I know horses that have hurt themselves in the trailer scratching too hard.

00:03:41.000 –> 00:03:48.000
So I’m asking him and I’m trying to ask him to show me what’s difficult and I feel like it’s the stepping in.

00:03:48.000 –> 00:03:55.000
Like once he gets in, I think he’s fine. Sometimes the music is too loud. Where’s the music cloud, Sweet Boy?

00:03:55.000 –> 00:04:00.000
I wonder if in the stall or around a stall like people that are cleaning it up, he keeps saying something about the music is to let.

00:04:00.000 –> 00:04:04.000
I don’t think it’s my music right now, right? Because you can’t hear the music right now, right?

00:04:04.000 –> 00:04:07.000
Because you can’t hear the music right. It’s the music where you are? I sorry.

This is totally my bad.  I carry around my phone with music when I do my chores.  I can use headphones…

00:04:07.000 –> 00:04:13.000
We’ll look into that too. Okay, so I’m just showing him that it’s safe.

00:04:13.000 –> 00:04:20.000
You don’t, he doesn’t like, he doesn’t like the change of material. He doesn’t like the change in texture.

00:04:20.000 –> 00:04:30.000
He says he likes it better when there’s a mat and the mat he’s showing me the only thing I can relate it to is kind of like a dormat like it has kind of that soft kind of sponginess.

00:04:30.000 –> 00:04:33.000
He says he likes stepping on the mat.

00:04:33.000 –> 00:04:44.000
I don’t even know if that’s possible for you to get a mat for him. To step on, but that metal and anything that kind of clanks, he freaks out.

There are mats in my trailer.  I don’t know anything about the trailers that hauled him from South Dakota to here.

00:04:44.000 –> 00:04:50.000
Just something from your past that’s kind of bugging you. He doesn’t like, he said, I don’t like the sound of chains.

00:04:50.000 –> 00:04:54.000
I don’t blame you. I don’t like the sound of change either. He says it hurts his ears.

I just put a chain on his gate… so I will remove that and put a bungie there.

00:04:54.000 –> 00:05:05.000
And he says my ears are very sensitive. I’m so sorry. That must be hard. So I’m just showing him that it makes you very happy when he steps in the trailer.

00:05:05.000 –> 00:05:18.000
And that you will always, come back from if you ever leave him somewhere, you always come back, but that he’s safe and you’re not gonna let anything happen to him.

00:05:18.000 –> 00:05:24.000
You’re absolutely not gonna let anything happen to him.

00:05:24.000 –> 00:05:26.000
And this is his home.

Yes.

00:05:26.000 –> 00:05:32.000
And so I’m asking, well, do you like the water? And he says, Yes, but you get startled.

00:05:32.000 –> 00:05:37.000
What do you get startled by Sweet Boy? The rabbits, you get startled by the rabbit.

00:05:37.000 –> 00:05:52.000
Something, rodent, something running, you know. I don’t if you didn’t understand that were like a rabbit or not a go for something has been startling him okay sweet boy Is that what you’re afraid of for the trailer?

There are tons of wild hares around here and they are really running around this time of year.

00:05:52.000 –> 00:05:59.000
Sorry. So I’m just telling him he goes in the trailer and he’s absolutely safe.

00:05:59.000 –> 00:06:11.000
That nothing’s gonna hurt him in the trailer and he’s gonna hear normal sounds and I’m kind of showing him the sounds of the road or letting him hear whatever, however I do it letting him hear the sounds.

00:06:11.000 –> 00:06:19.000
He does love when you sing his name, the, and you make up a song for same, something about his name, Dalton, Dalton Boy, something like that.

I absolutely sing his name every time I come out of the house and see him.

00:06:19.000 –> 00:06:27.000
He loves that. So he definitely is connected and attached to you. He feels safe with you. He doesn’t like when he can’t see you.

00:06:27.000 –> 00:06:34.000
Okay, honey, I’m sorry. But I’m telling him that you want to take him to go do things.

00:06:34.000 –> 00:06:39.000
And he does like the he says there’s a darker like a black horse and forgive me on not knowing the breed.

00:06:39.000 –> 00:06:44.000
There’s a black horse that’s bigger than him. That’s his friend that he really likes to hang out with.

Dominic.

Click image to watch video

00:06:44.000 –> 00:06:51.000
And he likes it when they go. He wants to go with them. And I’m telling him that you’ll be able to take in places.

00:06:51.000 –> 00:07:01.000
He is very interested in the water or the stream. I’m wonder you say you live in Northern California if you live closer to the foothills I see some kind of mountain area.

We did go trail riding recently in the Sierra foothills and there was a stream.  I know Gillian has taken him riding with water.

00:07:01.000 –> 00:07:12.000
That he seems to really be interested in. He seems interested in the birds. So it’s interesting that he’s telling me he startled over like rabbits and things on the ground, but he’s very interested in like the things that are flying.

00:07:12.000 –> 00:07:22.000
Okay, so let’s like do a bullet point of what you can do. So first and foremost, And again, forgive me for not knowing the right terminology.

00:07:22.000 –> 00:07:26.000
First and foremost, getting a mat that has that squishiness, that there’s any way to put that in a trailer.

00:07:26.000 –> 00:07:27.000
Second of all, take a look at his right front hoof. Sometimes I turn it around in my head.

00:07:27.000 –> 00:07:32.000
Might be his left, but check out that right front hope to make sure that’s not tender.

00:07:32.000 –> 00:07:44.000
But check out that right front hoof to make sure that’s not tender. And then something about the sound, if there’s any way we can mute that sound So.

00:07:44.000 –> 00:07:53.000
And I, from what I know of other people I’ve worked with, the horses sometimes it’s hard like it’s hard like you could only do so much to get them in the trailer because it is going to make noise.

00:07:53.000 –> 00:07:59.000
Oh sweet boy, I so sorry it startles you. So I’m just showing him safely going into the trailer.

Here she said something personal about where she lives.  I edited it.

00:08:14.000 –> 00:08:21.000
And it’s beautiful there and you’re safe there. And I’m asking if anything else hurts.

00:08:21.000 –> 00:08:26.000
Sometimes it’s neck is a little bit tender maybe the bottom of his neck sometimes a little bit tender.

00:08:26.000 –> 00:08:37.000
Okay honey. And he says sometimes my stomach is sensitive. His upper part of his stomach, whatever that is, forgive me, not a veterinarian, but the upper part of his stomach can sometimes be sensitive.

Yes!  He had an ulcer.  I give him daily ulcer guard.  And he does get psyllium.

00:08:37.000 –> 00:08:46.000
Okay, honey. Okay. Let’s see if there’s anything else that I’m getting from him.

00:08:46.000 –> 00:08:55.000
So what I’m actually going to do, I am going to stop this recording because I’m gonna just quietly work with him for a few minutes.

00:08:55.000 –> 00:08:57.000
Just show him how to walk in and then everything’s okay. And that’s pretty much what I’m going to repeat over and over again.

00:08:57.000 –> 00:09:07.000
You can actually do something similar. When you fall asleep at night, you close to like close your eyes as you’re falling asleep.

00:09:07.000 –> 00:09:17.000
You picture them in your head. Any picture will do. Just, you know, like your daydreaming and you say his name in your head just like your daydreaming and you can show him like you can daydream and show him walking over into the trailer and just say you’re safe, you’re safe.

00:09:17.000 –> 00:09:26.000
You’re safe. Everything’s okay. Everything’s okay. But that’s what I’m gonna do for a few minutes.

00:09:26.000 –> 00:09:28.000
Please can me update and let me know if you have any questions. 7 you, sending you love from New England.

00:09:28.000 –> 00:09:34.000
Bye

–SO THAT WAS IT… And I didn’t get to hear what she actually said to him when she quietly worked with him.  All I do know is that it worked!  The next day, he walked straight into the trailer and wouldn’t get out.

So proud of himself.

NANCY MELLO’S INFO (NO AFFILIATION)

Her website: https://nancymello.com/

I did the one question for $50.

HAVE FUN!




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