Thank you guys so much. I am watching for the colic...so far they are okay...one of them has rolled twice, once when he first went outside, which he always does and again about 45 minutes ago. He's new to us so we don't know all of his quirks. I am also watching for laminitis...so odd how it could happen so fast (laminitis) but the good thing in regards to that is that they have been outside in the snow since this morning. They will be out until about 5:30 tonight too. We aren't going to feed them tonight or tomorrow morning either....just hay....seriously, they are as bad as kids....I still have a stomach ache about this....I'm here by myself at work this entire week which is stressing me out and my hours for this week changed so I didn't even think (Lord forgive me) to tell the barn owner he didn't have to feed this morning. Jesus help me! Oh Remuda....I did know what you were talking about! I know you weren't trying to say that we starve our horses!

there was a feeding mix up today (my fault) and the horses got grained twice. I literally feel like I am going to throw up. I am at work and there is nothing I can do about it. The barn owner is keeping an eye on them but he doesn't know anything (he's learning) about horses. My daughter is going over there in about a half hour to clean stalls and keep an eye on them. I am so afraid all of them are going to colic. Please, please if you pray, please pray that they will all be okay. My vet mentioned something about laminitis too...oh my gosh....thankfully they are out in the snow so that will help with the laminitis...keeping their feet cold. I can't believe this, I don't think I can take much more stress.

I know how scary that can be. We thought our 9 year old gelding was colicking a couple of weeks ago (he's new to us so we don't know alot about his habits). We had to go check on him 3 times during the night (our barn is about 6 miles away). Turns out he is okay but we still don't know why he was acting that way. I did alot of praying and had alot of people praying for him. I used to be told that praying for animals was a waste but I don't believe it. The Lord knows how important they are to us and He cares about them too. I pray that Bolt will bolt back to normal and he will be a fine paint pony for a very long time. Keep us updated.

That was AWESOME!!!! Congratulations to your daughter and her dog.

They NEVER N.E.V.E.R. stop barking. I work in a kennel and I will never, ever, ever recommend this breed. Every single one of them that comes in there (and there are many) NEVER shut up. I cannot even tell you how annoying they are. Run FAR, FAR, away from them!

My 16 year old who has had hers since she was about 12 isn't regular yet. I took her to the doctor a year or so ago because she still wasn't regular (mine and my other daughter's (23) are like clockwork, so I was concerned). The doctor said it could take several years for it to regulate. I wouldn't be too concerned, but take her just to make her and yourself feel better!

Do you remember when you were 14? I do and oh boy it wasn't pretty. Cut her a break. Still be her parent but just remember, she could be getting her period any day (I know she's probably had it for a couple of years already). My 16 year old daughter who is usually very funny and great to be around is HORRID the few days before her period. I have two daugthers by the way, (23 and 16) so I know what you are going through. All I can say is, she is a girl, that is how girls act, not much you can do about it really except be a strict parent. take away her priviledges, don't let her go to the ranch or make her wear the dirty ranch clothes for a month (keep them dirty, put them in a plastic bag in your garage each week but make her wear them dirty). There are alot of things you can do, but until she matures more, none of it is going to do any good really. Sorry, but that's how I learned!

I am laughing so hard right now Remuda! I really and truly thought "oh my gosh, I wonder if she really thinks I really want to marry her". I almost didn't post again! I mean, just because I think you are hilarious and have a really cute little stud colt, what more could a girl ask for!!!!!!!!!!!!

What that you're already married? I knew that but a girl can hope right??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am totally kidding I hope you KNOW that??!?!?!?!

Remuda...I think I want to marry you!

I didn't say to go behind his back to tell the counselor. I said in my response that I think you need to talk to the counselor but to tell Tanner you are going to do it. Of course, of COURSE we want to protect our children every step they take, but I think he's really being a man in wanting to stick this out. He has to live the rest of his life in this world and maybe now, at his age, is the best time to learn to stick up for himself and to bear the brunt of this crap he is going through. What a strong boy you have. My daughter is the same way. She actually wanted to go back to work where she was being bullied. It broke my heart, and I admit, I would NEVER go back if it were me, but she's not me and she handled it and still has her job. We are not raising cowards.

so she really is, and always has been a girl? Seriously...I am NOT kidding...I really did think she used to be a man. I have to admit that, while I don't like her, at all, I couldn't stop watching her performance last night. :confused:

I am so sorry you are going through this. My daughter (and I) are going through the same thing. I'm sorry I don't remember how old your son is. I'm not entirely sure why the girls are treating my daugther like this (at school and at work) but I believe and both she and I have been told it's because these people are jealous of her. I believe that. She is a smart, funny, pretty girl who has no desire to be popular and the popular ones are the ones that are bullying her. THEY are jealous of her because she is her own confident, strong person. That's how THEY want to be but they aren't. I have stuck by my daughter every single step of the way (and I know you are too, except that....I wouldn't care if she told me not to talk to the guidance counselor. I would. I have. Someone in that school needs to know what is going on with your son. You need to tell someone, whether it's a teacher, principal or guidance counselor. Don't do it behind his back. Tell him, that as his mother, you need to do everything you can to protect him. The kids don't have to find out, tell the counselor that this is to be kept in strict confidence but that you EXPECT something to be done. You have to do this. I wouldn't bring him home to homeschool him especially if he doesnt' want it. Homeschooling is not the fix for all problems, and sometimes it can be the cause when a child starts going to public school. Just know that, sadly, you are not alone. I know how it feels, I know how it hurts, I know how it feels to feel completely and utterly helpless, but what I can't imagine is how it makes our children feel. I, like you, literally want to go and beat the #()U*%$#)(*#)(*$#_%()($*%$ out of these kids, but obvioulsy I can't. My daughter knows there is NOTHING I won't do for her and she trusts that I will always have her back. I know your son feels the same about you. Now, go call that guidance couselor, and if you ever want to talk with someone who is going through the same thing, I am here.

My 23 year old daughter says it helps her add/adhd.

I bought some flourescent lights off of Craigslist. I specifically asked the seller if the lights were the type that light up at 0 degrees. He told me they were. So we go to pick them up (apparently they belonged to the guy's father). We go to install them and lo and behold....they don't work. Upon further inspection we find that they aren't the lights that belong in the (taped) boxes they came in and they also ARE NOT the kind that work at 0 degrees. So, of course I call the guy that I was dealing with (not the father) and tell him that he gave me erroneous information. He was totally willing to take them back and give the money back. But...here's the problem....we had to splice the lights in order to make them work in our barn. I TOTALLY forgot to tell the guy this when I called him. Now I'm afraid to call him back and tell him. I happen to think that even if I do call him back and tell him, that he shouldn't have a problem with taking them back because he sorta lied to me. (His father told my friend when he went to pick the lights up) that he tried to take these very same lights up North but they didn't work. So, I'm not sure if the adult son told the father about the 0 degree thing or not and it really doesn't matter at this point, but would you guys just eat the $25 and not call back or would you call the guy back and tell him we spliced the cord? I afraid to call though!

I have two daughters, and trust me, yours sounds like a spoiled brat (I am really sorry but that's what I got from your post). She also sounds like she threatens alot but doesn't follow through. I'm not sure about your state but here in NY, the registration and insurance has to be in the same person's name (I work for a huge insurance company) so tell her that. Seriously, though there is NO way I would pay for this kid's insurnace. She needs to grow up.

The reason that the school didn't call the parents (I didn't read the article so I have no idea what was said) is because they didn't have time to call each and every parent. Just wondering how you would expect them to call every family in a timely manner. It sucks, but I just don't think they could physically do it.

I started to sign up for Mint.com but then it asked for my credit card number and that scared me off. Do I really need to put that in there?

huh?

Does anyone here know of anything I can get for free online that I can keep track of my monthly spending and earning? Does that even make sense? I have to start keeping a record of how much I spend and I want to find a chart so that I can log everything on it. Thanks so much!

This is a timely post! My 16 year old daughter and I were just talking about this yesterday. We know two girls who are going to school for some kind of equine studies and both my daughter and I said almost at the same time....good luck finding a job in that field where you actually make any money. I've been doing this horse thing for many years and truly, everyone I know from race trainers to people who run huge boarding barns (and everything in between from farriers to equine dentists) don't make a great living. It is ALOT of HARD work and really the pay off isn't very good. My equine dentist was just saying last week that in the summer he has to work 80 plus hours a week to sustain himself in the winter. I know a young farrier who is already starting to get bent over because of the stress on his back, he will have arthritis before he knows it. A race trainer I know now has possession of TWENTY SEVEN horses that their owners just dumped on him because they weren't big money tickets....what do you do with 27 crazy race horses? I would steer your daughter away from wanting to have a profession in the horse business and maybe have her lean towards a job where she can afford to have a horse of her own.

I am so sorry. Will be facing this soon enough myself and I can't even bear to think about it. He will tell you when it's time and he will thank you for it. Thank you for loving him so much.

You guys are making me cry. I will tell you the whole story but bear with me as it might get long....first of all I work in an insurance agency and both this owner and his father are customers of ours. This bullying started happening when she first started working there. At that time, I called the owner (our insurance customer) and told him that my daughter would NOT be working there anymore because of the behavior of the other girls....making my daughter do all of the work while one girl made pizzas, another would take an hour to wipe down the counters and the other would be rolling her eyes at my daughter....among other things. At that time he told me that my daughter was doing a great job and that he "did not want her to quit", he came up with the idea of having her on only when he was there. Perfect....that happened for two months and everything was really good. She was really enjoying her job and two out of the three girls were actually being nice to her. BUT.....they ALL have a very weird obsession with my daughter's private life...ei: they can't believe that she isn't allowed to watch Jersey Shore and that she is actually okay with this rule, how she doesn't like to go out with her friends on the weekends (my daughter says that she spends all week with her friends in school, why would she want to spend weekends with them as well) I should also say that both of my girls and I have a very, very close relationship, a much closer one than anyone else i know, so my daughter enjoys spending time with me and her sister on the weekends, she always has. These girls have even gone so far as to ask my daughter to explain her day to them from the time she gets up to the time she goes to bed. So my daughter did. She really doesn't understand what the big interest is. Anyway, you get the idea. Fast forward to last night. She was at work supposed to be until 8:00. She called me at 7:30 and asked me to come and pick her up and that she is "very mad". So i go get her and she gets in the car and starts crying and this daughter is NOT a crier. She said "well, it's starting all over again." so and so and so and so were in the back talking about me and then the other so and so comes over in a sickeningly sweet voice and goes 'are you mad at someone here", there was one other girl who happened to be watching all of this going on and she actually mentioned something to the manager who.did.NOTHING. Then to top it all off, before my daughter went to bed last night she checked her FB page and the worst of the three girls FRIENDED her. Obviously my daughter declined the friend request but on the girl's FB page she wrote a comment around the same time that said "I love Karma". So my daughter tried to call her boss today to tell him what had been going on (on Saturday night he actually pulled her aside and asked her how everything was going and she said that everything was going great that she was getting along with two of the girls and he said....well, you dont' all have to like each other but they don't have to be vicious". So she called him today to ask that all four of them and him get together so that she can find out why they are so mean to her because she really has no idea and he said that he would talk to everyone individually but then he asked her if she wanted to finish out the week (in other words this would be her last week) and she said that no she wanted to keep the job....here is one kicker too....she asked for 12 hours a week and he has her on for 20 1/2....so that tells me that SHE is the one who is doing her job well (the other girls don't get that many hours) but now he is blaming her for all of this but not saying why, so I"m thinking that he just thinks that she is being dramatic and overly sensative when really, she just wants to go there, do her job, do it well and leave. She doesn't want to be friends with ANY of these girls but on that same note, she is not being rude to them because she's afraid of them. the meanest girl of them all also rides horses and I think that might be where the rub is and the fact that my daughter just got another horse is sending this one girl over the edge....even though my daughter NEVER told this girl she got another horse, one of the other girls did. It is a huge mess but needless to say, I honestly, truly do not believe that my daughter did anything to bring this on. I told her she is having to learn a hard lesson. She is smart and hard working and gets compliments from customers often (per her boss) and there is where the problem is. These girls are nothing but jealous is what I believe but I can't make her believe that. She just doesn't understand why they are doing this to her. So that is pretty much it in a nutshell.

my 16 year old daughter is being bullied again, this time at work. It's a long story but the bottom line is, the boss knows about it for the second time (she called him today, she went in to talk to him in person and he wasn't there so the other manager gave her the phone number). He is basically saying that she's the problem and he pretty much hung up on her. This is a child who is very good at her job (both the owner (manager and his father have told me this). She has gotten compliments many times from customers (owner told HER this). She doesn't drink, do drugs or have sex (like the three other girls who work there do). I want her to quit but she doesn't want to. We just bought another horse that she is making payments on. Even though the horse's previous owners are allowing her to make payments on him and said she can pay what she can when she can, my daughter doesn't want to not make payments because the people are a very young couple with not alot of money. I admire her for wanting to stand on her word. We went around today and filled out a couple of applications and we have people who know people looking for jobs for her (where you need to know someone to get into a company). I am worried for her and none of my friends understand the fear that comes with a child being bullied. Teenaged girls are awful and many people don't get that. I feel like I'm in this (as a parent) all by myself. Please don't flame me and tell me that I shouldn't allow her to go back to that place. I can do that, and my daughter would absolutely listen to me, but for some reason I'm not saying she can't go back there. I am actually in awe of her for even wanting to because I wouldn't be able to do it. I did tell her that as soon as she gets another job she can call that guy and tell him to shove it but until then I am asking for prayer for her (and for the scummy girls that she works with). I just don't understand why some girls choose to make poor life choices and then feel the need to bully girls who choose to make good choices. Thanks.

A young Arabian stallion....are you crazy!!!!!!