One of the gypsy mares I have in training has been having a on going issue with the hair on her back legs. No one had ever noticed it was a real "problem" not just a cleaning/maintenance issue before she came to the farm. The regular conventional vets just didn't "see" anything wrong with her, but I knew this was not normal and that something was not right. Thats when I decided to have Dr. Cheryl Cross, a licensed Vet who specializes in acupuncture and Chinese Herbs come take a look. Finally someone was listening to me about all of the symptoms that I knew meant something. Yes, there was a problem and it all made sense in the Chinese medicine theory.  After having the mare worked on a few times, starting her on a Chinese herbal supplement and Dr. Cross digging even deeper to try and find out what is wrong with the mare, she is finally starting to look better!!! It is so nice to have a vet go above and beyond the call of duty to try and find out what is really wrong when you know something is not right. I totally recommend Dr. Cheryl Cross to help find the root of the cause to any odd problem you might have with horses, dogs, cats or any animal.

This year at the Indiana CDE I navigated for my friend Erin Woodcock instead of showing myself. She was showing her KWPN mare Odessa for her first real show. As this was Odessa's first show we didn't expect to win, but wanted to make it a positive experience for her and have fun. Dressage and cones went smooth and she was in 10th place out of 15 in Prelim Single Horse and I have never been so happy for a 10th place in my life! Marathon day, with me on the back step, was really fun- despite the down pour of rain!  Everything was slick and completely wet so when I had to get down to walk Odessa into the water hazard (she had never seen  a water hazard before) it wasn't so bad getting even more soaked. I was so proud of both Odessa and Erin for doing such a terrific job that I can't wait to see them show again. With a little more experience for Odessa they will be very competitive in the future.

For pictures of us check out http://www.woodsmithfarm.com/Photos/Carriage-Driving/Combined-Driving/Indiana-CDE/2009/Off-the-Wall-Photography/