I've been switching Ghlenlivet over to this feed called CoolStance.  It's a low carb, high fat feed.  It's made of medium chain triglycerides -  which basically means the feed starts to digest almost as soon as the food is swallowed, not in the hind gut where alot of feeds are digested (which can lead to hind gut acidosis and colic).  MCT also means that the glucose gets stored easily in the cells and is easily accessible for energy.  It does not need to be converted into something the body can use as it comes out of the cells...it is already in a usable form, unlike some other oils and high fats like vegetable oil or corn oil.

Because Ghlen has shivers, he needs to have a steady stream of glucose in his system, not the highs and lows associated with some other feeds - but without molasses and grains.  His body doesn't tolerate the molasses and grains in many feeds.  He can't even have sugar cubes, poor kid!  But he gets plenty of carrots and some apples to boot.   Studies show that blood glucose stays a constant steady on this feed for 24 hours/day.  Cool Stance is turning out to be a great feed for him!

Cool Stance has been around for 20 years or more in Australia and other European countries.  They have to CoolStance feed, PowerStance (which is coconut oil which is dried into powder form) and even some human coconut products. They are just now marketing in the US.  For more information, go to www.stanceequine.com or click HERE

Thank you, Cool Stance!

Dylan, Nancy Hinz and Yellow Rose Dressage

Update 7 June 2012

Pictures are here.  Nancy Hinz, Dylan's owner, sent these pictures of Dylan - the awesome Welch Cob she allowed me to ride in TX.  They have continued to keep in touch since then and even helped raise some funds to help me get to Selection Trials!  Thank you Dylan, Nancy and all of Yellow Rose Dressage!!!!

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Pictures coming, pictures coming!  I don't have any pictures back from my picture taker.  But they are coming.  I'll add them when they do!

I recently competed in Katy, Texas and the CPEDI 3* there, which was the final requirement of my being invited to the Selection Trials where the team for the 2012 Paralympic Team to London, England will be selected.

I was unable to raise the funds to bring "my" horse(s) and wrote the organizers to ask if they might have a horse I could catch ride.  They put me in touch with Nancy Hinz of Yellow Rose Dressage of Montgomery, TX.  She offered her pony, Madoc Dylan - and it ended up being a match made in heaven.

Because of finances, I could not afford to come a week early to train on Dylan.  Bill Stapleton traveled with me, did all the driving, pulled my wheelchair in and out of the car, bought food and pushed me around.  For the record, within 20 minutes of Dylan arriving at the show grounds, Bill was mucking stalls, unloading trailers, filling water buckets and giving out hay just like he had done it all his life.  He gets 5 gold stars for this trip and lots of hugs.

We arrived in time to have 3 rides on Dylan at Nancy's farm, Yellow Rose Dressage.  Then Nancy hit the road to bring him to the Great Southwestern Equestrian Center in Katy, TX.  Dylan is so awesome!  He is a Welch Cob pony, not a spooker, and boy, if you insist on it, he delivers.  I had a little trouble with my insisting sometimes (something I am working on), but he still was rock, solid stable.  For the team test (and on our 5th ride together), he delivered a 65 and some change.  The next day was the individual test for 62 and change.  Sunday was the freestyle, which I basically made up as I went along.  Dylan loved the music and  gave a 66 and some change.  I would have loved to have had Dylan's first 70%, but I was very happy with all we did.  It wasn't that he couldn't do a 70% - it was that I wasn't able to ride him at 70%... YET, lol.  He is a lovely pony.  Nancy, his owner, bent over backwards to make it happen for us both (thank you, Nancy).  Cindy Moriarty was fill in groom when she could and Nancy couldn't ... both of them totally rocked (thank you, Cindy/Nancy).  Everyone from Yellow Rose Dressage did GREAT with their classes.  Allie, on her pony Maple Lane Kero, (also known as Peaches) did a wonderful freestyle and brought the house down on Saturday evening.  Everyone, including Dylan, was awesome.  In addition to the above scores, we ended up being Reserve Champions for each of our Grade II classes.  Thank you, Dylan!   Just think of how well we would have done if we had had a week or two together before hand.  I was completely impressed with Dylan, Nancy, Cindy,  Allie and EVERYONE at Yellow Rose Dressage.

A very huge hug and thank you to everything Yellow Rose Dressage did and everything they ARE doing to help us on our journey to London.  A very big hug and thank you to Missy Ransehousen and Sharon Schneidman for all you guys do to help make us all be our best as well.

If you are in TX, check them out HERE!   (pictures coming soon!)