King Nelson?!

Hello Friends,

My ears were burning last week, and it wasn't because of the heat! People were talking about me!

Some of my friends from the Equine Science Center attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Animal Science in Denver. They wanted to spread the word about Equine Science 4 Kids, but most of the professors and students at the meeting already knew about our website and yours truly! Some were a little confused though; they thought my name was Prince Nelson, or King Nelson. I'm normally pretty happy to be called Nelson, but I REALLY like the sound of "King Nelson."

While in Denver, my friends had many opportunities to listen to lectures and presentations about very interesting research, not only in horses, but in every animal species. Topics covered during the conference included nutrition, animal husbandry (or animal care), signaling between and within cells, the immune system, animal growth, the environment, and animal reproduction, to name just a few of the many, many talks.

Conferences are also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues, and to forge new relationships. I hear Denver is an amazing city to visit with a great view of the Rocky Mountains. By the end of the year, my friends at the Equine Science Center will have attended conferences and meetings in Baltimore, Denver, Washington, D.C., Australia, Brazil, Ireland, and South Africa! Who knew that the life of a scientist could be so eventful!

While you are deciding what you want to be when you grow up, think about becoming a scientist. If you like to ask questions and find answers, you already have two of the most important qualities of a good scientist. Everyone, including horses, will depend more and more on scientists to work on the challenges facing us in the future. Plus, think about all the opportunities scientists have to travel and meet new people!

That's all for now; I wonder who I need to talk to in order to be promoted to "King" Nelson...

The EYEs Have It!

Hello Friends!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July. I had a great view of some fireworks from underneath the old apple tree in my pasture, with plenty of treats from the BBQ next door!

Unfortunately, not everything this weekend went perfectly. Last week I got a scratch on my eye, which was quite irritating. My caretakers put a fly mask on my head and put tape over the spot where my right eye is located to keep the sun out. They also had antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine to put in my eye. Now, I really hate having the fly mask on since it keeps me from seeing everything that is going on out at the farm, and I especially hate having medicine rubbed in my eye, but after 37 years I've learned that sometimes you just have to take your medicine and listen to others that know what is best for you.

My caretakers did what every responsible horse-person does and called their veterinarian to take a look at my eye. It turns out that I have more than just a scratch - I have glaucoma (glä-kō-mä). It may sound like really bad news, but lucky for me, they found it early. Up until now my vision has been great and I haven't had any discomfort. You may have heard of your grandparents or people their age having glaucoma, but you might not be too familiar with what it is. Since I'm a pretty web-savvy horse, I hit-up the internet to see what I could find out. In horses, glaucoma basically means that there is a buildup of fluid and pressure in the eye, which will impair vision and be uncomfortable. There is no cure, and I will eventually lose sight in my eye, but that is part of getting old. Right now I am on medicine that will decrease the fluid in my eye and relieve some of the pressure, but it will also decrease the fluid in the rest of my body. This type of medicine is called a diuretic (dī-ur-ĕt-ik). To make sure I don't lose too much fluid, my caretakers are careful to give me plenty of electrolytes and water, and are making sure I don't get overheated!

On the bright side, I got a new feeder this weekend! It is an old tire with a bowl fit in it, so I can bang it around all I want to let my caretakers know I'm hungry. You might not get too excited about new plates and bowls, but to me it was like getting a new baseball glove, bicycle, and Hula Hoop all at once! Check out the new pics in my slideshow of my new tire, me getting some sunscreen, and other happenings at my farm!

Stay tuned for more posts this month, we have some big projects in the works for Equine Science 4 Kids!

Your pal,