The vet came out to visit my horse a couple of weeks ago.  One of the first things he commented on was that my horse isn’t as big as he probably should be for 3 years old.  It’s true — my horse is only about 14 hands (a little over four and a half feet tall) at the withers, which is the bony rise above a horse’s shoulders, usually right about where their mane ends.

Another owner at the barn also had a small three-year-old, so the vet talked to us about ways to grow taller for our horses.  He said that sometimes improper nutrition will stunt a horse’s growth, but if you give them really good nutrition they could still catch up.  I personally don’t think my horse will get any more height growth, however.

For one, I saw his mom before we rescued him, and she didn’t look that big either.  We don’t know what his sire looked like, so for all we know he was really short too!

But for two, my horse has already been given really good nutrition since we rescued him.  We knew he was really malnourished and probably stunted when we got him, and we had enough sense to try to remedy that then.  All the good feed we gave him then didn’t help him grow taller, though, so I think this may just be how tall he was supposed to be — or maybe he was just so badly stunted that it couldn’t be reversed!

Technorati Tags: horse, grow taller, 14 hands, three-year-old, ways to grow taller, height growth, improper nutrition, grow taller, good nutrition

Some women know exactly what kind of hair cut they want to get when they enter their South Tampa Salon. Then there are the rest of us. People like me typically just get the same haircut over and over again because we don’t know what else would look good on us.

This is unfortunate because that style usually isn’t the trendiest option out there. In order to narrow down your choices, you should take a look at the basic styles that are available at a Tribeca Salon. Choosing a category of basic styles will help you change your look.

There are five basic styles to choose from at your average Tampa Hair Salon:

• Long styles. These are good if you already have long hair or could be right if you’re interested in extensions.
• Medium styles. People with long hair often find that cutting off a few inches can dramatically change their look.
• Short styles. Anyone with a bold streak can pull off a short haircut.
• Funky styles. These are the kinds of strange cuts you’ll see on edgy folks; dare to be different!
• Men’s styles. These haircuts designed for men can be altered to the woman’s face to create a really unique look.

Narrow down your choices to just one of these categories and then let your hairstylist help you decide which new look is going to be best on your face.

Technorati Tags: South Tampa Salon, Tribeca Salon, Tampa Hair Salon

I’ve often had the experience that I wanted to learn something new but gave up on it as soon as I realized how difficult it would be to learn. Take, for example, the time that I thought I would get into aerial photography.

Here are a few of the challenges that immediately faced me:

• Fear of heights. Yep, it’s pretty hard to take pictures from the air when you’re scared of being up there.
• Complexity of the art. There are many details to getting good aerial photos. I wasn’t interested in learning photogrammetry and other difficult parts of the art.
• Difficulty getting the right perspective. People often take aerial photos from the wrong angle and then must use computer software to correct it. It all seemed like too much for me.
• Trouble seeing pieces of the puzzle. Aerial photos are usually taken in a series and then each of the sections is put together to create a larger picture. I had trouble figuring out how to break landscapes into smaller pieces to be photographed.

I know that I give up too easily on things like this. That’s why I’m trying to start anticipating the challenges in things before I start trying them so I can decide if the activity is something that I really want to pursue.

Technorati Tags: aerial photography, photogrammetry

People who are building or renovating small homes often think that the job should be fairly easy. They assume that the lack of space reduces the need for extensive planning. The opposite is actually true.

Small house plans require that the home owner pay attention to every detail because each little bit of space is going to need to be used. People who don’t realize this from the start often find that they have to modify their house plans during construction or renovation. This can be costly and time-consuming if you’re not careful.

If you find yourself in this position, you’ll want to look at where you can modify the plans without having to make too many changes. One great example is to look at garage plans that extend the space of the house. For example, if you find that your house plans don’t include room for an office, you might be able to create an office space in a loft in the garage.

Ideally, you’ll plan ahead and won’t have to make changes to the plans for your small home. But if that’s not the case then you should try to think creatively in order to make alterations that aren’t going to be extensive.

Technorati Tags: small house plans, garage plans