Weekday Wonders

After my up and down weekend, I have moved into a mostly better week. I met the vet out at the barn on Tuesday to have her look at Skye's bump. She got a good look at it and said "whoa!," so I guess my original thought that it is quite the lump was correct. She gave it a pretty thorough palpation and did find Skye to be tender deep inside it. She said it doesn't react as if it is is a fracture, but we can't be sure until we do an x-ray (sometime next week). Given its size, she was a little worried that it might press against a tendon or nerve running down the back of her foreleg. So she told me to paint it with DMSO, wrap her leg with a standing wrap and leave that poor girl on stall rest. So, I'm out of the saddle again.

Hangin' out, stall bound. She can't believe it.

I now know how to do a standing wrap, and got to see how much the vet loves my girl. While we were standing talking to her, she pulled Skye over to her and kissed her on the forehead, and told me what a good good mare I have. I know that of course, but it's nice to hear it from a professional.

So every day I have been going out to the barn, taking Skye out of her stall and letting her walk around in the round pen. Erin and Woody (barn owners) are taking some kind of class this week so they haven't been out during day. Luckily, a great new barn member joined and is out there when I am. Although she is a great rider, she is also happy just to be around the horses and do horse work. My kind of girl! So we've been doing some chores out there, like cleaning Skye's stall, making sure anyone in a stall has hay and water, and giving Mistletoe, who has diarrhea, a little walk in the sunshine. Then I unwrap her leg and paint the bump with DMSO, which she doesn't like. I wrap it back up, let her back out in the round pen while I muck out her stall and restore her hay and water, then put her in the stall again. She is next to Mistletoe, so they can smell each other.

The good news is that the bump was half the size after the first day of DMSO. It didn't look much different today, but we'll see. It may have shrunk as much as it's going to. I wish I could do it twice a day, but I just can't. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, and it is now a week and a half old. She would prefer to be in the pasture, but she seems to be adjusting well.

First picture of the bump

Second picture of the bump. It is smaller.

And she feels good, as you can see:

I know. She's adorable.

To keep her happy, I'm bringing part of the pasture to her by working with Reebok near her. I have now led him around and brought him up to see her three times, and they are so happy to see each other. It is so cute. He is already better about being led, although his biggest issue is getting too close to me. He really likes to be close. I now know what people mean when they say a horse is a "pocket pony." He would pretty much ride in my pocket if given the opportunity.

He lived up to his name today, as when Kate (awesome new member) was riding, she asked me if the people in the house right there had a horse. I said no. It was Reebok, standing in their front yard eating clover. I grabbed a halter and lead line and headed over there wondering what kind of wild hair he had going! No wild hair; he just wanted some clover, as he looked right up at me, friendly as always. I stood in front of him and motioned for him to come to me, and he walked right into the halter. From there I stood with him and examined the pasture for where the fence might be down. It wasn't. Anywhere. The gates were not only closed, but they were locked. Apparently he had jumped out. That's why he's called Reebok! I just hope he doesn't do it again.

I took him over see his queen Skye, and he was such a good boy. I just led him around a little, then put him back, as I wanted to walk Mistletoe around a little. He seemed pretty happy to be back in the pasture.

Dave thinks I should not babytalk the horses. This is a reason Dave is not consulted on how to talk to horses.

Mistletoe had been stuck in a stall all day, and it was so beautiful out that I wanted her to have some sunshine. I took her into the arena, and she was so happy. She let out an adorable whinny to Munchkin, who must have been moved by it since he actually stopped eating for a moment to look at her. Then she rolled while I held the lead line attached to her baby pink halter. It was like watching a live teddy bear doing a little dance. Good thing the dinkies have helped me build up my immunity to such wanton cuteness or I may have been overwhelmed by it.

Not a great picture, but you get the idea.
It's hard to photograph her when I'm leading her
because she keeps moving around, thus proving
that she is not, in fact, a teddy bear.

But, in spite of all this niceness, I had more sad news to deal with on Monday. A sweet chocolate lab puppy had been meeting me at the pasture gate for the past couple of weeks. He belonged to the people in the house right there, and seemed to be well-fed and clean. I did worry that he was always loose and alone, but I fell in love with him all the same. Then Woody told me Tuesday that he had been hit by a car on Monday night. So that sweet boy died the same day as my little kitty. The difference is he didn't get a full life; he got a such a short time to be so sweet. I will miss my merry pasture companion. I wish I had thought to take a picture of him. The sadness of it has plagued me all week, right alongside my grief over the loss of my little old cat. Loving animals can be such a risky business.