Who thought horses were a good idea?

Last night I went to do my old guy's stall.  I finished and put him back to eat his dinner while I listened to the vet, who is out every day for another horse.  Then I noticed my beloved old man eating his hay really weird... he'd stretch out his neck and chew with his mouth really wide open.  A few times a half-chewed wad of hay fell out of his mouth, and twice he made a really weird sound through his nose, like a rattle-y groan sort of.  As the vet was standing about 4 feet away, I was like, um, can you look at him?  She looked at him briefly and didn't see anything.  His teeth just got done a month or two ago, so that's fine.  Vet said to take him out to graze and see how he handles that.... fine.  He ate grass totally normally.  Brought him back in and vet put the speculum on.... nothing. 

So basically he couldn't eat hay for no apparent reason.  He'd eaten breakfast and lunch, so either it's new or he can eat but it takes longer.  *shrug*  There are a few bales of really soft second cutting hay and he was eating that totally fine.  So I asked the feeder to give him the special hay today, and then give him one flake of the regular hay at dinner so I can see if he's able to eat it.  Vet said she'd make sure she had her scope today so if he's still being weird when she comes out tonight, she can scope him.

I'm not hugely worried because he ate all his grain and he can eat the special hay... but who knows if it's something that might get worse?  Okay, I'm going to stop that train of thought right now before I freak myself out.


Then I went to ride Princess.  Get him out of his stall and brush him, notice his right front is swollen.  Just above the fetlock on the outside.  Sore to touch.  No sign of injury.  He's sound, maybe a teeny tiny bit off, but that may have been imagined because we were looking for something.

*sigh*

At least I hadn't changed into my breeches yet.

I put epsom salt poultice on it and wrapped it.  I meant to go back out this morning but didn't have time...  Oh well.  I'll see how he is after work.

"Hey Mom, I heard we have a two-day clinic coming up, so I thought it would be a good idea to mysteriously injure myself!"

His punishment for being hurt was having his mane pulled.  That'll teach him a lesson!