Not a whole lot to report today. This morning River looked pretty good... well enough to chase off a mare who dared look at him eating his antibiotic/grain/molasses mix. This evening, his legs were getting puffy again.
*sigh*
It's hard to tell in the dark and uneven footing, but I think he's getting scratches or something. Tomorrow's plan: while he eats his yummy antibiotics, I clean up his legs as best as I can and slather on petroleum jelly. In the evening, clean him up, see if any scabs or anything are loosening, put on antibiotic ointment, top with petroleum jelly. Repeat. Depending how he looks in the morning, possibly call the vet.
It's kind of a lose-lose. When it's muddy, everything is gross and mucky and nasty. It finally gets cold enough to freeze, and now the ground is hard and uneven. I'm quietly spazzing. I really just hope he needs to adjust to his new life and toughen up.
Anyone else find it incredibly ironic that an 11 year old war horse needs to toughen up?
River, you are so lucky you're cute.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Boy Colors are Magic
This morning, I put a blue blanket on River.
This evening, his legs have improved!
Ahhhhhh!! Dressing him in boy colors really works!!
Poor guy is kind of a wimp, though. I think the change from working on a groomed track and being in a stall 24/7 to suddenly being out in a muddy paddock 24/7 messed him up. Today I noticed a scrape on one of his hind heel bulbs--my guess is he scraped it on the ice. He got his legs brushed off and puffed with Gold Bond medicated powder.
He was put back out with the group today, idea being that being with friends will encourage him to move and get rid of the puffiness. Whether it's that or the boy color blanket, I don't know, but something is helping. The legs are still swollen, but there's definite improvement.
His girlfriend was a little too interested in River's Bucket O' Grain and Antibiotics
(After this he pounced and ran her off. Meany.)
River says "Go away, I'm eating and you ran out of peppermints."
This evening, his legs have improved!
Ahhhhhh!! Dressing him in boy colors really works!!
Poor guy is kind of a wimp, though. I think the change from working on a groomed track and being in a stall 24/7 to suddenly being out in a muddy paddock 24/7 messed him up. Today I noticed a scrape on one of his hind heel bulbs--my guess is he scraped it on the ice. He got his legs brushed off and puffed with Gold Bond medicated powder.
He was put back out with the group today, idea being that being with friends will encourage him to move and get rid of the puffiness. Whether it's that or the boy color blanket, I don't know, but something is helping. The legs are still swollen, but there's definite improvement.
His girlfriend was a little too interested in River's Bucket O' Grain and Antibiotics
(After this he pounced and ran her off. Meany.)
River says "Go away, I'm eating and you ran out of peppermints."
A little about me
Yeah, okay, I know you're more interested in River than me, but too bad. Feel free to tl;dr this post.
I'm 26, in grad school, and been horse crazy my whole life, but I only got involved with them when I was 19. I didn't start really riding for another year and a half. (My riding experience before consisted of riding and falling off of my friend's sister's friend's ponies, and a couple trail riding things.) So I've been riding for about 6 years. I don't really have much to show for it, either. I haven't done much showing, and nothing besides local schooling shows.
At this point, you're probably wondering, why the eff did you think it would be a good idea to get a fresh OTTB? Well, um, hi, have you LOOKED at the pictures of the OTTB in question? I might be a bit of an idiot, but I'm not stupid.
And anyway, it's not like I've ever ridden a really GOOD horse. I learned to ride and jump on a horse who enjoys galloping flat out to the fence and then slamming on the brakes at the last second. I've worked with a horse who thinks it's fun to randomly take off bucking for no reason whatsoever. I took a horse from jumping groundpoles like they were 3' to doing 2'6"-3' comfortably. And I have worked with one recently off the track TB before (that's another post for another day).
So, while I am admittedly not the most qualified person for River, I'm not the least qualified either. Probably.
Here's me and my dirty stopper, first and only time over 3'6":
And the psycho overjumper. Just pretend my leg isn't terrible:
There is one thing that may very well end up being a problem when we start riding, so I'll lay it out now so things make sense later.
Yeah. I had a little riding accident in May '10. I was out galloping my mare, got near the end of the path, started to ask her to slow, she started turning to the left, I fell off the right, my left leg got stuck in the stirrup, and that there is the result.
Oh, and this:
Those two white things that the arrows are pointing to? Those are the two halves of my ACL. Which shouldn't be in two pieces.
I am, however, a stupid crazy horseperson, and was back on a horse 5 weeks post-injury when my surgeon told me I was "weight bearing as tolerated". Which obviously means "go ahead and ride a horse." Obviously.
(Not the horse I fell off.)
So... I had a rather nasty accident which involved a helicopter ride, a lot of titanium, several days in the hospital, and multiple surgeries--one to fix the broken leg, one about 2 months later to replace the ACL, and one a year after the accident to take the titanium back out.
The point of all this? I have some confidence issues. I'm getting better, but when you're used to bouncing and getting right back on the horse, being laid up for months kind of messes you up. So if, at some point, you're wondering why I'm being a wuss, you have your answer. The drugs you get with a badly broken leg are good, but they aren't that good.
Here's to hoping River is a good boy. And that someday the confidence comes back.
I'm 26, in grad school, and been horse crazy my whole life, but I only got involved with them when I was 19. I didn't start really riding for another year and a half. (My riding experience before consisted of riding and falling off of my friend's sister's friend's ponies, and a couple trail riding things.) So I've been riding for about 6 years. I don't really have much to show for it, either. I haven't done much showing, and nothing besides local schooling shows.
At this point, you're probably wondering, why the eff did you think it would be a good idea to get a fresh OTTB? Well, um, hi, have you LOOKED at the pictures of the OTTB in question? I might be a bit of an idiot, but I'm not stupid.
And anyway, it's not like I've ever ridden a really GOOD horse. I learned to ride and jump on a horse who enjoys galloping flat out to the fence and then slamming on the brakes at the last second. I've worked with a horse who thinks it's fun to randomly take off bucking for no reason whatsoever. I took a horse from jumping groundpoles like they were 3' to doing 2'6"-3' comfortably. And I have worked with one recently off the track TB before (that's another post for another day).
So, while I am admittedly not the most qualified person for River, I'm not the least qualified either. Probably.
Here's me and my dirty stopper, first and only time over 3'6":
And the psycho overjumper. Just pretend my leg isn't terrible:
There is one thing that may very well end up being a problem when we start riding, so I'll lay it out now so things make sense later.
Yeah. I had a little riding accident in May '10. I was out galloping my mare, got near the end of the path, started to ask her to slow, she started turning to the left, I fell off the right, my left leg got stuck in the stirrup, and that there is the result.
Oh, and this:
Those two white things that the arrows are pointing to? Those are the two halves of my ACL. Which shouldn't be in two pieces.
I am, however, a stupid crazy horseperson, and was back on a horse 5 weeks post-injury when my surgeon told me I was "weight bearing as tolerated". Which obviously means "go ahead and ride a horse." Obviously.
(Not the horse I fell off.)
So... I had a rather nasty accident which involved a helicopter ride, a lot of titanium, several days in the hospital, and multiple surgeries--one to fix the broken leg, one about 2 months later to replace the ACL, and one a year after the accident to take the titanium back out.
The point of all this? I have some confidence issues. I'm getting better, but when you're used to bouncing and getting right back on the horse, being laid up for months kind of messes you up. So if, at some point, you're wondering why I'm being a wuss, you have your answer. The drugs you get with a badly broken leg are good, but they aren't that good.
Here's to hoping River is a good boy. And that someday the confidence comes back.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Awwwwww
River is so darn lucky he's adorable.
I went out this morning to give him his antibiotics and check on him. We had a little conversation--
Me: I'm getting a new blanket ready for you to keep you warm!
River: *shakes head*
Me: You don't want a new blanket? But this one's blue!
River: *nods*
Me: *squeal*
Awwwwww! Now all I have to do is promise him a boy-colored halter and he'll agree to anything! Hmmm, maybe I should tell him he can have a non-girly halter if his fat legs go down.
Also, a new modem and a new router later, my internet at home is working again! Yay!
I went out this morning to give him his antibiotics and check on him. We had a little conversation--
Me: I'm getting a new blanket ready for you to keep you warm!
River: *shakes head*
Me: You don't want a new blanket? But this one's blue!
River: *nods*
Me: *squeal*
Awwwwww! Now all I have to do is promise him a boy-colored halter and he'll agree to anything! Hmmm, maybe I should tell him he can have a non-girly halter if his fat legs go down.
Also, a new modem and a new router later, my internet at home is working again! Yay!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Somebody shoot me, please.
River is a fan of symmetry.
Heaven help me.
My vet is going to fire me as a client. I haven't called him about this new development... yet. Today's his day at the track (not the one River came from), so I'll wait until he's probably done with that to bother him.
I went out this morning to give River his second dose of antibiotics (2 down, 12 to go), only to discover that now his right FRONT is swollen in addition to his right hind! Wow, thanks, buddy! I do prefer even numbers and symmetry, so it makes me SO happy that you decided to have an even number of fat legs. I don't even know WTF he could have done this time. There's a slight hint of warmth on the back of the pastern, but nothing like how the hind was. (Thank goodness for the past tense, the heat is mostly gone from his hind.)
So now River gets to spend the day in a stall. He'll have to go back out at night because the baby comes in at night, and her stall is next to the stall River hasn't broken yet. Those two stalls have a removable wall so they can be made into one big foaling stall. The wall is a little too easily removable and we can't risk them knocking it down during the night and hurting the baby. As much as I'd like to keep River in until he's better, I completely agree that it's not worth something happening to the baby. At least it's getting cold enough at night that the mud is freezing... FINALLY. So I'll just have to clean the mud off River as best as I can before he goes out, coat him in Gold Bond/Desitin/petroleum jelly, and hope he doesn't get too yucky.
At least he isn't really bothered by the fat legs. He's getting his racing plates pulled next week, so maybe that will help. River, please please please don't develop a chronic problem, I'm BEGGING you. I gave you a home and clothes and friends, the least you can do is stop getting injuries! You survived HOW long on the track just fine? You have no excuse for this.
I'm praying he just tweaked something in the mud, first from being rude to the other OTTB and then from being a drama queen in his solitary confinement (sharing two fencelines, though!). Please let it go away quickly. Pleeeaaaaaaassssssseeeeeeeeee. Please!
You can see how bothered he is by this.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
8 Days and 8 Hours
That's how long we made it without catastrophe.
My plans for the evening: Take care of the ponies, go home, watch Dexter, eat dinner, go to bed.
Taking care of the ponies started off okay until it got to our featured character. I brought him in to eat his beet pulp and noticed his right hind was swollen and he was holding it up a bit. Felt it and there was heat at the back of his pastern. Greattttttttt. I called my vet who recommended SMZs and wrapping. Okay, I'll pick up the SMZs in the morning, wrap him tonight and keep him stalled until it's better.
I should point out at this point that I'm a little sensitive to this because I've known a horse who ended up with horrible, chronic lymphangitis/cellulitis. His legs are now the size of tree trunks. It's really really nasty. I don't want that happening to River.
He's also got some redness at the back of his pastern which worries me a little.
You can see he's not hugely swollen....
Anywho. I happened to have wraps in my car, so I went and told the BO about it and got some wraps. River was having kittens because OMG his friends were outside and he wasn't!!! News flash: You've known them for a week. You don't like each other THAT much. I hosed off the mud and set to work wrapping him. Got him all set with not too much fussing and decided to give him a candy cane.
Wouldn't you know the spoiled jerk doesn't much care for candy canes? Why plain wrapped peppermints are so much better than candy canes is a mystery to me, but then I never claimed to be a peppermint connoisseur. Where is the catastrophe? I, uh, didn't quite shut the stall door when I went in. You can see where this is going.
He snuck out, ripping half the door off in the process, and proceeded to take a tour of the property. Did I mention this was at night? Pitch black? In a drizzle? And mud?
The only good thing is his Rambo sheet has reflective tape on it and I was able to kind of see him. My barn owner came out and we eventually caught him. He couldn't go back in his stall because he, you know, broke it.. so we had to put him back outside for the night. He's in a separate paddock so he can't get into trouble. (He was apparently being mean to the other OTTB who is too much of a wimp to stand up to him.)
*sigh*
I think he's trying to make me regret getting him. Bad bad horse. Or maybe he's like a foster child who doesn't trust adults and is bad on purpose to drive people away before he can be rejected by them.
Why did I think it was a good idea to get another horse?
My plans for the evening: Take care of the ponies, go home, watch Dexter, eat dinner, go to bed.
Taking care of the ponies started off okay until it got to our featured character. I brought him in to eat his beet pulp and noticed his right hind was swollen and he was holding it up a bit. Felt it and there was heat at the back of his pastern. Greattttttttt. I called my vet who recommended SMZs and wrapping. Okay, I'll pick up the SMZs in the morning, wrap him tonight and keep him stalled until it's better.
I should point out at this point that I'm a little sensitive to this because I've known a horse who ended up with horrible, chronic lymphangitis/cellulitis. His legs are now the size of tree trunks. It's really really nasty. I don't want that happening to River.
He's also got some redness at the back of his pastern which worries me a little.
You can see he's not hugely swollen....
Anywho. I happened to have wraps in my car, so I went and told the BO about it and got some wraps. River was having kittens because OMG his friends were outside and he wasn't!!! News flash: You've known them for a week. You don't like each other THAT much. I hosed off the mud and set to work wrapping him. Got him all set with not too much fussing and decided to give him a candy cane.
Wouldn't you know the spoiled jerk doesn't much care for candy canes? Why plain wrapped peppermints are so much better than candy canes is a mystery to me, but then I never claimed to be a peppermint connoisseur. Where is the catastrophe? I, uh, didn't quite shut the stall door when I went in. You can see where this is going.
He snuck out, ripping half the door off in the process, and proceeded to take a tour of the property. Did I mention this was at night? Pitch black? In a drizzle? And mud?
The only good thing is his Rambo sheet has reflective tape on it and I was able to kind of see him. My barn owner came out and we eventually caught him. He couldn't go back in his stall because he, you know, broke it.. so we had to put him back outside for the night. He's in a separate paddock so he can't get into trouble. (He was apparently being mean to the other OTTB who is too much of a wimp to stand up to him.)
*sigh*
I think he's trying to make me regret getting him. Bad bad horse. Or maybe he's like a foster child who doesn't trust adults and is bad on purpose to drive people away before he can be rejected by them.
Why did I think it was a good idea to get another horse?
Monday, December 5, 2011
Not About River
Tonight is my bowling night, so I didn't have time to visit River. Since I don't have anything fun about him, here's a sales pitch instead.
Christmas is fast approaching, are you looking for the perfect gift for a fellow equestrienne (or yourself)? I have the perfect idea! All pads are AP but will fit under most dressage saddles. The border fabrics are real VB fabric.
Here's Windsor Blue on a light blue pad
Paprika on white:
Java Blue on light blue:
Night and Day on black:
Mediterranean on white:
Pink Elephant on light pink:
If you're interested, comment with your email address :). I have more fabrics, so if there's something else you want, let me know! Money made from these will help fund River's accessories fund!
Christmas is fast approaching, are you looking for the perfect gift for a fellow equestrienne (or yourself)? I have the perfect idea! All pads are AP but will fit under most dressage saddles. The border fabrics are real VB fabric.
Here's Windsor Blue on a light blue pad
Paprika on white:
Java Blue on light blue:
Night and Day on black:
Mediterranean on white:
Pink Elephant on light pink:
If you're interested, comment with your email address :). I have more fabrics, so if there's something else you want, let me know! Money made from these will help fund River's accessories fund!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)