Wednesday, November 30, 2011

quick end of November catch-up

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here on November Hill, and this week have gone from balmy to downright brisk outside. Yesterday morning the geldings and Redford were galloping wildly, and Keil Bay was doing his huge floating trot, which always makes me stop and watch. There is simply nothing more beautiful than Keil Bay doing that trot. Unless it's Salina walking out of the barn looking like a 4-year old, or Cody doing the "power canter" that embraces energy and collection at the same moment, or the pony at full gallop, or the donkeys doing almost anything at all.

We had the chiropractor here after the gallop session and Cody was again almost completely clear. He's beginning to enjoy the chiropractor almost as much as Keil Bay does, which is wonderful. It tells me his muscles and joints are feeling better now that we (knock on wood) have his PSSM symptoms under good control.

Keil Bay had a pelvic rotation, but otherwise was clear. He groaned with pleasure as she went along his neck checking for issues, and closed his eyes in what looked like a meditative state as she stretched out his front legs.

Salina was a handful! She's been on the Previcox for nearly a month and we are seeing her younger mare spirit rise up again. She had a very obvious to the chiropractor hip issue and seemed to know that it was going to be a big adjustment - so we marched up and down the barn aisle a few times until she settled down and allowed it to happen. The moment the adjustment was done, she relaxed from head to tail, and had the most enjoyable chiropractic exam she's ever had. It was wonderful to see.

I'm en route to the periodontist today to get my teeth cleaned after the fairly hideous staining that has resulted from the post-laser gum surgery antibiotic rinse. There have been years of my life when this would have completely freaked me out, but after the November we've had with horses the fact of stained teeth just hasn't seemed all that important to me.

The gum surgery went well, I was actually cheerful during the IV being inserted, due to two very amazing pills. I've made it through the soft food for 22 days regime. And hopefully this afternoon will have a more normal color of teeth!

On the "working on it" side of things, we have a pony who needs more hard work (he's his usual very chubby self this season and grumpy as a result) and a donkey with two ouchy front hooves. Here's hoping we move into December with good solutions for both of them.

Starting tomorrow I'm doing a series of November Hill gift idea posts for the holiday season - including gifting oneself with something special if need be! You'll see the gift I gave to myself for going through with all this dental work after dreading it for two years. Stay tuned...

8 comments:

Grey Horse Matters said...

So good to hear that the chiro went well for those in need. You should video Keil's trot someday I'm sure it's amazing to see.

I feel for you with your teeth issues. I'm not a very good patient at the dentist either. Just finished up a root canal on Monday and have to go again next week for the whole cap thing. Ugh.

Let's hope December is a stress free month, relating to humans and equines. Looking forward to your holiday gift ideas.

Anonymous said...

Glad all is well - mine have chiro tomorrow and I hope that's enjoyable for them - and I hope she can figure out what's wrong with Drifter.

Dental work - ick!! I need to get some done - my teeth got damaged both when Dawn kicked me in the face a few years ago and also when I fell off on my head last summer - perhaps you can inspire me to make the appointments I need to . . .

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

It has been an unmentionable amount of time since I've had dental work done - a vicious cycle that is. Brave, brave billie :)

I hope you recover well, glad that the equines are feeling good + staying safe, and looking forward to your gift giving posts!

billie said...

A, I am totally with you on December being stress-free! We can all use it after this November!

billie said...

Kate, hope the chiro goes well for your crew.

I have put this dental/periodontal work off for two years. I think the key for me was finding a dentist who has been both understanding and an advocate - he isn't pushy and is very low key, which works better with me than demanding and/or scaring/intimidating with information.

Fortunately the perio he referred me to is the exact same way - and they took my fear of needles and IVs seriously and created a positive experience with both.

Somehow this is reminding me of something we might write about working with horses. LOL.

billie said...

C, I reward myself heavily when doing stuff like this. :) And bravery is easy when they give you pills to take before you ever leave home!

I am happy to report that the staining is not only GONE but my teeth are whiter and brighter than before the surgery. And this was just a "quick polish." I was also happy that there was no sensitivity at all - which means the gums are healing well and things are moving in the right direction already. Whew.

Victoria Cummings said...

It's great that Salina is doing better! And I feel motivated after your dental experiences to pay more attention to my teeth after the holidays. I'm really looking forward to your gift ideas - especially curious about what you gave yourself - I'm putting together my Christmas wish list. Let's hope for a calm and happy December.

billie said...

Thanks, Victoria. I am literally waiting for the gift to self to arrive and then I will absolutely showcase it here!