waiting on an abscess

At least we think that's what we're waiting on. We woke up Saturday morning to find Cody lame on the left front. No swelling or heat in the leg itself, some heat around the heel bulb area. He was as eager as ever for his breakfast tub, and went out with the herd for after-breakfast hay.

I walked the back field where they'd been turned out Friday night. There was no evidence of any accident or wildness on the part of the herd. The ground is still very soft and I knew I'd see it if they'd been running or doing anything overly strenuous.

 Fortunately, too, my daughter rode Cody on Friday and I was out there to watch - he looked fine, if anything, better than usual in movement. So it's clear the onset was sudden.

We brought him back in after an hour or so on Saturday morning to soak the hoof, mainly to get it really clean so we could see if there was anything to be seen - there isn't. The primary clues are that he does not want to put his weight back onto the heel, and that seems to be where the little bit of heat is.

He *will* put his full weight on it periodically, and when he does, it doesn't seem like the discomfort dramatically increases- there is an increase until the weight goes down and then it seems to ease. He also seems to enjoy the soaking - puts his weight down into the water.

We've done two wrappings with Animalintex and reconfigured the barn set-up so that at night and for some time each day he and Rafer Johnson share the barn aisle, one stall, and the big barnyard and arena. Salina and Redford are on their side with the neighboring stall and grass paddock, and Keil Bay and Apache Moon are in their regular place, but with three stalls instead of two and their paddock.

Mainly I didn't want Cody to get upset that the herd was out of sight - this way they all get turn-out as usual but they are always where he can be adjacent to them.

During the day they're turning out and he goes out with them for some portion of the day.

The hoof seems to get a bit more tender after the wrapping, so I think the drawing action is doing its job - but the abscess just isn't coming "out" yet.  I've given two different homeopathic remedies - should know today if the second one has had an effect.

The most interesting thing about this is that we've never really had an opportunity to experience Cody as a "patient." He's the youngest of the horses, and although he does have the PSSM issue, we've not had the occasion to treat him for more than the occasional very minor thing.

I'm not sure why I'm surprised at how good a patient he is being. When his hoof is being soaked, wrapped, examined, etc., he is cooperative and very interested in what's going on. He loves the smell of the VetWrap, wants to know exactly what it is we're soaking his hoof in, and he's the most enthusiastic homeopathic remedy taker I've ever seen. He almost seems to be enjoying the special time he's getting.

All that said, I am of course ready for this thing to either reabsorb or burst out so that Cody can get back to normal. If we don't see some positive movement in the next day or so we'll get the vet out.  But meanwhile, I'm taking the time to stop and notice how flexible my herd is. They've all cheerfully switched their routine around to accommodate Cody's needs, and Rafer is being especially good about staying with Cody (when he could easily go through the fence and join the others).

When an equine is sick, or off, time seems to pass differently. It feels like days and days since Saturday morning, but it's only Monday. I've been thinking about spring and all the pre-spring chores that need doing. I've been looking at seeds and sketching out plantings. And getting myself a few months ahead of where we actually are - the middle of winter.

As horses seem particularly gifted at doing, Cody has brought all of us back to the present, where we watch and treat and wait with him for his hoof to heal. And when it does, and the herd is back to the usual routine, I think we'll all be extra grateful for "normal" again. Whether it's cold or hot, too wet or too dry, there's no question that all of those things are infinitely tolerable when the herd is healthy. And we have the luxury to complain about something like the weather.

how my children get my attention

by sending emails with subject headings like this:


Subject: PRINT PRINT PRINT BY THE ORDER OF THE HEREDITARY REPUBLIC OF KEIL BAY PRINT

Roomba... fieldba?

Last night I reached the limits of my patience with the state of my house. Not that I kicked into full-blown cleaning gear - instead I sat down at my desk and once again began to look at the possibility of the Roomba.

After a few minutes, which were punctuated with Bear the Corgi chasing, in order, Kyra Corgi, several resident felines, and nothing, it occurred to me that perhaps my thought of Roombas constantly circling and cleaning was... not exactly realistic.

Can you imagine the scene here if I set up a Roomba with a less than one-year-old Corgi in the house? Between Bear and the cats, and Kyra provoking them into action from the sidelines, I'm not sure the Roomba would make even half a circuit.

I wrote on Facebook this morning that maybe the Roomba would work if I could program it to say "leave it, Bear" as it made its journey through the house.

And then, my mind went into overdrive.

A pasture roomba!

That scene would be, I'm afraid, even crazier. Between Keil Bay flipping it into the next county, the painted pony herding it, two donkey boys stomping it, and Cody nibbling it, the thing wouldn't make it to the first pile of manure.

All this is clearly a sign that I am emotionally and psychologically ready for spring. The day before yesterday I spent nearly the entire day harrowing the front field - there was ONE DAY where it had dried out and thawed out just enough to do the job, and rain was predicted for that night, so I had to get it done before the rain actually started. In the midst of it, I ran out of gas, one back tire that has a leak had to be filled with air 3x, the mower blades got packed with soil and mulched leaves, and I had to take a couple of breaks just to keep myself going. But I got it done.

Needless to say when I got inside around 4, the house was a wreck and I had to take son to his class. Yesterday I focused on the house. Hence the dreaming of Roombas and wallbas and all kinds of -bas that would take over and do all the things I feel like I never get to in the process of cleaning.

And what a shock when I realized that the one real thing in my fantasy - the Roomba - is not even a possibility because of the Bear! 

When I start obsessing over things like this, it's a sure sign spring is in the air, even if only as a fantasy. But it's not a fantasy - yesterday I discovered the first bulbs shooting their green heads toward the sky.

It's starting. And now there's a race to keep up - I finally sketched out the garden beds last night and began to think about starting seeds.

Couldn't Martha Stewart loan me her staff for just one week? They might be mortified but they could dig in, get me caught up, and then head back to perfection land.

If anyone has suggestions for coordinating house and barn and fields and all the things that need doing in between, I am all ears!

Safety Helmets for USA National Dressage Required on March 1st

It's about time!  Read the full story HERE.

the Irish RM

A while back Sheaffer recommended this television series to me after I posted some foxhunting photos. I finally finished my second watching of West Wing on Netflix and tonight popped in the first disk of the Irish RM's first season.

Oh my goodness! Episode one gets off to a slow start, but once you hit episode two it is off and running.

I love it!

Thank you, Sheaffer!

Found this for a little preview in case you're considering checking it out: