Pony ouch
Last week, one of the privately owned horses, Max, wasn't in his stall. I was told he'd colicked a couple days earlier and that they'd taken him down to the equine hospital in Leesburg. That had me wondering if I'd ever see the fella again.
I was glad to see him back in his stall when I arrived at the barn yesterday. He'd returned the day before, minus 8 feet of intestine:
He's on assorted meds and doesn't seem uncomfortable. Oddly, he's a lot friendlier than he was before. That might be due to him being rather hungry. For now, he's on a very restricted diet. He gets a quarter flake of hay that's been soaked in water every two hours. No grain and absolutely no treats. He pretty much inhales his little meals. It's tough on the staff at the regular barn feeding times, just giving Max a teeny portion while his neighbors get 8-12 times as much. Still, it's necessary til the guy heals up a bit.
I also nearly got bitten by Cascade. She's usually on the grumpy side but sticks to just looking unhappy when being saddled up. Yesterday, though, when I was tightening her girth she turned her head and nipped. She did manage to just snag the front of my pants and I certainly felt it. Much harder and I'd have ended up with an equine hickey. That earned her a slap on the neck. I rechecked her saddle and blanket to make sure there wasn't anything amiss to cause her to nip, but found nothing. I think she was just in a crabby mood and went a bit too far.
I was glad to see him back in his stall when I arrived at the barn yesterday. He'd returned the day before, minus 8 feet of intestine:
He's on assorted meds and doesn't seem uncomfortable. Oddly, he's a lot friendlier than he was before. That might be due to him being rather hungry. For now, he's on a very restricted diet. He gets a quarter flake of hay that's been soaked in water every two hours. No grain and absolutely no treats. He pretty much inhales his little meals. It's tough on the staff at the regular barn feeding times, just giving Max a teeny portion while his neighbors get 8-12 times as much. Still, it's necessary til the guy heals up a bit.
I also nearly got bitten by Cascade. She's usually on the grumpy side but sticks to just looking unhappy when being saddled up. Yesterday, though, when I was tightening her girth she turned her head and nipped. She did manage to just snag the front of my pants and I certainly felt it. Much harder and I'd have ended up with an equine hickey. That earned her a slap on the neck. I rechecked her saddle and blanket to make sure there wasn't anything amiss to cause her to nip, but found nothing. I think she was just in a crabby mood and went a bit too far.