Truth Be Told

Not the post I wanted to be writing tonight.  X-Tra Pony and Windhurst Farm had to say goodbye to another dear friend today.  The past year has not been a good one in that respect.

Tru had been doing so much better lately.  With the regular acupuncture from Dr Maro he was improving.  His leg had been staying normal, well normal for that leg anyway.  And Katie was back to riding him.   He wasn't in work per say, but she was doing some walk/trot under saddle and he looked really good.  He was moving well, completely sound.  He was happy and enjoying life.

Thursday morning I guess the leg blew up again, although not as much swelling this time as in the past.  But Tru wouldn't put any weight on it.  He wouldn't really move at all.  He spent all day Thursday and all that night out in the arena with Pele and Annie.  When I got to the barn Friday morning, the leg was still swollen but he was moving better.  He was hobbling but he would move at least.  Before I left Friday afternoon, we fed and brought him in his stall.  When I left he was happily munching on his hay.

Saturday morning, he was fine when Bonnie fed.  But then about an hour later Sarah and I went over to that side to grab wheelbarrows, I found him sweating and shaking.  Called Bonnie over.  She called Dr Maro while I got a cooler on him and heated up some water (his water bucket was empty)  He was guzzling the water as soon as I poured it in his bucket which is very unlike him.  Sarah got him another bucket of water, and he wouldn't even let me pour it in his big bucket, he drank right from the smaller one.  He ended up drinking like 2 whole buckets of water then.  Dr. Maro was going to come out and see him, and in the meantime Bonnie went upstairs to throw him some hay.  Nothing wrong with Tru's appetite, he perked up as soon as he heard her walking across the hayloft.  Anyways, we figured the best thing for him then was just to leave him alone and see if he would calm down any.  So we got started on the barn chores.  Cleaned Airy's stall first thing so we could move Tru over there.  The stall itself is more level, plus we can keep a better eye on him.  Of course though it was slow going cleaning stalls, we could only fill the wheelbarrows about half full because the ground is so wet and muddy, anything more than that and you get stuck.  So I checked on Tru frequently, he wasn't getting any worse, so that was a good sign at least.  He was very unsteady on his feet, but he was smart enough to use the wall to support himself.  Which is good because I don't think there's anyway we could have gotten him up if he had gone down.  We got Tru moved over to Airy's stall, changed his cooler and gave him some more hay.  He seemed, content at least.  He was obviously in distress and uncomfortable.  But he still had a bright eye, and his ears were perked.  He looked for attention when we went in his stall.

I had to leave before Dr Maro got there.  But I did get updates.  Dr Maro diagnosed him with an infection in his leg and I guess he was doing a little better on Sunday.  But today he started deteriorating.  And Katie made the very difficult decision to let him go.  It was the right decision, as hard as it was to make.  She was with him, he was happy, and eating peppermints right to the end.  He was reunited last night with his girlfriend Jade, and know Vinny and Fatty were waiting for him as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Good-bye Tru, you will be missed.

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

when their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

is a place where beloved creatures find rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

til The Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

for here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed.

Their bodies have healed with strength imbued.

They trot through the grass without even a care, 

til one day they whinny and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes sharp and alert.

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the herd.

For just at that second, there's no room for remorse.

As they see each other...one person...one horse.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart

has turned to joy once more in each heart.

They nuzzle with a love that will last forever.

And then, side-by-side, they cross over...together.

~Author Unknown

Read more...

This and That

I know, I know, I kinda disappeared of the internet for a while. Sorry bout that! Anyways, lots has happened in the last few weeks. I went up to New York for the Cattaraugus County Fair Horse Show in the beginning of August. And I was getting paid for it! Judi had hired me to groom her horse and get her ready for classes. Angel was a dream to groom. So easy to work with, and she was super neat in her stall. She was bathed before we got there Thursday and Saturday I only had to hose her off, no second bath. Judi kicked butt that weekend. Won many of her classes including both the Open Western Pleasure Championship and the Half-Arabian Western Pleasure Championship. In addition to grooming for Judi I got to ride Dalal in a few classes. First up was the Arabian Western Pleasure Ladies to Ride. We had a decent ride and ended up placing 2nd out of 4. Not too bad considering that we were beat by Emily Kidd. Then in the evening session I had the Open Western Pleasure Ladies to Ride. There were 10 horses in the class, including Judi and Angel. We had such a good ride! It also helped that Judi blew a lead :) We ended up winning the class, my first blue ribbon in a Western Pleasure class! Tom was supposed to then take Dalal in the Arabian Western Pleasure Open just three classes later, but he decided that since it was raining and I was already dressed and wet that I could take him in that class. Paul and Tom C gave me some grief about Tom hiring a ringer to ride his horse while we were waiting in the warm up. Now the Catt County Horse Show is held in conjunction with the Cattaraugus County Fair, which plays a part in this next class. We had just jogged into the ring to start the class and from over at the grandstand I hear people counting down. And then.....BOOM!! Huge explosion to kick of the school bus demolition derby. Scared the crap out of me. All the horses in the ring just stopped dead. I had an ok ride after that. I was a bit rattled and Dalal was too. We ended up 3rd. Sunday were the championship classes. Because of a little confusion with class numbers I ended up riding both the championships. We finished 3rd in the one and 4th in the other. No too bad all in all.

The weekend after Catt Co, Katie took Tru up to Erie for the August horse trials in beginner novice. She had a decent dressage ride. Except Tru spooked at the trailer the judge was sitting in as they rode the center line and Katie cracked him with her whip. Right in front of the judge. Bad move. Other than that it was ok, not great, but pretty good for Katie. After that we had a couple of hours so we walked the stadium course and then the cross country. Cross country was the exact same course Kaye and I did in June only reversed. Pretty easy and straightforward. Stadium was pretty easy too. Time for stadium warm up. Katie warmed up pretty good. She borrowed my long spurs and made him go over the fence. However when she gets in the ring, she freezes. Three stops at the first fence and they're eliminated. Katie talks to the president of the ground jury and gets permission to ride her cross country. Again warms up nicely. Out of the start box, down to the first fence and stop. So ends Katie's trip to Erie.

The next day I went to a one day show at Brookfield with Tom. Rode Dalal in a few classes. We ended up winning the Arabian/Half-Arabian Western Pleasure, beating both Paul and Tom C. And then we were second in the Adult Western Equitation. So that was pretty cool.

Read more...