Happy Birthday, Yalla!

Yalla! FantastyKheema arrived about 3:40 AM on June 14th, 2009 and this time Lisa (my neighbor) and I were fortunate enough to witness the entire birthing process, following a week of sleeping in the barn. See here for our adventures and pictures. Also, LaughingOrcaRanch.blogspot.com has an excellent write up and pictures of the events leading up to and following her birth, as well. see here.

She has now matured to a solid four year old and is saddled and ready to go. (I know, the saddle pad is waaaay too long for her short back.) I've only managed a half dozen rides or so, and many of them were bareback, but she is coming along nicely. She has a lot of attitude but she's smart and quick to learn...and quick on her feet too!

As with Scout, however, she didn't grow as tall as I'd hoped.  Actually, this picture is from last year. I was certain I had more recent ones. I can't find any right now so I'll just have to take some this afternoon when the sun is better.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to my beautiful little fireball with a brain, Yalla!

Let's go!!

Educating Yalla! Tying

I tied Yalla! up to the pipe fence post today while I brushed her down. She kept leaning on the rope, testing it, and then going forward again. I worried that she'd sit back and break the old cotton lead rope so I doubled the rope up through her halter and around the pole.

 Then she began chewing on the rope. She's like a little kid, busy all the time and putting things in her mouth.

I've been finding teeth in her feeder and on the ground recently. So far, I've found two front teeth (one broken and one whole) and two molars (one broken and one whole). I'm hoping that the teething finishes by the time I start to ride her this summer.

  She was restless and pawed, while standing tied, digging a fair sized hole, when I left her standing there, while I went into the barn to do other things. She definitely needs more time being tied up. I didn't want to leave her too long so after about 40 minutes total standing time, I let her loose.

I filled the horse water and took the opportunity to spray water at Yalla! She did not like it at all. But she did keep coming back within range. I figure that, over time, she will accept it. I can spray Scout and he won't move. Of course, after he's all wet, he rolls! I did get her in a corner and sprayed her really good, at least on one side. She hated it. She tried to run out past me and I kept diverting her back to the corner. At one point, I think she considered running me down. She did as a yearling once when I tried to hose her leg off. I tripped over the hose and she ran over me. I got my face stepped on and a bloody lip. This time, I could tell that she decided it wouldn't be a good idea and I managed to get half of her very wet and the other half spotty. For a few minutes, she looked gorgeous, all shiny black, and then she also rolled in the dirt.

Later, I was sitting on the rails in her stall and she and Scout were nuzzling me as they stood along the rail. I was above them and I laid a leg across her back. She moved out of range and then came back. I did this with her several times and she seemed to get more comfortable with my leg across her back. 'Oh, how easy it would be just to drop down on her back', I thought. But I know she's not ready. Some day, but not today.

Mother and Daughter

A few weeks ago, I was chasing the horses and I decided to take some photos of mother and daughter, Annie and Yalla! for comparison. (I'm noticing how splay footed Yalla! looks in front. Hopefully, it's due to her long hooves. Oh well, thankfully, she's not a halter horse.)

Annie has a gorgeous trot. She brings her head down, arches her neck, and just floats, inches above the ground, as you can see in this photo, touching the ground quickly and only as necessary.  

Yalla! did not inherit her mother's trot, unfortunately. She keeps her head up with her nose out and tends to stay more grounded at the trot.

 However, she does have a beautiful stride at the gallop.

Notice how much mother and daughter resemble one another in the next series of photographs.

 Here they are for a side by side comparison. Yalla! should still do some growing. Her legs are as long as her mother's. We estimated that she would be about 15 hands at maturity. Currently, she's barely 14.?

Yalla! is cantering in the next shot while Annie is doing a slight turn but you can see that Yalla! still needs substance.

 There are certainly some differences, besides color, like Yalla! has a short triangular head while Annie's is quite long and narrow, but overall, Yalla! is certainly Annie's little girl, don't you think?

Broken ankles, then and now

This photo was taken one year ago today. 

On that fateful day, I was riding Scout with a different bridle (curb bit) than usual (snaffle bit with side-pull noseband) and a bareback pad without stirrups. We were doing fine until we came upon a couple of neighbors out walking their several large dogs. The dogs surrounded us and Scout panicked. He reared up and, because we were standing on the edge of the road, he lost his footing and we went over backwards down the embankment. Fortunately, I was wearing a helmet so, when I hit my head, that didn't get hurt. I did bend my glasses and cut my face. I bent a finger and the joint hurt for months. I landed on my tailbone and that hurt for weeks. I broke my ankle on the inside and had to have surgery to put in a plate and screws.

See here for more details. 

I spent several weeks in a wheelchair and had a few sessions of physical therapy. Even now, I have constant discomfort in my ankle and I cannot flex it fully. The best PT I had was walking in the snow this winter going to the barn to feed the horses. Without those long, difficult walks in the deep, uneven, crusty snow, I probably would have less flexibility in my ankle than I do have. 

Today, I was hoping to ride Scout to the place where we had our accident, but, alas, I got home too late and it got dark too quickly. I did however, ride Scout around the arena, in the dark, with my daughter on Nadia. We had fun, even if we did just walk and jog a few times. But the night air was chilly and we made it a short, uneventful ride.

It was a very different story this morning. . .

I woke up at my usual time, around 6:30, and took all the dogs out for a walk. Usually, Yalla! will be at the end of the arena by the gate waiting for me to come over and pet her or give her animal crackers, which I always have in my pocket. Annie sometimes comes down for a visit too, and when Nadia and Scout are in the arena they come too. I always enjoy visiting with my equine herd even though they are like little kids, vying for my attention. But this morning, Yalla! didn't come down to see me. Annie came part way and then went back to the barn. I figured that maybe I had caught her off guard, she was still asleep, or it was just too cold and she didn't want to leave her stall. It was 29 degrees and Annie was wearing a blanket. I thought nothing more about it and took the dogs inside.

Soon, I went out back to feed the horses and alpacas and for some crazy reason, I brought along the camera. Yalla! was still nowhere to be seen. Nadia and Scout were in their stalls and Annie came up to the fence as I approached. Then I could see Yalla! standing in her stall in the distance. 'Strange,' I thought to myself. 'That's just not like her. Why isn't she coming over? I wonder what's wrong?' 

I hurried into her stall and immediately saw the problem. Her right leg was stretched forward and her hoof was up on the pipe rail, or rather, through the pipe rail and caught against the portable panel that we had added to the alpacas' pen. 

She couldn't free it. I wondered how long she had been standing like that,  hours probably, all night possibly. Otherwise, she looked to be all right. I ran (I'm still kind of stiff-legged from my broken ankle so it must have been quite a sight!) back towards the house to wake my son and then, midway, I decided that I could do this by myself. After all, what would I do if I lived alone? I hurried back to the alpaca pen and pulled the latch pins out of the panels nearest her hoof. I worried that the panel would fall against the pipe rails and pin her foot further but, fortunately, they stayed upright. I pulled at the portable panels to move them away from Yalla! hoping that she would pull her foot out. She didn't move. I let go of the panels and they stayed upright so I ran back around to Yalla! I lifted her hoof and put it on the ground. She suddenly realized that she was free and took off away from me at a run, defiantly kicking out at me as she ran away with her neck stretched and her head snaked out. What a little beastie; she looked like she was saying, 'what took you so long to rescue me?' Sigh! I AM glad that she wasn't hurt though. 

Here's where she caught her hoof, just above the lower rail.

What a day!

Educating Yalla! Bridle time- almost! and more

The weather has been so nice this week that last night I decided to go for a ride after I came home from work. After a quick dinner, I grabbed the snaffle side-pull bridle and a curry comb and went out to see my herd. Of course, the two "people hogs", Annie and Yalla!, came right up to me and demanded to be brushed, while Scout and Nadia were kept away from me. Since I was brushing them with the bridle slung over my shoulder, I decided to see what Yalla! would do with a bit in her mouth.

I brought the bridle up to her face and put the reins over her head. No problem. Then, holding the bit in my fingers like I always do, I tried to pry her mouth open while inserting the bit.
She would not open her mouth!
No way!!
Her teeth were locked down. Tight.
I took the bridle away and pulled her lips open to look at her teeth. Oh my!!
She is missing a bottom tooth and she has two top teeth growing in above her baby front teeth. No wonder she didn't like the bit banging on her teeth! I wouldn't either!
Do you know how hard it is to open a horse's lips with one hand while taking a photo with the other? You really should try it sometime!
Check out her poor mouth!

But, I still wanted to see what she'd look like in a bridle. So, I put the reins back over her head and pulled the headstall back over her ears, only I let the snaffle bit hang underneath her chin, like a curb chain, with the noseband on top of her nose. The bridle is adjusted to fit both Scout and Annie perfectly but, oh my!, Yalla! has such a tiny head that it hung way down on her nose. Awwww, she still looks so cute! Don't ya think so?

Almost like a full grown horsie!!

Well, since she was bridled, sort of, I decided to lead her around the arena for a lesson, using reins. It's only a few more months before I will be "backing" her for the first time. Of course, at this same time, my son drove the car over to the barn and began unloading some bags of feed for me. And, it was feeding time! But that didn't seem to bother her. However, he also let Skyy and Sandy run around. And boy, did they! They ran all over the arena and the neighboring fields and even behind Yalla!, who wheeled and kicked at them. She hasn't been led around for a while and she was certainly acting fresh. I worried as she fidgeted that she'd hurt me but I realized that I would need to get her under complete control and calm in any circumstance if I was going to be riding her. I could see that she was calming down in spite of all the canine commotion. Every time she fussed or jumped, I'd circle her back. I noticed how she was spooking off to the side and wondered if that is what she'd do under saddle. We worked on whoa, back, and walk. I stood on both sides of her and worked her in both directions. I could tell she was "getting it" because I'd say whoa and then pull on the reins until soon I wasn't even pulling to stop her. Same thing with backing up. I was glad to see that she was relearning the voice commands. This will be a big help when I first ride her because then she will move out from the walk command and stop on the whoa command.

Once, Annie suddenly came running up to us and then dashed back to the barn as if to taunt Yalla!, or plead with me to let Yalla! go and feed them all their dinner. Naughty Annie!!! Thankfully, Yalla! didn't bolt. She was really calming down by now even though the dogs were still scurrying around us. We walked around a few more minutes and then we walked over to the other horses. I turned her loose. She stayed right with me and I put the bridle back on, sans bit, and took it back off. I still can't believe she's going to be three in a few months! She's smaller than I expected at her age but Scout didn't mature until his fourth year so I keep hoping for a growth spurt.

I tried to pull her front teeth but they are still in pretty tight. I'm going to keep checking on them and maybe I'll have some more horse teeth to add to my collection. I got the molars from one of my youngsters when, during a vet check, they were loose and the doctor pulled them out.  I guess that's why she was grabbing the handle of the curry and biting down on it while I was brushing her.

I never did make my ride last night but I did tonight! After currying out all the loose hair and picking his feet, I rode Scout with the same bridle I used on Yalla! last night. The sidepull is my favorite bit to use on both Scout and Annie because it's a ringed snaffle with a rawhide noseband. I cover the noseband with fleece so it's not so harsh and I find that they respond to the lightest touch on the reins because of the noseband reinforcement. I'm sure both of them would be ideal candidates for bitless bridles. I often ride Annie in a halter because she tends to get worked up when she carries a bit.

I put on a helmet and rode bareback. He was his usual awesome self and we walked, trotted and loped around the arena. He never even spooked as we rode past bushes and flushed out little birds with every step. I took him into a faster trot and sat him easily. The only time he got worked up was when I asked him to trot tight circles around three tires placed only a couple of yards apart. He is hard to turn to the right just as he refuses to strike up the right lead unless he's running in a field or taking a jump. He leans out rather than bending. I really, really need to work him on this because it does get old. Here's my view from the top of Scout's back in all his shagginess and a not-so-focused side view.

Hopefully, tomorrow night will be Annie's turn for a ride. I put the bridle on her a couple of times tonight just so she wouldn't feel left out. My daughter has been riding shaggy, old Nadia in the afternoons. Poor thing, I brushed her again tonight and took off lots and lots more hair. She always looks her worst in the spring. And the ground looks like we've had a snowstorm. 

But, now it's time for me to use nasal spray and antihistamines. I'm actually allergic to horses...Goodnight!

Educating Yalla! Sack 'N Spin

Have you ever heard of the toy, Sit 'N Spin?

Last Saturday, Yalla! played a new game called Sack 'N Spin.

I was mucking out stalls and the horses were all wandering around loose. Annie and Nadia were grazing some hay in the arena while Yalla! and Scout wandered into the barn to clean up the loose hay in the aisle and to explore, I imagine. I was dumping a load of manure along the arena fence line when suddenly I saw commotion in the barn. Scout came running out to the arena in a startle and I could see Yalla! in the barn, panicking. I couldn't imagine what had happened. I was horrified that she might have gotten caught up in some baling wire that my son often leaves laying around the opened bales.

Suddenly, she came bursting out of the barn. into the arena, past me, with a feed sack dangling from her mouth. She began spinning and spinning with the sack flapping and hitting her. She ran to the corner and began spinning again. Then she ran a hundred yards and spun some more. At first, I didn't know if the string was snagged on her chin or not, but I figured that she was probably biting down on a small end of the string, holding it in her mouth. She obviously didn't know that she could just open her mouth and the sack would fall free. I considered going over to help her out and decided that I wasn't going to risk getting hurt. I watched her spinning wildly and decided that, if need be, a day or two with the bag hanging from her mouth would certainly settle her down.

As soon as I was satisfied that she wasn't going to get hurt, I decided I would try to get my camera, wishing I had it on me. After several minutes more of her wild spins, she finally stopped spinning and running and stood still. She must have begun licking and chewing as she assessed her dilemma because the bag dropped softly to the ground. The party was over.

I think that she somehow picked up a piece of the string from the end of the empty sack while grazing and scared herself dizzy when it moved. And then, when she picked up her head, it followed her! She couldn't see what it was, just that she couldn't get away. Boy, she did some pretty rollbacks though, double and triple 360s! And slide stops too, as she tried to run away from it, into the corners. I was just glad I wasn't riding her.

I went over and picked up the sack. I walked over to Nadia who was grazing on some hay I'd spread out  and she didn't even lift her head as I rubbed her all over with it.

Scout startled a little at first, but I was able to run the sack over both his sides too.

Yalla! was still scared of the sack. I stood between her and the hay, trying to get close to her with the sack, and not letting her eat. She continued to blow and watch, just a few feet from me, as I stood my ground, guarding the hay and holding the sack. Eventually, she walked up close enough to let me touch her nose with the sack. Eventually, I set it on the ground and she toed it without flinching, as I fed her some hay. I didn't push my luck by trying to get any closer or rubbing her body with it.

Annie stayed 15 to 20 feet away from me, choosing not to confront the sack and not get any hay. She  rolled twice so she must have felt comfortable at that distance although I could tell she wanted to come eat, she just couldn't get over her fear. I didn't even try to get any closer to her. She gets upset too quickly.

There's always the next time. I hung the sack on the rails of the gate and went back to the house. I figured that the horses would be after the sack soon enough.

Next morning, I noticed the sack was at the far end of the arena, far away from the barn. I went over and picked it up and Yalla! began trotting and running down the arena towards me, as I held the dangling sack. She slowed down and drifted towards me in a drunken straight line when she saw what I was holding. She came right up to me, however, and nuzzled the sack. I was overjoyed that she made the advance to me, in spite of the sack. Again, I didn't try to rub her with it but I was pleased that she wanted to touch it. I am glad that she is such a curious, friendly horse. Hopefully, her mother's fear trait will get overpowered by her own desire to investigate.

So, again, there's always the next time. I have a lot of work cut out for me with this little horse but I appreciated her efforts to sack herself out. Maybe next time, she won't go so spin-crazy.

Educating Yalla! Down time

Today, I saw Yalla! laying down in the dirt, enjoying the warm sun and I went out to see her, hoping that she wouldn't get up.

She didn't.

She let me walk right up to her.

She was in a three quarter position as I squatted down at her chest. I had a few crazy fleeting thoughts of just climbing onto her back right then. lol. She's never even had a rider before! Instead, I pushed down on her head and neck and made her lay down all the way back. She struggled a little and then relaxed.

I talked to her and stroked her head and neck. Then I rubbed her shoulder, chest, and around her face, mouth, and ears. She lipped a little and I could see her relax. We stayed like that about ten to fifteen minutes and she only tried to get up twice during that time. A few times she tilted her nose up into the air, very strangely, like she does when she's running.

I was thrilled that I was able to get her laying flat out for me. I've been wanting to lay her down. I still intend to at another time, from the standing position. I've got her kneeling down on one leg now so all I need to do is push her over and lay her down. It sounds easy but she's got several hundred pounds on me and she has a very forceful personality. I've been thinking that laying her down will help me in training her. Has anybody used "laying down" as part of their training process? I would love to be able to teach her to "settle" and climb on her back routinely, once she's been trained to be ridden.

I was hoping that she'd go to sleep but I guess having her eyes half-closed will have to do. I let her get up and she took off running and kicked out with her hind legs, as she hightailed it around to the other side of the fence. She stopped and stood, looking at me, with the fence between us, as if to say, what was that all about?

She licked and chewed a little and then casually strolled back around the fence towards me. She stopped, took a few steps, and stopped again. Eventually, she was at my side. I gave her a head hug and then turned away from her and took a couple of steps away, looking back over my shoulder at her. Slowly, she took the few steps to stand next to me. She is one of the friendliest horses I've ever owned. Every morning, when I walk Skyy, she'll come down to the front arena gate, far away from the rest of the herd, to see us. I don't even give her treats. She just wants to be near. Sometimes, Annie will join us for a short while before turning and galloping back. Just to clarify, Scout and Nadia are in the barn runs, so they cannot come over, even if they wanted to. Yalla! never turns away; it is I, who walks away from her. Then, she'll run back down the arena to join the others.

When I am working outside, it is Yalla! who will stand and watch. Randomly, she will call out to me if she sees me or anyone else nearby. She has stood with me in the dark of night, at the furthest point from the barn, as coyotes howl just outside the fence.

And yet, she is a very dominant horse. She herds the other horses around and thinks nothing of kicking out at them as she has at me on occasion. I am extremely cautious around her and I've warned my kids to be wary of her. Everybody gets bullied by her, even Sandy the dog, and her own mother, Annie. That is why I was so thrilled to keep her laying down until I let her get up. However, that little cocky kick as she ran off bothers me. Does this mean that she didn't feel dominated by me during the lay down?

Sunday Stills (01-01-12 best photo of 2011)

This is really hard! I have lots of favorite photos, lots of memories. Just look back through my blog to the Sunday Stills and the Friday Fotos if you want to see my best. For this challenge, I decided to choose a photo taken this week, previously unposted, of my ♥ horse, Yalla! FantastyKheema, and I, to remind me that she is a big reason for my blog. It's not a flattering photo of me with no makeup and washed out flesh tones and certainly not good composition, since it was a point and shoot self portrait, but it is full of our future together. You see, my main goal for 2012 is to break and train this upcoming three year old Arabian mare to be  a good the best little riding horse I have ever owned.

Wish us a FANTASTYK VOYAGE together, will you?

Live in a Fever, Raging inside of Me, part 4

WARNING- GROSS PHOTOS AHEAD!

Over the weekend, Yalla!s chest swelled even bigger and she began to walk stiff again. She liked having me massage her neck and chest pockets- probably to relieve the pressure- but otherwise, she was lethargic and moody. I could tell she was still running a low temperature too.

I knew that soon I would need to call the vet out to lance it and begin antibiotics but I didn't want to start her too early on the antibiotics. I gave her bute a couple of mornings, several days ago, but was advised that this may prolong the infection so I stopped giving it to her. She seemed to have no problem eating, and I didn't want to call the vet out too soon. These pictures were taken Sunday morning when I borrowed my daughter's camera. Having no camera is driving me absolutely crazy.

This morning, when I went out to feed the horses, Yalla!s Pigeon Breast "pocket" had burst open and was beginning to drip fluids. I decided it was time to call the vet in order to lance it and clean it out better.

The dripping looks like sap from a tree, thick and amber colored.

I called the vet and he said he'd come by around 10:30. I went in to work for an hour or so (it's a half hour drive each way) and arrived back at the house before he showed up. He looked at her chest and worried that the pockets weren't fully developed. He gave her a sedative because he said this Pigeon Fever is very painful for the horse and most horses resent having the pockets even touched. Then he lanced the pocket, digging around, and I was surprised/disappointed that it dripped more blood than pus because that would mean he's not getting all the infection out. Notice that the fluid is brighter in color than normal blood, because it is mixed with the infectious material.

He dug around inside and again commented that it seemed to be entwined in channels. The pockets can channel up in all different ways so unless the right part is opened up, it just keeps growing and spreading into new pockets. I asked him about the flabby one at the bottom right hand corner and he said that no, that one didn't seem to be a pocket. It was more like where fluids are just settling from gravity.

I was disappointed that he just left them to drip rather than purging them with a saline solution like the other vet I've used in the two previous times with Annie. I was actually getting nausious as I watched the blood and stuff ooze out of her chest. I can't stand the sight of blood. AT. ALL.

As Yalla stood, swaying in her drug induced daze, she left nasty puddles all over the ground. The vet suggested disinfecting the area with clorox. I did sprinkle some on the various puddles of blood/pus that were forming but I think I'll need to do a very thorough cleaning when she is done with this. Unfortunately, it may be several more days, or even weeks until she is recovered. He gave me some antibiotics to feed her (once a day) and prescribed more bute for her until she is recovered.

Poor Yalla! She is such a mess right now and in so much pain too, I'm sure. I'm praying that I won't need the vet to come back out again but I half expect that I will.

 This PF is for the birds!

Oh yeah!

Happy Halloween!!!


Live in a Fever, Raging inside of Me: song: Fascination, artist: David Bowie, album: Young Americans

Live in a Fever, Raging Inside of Me, part 2

Yesterday morning I called the vet's office and spoke to the receptionist. Not much help. She said I'd need to bring Yalla! in or have a vet come out to my place for a diagnosis and treatment plan. Then I called another vet who I actually spoke with. Of course, without seeing her, it IS hard for a vet to discuss an ailment but I wanted to discover what his general course of action is when treating Pigeon Fever. With Annie, we called the vet right away, who either lanced the abcess right then or came back in a few days. I can't really remember. However, he did put her on antibiotics and I remember that he had to come back numerous times to drain and lance new pockets. Annie had multiple holes of draining nastiness for at least a couple of weeks each time. Well, that vet has since retired so I now had my choice of either the large and small animal practice with multiple vets or the solo mobile equine vet who I was able to talk to.

We discussed several options, antibiotics right away or wait, painkillers, when to lance, etc. He thought the best time to lance it was when it had developed a soft area. The first days, the swollen areas are extremely hard to the touch. We agreed that I would keep watch a few days and then call him when I thought the time was right.

This morning, I went out to feed and inspect her chest and the swelling seems to have spread, thinning out. She is still having lots of trouble walking and moving her neck up but it doesn't really seem to be worse. I took a couple of photos with my obnoxious camera. Fifty tries before it takes the photo! And, of course, the morning sun is at the worst possible angle on a dark horse. Oh well, maybe you can see it.

I dug around in my refrigerator and came up with some bute from a few years ago. The medicine was expired in March but I figured it still had some potency. She felt good enough to turn away from me and the tube of medicine but I knew she was hurting because she can hardly walk. I dosed her a little higher thaan prescribed and then worried that I might have overdosed her. She seemed fine, however. 

Now, what to do next? I've been reading everything I can about this and everybody says something different as far as treatment. My conclusions are:

• Antibiotics given too early can prolong the illness and possibly cause additional swellings?
• Some advise lancing. Vet said it's better for him to lance and clean out abcesses than to let them burst on their own.
• Lancing spills lots of contaminated fluids and is absolutely gross. Trust me on this or google videos for pigeon fever in horses. There are some outstanding videos of pus spurting from the horse's chests if you are into that sort of thing. 
• Contact with contaminated fluids could cause additional infections in other horses, alpacas, and possibly even humans?
• If the infections internalize, it can be life threatening, otherwise, just a PITA affliction.
• No treatment and the horse recovers okay? Some say "yes".
• Pain killers administered only if horse is in excessive pain. Otherwise, may prolong affliction?

Okay, so now, my course of action. I am tempted to see what would happen if I don't have it lanced. Nobody else has come down with it, so far, and they've all obiously been exposed. I hate to spread more contaminants around. Also, I worry that cutting them open can lead to worse infections, yeah, right!! And then there's the time and money factor. I have been working long hours with no end in sight so time off from work is difficult to get. And money, there is none. lol. I've had a lot of extra expenses lately and still more to come. But this is Yalla!, my baby, although I don't really think it makes a difference who it is. Last year, I took Scout to the vet with an edema on his underbelly. The vet prescribed a slow acting antibiotic and sent us home. He recovered just fine with no slicing and draining. Matter of fact, it was around this time of year. Coinidence? Or did he have a bout of it? I wonder? And talking to Lisa, Baby Doll had a mysterious swelling that eventually went away on it's own. Maybe, we are just too quick with medicine sometimes and the body will heal itself all on it's own?

Maybe I'll decide what to do in the morning...

Live in a Fever, Raging inside of Me

I went out to visit the horses this afternoon. I've been concerned that Yalla! seems to be spending a lot of time in the barn. She usually roams around looking for things to see and do.

When I approached her, I saw why. She has Corynebacteria Pseudo tuberculosis, or pigeon fever, dryland strangles, or pigeon breast, as it is also commonly called. (Click on the previous two links for more information). She has a huge swelling in her lower chest area, one higher up, towards her neck, and possibly one on the left side of her neck. She is lethargic and finds walking very uncomfortable. Annie, her mother, has come down with this at least two times over the years. Both times, her swellings were lanced and drained, numerous times, to release the pus that forms the swellings. It is supposed to be a highly infectious ailment but only Annie has had it. It is nearly impossible to quarantine Yalla!, especially since flies are purported to be the carriers. This ailment is more prevalent in the dry southwest  region and always seems to occur (in my barn, anyway) during October.

This is the topping on the cake for me. I had a brake job done on both the front and rear axles on the Hyundai last week to the sweet tune of almost $600. I had the plumber out two weekends ago for $500, repairing a leaky water heater faucet and an outdoor faucet. (I still have a leak in the barn and must keep the water turned off unless I am using it.) Last month, I had tires put on the Hyundai and the month before that the Subaru needed tires and a front brake job. And now...Yalla!

I thought about calling the vet but after doing research and thinking about Annie's episodes, I decided to wait until morning. Oh yeah, when I went to start my truck, it wouldn't. For three weeks now, I have been trying to get my oldest son out here to look at it (he's a whiz at fixing cars) and he's just too busy. I've called friends and mechanics but I couldn't get anyone to take a look at it. It starts, just won't turn over. My daughter's boyfriend finally came over and took a look and we decided that it might be the fuel filter or pump, after trying to hit the restart button. Who knew there was one? Anyway, we've been to Auto Zone twice now and I've got my fingers crossed it will work. I really need to get it running so that I can

1. Take Yalla! to the vet in the morning to find out what to do for her.
2. Go get some wood
3. Go get some hay
4. Take stuff to the dump

The vet will probably lance the abcesses (if they're ready) and give antibiotics. I believe it will run it's course if left untreated too, however, there is a risk of internal abcesses and peritonitis from ruptured abcesses getting infected. What should I do?

Pigeon fever is like a PITA ailment but it can also be life threatening, in rare circumstances. Does anyone else have any more information for me?


Live in a Fever, Raging inside of Me - song: Fascination, artist: David Bowie, album: Young Americans

Educating Yalla! darkness

Yesterday, I watched a movie titled Riding Tornado. I highly recommend it. It's the true story of a distressed young man and a very disturbed, uncontrollable Arabian stallion. Pierre, the young man, finds a horse whisperer/missionary in South Africa and takes the horse to him. Instead of working with the horse himself, Barrie Burger tells Pierre what to do. Like so many inspirational stories, Barrie teaches patience and self healing. One of his suggestions to Pierre was to go out to the horse in the dark of night and just be with him, no talking, no touching. Barrie said that the horse would seek Pierre out for companionship when he was ready. He told Pierre to softly blow in the horse's nostrils (yep, there it is again) and only touch the horse if Tornado wanted it. Then, Pierre began taking Tornado for long walks at night in the Kalahari desert. Barrie said that the man and the horse would have to trust and depend on one another in the darkness. It's a good story; the changes to Tornado are incredibly visible throughout the movie and the cinematography is amazing!

This movie inspired me to go out for a late night visit to my own equines. I used to like to ride at night but since my ankle injury, I haven't. I considered riding last night but the mosquitos were out in full force. I was wearing a sweatshirt and leggings but they still bit at the exposed skin on my head, face and neck.

This photo is from another day but I thought I'd post it anyway.

It was very dark going to the barn but my eyes quickly adjusted and soon I could see well enough to go visit the horses. First, I visited my sweet Nadia. She nickered softly to me as I stroked her neck and murmured sweet nothings to her. She is looking really good right now for her 28 years. There was a spell where she lost weight and was continuously shedding her thick hair. Now she is sleek and soft coated. She still needs muscle tone but I have to keep her separated from the others so that she can eat and she tends not to walk around much. Since I've been feeding the alfalfa hay, her appetite has picked up. She used to leave hay scattered all over the place. Now, sometimes, all the hay is gone. Good girl!

I moved on to Scout, Yalla! and Annie. Scout is much more forward than he has been in a long time. It seems like since the accident in April where he reared and fell over backwards on me, he is trying to make it up to me again. He is such a sweetheart that I don't blame him for what happened. I think he lost his balance. I really do need to show him that all is well with us by riding him out again.

Annie was her usual sweet self. She loves to be loved but she is easily intimidated. She came right up for hugging but quickly backed off when Yalla! and Scout got in the way. Off and on she would come over to me for a scratching or nostril blowing and then back away again.

Yalla! never quits. She wants to explore my boots, my pockets, my hands, my hair. She loves to have me blow in her nostrils. She stretches her head up and towards me for more. The "vee" between her forelegs is one of her favorite places for scratching. I really need to start taking her for those midnight walks like in the movie. I just didn't feel like it tonight with the skeeters biting me. I did, however, walk away from the horses and down the arena to the log. I sat down and waited to see who would come. Right away, I heard galloping hooves. Yalla! was there in the darkness with me, again nosing everything on my person. She so reminded me of Tornado in the movie, when he turned towards Pierre for "games."

Yalla! and I heard something outside of the arena and, true to her name, Yalla! or "Let's Go" in Arabic, she bolted away, back to the safety of the barn and the other horses. She immediately turned around and galloped back to me. A coyote began howling several yards away and she tensed, but this time she didn't run off. She moved closer to me, protector, or for protection, I wasn't sure which, but she stayed with me as the coyote continued to howl and bark, in the nearby darkness. I swear that coyote was trying to sound like a barking dog. Other times, I've heard a coyote sound like a cat meowing.  I wondered if it was the same coyote. If so, he sure had a knack for mimicking his prey. The coyote moved on and we heard other sounds nearby. I suspected it was Sandy and called for her. I went over to the gate and there she was, waiting, afraid to go in to the horses in the darkness. Smart girl. She's been kicked and chased often enough by Yalla! that maybe she's wisening up although I doubt it. I think it was the darkness that intimidated her. I said goodbye to Yalla!, climbed over the gate, and patted Sandy down, telling her what a good girl she was. I could hear Yalla! galloping back to the barn and her herdmates, as Sandy and I went to the house together.

Educating Yalla!, worming time

Last year, I had Yalla! tested for worms and her stool sample came up negative. Naturally, I assumed that all my horses are negative for worms since Yalla! was the most likely candidate for any infestation, being young. My horses don't travel anywhere and they have no interaction with outside horses so I really don't expect them to have any worm infestation now either. But, Annie and Yalla! are on the thin side and all my horses have big bellies, although that's probably just from hay. Also, when they get the chance, they all like to scratch their butts up against the juniper trees, so I decided to worm all the horses this morning, just in case they are wormy. Unfortunately, they had a very different idea about it.

I went to sweet old Nadia first. She took it like a trooper with just a little coaxing and a hand grip on her fly mask. Scout balked (his usual self), but again, I dosed him with just a firm hold on his fly mask and a little backing up, on his part. However, Annie saw what was coming and hauled a#s, taking off and staying a safe distance away. I couldn't get near her! I decided to save her for later. So, with halter in hand, I targeted Yalla!

I caught her easily but as I put the knotted rope halter on her I could see the whites of her eyes. She threw her head high and kept backing away from me. I could see her considering rearing, but to her credit, she never did. She did, however, run around me, around and around, in both directions. Scout, who had raised the red flag with his behavior, was now standing placidly around us, like a bratty little kid, just getting in the way. Yalla! was backing into him and he was moving out of the way just enough and then coming back over. Maybe he was sorry for the ruckus he had caused. I hope so. But the damage was done. Yalla! was completely terrified. She moved forward when she could, backed when she couldn't, and looked thoroughly wild scared. She refused to allow the 'monster' I had in my hand 'hurt' her. I couldn't get the white tube of paste anywhere near her head. I kept talking to her, telling her that there was no way I was going to hurt her. Of course, I worried that she was going to hurt me too, with my already bad ankle.

She settled down a little, licking and chewing some, as I played with her mane, scratching her neck the way she likes it, but she would not give in and she continued to fight me. I firmly decided that I had as much time as it was going to take, all day if need be, for her to get wormed, and to accept it easily too. A few weeks ago, I had the vet come out and give all the horses their shots. At the same time she checked over the alpaca's eye for possible infection (flies) and gave them shots too. She was quick with the shots but when she tried to look at Yalla!s teeth, Yalla! said "no" with her reaction and the vet said "never mind, she's too young to have any teeth problems anyway." Looking back, I realize this set her up for the negative behavior today. Annie had her teeth floated at that time so I imagine that is why she skedaddled away so quickly today.

I was making very little progress and progressively worrying about what kind of horse she was turning in to. How was I ever going to ride this wild beast if she was going to get all ballistic over such a small thing? Then I remembered a book I had just finished, a western novel of the Hannah and the Horseman series, where the horse whisperer blows into the Mustang stallion's nostrils and 'small talks' to it after just catching it from the wild. Then the horse is immediately ridden without even any fight. I thought, 'yeah, sure!' But today, I thought, 'heck, I'm already doing the small talk. And I often blow in Yalla!s nose. She even appears to like it'. After all, what harm could it do? I was getting nowhere as it was. I even debated about calling up a horse trainer to help me at another time but I didn't think that was going to be very successful either. After all, last year I had him work with the horses all summer to learn to trailer load and Yalla! acted rather the same way, fighting for all she was worth. We did eventually get her loaded several times but I'm not sure how much of the lesson stuck with her. And when it comes to bathing, she gets all dancey and reary then, too. I need to come up with a good solution, and quickly, because she's only getting bigger and stronger and more wild, as time goes by and she gets older.

I breathed into her nostrils and she stretched her nose to me for more. Very soon, I could see her relaxing and dropping her head. Then I brought up the worming paste tube and rubbed the hard plastic tube all over her face, up to her ears, and along her neck. I fingered her lips and opened both sides of her mouth. I put the tube in one side, took a deep breath, and squeezed the paste right in. She never even moved. Afterwards, halterless, she came up to me and started chewing on the end of the tube until she wouldn't even let it go with her teeth; she was having so much fun playing with it. How many horses will do that after being wormed?

The demon horse was gone and my sweet little Yalla! was back, at least until the next training episode. I am seeing her personality as a panic first (mom's trait) and then, think it through (dad's trait), and finally, hopefully, complete acceptance (yay!!). Maybe the breathing into her nostrils really works? I'm going to have to try it when she gets her next bath. I have read that, as well as horses exchanging greetings, it's a way to exercise dominance over another horse. Maybe this is what I need to do to gain power and esteem in her eyes as the Alpha. What do you think about blowing into the nostrils to subdue the horse? Old wives tale or truth? Do you have any other training suggestions?

Oh, yeah, Annie is getting hers in the morning. I'm going to halter her before she gets any different ideas and runs off again. I think her teeth float last month kind of soured her to "face" work. Maybe I'll blow into her nostrils too. I'll let ya know how it goes...

Educating Yalla!

It's time to start working with my little Arabian mare, Yalla! However, because I am not quite 100% from my broken ankle, I am being extra careful around her.

I brought out the halter and she came right up to the fence. Through the fencing, I slipped her nose right into the halter and buckled it on. I have never actually tried to put a halter on through a fence before and I am always amazed at how readily she always lets me halter her. I slipped through the rails and led her out through the gate to the outside of Nadia's pen where I tied her up. I brushed her down and then left her to stand tied while I went over and brushed down Annie. Yalla! sure needs some patience tying time because she was swinging around and pawing, or testing and gnawing at the knot, the whole time I was away from her.

I left her only for about fifteen minutes this time but I plan on increasing the time she stands tied more and more until she gets VERY used to it. I also need to tie up Scout for a while because he gets antsy while standing tied too. When I came back to her, I untied her and decided to give her a little leading lesson in the arena.

As a weanling, she liked to stop and balk but I'm happy to report that she seems to have outgrown that issue. I should have gone for the training halter with the knots but I had chosen the smooth nylon one with a soft rope lead. I wasn't sure how she was going to behave but I knew I had to address her aggressive behavior so I brought along a crop. I began by leading her right next to me and stopping frequently to ask her to back up. She was showing attitude and threatening to bite me. I popped her with the crop and she reared. I smacked her several times with the crop yelling NO! and backed her some more. I needed to show her that I was in charge so I started teaching her to step away from me, sideways. At first, I tapped her with the crop on her near flank holding her head so she couldn't go forward until she began to 'cross over' away from me, with her hind feet. I eased off the tapping unless she wouldn't move. I told her "over" each time I asked her to turn on the forehand, swinging her flanks away from me. Then I switched to her offside and did the same thing. She didn't like working on the offside; she got really pissed at me and kicked out. I walloped her hard on her shoulder and continued to ask/demand that she swing her hindquarters away from me without allowing her any forward movement. Then we walked forward. By this time, I was walking in front of her and I'd turn to face her with my arms held high to signal her to stop. At first, she flung her head up and threatened to rear, but quickly she began to understand what I was asking and dropped her head as she stopped, whereupon I rubbed her head and neck. Then I asked her to back up, go forward, stop, step away from me from either side, and follow me as I walked in all directions. I am working on using my arm and hand movements to guide her, along with my voice.

Then I asked her to step out to the end of the lead rope and I lunged her. At first she trotted and cantered, a very pretty lope I might add, and every time she stopped, because I hadn't asked her to, I had her reverse and move off in the other direction. There was a time or two where I actually got wobbly from dizziness. lol. We had a rather awkward lunging lesson, I must confess, and there were a few times where she threw some kicks out and almost lost her balance, but I made sure to stay in the safe zone the entire time. She tends to lean in on the clockwise direction and pull out on the counterclockwise direction but I'm sure we will improve with experience. I even had her licking and chewing at one point, brownie points for me.

Overall, I feel good about our lesson. I was surprised and dismayed that she kicked and bit at me and reared up while on the lead but we might as well get all the bad behavior out of the way right away. I believe that she is a quick learner and I feel like I made a lot of progress with her today. At the beginning of the leading lesson, she had her ears pinned and her head high but after working with her, she quit trying to fight me and became more willing and content to follow my command. I think she just needs a clear understanding that I will not tolerate any disobedience from her and, unlike her herdmates, she cannot order me around or kick and bite at me. I just wish her mother would have put her in her place instead of backing down to her like she does. Although small in stature, I realize how dangerous Yalla! could become to my safety. I've seen her double barrel the other horses and she doesn't hesitate to kick out at me and my kids.


Several days ago, at dusk, I wandered over to the far end of the arena and called to the horses. They were still fininshing up their dinner and couldn't be bothered. I stayed there as it got dark and, after a time, I heard hooves trotting down the arena. The hoof sounds stopped, waited, and ran back. I called all the horses by name. Then I heard it again, and again they ran back to the safety of the herd.
I knew who it was.
Yalla!
Before my riding accident with Scout when I broke my ankle, I was in the habit of going down to the arena gate and calling to her. She'd come running down the arena to me and I'd rub her head and neck and feed her animal crackers. Then, like the Black Stallion, she'd gallup off to her herdmates. So, although it was very dark, I could tell that it was her coming to see me, braving the fearsome darkness to come over to me. What I found interesting, was that she didn't walk to me, she trotted and galloped.

Eventually, Yalla! made her way to me and I rubbed her neck and face and withers but, alas, I had no treats. We visited for a few minutes and then I turned away to go back to the house and I heard her gallup away into the darkness. I'm always disappointed that Annie and Scout don't come down to see me too. Nadia is locked in a stall, otherwise, I am sure she would come to visit me and then Annie and Scout would come too.

Yalla! is so people friendly and so full of attitude that I think once she learns the rules she will become a super little horse. I just hope I'm up to the task. Sometimes, like today, it feels a little overwhelming. And then I remember that she comes to me in the dark...

update: Tonight, I went out to the arena gate and called Yalla! Within a minute or two, she came running, yes, running, down to the gate to visit with me. This time, I was prepared. I had some sugar wafers that I offered to her. She liked them. We visited for a few minutes and then I turned away and carefully picked my way across the dark field to the house. I stepped wrong a couple of times and my ankle really hurts now but no damage, thankfully. I must be careful, my ankle still doesn't bend and I usually wear my support brace but I didn't have it on tonight. After I had gotten about a quarter of the way back to the house, I noticed that Annie had come down to the gate too. I debated about turning back to say "Hi" to her but I didn't want to hurt my ankle further so I called out a greeting and went on back to the house. I could hear them racing back to the security of the barn. Maybe next time, Annie will come to visit too.

Just an hour or so to be safe from fear

I had my third physical therapy session today for my broken ankle. I actually got to pedal a bike and it didn't hurt! I have been doing the prescribed exercises, like stretching, writing the alphabet with my toes, and scrunching my toes, and I think it's working. In the last few weeks, I have gone from using a wheelchair to two crutches to one crutch to none. I've gone from a surgical splint to a walking boot to a reinforced ankle brace and now I prefer going bare. I push my ankle in all directions just to the point of hurting and try to maintain it for several seconds. Then I release and try again. I still have heel pain and my ankle is still extremely swollen and tight most of the time, probably from me always working at it. The only shoes I can wear are crocs, because they have cushy heels, or snow boots around the barn because the swelling and metal(?) in my ankle extends down almost to the sole of my foot. I hope that I can wear regular shoes soon.
I can touch my ankle all over but when I lean against things with my ankle, like laying against the bedsheets, it hurts terribly.

I made a personal goal of riding my horses as soon as I could and I did ride last week for a short time. It was hard to climb on board and even harder climbing off, but every day, I get stronger. The other day, I couldn't stop singing an old Chumbawumba song, " I get knocked down, I get up again, no one's ever gonna keep me down." I intend to get this experience behind me as quickly as possible.

More and more, I am taking back my life. Every day, it's getting easier to walk out to the barn and feed the horses. This evening, I brushed them all down. Then I decided to ride Nadia. I put the bareback pad on her and used Annie's thin halter, snapping on a set of nylon reins to the side rings of the halter. I put on my helmet and climbed up on the rails in her stall and scooted onto her back. We rode all over the neighborhood but I was reluctant to ride out back where the accident with Scout took place. It was a very pleasant evening and I wouldn't have been surprised if they were out walking their dogs. Instead, I rode along the gravel roadways in my little neighborhood and to the highway and back. We watched a fire truck go by and it never even phased Nadia. The next time I rode out towards the highway, there hadn't been any traffic for some time, so I decided to cross the road to a little grassy area and then come right back. However, Murphy's Law happened and as soon as we crossed, there was suddenly a car coming at us from each direction. I couldn't cross back before they arrived so we stopped and stood, waiting, with our butts to the traffic. I had wild thoughts that Nadia was going to freak out and run across the road in front of the cars. I could see myself falling off and hurting my ankle again. Where did that fear come from? Nadia has always been good along roadsides. Once, I had to ride her along a very  busy highway during a terrible thunderstorm for several miles. Now, she gave no indication of being stressed. Still, I was terrified for a few seconds. On another horse, I might have caused a negative reaction. They just might have gotten panicked from my thoughts. Why would I get so unreasonably afraid and how do I control my thoughts?

While we were riding around, Yalla! and Scout were running up and down the arena calling to us. He has a loud trumpet-like call and Yalla! has a shrill baby-like neigh. Nadia just ignores them as she walks along with her ears pricked forward, sometimes speeding up, sometimes slowing down. I went into the round pen and let her graze some of the weeds. Then she did the strangest thing. She stopped eating and stood still for a few seconds. Then she laid down. I was so surprised; I climbed off unto my bad foot- OW!!- and then she rose up again. I worried that she was going into colic. I walked her back to the barn, watching her, and put her back into her stall. Good thing I can walk better now.

Nadia went straight to her hay and mash and began munching. I have seen her do this before while eating. She just walks away, lays down, gets up and starts eating again, like nothing happened. Does anyone have any ideas as to why she does this? I don't see any signs of discomfort. I think she's getting senile. I wanted to watch her some more so I decided to ride Scout. He was still calling to us (me?) and was standing by the gate watching me. I really think he was feeling anxious that I haven't ridden him yet since the accident. He readily came to me and I haltered him. Then I led him over to the railing and carefully climbed up. I carefully stepped across his back. I am so careful at this point because I know that all they have to do is move away while I'm throwing a leg over and I'll fall and probably get hurt. Anyway, as I settled onto his back I could almost feel him sigh (with relief?) and smile. We rode around the arena and he was the perfect gentleman. My ankle doesn't hurt when I ride except for the feeling of the boot against the skin. I am still wearing my snow boots and the fleece inside should help, but it really doesn't. I even jogged him.

My neighbor came up to the fence to chat with me and his large dog came bounding up to Scout and I. I panicked, thinking, "Oh no! dogs are what caused Scout to rear up!," but at the same time I was glad for the test. Scout stood his ground and didn't even flinch. Of course, there was a fence between us. But, I have often ridden Scout with Sandy running alongside and she goes into the arena and 'bothers' the horses more times than I would like. I still ponder over the events that caused Scout to rear that day. I think a lot of the problem was the strange bit he was wearing. I had him in a low port curb but I usually ride him in a simple ringed snaffle. This is why, tonight, I rode him in just a halter. Yes, Sydney, I am seriously ready to go bitless on all of my horses. I never use the reins very much anyway. The dogs riled him up, but I think the different bit, combined with the uneven ground, caused him to lose his balance and go over backwards on me. Even though I didn't pull on the bit, he was causing himself discomfort by raising his head causing the bit to shift in his mouth.

The neighbor and I had a little chat and Yalla! came over to join in on the conversation. She never showed any signs of agression towards Scout, of which I was glad, and I rubbed her head as she lay it on top of his back, in my lap. Yalla! has become a terrible two year old, terrorizing all the other horses. I've seen her double barrel Scout AND her mama just because she wanted to. She needs a good put down and unfortunately, her doting mama doesn't seem willing to chastise her, rather, she backs off from the little monster's threats. Yalla! therefore, thinks she is queen of the herd now. Unfortunately, she also thinks she is above us, humans. She has kicked out at my son, daughter, and myself, on numerous occasions. My son smacked her really good on the head when she kicked out at him. I told him that was okay because she is exhibiting very dangerous behavior, but to "rub" it out afterwards, by petting her so that she doesn't develop hatred and fear of him. Then she will REALLY become dangerous. Right now, she doesn't know any better. Any suggestions? I almost always carry a crop around with me when I am on the ground, working around her, or a bucket, or something that can shield me or smack her. However, timing is everything. When I am most vulnerable, directly behind her, I will not be able to smack her because I fear retaliation. Especially now, since I am not walking well, I am extra careful around her, usually avoiding to go around her at all.

Anyway, after my ride on Scout, I carefully climbed off, using the railing, and gave him several head hugs, as I released him from the halter. He seemed extra content and I think that our ride was just what we both needed.


Just an hour or so to be safe from fear - song: Black Tie, White Noise, artist: David Bowie, album: Black Tie, White Noise

Two years ago my friend and neighbor Lisa, of Laughing Orca Ranch, and I slept for a week in my barn anxiously awaiting the birth of Annie's foal. (Thanks Lisa, for being there for me!) We had to feign sleep in order for her to feel safe enough to go into labor. But finally she did, in the wee hours of the morning, and we stayed up to watch the whole delivery. There were no lights in the barn because mice had chewed the wires and my electricity wasn't working at the time so we watched the entire event by flashlight and recorded it on camera. See here for Lisa's post.

Fortunately, Annie chose to lie right in front of us for the main event instead of going off by herself into the dark corral. I felt honored that she trusted us so much that she wanted to be near us at this important time. It was painful to watch her grunting and struggling, preparing to deliver her load. Why do they say that God created labor pains to punish women for Eve eating the apple? All mammals have labor pains during delivery!

When we realized that the sac didn't break at the front end and the foal was struggling to breath, I went over to help and got to be the first to hold the precious little foal. Please go back and revisit some of those early posts. There are lots of videos and photos on both my blog and Lisa's. It's hard to believe my Yalla! is the same little foal. She like a chameleon of a horse, always changing colors.

 Happy Birthday Yalla!

Birthdays

Here's to the Birthday Boy, Scout, on his sixteenth birthday today and to the Birthday Girl Yalla! on her second birthday tomorrow.



The Big Fall, part 6

It has been one month today since Scout's and my fall. My routine has changed drastically but hopefully, temporarily. I use a wheelchair because I cannot put ANY weight on my bad leg and I am not very good at playing flamingo. I have fallen off the crutches several times so, when the doctor okayed the wheelchair rental, I got one. I am still going to work but I have one of the other workers come out to meet me and get the chair and leg extenders out of the car. They wheel me in to the office because I cannot go over the big stoop in the doorway. After that, I'm on my own until it's time to go home, when I ask someone to wheel me out to my car. I have found that taking the leg extenders off the chair while loading and unloading it is a big help because they are very heavy and awkward when lifting the chair and putting it in the car. During the day, I sit with my leg extender up so that I can elevate my leg and, becauyse I have a back part under my desk, I have to sit either sidewise to the desk or away from it and lean way forward. My wheelchair won't fit very far under. Needless to say, my poor neck, arms, and back get very sore and I am more than ready to head home after 7 or 8 solid hours of work. I don't take lunch away because it's too hard, so I eat at my desk while I work.

Going to the bathroom is always challenging because it's out in the office complex hallway and locked. Once, on crutches, when I put the key in and pulled, the key slipped out of the lock and I fell backwards. That's when I decided that I'd be better off in a wheelchair. Sometimes, I'll meet someone who holds the door open but usually, I have to finagle the door and the chair together. I feel like a competitive trail horse backing around an obstacle. Even though one stall is handicapped, my wheelchair doesn't fit all the way so I have to lock the brakes and hop over to the toilet and then hop back to the chair. Also, I have found that my bladder isn't as good as it was before the accident so I really have to plan my trips. My sister tells me it's a temporary thing from inactivity. I sure hope so.

My son and I went to WalMart and I used one of those motorized carts. It worked okay, once I got the hang of it, but if I ever wanted to shop by myself, how would I get on one of them from my handicap parking space? They keep them parked inside the store and it's a long hop across the road over to them. It's the little things that really matter. My gas tank is on the far side of the car so I wait for my son to fill the tank. What if I lived alone?? My sister tells me that gas stations will pump for you but I've yet to find a station that's not all self-serve. It sure would be nice to live in Oregon right now where you cannot legally pump your own gas. I haven't tried Sam's Club. I do know they have an outdoor attendant supervising the pumps...

I won't even mention that I haven't had a shower since?? Well, I guess I did! I can stand on one foot and lean over my deep laundry sink to wash my hair, which I have to do quite often, but I can't do much more than use a washcloth every where else.  The bandages are somewhat looser on my leg now so I can sneak a tiny peek and the skin is just flaking off in layers. It should be really pretty (NOT) when I go to the doctor next week.

Yesterday, I began to have the strangest sensation in my leg. It almost feels like the incision area is oozing or something. I can almost feel something drip, wet like, down my leg. Hopefully, it's just my imagination. I sure hope all is well down there. Most of my pain is centered around the incision area now. Sometimes, it feels like it's burning. Otherwise, I am getting more comfortable hauling my chunky leg around and, unless it gets knocked, it's very tolerable. My poor toes are still fat sausages and they tingle when I try to bend them. I sure notice it when I leave my leg down too; my toes turn purple from the blood rushing down there.

My bottom is feeling just a little better so at least I know that was only bruised and not a broken tailbone. And my ring finger is still very sore but improving. I have stopped taking pain medications except for occasional ibuprofen. Conclusion- I'll live.

I still haven't ventured out to the barn. The wheelchair is not easy to push under adverse conditions, like uneven gravel pathways, and there is an arroyo to be traversed. Feeding the horses has been challenging, needless to say. Nadia needs her mash daily and I think my children know how to fix it now, but I wonder... Twice now, my poor horses had to do without food because all my children deserted me for their own agendas, each expecting one of the others to do the chores. My youngest son is most dependable because he lives at home, but he sleeps late, sometimes till almost noon, and I hear the horses calling for their breakfast each morning. I wonder how it all got done the other times I was hurt and I remember that my husband was around and most dependable. I had a horse fall on my legs two different times, a year apart, and both times I was incompacitated for three months with a swollen, black leg, from the knee down, opposite legs, mind you. Since this is my third fall with a horse, I hope never to have it happen again in my lifetime. All in all, it's a very humbling experience and I am tempted to say this might be my worst experience, although not the most painful, by a longshot.

Speaking of longshots, here are some zooms I took of the horses, Annie and Yalla! Not very good, but the best I can get for now.

It sure looks like the horses need a good grooming. I'm curious what color Yalla! is going to be. She looks like a dun bay, lol, as if that were a true color. She still has the primitive markings, dorsal stripe, stripes on the legs, and she's kind of a mud color with very black points (legs, mane and tail). Will she darken into a black over time?

Update on the alpacas- we're debating the names Colombia and Magenta or Thelma and Louise, the first of each pair for the light brown one and the other for the black one. What do you think?