I am sitting at my desk this morning watching the horses in the pasture. This last week we were able to fix some fence and close a couple gates and give the horses access to our entire piece of land. Graciously, Michael's sister has not objected to that that part of what they are now running on is hers also. The plan before Michael got hurt a couple weeks ago was to be cross fencing that pasture so they aren't on any ground but ours. We will also then put the cows on our ground too which will make everything really awesome. We will then have the ability to plant some grasses and rehab the pastures which have grown sudan for the cows for many years. Hopefully, eventually we will be able to raise our own hay as well.
Jan let her horses come out with mine so they all have about 80 or 90 acres to run on. They have access to three tanks and lots of different grass. They seem to be happy, but most days still come up for their feeding and inspection. When they come up I try to always give them something.
Last night I had a few lessons to teach and the herd came up. In the mix of horses some feed got dropped and Joe Bob ate some feed off the ground and immediately choked. He has choked before. He and Liberty are both chokers and we have done what we can to minimize the problems associated with choke, but this time he just got the better of us. He has been choking since 6 last evening. He had Dynamite Relax and Release, which in the past has fixed most of our chokes. We lavaged water and a little corn oil and massaged...at 9 I gave him banamine and put him where he couldn't eat all night. This morning he was still in a bad way and I called the vet. She was not particularly encouraging. She says he may have a ruptured esophagus. He is running a fever and is still rattling. Heart rate and respirations are high.
I love my vet. From the moment she arrived and she lined out how this may go, she did nothing to make me feel like I should have or could have done more for Joe Bob. She said ideally I would take him to a hospital but that the diagnositics alone would be $500 or $600 before we ever did any treatment and then who knew from there. Sadly we are still paying for Sherman's colic which was $1500 last fall. She also told us that we had done more for him already than a lot of people do for their choking horses. Practically sometimes all you can do is put the horse is stall with a bucket of water and hope. So, for the next few days he gets Banamine and two antibiotics each morning. We are hoping the blockage clears itself and that he doesn't have a rupture. If he gets dehydrated will go have a port put in and hang him fluid. As a side note, Mike used to have a bunch of bags of fluids from when his late wife had dialysis. Sadly he turned them back into the pharmacy because he never thought he'd need them. And now they are over $50/bag.
She was also encouraging about my Crown Valiant (Ivan Valentino as Maggie calls him) She thinks he's a fine horse, just needs groceries. She was surprised he wasn't started and I told her that was part of the summer project. Oops, summer is almost over.
It's been fun watching the horses this morning. With the herds mingled, they have worked out a new structure for themselves. Ivan is above Stormy now, which makes sense b/c she is the youngest. Dixie is the bottom of everyone, still. Kairro has become a stud muffin to not one but 2 other red horses. Journey is a hussy to all the boys. I had thought Ember was pregnant, but now as she flirts with Kairro it's clear that she is in raging heat and not pregnant. My sweet Vandy just tries to stay out of the way.
Last night, watching a child ride who is especially fearful I was struck by the fact that sometimes we have to give up control and give up our fears to gain control of our lives in new and different ways. I woke up at 4am thinking about this. I kept thinking about losing control to gain happiness. Much like when we give up control of our lives so that Jesus can come in and take over. I have thought about how many times I have tried to force my control of the horse (or my life) only to be taught the lesson of I'm not the one in charge. Sometimes it's because I don't have the right relationship to make the changes I want to make. Sometimes it because I'm blind to the needs of others.
It seems like I had another profound thought as I lay there not sleeping, praying for a young person I know who is struggling right now, but I can't think what it was...And I have to leave for work so it will have to be a topic for a later post.
Addendum
Moments after I wrote the above I walked out to the truck to drive to my first appointment of the day. I had already had to reschedule the first one because of Joe Bob, but when I saw that my truck had less than 13 pounds of pressure in the rear tire on the passenger side I decide it was a sign from God to punt the day.
I'm starting to think God did not want me to increase my work load...Of course, then I question whether God would say that since it brings a better bottom line to the family financially speaking. I just know that ever since I said I'd take the extra clients I have had nothing but trouble with my schedule. I have seen them all once and then last week Mike had his accident and now this. It's probably just bad luck, but I so hate making people angry when I can't show up. However, I also know that there are sometimes other priorities.
At 4 am I woke up singing the song that is listed below. I have been listening to it a lot and practicing it because I plan to sing it Sunday at church, but with the trials of the last couple weeks it seems especially fitting.
Blessings by Laura Story
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
Jan let her horses come out with mine so they all have about 80 or 90 acres to run on. They have access to three tanks and lots of different grass. They seem to be happy, but most days still come up for their feeding and inspection. When they come up I try to always give them something.
Last night I had a few lessons to teach and the herd came up. In the mix of horses some feed got dropped and Joe Bob ate some feed off the ground and immediately choked. He has choked before. He and Liberty are both chokers and we have done what we can to minimize the problems associated with choke, but this time he just got the better of us. He has been choking since 6 last evening. He had Dynamite Relax and Release, which in the past has fixed most of our chokes. We lavaged water and a little corn oil and massaged...at 9 I gave him banamine and put him where he couldn't eat all night. This morning he was still in a bad way and I called the vet. She was not particularly encouraging. She says he may have a ruptured esophagus. He is running a fever and is still rattling. Heart rate and respirations are high.
I love my vet. From the moment she arrived and she lined out how this may go, she did nothing to make me feel like I should have or could have done more for Joe Bob. She said ideally I would take him to a hospital but that the diagnositics alone would be $500 or $600 before we ever did any treatment and then who knew from there. Sadly we are still paying for Sherman's colic which was $1500 last fall. She also told us that we had done more for him already than a lot of people do for their choking horses. Practically sometimes all you can do is put the horse is stall with a bucket of water and hope. So, for the next few days he gets Banamine and two antibiotics each morning. We are hoping the blockage clears itself and that he doesn't have a rupture. If he gets dehydrated will go have a port put in and hang him fluid. As a side note, Mike used to have a bunch of bags of fluids from when his late wife had dialysis. Sadly he turned them back into the pharmacy because he never thought he'd need them. And now they are over $50/bag.
She was also encouraging about my Crown Valiant (Ivan Valentino as Maggie calls him) She thinks he's a fine horse, just needs groceries. She was surprised he wasn't started and I told her that was part of the summer project. Oops, summer is almost over.
It's been fun watching the horses this morning. With the herds mingled, they have worked out a new structure for themselves. Ivan is above Stormy now, which makes sense b/c she is the youngest. Dixie is the bottom of everyone, still. Kairro has become a stud muffin to not one but 2 other red horses. Journey is a hussy to all the boys. I had thought Ember was pregnant, but now as she flirts with Kairro it's clear that she is in raging heat and not pregnant. My sweet Vandy just tries to stay out of the way.
Last night, watching a child ride who is especially fearful I was struck by the fact that sometimes we have to give up control and give up our fears to gain control of our lives in new and different ways. I woke up at 4am thinking about this. I kept thinking about losing control to gain happiness. Much like when we give up control of our lives so that Jesus can come in and take over. I have thought about how many times I have tried to force my control of the horse (or my life) only to be taught the lesson of I'm not the one in charge. Sometimes it's because I don't have the right relationship to make the changes I want to make. Sometimes it because I'm blind to the needs of others.
It seems like I had another profound thought as I lay there not sleeping, praying for a young person I know who is struggling right now, but I can't think what it was...And I have to leave for work so it will have to be a topic for a later post.
Addendum
Moments after I wrote the above I walked out to the truck to drive to my first appointment of the day. I had already had to reschedule the first one because of Joe Bob, but when I saw that my truck had less than 13 pounds of pressure in the rear tire on the passenger side I decide it was a sign from God to punt the day.
I'm starting to think God did not want me to increase my work load...Of course, then I question whether God would say that since it brings a better bottom line to the family financially speaking. I just know that ever since I said I'd take the extra clients I have had nothing but trouble with my schedule. I have seen them all once and then last week Mike had his accident and now this. It's probably just bad luck, but I so hate making people angry when I can't show up. However, I also know that there are sometimes other priorities.
At 4 am I woke up singing the song that is listed below. I have been listening to it a lot and practicing it because I plan to sing it Sunday at church, but with the trials of the last couple weeks it seems especially fitting.
Blessings by Laura Story
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
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