Horses

I checked on Isis tonight. Good news is that apparently her grazing muzzle is staying on okay. The bad news is it’s really pissing her off that she can’t get the muzzle off any more. I got back from vacation and went to the barn to see her before dark. Opened the stall door, and instead of whinnying at me, she turned her butt to me. Definitely a statement of how upset she...

A horse found neglected in Briceville on Feb. 24 is being cared for at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter. The owner was arrested for animal curelty. I’m going to contact the shelter tomorrow and see if there is anything the community can do to help this poor horse. Oak Ridger – Community Related Images:

It seems like it’s been months since Isis had her last riding lesson. Next one is scheduled for Sunday at 3:00! Let’s hope the weather is nice and she cooperates. She’s had a week off. Related Images:

Isis hates needles. She despises spring vaccinations and has let her displeasure be known through body-slamming me into the walls. With her powerful neck set, she pushes me out of the way to move away from that nasty thing poking her. One vet I had tried twitching her with a chain and rope. I was not happy. The second time he came out, she smelled him enter the barn (ode de vet?) and...

Well, she is at it again. Houdini Horse has figured out how to take off the grazing muzzle. This time not by rolling and wiggling it off over her ears. This time she catches the muzzle basket on the fence and pulls it until the safety snap gives way. She walks away, leaving the muzzle hanging neatly on the fence for us to collect before feeding her. Some days having a really smart...

For the first time since the trail ride where Isis bruised her feet, I actually got to ride. Her rain rot has mostly cleared up and she has been doing much better. I’ve lunged her several times over the past week, and each time she has done very well. She seems to move a little stiff in her hocks. However, that will be something to tackl after everything else. At least it seems...

The vet came out to x-ray Isis’ feet and make sure that her feet have fully recovered. I was so proud of my little mare. First she was examined for soundness. In the large ring, I freelunged her so she could move about and strut her stuff… She was so good. Perfect, really. One of those rare occassions where she did everything I asked as if she could read my mind. The vet...

Isis felt great today. Pulled her into the ring to see how she was feeling. She was off of bute, her hoof had healed, and it was time to see how she was moving. Poof! She took off around the ring, curled her tail over her back, and trotted without touching the ground. Oh yes, she is sound. Magnificently sound. Party! Related Images:

Isis is an escape artist. Not out of the usual things: fences, gates, halters. She gets out of grazing muzzles and leg wraps. For a week, we soaked her foot and then wrapped it. And of the days it was wrapped, she took it off probably half of the time. It didn’t seem to matter how careful I was about placing the diaper on the bottom of her foot, sealing the velco-type closures,...

I called the vet and asked for her to call me back. Hopefully tomorrow she will be able to come out and see Isis. If she can, I’d like to do x-rays and a sonogram of her tendon. No, can’t really afford it right now, but neither can I afford to let something like this strange lameness go undiagnosed. Let’s hope that Mom is right and it’s just an abscess. Related Images:

On my way home tonight, the barn manager called and said Isis was lame today. Severely lame. She was not wanting to put any weight on her front right foot, had trouble turning that direction, and stood with her leg held up. He had examined her legs, shoulders, neck, cleaned her feet and found nothing. No obvious reason why she would be lame. I asked him to give her a bute and call...