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OMG, I have become the world's worst klutz. I'm amazed I'm not seriously injured from all the self inflicted idiocy. LOL. Yesterday I got bitten by a horse (picking up the feed bowl in Rochelle's stall, pushed her away from her hay, and she showed her displeasure by trying to take a chunk out of my left bicep.Yowch.) I have a huge bruise on my upper arm, turning interesting shades of purple and yellow. Today I a) bashed my head against a door b)scraped my right hand c)fell flat on my face in the straw in Kismet's stall, and d)whacked my leg against the wheelbarrow. I did not, however, knock the Vet's coffee cup off the table...in spite of getting blamed for it by the real culprit. Hee.
I stayed over at the farm last night so we could get an early start today. Makes such a difference when I don't have that hour long drive to get there. Had all the stalls done by noon, when the Vet came to inject Kismet's hocks. Kismet has arthritis in her hocks from an old injury she had as a foal, and after Teddy was born she seems to have had a real flareup of the inflammation. She could hardly walk yesterday she was so sore; we had cut back her 'Bute, but she obviously needed it. We decided to have the Vet inject her hocks with cortisone and Legend, to lubricate the joints and decrease the inflammation. It works well, and should give her relief for several months. They had to sedate Teddy a little so he wouldn't get in the way (the procedure has to be done as a sterile one). I was standing with him up against the wall; he was almost falling down and he was snoring a little! Then wham! he woke up, leapt across the stall dragging me with him, until I fell face first into the straw. Luckily, it was a clean spot, LOL.
Juan was very pleased with the way Buddy looks, too. He went into his stall and checked him over, and he told us we've done an excellent job. Buddy looks great, good weight on him, nice shiney coat, and he's now eating hay and his milk pellets as well as drinking lots of formula. We've got him so we can fill up his milk bucket at around 11 p.m., give him a bowl of milk pellets and his hay, and he's good until 7 a.m. Now we don't have to do night feeds, it's a lot easier.
One of our biggest problems has been finding him a friend; he really needs horse companionship to teach him how to be a horse. We've been mulling over the possibilities, and Sue finally decided the best one would be to put him with Orca, our 15 year old gelding. Orca was Kismet's first baby, and he was injured as a 3 year old so he's basically just hung out on the farm all his life. He's a lovely gentle fellow, so Sue figured he'd be a good uncle. Wednesday they put him into Buddy's paddock, let him get settled and then brought Buddy out. Buddy was really quite frightened and anxious, didn't know what to make of this new arrangement; Orca was really good, just stood there and ate his hay. Buddy finally settled and they spent an hour out there together, with Sue and Kelly watching from the gate. Yesterday they did it again, and Buddy actually walked halfway over to Orca, looked at him, and then came back to Sue. He was much more settled. Orca didn't mind at all, and tomorrow we're going to do it again. Every time will be better, and I'm sure that within the next few days Buddy and Orca will be hanging out together just fine. It takes time, and patience, because we have to be sure Orca will be okay with him. Juan thinks this is a very good solution, and will be very good for Buddy. Then, when Teddy is weaned, he can hang out with Buddy and Uncle Orc.
Today was weird; pouring rain one minute, then hot and sunny the next. I did manage to get a little salad garden planted; just some mesclun and lettuce and some radishes, but at least it's something. I just don't have time to do much more, and since I'm not sure when the new workshop is going to be started, I don't want a full garden in a spot I'm going to have to move when building starts. It felt really nice to be out there digging in the dirt, I have to say. Hopefully, things will grow and there will be salad.
I stayed over at the farm last night so we could get an early start today. Makes such a difference when I don't have that hour long drive to get there. Had all the stalls done by noon, when the Vet came to inject Kismet's hocks. Kismet has arthritis in her hocks from an old injury she had as a foal, and after Teddy was born she seems to have had a real flareup of the inflammation. She could hardly walk yesterday she was so sore; we had cut back her 'Bute, but she obviously needed it. We decided to have the Vet inject her hocks with cortisone and Legend, to lubricate the joints and decrease the inflammation. It works well, and should give her relief for several months. They had to sedate Teddy a little so he wouldn't get in the way (the procedure has to be done as a sterile one). I was standing with him up against the wall; he was almost falling down and he was snoring a little! Then wham! he woke up, leapt across the stall dragging me with him, until I fell face first into the straw. Luckily, it was a clean spot, LOL.
Juan was very pleased with the way Buddy looks, too. He went into his stall and checked him over, and he told us we've done an excellent job. Buddy looks great, good weight on him, nice shiney coat, and he's now eating hay and his milk pellets as well as drinking lots of formula. We've got him so we can fill up his milk bucket at around 11 p.m., give him a bowl of milk pellets and his hay, and he's good until 7 a.m. Now we don't have to do night feeds, it's a lot easier.
One of our biggest problems has been finding him a friend; he really needs horse companionship to teach him how to be a horse. We've been mulling over the possibilities, and Sue finally decided the best one would be to put him with Orca, our 15 year old gelding. Orca was Kismet's first baby, and he was injured as a 3 year old so he's basically just hung out on the farm all his life. He's a lovely gentle fellow, so Sue figured he'd be a good uncle. Wednesday they put him into Buddy's paddock, let him get settled and then brought Buddy out. Buddy was really quite frightened and anxious, didn't know what to make of this new arrangement; Orca was really good, just stood there and ate his hay. Buddy finally settled and they spent an hour out there together, with Sue and Kelly watching from the gate. Yesterday they did it again, and Buddy actually walked halfway over to Orca, looked at him, and then came back to Sue. He was much more settled. Orca didn't mind at all, and tomorrow we're going to do it again. Every time will be better, and I'm sure that within the next few days Buddy and Orca will be hanging out together just fine. It takes time, and patience, because we have to be sure Orca will be okay with him. Juan thinks this is a very good solution, and will be very good for Buddy. Then, when Teddy is weaned, he can hang out with Buddy and Uncle Orc.
Today was weird; pouring rain one minute, then hot and sunny the next. I did manage to get a little salad garden planted; just some mesclun and lettuce and some radishes, but at least it's something. I just don't have time to do much more, and since I'm not sure when the new workshop is going to be started, I don't want a full garden in a spot I'm going to have to move when building starts. It felt really nice to be out there digging in the dirt, I have to say. Hopefully, things will grow and there will be salad.
