miss hap, the one-eyed wonder

Did you like my Christmas post? Sounded like our Christmas was right off a picture card, didn't it?
 Well, I tell you this, Christmas Eve at least, wasn't.
Because no one writes Hallmark cards like this

 Happy Christmas!

Your pony(the one you spent all year getting close to and teaching all those tricks) got her head kicked in!

That's how it felt for me, newly returned from playing prelude at both Christmas Candlelight services at my church. A suckerpunch to the throat.

We're not sure exactly how it happened, but Piggy (aka Black Pony) got kicked directly in the eye and surrounding area. Which seems impossible because she is pen pals with only Shyanne and Roanie, and the three of them are inseparable. Which makes me think they were playing around in the new snow and she got in the way of someone's joyful kick.

After spending Christmas Day (the one holiday vets get off... unless there's a life threatening case) in a solitary stall, cleaned up the best we could manage, and bandaged, we took her to the vet first thing Wednesday morning. Her eye was ruptured, and some of the bone that shelters the eye was also chipped and splintered.
 The long and the short of it is that the bone pieces and her eye were removed.
Back home now, she is doing very well, and of all our horses this could have happened too, I believe she'll adjust the best, because she is a very smart and calm pony, and more than that she is brave. If I were to hunt grizzly bears and needed a pack pony, I'd take her.
 With this new chapter  in her life unfolding, she shall need another nickname, since she hasn't been piggy in several months. I'm thinking Miss Hap, or Patch.

Maybe I'm not meant to NaNo..?

That's the impression I've been getting ever since I started.  I just keep running into road blocks!

This morning I went to do the chores as usual and noticed as I was feeding the horses that Double Stuff was laying down in the shed. It struck me as odd at first as I passed but then figured he was sunning himself since it was a little chilly. I pitched the hay but Double Stuff showed no interest what so ever. That was enough to get me worried. He's always hungry and will eat anything.
 I finished and went over to try and get him up, already suspecting the dreaded colic {You might as well call it horse bane}. I took me a couple shots of pulling and pushing at him before he reluctantly got to his feet. His head drooped and he looked like a little kid who'd eaten too much Halloween candy. It was so sad. He pushed his fuzzy little head against me as if to say I don't feel good. I stayed for a minute to just watch him and see if I was right about colic.
 He was on his feet for about five minutes but kept stepping out uncomfortably. Then his knees buckled and he went to rolling and kicking again.
 Classic signs of colic.
 I ran home and got Da and the colic kit {the stomach tube, milk of mag, buckets, etc...} and played assistant vet for the next hour and a half.
 I will spare you the rather unglamorous details, which I'm sure you'll appreciate if you're reading this while eating :) Suffice it to say that poor Dudders didn't like having a tube up his nose and so milk of magnesium went everywhere {which is why you never wear your good coat to the barn}.
 As far as I know he's doing a little better this evening{8:30} and I think any danger he may have been in is past, but I'll check on him again in an hour or so.
 I haven't written a single word today because of this and music lessons, and unless Double Stuff is completely better by tomorrow, I most likely won't get a chance then either. Not so great for my word count :/

I just got an email from my violin teacher with another performance possibility for this and/or next month. I've tallied up all my music concerts and special deals {like a radio spot. Pretty cool!} and it comes to seven or eight gigs in the next 30 days.

 I'm deciding right here and now that I'm just going to try and finish my novel by the end of the month and just forget about the word count -- I have quite enough to stress over at the moment! Maybe I'll hope back on the word wagon later on, but for now I just want to take one day at a time and not worry about tomorrow, if that's possible. :)

 So say a prayer for my family{and fur-child} and I'll keep you updated on Double Stuff.

-Gwyn

It just not my day*scratch* - week*scratch* - month!

This morning as I went to feed the animals I saw I was missing one, namely Saber, the 30-something old cow horse. Ah, dear, I thought to myself, If he's not here for his breakfast and everyone else is... Well, I figured that maybe he had gone off to die{that's putting it bluntly enough, isn't it?}. My reason for thinking so pessimistically, you ask? Okay, I'll tell you: For the past few months both Saber and Bingo{if you have no idea who I'm talking about, you can visit "My Animals"} have been looking their age. Worse actually. And, in the past week, Saber has been looking even worse than worse, if that's possible. Clumps of hair laying about, bones sticking out no matter how much grass, grain, and hay he gets 24/7. Sad, really. And when horses go to die they go off by themselves, much like when mares foal, and about the only other time they will willingly leave the rest of the herd. So, you can understand why I thought thus at that point. Anyway, after feeding and watering everybody else I went search of him. In my experience dying animals usually head for a gully or some low place with trees, so I went to all those kinds of places he could've reached, but found naught. But then I stumbled on to him in one of the sheds. He wasn't dead I as had assumed, but he was laying down, and it looked as if he had been all night. Then I fear the dreaded colic: bane of the equine world. To test, I proffered a handful of hay and to my relief he ate ravenously - albeit awkwardly on his side. That also confirmed my theory that he had been down all night.{Going about this like a detective, aren't I? :P} Next I tried to get him up. He struggled at first but then sank back exhausted. He must've tried all night. He wasn't sick or dying: he just couldn't get up!  That brighten my mood considerably. I didn't have to stick a tube up his nose after all! And trust me, if that situation can be avoided... happy be me!
  But I still had the problem of getting him up. He was on his side, laying on his shoulder so he couldn't get his leg under him, and on a slant with the support pole in front of him. Yeah. No to mention his big. Huge. {;)} Not an easy project.
  I pulled at his head and pushed at his side; pulled at his leg in an effort to get it under him so he could stand. After about twenty minutes and no avail I was growing quite hot and not a little discouraged and he was exhausted and seemed to decide he didn't want up so bad after all.
  I ended up having to run to my da's studio{he's a sculptor, so you know. The studio is a few hundred yards from our house} and get him. By the time we go back to the shed Saber had miraculously gotten up! But he looked terrible and his legs shook with the effort. I fed him and he seemed happy about that.

  On the way back to the house Da and I had to discuss putting Saber and Bingo down. Not a fun topic but one that could no longer be put off. We had planned to put them down last Fall but ran into several set backs until it became to cold. But now that the ground has thawed, it may be time. It's not that we want to "do away" with them, but they are at the point where it's almost cruel to let them go on. They're not going to get any better, either. *sigh* Da thinks it will be best when the ground dries out. That means possibly next week. *sighs* Ah, well. They've both had really long and happy lives, I'm glad to say.

 Da also has another molding project and that means I get to help with the tedious jobs of measuring, and stirring, and cutting paper cups and fiberglass sheets!! Oh boy!!

Till we meet again{I'll probably be covered in plaster} ~Gwyn

Operation take two

Hammie went into surgery for his right hind leg this morning at 8:00. Hopefully this will be the last vet visit for him for a lloooong time.

It's kinda pathetic, but I miss him already{10:11am}. He'll be back tomorrow, but still...... <:'(

On a lighter note: I started reading the Percy Jackson series yesterday; to see what the fuss is about. The library's Book 1 was checked out though, so I had to get the 2nd one. How many are there?
I see the movie is coming out sometime this year too. It looks interesting. I've always liked Greek Myths and things. Maybe I'll convince my brother to take me to it when it comes out. With my best friend, of course!

Welll.... I should go. I should be doing my math. *guilty look*
Gwyn's skiving off school again!
Newton, don't you get into this!
........................

Later chaps!~Gwyn

Quick update...

{May I call your attention to my new profile pic? Yes, it is me and Shyanne:)}
Hammie's operation went well. Bill{the vet} said it was a good thing we didn't wait any longer because the ligament was practically gone. O.o Poor baby! I went in Thursday to learn his PT exercizes, and so on. He had to be kept in a kennel for five days to keep him off his leg. That didn't go over well with him, being Corgi/Ausi and all. They said his leg won't be totally healed for about 8 months. That's a very long time for the active guy.
As my absence testifies, I have been extremely busy and still am. Hammie's PT takes up quite a bit of time and my brother and I are very popular this season for playing at churchs'. Too bad this isn't the ideal year for it people! For us anyways. Oh, well. Show must go on and all that.
Remember I mentioned awhile back that I had the flu? It turns out I don't have the flu but worse, there is mold in one of my bedroom walls. Eergh!! I do not need this right now!!
Sunday I was really sick, but couldn't stay home because I had to play 1st violin at two Church services and the Children's Christmas Program. Monday was the second Midnight Mass practice at the Catholic Church. I'm 1st violin there, too. Tonight's another and tomorrow night it's show time! This is the third year we've played at the Catholic's MN Mass. It's like the highlight of our music year; it's the biggest church around; their biggest holiday... so we're very flattered to be asked to play for them every year.{'specially cause we're Lutheran :D} Needless to say though, it's very stressful. There's new music this year, and... Okay I *love* the latin mass and the *beautiful* latin music tunes, but, it is very hard to play! It was originally written for voices alone, which is great!...If you're in the chorus.
With voice you can easily go from a low C to a higher B. But on violin you have to cross two strings. And when you put the C-B in a run O.o
We've got one more practice...<:)

Yesterday hor-frost covered everything in beautiful white spears. Got some awesome photos I'll try and post later on this week. Today we got an almost white-out snowstorm that's hitting most of the US looks like. Fist power out too. Joy.

If I survive tomorrow, I might post...
It's getting dark and I haven't feed my horses yet. So Happy Christmas Eve's eve! If you live some place warm, I envy you. ~Gwyn

A vet trip

 The day before yesterday my sister took Hammie and Hooey in to the vet; Hooey to get booster shots and Hammie because he has been limping with his right back leg for about a week now.
The worst we thought it could be was maybe a sprain; after all, he didn't seem to be much pain.
My sister got back late and when she came in the door she was in tears. I'm telling you right now it takes A LOT to make her cry. But when it comes to our animals.... I nearly died. I could not imagine not having Hammie. Just writing it now is hard.

It turns out he experienced CCR:Cranial Cruciate Rupture.
It's not incureable{thank you,Lord!} It can be mended with surgery, but it won't ever be quite the same. But as long as we don't have to put him down, I'm happy!
He's not in much pain now, which is good. I don't know when we'll take him in to be patched up, but I did find out its close to $7oo+ just for the surgery, not including therapy....oy... I think that was why my sister was so upset; She's got a huge college work load{one more class and she'd have to get permission from the Dean} and has two jobs to pay for that and rent and she just had to get a new car and fix it up. She was afraid she couldn't afford Hammie's treatments{he is her dog, though he lives with me}. Well, she forgot just how much we love our Ham-Bone! I'm gonna throw in my savings for that violin{what's an instrament compared to my lil boy?} and Dad said he'd help her out too.
So lets pray for a quick surgery and speedy recovery for the little Fur-Child. He has been such a blessing to us. I wonder if he knows just how much....

"Give thanks unto the Lord in all circumstances..."

Lord, thank You for Hammie.

Horse things... an abscess and a Bible verse

 Weird title, huh? :P

Well, today Shyanne was limping badly on her right front leg. She wouldn't put much weight on her heel at all. That, to the experienced eye, is the tell tale sign of an abscess in the hoof. *bangs head on table* 

 An abscess is nothing serious(unless it continues to worsen) and will sometimes heal itself. But usually you have to give it many treatments of soaking the hoof in special salts and hot water (after you locate the abscess and let it drain). Which is really a pain in the behinder when you have to heat the water in the house and then slog it all the way to the east pasture. Then you have the task of trying to keep the horse's foot in the water, because it stings them,  This is not easy an easy project.  And they splash you in the struggle and then the water turns to ice because horses have the nerve to always get abscesses during nasty weather(e.g. Today it's freezing, windy and sleeting). I think they plan it all out.

You might be able to tell that I have traveled this road before. I don't have to soak Shyanne's foot. Yet. Dad thinks it might heal on its own. *Oh, please!!* So yeah,  I'll keep you updated. If anyone has questions about abscesses, you now know who to talk too! *smiles weakly*

On to the other horse stuff!

In the High School Sunday class last Sunday I ran across an awesome Bible verse! I was so excited because I finely found the place in the Bible where it actually speaks of the majesty of the horse!

(Summery of the chapter: God is basically putting Job in his place when he questions God's justice and control)

"... Do you give the horse his strength

or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?

Do you make him leap like a locust,

Striking terror with his proud snorting?

He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;

he does no shy from the sword...."

Job 39:19-22

Something about that verse was just awesome to me at that moment; ya know? Have you ever gotten really excited about a verse you came across in the Bible?

De-worming the horses, and moving cows

Now that it is cold and extremely windy it is the official time for worming the horses!! Oh, joy! *note the sarcasm*

Some of you maybe wondering what worming horses is. It's a lot like worming a dog. I think. Anyway, you have a syringe of the worming paste, and, on the 'handle' part there is a neat little wheel-thing that you set to the weight of the horse.{e.g.. 1200 lbs; spin the wheel until you reach 1200}this allows only the right amount to be given to the horse. Then, while someone{me} holds the horse firmly, you insert the syringe in its mouth and dispense the paste. It is then my job to hold up the horses head until they swallow. Not as easy as it sounds. Especially with the smart ones that wait and wait and wait till you think they have swallowed and let go, only to the paste spewed all over you and back to square one.

The paste has amazing an ability to end up all over you, no matter how careful you are with your new{*sigh*} coat.

My horses always seem to be the worst at theses sorts of things! I don't know why! Shyanne is terribly sensitive and so rears and kicks during shots. Very maddening for all us frozen 'vets'. My older pony suddenly develops lock jaw when it comes to wormer and my other one just plain bolts! Dad thinks I'm voodoo or something :P         {this guy make it look easy!->}

About the only thing good about this weather is that it means it's time to move cows!!! Woot! My favorite riding 'sport'!

While we our selves no longer have cows, our 'neighbors'{they live ten miles away} have a big angus ranch that we help out with sometimes. And we also have friends that have a ginormous buffalo ranch that they might need help with this year!!:D Yeehaw and all that good stuff!

Till later!~Gwyn