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