Truthful Tuesday

 

Alright so this confession goes back to when Al was still at the hospital. As you may expect I was kind of in a fog for a few days there. I drove the hour and twenty minutes each way to see him every day that he was there. One of the days, and I do not recall which one, I saw a post on Facebook that a pedestrian had been hit by a car on a road I had JUST been on. From what the post said, it actually could have happened while I was driving through that area. Guys. I was so stressed out that day, that I actually feared I had hit this poor woman and didn't know it. I worried about it all night. Now, I do imagine I would know if I hit a person. And I would also imagine there would be damage to my car (there is not). Yet I still had this worry. Thankfully, the next morning our local news reported on it and said the driver had stayed at the scene. So it must have happened mere moments after I drove through there, but it wasn't me! Thank goodness. No idea if the lady is okay or not, there weren't any more updates. Hopefully she's alright though. Still, I'm relieved I didn't do it. 

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day! I was perhaps mildly distracted yesterday for outfit photos, so I have to borrow some old ones for Eros' outfit. Thankfully he went with something he's worn before. Here's what he had on:

Okay, well it's ALMOST what he had on. He did have a different bridle this week, and no wraps. But close enough!

Bridle: Pinnacle

Browband: Boy O.Boy Bridleworks

This is the correct bridle for this week's outfit! 

Saddle: Butet

Saddle Pad: Ogilvy
Half Pad: Mattes

We went with the tan pad today because it matched nicely with my sweater.

So here is what I had on for this week:

Barn colors, but even more personalized!

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

Went with the green sparkle today. Really can't go wrong with that choice.

Sweater: Westerly Digital Designs

This brand which is unfortunately on hiatus right now, uses a photo of your horse to create the silhouette on the sweaters. If you're thinking that doesn't quite look like Eros, you're not wrong. But the reason is half my fault. The company sends proofs to be approved before they put your sweater into production. And I took a quick look and said to move forward. Only I didn't notice until the sweaters arrived that this is actually Al's star, not Eros'. But I mean, it's not that far off. Close enough if you ask me! My mom gifted these sweaters to me, so I have Shiny and Al still left to share. Al won't have tack on anytime in the near future for outfit day, but we got lots of new blankets this year, so maybe he'll model one of those when it's his sweater's turn. 

Belt: Lucky Brand

My new Lucky Brand belt matched my sweater so nicely! I'm very glad I splurged on it a few weeks ago. 

Breeches: RJ Classics

I like RJ breeches. Not as much as the old Tailoreds, but close. 

Boots: Mountain Horse

You guys haven't seen these in AGES because truthfully I kind of forgot I had them. Oops. I LOVE these boots. I've had them for a long time, but don't wear them all that much. Not for any particular reason. So glad I rediscovered them!

That's it for outfit day this week. And also, just wanted to let you all know that my procedure went well this morning and now I just have to wait for results which will take 3-5 business days. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Holy moly guys. What a week, huh? I made the drive every day to visit with Al. An hour and a half each way. So I would do chores at home, go see Al, then come home and ride. Long days. But it was nice to be able to see him each day. I didn't feel like my reports exactly matched the horse in front of me, so having my own eyes on him and being able to ask questions was nice. Like they kept telling me how comfortable he was, but when I saw him, he was clearly cramping in his tummy. Did they not see, or it's just expected so didn't think to tell me? Not sure, but it was nice to be able to see it and ask about it in person. 

I don't have a ton to write about today because I honestly don't remember that much of the last week. I think it's because every day was identical pretty much. Eros and Shiny have been doing pretty well. I think Shiny is due for some maintenance because she kicks out at every canter transition. But I also don't think it's really worth doing the maintenance with winter coming so soon. I'm curious too if some of that is because we haven't been working very hard nor very consistently and with the colder weather... Probably all of those things are making any discomfort more apparent for her. I'm going to try really hard to get her and Eros on a more consistent work schedule and see what we get. Should be easier now since I have one less to ride. 

Al is on stall rest for a month, then small paddock turnout for another month, then regular turnout the third month. And in that month, as long as the incision plays nice, we can start tack walking. Right now he is allowed as many hand walks as I want to give him for 5-10 minutes, and unlimited hand grazing. He's also able to go outside in his little covered walkout because it's just a little bigger than a stall. He was SO happy to get out there today! He's not allowed to be silly though. If he starts any nonsense he has to come in. But I do think the incision is still a little tender feeling because I see him being careful about how he walks. Which is kind of a good thing. Nice to see him being smart and not reactive. Fingers crossed he stays that way for awhile!

In other news, the nightmare that was getting the fence fixed has concluded. I'm not thrilled with the outcome, but I am glad it's finished. The long story short of it is that I hired my landscaper to do the job because he said it was something he's done before. But he clearly had not, and had absolutely no idea how to do it. NONE. And was not receptive to advice. I can't tell you how many times they had to redo things. And there was one Sunday where I didn't get to ride my horses because I realized that they had left screws all over the ground AND sticking out here, there, and everywhere on the fence posts. I spent three hours removing all of that. I was PISSED because we had already had a conversation about that. Sigh. Anyway, there were many conversations that went unheard. The fence is somehow lower than it used to be, but still plenty high, so whatever I guess. Maybe in ten years I'll have to replace it again anyway, right? 

My big test is tomorrow, so I'll be glad to have that over with. I won't hear any results for 4-5 days so I still won't know anything, but at least I'll be one step closer. Once I have those results I can figure out what I'll need here at the farm. I haven't been hunting that hard for additional help because it may be that I need to board while I take care of myself, ya know? Hopefully that's not the case, so once I know I can get back on the hunt for more barn help. I'd hate to hire someone then be like just kidding, don't need you anymore! 

That's about it from here. I'm hoping things will settle into a routine here soon and then I'll have more interesting things to talk about. Or maybe it will be super boring, but honesty, wouldn't that be nice too?

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession is that I don't have a confession. But I am REALLY happy because Al is home!!! 

That's it! That's all I have to share today. He's home, and he's settling in well. He's allowed hand walks and unlimited hand grazing. So we got started on that this afternoon. 

More to come tomorrow. For now, I'm just my kids are all together again!

Thursday's Threads: Autumn Edition Part III

 

This is the final edition of Autumn Thursday's Threads, and I think it's cute! Shiny is our model today, but she was kind of grumpy about it, so forgive the lack of happy ears in her photos... Lol. Mares. Anyway, here's what she had on this week:

She was of the opinion that I was riding way too late and she was pouting. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Home made

Can't even stay awake for this nonsense! Her browband is the same as the one Eros had on a couple of weeks ago. They are so cute, I love the leaf beads. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Stephens
Baby Pad: Ogilvy

Her new half pads arrived finally, so she will have Mattes half pads moving forward like the boys. I could actually feel a difference in how she goes once we switched, and I swear those are just the best sheepskin half pads around. The horses love them. I seem to have not grabbed a close up of the ribbon on her pad, but it's just repeating fall maple leaves which match the browband perfectly! 

She wasn't wearing boots since it was a flat ride. So it's my turn! Here's what I wore for this outfit day:

Really brought the fall colors to this one!

Helmet:

I went with the brown helmet for this one to match my boots. Brown feels very autumnal to me.

Shirt: Luyaa

I actually got this shirt for my Winnie the Pooh costume a few years back. Figured it was time to bring it back out. 

Belt: Mane Jane

Also thought this brown belt was a nice choice for this bright outfit. 

Breeches: Vestrum

I snagged these on sale many years ago, and have been pleasantly surprised at how frequently I actually wear them! 

Boots: Horka

I haven't worn these much, so figured this was a great outfit for them. I bought them MANY years ago, but then I sent them with my dad to get a patch put on the inside. For some reason they had that same patent leather on the inside and they were awful to ride in. So I had a plain leather patch put on. Problem was I sent them with my dad to take to his shoe guy in the city and he forgot about them for awhile. And then I forgot about them entirely. Several years went by and he surprised me with the repaired boots! It was like my birthday since I had pretty much forgotten the existed. Anyway, here they are! And they're great now!

That's it for today! Did you enjoy the fall outfit series? 

What's Up Wednesday: And then this happened.

 

Man this year is quickly finding itself on the list with 2019. QUICKLY. And that's not a list you want to be on. And also, I have a good excuse for not posting yesterday. I'll jump to the big story here so as not to bury the lead. 

Yesterday afternoon, when I brought the horses in, Al was not acting right. At first just very lethargic, and then he laid down. Then up. Then down. I finished bringing the horses in, and then got him outside walking and called the vet. I didn't think we were dealing with a run of the mill colic because Al had pooped three times outside and once after I brought him in. And also two more times while we walked. But he was very clearly uncomfortable. Doc advised to give banamine and if he stayed uncomfortable keep walking until it kicked in. And I was to give a report in an hour. Well the Banamine wasn't really helping much. He wasn't horribly uncomfortable, but did want to lay down if we stopped moving, so I kept him walking. About 50 minutes after the meds, he started to have some discharge from his nose. Doc was suspecting choke but I wasn't sold on that because there had been no coughing at all. Per the vet's request I sent a video of what his nose was doing and doc got on board that this likely wasn't choke. So he came right out at that point. After taking Al's vitals, he put the tube in and drained about 2 gallons of acid from Al's stomach. He said it's a good thing he came when he did because the stomach can handle maybe 5 gallons before it ruptures. This was looking like something pretty serious, so we were sent to the hospital. I called a friend who owns a nearby show barn (the same one I was thinking about trying to get on the waitlist for) to see if there was a chance she or her husband could take Al for me. I have been dragging my feet getting the truck fixed (there's just been so much to do around here lately!) and I didn't want to risk something going wrong with my rig on the way. The vet hospital is about an hour and half away. Thankfully they were available and willing so her hubs arrived immediately, and Al was on his way. I was a few minutes behind so I could get feed made for the other two for dinner. Another friend of mine (who used to live here in my apartment before she met her hubs) was able to feed for me while I was at the clinic with Al. I also let Rita out and fed her before I left. Lots to do when you're a one woman show. 

Very unhappy boy

Al got to the hospital right around 5 and I was only maybe 10 minutes behind that. When I arrived they had two vets and a handful of vet students working on him. They took some blood and some belly fluid from him. From what I understand there are levels they can compare from the two fluids to determine the likelihood of this being surgical or medical. His initial numbers were inconclusive, so the plan was to recheck in an hour and also get some fluids in him. Unfortunately, the second draw indicated surgery would be necessary. Which I wasn't surprised because he wasn't doing great during that hour. I was sent home for the surgery because they expected it to be a minimum of four hours. At this point it was 8pm and I still had to finish cleaning up at home. I had dropped everything to get Al taken care of, so there was a huge mess. I'm sure you all know I can't leave a mess overnight in the barn. I did leave the paddocks unpicked though. A girl has limits. 

Surprisingly, I got a call just before 11. Which at first worried me, because they said they would call if things got complicated, but otherwise expect four hours before an update. Thankfully though, it was a great update. Things went as good as they could have, and Al did a great job waking up from the anesthesia. (Good boy!) 

What they found was that he had an obstruction (likely food) just about a hands length from where the small intestine meets the stomach. This explains why he was passing manure, everything behind there was able to come out. But nothing was able to empty from the stomach. Which caused inflammation and all this acid production. (They had removed a full five gallon bucket from him since he'd arrived until before the surgery.) Basically the stomach was trying to throw up even though horses can't do that. I was told it was very surprising he wasn't more painful and that he's very stoic. But that all tracks with how Al reacts to things like that. He loses his ever loving mind about things that aren't a big deal, but when he's actually in trouble he stays pretty calm. Like one time he rolled himself part way under the fence, and then just calmly shimmied himself back out. He's odd. So of course his colic was odd. 

Muzzle was just so he didn't mess with the nose tube

Anyway, they were able to break that food ball up some and massage it all the way out of the small intestine to the large, where it was in no danger of getting stuck. So he should pass that tonight if he hasn't already. We were very lucky that there were no twists or kinks, and really very little inflammation even. So I did catch it right away before any real damage was done. They didn't need to cut any intestine. 

We're really not sure why this happened, but his teeth are a little sharp. (We are on the schedule for a couple weeks out for that already, but they'll do his teeth while he's there recovering instead just in case there's something going on in there that might have contributed to this.) The next steps after surgery are for his stomach to stop refluxing, and for his vitals to stabilize. His heart rate was a little elevated post surgery, but that's not unusual. Today he got a scope to just do a check of the stomach and the esophagus to make sure everything looked good. They also checked the opening to the intestine from the stomach side to make sure there wasn't anything going on there. He does still have that one pesky ulcer that we weren't able to resolve when we treated him last year, but otherwise his stomach was "pristine" (vets words). Not sure why that thing is so persistent. But no one seemed concerned about it. He lives on sucralfate anyway, so we are to just keep up with that. It is right near that opening too. But it doesn't sound like it's problematic beyond being an ulcer.

I went to see him today and he really looks pretty good! He was hanging out when I arrived, just kind of snoozing. But he perked right up when he heard my voice. I was happy to see that. The vets even commented that his energy was different once he saw his momma. He seemed fairly bright, and very annoyed that he couldn't have snacks. Which is all good things! He did get a little uncomfortable after they gave him his penicillin, but I was warned that is common. I stayed for about an hour. I was going to groom him a little but he said no thank you, so maybe tomorrow for that. He's allowed very short walks today, but he had already had one and wasn't due for a little bit so I didn't take him out. He is still on an IV, so I think that's why they do it at certain times. I got an update tonight that his heart rate is back to normal, and he's not refluxing anymore which is the best news! So he was going to start getting water tonight and as long as he handles that well, he'll start getting tiny amounts of food tomorrow. Which will delight him, I'm certain! I believe he'll stay about a week and then should be able to come home. I had been told before surgery that it's usually a month of stall rest after, then small paddock for a month, then regular turnout and tack walking can start in that third month too. I'm not sure if the timeline is still as long since he didn't have a resection, but I'll find that out in the coming days. For now, I just am holding my breath that the re feeding process goes smoothly! 

It's weird at home without him. Eros and Shiny both are a little unsettled. When I saw them this morning Eros was staring at Al's stall with his eyes bugging out of his head. I let them both smell me when I got back from my visit with Al though and I think that was helpful for them. It's kind of funny because they both seem pretty annoyed by Al most of the time, but I'm glad they do care about him. 

I finally got to ride them both tonight too which was so much needed for all of us. We haven't ridden since Thursday for many reasons that I was going to talk about today, but Al's story is priority. We can catch up on the other ridiculousness around here next week. I do still have an outfit for tomorrow. I actually pre-photographed this one last week, and I'm glad I did! 

One thing that I really had a hard time with yesterday, was so silly, but also so frustrating. I'm here by myself most of the time. And most of the time it's fine. But when I couldn't leave Al unattended yesterday I was in a tough spot for a couple of moments. Before bringing the horses in and finding Al NQR, I had gotten Shiny's hay soaking. And then everything was happening with Al and that hay was getting to be in the water for too long. Which if it goes too long, it goes bad. I sent a few texts to some horsey friends that I know either work from home or have weird hours, but no one was nearby. So I did for a moment have to abandon Al out in the ring while I pulled the hay out and fed the other two lunch. Of course he went down, but he didn't thrash around or anything, so no harm, no foul. But still. It was a moment that I was really struggling to figure out. All in, I think Al ad I walked for about two hours. And at about 1.5 I really had to pee! But alas, no one around. So I had to wait until the vet came. I couldn't abandon him a second time. Like I said, small things. But incredibly frustrating. It all worked out though. Something to maybe figure out a plan for in case this type of thing happens again. 

So yeah. That's what's up here the last two days. I still can't believe my life right now... But I'm glad things are going as well as they can for Al. And I'm also really thankful for my dad who's helping me afford this. And my amazing friends that jumped up to help me when I needed it. It takes a village, and I'm so glad to have such caring people around me. 

Thursday's Threads: Autumn Edition Part 2

 

Outfit Day!! I'm still embracing the season over here, and it's Al's turn this week to model. Here's what he had on:

He had zero interest in looking at the camera. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Home made by me

This is a new prototype browband. In the past, when I did these sewn on brow bands, I used nylon. But I wanted to see if I could do it on velcro to work with my interchangeable prototype browband. And it worked! I still want to make a more polished version of the interchangeable browband, but for now, I'm excited that this is working! Also, how cute are those fox buttons?

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes
Baby pad: Ogilvy, embellished by me

I clearly should have grabbed a close up of the ribbon, because it's hard to see here. It has leaves and foxes repeating all along it. Very cute!

Al didn't have boots on since we're just flatting these days. So it's my turn! Here's what I wore this week:

Fall is fox hunting season, so I figured it was the perfect time for a fox outfit. 

Helmet: One K Defender

I picked the brown helmet for this outfit. Even though I don't think you can wear a brown helmet fox hunting. But I'm not sure on that either.

Sweater: Modcloth

I have a few fox sweaters, but most of them are blue for some reason. I love this one since it's green.

Belt: C4

The other reason I love the sweater is that it's a pretty perfect match to this belt I have. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

Still warm enough for Tailoreds, but pretty soon I'll be back in the Dover Wellesleys. 

Boots: Horka

The distressed brown boots seemed like an appropriate choice for an autumnal look. Plus, they match my helmet nicely!

That's it for this week! We have one more autumn edition coming up next week, so come back for that one. It will be Shiny's turn to model!