I got a phone call last night from, Debbie, the girl I fed horses for last winter. She needs me to feed again in July.
The reason I mention it is I’ve forgotten to tell you all the 1/2 Fresian horse she has (I can’t find the picture, he was black), way back at the beginning of May, hurt himself very badly. She puts him in a 12X12 pen just to eat. She fed him and looked back at him several minutes latter and he had somehow gotten over the panels the pen is made of and came down on a t-post. It got him in the chest, cracked his sternum, and punctured a lung.
Her vet came, of course, but said he couldn’t do anything and recommended that she take the horse to the OSU vet hospital in Stillwater, probably about a 2 hour drive. After she left to go the vet told her husband he didn’t expect the horse to make it. But he did, and last night she told me he is finally off the feeding tube, and only has one drainage tube still in him. That he is going to make it, and still be usable as a dressage horse. I guess he had a really bad time with infections and they almost lost him several times. She said he is very very skinny now, you can see the joint where his backbone connects to his hips:(, as he won’t eat much, because now they are treating him for ulcers he got from all the meds, and stress.
Very sad deal. I know that even tho she has lots of horses, this one was special for her. I think she paid a pretty good chunk for him when he was just a yearling, and had big hopes. She’s always wanted to compete in high level dressage.
Becky
What a terrible accident for that horse and owner. I can imagine the amount of time and devotion to that horse the owner gave, to make him better.
We (Alison, Amy and I) are going on a ride this morning. Then they are leaving for a horse show. It is not until tomorrow, but they have to be there early in the morning and it is a long drive. Same place cjhaspi was last week.
Everyone have a great weekend.
Man, that’s terrible about Debbie’s horse! Horses can find some of the gawdawfullest ways to hurt themselves I’ve ever seen. Whenever I hear about accidents like that, I always have to wonder what on earth that horse was thinking or what was going on for him to do that. Of course I know that we’ll never know, but I still wonder. I’m glad to hear that he pulled through and they think he’ll be able to compete again. I’d love to see pictures of him when you go over there. Fresians are just gorgeous!
Oh dear... what an ordeal.
Well, the farm sitting should be more pleasant this time around... it seems it was winter and muddy when you did it before, right?
I hope he eats and does well for you while they’re gone. I’d be a little nervous taking care of him after all he’s been through! Gah! What if he colics?