Abby's Eye

(I'm still down the drainboard rabbit hole doing research, and posts about what I find are still a day or two in the future.)

So, who did I choose for the "Lynn as a horse"?

This cute guy! And thank you for all the kind and heartwarming comments many of you made in emails to me or via the comments section. Ya'll made my day.

This is one of my favorite photos of Abby.

I call it the "Egyptian Eye" photo because it looks as though her eye is lined with kohl.

That pretty eye looks like this right now. She's had conjunctivitis and Tim and I have both been treating it with an antibiotic ointment.

Tim sent me this text yesterday and my heart stopped when I read that second sentence.

Oh, gosh, I hope my girl is not going blind. I checked that eye yesterday afternoon when I medicated it and I wasn't thinking and put the ointment in her eye before looking for that cloudiness. I'll have to look again later today.

If she is, it will be sad but she can still live a happy life without her eyesight.

Leslie had a blind from birth gelding, Skippy, and even rode him around her farm. (That's Teacher Daughter Lisa with him.)

Leslie and Skippy

Abby has been at Tim's for ten years and knows the place well, so if she does go blind, one or both eyes, she will be okay.

I know I am making a TREMENDOUS leap from cloudy eye to total blindness. But I love her and am worried.

Just a Trail Horse

This was posted in Gals Over 50 and in the Saddle, one of my Facebook groups. The author is unknown, but it sure is worth a share.

My sister Leslie on her trail horse, Skippy. Skippy was blind but very, very rideable.

He's "JUST" a Trail Horse**

I can't count the number of times that I have heard the words "Oh you just trail ride" or "It's just a trail horse", especially from other riders who focus on only one discipline. And each time I have to smirk a little. To be JUST a Trail Rider you need a very special talented kind of steed for which many folks don't realize the expertise required:

- He needs to be as maneuverable as a Dressage Horse...to be able to place each foot exactly where and when you need because there is a steep cliff drop-off on one side and a wall of solid mountainside on the other. A sure-footed horse is a must to be a good Trail horse.

-He needs to be as bold as a Foxhunter....to go willingly where he is pointed, whether that is over a log, up a steep hill, down a gully, through rushing water, boot-sucking mud or bushwhacking through thick scrub.

-He needs to be as agile as a Show Jumper....able to easily twist and turn around trees and bushes, boulders and hop over fallen logs.

-He needs to have the stamina of an Endurance Horse....because a 7 mile ride can easily turn into a 20 mile ride if his "on-board GPS" (aka rider) takes a wrong turn.

-He needs to have the calm mind of a Rodeo Pick-Up Horse....because many horses can not hold it together under stress. But a good Trail Horse must be able to cope with the high emotional energy often coming from other horses in front, behind and either side of her. He needs to always be level-headed and sensible.

Me as a teenager swimming with Cee while on a trail ride. Just stripped off that saddle, hopped up bareback, and in we went!

-He needs to manage being squashed against others like a Polo Pony....because on some trails his nose might be pushed against a tail in front, or flanks pressed side-by-side with rider's knees banging against other rider's knees, or another horse breathing down his back. He needs to have patience and get along well with others.

-He needs to cope with bursts of speed like a Racehorse.....because if that "on-board GPS" (aka rider), stated above, turns the short ride into 20 miles you won't get home till dark if walking that whole distance.

-He needs to be a clever problem-solver with his mind and feet like a Cutting horse....sometimes his rider is gonna get him stuck in places that seem impossible to get out of!

-He needs to be brave like a Cow Horse because not only will he have to deal with protective mama cows and bulls out on the trails, but he'll also be faced with mountain bikes, ATVs, motorcycles, strollers, tractors, logging equipment, chainsaws, horse-drawn carts, bullet-riddled appliances, floating plastic bags and balloons, booming thunder and pouring rain with flapping slickers, loose wild horses and burros, and all forms of wildlife.

-And he needs to be cuddly and sweet like a Child's Pony....because he will spend countless hours exploring trails with his rider.

But hey.... He's "JUST" a Trail Horse!~*~

****Author unknown ****

Goodbye to Skippy

Yesterday my sister had to euthanize Skippy, her Paint gelding. He'd suddenly begun to drop weight and had been diagnosed with cancer a while ago, so it was time.

He was thirty-two and she'd had him for twenty years, so Skippy had had a long, happy life.

Skippy was also blind in both eyes and had been from birth. He always had his head cocked so he could listen well, and as a result, the muscles on one side of his neck became quite large while those on the other side atrophied.

Skippy and my granddaughter, Trinity.

Blindness did not hold Skippy back. He was happy and friendly, and as the first picture showed, could even be ridden.

Lisa and Skippy.

Rest in a very well-deserved peace, Skippy You will be terribly missed.

A Barn Run for an Injury

I got a panicked call from my sister, Leslie, this afternoon. She is in Michigan at a conference, and the teenager who is checking her horses while she's gone had sent her pictures of an injury Skippy had incurred.

 It was on the underside of his jaw.

Leslie called me and asked if I could go out and check on him, and treat the wound or call the vet if need be. I was happy to go, but I was leery of treating a blind, injured horse alone so I called my daughter, Lisa, and invited her to come along.

Out of all our kids, she is my horsey girl, and so she hopped into her car and joined me.

Naturally, Skippy and Cocoa were in the far end of the pasture, and neither would come when we called. So we had to hike out to them.

As we approached, Skippy decided to be social and came over to say hello. Blind since birth, Leslie has had him most of his life, and so he knows the pasture and barn very well. (Skippy is in his mid twenties.)

 Lisa offered him a carrot and that was all it took - he was now our best friend! He really is a sweet boy.  I checked under his jaw and was pleased to see that it was just a scrape and, aside from cleaning it and putting antibiotic ointment on it, nothing else needed to be done.

 We gave Skippy a final carrot and pat, took his halter off, and began the hike back up to the barn.

 Our new best friend decided to follow us up (probably hoping for more carrots.)

 It was amazing to watch Skippy negotiate the pasture. He actually turned and went a different way than we did - unerringly finding the gravel path to the barn.

After a couple of pats and another carrot, we said goodbye to Skippy. I will go back tomorrow and treat the scrape again, but I phoned my sister and told her that all was well with her boy.

Tender Feet and a Bute-Laced Treat

Last Monday when I went with Tim and Brandon to pick up a load of hay from Leslie, I noticed that Coco's feet seemed to be tender again. He was standing with his forelegs well in front of his body.

When a horse stands "parked out" like that, it's usually sign that their feet hurt. And Coco had been foundered sometime before we got him, and has flare ups occasionally. His coffin bone has also rotated. Poor guy!

Here's a diagram of coffin bone rotation.

He needs to be off lush grass for a while, so Leslie has him in a box stall in the barn. It's oversized, airy, and Skippy stands in the aisle and hangs out with his buddy for company.

Skippy can't be stalled as he gets cast - probably a function of being blind and unable to judge the distance from the walls when he lies down.

Coco was in good spirits and was moving better than I expected.

 He reminds me so much of a stuffed animal. Look at those fuzzy ears!

I needed to give him a dose of bute while I was there.

 It's a medication for horses that alleviates pain, especially in the joints.

I crushed up some of Coco's favorite peppermint nugget treats, then added hot water to them to soften them. He's in his late twenties and his teeth are worn down, so he needs soft food and treats.

Like any good horsey mama, Leslie uses a kitchen mixing bowl for her horses' medical needs. Coco ate right out of it and snarfed that bute-sprinkled treat mash down.

When he was done, I cleaned out and refilled his two water buckets.

And gave him a flake of hay for dinner.

I get to come back tomorrow - I love caring for Coco and Skippy when Leslie is gone.

Visiting TCPITW and Skippy

Today we drove up to Brookston to visit TCPITW* and Skippy, my sister's herd.

TCPITW is very gentle and loves visitors. JC and Trinity came with goodies to share.

He is so furry, he looks like a stuffed animal!

And, just like you'd hug that stuffed animal, TCPITW is quite huggable, too.

Even his legs are shaggy and curly!

We also visited with Skippy, Leslie's blind Medicine Hat gelding. 

He cocks his head "the better to hear you with, my dear!" to compensate for being unable to see. His artificial eye is visible in this picture.

Skippy likes goodies, too, just like TCPITW. He's very gentle, but due to his blindness, he tends to run his nose over you to get information about you, and that can be a little disconcerting if you're not used to it.

Obviously, Les is very used to being smelled all over!

* The Cutest Pony in the World, the nickname I gave Coco.

Horse-sitting Leslie's Herd

Since I am horse-sitting Leslie's herd while Groompa Camp is going on, I took the kids up to Brookston today when I went to check the horses.

Relaxing in the dirt seemed to be the order of the day!

 Beau enjoys a good roll in the warm June sun.

 TCPOTE (the cutest pony on the earth) also was reclining - in the manure pile! Oh well, I guess it was a soft place to lie down!

 Skippy and Trinity get acquainted.

Everyone got some sugar cubes and a good scritch before we headed back home.

Leslie's Horses

I was on the Indiana Horse Rescue site tonight and found some pictures that Leslie had sent in of her herd!

Skippy, Beau, and Coco out in the field.

 Leslie says that when she brought Coco to her farm, Beau and Skippy were like, "Hey! We got a pony! She got us a pony!!"

Coco at Indiana Horse Rescue. (He was one of the 19 horses rescued with Abby.)

 Prior to adoption by Leslie.

That's one fuzzy pony!