Realizaton about Joe

This has been a very stressful week for me. After trying to hunt down facts on what I thought was a potential abandonment, I had a realization about Joe.

It may be that I'll have to put Joe down this fall. He had a bad day yesterday. Joe must have fallen sometime this past winter or spring (before I got him). I can't imagine how the previous owner could have ridden him the way he is now. When I went to pull him into the barn, he walked crooked. Not just crooked but practically sideways. It may be that I need to take him to the vet sooner. But I'm afraid of what I'll hear from the vet.

I'm going to be selfish for a little while and allow him to graze and gain weight before I make any decisions. Is this cruel, possibly. But at this point, I've been so stressed with changing jobs, planning the wedding, besides being rattled to the core with this horse deal this week that I can't take any more stress. Selfish I know. But I can't emotionally take any more change be it good or bad.

I'm hoping Joe will have a good day today. It may be that the pasture he is in is too hilly. Mike suggested I drylot him with the mares so that he doesn't have to move up and down hills. I considered the idea but the mares are in a pasture with a hill also. If I drylot him, he won't gain weight as quickly as I'd like since he wont' be on grass 24x7.

I'm thinking of creating a new "lawn pasture" which is flat and I'll keep a close eye on Joe. While he was standing at the barn patiently waiting for his grain, I saw that his left hip gave out and it pained him. He had to catch himself with the other leg but it startled him. So there is something going on. I'm not sure that my pocketbook can afford to investigate what is wrong. I'm afraid poor Joe's body is simply giving out.

We'll simply take every day as a blessing and see how each day goes. It may be that I need to stock up on bute for the time being just to make Joe comfortable. I gave him a dose of banamine (not the best idea but that's all we could come up with to make Joe comfortable last night). I don't want to stall him for fear of making him super stiff.

Luckily we'll have a three day weekend and I can keep him on flat ground to see if that helps. If it helps, then I'll keep him there until there is no more grass and move him to mom and dad's pasture which is flat. I'd prefer to get more weight on him before he has to travel again.

I'm glad that I was able to bring him home, a little disappointed that he was in such bad shape when the gal sold him to me, and I guess I'll have to look at it that I am blessed to have Joe in my life for however long his body can hold up.

I'm hoping this weekend to get a ride in to recenter and refocus myself. I'm mentally exhausted after the past two months of activities. I did pull some pictures off the camera and will post more in the next day or so. So there may be a few posts with just pictures. :-)