Last night I went out to do chores (as I always do) but knew I was in for extra chores because of this upcoming storm. Originally the weatherman had predicted rain turning into snow, which meant wet and cold horses. Not good.
The wind was pretty fierce and I knew I'd have to leave Junior in his outside stall until we got back from church so I threw a blanket to ward against the wind chill. He's definitely changed since we first got him. He's gotten less accustomed to my movements and I'm not sure why. I wonder if he's going blind but I don't see any drastic changes in his eyes or even any spots. But the older he gets, the more unsure of anything I do. He's taken to spooking at the hose when I drag it through his pen to fill the water tank. And now he's taken to not liking his blanket or even having me come close with his blanket (or come close to him at all). He used to be a riding horse so he's used to people approaching him with a saddle pad and saddle. It's all very weird. As the years progress, he's more uncomfortable with anyone but horses approaching him. He's getting a bigger bubble as he gets older.
I also pulled in Bo, Jim, and Rain so that it would be easier to put hay in after we got back. Of course we didnt' get home until 9pm. There's nothing romantic about putting hay in late at night. Luckily most of the herd was out on the pasture, which is a good indication that the bales were done. What was left is mostly chaff and I'm disappointed that there's that much chaff to deal with. I am apparently a hay snob because all of our hay in years past never had any chaff and the horses would polish it completely.
I'm glad we put hay in last night instead of tonight. It's much colder today and there will be more snow. It's better to be pre-emptive and get things done before the bad weather hits (although it hasn't gotten bad and maybe it's not going to be bad this time around). But I'm definitely glad to see new bales sitting in the drylot for the horses.
They have figured out how to pull the hay nets off the bales and that drives me insane. So what used to take just a few minutes to get the nets on, takes twice as long because I have to secure the nets to the hay rings. I need to device a way to keep the hay nets on without having to spend a half an hour tying them to the ring.
I checked Bo out last night a little closer before putting his blanket on. He's doing much better. The cut on his leg is healing nicely. I really didn't think it would heal this fast or this nice, what with it being so deep and in such a bad spot. There was no way to stitch it so I figured it would never heal, especially with Bo's heart failure.
But I'm wondering now about Bo. His heart rate was elevated because he was at the vet's. He's uncomfortable going anywhere and we've only taken him to a few different places over the years so even though he loads like a dream, he stays home most of the time. We like to keep the horses as calm as possible which means they don't actually leave the Sanctuary all that often. I really thought after we got home from the vet that Bo wouldn't be around much longer. But he's proved me wrong. I think with a calm environment, he'll do just fine.
The air pocket in his shoulder is also diminishing. It covered his entire right shoulder, started to creep up his neck and wrapped around his entire chest. I was worried but there was nothing we could do. The body is an amazing thing. Bo's air pocket is starting to diminish. There isn't nearly as much air in his shoulder. In fact, last night before I put his blanket on, I asked him to move and forgot and pushed his right shoulder. It crinkled. It was a little creepy but there was definitely less air. So investigated more and there is less air everywhere. Even in his chest, there is less air. There's still a big air pocket in his chest but that too will go away in time.
I figured with Bo in heart failure and then a deep leg cut and air pocket, that would be the end of him. But his body, even in heart failure is taking care of him. Now it's my turn to take care of Bo. We are keeping the ulcers at bay by feeding him Ramona feed. It's not easily accessible but we'll do what we can to keep him fed. It's a mix of oats, cracked corn and I believe soymeal. He's not gaining weight but he's also not losing weight. I also started adding in a scoop of senior to see if that would bother him but so far it hasn't.
I have been keeping a watchful eye on Brego. With Ivan gone, Brego is lost. Zeke on the other hand knows that Brego is depressed and has taken him under his wing. I'm a little worried that it would cause Bo problems but I think everything is ok. So now it's the three amigos and Lightening will show up every once in a while. With Ivan now gone, there is less harassing for Bo. Ivan liked to torment Bo so that's at least one less worry... I guess.
Brego is doing well. He's still depressed but he's moving forward. Ivan wasn't the first best friend that he lost. He lost Sam a few years back but he wasn't nearly as attached as he was to Ivan. But now that he's friends with Zeke, hopefully he can adjust. I worry though because Zeke is 25 and how many more years will Zeke be around. Poor Brego will lose another best friend. But it's part of Sanctuary life.
But overall, everyone is healthy and happy. A few of the hard keepers are tucked in their blankets although I'm sure I overreacted. Now to deal with super cold temps. I guess that's what happens in winter. Just glad I had enough forethought to get everything done last night instead of tonight when it's so much colder.
