Turning the Corner

We’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel at last. Siete is doing better. I haven’t posted anything for the last few days because it was so depressing. Today, thanks to Arlene from Grey Horse Matters and her wonderful daughter and my farrier, John, the little horse is walking better.

Last night, I thought about how nervous and stressed I was about holding Siete today while the farrier dug out her back hoof abscess. After our painful experience with the vet, I didn’t want to also cause Siete to hate the farrier. I remembered a favorite line of one of my mentors: “If you need help, you must ask for it.” So, I called Arlene, and being a great friend, she and Jacquie came to the rescue. First, I must say that Jacquie has a really magical effect on my horses. They both really like her.

What was amazing was that Siete was so transfixed by the way that Jacquie was tickling her nose that she relaxed to the point that she almost fell asleep while John was trimming her feet. I was prepared to just be able to do the one hoof with the abscess and have him come back to do the others when she wasn’t so sore. As soon as he opened it up and drained it, she was able to stand comfortably and let him do his job on the other three feet.

Jacquie also kindly brought me a poultice called Animalintex which I’m using in a medicine boot on Siete’s foot, and she had another boot that was too small for their horses that she gave me. So, now with two boots, my life is significantly simpler.

I must also thank LJB at the Horsey Therapist for her good suggestions. She told me to add cinnamon to cut the bitterness of the doxy. While Siete still refuses to eat the pills coated with it, she does let me squirt the cinnamon, yogurt, doxy concoction into her mouth. I can’t go so far as to say she likes it, but she is being cooperative.

So, tonight, I can rest easy and feel like my sweet little horse is on the mend.