The DOR is gone to a Buck Brannaman clinic so I am giving her a bit of a trick for Halloween. I am also getting in a dig at "His royal blingness" Yep, here is Jack aka Boogie, in a tutu. Hope he is practicing for the Nutcracker, I hear he is going to be one of the Sugar Plum FaeriesHAHAHA. This is great a two for one prank, not often I can pull off one of those. Jack, you little twerp this is what you get for stealing Trudy my chicken. I suggest you return her soon or the next photo could be featuring you in revealing swimwear. DOR, I just have to tease you a bit...you know I love you. Well Jack it takes a real man to wear pink, especially when it is a pink skirt. Enjoy your Halloween, I hope it is filled with lots of treats and very little in the way of tricks. Life is so good! Oh and Jack told me to remember to say: Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
Here is a photo of some of the trees that are turning. In the distance you can see Mount Rainier with a fresh layer of snow. Please go visit the other great Skywatchparticipants at Skywacth Friday There are wonderful photos from all around the world! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
The DOR has called me booger on occasion. It is not the best nickname in the world, but one I have earned by wiping my nose on her several times. Lately she has been calling me boogie. She says she calls me that because I will be dancing before I know it. I have been thinking over this dancing thing...
You don't think the DOR will expect me to wear a tutu and do ballet do you? She and I have done our version of a waltz before I started moving like a drunk and that was okay. I could learn to do the tango, the hokey-pokey, the bunny hop (wait I already do that when I throw a fit), or dance in a conga line. Yep all those would be fine, but I am not wearing a tutu!
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
With the low reaching 29 degrees the DOR put Freedom's tarp on him. The old guy was busy eating his dinner and didn't want to pose for pictures. The rest of us are tarp free for now...but I fear my turn will be coming sometime in December or January. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Here is a basic diagram of a horse's nervous system. It is a complicated system, just like a humans. My fracture appears to be located about two to three inches behind my pole (between the ear and the arch on the neck on the diagram), placing it in a position to raise havoc with all kinds of things. Right now what I am dealing with is common in my type of injury. You see about the time I figure out how to make my legs work the way they should something changes at the injury site that means I have things to learn again. Here is an example: I got to where I could walk, trot, and lope pretty good but my reflexes at pressure points in my hindquarters were almost nonexistent. This weekend my reflexes are back, in fact they are snappier than ever, and now my back legs (especially my right) are moving similar to a camel. You see now I have to adjust to the new way my nerves are firing and learn to move based on that. So has the swelling goes down pressure releases on my spine which in turns changes the way the messages arrive to their destination. So when I have learned to compensated for misfires and the nerve changes the way it fires I have to relearn again. So it looks like I have a lot of learning to do, followed by relearning, followed by tweaking and adjusting...heck I am going to be learning how to get things together until everything finally settles down. The DOR told me she has no idea how long that will take. I do have some new things added to my therapy to help. I am having energy work done to help my brain get reconnected to my hindend. The DOR is also using "patterning" and other techniques she has used when dealing with her students who have suffered brain and spinal cord injuries. By the way I would like to inform the DOR that I do not like being locked out of my paddock just so some other horse can use it to recover after being in the barn having their teeth done. It interferes with my ability to mooch treats through the barn window. I am protesting and I want double mooching to be honored tonight-so there! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
When you watch the video imagine all the camels being colored like your favorite spotted pony, it will help understand what my post is about. The DOR was working with me on the weekend, she had the SCC had a friend take a look at me from behind while I loped. Seems like she was concerned with the way I am moving my hind legs, especially the right one. I didn't lope, but I did trot, the SCC and her friend both saw what she was talking about. I swing my right hind out and around, crossing it clear under me crossing over in front of my left hind which is traveling fairly straight. It is hard to describe...basically I look a bit like a camel moving. The DOR says if we move to the Middle East I will fit right in. I don't like not having grass to eat so I guess I better keep working hard at my therapy. I get better every week so I've got no worries about moving to Arabia. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Jack just wait until your chickens come home to roost ~The DOR when I tried to steal treats out of her pocket and nipped her. The photo is of Freedom's chicken Trudy. She has continued to live in the barn and the surrounding area since the dog attack. I guess that makes her my chicken now, sorry old man. The fact that chickens usually come home to rest and sleep has long been known, but the idea was used figuratively only in 1809, when Robert Southey wrote, "Curses are like young chickens, they always come home to roost" ( The Curse of Kehama). So why does this phrase mean that consequences of doing wrong always catch up with the wrongdoer? Wouldn't your chickens coming home to roost be a good thing? After all Trudy didn't go home to roost when she wandered away from her original home. Nope she went on a walk-about and ended up in Freedom's paddock and has been at the ranch every since. Seems like the saying should mean that all the things that are yours will stay yours. Besides what does me trying to get my treats out of the DOR's vest pocket have anything to do with chickens? Now saying "Just wait...bam a big ol' appy hoof upside the head" would be a statement that would mean something bad. I like our ranch chicken. It is fun having her flit in and out the barn widow. I am careful when she is cleaning up while I eat. So I am thinking that humans need to come up with a different phrase that does not pick on chickens. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
So here is a picture of how far our no tell motel is as of yesterday evening (it will be finished today). Now I am old and the DOR teases that I am senile, boy do I have them all fooled-gets me out of a heck of a bunch of work. But there is no way that I would mistake a framed up shelter with a four foot high kick board for appropriate cover from the rain. Someone in our pasture did...actually two someones did. I had to laugh my fool head off when I look over to see Salty and Lady standing in the unfinished shelter while it was raining. Some good it did them, they were more soaked than I was. You see I had the good sense to stand under the trees at the other end of the pasture, I didn't get near as wet as they did. Just goes to show that twerps aren't as smart as they think they are. After today the shelter will keep us high and dry in the rain, but then the twerps probably won't stand in it.... Life is so good! Oh and Jack told me to remember to say: Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
I really like how the blue of the sky and the blue of the sheet on Shandi play off of each other. The cloud seems to be glowing and I like its placement in the photo. Please go visit the other great Skywatchparticipants at Skywacth Friday There are wonderful photos from all around the world! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
Mushboy took this picture of the DOR doing some of my therapy. In this photo she is working on pressure points to make me arch my neck and lift my back. There are seven pressure points on each side and then two on my rear that she activates everyday. After the pressure points are worked on I have to do my neck flexing five times to the left, right, down, and up. The I have to do cross overs with my hind feet and back up five feet. I have to practice holding up my feet, just like when I was a baby, to be ready for the up coming farrier visit. I also get "tail pulls" to help straighten and strengthen my spine...good thing for the DOR that I am not a kicker. At the end of all of this I am a bit tired. The DOR gives me a nice massage and some green apple treats. I am good for my therapy and usually don't have to wear a halter because I will stand like a good boy. The DOR and I get to spend quality time together everyday with this...I get all the attention and I love it. Enjoy you day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
This cute face belongs to Hytyme's Lady Bean, Lady for short. She is the girlfriend of the two old farts. Lady is a three year old mustang who is a real spitfire. Doesn't she have the cutest smoochy spot on her nose?
Lady can be found close by one of the boys. Salty is most attached to her. Freedom has learned in his many years that young fillies are often more trouble than they are worth. Freedom likes a more mature mare, one in her 20's is nice for him. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
The crew got the framing done and put the kick board up on the old guys shelter. The only problem with the shelter is that the opening faces my pasture. If the old guys check into their stall with the filly I will have to stand facing the dairy...like that is a great view. The metal for the shelter will arrive this week and then it will be completed. The old men have been checking out their new digs. Freedom is trying to decide which side he wants, since he is the oldest he gets first dibs. I think he should take the stall on the right. It is higher and should get less ground moister than the left side. Since he will be in all night it would be nice to be higher and drier. Freedom gets a paddock attached to his side so he can wander in and out when he is tucked in to the night. During the day both sides will be left open so everyone can get in out of the weather if they choose to. I found out that having a stall does not mean that you don't have to get tarped if it gets cold enough. No way I want to be in a stall and tarped! Tomorrow I will post pictures of the boys' girlfriend. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Does this look like a happy face? A slightly amused face? No it is the face of a frustrated, embarrassed spotted pony. I would like to pretend that I was just being a good role model for Shandi, yea that's it...not. The SCC was going to work with Shandi on wearing a tarp, she has never worn one before. I was being a bit pesty so the DOR figured she would just toss Shandi's tarp on me, that way Shandi could see it was no big thing. Well I hate, hate,HATE tarps! The DOR tossed it on me and I couldn't get my feet to work right to get away from it, darn my sticky feet. I just kind of froze and started to sink down. My mind kept sending messages, but things still aren't working quite right. I took a deep breath and managed to get walking. I walked to the gate and the tarp went with me. It wasn't too bad, the tarp is too small and definitely not my color. I think Shandi got the idea though.
Shandi was a very good girl and wore her tarp for the first time in this pictre. The SCC put it on her, lead her around, and then took it off of her several times. He gave her green apple treats for being such a good girl. I think I should have gotten half the treats for showing her that the tarp wouldn't eat her. The DOR and SCC say they need to change Shandi's name to Easy because she learns so quick and is so easy to work with. The DOR is getting all of our tarps ready to wear this winter, she doesn't want to get caught slacking when the cold weather hits. I am hoping for a mild winter...I really don't want to be tarped. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
You can get away with lying to others and lying to yourself, but you can never get away with lying to a horse...their eye will always reflect back the truth. ~DOR to her students It is interesting how people try to fool other people and often manage to do so. Why is it that humans don't listen to that voice that tells them that someone isn't being honest? Maybe it is because they want to believe the best in others, but I think it is because people don't want to truly "listen" to what is going on around them. The DOR has used her horses to teach her children and students about honesty. She has demonstrated that you can't fool a horse. You can lie to yourself and say you are brave, a horse will know that you are afraid. You can lie to others and say you know things, a horse will know you are a fraud. She believes that if you will use a horse as your mirror you will become a better person. So look into a horse's eye and see what is reflected back. Listen to what we tell you...do a little horse meditation and find your true self. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
This is me with my warm mush this morning. Seems I talk a lot about my mush, what can I say it is the highlight of my day. Mushboy brings me out mush twice a day. I have had a bit of a cold this past week. It was set of by the giant dust storm we had last week. I hate dust, it gives me a snotty nose. The DOR teases me that I have "old man snots", I shared some of my snots with her this morning-I left a nice spot on her shirt....shows her for teasing me. Mushboy is adding meds as directed by the DOR to my mush to help with my cold. I am getting extra vitamin C and E along with SOD, colloidal silver, daily vitamins, and trace minerals. The vet saw me yesterday, she said she has seen several horses with the same stuff this week. Seems the dust storm combined with the drastic drop in temperature has bugged a bunch of us sensitive horses. The DOR is putting a 10 x 20 foot shelter up in my pasture, building starts today. She has decided that I need more that a wind break and a blanket this winter. I am a tough old guy, but I sure appreciate the fact that I will have my own stall to hang out in whenever I want. I am not sure if I will use it or not...the DOR told me that she is going to tuck me in each evening, so I guess I will have to use it at night. Salty and Lady get to use the other half of the shelter in the evenings. We will have run of the entire thing during the days. Wish the SCC good luck. He starts working with Shandi Doll today, getting her ready to wear her jammies in the winter. The DOR has been doing some work getting her used to things draped over her, but she says it is time for the SCC to finish the job. I wish I could have a front row seat for this...Shandi is cute, but she has opinions. Life is so good! Oh and Jack told me to remember to say: Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
Salty is so pretty to look at, even in his winter woolies. There is just something about him that makes people smile. Here he is with the sun trying to peek through the storm clouds. Salty is watching Mushboy. Salty loves Mushboy more than the little filly. Mushboy didn't even have treats to get this kind of attention all he has to do is say Salty's name. Please go visit the other great Skywatchparticipants at Skywacth Friday There are wonderful photos from all around the world! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
See the cute little filly in the picture? She is a mustang named Hytyme's Lady Bean. She jumped the fence and has been hanging out with the old farts. Lady is three and her pasture mates are often irritated with her antics. She runs around the pasture at Mach 5, gets into everything, tries to play all the time, and is always up for a good old stand-off with the older mares. Well the herd took a poll and voted her out of the pasture...Lady promptly moved in with Freedom and Salty. Why she didn't move in with me I don't know, but I am suspicious that I am just too much gelding for her to handle. Salty and Freedom have been nothing short of embarrassing since she moved in. Geeze...old horses should be better behaved!
Salty has forgotten he has a bum knee. He is busy doing his Arabian Prince Prance all over the pasture while Lady runs like a lunatic. If she gets to far away Salty lets out that Arab/Ape scream of his to call her back. The most embarrassing part is Salty seems to have forgotten that he is a gelding. SALTY THIS IS A G RATED PASTURE!!! Geeze, rent a stall already.
Freedom isn't any better.... He saunters around the pasture swinging his scrawny spotted butt all over the place. He stands with his head high, neck arched, and his tail like an Arabian horse. He woofles to Lady in his low Barry White bass voice and nuzzles her every chance he gets. I even saw he play kisser face with the little filly-gross! Freedom is so senile he doesn't remember that this is the same filly that he shoved out of the pasture when she was 6 months old...she irritated him so badly. Now he is a moony-faced over her.
It is a good thing that Freedom and Salty are old and mellow. They aren't fighting over her, although Salty will give Freedom a mean face if he tries to smooch her when it isn't his turn. I don't think either one of them could take the little firecracker on their own for too long, it is a good thing they are working as a tag team. I just want the old guys to know if they need me to help them out, Lady can come hang out with me and Shandi...just be aware that she may never want to come back.
All the humans think it is great that the old guys are feeling so frisky. I just think it is weird that a gimp pensioner and a toothless old fart are chasing after a cute little filly like they were teenagers. It is even stranger that the little filly is delighted about the whole thing. It's not even spring for criminy sakes....what will it be like then? I am going to have to avert my eyes for sure come spring.
Enjoy your day (Freedom and Salty are) and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Here is a photo of the SCC and Shandi Doll. Shandi really loves the SCC. She likes him to scritch her and hold her feed tub. Shandi will put up with the DOR but she prefers the SCC She knows the DOR is mine so she doesn't hang on her like she does the SCC. That long scratch down her side is from one of the grumpy old guys. They were not too nice to her while she had to stay with them while I couldn't walk well. Those two geldings have no patience for babies. Freedom once pushed a baby he was watching right out the gate and told her not to come back. Old grouches....just want mush and quiet. I am not too happy they marked up my Shandi Doll. Yep that is my lovely spotted butt in the background. Enjoy your day ad don't forget to hug your DOR!
Here is a video (please ignore the sound) of me circling to the left at a walk and trot Sunday night. As you can see I do better in this direction than I do to the right . You can see me drag my right hind and swing it a bit odd. Even this way I am better than I was last week. I am beginning to feel a bit like a square dancer-circle to your left, circle to your right. Swing your right leg in, swing your right leg out, then shake your butt about...oh that is the Hokey Pokey. I have to practice crossing over every night, along with backing. In some ways it is a bit like being a gangly colt all over again trying to make my legs work altogether like they should. I am working hard during therapy, but will be glad when it is all done. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Here is a video (please ignore the sound) of me circling to the right at a walk and trot last night. As you can see I am still having some issues. I do okay when I am traveling straight, or as close to straight as I travel right now. When traveling in a circle or yielding my hindquarters things get goofy looking. I am not too sure how to get my legs, especially my right, how to move side to side. I am doing better than I was last week. See the barn? Shandi has decided to eat it for some reason...she gets in trouble for it, but still continues. No reason for her to do that. She has plenty of food, has minerals out all the time, and gets her vitamins every day. I think she may be part beaver. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
He who listens and sees with his heart has the ability to change the whole world There are people who go through the world listening with their ears, that is what most humans do. They also judge with their eyes, often discarding something because it isn't perfect. It is a pity because those practices cause them to miss out on so much. This is a picture of Salty the Wonder Horse, he is 24 years old and has a bum knee. Salty has no idea his knee is bad, he lopes around the pasture and is the faithful companion of Mushboy. If there hadn't been people in Salty's life who could listen and see with their hearts Salty would have ended up in a slaughter house in Canada. Instead he has spent the past few years teaching Mushboy to communicate. Salty is a wonderful therapy horse and has worked wonders. Imagine how different things could have been if people didn't use their hearts. Winter is coming and there are a lot of horses like Salty who need someone to use their hearts. Take in a horse if you can, if not consider donating to a local rescue-your time is as important as your money. Who knows you could end up with a wonder horse of your own! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
What is an old guy to do? The grass is too short for me to gum and there are only so many times I can amble around the pasture. Mushboy brings me warm mush twice a day...it is delicious. So what does this old guy do? I eat my mush, take a lap or two around the pasture to check things out, and drink some water. After I do all of that I go to the top of the little hill in the pasture, lay down and take a nap. I sleep, roll up and scratch my belly, get up to get a drink of water, amble a bit, then I take another nap. I repeat this several times a day. Life at my age is mellow.... The DOR is glad I am enjoying my retirement. She says I am a grand horse and that no horse will ever come close to being like me. Well there you go, I am one of a kind. Life is so good! Oh and Jack told me to remember to say: Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
A lovely full moon on a cool fall evening. Please go visit the other great Skywatchparticipants at Skywacth Friday There are wonderful photos from all around the world! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
So I was noticing that copper can turn things green. I was worrying about what it would do to my white butt. What if the copper turned my white hair green? How would that look? Well the DOR showed me...I just look like I have been doing some serious rolling in the grass. I am proud to say that I was able to pick up my front feet last night to have them cleaned. I was not so good about my hinds, still a bit unsteady. I would lift a hind foot up but I wanted it right back on the ground. I thought the DOR would be upset but she complemented me on how hard I was trying.The DOR is taking me down to the arena this weekend to work on some new exercises. I like exercises because I get green apple or berry treats for doing them. I wonder if the DOR gets treats when she does her exercises at the gym? She has been working out for 30 minutes everyday...that would earn me 10 treats-I hope she isn't eating my green apple biscuits when she does a good job! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Here is my Shandi Doll trying her best to give the DOR the same look I do when I want a smooch. I have to admit I am a bit jealous of her mane.... Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
10/06/2009
The DOR did some videos and rapid fire stills of me walking. She was going to have the SCC lunge me so she could shoot the video but he hurt his back and was not able to twist at all. I wonder if the DOR is going to give the SCC shots along with a week of Jack's Blast to get him well. The video isn't the best because she was shooting and lunging. You can see that I am not struggling just to walk...pretty good considering that two weeks ago I could barely keep my feet to stand. My gross motor skills are doing fairly well. I can walk, trot, and lope in a straight line on my own. The DOR says my fine motor skills are just plain scary. If I go to yield my hindquarters I can cross over fine but then I get a little off balance trying to move my other leg. Backing up is not pretty either, my rear can't keep up with my front so it looks like I might sit down. I can't start up quickly from a stand still, I have to get moving slowly. I am also still dragging my hind feet. I also look like I am snapping my fetlocks when I step, rather than having a nice smooth motion, on all four feet. I am enjoying my therapy, especially the treats that come along with the stretches. I think I can convince the DOR that I will need work on stretching for the rest of my life. Yep I am pretty sure that I can do that with no problem. The DOR says I am less grumpy not so touchy about my head and neck...she is right. For a bit poor Shandi was the target of my grumps. I was glad to have her with me, but I had no patience. I guess I have a better understanding of why the two old guys were not as nice to her as I thought they should be. The DOR says that next week I will have to start stepping over things. She is going to start with pool noodles and we will work our way up from there. While I am in therapy the DOR is doing her part for the team. She is working out at the gym each evening before coming out. We are going to be a lean and fit team come next spring. Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug our DOR!
So the vet checked me over again. I think he just likes to look at me and that is why he keeps coming out. The vet was going to draw more blood. He ended up not doing that. He checked me over and said he was beginning to think I didn't have West Nile (yes the tests were negative, but he didn't believe them) or any other virus, but the DOR wasn't going to like what he thought it was. The DOR told him, " I rejected your bad news and substitute good news of my own." He told her he thought I had wobbles-this vet spent a long time studying wobbles so he would know the symptoms. The DOR had quite a discussion with him about the fact I have never shown signs of being a wobbler my entire life and that we would have seen something by now. He pointed out that she didn't own own me my whole life and she let him know that she knows my entire history and trainer. He looked me over again and she pointed out that I do not want my head or neck messed with and that I usually wants lots of attention in that area. My vet is always willing to listen and he thought about what the DOR said. He spent more time looking at me and moving me around. He has come to the conclusion that I fractured my neck. He said that a catastrophic injury would explain the sudden onset and severity of the symptoms. He said I could have gotten the fracture goofing around, whipping my head around just right, or slipping in mud and falling along with numerous other ways. Nobody seems to be asking me how it happened, but then again I would never fess up to getting hurt doing something silly. So the DOR is going to spend the next couple of weeks video taping and doing rapid shots of how I move to track my progress. The DOR doing really modified carrot stretches to encourage neck motion to the side, it is almost non-existent right now. She is also having me do other physical therapy tasks. The equine therapist will be out to look at me, I am sure she will have a laundry list of things to add by then...there better be a daily massage in there! We are going to re-evaluate things in a couple of weeks. Needless to say I will be needing lots of body work to support me in my recovery...lots of massages in store for me. I believe that I will make a full recovery. In the mean time I am teaching Shandi Doll how to mooch treats fro the DOR. Shandi is a bit short, but she has figured out that sticking her nose in and nickering will get her a sour apple biscuit. Now I have to teach her how to meet the DOR when she checks on us in the morning after feeding the mushfaces. Greeting here with a nicker is good for two sour apple biscuits....oh yeah! Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
I believe...now I just have to have faith in that belief ~DOR
The DOR believes I will make a full recovery, but she is struggling with her faith in that belief. She has moments when there is a doubt, a bit of fear, a moment of disbelief. I am having a hard time understanding her worry. You see horses don't struggle with belief or doubt, we just know things are what they are. Maybe that is a form of belief and faith, accepting things for being what they are. Something to think about this week. Do you have enough faith to support you in what you believe? Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
So the DOR is signed up for a Ricky Quinn clinic next April and is going. Jack has not only copied me and lost his butt, he seems to be trying to surpass me and he has lost everything from his withers back...twerpy show-off! My question is who is the DOR going to take to the clinic if Jack isn't 100% by then, not that I am wishing His Royal Blingness ill. I was thinking that I would volunteer. I can see it now....Freedom Dancer takes horsemanship clinic by storm! I would amaze them with my agility, stun them with my knowledge, and wow them with my ability to still pitch a grand bucking fit when needed. I am sure the clinician would be in awe me. I would be kind and not embarass the other horses too badly. Hmmmm, I think I will start doing ambling laps around the pasture to make sure I am in good shape when the clinic comes around. Don't worry DOR I got your back, I will be ready and willing if you need me to go with you. I have been a dependable guy for the past 45 years, no reason that should change now. All I need is my mush packed up and I am ready to go. The DOR can travel light because all she needs to ride me is a halter and a brush...no saddles needed for this smooth ride. Life is so good! Oh and Jack told me to remember to say: Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
I am actually a black horse with a white blanket. I get lighter in the summer and the DOR has always blamed it on sun fade...not so. According to the specialist that saw me a week ago I get lighter because I have a copper deficiency. Turns out that black, grey, and white horses need extra copper. If I have enough copper I will stay nice and black. I have already noticeably darkened up since I started "Jack's blast" because my copper level is getting better. Now you may wonder other than staying dark, what does copper matter? In my case a lot...copper plays a big part in supporting the immune system. Low copper means a weaker immune system, which can lead to opportunistic infections of various kinds-for me a virus that attacked my nervous system.After I am done with "Jack's blast" my feeding and supplement regime will be adjusted to meet my special needs. You need to know that too much copper can cause poisoning, so your DOR has to be careful. The specialist did some adjustments on me, my poll was out which was adding to the headache that the virus was causing. He evaluated my nutritional needs and the DOR made the necessary adjustments. He worked on me using acupressure and showed the DOR what to do to help me over the next couple of months. He also did energy work which perked me up a bit. The DOR commented that she was going to put a white fly sheet on me while I couldn't get away from it. She explained to him that I didn't like white things. He reminded her that colors give off energy and that the color white gives off a lot of energy. He also told her that it is like TV static and I will never be totally at ease with object that color due to my nature. YEAH specialist...no more white bags for me, after all the DOR is going to do everything she can to help me recover right? A white grocery sack could cause a relapse...yep that's it I will feign a relapse and she will ditch the bag LOL. He also told the DOR that green is my energy color... interesting because that is her's also. He said I was doing well and will make a full recovery. The DOR plans on having me evaluated by an equine therapist to check for exersices I may need to do to help my nerves recover from the virus attack. It has been interesting for the DOR to see medicine, alternative medicine, native american rituals, and lots and lots of prayers all work together to help me get well. I could tell her that there are many paths to the same place...all you have to do is look at the paths in our pasture. The DOR and I are ever so greatful for the well wishes I have recieved. We are overwhelmed by your love and kindness...may it return to all of you tenfold. I am off to lope across the pasture. It may not be a straight path yet, but for now it is my path and I am loving it! Enjoy you day and don't forget to hug your DOR
Before I give you the recipe for Jack's blast let me tell you what the vet said last night. The lab work came back and it showed that I did not have West Nile Virus...which was what the vet was almost positive I had. He has seen horses who he has vaccinated come down with the virus, what a waste of a shot if you ask me. He said that EPM is at the very bottom of his list of possibilities because there are no possums around here for me to eat their pooh. Like I would eat possum pooh....well if it was covered with molasses I might. It is possible that I got a rhino virus so we are going get more blood tonight and have more tests run. Those tests may just come back that I suffered from Cactus Jack Splash Virus, a very rare super virus that effects only super appies. I also might have suffered from mild poisoning. They have been doing fly over spraying for the mosquitoes and the county came out and sprayed our pond and boggy area. I like to stand in the boggy area and eat the tender shoots....I climb the dyke to get there. Even though they say the spray is animal safe, it has caused problems for some animals before. The DOR has run hotwire so I can't climb over the dyke and get to the bog....I am soooo not happy about that. I may have to take up jumping so I can clear the wire and get to the tender shoots! Yep I can see it now, my big ol' spotted butt flying over the wire to the good stuff-I just have to make sure the DOR never catches me or she will move me to the naughty horse pasture. Whatever it is that made me sick I do know that "Jack's Blast" helped me get better.
So you might be wondering what is in Jack's Blast. Well here is the recipe:
2 scoops (1 scoop = 4 1/2 cups on all feed ingredients) hay pellets (3 for breakfast)
Cover with water, mix, and allow hay pellets to swell.Add enough water that the pellets break apart and the mixture is the consistency of oatmeal.
Add six rose hips if available and a handful of dandelion leaves.
Yummy...this mixture was not just pulled out of the blue. It was developed to support my nervous and immune systems, while giving me enough energy to not become depleted while in recovery. The only downside of getting better is that the DOR is cutting back on the sweet stuff...darn it. She is trading the sweets for apples and healthy sweets so I am okay with that.
Tomorrow I am going to tell you what the specialist did and about copper.
The diary of a horse, a DOR, and their life together. I also talk about my other friends who are a part of Grumpy Old Horse Ranch. Join me on my journey through life.
All posts on this blog are the property of Cactus Jack Splash and his DOR (Dr. Synthia Parish-Duehn), they may not be copied or used without permission
Blog For Peace
Join the blogging community and unite for peace
PROUD CONTRIBUTING WRITER FOR...
Visit me and other great writers for a taste of rural life
