Relative Something

It was supposed to simply be the day that Mia got adopted, but it turned out to be more complicated than we ever imagined. First off, Asher disappeared on me as we were making our way through the woods. I probably could have tracked him down, but I got distracted by this sight when I emerged from the trees:

That white smudge in the distance is Mix. She had been unusually gimpy the day before, but I was hoping she would be okay until people showed up to load Mia and they could assess the extent of Mix’s problem.

I cut straight across the back pasture, and Mix didn’t get up like they usually do when we approach.

This was bad. I called Cyndie in Chicago, and we both contacted Tom and Maddy of This Old Horse and the veterinarian, Toby. Mia came out to check on Mix, and the sprawled mare mustered a short nicker in response.

Eventually, Mix sat up, but then she laid back down and closed her eyes. I feared it was the end, but you never know with horses. When Toby and his assistant, Rachel, arrived, Mix stood up. Rachel put a halter on Mix, and they walked her back to the small paddock.

Toby pointed out that older mares can be incredibly stoic and avoid showing how much pain they are in, but their heart rate can’t hide it. Mix’s was twice what it normally should be. They sedated her and “tubed” her through a nostril to pump in water. Before Toby got to the arm-length glove to check the back end of the digestive system, I got distracted by barking from a neighboring property.

They assured me they had Mix under control and sent me off to find Asher. As I crested the hill on the driveway, I shouted commands and activated the tone on his e-collar. It worked like a charm. He came running out of the pine trees on the far side of the farm field across the road.

I didn’t notice it until I grabbed his collar as Toby and Rachel were driving away, but he had rubbed (an unidentified) animal shit all over himself, his scarf, and his collar(s). 

Now it was on my hands, and soon on my phone. I marched him up to the front yard and tethered him to a tree where I served him his breakfast. 

My phone was getting heavy use to communicate with Cyndie in Chicago and all the people involved with the horses. Mix was sedated and under observation for the rest of the day. She was still strongly favoring a front foot that appeared to be really painful, but without an obvious visible issue.

In the middle of all this, it was finally time for Mia’s trailer ride. While all the attention was on Mix, Mia ended up out in the middle of the hay field, grazing peacefully. Maddy commented that she would need to walk all the way out there to get a halter on Mia.

However, when the trailer pulled into our driveway, Mia lit up like an excited little kid and ran toward it, then turned as it passed and sprinted directly into the paddock and up to Maddy for her halter and lead rope. They cut through the small paddock, out the gate, and directly up and into the trailer before any of us could blink. It happened so fast, I couldn’t get a picture.

Mia’s already happily inside when I snapped that shot. It was better than I could have ever hoped, and the best part of the day, by far.

Especially since the next task for me was trying to clean up Asher’s disaster.

Try as I might, I couldn’t get rid of the smell, so he was not allowed back in the house all day. I made a nice spot for him to sleep in the garage last night. We’ll take another crack at bathing him today when Cyndie gets home.

We received a photo of Mia already getting along well with her two new geldings at their new home.

She was never able to eat that closely between two mares at our place.

Swings, Light, and Mix didn’t seem at all distressed by Mia’s absence. Light and Mia called out to each other as the trailer left, but that was it. I don’t think Mix noticed anything going on in her drugged stupor.

I’m anxious to see how she is doing this morning. We are hoping for the best. By last night, she had made a heroic improvement from the condition I found her in yesterday at dawn.