Evening horse chores

Wanda and Dick decided they needed to take a vacation. They also needed someone to look after the horses while they were gone. Naturally, I was at the front of the line to take on the responsibility.

I was to arrive at the farm early to get them fed and turned out into the pasture. I also had to feed the barn cats and the new bunch of kittens. Some horses needed medication and some needed supplements. A few needed more hay than others and some were to receive no hay. All needed love.

On days when I would be unable to return to the farm late in the day to bring the horse back into the stalls, another woman provided that service. Sometimes, we flip-flopped.

One particular evening, I arrived with my amazing husband around 6:00 p.m. As he is definitely NOT a horse person, I gave him brief instructions for putting on a halter and the proper leading technique. He is an animal lover and a quick study. He did beautifully. Just when he was gaining confidence, he was challenged.

In one pasture, three mares anxious waited by the gate. Mae, a saddlebred with an intimating personality, Chancey, a spirited pinto/quarterhorse, and Molly, an elderly passive girl. Out of the three, I thought my husband would be most comfortable with Molly. She would give him no trouble. Unfortunately, I had misjudged.

I had haltered Chancey and Kirby had Molly haltered and ready to go. Mae, the dominate mare of the bunch, protested. Chancey, with urgency, backed away from Mae and closer to Molly. Chancey spun around presenting the business end to Molly. Not wanting a confrontation, she pushed against Kirby. Although, my husband is physically fit, he is unable to stand tall against a motivated horse. As Molly invaded his personal space, he backed away and into the fence.

"Hey!" he yelped. "Is this fence electric?"

"Yes. Why? Did you get zapped?"

"Yes. Stupid horse. She tried to kill me." He scowled.

"Oh, she did not. She was trying to get away from Mae and Chancey."

Once those three were safely put away, we moved onto the next pasture. Sailor and Flame are two energetic geldings. Flame is the more docile of the two as Sailor has underdeveloped social skills. I have had him rush the gate and shove his way past me and gallop toward the barn. I didn't want by husband to be too overwhelmed by the evening, so I opted to take Sailor. He led Flame. Neither of us had any difficulty.

Walking past the pasture holding Legacy and Cody, I noticed Legacy remained standing in the corner while Cody walked to the gate. Normally, the horses known when it is time to come inside and they all wait at the gate. Legacy's behavior surprised me.

After Flame and Sailor were put away, I directed my husband to retrieve Cody. He's a pony and friendly. Legacy is a loving recently gelded stallion. Sometimes he tosses his head and to the unknowing, this action can be scary. When I entered the pasture, I expected him to approach. He didn't. He stayed where he was, tossing his head and calling to me. I immediately knew something was wrong.

I was correct. After putting on his halter and gently encouraging him to walk, he didn't. He would put no weight on his left front leg. He stayed put. I decided to let him alone while I brought all the others inside.

Kirby and I tended to Brittanee and Zoe, two big girls. As I haltered Zoe, Kirby attempted to halter Brittanee. I reassured my wonderful husband that Brittanee would give him no trouble. She is a well-behaved girl and eager to come inside for her dinner. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out like that.

Brittanee was agitated. She refused to hold still, wouldn't put her head down and huffed and snorted. She stomped her back feet and shifted from side to side.

"Screw this!" Kirby exclaimed as he threw down the halter and lead rope and quickly walked away from Brittanee.

I couldn't see what the problem was until Brittanee shoved passed Zoe and me. She started bucking and spinning around. That's when I noticed the giant horsefly buzzing at her withers. Brittanee HATES horseflies. I quickly came to her rescue, shoeing way the fly. Once it was gone and no longer an issue, she settled down immediately.

I told my husband everything was okay.

"Did you see that? She tried to kill me."

Eventually, my amazing husband was able to put the halter on her and calmly lead her to the stall.

We brought all the horses inside without further incident. All except Legacy. He was still standing in the same place.

When I initially noticed something was wrong, I put a call into the emergency vet and contacted Linlee, another farm helper.

She came most haste and together we brushed Legacy and kept him company. I didn't know how long he had been standing there so I brought him his grain and a bucket of water. His injury did not hamper his appetite and he got straight to work gobbling down his dinner.

As the weather turn ugly, Linlee and I decided we needed to get Legacy inside away from lightening. I didn't force him. I didn't even use a lead rope. I softly encouraged him to follow. He was clearly in pain and each step was agony. It pained me to watch.

Around 9:00 p.m. the vet arrived. He examined Legacy, took his temperature, gave him an injection of anti-inflammatory/pain killer and handed me a tube of medicinal paste to administer over the next two days. Legacy was to remain in his stall for the next two days as the ground was muddy and slick. Were Legacy to slip and fall, he may do further damage to his leg. I was given instructions to give Legacy his paste and call the vet with his status in the morning.

For an activity that should have taken no longer than an hour, the outing to the barn lasted nearly four hours.

By the next evening, Legacy had recovered and all was well at Oakmont. My husband, however, took a little bit longer to get back to normal.