Kids...

What better way to avoid studying for final exams (my last set EVER before clinical rotations start) than to write about what's been going on with the ponies this week? I mean, how can you resist this face?

It's hard to see there, but his face is covered with little bits of alfalfa pellets, because he was spending quite a bit of time trying to steal them from Sage and she was biting his head to get him to stop. It's also hard to see there, but the right side of his nose was still just a bit swollen from an incident that occurred last Wednesday. I turned the horses out late because it had been pouring all day, and because I was at school, and Sage got a bee up her butt about something. Instead of just walking out and eating grass like she normally does, she decided to go galloping madly around the pasture. Which Chinook was just fine with...except that he accidentally ran into Luna's back leg. And I really do mean ran into--she would never kick him! They just both happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was trying to follow his mom running like crazy.

Well, he stumbled down and got right back up (nothing unusual), but a few hours later when I brought them back into the dry lot, he had some blood coming out of his nose and he was quite reluctant to let me touch the area where his little nasal bone and maxilla come together (in a "v" shape).

So what do you do, when faced with this situation?? I will tell you that even after three years of vet school, I still often vacillate about when to call the vet with my own animals. If it was someone else's colt, I would have come to the sane conclusion a lot quicker than I did that a) it was only a little bit of blood, and b) he was still happily nursing/breathing, and c) even if something was broken, there was nothing anyone could do about it anyway. Not to mention d) bones in youngsters heal incredibly rapidly, and in a week, the whole incident would be forgotten.

Well, it was swollen for a few days, and he was a little cranky about it, but otherwise he's just fine. I don't think he's going to be any more careful, though, because just a few hours ago he was racing up and downhill like a Thoroughbred in his pasture, making sweeping circles around Sage. But who can blame him? He's built for speed and agility. Look at those tiny, perfect mustang feet!

He does tire out every so often. See the little speck in the picture below?


Just not for long, mind you!

Sage has been doing very well. She gets brushed every night, and today the farrier came out to fix Brandy's shoes (she's been on a shoe-losing streak), so Sage got a trim as well. I still have him trim her because I feel like the experience is so good for her to have someone else messing around with her. Chinook wasn't too convinced about the whole situation at first, but he lightened up once he realized there was some butt scratching involved. My farrier said he has a nice butt and shoulder. :)


Sage was also a perfect citizen. Once again, he was shocked by how friendly she has become, and by how docile she is with her feet. She just stands like a rock star for her pedicure. My farrier had her back foot up on the post and then dragged some tools forward from his bucket, accidentally scraping them up against the sheet metal on the wall and making a loud racket. Sage just stood there, her foot still on the stand, and he was so impressed he said, "Man, I know so many horses who would have just lost their cookies at that."

Well, we already knew mustangs were perfect, so it was no surprise to Sage and me!