The Green Horseman

Monday this week I received a text that Blade was acting strange.  Not enough to be emergent but I should visit and take a look at some point during the day.  After a long night of work I got a few hours of sleep and went to check on him.  It had been raining so the horses were all inside staying dry and warm.  

Upon my arrival he greeted me with his usual kiss but I could tell he wasn’t right.  He wasn’t at his hay net eating but he’d eaten breakfast.  

A temperature check revealed a fever of 102.7 so he got a gram of Bute but it didn’t do a whole lot.  He was able to nibble his hay but he was still clearly not well.  After 2 hours he parked out to urinate, struggled, and managed to get a small amount out.  After double checking his sheath (it was clean from a couple months prior) I called the vet.

A few hours and an IV of oxytetracycline later his temp was back down to 99.6. The complete blood count tests returned normal so the vet returned for two additional days to finish Blade’s antibiotic treatment with oxytet.  The fever has stayed down so far…

We believe him to have had a case of anaplasmosis, another disease carried by those repugnant creatures known as ticks.  While I’m glad he’s feeling better I felt rather guilty leaving yesterday morning for Equine Affaire.  Not only has Blade just drained my bank of a few hundred dollars but I won’t be there to keep an eye on him.  Fortunately I have amazing support from my barn family who’ve agreed to help monitor his temps.

That being said…

Day one of Equine Affaire was a success!  Since I was a youngster I’ve always wanted to attend this huge tradeshow but never had the oppprtunity.  This year I decided I would make it happen.

Although I will recap next week with deeper details and more pictures I wanted to recap some great highlights from today. 

Lets get “the bad” out of the way.  The leadership and organization of the parking leaves a lot to be desired.  There is very poor signage and the “rent a cops” were arrogant and rude to my friends with the trailer.

But once you’re here it’s great!

• I met a miniature donkey breeder  (we hope to get one in the future)
• I saw two of Margret Henkels clinics about myofascial release therapy.  The third is tomorrow. 
• I had a great conversation with two great supplement companies and got a free trial of some supplements for Blade.
• I watched a clinic with Chris Irwin and although his methods appeared odd at first he had a fantastic way of making sense of it.  We witnesses two horses transform and calm down.  He also had a very wonderful demeanor, and balanced his instruction of his riders with the presentation toward watchers very well.
• The food all looks amazing!  So far we’ve stuck with the amazing, cheaper, and healthier food we brought but I’ll have to decide which of the delicious foods to buy here…the gyros are calling my name.

I’m sorry I don’t have names of vendors at the moment. I am writing from the darkness of the camper while the others are asleep (insomniac night shift worker dilemmas).  I took lots of photos and business cards so I promise to give a full rundown next week!