How is your year going so far?
I normally complain that time flies. This past week….WOW. This past week has been among the longest of my life. One hundred-sixty-eight hours.
So far this winter has been incredibly mild. We have enjoyed temperatures in the high 30s and 40s where by January we typically have had several storms and temperatures in the 20s and low teens. Sometimes wind chills down to -30°. That hadn’t been the case. Friday and Saturday in fact were close to 50 degrees….unheard of this time of year. The forecast called for a quick drop, and this week has indeed, been cold. Temperatures plummeted to the low 20s and single digits overnight.
SATURDAY
Saturday evening Zac and I enjoyed a marvelous double date with a good friend and her husband. We are always friendly with each other, but this was our first time actually getting together beyond events or business. It was truly a blast and a highlight of my week. The poor staff of the restaurant were so kind and patient as we talked away towards closing time. We left as the last patrons of the evening.
SUNDAY
Sunday we got together with my mom, a long overdue holiday get together. Covid once again delayed our plans but we finally made it happen. Instead of traditional Christmas dinner, we made burrito bowls.
Sunday evening once we concluded our holiday events my mom went home and I received a message that Tiger’s temperature was 105°. Banamine and love was given to Tiger to help control the fever. I was too late to the barn to ride so I opted to give Stanley a “spa day.” I took him out into the aisle for some grooming, pampering, massage, and myofascial release. While I had him on the floor I out the saddles I own on his back. I was HORRIFIED to realize that my saddle has been pinching his shoulders.
I first had the notion that the saddle was causing issues Friday evening. It was my third ride in a row that Stanley rolled immediately after I untacked. I barely got the saddle off of him that night. The first couple of times were adorable…”OK buddy you earned it, fresh shavings.” or “Oh look! you finally have your blanket off and can really roll!” While he does love rolling and HAS been wearing his blanket it seemed …. systematic. I’m glad I listened to my gut. But I’m embarrassed it took me so long to examine it!
MONDAY
On Monday I had a saddle fitting with a fitter I’ve been friendly with for years. We had talked early in 2023 about her eventing saddles but I had a fresh injury and wasn’t ready to drop the money without being able to ride. It was perfect timing after looking at my saddle the night before. This saddle seemed to fit very nicely. We temporarily shimmed it so I could ride, and the difference was night and day. The Pessoa I have been riding in throws me forward and completely off balance and my lower leg swings back. I am constantly fighting to stay upright and my back aches from it. This saddle sat me centered over my leg. I was able to effortlessly stay upright and control my body. My leg was the most stable I’ve ever felt. Stanley was tense and choppy, but it was low 20 degrees, my friend was riding, and a vet lameness exam was ongoing in the same ring. My fitter left the saddle with me to try for a week.
That afternoon my friend and I grabbed a beer and some food. We haven’t gotten together in a while and it was nice to finally do it.
I came home to Reality being not quite right. She wasn’t interested in her food (really not uncommon, she’s been finicky about food for years) and she was unstable in her hind end. He owner had warned me in the past that she has a history of abscessing in the winter, additionally she can be extremely dramatic (laying down etc) and has even had bilateral abscesses (one in each hind foot). It looked neurological to me but we looked into the abscess theory, I felt a pulse in one hoof and no heat or swelling anywhere else. Her temperature was normal and she was drinking and eating hay fine.
TUESDAY
Tuesday came and it was cold, but I was determined to ride and try this saddle. Still above 20 so within riding temperatures. Again I felt stable and comfortable. I could feel Stanley relax under me and we had a much better ride than we had the day before.
Tiger was still running a fever and not well. He’s tested positive for anaplasmosis. Treatment with oxytet began. Reality’s mom visited and got her soaked and situated in some epsom salt wraps/boots.
WEDNESDAY
Reality was still not right but no fever, eating hay, and drinking. Tiger still had a fever so the vet came to push IV and fluids.
That evening I was invited to the local 4H group to lead them in making stall signs. We had 10 participants and I was incredibly thankful to have a friend who coordinated the event and knew how to use the Cricut. While I set the kids up with their custom design and printed stencils she helped them weed the designs and get them onto the wooden boards. Overall, the event went very well. I have a lot of ideas for how to improve in the future, too, so it was a big learning event for me as well…but I think everyone had a good time.
THURSDAY
This was mildly uneventful. I had to work. No changes in our poor sick horses.
FRIDAY
I left for work a the normal time. My heart and mind heavy with worry about both Tiger and Reality. I turned off my street and barely made it up to speed when a deer leaped across the street and collided with the side of my car. I was a quarter mile from home. The headlight casing was broken, and the side of my car damaged back to the driver side door. I got out of the car looking for her, and I only saw her herd crossing the street from where she came. I called Zac and called for the police, and then I walked up and down the street looking for her with no luck.
I’ve never hit a deer before so mentally I was very rattled but physically unscathed. The car was still drivable, no lights were damaged and no fluids were leaking. I got my accident report and went to work, deeply troubled.
Reality’s owner spent most of the afternoon with her and the vet came out. Radiographs ruled out our original hope that we were dealing with abscesses. R was given a private stall with plenty of bedding to allow her to rest completely without Nahe interfering.
SATURDAY
I opted to work from home because I was concerned about Reality and my car didn’t feel right. Reality hadn’t improved dramatically overnight. Around 4pm Ashley decided to have her vet come out to euthanize; regardless of the cause (several theories) the prognosis was not good for any, and she didn’t want R to have to suffer through another single-digit cold night. We said goodbye to Reality with tears in our eyes. She was 24 years old. I’ve been very blessed to know and love this mare for the past 9 years. She was a queen, and she made her preferences very clear without being rude or improper. If she was not pleased she let you know in a ladylike way. She was fiery, and I will forever remember all the times she’d get fired up and tear across the pasture. She was even playing mere weeks before this all happened. She stood at the top of our hill and snorted, her breathe visible in the crisp winter air. Reality lived her best life with a mom who didn’t hesitate to provide her with the best of the best.
SUNDAY (ok it was longer than a week but it just kept going)
I spent the first hours of my birthday meeting the person who would help pick Reality up. We were unable to find someone who would bury her.
I tried to chin up as much as I could and attended a virtual seminar for rider fitness with Jennifer Mitchell. Jennifer is a physical therapist and worked with the US Equestrian Team. She led us on the mat to teach us movements that will open our hips allowing us to be more supple. We worked on dynamic stretching and strength movements that will assist us in improving our imbalances.
Several of our friends then met at Dover Saddlery for a seminar with ENYDCTA. The GMO and tack shop partnered to host this event featuring an equine lawyer, Fiona Farrell. We learned about equine contracts and some details and considerations in making them. It was incredibly informative, and I left with a million questions (because it was so interesting!).
After the seminar we made our way back to the barn to do chores. It was too cold to ride but the good news is that Tiger has been on the mend. He began to eat and drink and he was keeping the fever away.
We dropped my car off at the collision center and met Zac at a popular Italian restaurant, Canali’s for a double date. It was Suzanne’s birthday Wednesday so a perfect time for the four of us to celebrate (despite all the bad).
MONDAY
I had a dentist appointment to get a broken tooth filled, and a crown on a different broken tooth. I had called previously to get a quote on the crown…and I then scheduled it all to be completed on the same day.
When I arrived, they were not expecting to do the crown but agreed to. After removing the cap the internet went down, and the 3D printer could not print this crown. The procedure was to take an hour and a half. TWO and a half hours later I finally had a crown and the cement was placed. I was in agony and ready to leave, as I checked out the woman at the counter told me I owed them TEN TIMES what I was quoted. When asked she told me I was given the first price as the filling, not the crown. I was flabbergasted. But OF COURSE! WHY NOT.
As I write this post Wednesday I am still in pain from the procedure.
I apologize, dear friends, this might be the rawest article I’ve written and most candid. I normally prefer to give you a much more positive spin. I can…and do. Things can always have been worse, and I’m grateful they weren’t but I’m reserving my right to be in my feels. I’m only human, after all. And hey, not all of these events were negative…
The good news is that I’m done. I feel like I’ve aged a full year in the last 9 days. Not all of it was bad, and I keep reminding myself of that, but I feel so tired, and so defeated. Tiger is on the mend, but I’m deeply pained by the loss of Reality and heartbroken for my friend. I’m heartbroken for Nahe, who has been lonely and grieving. We allowed him to see Reality after her passing for closure, but he cried Saturday night, Sunday, and Monday. He’s been sad, and I’ve been trying to find him a new buddy, while spending extra time giving him love.
I’m cautiously optimistic that maybe I survived this week and the best is yet to come…maybe things will begin to get better from here. Maybe we are ready to move onward and upward.
We can only hope, and if you believe in it, think positively and manifest a good future. Thank you for staying with me and I promise to have something happy next time!
The Green Horseman 
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