Rock Stars

 Things are ticking along here on Oakfield Farm. Now that we're through the acute (and very stressful) part of the injury we're into the long haul of recovery. Hoof wound recovery is a marathon not a sprint. 

I'm at the stage where I can change the bandage every other day, unless it looks damaged. 

I told him that his fans wanted to see his ears up and 
looking cute. 

Quaid is quite a good patient. Especially when you consider his age (2 1/2). My skills in bandaging are improving. Ed bought me new duct tape that is very shiny and so his hoof looks like a baked potato. 

Turn out has been tricky with the weather. It's much easier when there's snow. But we've also had mud which makes it trickier.  My farrier suggested that I make a little paddock in the alleyway between the paddocks. It worked great. 

He's doing very well with the small turn out. When we hand walk he's got a bit of energy but, really, all things considered, he's been amazing. Especially since he's perfectly sound. I will start this week to let him out into the larger paddock to see how he does. 

I've been following Emma's blog for a while. But I've been paying particular attention since she's rehabbing Charlie's hoof. She bought this Easy Boot Zip for Charlie and I really liked it. I found a tack shop in Canada to get it from and I have to say I'm very impressed. It fits well over the bandage and has a cork base and some traction on the sole. 

I put it on him for the first time yesterday and he took it off. Sigh. Baby horses. I wish I could explain that his turn out situation depends heavily on me being able to keep his hoof clean and dry. So I did some thinking. 

The bell boot protects the straps so he can't get at them. So far it appears to be working. Fingers crossed it continues to do so. 

I finally got the x-rays from the vet college. He's the one that shows what happened the best. The probe was to follow the wound tract. We were very lucky. A little bit back and the outcome would be much much worse.

Because of our quick action and some wonderful vet care, our outcome is looking very positive. My vet is still cautious but every day that he's fine leads to a good prognosis. I am okay as long as he doesn't have any chronic pain. That is not fair for such a young horse. Other goals can be adjusted. 

I have this video I took before the accident. I had planned to share it on it's own post but things happened. This is the first time anyone sat astride him. The video is a piece of the work leading up to this. But for him it was no big deal. 

He's such a cool horse. 

You know who else has been a real rock star? 

This girl: 

She has dealt with separation, less attention and reduced turn out without complaint.  I can see how mature she has become. 

In addition I have some very human rock stars who have been part of this whole journey. Julia has come out every day (and every other day) to help me change the bandage. The one day she couldn't come, Tanya did. Paula helped keep me calm on the trailer ride and Karen & Jim gave me a soft place to land. My vet  and farrier have been accessible and helped me map out a plan going forward. 

Surround yourself with rock stars. It's way better that way.