Beloved Old Mare

She didn't make it. The fight became too much and she was humanly euthanized yesterday.

Dire

Hard to take a picture of someone who keeps advancing on you.

Yndi's situation is dire. The vet came Monday, the xrays were not so good. I decided to begin stem cell therapy, the stem cells are on order. Probably be here by the end of next week.

It was a case of In for a penny, in for a pound. Yesterday I regretted that decision.

Pain management has been difficult. She received a long term chemical nerve block. Three days later she was in more pain than ever. Finally, after 4 days and another change in medication, there is improvement.

I had called our neighbor who has a backhoe about digging a hole.

My husband has checked the well data and is worried about all the water I'm using to soak hay.

Gratuitous baby goat pics.

Baby Peanut

Baby Peanut

Grendel

Better?

Last night when I went to the barn to put goats away and give pellets and electrolytes. Peanut the baby goat and Grendel the mom goat were in with Yndi. They seem to be able to cross fences at will, so this was their choice. Yndi has been too grumpy in the past for Grendel to want to be in her pen.

Last night, Yndi seemed to be moving better. Maybe she is better, maybe the goats buoyed her spirits. Yndi has been both curious and tolerant of Peanut, allowing him to chew her tail and walk between her legs. She has had four foals. She must have been a great mother.

Goat specialize in photobombs.

H and H

Handwalking and hoping. Many of us have been there.

Here is a 2017 picture of Yndi. I haven't taken her picture is a little while. I think I don't want to be taking my last pictures of Yndi. There will probably not be any new pictures until she is out of the woods. This is not life as usual, no matter how Dave likes to pretend.

In the meantime, there are goats. Photobombing goats. Is there any other kind of goat?

Blogger is tricky, moving ad floating pictures, links, and text. Editing in html is a pain. Good thing I can.

Damage Control

Life is all about damage control. Mine is, anyway. Is yours?

This post was depressing, even after I left some bad parts out, so I deleted it. I left the pictures so you can make up the story you want.

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Rats

My last drive with Pepper made me like her even more. Since then, she has not wanted to come to me. I can walk right up to her, but if I don't, she just looks at me.
We had some rain. Not mud making rain, but enough that I did not want to work in the round pen. If I mess up the ground. I'm stuck. I took both ponies out to roll in it, but I didn't work in it.
Pepper had a good roll, tried to eat grass but its too short and tender. Then she had Masterson massage.


I got a call from Leslie. She had been all set to go to the All Breeds Livestock Conservancy annual meeting to represent the Gotland breed. Gloria was chosen in her place. Gloria is the wrong person to do this. Its upsetting. ALBC doesn't have the funding to have two representatives from any breed.

PepperPony Pizza

Tricky. Yesterday, Pepper was easier to get. I only had to chase her a couple times to get her to follow me, and once she decided, she followed me all the way to the door.

There was static, so I

couldn't brush her much. I have Static Guard spray, but she isn't too fond of the smell. Normally, I would say "Suck it up." but I decided not to.

I did a little Masterson on her and was totally shocked to get a big release about 10 inches behind her poll on the right side. Multiple yawns. I got more at the croup and again, surprisingly at the poverty groove.

On her left side, the release was on her neck about 10 inches ahead of the wither, and at the base of her tail. They were pretty big releases.

There were a couple of times she reached her  nose around affectionately, or to indicate where I was to release next. I can never be sure with Pepper. Very smart and communicative about what she needs or wants, not so open emotionally.

Really. I'm describing a mare here.

She would really let me have her nose to release her at the poll.

Then I put her away. She loves Masterson. I should do it more.

It's times like these when I can't tell if I'm working on 101 reasons not to drive, or if I'm putting my pony's needs first.

Follow Me

Big adventure on New Year's Eve? Nope. Just another day.

I drove Pepper up the road on Friday. Its a steep climb. When she is in shape to get up the first mile. then it levels off and we can go for miles without steep and long hills. It's that first mile. She seemed funky. One front foot was stubbornly planted and would not be cleaned. Very odd. The other front seemed fine.

She was a little bucky in the round pen, but not unusually so, for her. All in character.

Putting to, she turned her butt away from the shafts two times, then stayed where I put her and I got the cart hooked. Not quite normal for her. She likes to be turned to a little disadvantage when I bring the cart out of the barn, but she stands well. The drive was about 20 minutes.

Nothing really notable, except, I have had this pony for 4 years and SHE ALWAYS HAS A REASON FOR WHAT SHE DOES. She's smart enough to make your average horse look like Forest Gump.

Saturday I took her into the roundpen and just let her not work. I scratched her and palpated for soreness, massaged and hung out. She didn't role. Unusual.

Yesterday I went to fetch her and she wouldn't come when I called. It took a while before she would come to me and follow me to the door without her halter. I decided that this would be the goal of my session. She didn't know it. When she followed me, I haltered her and took her out, tied her and fed her many treats. I almost never feed treats, but this seemed to be the time. Then I put her away.

That was all. She did what I wanted that she didn't want to do. I made it a positive experience. Right?

Time at the Barn

We all wore the hat on Christmas:

 Lydia

 Yndi

 Pepper

 Grendel(seen here fleeing the hat)

 Goat votes "nope" on the hat

Evil Elf me