Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Fair Begins Tomorrow!

We spent an extremely long day today preparing for the upcoming weekend. The horses were schooled, bathed and clipped. Faith was good for her bath and looks like a million bucks!

We just received our numbers and Faith, with her new show name of "Rags to Riches", will be wearing back #219.

I am off to finish packing and prepping all of my stuff, now that all of my students are ready. I will keep everyone updated as to how the show goes. Keep your fingers crossed for us! :-) And please stop by to say "Hi! to us in Barn G!"

~Julie
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Deerfield Fair Schedule

DEERFIELD FAIR CLASS LIST
*our riders' classes are in bold!
We hope to see you there!

THURSDAY - OCT. 1 ST
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.

1. Horse Colts & Fillies, Weanlings/Sucklings
2. Open Friesian in Hand
3. Horse Colts & Fillies, Yearlings
4. Morgan In Hand. Stallions & Geldings
5. Horse Colts & Fillies, Two Years Old
6. Arabian Halter
7. Horse Colts & Fillies, Championship
8. Pony in Hand, Open
9. Morgan in Hand, Mares
10. Half Arabian Halter
11. Saddlebred in Hand Open
12. Walk Trot Pleasure (Horse or Pony) Saddleseat

Afternoon Session - 1:00 P.M.

13. Open Pleasure Driving
14. Walk Trot Pleasure Hunt or Western Seat
15. Arabian & Half Arabian Hunter Pleasure

16. Morgan Pleasure Driving Open
17. Pleasure Pony Under Saddle
18. Saddlebred Country Pleasure, English
19. Amateur Pleasure Driving Pony
20. Morgan English Pleasure, Novice Horse
21. Half Arabian English Pleasure, Open
22. Morgan Western Pleasure
23. Saddlebred Show Pleasure Driving
24. Junior Exhibitor Hack, Under 14
25. English Pleasure Horse Novice Rider, 18 & Over
26. Arabian English Pleasure Open
27. Junior Exhibitor Hack, 14-17
28. Morgan Hunter Pleasure, Open
29. Three Gaited Park Horse Amateur

Evening Session - 6:30 P.M.

30. Friesian Pleasure
31. NEHC Saddle Seat Medal
32. Three Gaited English Show Pleasure, Novice Rider
33. Roadster Pony Amateur to Drive
34. NEHC Pleasure Horse or Pony English
35. Saddlebred Five Gaited Amateur
36. Junior Exhibitor Morgan Pleasure
37. Open Single Hackney Pony
38. Morgan English Pleasure, 15 Hands & Over
39. Junior Exhibitor 3G English Show Pleasure
40. Gentlemen’s Pleasure Open
41. Road Hack
42. Saddlebred Three Gaited Open

FRIDAY - OCT. 2 ND
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.

43. English Horse in Hand
44. Open Color Breed Model
45. Quarter Horse Halter Open
46. Pinto Breeding and Halter
47. Western Horse in Hand
48. Appaloosa Halter Open
49. Lead Line Equitation Western or Hunt Seat
50. Western Pleasure Horse, Junior To Ride
51. NEHC Pleasure Horse or Pony Western
52. Western Reining Seat Equitation, Adult
53. Western Reining Seat Equitation, Under 17
54. Quarter Horse Hunter Under Saddle
55. Appaloosa English Pleasure Horse
56. Western Reining Seat Equitation, Championship
57. Appaloosa English Pleasure Horse Championship
58. Walk-Trot Equitation, Western/Hunt Seat *Faith*
59. Pinto Pleasure

Afternoon Session

60. Junior Exhibitor, Three Gaited
61. Open Color Breed Pleasure Horse
62. Morgan Pleasure Driving Novice Horse
63. Ladies Pleasure, Western
64. Morgan English Pleasure, Under 15 Hands
65. Quarter Horse Hunter Championship
66. Hunter Pleasure Horse Adult Rider
67. Hunter Pleasure Horse Junior Exhibitor To Ride
68. NHH&TA Pleasure Horse, Western
69. Amateur Three Gaited English Show Pleasure
70. Pinto Pleasure Championship
71. Appaloosa Western Pleasure
72. Single Hackney Pony Pleasure, Driving/Amateur
73. Quarter Horse Western Pleasure, Open
74. Arabian/Half Arabian Jr Rider
75. Appaloosa Western Pleasure Championship
76. Saddlebred Three Gaited Horse, Amateur
77. Pleasure Horse Championship, Western
78. Quarter Horse Western Pleasure Championship
79. Open Color Breed Pleasure Championship

Evening Session - 7:00 P.M.

80. Schooling Jumper, Table II Section 2.2 (b)
81. Open Jumper, Table II Section 2.2 (b)
82. Friesian Costume Class
83. Single Harness Pony
84. Arabian/Half Arabian Pleasure Lady to Ride
85. Road Hack Championship
86. Three Gaited Park Horse, Open
87. Morgan English Pleasure Amateur
88. Open Fine Harness
89. Arabian/Half Arabian Native Costume
90. Saddlebred Five Gaited Horse Open

SATURDAY - OCT. 3 RD
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.


91. American Saddlebred Country Pleasure Western
92. Saddle Seat Pleasure Equitation
93. Morgan Pleasure Driving Championship
94. Saddle Seat Equitation 11 Years & Under
95. Saddlebred Show Pleasure Driving Championship
96. Morgan Hunter Pleasure Amateur of any age
97. Arabian/Half Arabian Hunter Championship
98. Walk Trot Equitation Saddle Seat 10 & under
99. Amateur Pleasure Driving Pony Championship

Afternoon Session

100. Hunt Seat Equitation U/14 On The Flat
101. Hunt Seat Equitation 14-17 On The Flat
102. Lead Line Equitation Saddle Seat
103. Morgan Hunter Pleasure Horse Championship
104. Saddle Seat Equitation 15-17
105. NHH&TA Pleasure Horse, English
106. Junior Exhibitor Hack Championship Under 14
107. Junior Exhibitor Hack Championship 14-17
108. Morgan Western Pleasure Championship
109. Junior Exhibitor Three Gaited Championship
110. English Pleasure Horse, Novice Rider Under 18
111. English Pleasure Horse, Novice Rider 15-17
112. Walk Trot Pleasure Championship Saddle Seat
113. Walk Trot Pleasure Championship Hunt/Western

Evening Session - 6:30 P.M.

114. Schooling Jumper, Table II Section 2.2 (b)
115. $500 Jumper Classic, Table II, Section 2.2 (b)
116. Ladies Pleasure, Hunt Seat
117. Ladies Pleasure, Saddle Seat
118. Single Harness Pony Championship
119. Morgan Park Saddle Horse
120. Saddlebred Ladies Three Gaited Stake
121. Roadster Pony, Open
122. Morgan Pleasure Horse Jr. Rider, Championship
123. Three Gaited Park Championship
124. Arabian/Half Arabian Costume Championship
125. Morgan Pleasure Open Ladies to Ride
126. ASB Country English Pleasure Championship
127. Hackney Pony Championship


SUNDAY - OCT. 4TH
Morning Session - 9:00 A.M.


128. Miniature Horse at Halter Stallions & Geldings Open
129. Saddle Seat Pleasure Equitation Championship
130. Miniature Mares at Halter Open
131. Single Hackney Pony Pleasure Driving Championship
132. Saddle Seat Equitation Championship
133. Miniature Horse Championship Halter
134. Walk Trot Equitation Championship Saddle Seat
135. Walk Trot Equitation Champ Western/Hunt *Faith*
136. Arabian English Pleasure Horse Championship
137. Amateur 3G Show Pleasure Championship
138. Miniature Horse Driving Open
139. Fine Harness Horse Championship
140. Miniature Horse Driving Open Championship
141. Morgan English Pleasure Amateur Championship
142. English Pleasure Horse Championship Novice Rider

Afternoon Session

143. Pleasure Pony Under Saddle Championship
144. Friesian Pleasure Championship
145. Open Pleasure Driving Championship
146. Three Gaited Horse Amateur Championship
147. Hunt Seat Equitation U18 On The Flat Championship
148. English Pleasure Horse Championship
149. Morgan Park Saddle Horse Championship
150. Junior Exhibitor ASB Show Pleasure Championship
151. Morgan English Pleasure Horse Championship
152. Roadster Pony Championship
153. English Pleasure Novice Rider Adult Championship
154. Three Gaited Horse Championship
155. Half Arabian English Pleasure Championship
156. Hunter Pleasure Horse Championship
159. Hunter Pleasure Championship Junior Exhibitor
158. Five Gaited Horse Championship


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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

From Rags to Riches...

Faith made the trip to the fairgrounds very well! She loaded nicely and seemed quite content with the process. Here she is, standing on the trailer waiting patiently for me to fire the truck up...
In her new temporary stall at the fairgrounds...

In the show arena with Lucy... Faith worked quietly despite the change in surroundings. I have to give it to her, she may have quite the attitude, but she is a very smart, sensible horse.


Working on our half-halts... Boy does this big girl like to move! She was certainly feeling pretty darn good today!


And our final picture, Faith standing next to the center ring display!


After a few months of discussion, I have finally settled on a show name for Faith... "Rags to Riches". I think it suits her quite well, if I do say so myself. Your thoughts?!
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Monday, September 28, 2009

News from Around the Farm

The past two weeks here at the farm have been exceptionally busy! We are finally winding down from our busy summer... just in time to prepare for the Deerfield Fair. More on that to follow!

Last week, I somehow landed a job working as a service writer for my family's automotive repair shop. So now, on top of my daily farm chores, I put in an additional 35+ hours a week there. Thankfully it's located just a few hundred yards behind the farm, so the commute is short! Someday I will post my "new" daily routine on here so everyone can sympathize and/or laugh at me...

After the unfortunate passing of our pig Charlotte, we ventured to Vermont and adopted one to help fill the void at our farm, as well as to give our little orphans some company. The pig we brought home was built and looks just like Charlotte, except that she has black patches all over her red body. She is sweet, very people-oriented, and has a pretty entertaining personality. Here is "Sophie", enjoying the 50-gallon water tank in her paddock. (Props to Rubbermaid for making exceptionally sturdy stock tanks!)



Sophie was the newest addition to our farm up until last week... Last Sunday evening, she gave birth to an adorable litter of piglets! (We were told she may be pregnant when we took her home, so it wasn't a huge surprise.) Mom is doing well and the delivery was complication-free! Here are a few of the babies happily enjoying breakfast. (Look - no bottles! It's so much easier when mom does the job!)


OK now onto the important news - the Deerfield Fair!

Faith has been preparing diligently for the upcoming event! She has been practicing her form over 5-foot fences, her piaffes, her rack and her sliding stops. OK, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration... but she has been practicing! We have been schooling her for about 20-30 minutes a day, 4-5 days per week. Most of her "schooling" consists of walking with a few short trots in between. She is ever so slowly gaining muscle, but she's an old lady and I certainly do not expect her "vigorous" routine to make her look like a body builder overnight.

Faith also underwent an "Extreme Mare Makeover" yesterday. She was clipped, her mane was pulled, and she was, well... beautified! She tolerated the majority of the process, but was not pleased with having her ears clipped. We argued silently with each other, her ears back and those soft brown eyes burning a hole through me. I held out longer though and she looks spectacular! (She was so mad at me that she actually considered refusing a horse cookie from me - what a grouch!)


Here is the plan for the show:

Today we loaded up our trailer and hauled all of our equipment and feed up to Deerfield. It took about fifteen of us a little less than three hours to set up our stalls and decorations.
Tomorrow morning I will be bringing our first load of horses up to the fairgrounds: Jinks, Nicholas, Robbie, and Cori. Then around 1:00pm, I will head up with the second group: Kenny, Cash, William and Faith. We will school most of them in the show arena tomorrow, depending on the weather. I will do my best to take pictures of the events, but normally I am busy coaching children and schooling horses.
Wednesday is our final practice and preparation day for the show. After everyone goes out for their workout, we begin the fun process of bathing. (The horses, not us. Although I will be the first to admit that normally we need it more than they do.) After baths, hooves are prepared and polished, manes and tails are picked through, and our equipment is cleaned.
Thursday morning the competition begins! I will post a show schedule on here tomorrow night of when our horses and riders will be competing for anyone who would like to watch! (I will be competing in the Arabian Hunter Pleasure Class with Cori, just after 1:00pm!)
Friday is Faith's big show ring "re-debut"! We will start preparing her around 8:30am and she will hit the show arena around 11:00am. Her class is #58 - Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation.
Saturday our horses will be competing throughout the day.
Sunday is Faith's show ring "retirement"! She will compete in Class #135, Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation Championship. Preparation will begin around 7:30am in the barn and so far it looks like she will be going in around 10:00am.

We look forward to introducing Faith to all of her wonderful supporters! Please stop in and see us in Barn G and say "Hi!". We love visitors and hope to see you there!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Caption This!


This isn't exactly what I meant when I told them to "smile" for the camera...

Linus & Miranda, September 12, 2009

What are your creative ideas for funny captions?! Post them in the comments!
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Friday, September 11, 2009

Deerfield Fair Update!

Here are Faith's show times!

Friday, October 2nd, she will be in Class #58, Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation. That session is scheduled to start at 9:00am and it appears that Faith's class will be going into the show arena around 11:00am. Preparation will begin around 8:30am in the barn.

Sunday, October 4th, she will be in Class #135, Walk & Trot Hunter Seat Equitation Championship. That session is scheduled to start at 9:00am and it appears that Faith's class will be going in around 10:00am. Preparation will begin around 7:30am in the barn.

* It will take approximately 90 minutes to get her cleaned up, braided, hoof blacked and saddled. We will prepare her in the aisle, so feel free to come by and watch her become beautified! I am guessing she will have approximately a 15-minute warm-up prior to her classes, so look for her in the warm-up arena!

Everyone is welcome to come meet Faith in the barn! We will be located at one end of Barn G, (remember G for Greenwood!) Come by, tell us you're one of her fans and we will gladly take her out so you and your families can meet her in person! She will be there during the entire duration of the fair, so it doesn't matter what day you come by to visit. (PS if you have your picture taken with her, email it to me and have it posted here on the blog!)

This is what the outside end of our barn will look like:



Here is a map of the fairgrounds (click to enlarge!) We are located at the red "X" in the top left corner.



We hope to see you all there!

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Thursday, September 10, 2009

My Holiday Weekend

Dan and I worked hard over Labor Day weekend and got a lot accomplished here at the farm. We also had a chance to get away and enjoy a nice day in the Northern part of the state.

Saturday consisted of chores, chores and more chores! We changed some paddocks around which including digging new holes for posts, installing a new gate, and reconfiguring our fencing. It took a while, but came out great and will make life around here a bit easier!

Since our little piglets are ready to go out on their own, we also "piggie-proofed" the small paddock that we have for our farm critters. We made sure there were no areas where the little ones could escape. The piglets are enjoying their time outside and are doing their best to make friends with the goats. (The goats are not impressed.)

Sunday was great! We woke up bright and early, fed animals and then hit the road with our hiking gear! We drove 90 minutes north to Mount Major in Alton Bay, NH.


There's me, heading up a steep pass...


At the top, enjoying a gorgeous view!



On the way back we stopped at the Hopkinton Fair. Below is a picture of myself meeting "Barry", a 12-year-old ox that weighs in at 3,150 pounds. His back is 6'3"!




I'm not a big fan of Llamas, but this one was just soooo funny looking! Talk about a bad haircut!



We have been working on our preparations for the Deerfield Fair. I will be posting show times soon! It looks like we will have quite a few of Faith's Fans coming to meet her and watch her compete!

Who is planning on attending the fair and meeting Faith? Let us know in the comments below!

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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Channel 9 News Update!

* * * * UPDATE * * * *
It may not appear until the 11pm broadcast instead!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For all of our blog followers in New Hampshire, please tune in to the News at 6pm on Channel 9 this evening. I just got off of the phone with Heather Hamel from WMUR and they will be running an update on Faith tonight!

I will post a link to their website once it is available! Stay tuned!

~Julie

Faith back on February 25th, 2009


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Sunday, September 6, 2009

Happy Labor Day!

"Charlie" the girl pig wishes everyone a Happy Labor Day!


How freaking adorable is she?!

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Saturday, September 5, 2009

Join Us on Facebook!


After months of listening to my friends and students whine that I didn't have a Facebook account, I finally gave in and set one up a few days ago!

Feel free to friend request me by going to http://www.facebook.com/ and searching "Julie Hersey". Look for my picture and send me a request!

Dan and I will be enjoying our time together tomorrow by going for an early morning mountain climb and then up to a local county fair.

I hope everyone has a relaxing, fun and safe holiday weekend!
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Friday, September 4, 2009

Linus's New Package!

Shoeing package, of course! Absolutely no pun intended... Ok, maybe a little, but it's late and I'm functioning on an overwhelming lack of sleep. Moving on...

As we all know, Linus is a Thoroughbred. Anyone who is familiar with horses knows that this breed is certainly not known for the quality of their hooves. They are bred to run, and the physical quality of the animal nearly always takes a backseat to their speed on the track. Thoroughbreds today are typically thin-soled, have a poor quality of hoof wall, and are prone to abscesses, stone bruises and other hoof-related soundness issues. This has occurred after years of breeding plans that had little to no concern regarding the long term health of the animal.

After months of evaluations and researching his history, it was determined that since Linus is going to be used for arena and trail work, he would benefit from shoes and pads. Besides the obvious protection that the shoes will give him, pads were deemed necessary to help protect his soles, and an angle increase via a wedge pad to balance his hoof/pastern angle.

Brad Erickson and I have the same goals: we want to allow Linus to continue out his many remaining years as healthy as possible. Linus is nearly done with his rehabilitation and we want to do everything possible to keep him comfortable, happy and sound. Brad showed up yesterday and the pictures below tell the story of his hoof makeover!

This is what we started with... (And by "we" I mean Brad. I had absolutely nothing to do with this amazing transformation besides asking 1,000,000 questions, all of which Brad graciously and thoroughly answered.)



Brad begins to work on Linus's hooves. He had an under run, slightly contracted heel to deal with, as well as a few blemishes from past injuries and his neglect. Overall for a Thoroughbred, Brad was impressed with the depth of his soles and his hoof walls.

Front left hoof, before the trim...


And after the trim!


The right front hoof before the trim...


And after the trim!


Brad used a 3-degree wedge pad to increase Linus's angles. His heels were under run and we needed to increase his hoof angle to better match his pasterns. These pads are also perforated to allow for a pour-in pad that will help support the frog while helping to reduce the likelihood of thrush.


Pouring in the Equi-Pad CS...


A view of the pad as it dries...


Finishing up the right front pour-in pad... (Notice how shiny Linus's coat is!)


Just as a reminder, this is what this hoof looked like before...


...and this is the final product! (That's the same hoof, I swear!) The hoof is now well balanced and well supported, and there is a huge improvement in the hoof and pastern angles.


Brad, thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to our animals! We all appreciate everything you have done for Faith and Linus. Neither of these horses would have made such amazing recoveries without your knowledgeable and dedicated service!


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Thursday, September 3, 2009

NH Equine Rescue 911

This post is long overdue for publishing, but many have asked for more info and to see pictures, so here goes! WARNING: Graphic photos below, but a happy ending!

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Around 6am on July 31st, we received a phone call from the Derry Police dispatcher stating that there were a few police officers in our driveway that wanted to speak with Dan and I immediately. Thinking something terrible had happened, we ran downstairs to find out.

Apparently two horses were loose down the street from us and their first question was to find out if they were ours. We did a quick headcount and were relieved when all of our horses were where they were the previous evening. It was the second comment that the officers made that made me laugh out loud... "Well, we don't know what to do with the loose horses and we're too scared to go near them, so do you mind coming with us to help us catch them?"

I grabbed halters, leads and a bucket of grain, then jumped in the truck with Dan and headed down the street. Two draft-cross geldings were about 200 yards off of the main road, in a field behind a restaurant. The black gelding was closest to me, so I began walking up to him. He was curious about me but not so enough to come my way. I shook the bucket of grain and his attention immediately refocused on me. He walked towards me and stopped about twenty feet away. Then he caught onto my intentions...

Within a split second he spun away from me and took off at a gallop. He let out a few big bucks, farted a handful of times, and bucked some more. The grey gelding picked up his head from grazing to watch his crazy friend, but thankfully didn't follow suit. Figuring that he would be the easier catch, I headed towards him, shook the bucket once and he eagerly walked up to me. When he stopped to put his head in the bucket, I hooked up my lead to his halter and rewarded him with a few bites of grain. One down, one naughty one to go.

I turned towards the black gelding with the grey gelding in tow. The black one wasn't going to let me get close enough to grab his halter. So I did the last thing he wanted me to do - I started leaving with his friend.

I turned the grey towards the main street and began walking back to my truck. It took maybe five seconds and the black gelding realized that being alone isn't fun. He already missed his buddy and we were only a short distance away. He trotted up to us, let me grab his halter and stood patiently while I hooked my other leadline up.

The police were still discussing with dispatch what to do with them. No one had called to claim them. All phonecalls to local farms were returned with no missing horses. We weren't going to hold them on the side of the road all morning, so we began walking them back to our farm. With a police escort, might I add.

Back at the farm, we turned them loose in the arena and gave them hay and water. They were more interested in rolling around and having a good time together, which was cute to see. They were an adorable pair - matched perfectly in height and size, identical with the exception of their color.

An hour later a trailer pulled up. The geldings' owners came up the driveway, thankful that we helped them out. They asked what we owed them, and I told them not to worry. I would hope someone would do the same for me. Later that day, I walked into the barn to see a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers with a note that said, "Thanks for taking care of our boys!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On August 7th, we received a call around midnight from the Derry Police. They told us that a horse was loose on Route 28 and wanted to know if it was ours. I ran downstairs and checked - all of ours were safe. The dispatcher again asked if we could assist them, stating that officers were located about 5 miles from our farm. Within five minutes my trailer was hooked up and I was heading down the road.

The dispatcher called back, gave me an exact location and also informed me on something they had previously forgotten to mention: the horse had been hit by a car. My heart dropped.

I headed down the hill and within minutes was at the scene. Two officers were there, one from Derry and one from Windham, the town to the south of us. The horse had apparently run south for quite a distance and crossed the town lines. They managed to corral him with cruisers, caught him and tied to a telephone pole. He was grazing on grass and seemed fairly content despite the ordeal he caused.

He was a Quarter Horse type gelding, a cute chestnut with a blaze and a few white socks. As I got closer, I saw the lacerations on his leg. Both were about 5-6 inches long, one on his forearm and one on the inside of his knee. He had quite a few other cuts, but none as serious.

As I headed back to get a halter and lead for him, I called Dr. George, explained the situation, and he agreed to come out and look at the horse. The officers then helped me load him into the trailer and back up to our farm we went. Again, with a police escort.

The gelding unloaded easily and we put him in a stall until Dr. George arrived. I gave him hay and water, but was hesitant to do much with him medically. I was reluctant to give him any medications, such as bute or banamine for the pain since I didn't know about his medical history or allergies. But he seemed rather comfortable, and since Dr. George was on his way, I figured he would be fine for the time being.

Dr. George showed up shortly thereafter and we pulled the gelding out of his stall. He asked about his mobility and I informed him that nothing appeared broken. He injected him with pain killers and tranquilizers, then pulled out his suture pack.



We chatted for a few minutes about what had happened to the gelding while the tranquilizer kicked in. During our brief conversation, we realized the poor guy didn't have a name. We agreed that we would have to name him after the car that hit him, but we didn't know the model so we started figuring out which one would sound most appropriate. Mustang? Too corny. Ram? Appropriate but he didn't look like one. Passat? It didn't suit him. I made a comment that whatever had hit him had to be small because it didn't do a lot of damage. We agreed that "Bug" would be his nickname for the night.


The tranquilizers kicked in, Bug was in his own drug-induced world, and the suturing began. He started with the one on Bug's knee. It was be difficult to suture because of the mobility of the joint, so he sutured in stints on either side of the laceration. Pulling them together, it would relieve the pressure from the sutures and allow the laceration to heal better. Next was the wound on his forearm. The skin was flipped back up and sutured into place.


His entire leg was bandaged heavily to limit movement. We put him back into a stall and kept him comfortable and happy for the rest of the evening. At that point in time - around 3am - no one had reported a missing horse to the police department.

Around 8am, shortly after putting our beloved Charlotte to sleep, "Bug's" owner showed up. She spoke with Dr. George and he informed them that he should make a full recovery. They thanked us profusely and offered to pay me for trailering him and nursing him through the night. I declined and told them that I would like to stop by and visit "Bug" when he was feeling better. (Bug wasn't his real name - we weren't even remotely close, actually.) A few hours later, a beautiful fruit "bouquet" was at my door from Edible Arrangements and a lovely note. It put a smile on my face despite the terrible night I had just been through.

I have learned quite a bit by working with the Police Department on these calls, and look forward to helping them out in the future. It's so rewarding to help out horses in need, and quite humorous to see grown men with guns afraid of them... :-)

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