Finally got to go out!

Yesterday I was just lazing around in my paddock when I heard my mom's car arrive. You know, it's funny. It sometimes seems like my day really begins when my mom gets here. I do a lot without her - I get my breakfast and eat it, and I visit with Cocoa and sometimes with Mickey when he's not cranky. I stand in my paddock and watch horses work in the Flat Arena and I hang my head out my stall window so people going by will come pet me and tell me how pretty I am. Sometimes I get treats. All the people who have horses in our barn like to give treats to all the other horses. That's nice. So lots of times I get a piece of carrot or a cookie from Chip's mom or Favre's mom or Mickey's mom.

But when I hear my mom's car, I get really excited because I know she's coming special to see me. And we usually do something fun even though lately we've only been doing things in my stall because I'm on Stall Rest.

Back when I first came to live with my mom, I didn't really feel this way. I was always happy to see her but I was happy to see anyone really. And I was mostly happy to see her because she was the person who fed me and got me out. But gradually I started thinking of her as special just because she was my mom and I think even if she came to see me and didn't bring me a hay snack, or cookies, or a bucket dinner, or anything, I'd still be happy to see her. For instance, back then when she turned me out or came in my stall, I didn't really pay much attention to her. I was too busy looking at other things or doing stuff that didn't involve her. Even when she was riding me or lungeing me, I wasn't paying as much attention to her as I should have been. I got distracted by other things and didn't really think it was that important.

I'm not sure when that changed but I realized yesterday that it has. When my mom is around, she's the only thing I really pay a lot of attention to. Oh, I still look around and check other things out, and want to know what's going on around me, but when I do that, I have to check back with my mom to see if she saw it too. And when she's in my stall or we're together in a turnout, I'm always looking to her and coming close to her for a pet or a scratch or maybe a treat. She's my favorite person in the world. I think I even like her better than all my horse friends because she always seems to know what I need or want and she always likes to be with me.

So yesterday when she got here I got so excited. Right up until then, I was being pretty quiet and just hanging around in my stall but when I heard her car, I started racing in and out of my stall! I'd pound in from my paddock and then I'd charge at Mickey through the bars and then turn around and charge at Cocoa! Or I'd charge one of them and kick at the other. Then I'd run back out to my paddock and rear and strike and buck and then rush back in! It was kind of cool and windy out and suddenly I felt like running! I thought maybe today my mom will take me out and we'll do something fun!

She came to the door of my stall just as I was kicking at Cocoa. Both my back feet banged on the bars between us, I kicked so high and Mom yelled, "BELLA!" and made the Bad Girl noise. I knew she was worried about my sore leg but I just couldn't help it and I rushed out and in again and then poked my nose out the window to greet her. She petted me and came in and tried to calm me down but I was just so wound up by then, I couldn't seem to behave. I snatched at her with my mouth and as soon as she reached for my face, I bounced up and down and sort of half-reared and struck out. I wasn't trying to hurt her - I just wanted to play our game where she grabs my nose but I was being way too rough and I knew it. I just couldn't help it.

She got stern with me then and made the Bad Girl noise and told me No which means you have to stop doing what your doing. I got sassy and did it again then ran outside and back in and she just shook her head and told me I had to stay in the paddock while she cleaned if I was going to be like that. So she put me out there and closed the door. I was mad. I just wanted to play, and I pawed at the door and kicked the fence until she told me to stop. I know I was being bad. I just couldn't seem to help it.

When she opened the door, she just opened it a little so she could take my halter and then she led me back in and petted me. Then she put my chain lead on over my nose and I got excited again because I knew that meant we were going to go out! She made me stand nicely while she opened my stall and then she led me out but as soon as I tried to twirl, she gave me a good tug with the lead and said No. Then she took me to the Round Pen.

I hoped she was going to let me loose to run around and I would have run and run and run if she did but she didn't. She just started leading me around it. I kept waiting for her to let me go and finally when she just didn't, I got mad and started to act up. I pulled back and started to rear and strike. Back when I was four, she sometimes didn't mind when I acted up on my lead because she knew I was just frustrated and frisky but now I'm five and she expects me to behave myself all the time. So as soon as I did that, she gave me another good tug and made the Bad Girl noise and said, "No, Bella! We're not doing that!" I made another couple of half-hearted attempts after that but she wasn't going to let me so I finally stopped.

Once I started walking nicely though, she gave me a cookie. That was nice. I started kind of looking sideways at her hoping for another one but she let me know I had to walk nicely with Manners no matter what. So I really tried hard. Then she asked me to whoa and I did and she gave me another one.

After that things got nicer. She walked me for a while, then asked me to whoa and when I did, she asked me to back up. Well, I know how to back up. We do that a lot in my stall because she asks me to when she comes in and I'm standing in the doorway. Lots of times she gives me a cookie when I do so I've learned to back up whenever she says to. So I did nicely without her even having to touch me - she just said the words and I did it. And she gave me a cookie.

We did a few things like that. She'd whoa me and then ask me to move over at my shoulder and I would and I'd get a cookie. She did that on both sides of me. She also asked me to move over on my hind end. The difference is when she asks me to move at my shoulder, she stands next to me and puts her hand up near my shoulder and says, "Move over, Belly." Then I know to step over with my front feet. But when she stands next to me and stretches out her hand so it's near my butt, I know she wants me to step over with my back feet.

I didn't used to know all that. Sometimes before she'd ask me to do it and I'd just look at her so she'd push on my shoulder or my butt. That just made me mad. I couldn't see why she was pushing on me so I'd push right back. Sometimes I'd even try to bite her. I just didn't understand what she wanted. But then she started just tapping me and that felt funny so I'd move away from it and she'd tell me I was a Good Girl. I still didn't really get it - I didn't make the connection between what she was doing and what I was doing. But being in my stall all this time, I've Learned. When she cleans in there with me in there too, I sometimes have to get out of her way. That makes more sense to me than just moving for no reason and so when she asks me, I just do it without thinking. And then yesterday in the Round Pen when she asked, I just did it there too because I'm so used to it. She was really happy with me and I was happy too because I finally got it and made her happy.

We hadn't walked for too long when the hay truck came. I was anxious to get back to my stall so I could have my dinner and besides, my leg kind of hurt. I guess kicking and walking aren't the best things for it but I was glad to get out for a little bit. Mom led me out of the Round Pen and back toward my stall and I got a little excited again and tried to rear once more. She got very stern with me again though and made me stop. Then she walked me forward, made me whoa, made me back up a couple of steps and made me stop and wait in front of my stall. I knew better than to argue with her because if I did, I'd have to wait even longer to eat so I stood nicely and then walked in my stall with her and stood still while she took off my halter. Then when she told me it was okay, I went over to my alfalfa and started to eat. Mom can be strict sometimes but she always lets me have my dinner once I'm being good.

I felt a lot less aggravated and excited by then. It really felt good to get out of my stall even though it was only for a little bit. I hope my leg gets all better soon. I want to get back to work and go for a real ride or something. But I have to be Good. I know that because I'm five now.

Fat

My mom says I'm a fat Thoroughbred. She says it in a happy way so I guess that's a good thing. One time last week she was here with Sparky's mom and she was petting me and poking at my sides. Then she told Sparky's mom to poke my sides too and see if she could feel any ribs. Sparky's mom said she could kind of feel them but my mom said they weren't really ribs, they were rolls of fat. And she laughed.

After they left, I talked to Cocoa about it. I asked her if she thought I was fat and she said she didn't think I was fat in a bad way. Not like some horses. That horse Apollo who used to be out in the pasture was fat enough so he needed to lose weight. Cocoa said my mom was probably just happy because I'm not skinny like lots of TB's. She said some TB's can't keep weight on no matter what and they have to eat lots and lots just to keep from being a rack of bones. Well, it kind of made me wish I was like that just so I'd get more to eat but I suppose it's nice not to be skinny. I don't think I'd like that.

Sparky's fat too. I don't think he's fat like Apollo though. He's more like me. Nice and round and healthy. We're all fuzzy too because we're getting our winter fur. I know my mom likes that because she tells me so. She likes to pet me along the base of my neck because it's really, really soft there. Plus it's about the only place I don't get dirty. I kind of do get dirty a lot. I don't know why. I like dirt.

The weather has been nice now for a couple of days. It rained and rained for about three days in a row and I had to stay in my stall the whole time because my mom closed my paddock door. I could hang my head out the window but I couldn't go out there and I just about went crazy. I hate having to stay in a stall. It's stupid. I got mad and kicked the walls sometimes and then my mom yelled at me. I don't like it when she yells at me but I was just so mad. So I kicked them again just to show her.

But then it stopped raining. She came out to the barn that day and opened my door and started cleaning my stall. I was so happy! I kept running in and out of my stall and kicking up my heels and bouncing. Mom laughed at me and told me I was silly and that I'd hurt my leg worse than ever if I didn't cut it out but I couldn't help it. It felt so good to be able to go outside again.

I still remembered to be careful though. I didn't used to know how to be careful about watching out for my mom or the big bucket thing she puts my poops in - she calls it a wheelbarrow. I used to just walk right into her, or step on her, or knock the wheelbarrow thing over. That's why she started putting me outside with a hay snack when she cleaned because I kept getting in the way and knocking into her. Now I know I have to watch out and not buffalo into her or knock things down. It's all part of Manners. So even when I was excited and running and rearing and things, I was careful not to hit my mom. She knows I'm careful now too so she doesn't worry about it. She trusts me. I like that.

I still can't go out to go for walks or rides or anything though. Mom says my leg is getting better but we still have to be careful and not use it too much. It's hard to be cooped up for so long but I try to be good about it. Mom tries to help by playing with me in my stall too so that's good. And she gives me lots of treats. Every time she comes now, I poke my nose at her pocket because that's where she keeps my cookies. She almost always has some in there and she gives me lots. Usually I have to do something special for them. She might ask me to back up, or do a stretch, or be a Good Girl about getting some medicine on one of my scuffs. When she puts my bandages on my legs, she always gives me a cookie when she's done as long as I stood still nicely. That's really hard. I don't much like to stand still.

Today Sparky's mom was with her so that was nice. She gave me some carrot and petted me lots. Then she got Spark out and he had a hay snack and stuff. My mom took my wraps off and put some Nice Cubes on my leg. She puts them in a cloth thing and then wraps the whole thing around my leg and I have to leave it there for a long time while she cleans my stall. I don't mind. I didn't really like it much at first and I sort of kicked my leg and stuff but now I'm used to it. After it's been on long enough, she takes it off and dries my leg and puts some medicine on it. Then when it's all dry, she wraps it up again.

I'm used to all that stuff now so I'm pretty good about it. Sometimes I forget to stand still and she has to tie me up but mostly she just puts my wraps on while I'm eating my hay or my bucket dinner. I don't get so excited about my food now too. I used to think I had to eat it really, really fast and not let anyone near it. I guess I was afraid someone would take it away or another horse would eat it. But now I know that my mom would never let that happen and she wouldn't take it away from me. She's too nice for that. So I'm a lot calmer when I eat now and sometimes I even leave my food to follow her around and see what she's doing. She likes that.

So it was a nice day all around. I do kind of like these days of just playing with my mom and not having to work hard. I like having her ride me but it is hard work and I have to concentrate a lot. I'm not really good at that. I'm better at playing.

Playing in my stall

I had such a fun day yesterday! The guys came around with my grass hay breakfast and I ate that all up. That was nice. Then I went outside for a little bit and visited with Cocoa. After a while, I went back in my stall to get a drink and see if I had any more hay (I didn't) and while I was there, I thought I'd itch my tail.

I've discovered that if I back up to the latch on my duds closet, I can itch my tail nicely on it. Tails get itchy, you know, and you can't really reach them. So I started rubbing on that latch and I was getting a good scratch going when suddenly the door popped open!

I turned right around the investigate. Sure enough, it was open and I poked my nose in and opened it wider. I love to poke around in my duds closet and I hardly ever get to because I'm only allowed in there when Mom opens it up and she never lets me pick things up or play with them. Now I was all alone and it was open so I could do whatever I wanted.

I sniffed around for a little bit and knocked over some stuff on the floor. Then I kind of pawed at my brush box and it spilled out into my stall. There were brushes and hoof picks and my face towel and my fly spray and all sorts of interesting stuff in there. I nosed around among them for a bit but that got boring so I reached up on the shelf up above and started pulling on the blankets that were stacked up there. They all came tumbling down onto my floor and I sniffed them all over. Some of them smelled like me and some of them smelled like Sparky.

There were all kinds of things to sniff and explore in there but no cookies or anything good to eat. I finally got bored and went back outside and then Favre's mom came and saw the mess I'd made and she came in my stall and put everything away and closed the door back up. I guess that was nice of her - I was done with them and I suppose my mom would rather they weren't all untidy. But it was lots of fun.

My mom came to the barn later and I could tell she didn't feel very good. She cleaned my stall real quickly and just took my wraps off and iced my leg without putting them back on. She told me it was because it was raining and she didn't want them to get wet. Well, it was raining. She fed me my bucket dinner and left pretty early.

Today though she came back and found that my leg was all swollen up again. It kind of hurt too. I guess those wraps really do help. She fussed over it a lot and made sure to keep the ice on it for a long time. Then she put some medicine on it and wrapped me up again. She closed my paddock door so I couldn't go out in the rain but she did leave the window open so I don't feel so shut in as I might otherwise. I could tell she was still sick - she said she had food poisoning which seems very strange to me. That would be awful to eat food that was poisoned! I love my food.

She also gave me a nice new fluffy bed so I had a good roll in it. That felt wonderful. So now I'm all cozy in my stall listening to the rain on the roof. It's pretty peaceful really. I wish I could open my duds closet back up though. It's fun to explore.

Rain

Well, as I suspected, I haven't really had a lot to blog about. I've just been hanging around in the stall, visiting with Cocoa, and helping my mom clean. I'm starting to kind of like this lazy life. I don't have to think about a whole lot, or wonder what we're going to do today. I'm getting lots of treats and extra love from my mom and it's just sort of pleasant.

I like to follow her around my stall while she does things. I think she likes it too. We play fun games together. Like I'll come up behind her and nudge her and she'll reach back and grab my nose, just gently. Sometimes she'll say, "I've got your nosey!" and when she lets go, I reach out and snatch at her pants leg or her foot or something with my mouth. It's like playing bite-face with another horse only she doesn't actually bite me because she uses her hand and I don't bite her because it's not Manners. I just pretend to bite, just using my lips. I've Learned that.

It's a really fun game. Sometimes instead of my nose, she grabs my chest. I can sometimes dodge her when she gets my nose but when she goes for my chest, I have to really work to avoid it and it gets exciting. Then I duck my head and snake my neck and try to get her and we play pretty fast for a couple of minutes. Then she'll laugh and hug me and I know it's time to stop for a little bit. I love playing with my mom.

One time she was talking to Beau's mom over my paddock fence and I walked up behind her and put my head over her shoulder and started lipping at her face because I wanted some attention and wanted to play. Beau's mom said, "Oh, she's kissing you!" I wasn't really and Mom knew it but she laughed and petted me because she knows that my wanting to play with her is kind of like kissing her because it means I love her and trust her. And she trusts me too. That's nice because I used to be kind of a Bad Girl about things like biting and bumping into her and so she couldn't trust me really. I'm still bad sometimes but not in any way that would hurt my mom.

So yesterday it started raining a little bit. I like rain. It's interesting and smells nice. But Mom was a little worried because she doesn't want my bandages to get wet. Well, that makes sense because they probably wouldn't feel very nice if they did and they might rub. So she closed my paddock door. I don't really like being shut in my stall but at least this stall has a window out on my paddock. Plus there are barred windows in the stall so I can visit with Cocoa and Mickey (when he's not cranky). My old stall just had plain walls and no window in the door and being shut up inside it was kind of scary. You feel like you're all alone even if you know there are horses next to you. It's awful not being able to see and smell them.

So now I'm cozy and warm, watching the rain and waiting for this afternoon when I'll see my mom. It's a lazy life but I kind of like it.

Feeling kind of better

The past couple of days have been better than the last time I blogged. I was in a bad mood that day. Yesterday and today were kind of nice though. My mom was able to spend more time with me and I like that. It gets lonely being in a stall all the time with no one to talk to except stupid horses. I like to see my mom and do fun things with her. I'm just that kind of horse.

She came out nice and early though both days and we had some fun. She groomed me really well and played some cookie games with me where I get to sniff at her pocket and nose it and nibble at it and then she pulls out a cookie and gives it to me. That's a nice game.

I still can't go out for walks or turnout but Mom did say my leg is looking better so that's good. I know she just wants what's best for me. I just get kind of upset sometimes.

Yesterday, Mom was cleaning my stall while I was eating my alfalfa dinner. It was nice being together like that. She was talking to me and telling about things and I was munching my hay. I didn't used to like having anyone in my stall when I was eating. I'd get pretty fussy and put my ears back and act all mean and stuff, and sometimes I'd kick at the walls or swish my tail. Mom didn't like that at all and she didn't put up with it. She let me know that behavior like that is NOT Manners and that I had to learn to be good. So I did and now she sometimes pets and kisses me while I'm eating and I don't mind a bit. I know she's not going to take away my food or eat it or give it to another horse. I just didn't know that before.

She even put my bandages on while I was eating. While she did it, she was telling me that her and Sparky's mom were going to go see a movie about a racehorse named Secretariat. I'm not really sure what a movie is but she explained that it was like the stories she tells only you can see it all happening. Like I can see myself on that little box of hers that she aims at me all the time, only the movie moves. That's why it's called a movie.

It didn't make a lot of sense to me but the story sounded interesting because it was about a racehorse and I used to be a racehorse. And this horse won the Triple Crown and my great grandfather won the Triple Crown. That makes him just as good as Secretariat. And it makes me just as good too because he was my great grandfather. So I'm pretty special. But I knew that anyway because my mom tells me I am all the time.

Anyway, she was happy that they were going to do that and today she told me they did and it was very good and the horse was pretty (but not as pretty as me). He was a chestnut horse like Sparky so that's nice. I love Sparky and he's very pretty. I bet he'd be a good racehorse too because he likes to run fast. We sometimes pretend to be racehorses together when we get turned out. That's lots of fun. I wish we could get turned out now.

Spark's mom was with my mom today so she had Spark tied near me while my mom took care of my leg and gave me my hay snack. Poor Spark had some ticks on him. Ticks are nasty little bugs that bite horses and they like the pasture horses because they live out there with them. I don't get ticks very often but Spark does. His mom always checks him carefully and pulls them off but today he had a nasty sore on his chin because he'd had a couple there. He's so good though - he just stood nice and still while his mom cleaned it up and made sure all the ticks were gone. It took some time because it was all matted up but he didn't complain at all.

I have to admit, I wouldn't be that good. I was eating my hay and Cocoa was making faces at him but he still behaved himself. He didn't like it but his mom asked him to be good so he did. My mom asks me to be good a lot but lots of times I'm not. I try to be but I just can't seem to behave like him. I guess I'm just a bad horse.

I wasn't very good when Mom was trying to put my bandage back on. The hay truck was coming - I could tell because the horses were all whinnying, telling each other about it like we do - and I was sick of standing still, so I kept moving around and picking up my leg and fidgeting. Mom finally got mad and whacked me on the butt and yelled at me so I was a little better and she got it done and moved me out of the way before the truck came by with my alfalfa. I was better for the other leg because I had some food to eat. I like to eat.

She still gave me cookies though, and a cough drop. And she brought me my nice bucket dinner with carrots in it and she petted me and told me she loves me like she always does. So I guess she doesn't mind that I'm bad. I love my mom.

Bored

Well, I'm getting sick of this. Stall Rest is stupid! I'm bored and want to play and I can't. I'm stuck in this stupid stall with nothing to do and I can't run and I can't see anything interesting and it's just dumb. I wonder how long I'm going to have to do this.

It was kind of hot today too and my coat has gotten fuzzy so I was itchy and uncomfortable. I tried rubbing my head on the latch on my duds closet but all it did was tear a big chunk of my mane out and I was still itchy. Then I went outside and tried talking to Cocoa but she's dumb and doesn't know anything and she doesn't go out much either so she didn't have anything interesting to say. And Mickey's just cranky. I found out he fell down one day and that's why he was in his stall with bandages on but he doesn't seem to mind so much. Besides his mom came this afternoon and took him for a walk. I wish my mom would take me for a walk.

But she doesn't. She came out late today and she was wearing funny clothes. Black pants and a tan shirt all tucked in. She called them her work clothes so I guess that's what she wears at that Job of hers. Stupid job. If she didn't have to go do that she could be here with me keeping me company and helping me stop being so bored. Maybe we could play some games even if they were in my stall. Like carrot stretches or the game where she tells me to move over and gives me a cookie when I do. I like those games.

Anyway, I was out in my paddock watching Beau and his mom. Beau is a big black horse with a long wavy mane and tail. He's really handsome but he's also really nice. His mom's nice too and she always talks to me and asks my mom about me. She was riding him and they were doing some of the fancy stuff that Kia used to do with her mom so I was watching and thinking I could probably do some of that stuff if I wanted to but I'd rather run around and buck and stuff. That seems more fun than trotting a lot and being all collected and stuff. Some of it looks kind of fun though. Like when they go sort of sideways and forward at the same time - I do that sometimes when I'm frisky and Mom is trying to make me walk.

I was thinking about all that when I heard Mom's car. Well, I immediately got excited. I knew she'd come and take me out to clean my stall, and she'd feed me my bucket dinner and I thought maybe we'd go for a ride or a turnout or at least a walk. So I was happy and I raced into my stall whinnying and then kicked the wall once or twice because I wanted to let Mickey and Cocoa know that it was MY mom coming and not theirs and that she was coming to see me and they'd better just butt out. They just looked at me and went back to what they were doing. They're so dumb.

Mom brought my bucket dinner right over and fed it to me outside my stall. She took off my wraps then put some Nice Cubes in a wrap and put it on my leg. I didn't care that she didn't give me any because I was eating my bucket dinner. I did kick at the wrap a couple of times. The Nice Cubes were cold and it felt funny having this bulky thing tied on my leg. I kind of forgot about it after a while though.

It was getting dark by this time and Mom hurried to finish my stall. Then she took off the Nice Cube wrap and dried my leg. By this time I was done eating and it was pretty dark so she had to clean the shavings off my wraps and re-wrap my legs without being able to see very well. They feel fine though. Moms know how to do those things.

Then she put me back in my stall so I knew I wasn't going to go out even for a walk. I was mad! I poked my head out my hay hole and tossed it and tossed it but she just kissed my nose and gave me some grass hay to eat so I ate it. I'm still not very happy but there's nothing I can do about it. I guess I'm stuck here until she decides I can go out.

Another day in my stall

Well, there's really not a lot to write about because I'm cooped up in my stall. At least I can go out in my paddock now. Mom left my door closed for just that one night but then she decided to let me go out because I was pretty restless and she was afraid I'd just hurt myself. But she put lots of shavings outside so it would be soft for me. So now I have a nice bed inside and outside.

I finished my stall snack last night. I just kept licking at it and I couldn't seem to leave it alone. It tasted so good. I still lick the empty container sometimes but it's not the same.

I've just mostly been standing in my paddock watching horses working in the Flat Arena and visiting with Cocoa. Mickey is closed into his stall with wraps on his legs but I don't know why. Maybe he's on Stall Rest too. He's kind of grumpy and doesn't talk much at the best of times and now he's not talking at all so I leave him alone unless he's looking at my food or standing too close to my window.

Mom came out today and cleaned my stall and stuff. I'm getting used to this whole putting cold stuff and bandages on my leg so I'm being good about it. It's okay and Mom always gives me snacks. She gives me cookies and those things she calls Cough Drops (those are yummy!) and yesterday she asked me if I wanted a Nice Cube. Those are the crunchy cold things she puts on my leg. I indicated that I did and she gave me one. It was cold and wet and didn't really taste like anything but it was crunchy. I guess it was nice but not as nice as some other things like carrots so I don't know why they call them that. People have funny names for things.

The guys came with the alfalfa while Mom was cleaning so she got me out of the way and asked them to leave mine on the floor outside my stall. So I got to eat out there which was fun. I already had some grass hay - Mom has been giving me extra so I have something to keep me busy in my stall - and now I had a big flake of alfalfa too. I happily poked it around with my nose and rolled it over and over and knocked all the blossoms out of it. The blossoms are the best part and I like to eat them first. I wish alfalfa was ALL blossoms.

My leg is feeling okay but Mom says I have to be on Stall Rest for a lot longer because it has to heal all the way. I kind of wish we could go riding or at least take a walk. It's a little boring being stuck in my stall. But Mom says I don't want to be broken for good, do I and I guess she's right.

It's going to make my blog pretty boring though if nothing much happens.

Stall rest

That's what they call it when you have to stay in and you can't go play in turnout or even go for walks. It can get pretty boring but the good thing is that my mom comes and fusses over me and gives me treats and loves me up and stuff. Plus she does interesting things that are fun to watch.

She came out today shortly after I'd gotten my alfalfa. I was munching away when I looked up and there she was pulling one of those big cart things that she puts my poop in when she cleans my stall. In it was a big bag of shavings, my lunchbox and a bunch of bags and packages. I wanted to sniff them all and I stretched my neck way out my stall door so I could while she took them out and piled them up nearby. Then she pulled my bucket dinner out of the cart and gave it to me. That was nice. I ate that while she cleaned my stall.

She also put a bandage on my hurt leg. It was supposed to hold a funny squishy thing on it. The squishy thing was cold but it kept sliding down so she took it off soon and got some of those cold crunchy things out of my lunchbox and wrapped them in a cloth. Then she held the cloth against the sore part of my leg. It felt kind of funny but I didn't mind. I kept pretty still and just kept eating while she did that. It was really cold, colder than the water is when she hoses my leg but it felt kind of good. Mom said it would help so I let her do it.

She held it on there for a pretty long time then she stopped and cleaned some more, then put it back on for another long time. When she finally took it off, she got a towel out of my duds closet and dried my leg off. Then she put some wet stuff on my leg. It came in a bottle and it felt warm on my leg. It also smelled kind of funny. Mom called it DMSO and she wore these funny little gloves while she put it on. The gloves came out of a box. They were small and rubbery and when she pulled them on they made a snapping noise. They were a lot like the gloves my doctor wears sometimes. After she put the stuff on, she peeled the gloves off and threw them in the garbage can outside my stall. That's what he does too.

I was all done with my bucket dinner by now, and she was done cleaning so I figured she'd be going home but instead she started puttering around in my stall. First she put a wrap on my back leg that wasn't hurt. That was kind of odd but it was okay. I've had wraps on before at the racetrack so I don't mind them. Then she reached into one of the bags she'd brought and pulled out a stall snack! I like stall snacks. They go in a little container that hangs in my stall and I can lick and lick and lick them and they taste good. Lots of times I try to bite them but I never really can very well so I just have to lick. That makes them last a long time and it gives me something fun to do in my stall. Mom put it in the container and hung it up but I was too interested in all the things she was doing to start licking it just yet.

Then she got a plastic case that rattled in an interesting way and she went out into my paddock. She started fooling around with my paddock door and she pulled a long metal thing out of the case and attached it to a latch that's on the outside of it. The metal thing made a funny clicking noise as she turned it and I went over to the door and poked my nose out to see what it was. It was so interesting. It smelled kind of like my bit but it was a funny shape and it made that sound. Mom called it a ratchet and let me sniff it all over. Then she kissed my nose and went back to what she was doing which was taking that latch apart. I guess she fixed it because now there's a window that opens on the top part of my paddock door so that the door can be closed but I can still stick my head out and see what's going on and get some fresh air. That's kind of neat though I'd rather be able to go in my paddock. Sometimes when you're on stall rest though, you just can't.

Next she brought the bag of shavings into my stall but instead of opening it up and spreading it around, she stood up on it! I rushed right over to see what she was doing now and I saw her fooling around with my fly spray contraption. I have this box in my stall that hangs up near the ceiling. It sprays fly spray out all by itself every so often. The fly spray it uses smells good and it really helps keep the little buggers off me. Every now and then Mom puts a new can in it and I think the can must be what the fly spray comes out of. That's what she was doing. She let me sniff the new can and then when she took the old one out, she let me sniff that too. I also had to sniff her feet on top of the bag of shavings. It seemed really strange to see her up there.

She got that taken care of and stepped down and then she opened it up and spread it for me. They were the fluffy kind of shavings that I used to have before she switched to the little small shavings. They make a nice soft bed and I figured she probably wanted to make sure I had one while I was hurt. She's always thinking of me and doing nice things for me.

I was having a nice time following her around my stall. I still had lots of alfalfa but I wasn't even interested in eating it because we were having such a fun time. Every time Mom ducked out of my stall under the chain thing, she'd pet me and give me a kiss and then she'd ask me to back up so she could come back in and when I did, she'd give me a cookie. She had a whole pocket of cookies and she kept on giving them to me. It was so nice. I kept poking my nose at her pocket hoping that she'd get the hint and give me more but she only gave them to me when I did something she told me to. So I made sure to pay attention.

When all her chores were done she checked my leg to make sure it was dry and then put a wrap on that one. So I have pretty wraps on both my back legs. They feel okay so I don't mind. She put some more alfalfa in my stall for me and told me to be a Good Girl and that she'd see me in the morning. So I'm stuck in my stall with the window open but I guess it will be okay. At least I can see and visit with Cocoa and Mickey and I can hang my head outside.

I'm feeling a little sleepy now so I think I'll lie down in my bed and take a nap. That's what you do on Stall Rest.

Doctor visit then Mom got broken

Well, my doctor came to see me today. It was kind of funny because Mom wasn't there. I didn't mind though. I like my doctor. He took me out of my stall and his friends gave me a cookie and held me while he looked at my leg. He didn't hurt it though. I like my doctor.

Mom came a while later but my doctor was already gone. She gave me my hay snack and cleaned my stall and loved me up. I was feeling really affectionate. I get that way when I have a boo boo. I don't feel right and I know my mom will take care of me so I get sort of cuddly. She likes it especially right now because I'm getting my winter coat and I'm all fuzzy. Some other people came along too while she was cleaning and they called me pretty and petted me too. Sparky's mom was there and she told them about me and acted like she liked me. It was nice.

Then my mom hosed my leg again and gave me a whole bunch of cookies. It was funny. I'd bounce around and move and stuff and then I'd stand still and she'd give me a cookie and call me a Good Girl. It was nice. I'm not sure what I was doing that was good but every time I moved around a lot and then stood still, I got a cookie. So I moved around a lot more so I'd get more cookies.

After that, she put me back in my stall and she rummaged around in my room where my duds are kept. I was excited. I thought we were going to go riding so I nosed over and poked my nose in and watched while she got her head bucket, and her boots and her leg britches. She didn't get my saddle though and that was weird. But then she petted me and kissed my nose and left my stall without me.

Well, I didn't know what she was going to do but I went outside in my paddock to rest. Then a little while later I saw her leading Sparky toward the mounting block. She had all her riding duds on and she climbed right on him and started riding him in the Flat Arena. I watched. It was really strange watching my mom ride another horse, especially a horse I know like Spark. It made me kind of anxious, like maybe because I'm broken she's going to ride someone else.

Then the strangest thing of all happened. She walked him around for a little bit then asked him to trot. He popped right into a trot and I could see that he was pretty frisky. He was bouncing along in a fast, happy trot. I have to admit, he was being really good. He walked nice and kept on the rail and didn't fuss or meander. And then when she asked him to trot, he didn't hesitate and she didn't have to hit him or keep poking with her heels like she does with me. It made me kind of mad. Why's he have to be so good all the time? He's such a showoff.

But then the strange thing happened. I saw her ask him for a canter. He popped right into a nice canter and went sailing along the long side and into the turn. And then as he hit the turn, I saw him duck his head and I thought, "He's going to buck!" And he DID! He ducked his head right down and threw a nice bouncy buck and my mom - MY MOM! - went flying right over his head, did a flip in the air and landed flat on her back!

Sparky stopped dead and just stood there - he's really good about that, besides Mom was still holding the reins. His mom was running out into the arena calling out, "Are you okay?" I was wishing I was out there too so I could see if she was okay. What if she died? What would happen to me? Who would take care of me, and give me hay snacks, and cookies, and play with me? I was scared.

Then I saw her get up. She moved a bit stiff but she seemed okay. And then she walked back to the mounting block and got back on Spark and she made him go around again at a walk and trot. And when he got a little bunchy, she made him behave and gave him a crack with her stick just like she does to me so I knew she was okay. I was happy to see that but it was sure strange to see her fall off. She never falls off me.

She says I have a strained extensor tendon. She put some more of that stupid medicine in my bucket dinner but she added some water and that made it taste a little better so that was good. She told me we have to hose it every day or better yet ice it and I have to have my medicine but I should get better if I'm careful. I'll try to be careful. That's almost as hard as being good.

Sleepy tonight

It's been a little hectic lately. Mom has that dumb Job so she never has time to help me blog. It's stupid. I wish she could just play with me and not have to bother with other stuff.

Well, last time I posted Mom had said we were going to work in the Round Pen the next day and we did. First she saddled me up and then she lunged me in there. She had me walk and trot and canter and then go the other way and do it again. Every time I bucked and kicked while cantering, she made the Bad Girl noise and then had me go on again. I knew what she was telling me. She doesn't want me to do that when I have my saddle on. I do know it but I just forget.

Then she rode me in there. We did a lot of trot work and she let me have a kind of loose rein so I'd go forward but she just kept breathing slowly which makes me want to slow down. I'm not sure why but I just find myself doing it sometimes. I'll be rushing along and I'll feel her breathing really slow and posting up and down just a bit slower than I'm going and the next thing I know, I've slowed down. It's really sneaky of her.

It was kind of fun though and reminded me of some things I've learned that I kind of forget when I get excited, like not rushing and just going at the pace she wants me to. It's hard when it's cool and windy though. After a while, she took me out and rode me for a bit in the Flat Arena and we did a lot of the same stuff there. It was okay. She was happy with me.

Then a couple of days later I was bad all over again. She and Sparky's mom came out to ride and I was bouncy and excited and ready to go. It was hay time for one thing - even Spark was a little fussy - and it was cool and I just felt like running. They rode us to the Pony Arena but that place was scary! There was something going on past the fence but you couldn't see what because of the bushes. It sounded like some kind of animal and it was really spooky. Mom called it a Chicken and tried to get me to go in but I wouldn't. I'd get up to the gate and then twirl and bounce and try to run away. Spark did the same. Our moms talked nice to us and urged us in and petted us and tried being firm with us but it was no use. We were thoroughly spooked. They decided not to make us and that was a relief but then they rode us into the Little Rolling Arena.

Now normally I like that arena but that's because I'm usually on a lead and rolling. Under saddle, I don't like it. There's no real fence, and it has a funny shape, and it overlooks some suspicious looking places, and there are horses stabled right next to it and sometimes there are funny noises. That day I didn't like it at all. I was already jumpy from the Chicken incident so I went in there expecting the worst and sure enough, I'd just stepped into the second part of it when one of the horses on the edge banged on the fence and jumped backward with a clatter.

That was all I needed. I bounced sideways about a mile and twirled with full intentions of running out of there but Mom gently stopped me and tried to calm me down. I stayed but I wasn't real happy about it and she steered me around the arena, letting me go over toward that horse - probably to see that he wasn't dangerous but I wasn't buying it. That whole arena is dangerous, I'm fully convinced of it. Besides, I just know some kids are going to jump out of nowhere and try leaping on my back to do all that strange stuff they do in there. That Vaulting or whatever they call it.

Spark finally had enough and headed out and Mom asked me to follow him but I was confused by then and started balking and dancing and threatening to rear. The thing is, to leave that arena, you have to go away from our barn and I wanted to go toward our barn. Spark had already gone around the corner so he was headed back and I wanted to be with him and just sort of panicked about the whole thing. If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have known what we were doing but sometimes I don't think very clearly. So I threw a fit.

Mom finally got me out and turned and headed for home but by then I'd melted down to my last brain cell and was dancing sideways and trying to slip out from under her. She got fed up and got off and led me back and I knew I was in trouble. We did a bunch of lungeing once we got back and then she got on me and rode me around the Flat Arena for a bit just to let me know that when she says we're going for a ride, we're going for a ride. I was still kind of bouncy but lots better.

But all my bouncing got the better of me because today I woke up with a funny feeling in my leg. When Mom got here, she was telling me we were going to have a fun day and do some ground work and some riding but then she began grooming me and immediately noticed it. She started feeling it and running her hands along it and that was the end of any fun for us. She brought me to the wash stall and I had to stand there for about forever while she ran cold water on my leg. It's my back leg and she says it's swollen and that I might have a splint. She said the horse doctor is going to be at the farm tomorrow so she's going to ask him to look at it.

It doesn't really hurt much - just feels funny - and I'm not really lame on it either but she said it was all swollen which means it's fat and that's no good. So she put some medicine in my food to help it stop being that way but I don't like medicine so I threw my bucket out the window of my stall. She just put my halter on and led me out to eat all the spilled food and even though I tried to eat around the medicine part, it was all mixed in so I ended up with most of it. And now I feel kind of sleepy. Tomorrow I'll see my doctor. I like my doctor. He usually gives me cookies, after all.