Watching Horses

Today was a worrying day. I let Toady out of his 'diet' patch for a while and poo picked the field. I realised I had left Toady's sweet-itch hood in the house, so had to walk back to get it. When I came back I noticed that he wasn't grazing, so I watched him for a while. He was scratching the ground and seemed irritated. After a few tests, I realised he couldn't eat.

The vet came out and did various tests, but couldn't find an answer, so we decided to check up on him later in the day. I was sensible enough to leave him be for the rest of the morning, so I wasn't pushing my worry at him. Eventually I stopped long enough to listen to my intuition. The problem had to be his teeth.

This evening the vet sedated him and had a good look into his mouth. It turns out that he has a large gap inbetween two molars and grass had impacted. He cleared this out and suggested that that solved the problem.

If I had not forgotten the hood, I might not have noticed that Toady wasn't grazing. He often stands about for a while after eating breakfast, before he starts to graze.

The point is that we sometimes forget to take the time to simply watch our horses. I thought that I did, as most days I lean on the gate and watch them for ten minutes or so before I leave them. But if they all look ok, I am in a rush or its pouring with rain, I assume they are ok, and usually they are. But there might be one time when they are not, and today was one of them.

Four years ago I left a happy healthy - apparently fit - 5 year old pony playing in the field, and came home a few hours later to find him dead. He had died of sudden death syndrome. I have always said goodbye to my horses every time I leave them, but since Charlie's passing, I have made more of a point of it. Life is so precious and can be taken so quickly.

We must never take for granted that the furry lifeforce that shares our life is always going to be there. One never knows when you may say goodbye for the last time, so make the effort to share as much as you can with them now.