Whelp, Nikki is currently lame. She has a mystery splint in her front left leg. Trainer Mary detected it about two weeks ago and we’ve been treating it ever since with cold-hosing, bute, DMSO (check the “Just Ask” section for explainers!) and a lot of TLC. There’s not much else we can do but wait for it to heal. The vet is going to check her later this week.
Mary told us yesterday that Nikki won’t be ready for the Golden Gate show next weekend, which we kind of figured… still, it was a bummer to hear. Two summers ago, Nikki had an abscess in her hoof that took her out of the last two shows of the summer. You can take excellent care of your horse and this stuff still happens, we get it, and it still sucks. There’s a chance Riloh will be able to ride another horse from our barn in the show next week, so we’re waiting to hear about that. Flexibility is a good skill, too.
So we trot on. We’re still at the barn almost every day loving on the injured equeen (see what I did there, equine/queen), making sure she’s doused in fly spray and her belly is full of fresh grass. Every day, Riloh cleans up Nikki and I power wash the muck off her fly mask, sheet, and boots. I was giving Nik handfuls of treats while Riloh was applying the DMSO because it really stings the poor baby and then I got scolded because Riloh said too many sugary treats can give her colic. Geezus we definitely don’t need that (again), sorry Nik.
Obvious statement here: You’re always buying things for horses. In the past week alone I bought bute, DMSO, fly spray, a big jug of fly spray concentrate, and fly boots (second set; first set bought two weeks ago are already trashed). I have a new fly mask in my ‘cart,’ because the one we have is great but it’s already ripped, so I’ll be ordering that same one again. Oh, and Riloh needed/wanted some better boot trees for her tall riding boots, which I bought and had her earn by picking the weeds growing between the tiles on our patio, ha.
Our weather has been amazing; summer is the best. Fly season is the worst. Somehow those two things coexist. There hasssssssss to be a better way to eliminate the flies.
Until I figure that out and become a bajillionaire, which will finally pay for all things horse, enjoy these links:
