Buddy, Reo, me, sorrow

You know, it’s hard to blog when your mind is filled with so much activity. I haven’t spent the amount of time with the horses that I should, because I am so involved with this moving process. I did head over to Buddy’s barn to check on him and give him some snacks, and noticed that his hooves are very long, but still round and not splintering. I have arranged for the farrier to come this coming week to trim him. It’s not good for a horse’s hooves to grow out too long. It puts excess strain on his muscles and ligaments, especially in the shin and pastern area. Also, his eye socket is dirty, and so I need to take a bucket of warm water to the barn and wash it out. He doesn’t like me to mess with that eye socket. I think it must still have sensitivity inside it, but nothing like when he had that infected eye and his eye wept all the time. That’s why we removed it. The Euvitis was so very painful. His demeanor changed right away after the eye removal. It must have been so painful, and it must have been a relief to be without pain. Now I believe it’s just nerve endings in the skin layer covering the socket that are sensitive. So, I promised him this coming week he will be taken care of. You know what? He doesn’t give a damn. Just give him his treats, his food, and keep his mare nearby, and he’s happy.

I’m drinking a good glass of Cabernet right now…very relaxing. As for Reo, he’s gained at least 50 pounds in this last month. This Kentucky bluegrass is just like this wine is to me—-tasty, and fattening! I don’t know if he loves his grass as much as I love my wine, but I think it’s close. Unfortunately, gaining too much weight for a horse can be deadly. (I guess it can be for humans, too. ) I will be bringing his grazing muzzle out Monday, and he will be miserable, but he will stay alive. Poor Reo is one of those breeds that gains too much weight easily, then gets laminitis and very sick. He doesn’t understand the muzzle. It’s either that or he stays in a dry lot paddock with no friends nor any grass. The muzzle allows him to stay in the pasture and nibble at grass, at least.

I told him he would be going to a new home in a few weeks. I don’t think he really cares, but you can be sure he will when the trailer pulls up and he is asked to load up. He will be a sweaty mess by the time he gets to his new barn, only an hour away, and a total jerk when he gets there. I’ll just lead him to the grass, and he’ll be perfectly fine. Food is his great normalizer. Eat and everything will be great!

Me, well I’m okay now, but I must admit I have been secretly up tight. The contract on the condo in northern Kentucky went thru, so in two weeks we will own it. Our present home went up for sale and 6 days later it sold. This all means that we will be moving much sooner than I anticipated, and I have a whole lot to do in a few weeks. That’s okay, but still need time for horses, and for me to stay calm.

I had lunch with a good friend this week, and she told me that she was planning to euthanize her dog that afternoon. I think I got the supreme compliment from her, because she said she needed her time with me in order to be at peace with her decision. Her dog was 18 years old, and he told her he was done living. I get that, and she and I talked about life, death, memories, loneliness, and loss. I was so sad when we parted, but I did not show her that because she wanted my strength, not my sorrow. Sometimes it’s hard to be strong, so I kept my emotions to myself until later when I privately remembered my own pet losses. It’s hard!

So, life goes on. Horses age, I age, my friend experiences pain, losses pile up, but so do memories.