Another big milestone

Country Club got his show shoes pulled, feet trimmed and regular flat plate horse shoes put on. In the middle of all this foot business, Dr. Wiley arrived and proceeded to remove the staples from Club's incision sight.

One hind leg was up in the air getting trimmed, shod and nailed at the same time that Dr. Wiley was kneeling on the floor, cutting and pulling staples. The old boy never moved a muscle!

What a good patient. His eyes are bright, is appetite is back, he is now on full ration (instead of 1/4 ration) and his bowel function is normal.

Yea!

The Countdown is over...

Tommy Garland is here. Tommy and Dawn are
coming to Freedom Farm today to present a clinic
on "CPR" Horsemanship (Confidence, Patience and
Respect) to the Youth Group formed
in November that is affiliated with the North Eastern
Ohio Arabian Horse Association.

He will be judging the Medina Board of Realtors Horse Show at the Fairgrounds in Medina on Saturday and Sunday, and he graciously accepted the invitation to come a day early and put on a half day clinic for the kids.

Proceeds from the clinic will benefit the newly formed group and the Right Lead, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit from Medina County. The Right Lead is a horse rescue program that works also with at risk youth from the Phoenix School in Akron. "Kids Helping Horses Help Kids"!

He is a "celebrity" horse trainer/clinician and has a program on RFD TV. He and his wife Dawn are super, super people who give support to causes that help horses and kids.

We are so excited to have him with us, and I get to pick them up at their hotel, pack them around, show them Freedom Farm in Ravenna, and also Freedom Health in Aurora, makers of the digestive conditioning aid "Succeed", then back to the farm for the clinic. Lots of volunteers are helping put this event together.

Day zero is here....welcome Tommy and Dawn.

Just another day at the office

That's a saying that my husband Tim uses whenever I ask him "how's the weather out there" (knowing full well that the weather is terrible and that driving a semi in such conditions are treacherous). "It's just another day at the office" says he.

(photo is of a "type" similiar to her trailer, not an actual photo of the trailer)

Well, yesterday turned out to be "just another day at the office" also.

Let me back up a bit...yesterday, Bruce and I drove to Burton to pick up
Country Club and finally, after 10 days, bring him back home.

I have not driven a "big" truck and gooseneck trailer (a six horse head to head) since 1980 something. We had a 42' red Stidham six horse gooseneck and a Chevy Crew Cab one ton "dually" pickup truck. That was a long time ago, and I am so very much older, slower moving and far less confident in any skills that I may have had a long time ago.

Sarah offered the use of their brand new 1 ton crew cab dually, and long, long, long six-horse head to head horse trailer to go pick up Club. She was not able to go, and so she said "you drive and go get him".

The thought terrified me! Yes, it terrified me. I hardly slept worrying about driving that rig safely on I-480, I-271 and then down narrower roads to get to the Equine Specialty Clinic.

I put on my "big girl pants" and started the engine. I slowly pulled out of their driveway, made wide turns and somehow...just like riding a bicycle...it all came rushing back. I can do this, yes I can.

As I was driving down Rt. 422 toward Warren, Ohio I turned to Bruce and said

"You know, years ago I drove a six horse gooseneck trailer and crew cab truck through the Three Sisters Mountains in Wyoming in a snow storm. Snowing so bad that Tim had to keep the window down on the passenger side to see the guard rail." (sounds pretty similiar to the generic "when I was your age son, I walked 10 miles to school in a snow storm....)

"Hello Sarah, I don't know what you were worried about...my driving your new rig...it's just another day at the office!"

A hard thing to do sometimes!

Not Healthy To Eat Candy
One fine afternoon a gentleman was walking down the street;
and as he came around the corner he spotted a young boy sitting
in front of the local candy shop. As he approached, he realized it
was his neighbor's kid - Little Johnny.The boy was shoving sweet
tarts and chocolate bars down his throat as fast as possible, so much
that it prompted the man to offer some advice: "You know, Johnny,
it's not healthy to eat all that candy."Little Johnny looks up at him
and quickly retorts "You know, my grampa lived to be 96 years old.
"Oh," the man replied, "did he eat lots of candy?""Nope," retorted
Little Johnny, "But he did mind his own business!"
Thanks Georgia!

Today's Update

Hi everyone:
I just spoke with Dr. Milligan at 2:30 this afternoon. I asked about Country Club's condition. She said "He's hungry"! "He's improving everyday, and if nothing unforeseen happens, he will be ready to come home early next week.

I don't know what else to say.

It would be superfullous!(sp?)

Yesterday

I was out in the barn yesterday afternoon when Bruce came walking out from the house. I had borrowed his mower (belt off of mine) to finish mowing our grass. I was hosing the grass off of it when he said "don't do that, I'm going to mow and get it all crapped up again".

"Oh, okay then". said I.

"I just talked to Dr. Milligan. They removed the stomach tube from Country Club his stomach is assimilating the contents, so they don't have to pump the fluid out anymore. He is looking out the window and he nickered". I put my head down and started to cry.

You know that I lost my mare Zana in January due to a form of colic. I was not financially able to send her to have surgery. I breaks my heart every time I think of it. I couldn't do what was right for her.

I told Bruce "I didn't pray for Country Club's recovery.....it didn't work when Zana was sick".

I feel guilty saying that, I hope God will forgive me. I have asked for prayers from others, but I have said none of my own.

Thank you all for your prayers for him, they have obviously caught God's ear. Thank you all.

Bruce's bill will probably be between $11,000 and $13,000. Club is 18 years old, a gelding and my friend.
Thank you Bruce.
Thank you God.

I visited with him today

Bruce and I drove to Burton to visit Country Club. He moved his ears forward as I called his name. He did not look as bad as I thought he would look. Bruce was surprised as well.
He had to have a "soft" cathetar inserted into the jugular on the left side of his neck...the one on the right side was harder and was holding clots. He was hooked up to three lines, one of pain meds, one of fluids including protein and not sure but I think the third was antibiotic.
Dr. Milligan said "He is still critical". But she said I could brush him if I wanted to. She brought a grooming box into the stall, and I brushed and brushed. All the while whispering to him, telling him that he was a good boy, and letting him know that I was right there if he needed me. More like I needed him. I kissed him and hugged and buried my face in his mane. Some tears managed to pop out but he was such a comfort to me.
Dr. Milligan told us that when he can come home what his care needs to be etc. 30 days of stall rest, 30 days of hand walking and a little grass nibble or two, then a small confined space that he can be turned out loose. After three months he can return to work again.
Such a serious woman, very slender and she has a hand shake that would knock you off your feet if you weren't paying attention. No nonsense, and very thorough and clinical. But, so far she has saved his life and I am grateful.
We are "a long way from Tipperary" but we are taking little baby steps toward recovery.
Country Club, you are a big strong gelding....hurry and get better.

Perhaps a little chicken soup....

Country Club

Yesterday afternoon, Country Club was exhibiting signs of colic.

I got him up in his stall and immediately called the vet. Dr. Wiley was at a graduation party in Chippewa Lake and I had to call the service

twice in a half an hour to get him to get the call. Dr Wiley arrived an hour

after I started walking Club.(standard colic procedure) He administered standard colic meds, and tube oiled him and gave him a tranquilizer. we turned him loose in the arena where he immediately went down and was in pain. Two hours later he was still in pain and the vet came back. Administered an anti spasmodic and we put him in Sarah's trailer and drove to Burton to the Equine Specialty Hospital. Emergency surgery performed by Dr. Miligan, a colic surgery specialist proved there was a lymphoma the size of a golf ball with a 12" tail attached that had strangled 12 feet of intestine, and another 15 feet were inflamed. The tumor was

removed as the 12 feet of intestine was also. Resectioned the inflamed section to the healty section. He got out of surgery and came out of the anesthetic about 1 a.m.

Time heals all wounds...if there are no complications. The intestine has to

regain motility. There are no answers, waiting to hear this morning.

Dr. Milligan said that the strangulation of the intestine is very fast and when he was exhibiting signs of colic, that is when the process was starting. Most cases are treated just like colic, and most often patients are not taken to a surgery center.

Say a prayer for my friend.

A ride a day keeps the doctor away!

That's what I have decided. I need to ride each day to blow the cobwebs out of my brain, and to give me a sense of belonging to something good.

Country Club went to Sarah's on the 1st for the three weeks remaining before the Medina Horse Show. I am supposed to carry the flag, and I haven't ridden him since late last fall. To ride and carry the flag in a presentation of the colors is an honor, and we are both too rusty to try it without lots of practice. Even though Country Club is "adopted", I still treat him like he was my own.

Thanks to Bruce and Linda for allowing me to "take ownership" and ride and show him when I want to. Thanks to Sarah for picking him up, and thanks to God for making such a wonderful animal!