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Post by Gingersmom-Tate on Apr 6, 2008 12:11:15 GMT -5
What a cute boy, I love his wise old eyes, such the gentleman. I'm sure he remembers you, I've been told they never forget the ones they love.
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Post by winterlakesfarm on Apr 6, 2008 16:13:16 GMT -5
Squirrels - he is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!! How wonderful for both of you that he will spend the rest of his days with you! I love the pile of hair.......i attacked all of mine last week and the old farts(Toad, Sarge and Dally) must have lost enough hair between them to make at least another 2 horses LOL
I cannot wait to see pics of him all shed out this summer......he really is beautiful!
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squirrels
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Post by squirrels on Apr 6, 2008 23:21:10 GMT -5
Thanks for the encouragement! As Katie and I were grooming him last night, she said, "it finally feels like all is right in the world, doesn't it?" and I have to agree. I finally feel like things are as they should be.
I've had an extremely exhausting weekend. BUT, last night I slept amazingly well. So did O'Hara. He was dozing in his stall last night when I left him at 10pm.
Today we tried turning him out with the other horses (the people that had him were Saddleseat people, so while he was getting turnout, he wasn't getting turnout with other horses. Since our turnout is somewhat limited, the boys have to share and play nice).
After only one fight (ironically, with the other aged, sway-backed Saddlebred) and no injuries, O'Hara is king of the barn. He's a tough old fart. My trainer is impressed that at 28 he put all of the boys in their places. He was a little winded and sweaty (probably the most exercise he's got in a while), but the extra playing/movement will be good for him.
I also got a ton of leg hair off today... I was pulling it off in clumps... and he's still shedding quite a bit. He settled in last night pretty much as soon as I put him in his stall, and now he seems happy as a clam.
I don't know if he remembers me or not. I wish I could read his mind. When I saw him, he sniffed my nose for an extremely long time and then started licking my hand, which the owners said he doesn't usually do. We used to play a game where he'd flip his tongue upside-down in stick it out just a little bit and try to get me to rub it.... (I know, he's odd).
I'm calling the vet tomorrow to set up a complete physical exam and possibly some dental work if he needs it. He's not as intrigued with the mush idea as he is with soaking his hay in his water buckets. We did luck out and get some AMAZING hay, so I can't say I blame him. The hay looks more appetizing to me too. ;D
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trailsnail
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SAFE Foster Mom
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Post by trailsnail on Apr 7, 2008 11:14:57 GMT -5
What a wonderful story! He is still an elegant old boy, isn't he, even in his winter woolies.
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squirrels
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Post by squirrels on Apr 11, 2008 16:34:45 GMT -5
the vet came out today for Hara. He has a sarcoid tumor on his ear (which I already knew... I just want it to go away because it's ugly). The vet said he can remove it and treat it with chemo so it won't come back. The dentist who owned him said that he had removed the tumors himself with just a local anesthetic . My Vet said that his attempts to remove the tumor that he knew nothing about likely caused what would have been a tiny bump to spread into the nastiness that it is now. He also got his teeth floated. The vet wanted to take pictures of his teeth because they are some of the worst ones he's seen. :'(He also was talking about how he wants to do a lecture/seminar on how horses CAN have terrible teeth and still be in great shape (like O'Hara), or how skinny horses might have great teeth. He also wanted pictures to stress the importance of routing dental care in senior horses. His big thing that he kept saying over and over again was that people need to get their horses teeth checked regularly, no matter what condition the horse is in. One of Hara's teeth fell out during the float. The vet gave it to me... Not sure what I'm going to do with a tooth, but okay. Hara's tooth: However, during his physical eval, the vet said that he still moves better than some 10-year-olds he's seen. O'Hara is creaky in his joints, but he still has a full range of motion. I put him on a joint/vitamin supplement as soon as I got him back. He hadn't been on anyhting but a daily dewormer (which I'm beginning to despise). Vet said to keep him on the joint and vitamin supplement, and that if I started getting him some exercise that it will help a lot. Overall, not bad. I'm still getting bucketloads of hair off on him in each grooming session, and he's starting to look more normal. Vet said he has no signs of cushings, which I was worried about. I should have thought to take pictures, but I was so absorbed in the exam I didn't think of it! edited to add picture of the missing tooth.....
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Post by cat67 on Apr 11, 2008 19:01:47 GMT -5
Have you ridden him yet?
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squirrels
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Post by squirrels on Apr 11, 2008 19:35:28 GMT -5
Have you ridden him yet? No. Not yet. I wanted to get the vet check free and clear first. When I was longeing him for the vet, his tummy fat was jiggling. ;D The vet said that if I got that off and got some tone on his topline he wouldn't be so sway-backed (and I don't think he's looks that bad for almost 30!)
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squirrels
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Post by squirrels on Apr 11, 2008 21:01:36 GMT -5
My two baby boys got to go outside today in the nice weather!! This is a pic of them from Monday when they were turned out in the arena..... Here's O'Hara outside in a run behind his stall (pic was taken on Wednesday).... my goal is that by this time next month I want to have him shiny and not so.... Lumpy? Jiggly? Saggy? ;D I don't like it when his tummy jiggles when he walks! He looks wormy... or like he has Cushing's.... Ick. The vet even wrote "extremely out of shape" on his health report card! It's okay. I love him anyway.
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Post by cat67 on Apr 12, 2008 17:14:50 GMT -5
LOL. Well, I guess you will just have to start riding him again. It does not sound like there's any reason not to!
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Post by leahlady on Apr 12, 2008 17:18:50 GMT -5
Cuuutee!!!!! I love how his neck arches up and his belly arches down in the middle photo! He is such a dignified old man.
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squirrels
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Post by squirrels on Apr 12, 2008 19:43:37 GMT -5
This morning I was teaching Jack how to pony off of Chanel. She is apparently not confident enough to be a good ponying horse outside on the trails (Katie rode, and I hand-walked Jack in the back pasture to see how they'd do). Jack was so much more confident than she was, and he's the spooky one! So O'Hara's new career (for now) is going to be Mentor Trail Horse to Jack. I'll start riding Hara again and try some ponying in the arena and see how well that combo works out. I've been riding Jack in the arena, but feel like he needs more "life experiences" (wihtout me on his back!! )
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Post by shayslilrunner on May 4, 2008 2:23:01 GMT -5
This is the cutest story I've heard in a while- BY FAR!! I always figured that every animal I get I would/could have forever, but sometimes its just not a reality. But, its always an amazing thing when they come back into your life, like its a sign or something. It's amazing.
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DressageWannaBe
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Nothing better than a girl and her horse
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Post by DressageWannaBe on May 4, 2008 5:36:25 GMT -5
I would love an update on this boy!!
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Post by zeesmom on May 4, 2008 15:31:40 GMT -5
That is such a neat story! I still look for the horse that I had as a teenager. He would be 27 years old tomorrow. Without a brand and as a grade gelding I don't think that I will ever find him so your story really makes me smile.
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squirrels
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Post by squirrels on May 5, 2008 0:43:10 GMT -5
Still haven't ridden him yet. He was slightly clubbed on his left front hoof, causing his knee to never really "lock" all the way back (Like Cat's mare, Kit). It's kind of the equivalent of wearing one high-heeled shoe all the time.
He is slightly arthritic in that knee, but still has his full range of motion. So, after lots of go-between with my vet and farrier, we're attempting to "fix" his knee. The farrier (whom I LOVE by the way- he's amazing) trimmed a steeper angle on his foot to correct the club, and force his knee back so it will lock. I have O'Hara on daily bute, and we're trying to encourage him to use his knee more to rebuild the muscle around it, and to help stretch the tendons. He's looking better and better every day.
Now he only seems a little "off" when he comes out of his stall in the mornings, but works out of it quickly.
I can't wait to move the boys ot the new barn, because O'Hara will be getting MUCH more turnout than he's getting currently, and I really think that will be the best thing for him. I'm planning on leaving him outside in the pasture as much as possible. It will probably be the first time in his horsey life that he'll be getting 24/7 turnout (with run-in access to his stall- how spoiled is he??)
I think he's looking better. I'll have to post more pictures as soon as I finish getting his winter coat gone! I'm guessing it'll only be another week or two.
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