So the other night, I arrived home to find my 20 year old horse Gabriel standing in his stall on three legs. He was DRENCHED in sweat.
The leg was horribly swollen from the knee up. Gabriel has a setup where he can come and go from his stall as he pleases and he must have hobbled in from his field to his stall on the three legs. The vet and I thought he had fractured the leg.
The poor horse was in so much pain that he was sweating and trembling and when his leg was being examined and x-rayed by the vet, I thought he was going to collapse. Thankfully it was not fractured but was badly sprained. He had a few scrapes and we think he fell, perhaps while running down the hill in his field. I spent most of the night in the barn. He’s much improved now.
This is a photo of Gabriel a few days before this happened. He’s a big boy, as you can see, standing at 17.2 hands.
He’s one of those honest, kind-hearted horses who are worth their weight in gold.
Oh, so sorry to read of Gabriel’s mishap. Wishing him a complete recovery. Your horses are gorgeous!
: )
Wow, that’s quite a swelling, poor thing. If he’s better, thank God – how did you treat the pain? It must have nearly done him in, getting back to his stall, and uphill to boot. I am so sorry – he’s such a handsome guy and to have him be sweating like that, and with a swelling like that, must have scared you badly.
Oh Ann – thank God he is doing better.
You heart must have been in your throat forever, waiting for the xrays….. Looks like a strange place to have an injury, you think it would be on the lower leg – right? . Wonder if he got spooked by something and ran into a tree or fence line? Was his shoulder affected?
Bless their hearts, horses can find trouble without even looking for it.
With your love and care I ma sure he will back to his old self in no time…..
Aww bless! He must have made it home knowing you would be there and would take care of him. How lucky he is to have you for his pets. Your family seems so loving and kind. I hope he recovers soon. I dont know much about horses. Is 20 years old for a horse? He looks so good.
20 is somewhat old for a large horse like him. He’s “retired,” not that he really ever had a real job. But he’s had some lameness in recent years so he’s basically out to pasture full time which he loves. He’s so much better today! Still a little sore. On Bute and some Banamine for the pain. Some antibiotics for the scrapes. I have to soak the leg 3x a day, massage some DMSO into it and hand-walk him(lead him around rather than turn out in field). But it’s made me spend a lot more time with this wonderful horse than I have spent in a while, which has been really good for me. I’m really enjoying pampering him, to tell the truth. He’s got a fan hanging from his stall door blowing the heat and the flies away. I’ve curried his coat to a shine, which he loves. It’s going to sound corny so I hate to even write the words, but this horse is a noble soul – a true gentleman – and even when I’m jamming a tube of nasty-tasting meds in the back of his mouth, he suffers the indignity with unspeakable grace. I have to take some more pictures tomorrow.
No Ann – that does not sound corny at all. It is spoken from one who totally understands the language…..
There ARE many who truly are noble.
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”
It’s always so sad when animals and babies are in pain since they cannot tell you where or why they hurt like the rest of us. Nothing brings out our sympathies like a being who cannot express their pain.
I hope your Gabriel is on the mend now!
Say a prayer to St. Francis! He always helps! Get better Gabriel!
I have to say, if there’s such a thing as a ‘blog club’, similar to a book club, you’ve got a great one here!
It’s so nice to see perfect strangers watching out for one another…There IS hope in this world!!
Gosh, everybody. Thanks for all the kind words!
Reading and seeing the absolute love you have for animals (bats not withstanding) is one of the many reasons I look forward to reading your blog. Please keep us posted on how he’s doing.