Hello everyone.
It has been a bad last couple of days around here. Yesterday afternoon Ryan (my oldest-15) went up to clean the barn and soon after came running back down to tell me Athena (our baby 9 months old) had hurt her leg and it looked pretty bad. Very bad, as it turned out. She had been kicked (I guessed) and the cannon bone was broken clean through and was compound (bone sticking through the skin). As soon as I saw her I started to cry because I knew what this meant. She was so brave- little dear one let me put a tourniquet above the wound, then a cotton and vet wrap bandage. THEN she let me splint it with two pieces of wood. She hardly moved at all while I did this and then she hopped behind me out of the paddock to meet the vet. She even took a couple of bites of hay before the vet got there. By the time he arrived, though, the pain was beginning to show. She went very peacefully, considering the circumstances. The vet was very sympathetic, especially since he could see how she let me doctor her.
I miss her terribly- she had become very close to me since the fall when we weaned her, and I was so looking forward to a few paint shows this summer.
I called her 'breeder' - the woman who sold me Trouble, Athena's mother, this morning to tell her the news. I was hoping to go ahead and book Trouble with King- the stallion who sired both Minnie and Athena for later this spring. Double bad news- they lost him last month.
But she did tell me that her big paint mare had just foaled two weeks ago (this is the mare she wouldn't sell me when I went to see Trouble and Minnie for the first time) and had a filly who is jet black. (Which is not so hot for one breeding for color) They also have their place up for sale and are moving to town so now she is willing to let me have the mare and the filly. So maybe every cloud has it's silver lining- I have to look for one in this, otherwise it's just too sad.
Thanks for listening- I know all of you have been in my shoes and understand what we are going through. Even the dog seems sad- Athena was her special buddy- they liked to play tag.
Kathy
