Chrome+Colic=Terrified

I took these photos on the 14th to show you how filthy my little piggy boy is... little did I know two days later I would come home to a colicking horse.  I guess I jinxed myself with the "boys are good" post.  I won't scare you guys, he is fine now, but it was very scary when it was happening.

So on the 16th when I got home from work Chrome was out in the front yard (he eats his ration balancer and beet pulp outside of the pasture so Rocky can't run him off) and he was goofing off, running around and being a dork.  I parked my car and took my stuff inside, then came back outside to find Chrome standing in the driveway, frozen like a statue with his head down (he wasn't staring at something, he was staring off into space).

I thought that was really weird, but I put a halter on him and put him back in the pasture.  Rocky still had some beet pulp left, but Chrome didn't show any interest in it at all.  He also wasn't showing any interest in me, which is weird because normally he's a pest.  That set off alarm bells.  I went back inside and brought a peppermint out.  He pricked an ear at the sound of the wrapper and I started to breathe again, but then he wouldn't eat it, even when I stuck it in his mouth.

At that point I was in full on panic, even though he was just standing there.  Hubby thought I was overreacting up until Chrome wouldn't eat the peppermint, then he agreed that something was wrong.  My first thought was colic so I told hubby I was staying out there until Chrome pooped.

No sooner was that out of my mouth then Chrome walked to the barn and pooped (yes, inside, they are brats and intentionally walk to the barn to poop).  Again I was breathing a sigh of relief when he turned around and laid down right next to me.  Again, alarm bells went off.  He NEVER just randomly lays down next to me.  Then he started pinning his ears and jerking his head back, then he would look at his stomach.  At that point I knew it was colic. 

I called my vet and left a message, then I called my trainer at the dressage barn where I used to work a decade ago.  I explained the situation and she agreed that it was colic.  She said I could come get some benamine from her, but said that I shouldn't give him any until I talk to a vet, because it's only helpful in certain circumstances.  I told her who my vet was and that I had left a message.  She said my vet is notoriously difficult to get a hold of (which is true in my experience), so she gave me her vet's number.  I immediately called him and left another message.

At that point I started crying.  I was freaking out because I was terrified I wouldn't be able to get a vet out and the engine just went out in our truck recently so I didn't have a way to haul him to an emergency vet.  I was going to go get the benamine, but we'd just had the first snow of the year which had turned to ice and the roads were scary.

Finally my trainer's vet called me back.  He was on his way to a different emergency and told me he would be there, but it would be two hours.  I broke down at that point.  He apologized, but said that it sounded mild and as long as Chrome was resting quietly and not trying to roll to just stay with him and keep him calm.  If he started rolling I would have to walk him.  He also said to go ahead and give the benamine.  I hung up and told my hubby what was happening (he had gone inside to warm up, it was so cold it was painful that night... in the single digits if I remember correctly... the coldest it's been in years). 

Just as I was trying to figure out how I was going to go get benamine from my trainer (the reason I didn't have any is because mine expired and I threw it away and then forgot to replace it... don't let that happen to you!!), when the vet called back and said the other person canceled and he was on his way.  He said to hold off on the benamine and he would be there in forty minutes.

A picture to break up the wall of text.  So I ran inside, pulled some sweats over my jeans, added a couple of layer on top, an extra pair of socks and some gloves.  Then I ran up the driveway to open the gate and then went out to the barn to wait with my horse.  He had turned around and laid down facing the other direction.  Rocky had probably disturbed him.  I was having to chase Rocky and Zep away.  I cried while I stood watching my horse.  While waiting he actually dozed off!!  He had his nose on the ground and his ear was doing that twitching thing it does when they sleep.

I was shocked because I had never heard of a horse falling asleep during colic.  I calmed down a little thinking it must not be too severe if he was able to sleep.  When the vet texted to say how close he was and asked for a bucket of warm water I ran inside to tell hubby (my phone was almost dead and I didn't want it to die since that was the only number the vet had).  Then the vet pulled up and I asked him if he wanted to drive out to the barn or if he wanted me to bring Chrome to him.  He asked me to bring Chrome out of the pasture if he would get up since there was snow and ice everywhere and Rocky was being a brat.

I went out to the pasture to get Chrome and he was up.... eating hay!  I was shocked, but also scared because if he had an impaction, eating could make it worse.  I took him to the vet.  The vet took his vitals.  His heart rate was 36 beats per minute, he had gut sounds present in all four quadrants, but slightly decreased in upper right GI quadrant, his mucus membranes were pink and moist, his capillary refill time was under two seconds and his respiratory rate was 12 breaths per minute.  If you think I have some super brain and remembered all of this in the midst of panicking, you're wrong lol.  This vet emailed me all of this information after he left!!  I love this vet.  I've never had a vet provide so much information. 

So he gave Chrome benamine, lightly sedated him and tubed him water, oil and electrolytes.  It probably wasn't necessary since the colic was so mild, but I told him to do whatever he needed to do and that I didn't want to take any risks.  He told me that he has a horse that used to do this several times a winter whenever it would get really cold because he was free feeding off of a round bale, so he stopped feeding round bales.  He said it's because they stand and gorge themselves to stay warm and don't bother to go drink.  So we immediately ordered a round bale slow feed hay net because we don't have the means to feed square bales. The net will slow them down so that they can still eat all day, but they can't overeat.  I've heard really great things about them.  I'll give an update on that when I can.

So I put a blanket on Chrome and separated him from Rocky and Zep.  I'm going to start blanketing him when it gets below 20F (pretty rare in this area) just so he doesn't have to work so hard to stay warm and hopefully won't feel the need to gorge himself.  He doesn't shiver at that temperature, but the vet said it definitely can't hurt him.  I left him overnight with no food and plenty of water.  I was up off and on during the night checking on him, but he was fine.  He didn't drink, but the vet said that was normal after getting tubed all the water and electrolytes.  In the morning there were eight poop piles and his pesky personality was back, so the vet said to give him beet pulp every three hours and watch how he handled it (the vet quickly answered all of my texts even the next day).  So I called in sick to work so I could stay home with Chrome.

I fed him the beet pulp and he did great, so that afternoon I was able to start easing him back into eating hay.  He continued to poop so the next day we put him with Rocky and Zep.  While waiting for the hay net we've been feeding them hay two or three times a day.  I'm not using square bales.  We opened up a round roll outside of the pasture and I peel off the hay, put it into the wagon and haul it out to them.  I've been putting it in multiple piles around the pasture so they move around between them.  I looked up how much hay they are supposed to eat in pounds a day and then weighed the hay to see how much I needed to feed them, so they are only getting what they should be getting.  So far, so good.  Everyone seems to be doing well, even though they are angry about not having hay 24/7.  I just hope they don't develop ulcers.... they will be okay once the net gets here....

 Dirty boy was watching hubby dump water into their heated water tank.

Chrome has lost some weight since these pictures were taken, but he actually looks really good!! I forgot what he looked like when he isn't overweight.  So the net will help with that too.  They really do eat way too much with free access to a round bale.

 He covered both sides evenly lol.  My gray horse is brown again!

So as you can imagine I am ecstatic that he has recovered and is still doing well.  I know you guys will understand what it was like when I was waiting for him because you love horses as much as I do, but it was terrifying.  I kept telling myself if he died I would never get another horse because I couldn't go through that again.  I'm very thankful it didn't go that way.

Anyway, I have a more fun update for tomorrow.  Sorry updates have been so sporadic.  Things have just been so hectic this winter.  I hope all of you are doing well and that all of your horses are safe and healthy.

Happy New Year!!! Plus good news!

 Not his most flattering angle....  but I'm glad hubby got it for me lol.

Happy New Year!!!!  I got the best news ever yesterday (or the day before, I don't even remember)!  Chrome is healing up great from his tendon injury and I can start riding him again!  Obviously it will be walk only for a while, but it's progress (and so much better than hand walking...).  So I'm starting the new year off much, much better than last year did.  I was going to ride today, but ended up having to go into town to help a friend... and it's going to be pouring rain all day tomorrow... but hey at least I can ride whenever the weather cooperates! :D

Chrome was jealous because Jasper got to be in the yard to eat his feed.

I hope you all have an awesome, happy and healthy New Year!!!!!!!!  I'll decide if I want to do a goals post later, but I doubt I'll do a recap one since things were so quiet with the injury.  I have my fingers crossed that this year will be full of fun instead of fear... I ate my lucky black eyed peas so maybe that will help hehe. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

 Love this picture!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I'm so thankful for having the day off to spend with my family and also because it gave me time to play with the animals and actually get the camera out so you can see this guy's handsome face.  I know you've missed seeing it hehe.

I wish he hadn't been standing on a slope here lol.

Ignore the smoke coming out of his back.  We finally got rain after being under a burn ban for three months so we were burning brush piles.

Hubby got Rocky out too and we spent a long time brushing them.  I even combed out both of their tails, which I don't normally have time to do.  Rocky had some snarls in his so I'm glad I did it before they got worse.

I wish I had time to wash Chrome's tail weekly.  It's so gross looking.

It is finally growing again though, yay!!  

Putting Jasper out in the big pasture has distracted Rebel

and Yankee from rubbing their horns in Chrome's tail.  :)

Looks so much better!  His is so much thicker than

Chrome's and takes a lot longer to comb out.

I don't have a whole lot to talk about.  I haven't been riding Rocky because it makes me sad I can't ride Chrome.  Rehabbing from a tendon injury is boring and gives nothing to blog about.  Sorry I've been so quiet.  I'm just so thankful he is healing up and everything is going well.  :)  Enjoy the pictures.

 So handsome!  I had to use the scissors to cut burs out of his ear hair lol.

 His mane is growing out.  I'm leaving it to grow out for the winter again.  

I'll roach him again next spring when he starts rubbing it out again. 

 Can't leave Rocky out.  He's doing great. 

 Going for our walk.  He loves his walks.  :)

 Harassing Rocky.  Chrome is such a dork.

 Now he's remembering how to pose lol. So handsome!

He has such a cute expression.

 I took this picture by accident and I liked it so I kept it.  :)

 Once back out in the pasture Chrome just wanted to go eat hay and wouldn't pose.

Rocky was standing guard over the goats eating their food and then when he realized Chrome was at the hay bale he trotted out there.  Silly boy.

That's all for now.  I hope you all are having a super awesome, happy, thankful Thanksgiving!!!

Quick Update

Chrome was still limping so I had him checked out and he has a mild tendon strain..... luckily it's the extensor tendon in his front leg, so it should heal up with no problem, but it will be a long time before I'm riding him again.  A couple of months at least.  :(  He still doesn't limp at the walk, but it's obvious at the trot.  He doesn't act like he's in pain and even gallops sometimes, although I discourage it.  I'm thinking about putting him on a calming supplement for a little while.  Any suggestions?  I'm so glad it wasn't a flexor tendon....  So the blog is probably going to be quiet for a while longer.  Please send good thoughts and prayers that he heals up quickly and uneventfully.  This has been very stressful and terrifying for me.  He doesn't care.  He just likes all of the attention as always.  :)

Why there has been no riding....

It's long past time for an update.  Things have been.... rotten.  I've been having to stay late at work, it's been a million degrees outside (see this post http://rdxhorses.blogspot.com/2016/06/i-miss-riding.html to see how hot it's been for the last two months), I injured my knee, then Chrome started limping (see below) and now the slipped disc in my neck is flaring up.... yeah.  I miss riding!

Chrome was limping... head bobbing lame... at the trot, but fine at the walk and was galloping up eagerly to see me.... the only thing I could find was this.

There was no heat in the hoof or leg, no swelling anywhere, etc.  He's on a six week trimming cycle. I'm thinking it may need to move down to four.  His hooves have never cracked before, even when they were long.  I think it's the wet/dry/wet/dry weather we've been having.  I've never seen such a rainy, miserable, wet summer here before.  Normally it goes a couple of months with no rain at all, but this year it's been raining every few days for months.  We've had multiple power outages from electrical storms.

My farrier had heat stroke so she couldn't come trim him when he started limping, but hubby did trim and rasp his hoof, then I soaked it and treated all of them just to prevent thrush/white line because it's been running rampant in our area.  He was much improved the next day.  I'm so relieved.  It terrifies me when he's lame, especially because he hasn't ever really limped before except when he had the abscess, but he wasn't three legged lame like that this time.  He didn't even limp the time he had the puncture wound in his hock!

Anyway while I was doing all of that to his hooves I apparently twisted wrong because the next day the nerve pain was back in my neck and shoulder.  It's only been three months since that original nightmare and I'm feeling really down about it.  I'm fortunate that this time isn't as bad, but I definitely won't be doing any riding for a while.  :(

So that's our sad, pathetic update.  It will be okay though.  We are tough and we will survive it.  :)

Chrome's Hoof Trim

Here is a photo from Chrome's last hoof trim.... He was almost asleep lol.  He's come a long way from the yearling who would NOT STAND STILL while getting trimmed.  :D  Love my boy!

Chrome Ride 149 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 35 - Rocky Ride 16 (with us)

Today was uncharacteristically cool for July (the high was only 90F and humidity was around 67%) so I asked hubby to go ride with me.  Chrome and Rocky were both spooky as heck at first (more on that in tomorrow's post), but settled quickly once we got on the road.  We went 1.48 mile and rode for 38 minutes.  It was a quiet, walk only ride with only one big spook on Rocky's part and eyeballing from both of them.  I finally bought me a new riding bat (the kind with the loop on the end to go over the saddle horn or around my wrist, that has a popper) because I'm so sick of Chrome's balking, but I don't want to carry my dressage whip all the time, since I only need it a couple of times.  It took maybe two gentle taps to get his attention.  It was so funny though because when I had it in my hand he had his head cocked to the side and that ear back, eyeballing it.  It was hilarious.  I promise I wasn't hurting him though, just using it as a gentle aid to get his attention so I don't have to keep kicking him. Anyway, here are the pictures.

Sorry they are unedited cell phones pictures... I was being lazy so I didn't even crop them.

 Where did my horse's head go??

He was sniffing the pavement.

 Rocky and Hubby went off the road for some fun since our neighbor recently mowed the ditches.

Chrome and I walked in the grass for a while, but his stifles kept giving out on the uneven ground so I got him back on the road.  Even this short of a break is enough to mess up his stifles again ugh!

Their reward for being good boys.

I also noticed Chrome was rubbing his tail like mad, so I decided to do some investigating.  There are three things that I've heard can cause tail rubbing.... worms, needing to have the sheath cleaned or ticks.  I knew it wasn't worms because they were done recently (and that might be a myth, not sure).  So I decided to check the other two.  This might be gross to some people, but I have to brag because this is one of the reasons I love this horse!  I brushed his belly until he dropped (he almost always drops when I'm grooming him because he likes his itchy belly brushed).  Then I cleaned him up.  He wasn't dirty at all and I was able to wipe or peel off the dry, crusty stuff that was there.  I'm so glad he stays fairly clean in that area.  There are a LOT of horses who won't let you touch their sheath at all, so the fact that I can completely clean him without drugs (or even a halter.. yes he was loose in the pasture) is so awesome!

So the last thing to check (because as soon as I finished that he started frantically rubbing his butt on the fence again) was his tail bone.  Found the culprit!!  There were four ticks in his tail.  Hubby pulled them off for me because they gross me out, then I washed his tail with my anti-itch shampoo.  He LOVED having me rub his tail because it was so itchy.  After his tail dried I sprayed and rubbed my fly spray (that kills ticks) all through it and into the dock as best I could.  What do you guys use for keeping ticks out of their tails?  It's difficult getting fly spray all the way to the skin...

Well that's all I have for this post I guess.  After cleaning his tail I put medicine on his sweet itch sores and covered him in his neem oil.  Oh we did go to the store and I got them a sulphur block just to see if it makes a difference at all.  It's mostly salt so even if it doesn't, I don't care.  It's worth a shot.  Chrome seemed to like it.  I guess that's all.  Check this blog and my other one for exciting news tomorrow!

Chrome Walking Video

The PT work I'm doing with Chrome is apparently helping!  He was galloping around and being a nut case when I got home from work.  :D  I haven't seen him more do more than a walk with an occasional lazy trot in a week, so that made me very happy!

I did his stretches, walking, tail pulls, backing and walking over railroad ties again today.  On his stretching and walking I'm noticing he has more reach on his right hind and is stiffer on his left hind.  His left is the side that locks up so that makes sense.  His backing wasn't as good today as the other day, but I did it immediately after walking and we were on the flat driveway, compared to last time it was after he'd had a break (grazing) from walking and was on grass and a slight slope.  So I'm not worried that he's back sliding or anything.

Just for fun I got a video showing his walk, so you can see the overstep (or lack of) and also so you can see how I'm walking him.  It's easier to show, than to explain.

Direct Link

He doesn't like me swinging the rope at his butt, because he'd rather be lazy, but he's a good boy and does it anyway.  I will definitely continue doing all of this when I start riding again.  I'm so impatient for Saturday to get here so I can see if getting trimmed makes a big difference compared to the slow progress with the PT.  I'm also thinking about getting the target stick back out for our walks to see if I can get him to walk with a long stride, but with his head down more.  He's developing an ugly ewe neck....

Now, I have to go to bed.  It's getting late.  So I'll leave you with these adorable pictures of my sweet boy.

Stifles Update

Thanks for the comments guys! Chrome is fine. This is actually a really mild episode of his stifles locking. I'm just being extra cautious since I've been riding him quite a bit for the challenge. His health comes first.

The ground work and physical therapy have been really helpful. He didn't lock up (no toe dragging) at all today and wasn't sticky with every step while grazing like he was a couple of days ago.  The only time I really noticed it was during tight turns (they didn't give out, but he slows way down and acts like he's expecting it to happen) and when asking him to pick up his hooves (he has to shift around to unlock them before I can pick them up... It wasn't happening when moving forward or sideways, only when picking up).

I did his stretches and tail pulls, then let him graze while I brushed him and applied his neem oil. Then I decided to try backing. Most of you probably know by now that he has trouble backing. He seems to lock up worse going back than forward which is weird because most horses use backing up to unlock. Today however, he did great!

I held his halter while standing directly in front of him, asked him to lower his head and back up. We were on the soft grass with a very slight downward incline. Very slight. Barely noticeable lol. When I asked him to back up he hesitated for a split second as if he thought he wouldn't be able to and then started backing. When he realized it wasn't going to lock up, he backed confidently, quickly and energetically with perfect diagonals. I've never seen him back that easily and quickly before!! He normally drags his feet backward, but today all four were easily clearing the ground. That made me so happy! I think the PT is making a big difference. I'm going to have to keep it up even when I start riding again.

I'm doing the walking and stretches every day, but doing the tail pulls every other day. For the walking I'm holding the rope in my far hand, facing him and flicking the end of the rope at his haunches so that he engages himself. When I lead him normally he steps his hind hooves in his front prints with his hind toe only about an inch in front of his front toe print. When I ask him to walk out he steps his rear hoof in front of his front print with about three or four inches between the front toe and rear heel. That's quite an overstep!! It's important though because the lazy walk does nothing for him.

As of right now I'm hand walking him on the driveways. I figure a break from the pavement is a good idea right now.

One other thing. I forgot to mention; when I rode Rocky the other day Chrome was hiding from flies in the barn out of sight. At one point Rocky neighed for Chrome. Chrome didn't answer. I was worried Rocky would get upset if he didn't know where Chrome was, so I called Chrome's name. He immediately neighed and walked to the gate to see me!!!!! How cool is it that my horse will answer to me and not even his pasture mate????? Chrome also ignores my husband's and dad's vehicles when they get home from work (we live on the same property but different houses), but when I drive up he comes to the gate and neighs at me! I love him!!

Stifles

Sorry no pictures.

I'm giving Chrome the week off because my farrier can't come out to trim him until this weekend.  His stifle started locking up again (like toe dragging locked) yesterday and it was sticky too (with every stride while grazing).   I did some stretches yesterday and today he isn't locking and isn't sticking every stride.  It still gives out occasionally and he has trouble with tight turns.

Due to all of that I have decided that during his time off I'm going to be biking (and keeping it up on the days I don't ride even after this week because if he has to exercise, I do too) and doing some of his PT stuff.

I'm starting with stretches, tail pulls and forward walking, then I'll work on backing, transitions in hand and stepping over things.  Once I'm back in the saddle after his trim I'll work on all of that while riding.

Here is a really interesting article (LINK) that explains what I'll be doing.  It explains the four stretches and the tail pulls.  The time frame on it is much longer because it's for injury rehab I think.  I probably should stretch Chrome's in hand work out longer, but I've been riding him anyway and it wasn't bothering him until his feet got long.  If his stifle is still sticky after the trim I'll stick with in hand stuff until he's moving normally.  I'm not expecting that to happen though, because he always goes back to normal after a trim.

If I don't post a lot this week, that is why.  It's not because anything is wrong.  :)  To be honest, I've really enjoyed the bonding I've done the past two days with him.  I'm having to start his neem oil because he's already starting to itch (he has sweet itch for any new readers), so between thorough grooming, applying neem oil, letting him graze, doing stretches, hand walking, etc. he's getting a LOT of attention in the evenings after work.  :D

Chrome Ride 118 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 4

Sorry there are no pictures today.  I forgot to take my phone with me.  I was alone today (hubby at work) so I just rode bareback.... in the pasture!  I was nervous about riding in the pasture bareback (because that's where I was when I fell off) and it didn't help that he was being passive aggressively... uhh gate sour...  See he isn't barn sour because he doesn't want to go to the barn.  He wants to go to the gate to get out of the pasture.  He hates riding out in the pasture.  So I guess my horse is the opposite of barn/pasture sour.  Regardless it meant he was drifting, trying to turn, balking, etc. but it was at the walk only and fairly mild.  When I told him to quit he would... until the next time lol.

The ride was only fifteen minutes because something felt weird to me.  It was only when walking on a very slight downhill that was muddy.  He wasn't limping, but something just felt weird.  So when the goat started harassing us again (oh and riding in the pasture is a pain because none of the others will leave me alone... so annoying) I jumped off of Chrome's back and chased after the goat yelling at him (I must look crazy).  The funny thing is Chrome didn't move from where I left him (not even to go to the gate).  He just watched me and stood politely when I walked back up to him.  Good boy!

I undid one rein and longed him at the length of both reins.  At the walk his stifles looked... loose.  That's the only way I can think to describe it.  Not wobbly, but just loose.  It's hard to describe and most people probably wouldn't notice it.  I did because I know him so well.  At the trot he looked fine.  I rubbed and poked and prodded both stifles and he watched me, but he didn't pin his ears, shift his feet or swish his tail, so I'm guessing they don't hurt.  They are just really loose and weak.  I have got to stop letting him get so out of shape in the winter.  All of the standing around the hay bale for hours on end every day is so bad for him!!

So it was only fifteen minutes, but since we worked on lateral flexion, backing and weaving in and out of the barn poles I still consider it an actual ride.  I only rode right up around the front of the pasture because I'm too chicken to take him too far when he's wanting to spin and go back to the gate.  He wasn't excitable or explosive or anything, but he was very "light".  If I asked him to turn with a mere whisper of a rein cue he wanted to spin all the way around.  Make sense?  It made me a little nervous.  I had to keep the reins short and balance the cues with the outside rein so he wouldn't over turn, instead of riding him on the buckle.

Anyway enough about the ride.  There's two things I want to tell you guys about.  One happened today and one was yesterday that I forgot to tell you about.

Yesterday I had Chrome tied up and was grooming him.  He started rubbing his head on the tree (which he does all the time and I scold him for it), but I was brushing his back legs so I didn't see him do it.  The next thing I know he almost sat on me, which scared me to death.  I jumped out of the way and saw that Chrome had gotten his head under the rope so it was behind his poll and he was pulling back with all of his strength (which he doesn't normally do).  It finally popped over the top of his head, but instead of stopping he kept pulling until he broke his halter.... my favorite halter.... the one I had searched for ages for....  luckily it's only the throat snap so I can replace it.  He didn't get loose from the tree, but just decided to stop pulling and stood there.  Maybe my yelling finally sank into his little pea brain.  It took me ages to untie him (I had a quick release, but I put the tail through the loop because he likes to untie himself and it tightened up when he pulled) and then I tied him back up and we carried on like nothing happened (with his plain blue halter, not his pretty one).

Today when I lined Chrome up alongside the round pen panel so I could get on out in the pasture he stepped away.  He has done that before, but he normally only does it once and it's only maybe 2% of the time.  When I reset him he will stand still.  So I circled him around, lining him back up.  He did it again!!  It was a very deliberate step sideways, just far enough so I couldn't get on.  He was doing it as soon as I started to climb the fence.  I jumped down and smacked him (with a flat palm) on the butt and made him do two tight circles.  Then I lined him back up and he didn't move again.  I was able to climb up the fence and slide onto his back.  The little brat is testing me I think.  I can tell I haven't done much with him for five months...  bad me!

So Chrome isn't perfect (not that I ever said he was... okay maybe I did...).  He has his moments.  I still love him though.  He really is a sweet horse and not a difficult horse at all.  I'm sad his stifles are giving him problems, but I shouldn't be surprised.  This happens every spring after a winter off.  Now I just have to figure out how much is enough exercise and how much is too much.  I really wanted to start riding him more than one day in a row instead of always every other day.  I thought at his age that it wouldn't be a big deal, but I guess I had forgotten about his stifles.  I'm going to give him the rest of today off and then tomorrow bring him out on the driveway to watch him walk and trot.  The mud is hard on his stifles because the weak muscles are the ones that pull the hind leg up and forward.  I think it's the equivalent of the quads on humans.  If he's walking fine on hard ground tomorrow I'll go ahead and ride him.  I'll just avoid the mud.

Anyway sorry for the rambling.  I just need to get this down so I remember it. Also I did the math (scary I know) and I have to ride at least ten days a month to complete the challenge in December lol.  I don't know if I'll manage that!  At times like now, when the weather is nice it's one thing, but there are times in the summer where it's downright dangerous to ride in the heat and humidity.  We shall see.  The stifles complicate things too.  If we can't do it, it's no big deal.  It's still a motivation to get out there and ride.  :)  Thanks for listening guys!

Update (with crappy cell phone pictures)

I just want to give an update.  I'm sorry it took so long.  Things have been hectic and busy.  Rocky and Chrome are doing great.  You can't tell that anything was ever wrong with them except they are a tad thin.  These pictures are from Wednesday.  I'll get new ones tomorrow if the rain ever stops.

 The only picture I got of Chrome.  Awkward!

We found someone else to buy hay from.  The good thing is he's much closer and it's cheaper.  The drawbacks are that the hay is stored outside (with round bales that means you have to peel off about six inches of the outside of the bale) and it isn't pure bermuda, but at this point I'll take mixed grass hay as long as it doesn't have seed heads (it doesn't).  They just need the roughage running through their guts to produce heat at this time of year.  They get all of their nutrition from their feed and minerals.

 I started them on Cool Calories to hopefully get their weight back up.  They aren't underweight, but they are thinner than I prefer going into the coldest part of winter.  This is the first time I've ever used Cool Calories so I'll let you guys know what I think of it after they've been on it a while.

Zep and the goats still haven't shown any signs of the staggers.  I'm so glad they had the sense not to eat it!  Smart boys!

 Blissed out over their mashes.

Rocky's shaved neck where the IV was.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures tomorrow to give you an update on how they look now.  Like I said above these pictures are from Wednesday.

Oh and they got their hooves trimmed in the dark last night lol.  I can't wait for the days to get longer!!!!

I also want to share a comment that Mrs. Shoes left on my last post because it has a lot of great information in it!

"I'm very glad to hear that the horses will be okay & that you were able to identify the cause of their sickness - isn't it funny that Zep & the goats instinctively wouldn't eat that bad hay? I thought that goats would eat just about anything, but I guess that is a misconception. 
I really want to say Thank You! for writing about this, because prompting awareness & getting us all thinking about the quality of our pastures or hay is of real value. 
I'd heard of Ergot Poisoning before but in rye. Now I know that it can also be a problem in triticale, wheat, & barley crops; but I didn't know that brome & couch grass are also extremely susceptible to ergot infection, or that there are no effective fungicides against ergot. 

I read that Dallis grass is fairly common in the southern US (having come up from Central America), but everywhere has potential problem plants. Here we walk our pastures to monitor for & eradicate any traces of Bloodroot (which is related to the poppy & has gorgeous white flowers) & Nightshade - which are both deadly. Since some chemicals can be dangerous to the stock too, we use a sharp tool to dig out bad plants & all the roots we can find. Then we haul them up to the yard & lay them out on some concrete where I then douse them in white vinegar & leave them in the burning sun until they are withered & dry. Then we seal them up in garbage bags & take them to the dump. 
We don't take the chance of just burning anymore (because) one year we had been burning tree branches that had a fungus on them, only to find out later that burning Black Knob fungus just releases spores into the air to cause more problems. 

For anyone who might not know what plants to beware of in their area, type in Toxic Plants in 'Wherever' & it should lead to a detailed list with photos of the bad plants. 

Where I am from, Rabies SO wasn't a problem that the vets didn't even recommend vaccinating against it; but where I live now, it IS a problem & ALL the animals have to be vaccinated, including our horses & cattle. 

I wonder what steps your hay producer will be taking to ensure he doesn't sell hay that can kill his customers. i found the following control tips listed at http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/plant-diseases/ergot.html

Delay swathing in headland areas to allow strong winds to shake out the ergots from standing grain. Harvest these swaths separately because they are likely to have the highest ergot contamination.
Use good sanitation. Cut or burn nearby grasses before they come into head. Clean seed to remove ergot bodies. If a few ergot bodies remain in the seed, plant at least 5 cm (2 in.) deep or store seed for one year to reduce the viability of ergot bodies to almost zero. Cultivate deeply after a crop has been infected with ergot to bury the sclerotia at least 2.5 cm (1 in.) below the soil line or rotate to a resistant crop. Do not sow wheat after rye.
Leave at least one year between susceptible crops, ie. rye, triticale, wheat and barley. Note that brome and couch grass are extremely susceptible to ergot.
There are no resistant varieties or effective fungicides. Test soils for copper availability. If copper levels are less than 1 ppm, it may be necessary to apply copper fertilizer to the soil to reduce this disease in wheat and barley."

Rocky is home!!

Rocky is home!  He is so much better!  It's such a relief to see it with my own eyes.

Okay I'm going to start from the beginning of today.  Last night before bed I asked my hubby to check on Chrome before he went to work, because I was so terrified of walking out there and discovering he was worse and not having hubby there for my inevitable panic.  As soon as I woke up I sent him a text asking, "How's Chrome?"  He called and told me that Chrome was fine, but that he needed a million peppermints and hugs to make sure he fully recovers.  My hubby always knows how to make me laugh.

So I was happy and relieved when I hurried outside to see Chrome.  He was standing at the gate to his pen, dozing.  He'd eaten every scrap of the whole square bale I gave him the previous day.  He gave me a huge neigh when I woke him up.  I walked over to him and was relieved to see he wasn't shaking or swaying or anything.  He still walks a little funny in his rear, but anyone else probably wouldn't even notice it.  I just notice it because I know him so well.

I fed him his Empower Balance and his extremely sloppy beet pulp mash.  I didn't realize the beet pulp pellets don't need as much water as the shreds lol.  I've never used them before.  He drank the water off the top of it and then dug in.  He had that stuff all over his face.  All the way up to where the noseband of his halter sits lol.  He thoroughly enjoyed himself.

I listened to Chrome slopping away as I guarded Zep from the goats while he ate.  The goats are bad about using their horns to keep Zep out of the bucket, so I have to keep them chased off so he can eat.  It was so hilarious though because when he was almost finished I left the pasture and the goats immediately went for him.  Zep turned around and trampled them.  He ran right over the top of them!!!!!  Maybe they learned their lesson and will leave him alone now.  Don't worry they weren't hurt.  Nobody was limping or bloody.  They kept their distance though!

Zep and the goats were in the pasture because they weren't eating the hay to begin with, but don't worry we spent all day yesterday raking and burning hay as soon as we found out what it was.  The only reason I left Chrome separated last night is because he was sick and I didn't want him having to defend his hay against the goats.

As soon as everyone was done eating I turned Chrome back out into the pasture.  He immediately galloped off.  After getting his gallop out he ran over to Zep and they started rough housing.  Once they finished rearing and striking and pounding on each other Chrome started trotting around looking all over the pasture trying to find Rocky.  It broke my heart to see him searching like that.  Then he walked over to the gate and stood there for the rest of the day... so sad.

When hubby got off work we went to pick Rocky up from the emergency clinic.  We paid our bill (about gave me a heart attack, but I was relieved it was less than I was expecting to be honest), then I walked back to see Rocky while hubby went to move the truck.  I was so scared when I walked to the stalls.  I knew he was better because that's what they said, but all I could see in my head was him standing propped up against the wall, shaking all over.  I was so relieved when I walked around the corner and saw him just standing there.  So still.  Just quietly dozing.  I have never in my life been so happy to see a horse stand still.  Rocky was ignoring all of the techs in the aisle, but as soon as I spoke his head swung around so fast to look at me.  I almost started crying again at that point.  I didn't think he would respond to my voice like that.

The first thing I said was "He isn't shaking!"  I couldn't think of anything else to say lol.  She let me in the stall and I started petting him.  Then it hit me..... the SMELL!!!!!!! I've been told that DMSO stinks, but wow you can't fully understand that until you smell it for yourself.  Ugh!  It was awful.  I could taste it!

Hubby showed up and we led him out to the loading area.  He was so happy to be leaving that I could barely keep up he was walking so fast!!  He hated the rubber mats that are in all of their aisles!  The stall didn't bother him because of the shavings.  I guess he's never seen them before.  You could almost see his relief when he got to the gravel.

When we got him to the trailer I was worried he wouldn't load.  Who could blame him after what he went through??  Horses don't like feeling off balance and he was almost falling down when we took him up there.  He hesitated at the ramp, stepped his front feet on it, sniffed it and then walked on.  He is such a good boy!!  I honestly think he was hoping we were going home and just wanted to get there.  He's a seasoned enough traveler that he knows getting back on the trailer means going home.

We drove him the hour home in the dark (hate night driving even when I'm the passenger!).  When we got home Chrome neighed before we could unload Rocky.  Rocky responded with this loooooooong drawn out neigh that I thought would go on forever.  As soon as the ramp was down Rocky exploded out of the trailer (I know that's really dangerous, but our place is fully fenced and he was so overly excited and unsteady that we didn't feel comfortable getting on the trailer, so hubby just opened it and got out of the way) and ran to the pasture gate.  Chrome and Rocky blew at each other in greeting.  We let them hang out for a second and then I shook a bucket with feed in it.  Rocky came right to me and went in the small pen to eat in peace.  Once he was done we turned him out in the pasture.  He and Chrome were glued to each other.  I hadn't realized how close they'd gotten.

We gave them some hay (that we bought from the feed store and I thoroughly inspected for seeds) and left them to eat in peace.  I know the best thing for Rocky right now is being in his home, with his friends and his normal quiet routine.

Now I don't want to freak anyone out, but I'm going to share a picture I found online of this Dallis grass seed so you can all check your hay.  I don't want to make anyone paranoid, but I also don't want anyone to go through this.  Keep in mind Dallis grass is only dangerous once it's gone to seed.  The grass itself is not dangerous.  For some reason after a drought the seeds get a fungus on them (ergot poisoning) that is toxic.  So if you're feeding a first or second cut hay you probably have nothing to worry about.  This hay was cut very late (without our knowledge... we were not sold what we were told we were getting) and was full of seeds.  Here is the picture.

The one on the left is Dallis grass.  The one on the right is Bermuda, which is what we normally feed.  When the Dallis grass seed is infected with the fungus it turns an orange red color, but once it's dried in hay it just looks like normal hay.... so there isn't a way to tell if the seeds are safe or not, so it's best to just not feed any with seeds.  I will never feed my horses hay with seeds in it again.  I wish I had known all of this before it happened, so I'm sharing all of this in hopes that it saves someone else from going through this traumatic situation.

Thank you all for the comments, thoughts and prayers.  I really appreciate all of them.  I'm so relieved my boys are safe.

Also another part of the story that I didn't tell yesterday is that when Rocky first started staggering I was terrified it was rabies.  What made the fear of rabies so bad is that six days before he started staggering, Rocky had accidentally bit my finger when I was hand feeding him (my fault for not paying attention and keeping my fingers out of the way) and broke the skin!  So I was terrified that I could be infected with rabies!!  That made this whole situation even more traumatic.  So during all of this while trying to help him I was also calling the health department trying to find out how much time I had since it had already been six days and what I was supposed to do.  I was told that I had time (apparently it's not as fast acting as I thought and it's normal for a ten day quarantine to be done on domestic animals), but that if he died I'd have to have him tested and if he came back positive I would have to have the shots.  The vet told me if it was rabies he would die, but that if he improved with treatment he didn't have it because rabies cases don't improve.  So when we loaded Rocky up to go to the vet and I checked on Chrome and saw him shaking it was almost a relief!  If two horses were infected it was more likely they ate something and less likely it was rabies, because Chrome was vaccinated against rabies (I honestly can't remember if Rocky was because he wasn't done at the same time due to his laminitis... I'll be remedying that as soon as it's safe) and what are the odds they would both be infected and showing symptoms at the same time.  It's a very strange feeling to be relieved to see Chrome was sick at the same time being terrified he also had this mysterious disease and could die.  It truly was absolutely terrifying!! In the process of all of this I've learned a lot.... about rabies, toxins, ataxia, Dallis grass, emergency vets, etc.  From now on I want to learn about all of this from books!!!!

Sorry it took so long to update.  Once again, thank you all for your support guys!

P.S.  Tomorrow I'll get pictures of the boys (even if they are crappy cell phone pictures) so you can see with your own eyes that they are alive and well (or getting there at least).  :)

An Absolute Nightmare...

This has been the worst weekend of my life...

On Friday I noticed Rocky was swaying slightly while standing at the water trough.  I was really confused because he wasn't shivering (it wasn't cold) or anything like that.  It was just involuntary full body muscle tremors.  He was a little droopy eyed, but mostly alert and interested in us and everything going on around him.  He was drinking and eating.  My husband started walking him around to see if he was walking normally and he had liquid diarrhea.  I was getting panicked at this point.  I couldn't take his temp because I broke my only thermometer (ordering on asap), but I did the skin pinch test and it was normal.  His gums and eyes were normal.  He wasn't sweating or anything.

I started trying to get hold of vets because the diarrhea was concerning me.  By the end of the day Rocky was swaying, staggering and shaking all over (not like shivering, but like every muscle was convulsing).  I called every vet in the state that I could find for equine vets (or so I thought) and NO ONE, not even my usual vet would come out.  My usual vet had the gall to tell me my horse needed to be at a vet clinic immediately, but that she was booked until January 9th.  I was pissed (still am).  She even lists emergency services on her website....

On the advice of another vet we gave him penicillin (that vet couldn't see him either) and I cried myself to sleep.

Saturday morning we went out to check on him and he was staggering in circles and could barely stand.  My husband had to put his shoulder into Rocky's shoulder and hold him up for about a half hour.  Rocky almost fell in the pond, but my husband kept him on his feet and managed to get him to walk to the barn so he could pen him up.  The only good thing is that his poop was normal that morning (solid and green).  I forgot to mention when we looked around the pasture we saw piles of normal looking poop except it was gray.  I have never in my life seen gray poop before.  If you ever see gray poop in the pasture call the vet!!

At that point I was having a full on panic attack.  I started calling all the vets all over again and finally got an answer from a small animal vet who gave me a recommendation for an emergency equine vet almost an hour away.  I called that vet and she said she could see him, but she couldn't come to us because she was in the middle of a c-section on a dog who was in critical condition.

I was freaking out because we couldn't get to our trailer.  We lost our key to the van that was parked in front of the trailer (I will never park anything in front of it again).  We had been looking for that key all day Friday.  We never found it.  My dad finally put a rope around the tongue of the trailer and pulled it out from behind the van.  We got it hooked up and went to load Rocky.  He was staggering so bad I was terrified he would fall down on the trailer and get hurt, but we had no choice.
He actually seemed a bit steadier when we went to load him.  It took a while, but we finally got him on.  The ramp was making things worse with him staggering, but he finally made it on with a butt rope to support him.  I am so thankful he's a seasoned traveler.  He normally walks right on trailers.  He knew something was wrong with his body though.  It was so sad watching him stretch his head forward like he wanted to walk on, but he couldn't figure out how to make his legs work.

What had me completely freaked out is that right before we left I checked on Chrome and he was starting to shake!!  I was so panicked and crying constantly.  The thought of him dying just about killed me.  I had to leave him though because Rocky was critical and I knew they could make a diagnoses with him easier than with Chrome who had just started showing symptoms.  Anyway we drove Rocky the hour to the vet (it's a 24 hour emergency clinic... glad I know it exists now... I should have already known of a place, but it never crossed my mind that my vet wouldn't come to me since that is what she supposedly does... always have a back up guys!!).  He did not fall down.  I was so relieved.

When we got there the tech took his temp (normal) and took blood for a full work up.  Then we had to wait... for two hours!!  I was shivering the whole time.  I finally went inside the clinic (instead of the stall area) because the shivering was getting painful (back problems).  I heard her doing CPR on the dog and she eventually died (the pups lived).  I saw the vet leave the room crying.  She was so upset.  She had worked so hard to save that dog.  She later told me that she was so concerned about my horse that if I couldn't find a trailer before she was done with the dog she was going to come out to me.  It's nice to find a vet who actually cares.

After a few minutes she finally came out to talk to us.  She said his blood work was normal so that ruled out virus or bacterial infection (along with the normal temp and normal fecal and the fact that Chrome was showing symptoms ruled out some things).  She said that meant we were dealing with a toxin.  She told me the treatment was the same for most toxins so we went ahead and had him treated (DMSO and biosponge).

Then we talked for a while going over everything they could have possibly eaten.  I mentioned that they were taking way longer than normal to eat their hay bale, so I was suspicious and brought a sample.  She was very glad of that.  Before all of this happened I just thought it was because there was still grass coming up (it's been abnormally hot), so they weren't interested in the hay.  My gut told me something was wrong, but I ignored it and I'll forever hate myself for that.  Never ignore gut feelings!

It turns out it's from Dallis grass.... Dallis grass is normally safe, but if there's been a long drought and it's allowed to go to seed it is toxic (the seeds, not the grass)... In my entire life with horses I've never had this happen (and we have lots of droughts).  We are getting the hay tested Monday (for an official document as proof) and I will be contacting the hay people for a refund and so they can alert their other customers.  It breaks my heart to think other people could be going through this too.  There is more to the story on the hay (about the reason they cut it so late and that it apparently wasn't from the same field we'd been getting it from), but I'm not going into it right now.

There is no cure for it, but removing the hay results in a full recovery.  The treatment definitely helped though because it flushed his system and coated his intestines.  When we got home late Saturday night I checked on Chrome (and put him in a pen outside of his pasture away from the hay) and he seemed normal.  He trotted up to me, neighed and seemed fine.  We decided to just keep him penned up and wait until morning.  We originally planned to take him that night, but I knew it would be impossible to load him in complete darkness.

So Rocky spent the night and I talked to her this morning.  He is much more stable and she can no longer almost knock him over by pushing on him or pulling his tail (he was literally using the wall to hold himself up on Saturday).  She is keeping him tonight just to keep an eye out for founder since he has a history of laminitis.  He should be able to come home tomorrow.  This morning Chrome was swaying slightly and walking funny with his rear legs (this toxin affects the nervous system), but he's doing okay and his poop is normal so we did the biosponge stuff at home and kept him penned up with safe hay that we got from the vet.  The donkey and goats seem unaffected, but after spending a whole day watching them (before we knew what was going on) I noticed they wouldn't touch the hay.  That's why we took a sample with us because I was getting suspicious.

We spent all day today using the tractor to move the hay and I raked the whole barn and the part of the pasture where the hay was.  We put the partial bale in the yard (in case we need proof) where they can't get to it, but we burned all the loose stuff.  They can't get to the other sixteen bales that we have stored (that they better refund us or I'm going to lose it).

Sorry I'm telling this story all out of order.  I'm a total wreck.  I only ate once in forty eight hours, haven't been sleeping, barely drank any water, etc. so I'm just a complete mess.  Now that I know what it is I've finally been able to calm down enough to eat... although the crying is harder to control.  I was so scared it was rabies (when he was staggering before Chrome was showing symptoms) or EPM or something.  I had never in my life seen a neurological horse before and let me tell you it's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen a horse go through.

I have no idea what the bill is going to be.  She quoted me a thousand dollars for one night.... he's staying a second night so I know it will be more than that.  I have no idea where we're going to come up with the money... I'm in a panic over that still, but I can't really think about it right now.... keeping Rocky alive was more important.  The toxin isn't really fatal, but when they get as bad as Rocky they can fall down and get hurt or be unable to get back up.  I'm so glad it didn't come down to that (thanks to my amazing husband).  Now I have 16 round bales of hay in my barn that I can't feed and no other hay.  If the vet hadn't given me some hay Chrome and Zep would have gone without food Saturday night (and buffering their stomachs is so important right now).  I went today and bought beet pulp from the only place that was open, but they can't live on that alone.  Tomorrow I'll be able to get some square bales from the feed store, but I still have to find a long term source of hay... I won't be buying from those people again, even though the hay we've always gotten from them was fine and Dallis grass isn't normally toxic.  The problem is that grass is EVERYWHERE!  I called my other hay guy (I had two) and he was honest and told me he has Dallis grass in his field too, so he would hesitate to sell it to me with sick horses even thought it's probably fine.  Somebody apparently made the only spray that kills it illegal to use, so now there is no way to kill it.  However, like I said before, if it's cut before it seeds there is no danger.  Even if it's growing in our pasture it's not dangerous as long as we keep it cut.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I'm going to be so paranoid about hay now....

My mind is reeling with all these problems I have to figure out, but the important thing is Rocky and Chrome are going to be okay.  That's all that matters to me.  We will figure out the rest somehow.  So if you ever notice gray poop, diarrhea or muscle tremors immediately remove the horse from the pasture and call the vet.  I've learned something about horses and hay that I never knew before and never wanted to learn this way.  :(

So if you guys could keep Rocky and Chrome in your thoughts and prayers I would really appreciate it.  I have no doubt Chrome will make a full recovery since his is so mild but I'm still so scared for Rocky.  I know she said he will recover, but it just seems impossible to me that a horse could recover from the condition he was in.

Sorry this post is so long and confusing.  My brain is just not functioning as well as it normally does.  I'm not even going to proof read.  I need to go to bed.  I'll keep you guys updated.

Chrome Ride 113 & New Shampoo

 He's so handsome!

First off I have to mention I am not a fan of selfies... they are annoying, especially on Facebook when people are posting them daily.  I have, however, tried to get one of me and Chrome... unsuccessfully.  I'm just not very good at it with my tiny cheap phone (that doesn't have a forward camera like smart phones so I just have to guess if we are in frame).  Here are my attempts from today...

At least I got his nose in the second one lol!!

So anyway, I just tacked up and rode around the yard for thirty minutes because it was getting late.  Chrome's stifle gave out several times during this ride so I'm thinking the last ride was too far, the galloping around like a lunatic this morning playing with Rocky was too much or it's because he was trimmed on Saturday.  Basically it's probably because he's horribly out of shape, so we will work on that slow and steady.  We did a lot of walking (even went up and down the road in front of our property practicing ignoring the neighbor's horses who were grazing right by the fence), a little trotting, a little backing and a little standing around.  It was a good ride.  He almost seemed tender footed on downhill slopes, but that could be his stifles too.  I'm going to do a separate hoof post tomorrow.  For now, admire the pictures of my pretty boy.

 We take our carrot stretches seriously... just kidding, he was scratching.

 "Mom, you take FOREVER to tack up!"

I bet you can tell which pictures are from my cheap cell phone...

 ...and which ones are from hubby's expensive work phone...

Yeah those were the only riding pictures.  This was after showing his meager sweat.... how did he sweat??  It was low eighties, low humidity and we barely did anything lol.

In fact I was worried it was too chilly for a bath... but after washing his tail I decided to go ahead and try out my new shampoo.

It's specifically for itchy horses and skin funk.

Sorry there are no pictures or video of the bath, but Chrome was an angel... oh you know how I always call him an angel??  I have proof!

 Look at that halo!

I do have a bunch of random after the bath photos though lol.

 Off in search of clover.

 So shiny.

 This is where he had his bath.

 That neck!  I trimmed his mane too because he had long hairs sticking up.

See here's a picture from yesterday.  See the hairs??

Here's one from yesterday showing his true colors 

and how DIRTY he was from playing in the pond.

After his bath I let him graze while he dried off.

Once his tail was mostly dry I combed it out.

It's much shorter than it used to be... dang goats.

They don't eat it, but they rub their faces and horns in it...

yeah they scent mark my horse's tail... have you smelled a male goat before??

Then we went for a walk up the driveway.  He felt cool (it was not that warm out and our well water is cold!) so I wanted to keep him moving.

 He yawned the whole way...

 ...until he spotted the neighbor horses again.

Then he struck a pose and didn't move for several long minutes!

 He looks butt high, but it's just the angle.  He's not.

 Seriously he didn't move... even when I posed with him.

 He was still soaked so my arm got all wet haha.

 After that I put him in the pasture and fed him.

 Zep tried to steal it... notice he's biting it in 

the first picture and tipping it in the second.  :)

After eating he walked over and started scratching his throat on the fence.... so I'm not sure how well the shampoo works...  maybe it takes a while.

"Who me?  I'm not doing anything!"

I didn't get any pictures after he was dry because it was almost dark.  He was so silky soft though.  I couldn't stop petting him!!  I'll definitely give the shampoo some credit for that at least.  I'll see tomorrow if the itching seems any less.

Last, but not least, here is a video of Chrome taking the bit!

Direct Link

He is so cute!!  I can't believe that's the same horse who was throwing his head up, clamping his teeth and backing away when I tried to put a bit in his mouth.  Gotta love positive reinforcement.

Also the reason he was raising, lowering and shaking his head is because he was cycling through his tricks.  He was impatient with me for being so slow and disorganized.  He doesn't do that every time so it's not as annoying as it looks.  I think it's kind of funny actually.  I didn't even realize I said that about him being spastic until I watched the video back and cracked myself up.  We are so weird.

Anyway I really, really need to get to bed so I'm not cranky at work tomorrow!  I'll do another post tomorrow about hooves and some other stuff I have questions about.  Good night!