Post by joaka on Sept 9, 2007 3:04:02 GMT
The dark bay cantered easily underneath me accross the field. We had been gone for about 45 minutes now and were simply out for a ride. Alone. At Peace. Just Nature's beauty. Tango was enjoying himself greatly, his ears were pricked up and he glided around the field as if it had been a sand arena. I smiled and the sun warmed the overgrown grass that swayed in the gentle breeze. After a few good laps I brought the quarter horse down to a walk and halted near the edge wher a pond lay. Tango sipped at the water and I gave him a pat.
As we caught our breath, the entire world around seemed too be at ease. Suddenly, the peace and quit came to a stop. We heard thundering hooves coming from the woods. Tango looked up, his ears still pricked. We were both silent, waiting and watching. From behind a thick pine tree came a dappled grey gelding at a gallop. He wore a halter and lead but was loose. I recognized him as Spunky, an escape artist from my old boarding stable. "Come one Tango, we'd better help out" I said quietly. The grey horse galloped accross the field and glanced back quickly before dissapearing into the woods again.
I moved Tango into a foreward trot but Spunky was quickly getting away. We moved into a canter, and soon a gallop. The grey horse was not far in front of us but Tango and I couldn't catch up enough to cut him off. We galloped effortlessly through the dense woods for at least a mile, jumping fallen logs, small rivers, and avoiding rocks and the occasional squirrel. We were coming around a bend in the path, Spunky still in the lead when it happened.
Tango swooped around the corner but didn't have enough time to avoid a large, sharp rock. He tripped, fell, and sent me flying. I landed on my back about five feet away from the fallen horse. I opened my eyes and made sure I was able to get up before moving over to Tango. He was laying down, his sides heaving and his face showed nothing but fear and pain.
I ran my hands over him and down his legs when I found the injury. Tere was a cut about four inches long that was oozing blood down on his fetlock. I touched the joint gently but Tango pulled away sharply. He was in severe pain. By this time, Spunky was long gone and I had no idea where I was. I checked the rest of Tango's body over but that was the only wound except for a few minor scrapes and bumps. "It's okay boy" I said, rubbing him as I flipped open my cell phone. I called in Fanfare hoping she could help.
I didn't try to touch the fetlock again, I knew Tango would just put up a fight and he remained on the ground. It had been about ten minutes when someone came trotted around the corner on a small chestnut pony. I didn't know the person but asked for help. "Please, he's hurt, i need help" I said as the girl stopped the pony. She hopped off and asked what happened. "I'm not really sure but his leg is really hurt and he's been down for about ten minutes now." The girl ground tied the chestnut pony and unzipped her saddle bag before handing me a first-aid kit.
I opened it up, finding a numbing solution. I injected the needle with the liquid just below Tango's left knee. "It should be numb in about five minutes" I said, grabbing the bute paste. Quickly, i sized out the tube and forced the paste down Tango's throat. Bute was a very handy pain-killer which would definatly help. Once his leg was numb, I was able to look closely at it while the girl eased Tango by rubbing him gently and talking softly. By this time a crusted layer of blood was formed around the wound. It was deep, very deep and the joint was swollen quite a bit. I flushed it out with some antibiotics and wrapped it up with gauze and vetwrap before calling the vet.
When I hung up, Fanfare had come. "Thanks" I said to the girl and I explained what I knew to Fanfare. "The vet said to keep him down, he might have broken the fetlock and we don't want to put weight on it just yet." I said.
I introduced myself to the girl, her name was Stacey and she was the owner of Spunky who was probably back at the barn by now. A half hour passed and Tango moaned, the numbing had subsided and he could now feel the pain in his leg even though I'm sure the pain-killer had helped greatly. Finally, The vet came. He had driven his truck and trailer down here and since the trail was wide enough, he backed the trailer near Tango and opened the door. "We have to get him to the clinic, then I'll look him over" he said before grabbing some straps and fastened them to Tango.
Two more hours passed and the vet had given Tango a stronger pain-killer and some more numbing stuff along with a basic tetnus vaccine just in case. We were able to get Tango in the trailer and the chestnut pony too. We trailered them both to the clinic and then a volunteer brought the chestnut back to the stables while Tango stayed at the clinic. Stacey stayed too and we all hoped that he would be okay.
They set Tango up in a stall with a big, blowup pad that would allow him to be down for hours without and danger while the vets looked him over. Fanfare, Stacey, and I all waited outside the stall until everything was finalized. It turned out Tango did have a broken fetlock but it was just a hairline fracture. The open wound had been caused from such sudden impact, the rock had split the skin. They gave me the options and I pursued treatment. They moved Tango to another stall and put him in a sling where his feet couldn't reach the ground. He was calm about it though, or so I thought, I could have been all the drugs they had pumped into him.
I went in and gave him a pat, his leg was all bandaged up and it was 2 in the morning. Stacey and Fanfare left but I just couldn't leave. It was closing time and I set up a cot outside the stall where I slept that night. Tango was exhausted, so was I, but we both fell asleep hoping that the other would be okay in the morning.
As we caught our breath, the entire world around seemed too be at ease. Suddenly, the peace and quit came to a stop. We heard thundering hooves coming from the woods. Tango looked up, his ears still pricked. We were both silent, waiting and watching. From behind a thick pine tree came a dappled grey gelding at a gallop. He wore a halter and lead but was loose. I recognized him as Spunky, an escape artist from my old boarding stable. "Come one Tango, we'd better help out" I said quietly. The grey horse galloped accross the field and glanced back quickly before dissapearing into the woods again.
I moved Tango into a foreward trot but Spunky was quickly getting away. We moved into a canter, and soon a gallop. The grey horse was not far in front of us but Tango and I couldn't catch up enough to cut him off. We galloped effortlessly through the dense woods for at least a mile, jumping fallen logs, small rivers, and avoiding rocks and the occasional squirrel. We were coming around a bend in the path, Spunky still in the lead when it happened.
Tango swooped around the corner but didn't have enough time to avoid a large, sharp rock. He tripped, fell, and sent me flying. I landed on my back about five feet away from the fallen horse. I opened my eyes and made sure I was able to get up before moving over to Tango. He was laying down, his sides heaving and his face showed nothing but fear and pain.
I ran my hands over him and down his legs when I found the injury. Tere was a cut about four inches long that was oozing blood down on his fetlock. I touched the joint gently but Tango pulled away sharply. He was in severe pain. By this time, Spunky was long gone and I had no idea where I was. I checked the rest of Tango's body over but that was the only wound except for a few minor scrapes and bumps. "It's okay boy" I said, rubbing him as I flipped open my cell phone. I called in Fanfare hoping she could help.
I didn't try to touch the fetlock again, I knew Tango would just put up a fight and he remained on the ground. It had been about ten minutes when someone came trotted around the corner on a small chestnut pony. I didn't know the person but asked for help. "Please, he's hurt, i need help" I said as the girl stopped the pony. She hopped off and asked what happened. "I'm not really sure but his leg is really hurt and he's been down for about ten minutes now." The girl ground tied the chestnut pony and unzipped her saddle bag before handing me a first-aid kit.
I opened it up, finding a numbing solution. I injected the needle with the liquid just below Tango's left knee. "It should be numb in about five minutes" I said, grabbing the bute paste. Quickly, i sized out the tube and forced the paste down Tango's throat. Bute was a very handy pain-killer which would definatly help. Once his leg was numb, I was able to look closely at it while the girl eased Tango by rubbing him gently and talking softly. By this time a crusted layer of blood was formed around the wound. It was deep, very deep and the joint was swollen quite a bit. I flushed it out with some antibiotics and wrapped it up with gauze and vetwrap before calling the vet.
When I hung up, Fanfare had come. "Thanks" I said to the girl and I explained what I knew to Fanfare. "The vet said to keep him down, he might have broken the fetlock and we don't want to put weight on it just yet." I said.
I introduced myself to the girl, her name was Stacey and she was the owner of Spunky who was probably back at the barn by now. A half hour passed and Tango moaned, the numbing had subsided and he could now feel the pain in his leg even though I'm sure the pain-killer had helped greatly. Finally, The vet came. He had driven his truck and trailer down here and since the trail was wide enough, he backed the trailer near Tango and opened the door. "We have to get him to the clinic, then I'll look him over" he said before grabbing some straps and fastened them to Tango.
Two more hours passed and the vet had given Tango a stronger pain-killer and some more numbing stuff along with a basic tetnus vaccine just in case. We were able to get Tango in the trailer and the chestnut pony too. We trailered them both to the clinic and then a volunteer brought the chestnut back to the stables while Tango stayed at the clinic. Stacey stayed too and we all hoped that he would be okay.
They set Tango up in a stall with a big, blowup pad that would allow him to be down for hours without and danger while the vets looked him over. Fanfare, Stacey, and I all waited outside the stall until everything was finalized. It turned out Tango did have a broken fetlock but it was just a hairline fracture. The open wound had been caused from such sudden impact, the rock had split the skin. They gave me the options and I pursued treatment. They moved Tango to another stall and put him in a sling where his feet couldn't reach the ground. He was calm about it though, or so I thought, I could have been all the drugs they had pumped into him.
I went in and gave him a pat, his leg was all bandaged up and it was 2 in the morning. Stacey and Fanfare left but I just couldn't leave. It was closing time and I set up a cot outside the stall where I slept that night. Tango was exhausted, so was I, but we both fell asleep hoping that the other would be okay in the morning.