Is this my horse?

Well now we can say we have had every vet in our area look at Baasha. Horse vets, that is, we haven't tried small animal vets yet.

Yet another car in our driveway with that symbol. I wonder what the neighbors think - most of the cars who visit us have vet symbols on them. "How sick is that horse!?"

I called the vet this morning cuz Baasha coughed last night. It freaked me out, even though Baasha has been treated twice this year for Bronchitis, so coughing should not alarm me. This morning when we woke up, I wanted to call the vet and my man said, "Check to see if Baasha is still alive first."

That is how worried we've been lately. In this weather, every morning I'm surprised to see my horse still standing.

Baasha was still alive, so I called the vet that the neighbors have been pushing me to try. He was out around noon. He went straight at Baasha with a stethoscope (after I pulled back two winter blankets) and Baasha backed into a corner, head high and eyes wild.

You'd never know he was an endurance horse, when people coming at him with stethoscopes was part of normal life. Something about this vet's manner - he didn't greet Baasha first, he just "attacked" - from Baasha's expression I can call it that.

He checked several places on each side, and Baasha never relaxed. You woulda thought there were needles involved. What was up with that!

Finally when he was done, my man came out and explained the results of the recent visit to the clinic. I handed the vet all the recent paperwork, including a chart I'd made of all the eye issues - diagnoses and meds given - of the entire last year. (It's two pages long!) I was pleased that this vet took the time to read my entire spreadsheet. The professor had not.

Eventually Baasha crept over and started nosing the doctor very gently, examining his sweater, his boots, and pants. It was like he forgave him for his bedside manner. Baasha actually really likes vets. I think he is smart enough to know that they want to help.

The doctor took the light and examined his eye, pointing out to me things we already know, but it was good that he is on the case now too. I like to think of them as my personal fleet of eye care vets. Fleeing the cylon tyranny, a last Battlestar.....wait, where was I?

Anyway, he prescribed that expectorant again, saying it must be used with excercise, just like last time, in November. He said the reason Baasha is coughing is simply lack of exercise. I said the weather has been keeping us indoors, especially in that it bothers his eyes so much. A tough situation.

He looked at our lab results and is trying to decide which antibiotic to prescribe. We will have to call him tomorrow. I suggested a systemic antibiotic, but he said that they don't usually work for eye issues. I didn't know that, but I did find it odd that no vet had suggested that. Now I know why.

After he left I trimmed hooves and took hoof pics again.

Fronts.










Hinds. And lots of other views I won't bore you with.


I love what the snow does to his feet.

Then I washed his tail, cuz it was disgusting. I knew it would freeze in this weather, and sure enough, it did. Ice bits went flying everytime he swished his tail.

Here is Baasha, waiting for me to get my gloves. You'd never suspect what came next from that sweet expression on his face.

I decided to go for a walk but didn't get far. I'd only just made it to our pasture when Baasha tossed his head in a big circle. It's a very expressive rare gesture for him that means he wants something or is frustrated. I thought, "Oh, you want to go out into the pasture?" and before he answered, he jumped straight up into the air. Like kittens do. Then he wheeled around me in a circle, tossing his head. I thought, "OK, pasture!"

He raced around the pasture in huge circles, tossing his head and bucking too, even. He looked amazing, his tail straight up, ice flying off. My camera was back at the house.

After he had his fun, I thought maybe we should try to go for a walk so I clipped the lead rope on and we headed out. I let him pick where and he walked straight up into the field across the street, toward the neighbor horses. Then he went completely crazy.

I'd never had my own horse act like this in his life. He reared! He raced around me in a circle, hopped up and down, and reared again!

Anyone who knows Baasha, knows that rearing is not in his vocabulary of expressions.

I laughed and worried a little that I might get a hoof on my head, but then I had other things to worry about. He would whirl and zigzag and pull and I thought omygosh I'm gonna lose him! My fat wool gloves were not able to get a good hold on the rope.

Who woulda thought an 8 foot lead rope would not be enough for my old horse!?

I desperately wished for that NH rope back in the barn.

I desperately wished someone was getting this on film.

I was a little embarrassed the way he was almost pulling me off my feet in the deep snow, but it was so much fun to see him act like that, I kept laughing.

He got to the fenceline where two horses stared at him, worried about his behavior. As soon as he reached their fence, he tucked his chin to his chest and started pawing the air in big sweeping arcs, purely showing off. Look at me! I'm cool!

Then he pranced, knees high, in another circle around me, and the entire time had his chin to his chest. His newly washed tail was glorious. I looked into the windows of my friends' home with the terrier and wondered if they were worried about me.

Where we were, my man could have opened the door of his office and seen the entire show. If he hadn't been so busy with his work.

I've been watching a lot of Arabian halter classes on YouTube and you know how they come into the show ring about to explode, and prance a circle? That was my horse today. He just needed less winter hair. I was so pleased, and thought...

....this morning we were wondering if he was still alive?

Those chestnut horses approached us, and then when Baasha blew smoke at them and they took off running. Afraid? This lady was out there with them and I thought she'd get mad at me for scaring her horses, but then I realized she was clapping her hands and chasing them, TOWARD me! Cool. I just stood back and let Baasha dance and play.

Then I tried to take him home, but everytime I moved, he would run a circle around me. So I took the rope, looked at him and said "walk nicely" and he did. Just like those halter horses have to calm down and behave. We made it back to our pasture and I turned him loose again, but he neighed after me! I went to get that NH rope, and I saw Baasha watching me from the field, and he neighed again. At me?! Weird! What did he want!?

Then he rolled, and jumped up and dashed off. He made tracks all over the pasture, big arcing runs. But he came back to the gate and watched for me.

So I came with that long rope and got him. I let him pick where we went and he wanted to go up the street. So we had our nice civilized walk finally.

A neighbor came out and pet him, and fixed his mane under his halter. Baasha shut his eyes, acting half asleep. I said, "5 minutes ago he was crazy. Acting like a dog who's just been given a bath and let go."

We watched the horses run circles in their field. That mean Arab, Nordic, was chasing them, but not cruelly. That lady was still out there, running with them and clucking to them.

Was it the weather? It was 0 degrees C, but no wind at all.

How I wish I had pictures.