Ani is taking care of Ulrike's Icelandic horses these past few weeks and yesterday she got trampled in a food fight situation. She showed up today with a black eye and wasn't riding. I feel so bad for her. But she was able to joke, "I'm the one always getting hurt, yet you're the one with fear issues!"
(Seeing her get hurt by Mag twice is not something I can un-see.)
I told her it's dangerous even here at feeding time, with only 2 animals, because our paddock is so small. If J is standing in the wrong space when the two of them start bickering, he could get crushed as well. To be honest I was in the wrong place yesterday and Mag unexpectedly lashed out at Bellis and she rammed into me. I was totally surprised.
I have a safety protocol with Mag and Bellis because of this danger. They have to exit the area entirely if they want to eat their beet pulp. They leave the paddock and stand there while I place the buckets in separate areas and they must stay until I call them. Often they anticipate my call and start coming in and they get in big trouble, they have to go even further away. I think this daily practice with coming when I call is also good prep for an emergency. They sure know my "komm hier" whistle!
It's still too hot out so I rode almost the entire loop today without getting off, even though Ani was on the ground. She even noticed, she said, "You rode more than normal and you even trotted a couple times!" She's doing her best to encourage me without pressuring me.
I did quite a bit of dressaging with Mag today, some lateral work, bending, and slowing down, speeding up. Also giving to the bit, which he thinks is stupid but just as with Baasha, as soon as I take contact and put my calves on his sides, he drops his head. Wow. I did that.
I just thought "trot" and he did it, but Rudi immediately corrected him, "Don't you be trotting up my butt, son!" I laughed; I'll have to plan that better.
***
Before we met Ani, as we worked our way up our street, Mag coughed several deep wet coughs as he often does when he starts to move.
Petra, our good neighbor came out of her yard and said, "What is wrong with Mag?"
I looked back to see if he was bleeding out and said, "He's fine. OH, the coughing. Yes, Mag has permanent lung damage after a severe lung infection before we bought him. We did everything we could and he recovered but will never be cough-free."
She was upset about it, patting Mag in the face, "Well good that you brought him to GERMANY!"
I said, "The seller said he had a simple cold, and it was a long process of getting him diagnosed/scoped by a vet at our cost before purchase."
Poor Mag. But I think he'll be fine despite initial coughing on exercise.
***
I have to share something that almost had me ROTFL in my first aid class on the 13th.
The Red Cross teacher was awesome and she wanted to test our basic knowledge so she pulled out a government-approved automobile first aid kit. That's a link, not just my silly coloring habit, please click.
By law, every automobile in Germany must have an up-to-date first aid kit.
And every three years it must be replaced, and the bi-annual inspection of your car will catch that.
Oh, I must back up.
Germany is nearly unique in the world (France?) with regard to its ambulances. Wiki helped me understand. I keep using this word "Emergency Doctor" (Notarzt) and realize that I've never heard the term/job in America. Because there are no emergency doctors that ride/follow ambulances. As strange as it seems, America is more likely to rush you to a hospital than treat you where you lie. Strange, cuz in America less people live near hospitals.
German ambulances are like mobile hospitals, with a doctor right there. And the ambulances themselves are equipped like hospitals, with everything you could possibly need. I am familiar with every drawer and cabinet. Except one, I guess.
I learned in my first aid class that even a German ambulance must carry a government-issued first aid kit.
!!!
What? A hospital on wheels must have a first aid kit? I asked and she told me they tuck it away somewhere completely hidden, cuz obviously it's never needed!: )
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4 comments:
When I had two horses at home, they were kept OUT of the paddocks (where the feed pans are) until feeding time. Then I would open one gate at a time to allow the correct horse in with the feed pan--always Hana first, because she is the top-ranked mare and Fiddle needed to see me recognizing that.
Before we had paddocks, I fed 3 pans for two horses in a big field, so there was room to move around. I also had to train Fiddle that she got NO FOOD if her ears were pinned and/or her feet were moving. She had several evenings of no food (but the pasture is 4 acres of food, she was not going to starve!) before she agreed that I am the boss of food!
You know we didn't have EMTs on ambulances in the US until the late 1970's? So, I remember when that was a new thing (I am old). Before that, it was ambulance drivers only, they sometimes had radio contact with a doctor back at the hospital who would talk them through steps of CPR or emergency bandaging. Mostly in those days they would grab a patient and race for the hospital asap. When EMTs were new, doctors were sometimes skeptical that non-doctors would be do medical stuff. Now it's normal!
I have a first-aid kit in my car and my truck. Well. I have vetwrap and some benedryl. Same thing :-)
Funny that the heat has you riding more! Maybe you need more heat waves?
Sounds like you have a good safety practice going at feed time, but- horses are unpredictable sometimes! Stuff happens!
I like that idea about an emergency doctor in the ambulance, but with such a shortage of doctors in North America and with so many of them just being pill pushers who want a cosy office job and a string of people who see them for minor complaints I bet they couldn't handle the stress of an emergency. But it should be mandatory that they do that for the fist year of their career.
Aarene, really? I had no idea. That means that the job of EMT was recently created! I learned in medic school the difference between America "Load and Go" and Germany, "Stay and Play." Even though it was in English I had no idea what they meant until recently.
Oh, be sure to check the expiry date on the vetwrap. *LOL*
ND, hey, I know you've used the weather to your advantage lately with your hot blooded horse so.....let's go girl.
Shirley, I know, I fed simply hay yesteray and suddenly Mag snaked out and bit Bellis and I was in the right place, just out of her safety leap. Wow. Just hay? Ok then.
Emergency doctors, as you probably assume, have this job as a career here.
I agree with you, I mean, my time in the ER was awful because these nurses/doctors hate their jobs. How does one just endure from day to day, with no enjoyment?
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