6.07.2015

may flew by ~ an update

Apparently I'm tongue tied again. I didn't share a single thing in May, and yet much has happened in my equine life. The best way to attempt to catch up is a misc update. Here we go, in no particular order:

I'm 0-2 for photographing horse shows so far this season 
Cierra didn't show at the first one, due to the EHV virus. Attending horses came directly from a previous show with confirmed case (s). Several of the area barns stayed home and did not risk of exposure.

Our trainer showed her in Ranch Classes at the second show, and made valuable strides. Placing right behind the big guns. Brad's goal was to learn a lot, and he did. He studied the competitions, and rode her a lot during practice hours. Brad traveled north to the show and I traveled south, to help my daughter with our first newborn grand baby. Six days is the longest Brad & I have ever been apart...let's just say we honed our texting skills & are happy to be back together.

Koda is lame again
He healed over time from the first signs that surfaced at the end of March, and was completely sound at all gaits for three weeks of our regular arena riding. I thought we were out of the woods. Silly me. When I came back from traveling, it took two steps out of the pasture for me to know he was off again. X-rays revealed early stages of Navicular, altho this visible reoccurring lameness is most likely from his previous soft tissue bruising. I decided to forgo the $2,000-ish MRI to confirm which one of the two evils was the culprit. I had front padded plates put on him for now to relieve pressure. He is already somewhat better. 

Our vet participated in an Osphos study for Navicular with favorable results, and Koda is tentatively scheduled for a treatment. I must admit I am a little apprehensive about anything new. Time and (re) evaluating will reveal more layers of answers as we move forward. He is expected to be able to continue with our regular programming. We sure do a consistent job of living the adage "one step forward, two steps back"...

Nemo's allergies are raging
We also returned from our travels to find poor Mr. Nemo in full blown allergy mode. He is back on seasonal Dex, which is taking longer to work this year. It's a bad allergy season. For the first time he is sporting a double fly mask. Nemo was feeling better, I rode him last week. But this weekend he is miserable again, poor guy. 

Our first trail trip of the season will be horseless

It appears like it's going to be "one of those years" when we don't get to enjoy the trails much with our beloved horses. Yes, we do have two other rideable horses in our family. However Cierra is in training. She can certainly enjoy local trails, but it's not fair to whisk her away for extended trips. I wouldn't be comfortable riding our daughters horse Harmony on the trail. I've not trail ridden her, but guess she spooks at everything. Not to mention it's been eons since I've even ridden her in an arena. She's a bit too edgy for me. 

RIP Emma 
The new foal at our barn is gone too soon, due to colic. Felt so bad for her momma. I've never seen a horse so sad. I loved on Dolly while at the barn, sweet mare. I didn't manage to photograph her big spunky pretty baby while she bounced around in the field the past couple weeks. A good reminder to click before it's gone.

Going nowhere fast
Our wishful quest to move to a place where our horses can live with us is going nowhere fast. The options looked promising at the end of March, and then they fell flat. There is nothing even on the market that fits us. Acreage is either too far away, non existent, or out of our price range. Guess we won't be living with our horses any time soon. Sigh. I'm okay waiting for the stars to align, and they will. In the meantime we'll keep saving pennies.

Aurora Williamson Photography is on Facebook
I tried not to do it, really I did. Social Media for businesses was part of my job for years. Personally I don't like the Facebook platform, there I said it. However, some things are best not avoided. Like closing a business website and "replacing" it with Facebook - it's not remotely the same people!!! Saving that rant for another day. You are welcome :)

The Google gods count every stinkin' online thing, when done well. Speaking of doing things well, I've got a lot of never ending online work left to do!! I don't mind Facebook for businesses, but the personal side of it is soooo fake. On the other hand, I really like Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest for the different flavors they offer. I would forgo a personal page on Facebook, but you can't have one page type without the other. With all that said, join me on my new business page!! I mostly share pretty pictures (mine & others) along with inspirational thoughts. Think positive my friends!





7 comments:

Shirley said...

That's a lot of stuff happening, Congratulations on the new grandchild! And sorry to hear about the boys' woes.
Following your FB page.

aurora said...

Thanks Shirley! We have another vet appointment today & will learn more on how we can help our boys feel better.

C-ingspots said...

Oh my, how incredibly sad about the foal...such a tragic loss and way too young! I've seen how deeply some mares grieve for the loss of their foals and it's just heartbreaking. :(

Sorry to hear about Kemo's lameness popping up again. However, don't be hesitant about doing the OsPhos. It helps and the sooner you start it, the better chance it has of helping!! Remember we tried it on Missy last winter, but she has a "true" case of navicular, as in cysts in the navicular bone itself, and it's been going on for years. But I did see a slight improvement. Client's horses when caught early though, have benefited greatly. Do you know the cause of his heel pain yet? Sometimes a vet with good ultrasound skills can get a pinpoint diagnosis of the root of the pain, and then you can really focus the treatment on the exact cause. It's much less than MRI. Please don't just settle for a classic "navicular" diagnosis. And remember, shockwave therapy is a really good treatment as well, but whatever you try, they all work better when you know exactly what you're dealing with, and treat it QUICKLY. Don't procrastinate. We've had EHV-1 cases around here too, neurological kind...nothing to mess with. We've stayed home too. Sure hope you enjoy some mountain time with your horses and find your dream home!!

Sherry Sikstrom said...

So sad about the foal! And frustrating about Koda and Nemo, things had been going so very well! Hope it resolves soon.I went and "likes " your page, looking forward to checkng it out more thoroughly

aurora said...

Losing the foal took everyone by surprise. Thanks for the info & suggestions Lorie, it was helpful. I do remember Missy getting shot treatment(s) for her navicular, but wasn't sure which one. Without the MRI, we won't know the exact cause of his heel pain. Koda was super lame today. Everyone is puzzled at his turn for the worse. Glad the vet was there to see it first hand, he pulled his shoes & pads. Tomorrow we reevaluate. We may try the next step, a molded/fitted pad with the shoe... Nice to hear from you Sherry, hope your Appy's are doing better then ours!

Grey Horse Matters said...

So sad about the foal. I hope her mama feels better soon.

Congratulations on your new grandbaby! They are so much fun.

Lameness issues are never good. Hope the treatment helps Koda. And allergy season will be over soon and Nemo should feel better.

You've been busy with good and bad. I'm sorry but I don't do Facebook or any of the other ones. If I did I would check your page out.

aurora said...

Thanks Grey Horse! Yep, experiencing the good, bad and the ugly. In other words life. At this point Koda's current lameness doesn't appear to have anything to do with navicular...treatments plans changing on the fly.