All the Other Ponies With the Pumped Up Kicks...or "How Strider Got Shoes; Round 2"

So, shoes and pads are set.  I was a little later than I wanted to get to the barn, but I got there around 4:30.  I'm supposed to have the horse off all food for an hour, but I gave him 40 minutes as the shoer was supposed to be there at 5:30.  And he was pawing and pawing his impatience, so I finally just gave him his dose of Dormosedan gel and let it do it's thing. 

Actually took him longer to settle down on it than previously.  Maybe the remnants of food in his tummy?  Or that I kept telling him to "STOPPIT!" when he'd start pawing.  Not sure.

Anyway, we got our shoes and pads set on with relative ease.  I forgot to take pictures at all last night.  The setting seemed to go smoothly, and the shoer says I should be able to re-use these pads another time or two.  Good to know.  And as I'm new to shoes and pads, I asked what, if anything, should I squirt in there to prevent problems.  "Thrush Buster".  Okay then.  I can do that.

Strider on Dormosedan is a funny creature.  He gets real relaxed (note to self, give him some so we can get that sheath cleaned sometime in the near future!).  I noticed at one point when he coughed, he kind of lost a little control of his bladder and splattered the mats beneath him.

And then, as the shoer was working on his left rear, Strider just couldn't hold it anymore.

So he peed.  And peed.  And kept on peeing.  It was a river of pee and the shoer just kept doing his thing, despite the splash back (sorry, but he's a better man that I. I would have let the horse have his foot so I could get away from the stream of piss).

He, of course, had to wipe off the right rear foot to get it done. 

So, once most of the dope wore off, I started walking him back to his pen, letting him get used to his new kicks.

Now, I will say as I was walking up the alley towards my pen I had an "Oh SHIT!" moment.

I had spaced out on the drug list for AERC.  Now, I BELIEVE I had looked it up in the past, and my brain seemed to recall that Dormosedan has a 48 hour (Australia/FEI) to 72 hour withdrawal period (Canada).  I did verify that this morning, so we should be in the clear Saturday afternoon, even with the 72 hour period in play. 

I also noticed he had a small (about a dime size) bare spot on his back.  It's scabbed and not raw or irritated, but it caused another moment of "Oh come ON please don't be hurt."

But, the more I looked at it, the more I realized, the saddle won't make any contact with it.  I verified this with MM from the barn this morning.  Sometimes just hearing it from someone else sets your mildly spiraling panic at ease.

Day 2 of electrolytes and smush went smoothly.  I had left the big baggies of beet pulp out in the bed of the truck from when I left work all through the shoeing appointment.  Still big blocks of ice.  I think that because it's such a LARGE bag it does a great job staying cold thus doesn't melt well.

So, I prepped up both buckets, worked on catching Dakini again (approach, rub, retreat...she actually took off once, so I just kept my energy up and followed her and kept her feet moving until she finally stopped, then I stopped...and retreated).  We were much quicker to get caught tonight, even with Socks loose in the pen. 

Electrolytes went down smoothly again (well, as always, as smoothly as cramming a tube into a horses mouth and plunging down the contents can go).  Withheld water and promptly placed their buckets of smush before them both.

Dakini went to town on hers again.  She literally licked the bucket clean.  And that's after I drizzled what little bit from my electrolyte container that I couldn't syringe up onto her feed.  Mareface is amazing.

Strider also did very well.  He left much less last night (maybe a handful and a half) which I split between him and Socks.  Strider gets greedy if you go to share his food, and it renews his interest in eating.  So, Socks got 3 fist sized servings of smush from my hand and Strider ate the rest.

Also of interesting note.  When I went out Tuesday, they had filled both large water troughs to the tippy top.  Actually, overflowing them some. 

When I went out yesterday, one of the tanks was over half empty.  I am going with my gut suspicion and saying that the electrolytes are really encouraging Strider and Dakini to tank up on water.

Tonight I head out again (I remembered my change of clothes!) and it will be a quick trip.  I have to stop on the way to get a bale of hay.  Feed.  Make sure he's still looking good.  I BADLY want to give him a bath.  A large part of me wants to quickly bathe him before I throw him in the trailer tomorrow so I can clip his neck and rump.  But, I'll have Kaylee in the truck.  Maybe I can distract her with a video while I give him a fast bath before his electrolytes and bucket of smush in the trailer.

I have one last quick stop at a store to make (which I can actually do once I've dropped Kaylee off tomorrow). 

Once I get home, it's a quick load and pack the truck, make sure both coolers are ready to go (one for food and one for beet pulp [it's extra water when the ice melts]).

I'm anxious.  I'm nervous.  I'm scared.  And yet, I feel confident.  If we don't get it done, it's not for lack of preparation, that's for sure.

T-Minus 1 day.