Waylaid

I was so looking forward to summer, those long, warm (hot) days when I would be able to put in some serious time in the saddle. Most especially with Gwen, we're never going to get anywhere if I don't get on her back more often. So I was seriously bummed when my horses came up with HIVES a few weeks ago.

They started out small, just some bumps along their haunches where they lie down to sleep, but then they spread...

Gwen got lumps all over her back

and the hock she likes to sleep on looked horrific

Coriander started getting them over his shoulders and neck

and then they moved onto his face, poor boy

At this point I was getting really freaked out. My imagination started going and I was scaring myself thinking about them asphyxiating due to swollen shut airways and being blinded by their eyes puffing shut. I don't know about you, but when my horses don't feel good, I'm a wreak. I pretty much stop eating and sleeping and just fret all the time.

So I got the vet out to look at them and she was all "this is no big deal, bathe them and mow the pasture and they'll be fine." I bathed them (boy did they ever love that, NOT) and Mark went out the very next day and mowed the pasture (he's awesome), and thank goodness- the hives started going down almost immediately.

PHEW

While the vet was out we did vaccinations. I mentioned to her that Gwen always has a bad reaction to vaccinations, she often has lumps for months after getting the shots. Because of that we decided to give her one at a time in her pectoral to see how she reacted. She got her rabies vaccine in her chest and the very next day it looked like she was smuggling an ostrich egg in there. ARGH! Sorry I don't have a picture, I only took one with my camera so I could text it to my vet with this message: !!!! (paraphrasing).

Fortunately the swelling was gone after a week and by that time they had both recovered from their skin allergy and feeling well enough to ride. I climbed up on Gwen and it was like sitting on a firecracker with a lit fuse. I got off after about five minutes because I felt completely NOT SAFE up there. But the very next day and she was completely different, she was relaxed and wanted to explore. I rode her into the back fields away from the pasture for the first time ever and she was great, I even braved a trot!


She might make a trail horse yet- as long as I can keep her healthy...