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07/03/2002: "Greetings From The Sauna"

I’ve lived in Indiana for ten years now, and the past few weeks have been the hottest, muggiest, most uncomfortable we’ve had since I’ve been here. YUK! It’s buggy, but too hot for the horses to wear their flysheets. I have to just stay with the masks, which are better than nothing, for sure, but they both opt to stay in the barn most of the time to get away from the bugs.

Indy is recovering normally, as far as I can tell. I’ve never had a new castrate to care for before, so I’m flying rather blind, I’m afraid. I hosed it off yesterday to remove the layer of dried gunk, not only from the incision itself, but also from his hind legs and tail. It’s supposed to drain, and it is doing that. Indy REALLY does NOT like to be sprayed - with anything. But I think he finally realized that this was feeling pretty good after all. The incision doesn’t seem to be the least bit sore, and I think it felt good to him to have it cleaned up. He doesn’t have any problems with my touching it, so I’m able to wipe fly repellent on it for him too.

Ami used to hate being sprayed too, but now I can hardly rinse Indy off without having her get in the way, so eager is she to be rinsed off herself. This from a mare that used to fight a bath with everything she had! Sure changed HER mind LOL! That goes for fly spray as well. She used to HATE it, and now I don’t even have to put a halter on her. She KNOWS she wants that stuff.

I’m sure Indy will come around in time. Right now he seems really fearful, as if he’s had a bad experience or something. He is getting more relaxed about it though, so I just have to take it slow and easy until he’s confident they spray won’t hurt or go in his face. He didn’t particularly like the flysheet at first either, and he’s sure changed his mind about THAT!

Matt was here this morning to do an “in between” trim on Ami - just to be sure to keep all stress off her toes. Ami is not the - ahem - most cooperative of horses when it comes to her feet. She’s a thousand times better than she used to be, and I think she has come about as far as she intends to come - and she obviously feels we should be grateful for THAT :o) I can’t really blame her, she’s had so much pain associated with her feet.

Anyway, there’s a certain treat - called Apple Wafers - that she expects to get in return for not giving Matt TOO much trouble. Hey, so it’s a bribe. Whatever works.

I had tied Indy in his stall and got the bucket of Apple Wafers. I set the bucket down just outside Indy’s stall, and got Ami out and ready for Matt. Suddenly I heard a noise over Indy’s way. Even though he was TIED, Indy had managed to reach between the rails JUST enough to flip the top off the bucket, and reach down far enough with his lips to grab an Apple Wafer. That BOY! I was holding Ami, so I called to Mike and Matt to move the bucket. Indy looked SO disappointed…

Matt was cracking up while I told him about all the other stuff Indy had gotten into since his last visit. That list would include his getting his fetlock wrapped around the cross members in the bottom of the empty muck bucket cart. I had seen him sorta pawing at it, then step in the middle and get his fetlock hooked around one of the bottom braces. I was in Ami’s stall at the time, and I think I levitated out, calling to him to, “Whoa, Indy! Be still, Indy! Easy, Indy!” In the millisecond it took me to get to him, Indy had calmly disengaged himself from the cart and was looking at me as if I’d taken leave of my senses - which I just about had.

It’s supposed to be cooler over the weekend. Indy and Ami are fine, but I think I need a cold compress on my head - just to be prepared for whatever Indy gets into next…