Overdue Update

I know how to untie myself, and when I do,
this hat is history and I'm outta here!

I shot the annual nonsensical Christmas photos in two installments, since Jaz is still at Heather's recovering from his bout with strongyles. He seems to finally have turned a corner and is acting like his normal, goobery self.

For weeks, he was listless and obviously uncomfortable. He stood with his head down, occasionally backing around, exhibiting symptoms normally associated with early-stage colic, though it never progressed beyond that. They have been turning him out in an area where the young boys are kept. Sometimes he'd act like he wanted to play; other days, he'd mope. I went up there one day and Crash was pushing him around. Jaz is submissive, but he normally doesn't let the youngsters get away with that crap. For the last week, he's been bucking and farting with the kiddos.

When I visited last weekend, he seemed genuinely glad to see me. One of Jaz's quirks is that he's mouthy. He never bites, but he likes to put his mouth on you and lick. He likes you to play with his nose and mouth by grabbing it in your hand, scratching, pinching and twisting. Go figure. On previous visits when I tried to do that, he turned his head away. This time, he put his muzzle in my hand and wiggled his nose to encourage me to do it. He ate carrots and I hand grazed him, since there is very little grass in that catch pen.

And only a mom would be excited to report that I personally saw him deliver 2 decent, normal-looking piles of manure. Does my heart good, I tell ya.

His follow-up sonogram with Dr. E is the Monday after Christmas. Even if he gets a clean bill of health, I will probably leave him up there until spring. I feel like his interests are better served being stalled in the cold weather. He's been blanketed the whole time he's been up there, and will probably remain so most of the winter. Jazu, my fair-weather pony.

Oh yeah, I stopped by Dr. G's (regular vet) office on another matter, and he said to "tell Jaz" he was sorry he didn't catch the strongyles. He said worms can be a cause of colic, but you generally rule out a host of other things before looking in that direction, especially when the horse is on a regular worming schedule, as mine are. Dr. E gave me a rotational worming schedule, but I think Linda over at 7MSN has the right idea. Why not treat what tests show they have, rather than a shotgun-in-the-dark approach?

Scorch is having the time of his young life. Since he's a 2 year-old stallion, he's been kept separate from the herd, usually in that same pen with the young geldings and colts destined to be gelded. Here, he has 5 acres to run and play. He has shown remarkable sense. Our place is not baby proof, and there are plenty of opportunities for a silly young one to injure itself. So far, any and all minor injuries have been the result of horseplay. They play a lot rougher than Poco and Jaz ever have; both have the scuffs and scrapes to prove it. My concern: will Poco tone it back down when Jaz returns? Jaz's ace-in-the-hole has always been his speed. Will he be able to handle the escalated play? I'm probably just being a nervous-nelly mom. Lots of time to figure that out, though.

I'm also thinking about changing out ponies again. Heather has a solid paint gelding I'd like to check out, see if he and Pokey get along. In a previous life, he was used to run barrels. He's a big red boy we've been calling Rover (inside joke). He has a large blaze and 4 very short sox. He's maybe 15hh or a bit more, which is Jaz's height, but Rover is bigger boned than Jaz. In the limited time I've spent with him, his only problem is that he gets in your space. I'm told his former owner allowed him to intimidate her. Heather gave her Quaker, and it was mutual love at first sight. More on Rover as/if the story develops.

I did the repairs to Scorch's blanket by hand, using heavy-duty carpet thread. The regular size swivel hooks like you'd use on reins aren't wide enough to accommodate the straps. I only had one on hand that is large enough, so a trip to Paul Taylor's is on today's agenda. I need Sand Clear anyway.

Brrr! I hope it warms up this afternoon so I can ride Poco in the round pen. It's been way too long. In any case, both horses could stand a little grooming. Scorch has a tiny spot of proud flesh on his belly that needs tending.

I am off work until January 4th — sound the trumpets, please — and looking forward to lots of quality pony time. Stay warm and don't forget to smooch your ponies.