YeeeeeHaaaaaa!

Is this one mine?

Where ya goin...can we come too?

Mark & Copper (a mare) he looks good ... don't ya think?

And their off........

Waiting for the riders to return!

Piece of cake!

A great ride on a beautiful day!
2 1/2 hours later

Rosie update for Mom and those interested

Rosie is staying with us (this is Sara writing to update mom as she is in ON with the girls to spend time with her dad (it's his birthday today) and pick up her brother.
Anyhow, before mom left, she set her up in our backyard. I knew there was a reason I didn't plant a garden this year! Anyhow, mom got her set up (thanks John for doing the electric fence) and we spent the first couple nights in the tent to make sure she settled alright (2nd night --and third too actually--she had to survive fireworks that were being set off to celebrate the Soccer Provincials that were taking place across the street...YIKES!)
Anyhow, mom also did a ton of work in our yard...making it look beautiful (thanks mom, you did an amazing job!!) and rosie is a lovely addition, though with all this rain the grass is getting a little beat up. Still, we don't have to cut it! I even let Rosie stay in the whole yard last night (normally we put her in the small enclosure to make sure nothing else goes wrong!) but it was pouring and she liked to stand under the big pine trees to stay somewhat dry...so I gave her hay there and she did great all night. So...below are pictures of her area, her wound and her nose, for mom to kiss while she is away. So if you don't like ugly wounds...don't keep looking!!

Rosie's wounds on July 9, 2009

This is how Rosie's front leg wound looked this morning when I went out to begin her "beautification regime"...I thought it looked pretty good, can you tell I've been seeing it too much : ) Any ideas on how to treat it besides what we're doing are welcome (she IS being seen by a vet and we are thus far following her advice which seems to mirror what other vets say but we're always game for any ideas that would speed up or ensure success in this process!)

Hydrotherapy

Looks like a lot of pressure, but it isn't :)

This is how the back leg wounds looked when I went out this morning

After the "hyrdo therapy" takes just over 30 minutes to hose down all 3 legs, and presntly we do that twice a day...may up it?

The vet told me the scum around the wound was no big worry (just remnant medication etc.) but on a warm day I think I will get the rest of it off with some WARM water and a rag. I just don't like the look of it. However, it's rained many of the times I've been hosing so anything extra I just avoid.

All done and ready to be 'protected'

Kiss this!

Bionic Rosie. Looks so nice and shiney!

I'm doing good.

Loosing a bit of weight though...

Not scratching the leg I'm not allowed to, see I behave myself

Even if this dog doesn't...always trying to lick my blanket, steal my food, get my attention...

It goes on..and on...and on

So nine o'clock at night is NOT when I want to hear..."Rosie has popped all her stitches". Wow, poor girl. She's at the vet right now..second night...won't be home till Friday the earliest...she is being SO GOOD!!! What a great horse. I hope she lives to tell the tail (lol). There doesn't seem to be thoughts that she won't make it....

 

Still Calm, despite it all!

 

After her leg stitches gave way due to pressure in the leg, Rosie started to shake etc. but as soon as I put a rope around her leg and told her "I know your leg hurts, the vet is coming, just be still (she was trying to paw with it all the time). She settled. Even after it burst, her agitation began to wane...guess somehow it felt better?? Anyhow, she is so sweet, so calm and actually went to sleep as the vet was finishing up talking with us. (no drugs induced it)
But after we put her in the trailer for the night, I did give her some bute as I was worried about her and I think it took the edge off.
Such a good horse.

So...the healing journey continues, after a bit of a bump in the road.

Last night, after a peaceful day spent with mom and the kids (while John and I were trimming Srgt Peppers feet...DON"T ask how long that took!), Rosie was outside with me grazing a bit before she was put into her trailer for the night.
We had recently removed the front bandage on word of the vet and were going to reapply it tomorrow. So after a bit of grazing Rosie started getting agitated, I took her for a bit of a walk around the gazebo and then she looked like she wanted to roll, which is of course NOT allowed. So I kept her moving and went to her tie post, she started getting really antsy and John said it looked like she was trying to run me over. She is never like that, so I thought, she must really be itchy and needing to roll so I took a rake and started scratching her back...that didn't help she kept trying to circle me, push at me with her head. So I tied her up and stepped back out of her way and then I saw that her stitches were open!! (They must have opened as I tied her because they weren't when I was scratching her back) I gasped and then yelled at John to call the vet...he hesitated (not being able to see what I was seeing) and then I yelled again! He got going and saw the damage on the way. When i was talking to the vet and saying the stitches were open she said "not all of them, there are over 400 stitches in there--not sure if she was exaggerating or not) and I replied, well all the ones I can see are sure gone!
Anyhow, she came, she looked, she wrapped the lower part of the wound to keep the leg together a bit, she calmed us down and said due to the pressure in the leg the stitches could not hold and that now we would be treating this as an open wound. But luckily she said the inside stitches holding muscle etc. were still intact. Praise the Lord for small mercies ?! She was also very positive about the outcomes...just added time onto the prognosis. So...please pray that all goes well :) we'll be seeing her this morning to get things set up for care. Yikes.
So...

 

 

 

 

Home Care

 

 

As you can see and read below we had an accident with Rosie. She is doing fairly well considering. The flies are loving the blood...we have to hose her back leg..not wrapped twice a day for 10 minutes...give her two shots...thank you Sara, and medication on the wounds and bute...which is pain killer ... and fly spray. Its lots of work...
Sara is amazing and I appreciate her skills so much...yes she gives the shots!!!!

Well I Never!

Never expected to spend the first evening of a week riding with Sara and Sierra...at the vet's getting Rosie stitched up but that's what we did. When you see the stitches you would never believe how bad the original wound was...
One of the other horses tried to run her out of town...and she wasn't familiar with the fences I guess so she broke out...through...ended up with a very rough leg injury. No riding for me for the rest of the summer. But who cares...I just want her to get well.

 

 

 

 

She is recuperating at Sara's ...the big thing is she can't lay down or it will rip her stitches..
So we have to hold or tie her. Her bedroom is the trailer. Thank goodness I have that.
Well you never know!

Home Sweet Home!

 

 

 

Heaven?!

 

 

 

 

Finally Up!

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing.......

 

Karis Wild Rose

Or Rosey ... but I found myself calling her 'Little Girl'
This place is 5 KM from our house straight east on Hwy 16.
There is 30 acres of field to ride in.
Notice the great sturdy tie rails!!!
Notice the small riding arena!
She is TALL! I need a mounting block for a small horse so....a ladder?
She is 11 and a Breeding Stock Paint...which means you can't really show her cause she has no color but might throw foals with color.
Can you tell I'm happy? I think she is too. She has already made a friend with one other horse. She loves treats and being brushed and loved.
Thank you Reagan! (Previous owner)...you did a great job training her. I can't wait to ride her...but I'm going to spend a few days on the ground with her first!
THANKS for the photography, Jon. BTW you can see the mountains on a clear day from this spot!