Distractions of the equine variety

Last week, I missed my usual posting date. This week, I'm going off-topic. I'm distracted. Because ... horses.

About two weeks ago, I saw a video posted by a kill buyer in Tennessee. A big man was riding a small horse (a pony, really) along a country road. An 18-wheeler eased by. The pony gave the truck the hairy eyeball and stepped aside, but otherwise kept its cool. No meltdown. I was impressed.

What a comparison to "the monster," who's being advertised for sale on EquineNow.com and Dreamhorse.com and, yes, Craigslist. I have had to admit defeat with Diva. She's simply more than I can handle.

So ... Saturday, April 18, my husband and I drove to Cleveland, TN. That's a bit over 400 miles one way, which makes for a long, long day of driving when you consider the round trip. We left at 6:00 AM and returned home a little after 10:00 PM. There was some difficulty in getting there at all. I could drive the entire way in my car, but would have had to return without the pony. That would have meant paying board, which there's no need to do as I can feed the critter at home. I asked a couple of other people I know to do the hauling, because our truck wouldn't get far on only three wheels and an unpredictable operational issue which my husband thinks is related to the fuel tank. But he's not sure and I'd rather not take that risk.

Neither alternative worked out for good reasons. I certainly wasn't angry. Disappointed, but neither angry nor upset. However, we did prevail upon our brother-in-law to loan us his truck. Gotta say, Bill's Chevy towed "the anchor" like a champ. (Our 3-horse trailer is steel, not aluminum, and extremely heavy, hence the nickname "the anchor.")

We picked up the pony whom I have named Teddy and checked on him periodically through the drive home. He spent the night in a stall. The next morning, we woke up to gunky eyes and swollen lymph nodes. Uh-oh. I called the veterinarian on Monday to schedule a farm call and thought I'd have to beg, plead, cajole, and promise my first grandchild to get a veterinarian out to check up on Teddy. Luckily, I did not have to promise my first grandchild.

We renewed an old acquaintance with Walnut Grove Veterinary Services. We soon confirmed that Teddy had an eye infection and strangles, a nasty, highly contagious bacterial infection. We've been treating him for over a week now and praying that the other two horses don't catch the disease.

Ugh. Teddy's going stir crazy being cooped up in the barn apart from the other horses. He has become thoroughly disenchanted with the new humans in his life. His calm, easygoing nature is disappearing as he begins to recover from infection, which proves that I have an eye for a pretty horse, but not necessarily for a good disposition.

So ... meet Teddy.

Anybody want to buy a Morgan mare?