We were not at all happy with the last barn's moldy and dusty atmosphere from the start. But choices to board Pantz have been limited by time restraints and availability. Every time we went to the last barn, we cleaned the dusty fines out of her hay feeder, off the floors, and also swept out the stall. DUST, DIRT were everywhere. Leaving it, caused it to become moldy, during the wintertime.
It makes me love my stable all the more...my PBO's make sure it is SUPER CLEAN!
Now that we had to move Pantz again, unfortunately, the changes did not change the conditions she lived in. In fact, she has less space to be out than before. Her cough came back and with the onset of HIGH HEAT- it tipped her off the edge of allergies.
Before my sissy and I moved her into this familiar setting. We cleaned and cleaned. I was sick for a week after, and my sister was really sick, with respiratory ailments, for 2 weeks after. ( that was our warning signs)
Standing in the stall, though the door was open, gave her relief from flies, but she was inhaling molds, saw dust and Ammonia.
Pantz with flaring nostrils, gathering vital air, though standing still.
She basically has the horsey version of C.O.P.D. Formerly called "heaves" and now I am told, by our vet, is called" R.A.O." Recurrent Airway Obstruction. She was feeling terrible and it stressed both my sissy and me out, till we could take her to the vets office.
They gave her almost instant relief, once they found out she was not having any kind of infection. She gets what people get, steroids and antihistamines.
24 hours was amazing relief for her. No longer did she have to breath through a straw. That sound was terrible!!
The vet told us, that is what she was having to do, since horses do not use their mouth, like we can, to receive air.
So the next day my sister and I stripped the mats from the stall to find concrete. There were cement like sawdust ridges under the mats. They become wet with urine and never dried out or got cleaned. Since the stall is not level, it pooled.
We power washed it all out, Vinegar sprayed the mats off and allowed them to dry in the sun. We decided never to use the stall pellets again. They are treated wood and become like dust. I always stuff up when I clean the stall, and that was what Pantz was laying her head down on, when she rested.
She now has no bedding, just mats. She has begun to "P" outside and that is what we wanted. Whew! Now, I had to help sissy medicate the mare, twice a day, for 3 weeks. * sigh*
That crisis was afoot while another, unknowingly brewed. The day after I got the call about Pantz, I again was standing at work with clients, when my cell phone rang. I had no clue to who it was, it was an "unknown" number. So, I opted to wait till my current client was done before I retrieved the V.M.
When I did.....
I listened to a horrific message, It was from someone I did not know personally, but someone I did know well, had them call me.
There had apparently been a terrible horse accident involving a personal friend, and my former boarding PBO. The person that called me was told " I was probably the only one who KNEW EXACTLY where they were"- in the high mountain woods of Colton , Oregon.
This gal calling me did not know where she was, and couldn't even find her way back to the road, to help paramedics get to my badly hurt girlfriend.
NOW*** this may offend some, but I must say*** I am NOT personalty a fan of the new fangled " Paso Fino's". They are so narrow in the chest , seemingly are unable to navigate themselves, with uneven terrains. I have met several, and all have fallen with rider- on the high country trails we ride.
This was the case here as well. This pony, praise God it was that, all of 700 lbs, would not cross a creek and backed up a steep, uneven trail. It lost it's balance and fell backwards.
I was so shocked, while I stood at work, knowing my girlfriend was seriously hurt and no one knew where she was..I called my 5 remaining clients to cancel.
I knew I had to go help her!
I also called her husband before leaving the salon. He did not know anything was up yet. I told him where to go looking for them and also, I told him I'd come along soon, to help.
I called en route, while I drove the 25 miles to the accident location. This drive was familiar, as I used to board with these friends 2 years ago. I was told that it probably was not necessary for me to come out, since there were some 20 odd emergency response personal, on scene .
BUT, I just had that strong feeling, I should follow through. God had me go, I know now.
My girlfriend ( you see her leg), tree gravity I.V. liquids above her. Colton, Molalla, Life flight professionals, along with local volunteer teams with her.
The scene above is after I ran -as hard as I could -for a half mile to take Paramedics to my girlfriend. No one knew how to get to her. The woman that was with her got lost coming out of the woods, and then proceeded to get the emergency help lost on the way back as well. Bless her heart, she was just lost and in shock.
Once I arrived and saw all the emergency people, I tried to tell them I knew where she was and they couldn't grasp that. I had my hand up in the air, as a grade school-er- that knows the answer. But they did not heed me.... So I just set out for my girlfriend.
I made sure to set my GPS "Cardiotrainer" phone app. , as I left the road to the high trail where I knew my friend was. The "Lifeflight" Helicopter was circling above as I ran. I got there finally, very much out of breath. The first responders had just gotten there, as well. It had taken them an hour to find her, with "the- long-way- there-trail", the lost gal had taken them on. They were shocked at seeing me and said, "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM AND HOW LONG IS THE TRAIL?"
I simply handed them my phone....
They were able to "Ping" from it, the location. Then, they decided to NOT use the Army National Guard Helicopter-
to lift my friend out of the woods. They thought it was going to be 2 miles up or the 2 miles it had taken them to get to her.
They opted for the "Life Flight" Helicopter, just feet away from the Army National Guard Copter.
I am so glad I went!!
It was a 1/2 mile out to the road, the way I came!
My friend sustained
* 9 broken ribs
* a punctured lung
* a crushed # 2 lumbar vertebrae
Her Lf Femur had apparently come out of the socket as well...but was not broken as they thought!
She was able to come home last week finally, after successful back surgery and general stabaization.
Now taking cues from my mare and Kitty...
I am going to be like calm, cool and blend in with the scenery.
Washashe keeps and eye out always, then chills during the breaks of our rides, for a nice munch and rest before we ride on homeward again.
There have been so many wonderful events in our lives more recently, that the shocking and difficult, ere now, are all but faded...onto the next I say!!
Lord knows that He has all my times in His hands, and I do rest in Him, knowing everything is useful for my personal growth and also, for my worth/use in society. Nothing is by chance ( I believe) if you look inward firstly, then outwardly. I only can do either -by God's certain to highlight the truth- filter.
