The Big Day arrived and we were prepared. Riding pen? Check. Saddles? Check. Decorations? Check. (Actually, CHECK times a million!) Fairie Costumes? Check. Horses? Double check. Unicorn horns? CHECK.
And so it began. The set up...just about the time the wind began. And I felt SOOOO bad! We were unable to set up the back drop for the photos, for fear that it would be a safety hazard and konk someone on the noggin when they were riding. Still, even though we were not able to set all we had planned up, the attendance was good and I think everyone had a good time. Below are a couple of my favorite photos...
About 3/4's of the way through the affair, our sweet Leia seemed to be having some real problems, so we had to pack up and head to the vet at Four Mile Vet Clinic. Luckily, Dr Sadie was there and was able to help. Leia endured approixmately 1/2 hour of intubation and Dr Sadie was able to UNblock a blockage that had lodged itself deep in Leia's esophagus.
Prior to Princess Leia coming to live with me, Leia experienced an accident that almost cost her life. In the barn that she was boarded at was a small bolt in-between the barn and the fence and like most curious little horses thinking the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, Leia reached her head through the fence and barn. When she pulled her head BACK through that opening, the left side of her face caught the bolt and created quite a mess.
The resulting injury was a gaping wound that was unimaginable, one that was so deep, you could see her jaw bone and teeth right through the opening. Leia spent days and nights at the vets and during the healing process, the vets had to take quite a bit of muscle and flesh to keep her from getting infected. It was a scary time, but she pulled through not only through the diligence of the team of veteinarians, but of her conscientious and loving owners. Leia was left with a scar that runs from the corner of her mouth, up her jaw, almost all the way up to her eye!
Even though Leia made it through all of this, she still has residual problems. Due to the muscle mass and nerve damage that she suffered through this injury, Leia often has problems chewing her food correctly and does not realize it because she cannot FEEL it. The result is, she sometimes chokes and coughs her way through her meals. On this particular day, she simply ate too quickly and swallowed something that was not masticated properly, causing a blockage. It took some time and patience and a lot of skill, but Dr Sadie was able to remove that blockage!
We are still learning Leia's limitations and needs due to this injury, so we watch her pretty closely, but I can tell you that after this, ALL of her food will be broken down into small bites and moistened, almost to a mash so as to avoid anything like this happening again. She is way too sweet a soul to ever risk losing her! I feel very blessed indeed to have been able to add her to my "herd", and although I know it was difficult for her original owners to find another home for her, I am SO glad they chose to do this and that Leia came to live with us here at the ranch. She has stolen my heart away! I hope that you fell in love with her this past weekend as well!
Thank you all, for your concern and prayers for our sweet Leia and for making our outing to the college SO much fun. We look forward to seeing you again and are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be invited back to the college for next year's carnival!
Blessings to you all!
cate
Boo and Leia
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