Vets... the conclusion!

We were planning on picking up Tabasco over the weekend but when I talked to the vet he wanted to wait until Monday so he could be there when we picked him up. I couldn't do it on Monday since I had to work and I didn't want to try and switch my day off for that one due to the short notice, so we picked him up this morning.

We left the house around 8:00 and drove the hour and a half to the vets. It was so beautiful out with the frost on the trees and the sunrise. I am really looking forward to spring and daylight savings time. It feels like I never see the sun any more so today was a treat.

We finally pull into the parking lot at the vets and I went in the office to pay the bill and dad drove around the side of the building to hook up the trailer that we had left there. The vet came out and talked to me and gave me instructions and medication to put on his leg. The vet tech at the front desk told me she would meet me outside and help get Tabasco ready.

By the time I got in the barn with Tabasco's blanket the tech was already in the stall with him brushing him. She asked me a few questions about him being a mustang and I happily answered her questions and told her that if she ever decided to adopt that I would help enable her! She told me that everyone fell in love with Tabasco and that he was a very good boy. She helped me get the 78" blanket on him (the smallest the stores had) and he swims in it. Next came trailer loading. At home Tabasco loaded like he's done it all his life- at the vets? Not so much. I tried, Dad tried, we put a lead rope behind his butt, bribery with oats didn't even work. Then came the vet tech with a broom. She tickled the blanket covering Tabasco's butt with it- his eyes got as wide as dinner plates and in he went.

We drove back home and backed the trailer down the driveway. I got out and stood on the ledge outside of the trailer and talked with Tabasco. The other four horses were standing long necked and perky eared looking at the trailer. Tabasco was eyeballing them for a while then gave out a long shrill whinny, to which he got four similar responses.

Dad got him off of the trailer and lead him to his pen and took off the lead rope. Shoni slowly went over to investigate her "new" pen mate then started harassing him and chasing/following him around the pen. He ended up running up on a snow bank with her behind him and they both sank down in the deep snow. Uffda. Of course once they are excited it's hard to catch them again too. Luckily we had left the halter on and Tabasco is fairly sensible. He let me put the lead rope back on him. Then we locked him the the paneled shelter to relax and let Shoni sniff him through the gate. I'm a little worried about his leg and am going to check with some people for physical therapy exercises that I can do with him. It seemed like it was kind of bothering him after the trailer ride then again after all of that running and both times he rested his leg on the ankle instead of the hoof for a minute or two. He still has the bandage on his leg and I am supposed to take it off in a week to 10 days depending on how yucky it gets. The vet said there is a gash an inch or two thick and about 5 inches long that is open and I will need to put a powder on it once a day until it heals.

It would have been 3 weeks tomorrow since we left Tabasco at the vet and 3 weeks Monday since his surgery. I'm so happy to have my boy back home!!!