WordPlay

by Doranna

Things are starting to pick up in DuncanHorse World.  But first, a random bit of goodness:

Tiger Bound from England!

It’s an overseas version of Tiger Bound!  How cool is that?  I’m supposed to get copies of all international versions and I usually do (I have a small batch of foreign language books here that I admire every now and then), but this set came pretty promptly on the heels of the US version.  Neat!

Ahem.  So back to the big white pony, who is still dealing with flares from his severe reaction to the spring shots (which he’ll likely never get again, aside from tetanus).  A week or so ago I ordered him some $$$TransferFactor$$$, since my consulting vet has seen it work wonders for situations like his.  I wouldn’t know yet…they don’t seem to be in any great hurry to send it.

HURRY UP, PEOPLE!  Duncan and I are waiting.

Consulting Vet is ConneryBeagle’s chiropractic vet, and we’ve had some helpful casual conversations about Duncan’s situation over the summer.  I decided to make it official so I could really grill her (without friend-guilt!), so here we are.

Last week Consulting Vet also came by to poke around his furry white sides, chat about his diet, and ponder how to best manage the ongoing symptoms.  Duncan was sleepy in the sun in his early winter coat, and so willingly gave blood, schmoozed, and let himself be admired.

The blood work is just to eliminate certain concerns, after which we’re likely to do what I’ve been doing all summer–daily reality checks for the three subtle signs that he’s at the front edge of a flare, and tossing dexamethasone at him if I find anything.  It only seems to occur every couple of weeks–the heat seems to be a problem, so maybe winter will help, too–and at those doses, the steroids aren’t a big issue (barring ugly results on the blood work–I hope to know something this week).

Meanwhile, we’ve had some brisk mornings, and he does seem to be feeling a little better, yes he does.  But if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video…even better! Although I’m just now realizing that all the captions I put in the dark area in the video editor do not show up in the YouTube conversion. Oh, for pete’s sake..

(Don’t you wish you had that kind of energy?)

by Doranna

Duncan and I have had the Summer of Sick in common this year–me with the Lyme, him with his autoimmune reaction from his shots.  That should be over by now but it’s lingering in a worrisome way, flaring up on a regular basis.  And with neither of us well, he’s not been ridden.  So he’s not fit, and he’s missing a lot of his usual war horse attitude.

But not all of it.

Just a glimpse of the old boy in action. I hope it gave you a grin!

…Monday

Or, in Duncan’s case, the call of the modest fenced pasture.

He. Wants. It.

Duncan loves his pasture. Doesn’t matter how scarce those grass blades or how studded with prickly pear. He has a south flat shared with agility equipment and junipers and one gorgeous piñon, a north flat of yucca and prickly pear in which we sometimes ride, and a rugged, offset connection corridor curving around behind the house–the little arroyo, full of piñon, juniper, snags, and cactus.

Beyond that fence line, he can only gaze upon the plunging deep true arroyo, which is really just as well.

The paddock itself is plenty generous–different shade choices, flats and slopes and the barn. Zones for winter hang-out, zones for summer hang-out. Room to cut loose now and then.

Say, when he has a serious case of Pasture Wannit.

Because it doesn’t matter how dry, it doesn’t matter how sparse. He loves his pasture.

Unfortunately for him, although this land is meant to be grazed–by antelope, deer, elk, and bunnies–it isn’t meant for heavy use. It’s meant for animals who wander through, nibbling along the way. So that means while he’s good for this land, he’s also bad for it. (If he wasn’t a barefoot horse, he’d be even worse for it.) And in this dry, pre-monsoon season, that means he has only a few hours out, every other day or so.

This is, he says, not nearly enough. So he has a procedure through which to satisfy his Wannit.

First up: The determined and steely stare over the gate.

DuncanHorse: You. Will. OPEN.

When this fails, a quick circle around to glare with stare part 2:

DuncanHorse: Feel my wrath building! SNORT!

I have to say the gate is seldom impressed. Even the universe seems to have other things to do.

Next? Pawing at the gate. He doesn’t do this for any other reason, and he’s not pawing the ground. He lifts his front leg remarkably high and scrapes his hoove along the metal.

DuncanHorse: Must. Develop. Opposable. Digits.

Sadly, he does not.

And so the fun begins.

DuncanHorse: Wrath! SNORT! FLING MY HEELS! SPURT AWAY WITH AMAZING POWER! STOMP! STAMPEDE! LEVITAAAAATE!

Somewhere in that process, I often amble out to enjoy the show. Somewhere in this process, he becomes bored with himself, but doesn’t want to admit it. There follows a great spate of snort! Snorty snort!

And then suddenly, it’s…

Flirt. Flirt flirt flirt.

DuncanHorse: Am I handsome?

DuncanHorse: See my eyelashes?

DuncanHorse: See my curvy neck?

DuncanHorse: The gate is right there beside you…

Nice try, Duncan. Here’s a hug, a pat, and a cookie.

DuncanHorse: Kiss my nose?

Always!

The Power Snit: That there is the Lippie Engine at work. Also, that is what we call "the Neck of Annoyance."

The Power Snit Sprint upon take-off. Not a great angle, but that is one hard-workin' butt

Proof of the butt: Suddenly--full gallop! In rather tight quarters, you may notice.

"See? See my flirty neck?"

"My super flirty neck! Here I come! Time to kiss my nose!"