A Hard Good-Bye

It's been a long time since Filly has graced these pages.

We've battled warts & almost won.  The secret to battling the worst case of warts anyone has ever seen?  Monistat Cream!  That's right, everyone in WalMart would look at me REALLY funny as I bought every tube on their self.  The cashier, well into her 70s, wouldn't meet my eyes.  One time a woman actually asked me what i was going to do with all that Monistat.  LOL  You should have seen her face when I told her I was slathering Filly with it to rid her of warts.

The last rain of Mar 2016, brought trouble.  While playing, running, & bucking with her herdmates, Filly slipped & injured both stifles.  CMK knew then that Filly's future riding career was over.  As long as Filly would be pasture sound & happy, CMK would be happy.  It wasn't long before Filly was once again running & bucking.  Although only 98% sound, she was happy.  Always the first to come running when called, & always enjoying chasing the hay wagon, her Pasture Puff status fit her well.

I can remember hoping for a live foal because the mare was ill.  It was the middle of the night & I was all alone.  When the contractions stopped without a foal being born, all I could think of was that I had seen my vet pull a foal & he'd had to use chains & another man to help.  How was I going to get this foal into the world?  Sobbing & pulling, I can still close my eyes & feel how it felt to fly across the stall, landing on my butt, with a wet foal in my arms.  It's as if it were yesterday.  The filly of my dreams had arrived.

I still see her as the baby who smelled roses.  That first day out of the barn, enjoying the fresh air, she was fascinated by the roses.    

By the time Filly was three days old, I knew she had a problem.  It took the love & devotion of a special friend to help me save Filly.  Filly's grandpa also had a huge part in saving her.  Without the special people in my life, I would only have had Filly for a very short time.

It's been almost eight years.  Filly & I have been through a few trying times, but have always overcome.  Until now.  Just a few weeks ago, Filly reinjured her stifles.  I was hopeful, but not too optimistic.  My vet couldn't offer encouraging words other than saying "tincture of time".  But we'd already used that time healing from last year's injury.  Filly is no longer happy.  She no longer runs to greet me, no longer chases the hay wagon.  Ever so slowly she creeps across the pasture.  As she lays her head on my shoulder, I know Filly is in pain.  My heart is breaking, but I know it's time.  Time for the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  Time for A Hard Good-Bye.  I will always love you Filly.  CMK

Growing Up

Happy New Year!  Filly's New Year came in with a bang, errrrr, saddle.  That's right, filly had her first ride on New Year's Day.  And what a wonderful girl was she.  She went right up to the mounting block & didn't mind weight in the stirrup at all.  She didn't mind the saddle rocking back & forth.  She didn't mind her soon-to-be rider laying across the saddle, patting under her belly.  In fact, she seemed to like the attention.  Of course eating cookies out of the patting hand was pretty good & made everything alright.  Then carefully she had a rider on her back.  An ear twitched.  A lip wrinkled. An eye rolled.  Filly reached around to smell the foot hanging by her side.  Hmmmmm, no big deal.  It was just another adventure to have fun with CMK.  After being led around for a few minutes, Filly was turned loose to carry her rider with ease around the round pen.  CMK sure had a big smile on her face.  There was Filly acting like a grown up, looking wonderful under saddle.  From a "touch & go" foal to a saddle horse.  Oh what adventures the future could hold.

Filly Says Good-Bye to Grandpa

It's with a very sad heart that Filly has lost the most important man in her life.  It was her wonderful Grandpa who used his ingenuity & skills to make the splints & cuffs that helped save Filly's legs & life five years ago.  For the past five years, Grandpa has always had a soft spot in his heart for Filly.  He wanted daily updates on her antics, & laughed when Filly's stories were silly.  Grandpa was prouder than I when Filly had a rider on her back for the first time.  It was HIS Filly who was going to be a nice saddle horse.  It was HIS Filly who he had labored to help save.

I know horses don't understand the words
when we tell them of the sad losses in life.  But I KNOW Filly could feel my sorrow as she snuggled her head into my chest as I cried.  We both lost a very important man.  An amazing, giving man who was always there to support Filly & I.  I'd like to think he's somewhere, walking without pain & weakness, among the horses of greener pastures who are so very lucky to have him among them.  Good-Bye Grandpa.  We will always love & miss you.

With Love,

CMK & Filly    

Happy Birthday Five Year Old!

Today Filly is five.  Wow, she's growing up.  She stands 15 hands & is a big girl.  This spring she's beginning her training to become a future riding horse.  Her first saddling was non-eventful.  She didn't even mind a little weight in the stirrups, or having them flopped around.  Her second saddling went just as well.  CMK stood in the stirrup & laid across Filly's back.  All filly did was turn to see what was happening..  Plus she wanted a cookie for being a good girl. :)  For the 3rd saddling CMK couldn't stand it any longer.  She just HAD to get on Filly's back.  She moved the mounting block up close & stood in the stirrup.  Then she laid across the saddle & fed Filly cookies.  Ever so quietly she stood in the stirrup & swung her right leg over.  Filly had a rider on her back!!!  CMK dismounted & mounted again, only pausing briefly in the saddle.  SUCCESS! What a wonderful year this is going to be for Filly.  From sick new born to having a rider on her back, what a journey.  Happy 5th Birthday my lovely Filly.

Happy Birthday Filly!

Happy Birthday Filly!  I can't believe you're 4 years old today.  Has it really been that long?  It seems like yesterday that you barely made it into this world.  I can still "feel" the events of your birth night & am still amazed that you're here.  You're a wonderful, gorgeous filly & I'm so lucky to have you in my life.  You're so very dear to my heart & I will love you always.  Happy Happy Happy Birthday Filly!

It's Never Easy

Sometimes it sure does seem that a black cloud hangs over poor Filly. For the last 3 months both knees have been stiff & locking when picked up. They'd relax once they reached a point where it felt like a hitch & release. They'd lock & almost snap to a release when she stepped over the board at her stall gate. While Filly didn't seem to mind when this happened, it sure freaked out CMK. What could be wrong with beautiful Filly? Was it from her rough start in life? It wouldn't be surprising if her illness & contraction at birth had come back to haunt her. But what a tragedy if that were the case.

As CMK watched her gorgeous youngster every day, she worried at what the future could possibly hold for a filly with "bum" knees. The dreams of one day riding Filly faded away with a heavy heart. CMK just kept thinking that as long as Filly was comfortable she'd be a loving & pretty pasture puff. But what if the time came when she wasn't comfortable? Unbearable thoughts for a filly so young, not yet 3 years.

Finally the vet came out & looked at Filly. He bent her stiff legs & declared her knees PERFECT! The problem wasn't the joints at all. He palpated her legs & narrowed the problem to her suspensory ligaments. While not very sore, Filly did flinch to pressure along the entire length of her suspensories. What could have caused this? The vet asked how much work Filly was getting as the usual cause is overwork. Well that couldn't be the cause because Filly isn't under saddle, doesn't get worked, & just plays free in pasture. And other than her rough start in life she's never had an injury. The vet didn't think the rough start as a foal could be the cause. Then he started talking about dietary deficiencies & CMK slapped her head. The vet mentioned a phosphorus deficiency could be the cause but it's not common. What he didn't know as he spoke was that CMK had had her hay recently tested & it'd come back as extremely low in phosphorus. It was the hay Filly was eating through winter, right when the locking knees began. At last a cause that could be treated.

CMK was so relieved. Her overactive imagination of everything that could go wrong was put to rest. Filly should be fine with dietary adjustments. She'd get MSM & Glucosamine for her soft tissues. She'd also start getting some wheat bran added to her diet to give her the much needed phosphorus. Filly is so lucky that CMK tested the hay. Without the test results the cause of the knee stiffness might never have been found. Without a cause there wouldn't be a successful treatment. Another lesson learned, test hay so the appropriate supplements can be fed.

For Filly it's never been easy. But with all the lessons learned along the way, she'll one day be a gorgeous saddle horse & trail partner for CMK.

The Tooth Fairy Has Arrived

Oh my did I leave a surprise in my bucket for CMK. While eating my yummy beet pulp last night I felt something go crunch. I thought I'd bit a rock. CMK is always mad when she finds rocks & sticks in the beet pulp & has been threatening to send all the rocks to Farmer's Feed with a complaint. Well it hurt when I bit down & one of my teeth kind of wiggled. I was so afraid that I'd knocked a tooth loose. But then I couldn't feel anything so I dove into my beet pulp again & OUCH. My tooth fell out into my dinner. Oh no! What had I done? Oh no! I knocked my tooth out. I didn't want to eat any more because I thought my other teeth would fall out. My neighbor laughed & laughed at me, explaining that I had just lost a baby tooth & not to panic. It's NORMAL to loose baby teeth. BIG teeth will come in & when all my baby teeth are gone, I'll be a grown up. I sure learned a lot last night.

Tonight CMK found her surprise. When she was pouring my beet pulp into my feeder she saw my tooth. She was so excited she poured my dinner all over her hand as she grabbed for my tooth. She had a huge smile on her face & was muttering what she might do with my tooth. She said something about making a necklace so she could wear my tooth around her neck. People sure are strange sometimes. But I love my CMK anyway.