Listen When Your Horse Talks

            Where did the week go?  I ended up not doing much, staying inside since last weekend’s snow storm, and this week in the teens and 20's. And I have been healing!  I ended up having a sore leg all week, after hurting it the previous week.

            I should have Listened to my horse. We have all heard this.  This is natural horsemanship.  “Read your horse”.  I read my horse last week.  I knew he was ansy.  And so were the other horses due to neighbors target shooting around us, even though that was at least ½ mile away.  I needed to “listen” to my horse” better.

            We all read our horses.  We know what ears pinned back means.  We know the “look” that dominant horse gives younger horses, and that they should move, and we know what happens when
they don’t move.

Almost 2 weeks ago, last Tuesday, I shouldn't have rushed Duke, as all the horses were a little goosey because people all around us were shooting. So I lunged him and got on him, but he was still goosey. I worked him in the outdoor arena for about 15 min then decided to take some P&V out of him and go down and up the terraces ONE time. We went down ok, but coming up, he stretched his neck out, turned quick and left out a gigantic buck and kick out. So I'm hanging 1/2 off the side, Duke stopped, and I figured I'd just finish dropping off.  I landed, I think I startled Duke and he jumped again, coming down on the very edge of my inside calf. I had to hold on to the reins, as he has only been gelded for 2 months, and I could not run the risk of him loose. It hurt, but I got up, Duke stood still and I walked him to the barn and put him away.

I did chores, Wed am woke up sore and I limped around. Wed I rode duke, and he was perfect.  I had good rides on him Wed-Fri!!! I lunged him a lot on Wed and he must have figured he better be good the rest of the week.

I was walking fine until last Sunday, when I could barely put weight on my leg first thing in the am. The previous 4 days, I had ice on it in the mornings, then wrapped it and went outside Wed thru Sat. Sun, I couldn’t stand on it, and I started some heat and wrapping it if I had to walk a lot. Today, I've sat on my butt all week and kept heat on it, wrapping it when Tom came home to help me feed at nights.

It's been a long time since I've had a horse bruise, and I guess I was due. Hubby said it was a good thing my legs are tanned or it would look ugly. Actually, I don't think the skin has started bruising there, only behind my knee and down at my ankle.

I finally went to the Dr on Thursday, since friends were concerned about the area having a blood clot.  After an ultrasound on the muscle, it just reviled a fluid filled area! Really? I knew that!

 This actully doesn't look so bad in the mornings, but by evenings, my leg is more swollen and feeling tight.

Now, Sunday, almost 2 weeks later, I am walking so much better than last Sunday.  The leg swelling has gone down a little.  The bruising is leaving my foot.  I’m walking fine but keeping a wrap on my leg when I go outside.  I wonder how long the swelling will last?

I’ve learned my lesson.  Next time, I’ll listen to my horse.