I went out yesterday afternoon to find our old guy, Remington, lying flat out on the ground. It's not completely unusual for a horse to do that, but at 26 years old, you never really know. I went in with him and tried to get him to stand up. He didn't try at all until I went to get his favorite thing in the whole wide world - GRAIN!
It broke my heart watching him struggle to get to his feet; his legs just wouldn't get under him. I realized it might finally be that day I was dreading, the day to say goodbye to a noble, beautiful creature. With tears streaming down my face, I got down on the ground with him to calm him and reassure him in his distress. I stroked and kissed him while I dialed our beloved vet. It went to voicemail which told me he was in a meeting most of the afternoon but gave me the emergency number to Colorado State University's vet hospital. Remy had tried to get up a few more times with no success and was now bleeding from some wounds he got when he hit the fence.
I went into the barn to blow my nose and make the awful call to CSU. While going through the million questions on the phone, Remington finally made it to his feet! After a few shaky strides, he walked over to the spilled grain and started eating as if nothing had just happened! I hung up on CSU, went over to check him out thoroughly, and had another cry with his previous owner who had just shown up.
My vet started texting me and eventually guessed that Remy stayed down too long and it was too painful to get up for a while. The vet must be right because a day later, Remington is still standing strong, pain free, and eating as many treats as I will give him. What a relief!!! We will count each day with him from here as an extra special blessing. Thank you, God, for this lovely gentleman and the joy he brings to all of us.