Near Tragedy on the Farm

A horse isn’t like any other animal on the farm. The relationship between these huge critters and people run pretty deep. Yesterday, as I gazed out my window, I saw something frightening. My oldest daughter’s horse, Bella, stumbled to the ground. The family sprung into action but there didn’t seem to be much we could do. I was able to halter her and walk her a short distance before she again became weak and toppled to the ground. It looked like it was going to be over, and all I could think about was my daughter. How her heart would be so broken and how she’d cry for many months over this lost friend.

A quick call to Bella’s vet found that they were out of town and at least three hours away, so we called another. They arrived shortly, and by then Bella was standing.

Here’s an amazing thing. As we waited for help to arrive, my daughter didn’t want to come near the horse. She was far to upset. I finally convinced her to come over. She cried and rubbed Bella’s neck. Within a couple of minutes the silly horse started to perk up. She even nibbled at the grass.

Well, the vet got there and didn’t have a lot of good things to say. But after the examine he changed his tune a bit. Her heart rate was not elevated and her feet were in good shape. They sedated her and filled her belly with mineral oil then gave her meds for pain and swelling. Poor Bella got a nasty bloody nose from the tube they used, but other than that, she did very well.

Her vet will come out at the end of the week and draw blood. We’re praying for good results which mean no damage to the heart.

So, for now, all is calm on the Nelson farm. May it stay that way!

I’d love to add a picture here, but WordPress doesn’t seem too fond of me today, so you’ll have to get by with only my words. Thanks for listening.