A New Chapter

Sunday, December 27, 2020:  Today was a hard day.

The good thing is... it is hopefully the end of a chapter.  I am confident that we will now begin a better chapter...

We'll call this chapter "Moonie The One-Eyed Wonder Horse."

I went to the barn about an hour before noon (the time his surgery was scheduled for) so that I could spend some quality time with my boy.  He came to the fence to greet me and tears streamed down my face.  

My sadness was not so much that he was about to lose his eye, but more that I couldn't explain to him why this would happen.  We make decisions for the animals that we love and they are not able to be a part of that decision making process.  We cannot lay out the pros and the cons for them.  We cannot give them a choice.  We choose what we feel is the best course of action and they have no choice but to go along for the ride.  Honestly, though I knew we were doing what was best for Moonie.... I dreaded it!

With the blubbering out of the way, I got busy brushing and grooming him.  He stood perfectly still, enjoying the attention.  In preparation for bandaging, I braided his mane and his forelock.  

He continued to just stand there.  Now mind you, I did not have a halter on him.  He was not tethered.  He stood there because he wanted to. 

I think it had a calming effect on him, because when it was time to put on his halter and go into the barn for his surgery, he was so calm and so laid back.

Surgery, though longer than I expected went well.  I stayed out in the dry lot with the rest of the herd, 

knowing that I would not have the stomach for what was happening inside the barn.  Moonie was well sedated and lots of local anesthetic was used... so he stood perfectly still during the surgery.  It wasn't until he heard one of his family whinnying, that his ears perked up, letting us know he was still there, aware on some level.

Dr. Becky examined his eye, after its removal and was happy to see that the tumor looked self-contained and that we had caught it early.  That, of course, was a huge relief!  

He'll be spending the night in the barn with a pressure dressing in place.  Dr. Becky will check him in the morning.  Until then, he gets what he loves most in the world... liberal portions of hay to eat.

The rest of his herd has access to the next stall, so his family will be close,

but not close enough to pull off his dressings (as I am sure they would do, if given the chance.)

As for us, humans, we had a perfectly lovely and quiet holiday.  

 We rode a roller coaster of weather conditions over the past several days.  Tons of rain fell, snow melted, water ran in torrents everywhere (outside).  

Then it snowed again (no accumulation) and the temperatures plummeted.  Everything that had been wet was immediately turned to ice.  So, that is where we are right now... a frozen tundra.

Ice sculptures are everywhere... 

the result of running water and a sudden freeze.

Tiny branches look like dipped candles as they hang above the rushing water.

Lastly, I wanted to share with you that our three Littles lost their beloved dog, Black Sammy  the night before Christmas Eve.  This sudden loss has been very hard on his family.  Those of us who knew Sam will miss him greatly.

He loved his trips to the farm, and we loved having him here!