Good day with a scary end

Last Thursday, we set out early to go shopping for horse blankets for Navi. We lucked out with finding three! Granted one is for next year, but at least we are covered next winter too :)

Navi sporting her canvas blanket for kinda cold days

Besides her lightweight canvas blanket we picked up her heavy weight blankets. We got two different sizes so she can grow into them.

Once we had Navi's blankets figured out we grabbed Pixie and Willow to have some quality time with them. Pixie and I had a fantastic ride. It was indoors due to weather, but we worked on side passing. She is finally getting it :) Besides working on important things we also played a little soccer with the big green ball. Pixie loves playing soccer cause it gets her treats. She was trotting around after the ball with excitement...it was fun for her and I.

 Willow and my partner had a great time riding too! They were able to ride inside with a halter only. Its the first time they have ridden bitless! It was a great accomplishment for them both. Willow was a gem still listening to commands and gaiting beautifully. I am so proud of them both. I knew we would love Willow the first time I ever rode her. She is a great horse.

After riding we set out to feed supplements and then the plan was to leave to go get dinner for ourselves. Well it didn't go as planned. Two bites into Jess's alfalfa pellets we knew he was starting to choke. Pixie had choked on me last year, but walking and massaging her throat for 45 minutes she got it unstuck. We always soaked her pellets because of this, but Jess has never been a gulper and has eating them dry for a long time. So we walked him and starting massaging his thought. But he kept getting worse. So after ten minutes or so we took him up to the barn where he started full body heaving. Poor guy! I ran off to call the vet while my partner and the BO watched him. The closest vet in town was tied up on another case for 45 minutes at least, so I went down the list. Taking a chance and calling my vet that is an hour away, but as luck would have it he was in town and close to us. He would be on his way as fast as he could. Thank goodness! That was at 4:02 when I got off the phone with the vet. We had to wait 30 minutes or so for him to arrive, and that 30 minutes was the longest 30 minutes I have had in a long long while. He was coughing up his saliva, heaving, and had saliva coming out of his nose. His neck was swelling up too. The vet got there and sedated him and tubed him to dislodge the chunk of pellets. He would be okay, but we had to wait hours to feed him hay and he had to have it soaked that night and in the am. Plan was then for me to come back and feed him and watch him to make sure his breathing was normal for the night.  Needless to say dinner for us turned into going to a drive through. But that is okay, cause Jess was going to be okay. I went back at 6:30pm waited till 8 to feed him and then set with him until almost 10 to make sure he was done eating and safe for the night.

Me watching Jess eating his soaked hay

My spot to sit and keep warm. Mounting block as a chair and his blanket to keep me warm

Jess got turn back out the next morning into a open pen with more soaked hay for breakfast. He got to go back in with the girls for dinner. He is back to himself now. Going forward no one gets any grain without it being soaked first. Willow now has mash for grain too.