Down
In the past, our horses never had reactions to shots. This year, both Rodney and Milton objected to their vaccinations. A few days of feeling punk. Heat and swelling at the injection sites. We opted for butt shots since Rodney’s neck was tender from being dekinked [Zap].
Drama Queen Milton felt his agony deeply and chose to demonstrate cantering on three legs. I would not have said this was possible. (If you are wondering, imagine the hop during a bad lead change.) Since he was cantering towards dinner with his ears up, I attributed this to TB drama rather than to an alert-the-vet injury. Still, nothing I ever need to see again.
A little Bute. A few days off. Everyone’s fine. I know this because …
Up
Rodney and Milton have start to play: neck biting, hopping, feinting, running about, and other frolicsome behaviors.
We’ve never had much cavorting in the pasture. Previous Horse and Mathilda had a love/hate arranged marriage. The few times they were spotted being affectionate, they broke apart hastily, with guilty looks.
Mathilda wanted to play with Rodney. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Rodney wanted her to go away.
Until now, Milton has been hostile during mealtimes and attempted friendliness at other times. Rodney generally jumped like a startled bunny whenever Milton looked his way, regardless of intention.
Rodney is feeling better and therefore bumptious? Milton’s naps have paid off? Who knows. I hope it continues. Sure, herd-bound horses will make riding (Ha!) problematic, but they were having so much fun.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
![Rodney, then Roscoe, as a youngster [right]. Photo courtesy of prior owners.](https://rodneyssaga.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/rp.jpeg?w=400&h=272)
Photo courtesy of prior owners.
Virtual Brush Box 
I hope it continues as well. It is fun to watch. I’ve found with the dogs that sometimes it can take a while to adjust to the new one. And how they are feeling physically also definitely makes a difference in the level of play or if there’s play at all. Been dealing on and off with Lyme since the end of last year and while the symptoms are very subtle, that’s an area I can see a difference in.
Good luck with (against?) the Lyme disease. It’s debilitating and hard to diagnose.