Stall Rest Chronicles 4 Feb, with Brief Thoughts On The Temporary Format

Explanation. We have a horse on stall rest following colic surgery. This has taken over the blog. [Begin]

Week 5 post surgery
Week 3 of stall rest

The latest development is that Rodney can be left outside eating hay while we go about our business. Milton can see still see Rodney, so Milton goes about his business. Although I do stack the deck by giving Milton his alfalfa while Rodney is out. [30 Jan]

This means we don’t have to sit right there and watch over the two of them. Rodney has shown no sign of hearing voices and galloping around the field. (Crosses fingers) He is more likely to come back into the barn early. He tried to come in while I was still clean the stall and the barricade was back up. He decided he was locked out for life. Dramatic much?

I jest, but it’s a great help for Milton to have Rodney staying so close. It’s good for Rodney to get out of the barn and nice that we don’t have to hover. At least so far, with mild trepidation.

State of the Blog

Background. I had a secondary, separate page for two weeks. Switched to updating as the main blog subject. [Adventures in Horse Care, Patient Report #3, for comparison, an archive of a week’s worth of page entries]

Immediacy is the biggest change from an update *page* to update *posts*.

With the page, I was recapping our activities at the end of each day. In the morning we did this. In the evening we did that. Milton is doing thus.

With posts, I write and schedule them at least the day before. Have been this doing since getting the idea from a web comic artist back in 2012. Plus, I try to get posts done first thing. So, this Saturday post was written on Friday morning about events of Thursday at the latest. [Cinder-blogging-ella]

Therefore, it has become less of a day-by-day record and more about presenting an interesting point that occurred recently. Not a good thing or a bad thing, just a thing, “This system will make the blog more like a prime time recap than a live broadcast.” [ibid]

I have – not surprisingly – more to say about the mechanics of regular updates. I don’t – also not surprisingly – have the mental energy to marshal my thoughts. I hope to circle back and spend more time looking under the hood: Twitter vs sidebar vs page vs blog posts, which ones I’ve used, how they worked, and so on.

Meanwhile.

If you blog, what do you do for long-term, unfolding events? As it happens? Weekly? Keep records offline & recap once it’s over?

When you read, what do you prefer?

Onwards!
Katherine

Stall Rest Chronicles 3 Feb, plus Fitness Photos

Explanation. We have a horse on stall rest following colic surgery. This has taken over the blog. [Begin]

Week 5 post surgery
Week 3 of stall rest

Rain yesterday. Freezing conditions today. Family members getting into negative numbers! I feel as if we are all on stall rest.

State of the Fitness

New places for my daily mile, the first three related to Milton being at the vet clinic. All in the Birmingham, Alabama metro area.

At night in parking lot of vet clinic. Empty, well-lit, lots of space to accommodate horse trailers.

Avondale Mills Walking Track. Almost every time I use a civic walking track, at least one other person is also using it.

Lakeside Park on Lake Logan Martin Lake (Update, official name)

Walking track around an unnamed corporate lake in a suburban office park. The path was worn and being warped by tree roots. The office buildings were clean but empty. Gave off a vibe of ‘humanity is no longer here.’

5K for January [Moseying to the Music, Walk Report, MLK Day 5K Drum Run 2023]

Last month [Picture This, Walk Photos, State of the Fitness]

In Other News

Roaring Back at the Lion of Winter: A Speculative Reading, Sun, Feb 5, 7:00 PM. 10 authors. I’m tuning in for Martha Wells. 👋🐸👋

Onwards!
Katherine

Stall Rest Chronicles 1 Feb

Explanation. We have a horse on stall rest following colic surgery. This has taken over the blog. [Begin]

Week 5 post surgery
Week 3 of stall rest

Milton is not! pleased! Yummy alfalfa in a slow-feeder hay net. Less interesting, free choice timothy below. In case you are not up on hay types, think steak and brussel sprouts.

Yesterday, two readers expressed amazement at our patience. One) Thank you. Two) Is it patience if you don’t have a choice? I mean, yes, on the grand scale of things, one always has a choice. Given that we have taken responsibility for Milton’s care, we have made our choice. Three) So far – crosses fingers – Milton has made it easy. In contrast, “At least Charlie got to spend a day out with his friends? He’s a good dog, but….. a little bit of a terrorist on stall rest.” ‘Fraidy Cat Eventing: mud – 1; emma – 0. Given the context, I think the author is taking about a matter of days, not four weeks and counting. Keep up the adaptable attitude, Milton. We appreciate it.

Onwards!
Katherine

Stall Rest Chronicles 31 Jan

Explanation. We have a horse on stall rest following colic surgery. This has taken over the blog. [Begin]

Milton is four weeks post surgery
Week 3 of stall rest

Milton is in a mood. Greg was cleaning the stall, so the top half of the stall door was open. Rodney went over to the corner of the run-in to get a drink. Milton left his hay, walked over several feet, stuck his head out the door, bit Rodney, and then went back to eating his hay.

Weekly tele-vet check-in. Sent pics of tum to vet. Verdict. Incision looks good. Healing well. Yay!

Onwards!
Katherine

Stall Rest Chronicles 30 Jan

Explanation. We have a horse on stall rest following colic surgery. This has taken over the blog. [Begin]

Milton is four weeks post surgery
Two weeks at clinic DONE
Two weeks of at-home stall rest DONE
Starting week 3 of four weeks of stall rest
Four weeks paddock rest
Four weeks pasture rest

Since it was the weekend, we had time to try a few new things. Reminder. Milton on stall rest. Rodney in companion (& partly self-imposed) confinement in the area next to the stall.

1) Team walks. Both horses out on leadropes. Rodney was excited. We bailed early not so much because Rodney was hard to handle, but because I was stressed about what might happen if he were to get away.

Voting this one down. While Milton is out, Rodney appears to prefer being in the stall cleaning up Milton’s leftover. This seems wrong. Rodney should get out of the barn. However, the point is enrichment for the horse. He gets to chose what he enjoys. Most horses want out of a stall. Rodney wants in.

Milton did not care one way or the other that Rodney was along on his walk. I think the bonding is one-sided. Dude, we’ve all been there.

2) Fed Rodney hay on the porch, an area of the field just outside the barn. We had time to hang out & keep eye on Milton. Rodney got some sun. Milton got used to seeing Rodney a little bit farther away.

Worked better, although Rodney only lasts for a short while before he wanders back in.

3) Took Milton for one long outing of 20 minutes rather than two 10-minute walks. Was more work for him. He was ready to come in.

Another keeper. Gentle increases in exercise are good therapy.

Partly it’s about what the horses want, or need, or enjoy, partly its about what we are able to cope with. We be a little jumpy at the moment.

Onwards!
Katherine

Stall Rest Chronicles 29 Jan

Explanation. We have a horse on stall rest following colic surgery. This has taken over the blog. [Begin]

Four weeks post surgery
Finishing week 2 of at-home stall rest

Vet: No coastal hay!
Us, to horses: Have some nice timothy.
Rodney: Nom. Nom.
Milton: Pffffft.

There will come a time when we will insist. Now is not that time.

Us, to Milton: Have some nice alfalfa.

Onwards!
Katherine