Post by SandyG on Jun 19, 2018 11:02:40 GMT -5
To say it has been hectic and that there is stress in the air at Refuge Farms is putting it a bit simply. Add to that, the heat of the past week and the gnats and now the standing water and you have a little caretaker woman who has lost her cell phone, forgotten to close windows during the storms, and also actually hooked and fed and turned them loose only to turn around and hook them again before I "came to" and realized what I was doing!
So it rained last night and the cooler dry air is blowing in from the north. A healthy horse is playing in this wet grass without bugs and meeting the new shoots of green to eagerly devour them. No noisy fans, no competition for being right in front of the fans, and no pesty woman coming to check for bugs, test for water intakes, or in general, be a nuisance.
Helen is a late 20's mare that I believe came off the cart track. She came to us just prior to being euthanized by an organization in the eastern side of Wisconsin. Her total blindness - although created by her human - was viewed as a liability and no one would adopt her. Except Refuge Farms.
Two summers ago, Helen received a trach to help her breathe. It seems the black mold she ate to survive has started to rot her nasal passages and her air intake was not sufficient to prevent her death. So this mare, without eyes, became a long-term trach horse. And she is plump and content.
In watching her these past years, I've noticed that she gets hot before the others and cools down faster than the others. My theory is that the trach allows the hot or cold air to enter her lungs earlier than if she was breathing through her nose. So the normal cooling or heating of the air before it fills her chest isn't happening and thus she has a faster impact of severe temps.
This morning, I was consumed in finding that ^(#)% cell phone while I was feeding Helen. Her body was wet from the night rains and I was chilled with the strength of the northerly winds. Helen came in, as asked, and stood in her tie stall awaiting her meal like every other morning. But I noticed she was shivering. Again, that cold north wind went straight into her chest and she was fighting the cold and struggling doing it since she was also soaking wet.
I went to the pile of winter blankets yet to be washed for next season and grabbed her favorite. Nothing was hooked, I just draped it over her withers to help her dry out and warm up. And then dear Helen worked her magic on me.
Helen stood like a statue as I told her the blanket was coming and then tossed it over her. I adjusted it slightly and then hugged her neck telling her that she could relax and eat her breakfast now. And yes, I promised her, the blanket will stay on until she is dry and warm again.
Helen took that gorgeous head of hers and turned toward me, standing back a bit but on her left side. Taking one step back to be even with me, Helen then took that head and pulled me into her. Ever so gently. Ever so grateful. And ever so lovingly. Helen hugged me to express her gratitude.
We stood there quite a while - she avoiding her food and me finally calming down enough to breathe with her. My total focus became to breathe with Helen. Be like Helen. Be grateful like Helen. And be kind like Helen. Live in this moment like Helen.
Every morning I sing in the barns for people needing a prayer. This mornig the song was not strong or joyful but it was there. I am diligent about my prayers. And always, I end the prayers with the request that I be more like the horses.
This morning, Helen took me close to her and invited me to be more like her. And I accepted her offer and am now righted with the world and my soul. Today, I am making the choice to be more like Helen.
So it rained last night and the cooler dry air is blowing in from the north. A healthy horse is playing in this wet grass without bugs and meeting the new shoots of green to eagerly devour them. No noisy fans, no competition for being right in front of the fans, and no pesty woman coming to check for bugs, test for water intakes, or in general, be a nuisance.
Helen is a late 20's mare that I believe came off the cart track. She came to us just prior to being euthanized by an organization in the eastern side of Wisconsin. Her total blindness - although created by her human - was viewed as a liability and no one would adopt her. Except Refuge Farms.
Two summers ago, Helen received a trach to help her breathe. It seems the black mold she ate to survive has started to rot her nasal passages and her air intake was not sufficient to prevent her death. So this mare, without eyes, became a long-term trach horse. And she is plump and content.
In watching her these past years, I've noticed that she gets hot before the others and cools down faster than the others. My theory is that the trach allows the hot or cold air to enter her lungs earlier than if she was breathing through her nose. So the normal cooling or heating of the air before it fills her chest isn't happening and thus she has a faster impact of severe temps.
This morning, I was consumed in finding that ^(#)% cell phone while I was feeding Helen. Her body was wet from the night rains and I was chilled with the strength of the northerly winds. Helen came in, as asked, and stood in her tie stall awaiting her meal like every other morning. But I noticed she was shivering. Again, that cold north wind went straight into her chest and she was fighting the cold and struggling doing it since she was also soaking wet.
I went to the pile of winter blankets yet to be washed for next season and grabbed her favorite. Nothing was hooked, I just draped it over her withers to help her dry out and warm up. And then dear Helen worked her magic on me.
Helen stood like a statue as I told her the blanket was coming and then tossed it over her. I adjusted it slightly and then hugged her neck telling her that she could relax and eat her breakfast now. And yes, I promised her, the blanket will stay on until she is dry and warm again.
Helen took that gorgeous head of hers and turned toward me, standing back a bit but on her left side. Taking one step back to be even with me, Helen then took that head and pulled me into her. Ever so gently. Ever so grateful. And ever so lovingly. Helen hugged me to express her gratitude.
We stood there quite a while - she avoiding her food and me finally calming down enough to breathe with her. My total focus became to breathe with Helen. Be like Helen. Be grateful like Helen. And be kind like Helen. Live in this moment like Helen.
Every morning I sing in the barns for people needing a prayer. This mornig the song was not strong or joyful but it was there. I am diligent about my prayers. And always, I end the prayers with the request that I be more like the horses.
This morning, Helen took me close to her and invited me to be more like her. And I accepted her offer and am now righted with the world and my soul. Today, I am making the choice to be more like Helen.