Cold Feet

I eagerly drove my red pickup to the barn, ready to see what kind of shape my horse was when I arrived. I hadnt seen him since Saturday where I soaked his hoof in epsom salts. His hoof was still warm then, and his heel bulb was soft and tender. I feared that day that I would be expecting a secondary blow out site for the abscess. But with the back of his fetlock getting sore from the constant rubber boot being put on, I didnt wrap his hoof up after the soak, and worried if that was a bad plan.

I arrived Monday evening and scanned the pasture from the highway in my truck. I saw Milo standing on all four legs evenly. As I pulled down the driveway, Milo walked up to the gate, me appeared to be walking soundly, but I wasnt going to get my hopes up just yet. I haltered him up (or more, Milo haltered himself, jamming his nose into the loop of the noseband) and led him out of the mud. I ran my hand down his dirty mud sticky leg and didnt detect any heat. But again, I didnt want to get my hopes up.

Leading him to the barn, I listened to his footfalls, they were an even cadenced 1 2 3 4. I turned around to face him and trotted him up the driveway, watching his footfalls at the jog. He evenly stepped into a trot and looked and sounded sound still.

I attached him into the cross ties and ran a brush across his legs and hoof. Then ran my hands down them again. His hoof felt cold. I compared to the other side, and it felt the same. I did this about six more times, not sure I was entirely convinced that I felt no heat. Pleased, I groomed the dried mud off of the parts the blanket doesnt cover, and rubbed Milo's shedding white face. I ran my hands on his hooves again, and they still felt cold so I grabbed my longe stick and lead Milo off to the round pen.

Fortunetly, the round pen was workable, not a puddle in sight. I longed Milo for about twenty minutes, eagle eyeing his pace and the left hind. All seemed sound as I made him walk, trot, lope, and change directions. I bent down to feel the hooves again, and all was still cold. Milo licked and chewed, he was happy to feel better and get a little bit of work in again. I blanketed him back up and lead him back down to his pasture. Rubbing his big white face again, I put him away. Happy.

Edit: On another note, be sure to check out the NRCHA World Show, live on Galloping Video, link here.