Mama's Boy

I have 6 horses of my own. They are: Colty, a coming-4 year old warmblood; Piper, a 14 year old Paint, Shortstiop, a 9 year old miniature horse, Acka, a 22 year old retired broodmare, Johnny, a 27 year old retired thoroughbred, and Winsome, my 2 year old thoroughbred gelding. This post is about Winsome, my baby. Winsome is out of Acka, who is a stakes-placed daughter of Ack Ack, and by the stallion Kela, who won $1.3 million on the track and placed in one of the breeder's cup races. Winsome is being kept as a riding horse---I just got too attached, so I took him to the Keeneland yearling auction last September and bought him out of his co-ownership agreement.

I had Winsome gelded yesterday, and also had his wolf teeth pulled. I was hoping they would do the new method where you just make a couple of small incisions and it takes care of itself over 2-3 months, but they did it the messy old fashioned way. The vets came out at 11 and he was standing and acting somewhat back to himself by 1. At 7 pm he was still dripping blood but the vets told me to wait another hour or so. By 8 pm the blood was coming out in two steady streams. It was pooling under his feet. He was acting normal, however. He didn't even get scared when the vets came out a second time, and normally he's pretty scared of strangers.

The vets came back out an anesthetized him a second time, this time putting in 15 stitches and 5 or 6 rolls of gauze. He was a wreck after that. I had to stay up all night with him, as he was just shaking and scared. He stayed right with me anywhere I moved in the stall, even though I could tel he was in immense pain. He was covered in sweat and terrified. If I didn't stand with his neck on my shoulder, one arm under his neck and supporting him and the other stroking him, he trembled like he was about to fall over. Even with that, he'd go through bouts of trembling harder and softer. Finally, he fell sleep with me holding his neck. That was well past 1 am. I guess since he's only 2 years old, he's still kind of a mama's boy. I wonder if I'm going to feel "empty nest syndrome" when he leaves for training next year. He's my youngest and he's also my baby.

He's doing a bit better today. He's moving around a bit more, although the right lower side of his face is paralyzed. I'm hoping that's just from swelling from the tooth pulling, because he's also having some trouble chewing. He will need to go back under general tomorrow to have the stitches removed, because he's not going to let me do any of that. I just want my colt back to normal. It's almost as painful for me to have to watch him hurt and be scared as it is for him to have to go through it.