Nothing is quite scarier than going to the barn to see your ponies and finding one dragging their hind leg, or any leg, for that matter. But that's what I found yesterday. Talk about making your heart stop. Willow, instead of being her usual, happy sociable self, was at the far end of the field; by herself. She didn't even come up for hay when her afternoon snack arrived. OMG - something is seriously wrong. This horse does not miss a meal: ever.
So I grab a halter and go down to see her. She doesn't even try to evade me. Definitely something wrong. Leading her up the hill to flat, dry ground; she walks really slowly, dragging the toe of her right hind leg. I check her over; starting at the bottom looking for swelling, scuffs, cuts, bumps; feeling for heat; anything that might give me a clue as to what is going on. Nothing. Hmm. I get to the stifle (please not a stifle injury), still nothing. So pull off the blankets to look for something higher... And that's when I see it... A HUGE muscle knot in the big muscles between the hip and buttock. Ouch, that has to hurt. I run my hand over it and she just about falls down. Poor thing. Judging from the height and force required to make the lump, it's obvious that Spike belted her one. After some ice, and walking Willow is starting to move better.
Of course, today is an entirely different story... They're all bucking, racing around like idiots; Willow is doing sliding stops through the mud and spinning to make a reining horse jealous (hmm, warmbloods can be reiners, can't they?) it's obvious that she's just fine!
