I was sitting with my friend Louise after my golf lesson today.  Golf is something I’m taking up, but as with most golfers, the question is why?

I met Louise originally by chance at the supermarket.  She had a jacket on that had a Carousel Horse on the back and it had Carousel Farm printed across it.  Of course when you see the name of your farm on someone else’s jacket you do stop and chat.  She had a farm before retiring, and that was the name of their farm.  About a year later she was introduced to me at the golf course.  I looked at her and said “I know you!” and explained where we had me.  We’ve seen each other off and on at the golf course for a while, she lives in the community there.  She missed her horses, we told her to stop by, but for the longest time she didn’t.  Then she shows up a couple of weeks ago and gave me and Bob her and her husbands jackets, with tears in her eyes.  What a wonderfully kind thing to do.  I invited her riding, and she came.  Imagine that.  After she visited with the jackets her husband told mine how much he hates him, and that he thought they were done with horses.  Silly man.

We may think we reach a point where we don’t want the heartache of losing another one, or we’re too old to be doing this anymore.  But once they are in our blood, are we really ever done with horses?  They may get smaller, or quieter, or older, but they have a mane, tail, and vet bills, yup they’re horses.

Back to my beginning thought.

We were sitting talking about the horses that have touched our lives, the experiences they have given us, when she started talking about being at a show and having the horse outside of her trailer colic.  She got a hold of the trainer, told him, and he came running over.  She said she had Banamine and that he was welcomed to use it.  He gave this horse (a 1,300 lb. horse) 40 cc.  Oh my gosh, she thought he was going to kill this animal with that dose.  They threw him in the trailer and ran him up to a veterinarian clinic.  P.S. the horse did live.  Then she told me that when she was interviewing someone to care for her horse she asked him – “If my horse coliced, how much Banamine would you give him?”  That stuck in my head like flashing neon lights.  What a wonderful question.  Hours later that question is still bouncing around in my head.  Oh there has to be a post in this, and here it is.

I know once when I was going to be taking care of my neighbors horses while she was away she asked to see me wrap a leg.  I thought well that’s odd, but okay.

Yes we all can have the vets number posted, but truly, does the person we are leaving in charge of our animals know simple emergency care to give while they are waiting for the vet?  Do they know the signs to look for?  How well do they know what’s normal for your horse.

I really like “If my horse was colicing how much Banamine would you give him”, but what question would you ask that would make you feel comfortable?

Give it some thought, it could save your horse’s life.