Yesterday I worked on Oliver, who was cast off from the racing industry at a young age due to a crooked hoof and has always been a very difficult horse to deal with. His father, Oliver’s Twist, was second in the Preakness. If I had raced him, his official racing name would have been Oliverclothesoff. Ha!

Over the years I have almost put him down more times than I can even remember. He nearly sawed his hoof off once on a barbed wire fence. But months of rehab got him through that. He nearly killed himself several times rearing back and hitting his head on ceilings. Over the years I tried anti-anxiety meds of different types, too. Of all the animals in my life he has tested me probably the most, made me question myself, and wrestle with the notion of when enough is enough. Yet he is also the most well trained horse I have ever trained. And when he tunes in to you, I swear you can just ‘think’ what you want and he will respond, flawlessly, magically. Really telepathically. He loves to train, learn and perform. He has just not been an easy animal to handle over the years.
And now that he is older, and pretty lame from a lifetime of self inflicted injuries, he doesn’t panic anymore and is wonderful for the beginner’s to work with, because it’s easy to get high levels of performance out of him, with the slightest touch of a finger.

So it’s been tough to see him struggling with a urination problem for the past few months. He he stands spread out and groans, and constantly dribbles bloody urine. I tried antibiotics, urinary acidifiers, consulting with equine specialists, and at the end of the day the only thing that keeps his symptoms at 4-6 out of 10 instead of an 8, are Chinese Herbs. They tell me there is nothing else that can be done for him except taking him into a hospital for possibly surgery to remove a bladder stone, but if it a neurological problem where he is unable to fully empty his bladder, there is no treatment at all.
The only thing left to try was catheterizing him and flushing his bladder. Yesterday I only worked a half day in the hospital, and the weather was nice, so I gathered all my supplies and my poor willing daughter to help me, and we went back to work.
I researched it beforehand to ensure I didn’t miss anything. The books all said you could rupture their bladder, or give them a terrible infection, my daughter was terrified and unsure we should even be doing this. I didn’t think we had a choice. So I gathered my supplies, disinfected a space in the barn, took a deep breath, sedated him, and began.

Turns out it was pretty easy. We could have used another pair of hands but my 16 year old daughter by now has helped me with enough of these things she is a real pro , so she helped make sure he didn’t fall down, while also helping me pass the catheter and hold the bag of fluids we used to flush his bladder out. It went very well, and we flushed out lots of blood and huge chunks of tissue. When I felt that was all we could do, I floated his teeth, then gave him a dose of pain meds and antibiotics, and he lumbered back out to spend the night with his pals. It was interesting to see how all the rest of the animals gathered around, quietly, watching, and listening, worried about their friend, and waiting to make sure he would return.

So today I am grateful that the thing I had been dreading to do, turned out to not be so difficult for me after all. I am grateful I had all of the tools I needed, and I am grateful I didn’t have to put him down. I wish I could tell myself 10 years ago, to just hang in there, and stop worrying about him. He is now such a gift, for working with the volunteers and teaching them how to handle horses with barely a flick of the wrist, and for protecting us from the Mustangs when they get too wiley (because he is still the big man in charge of them all), I am grateful he is still here, despite all the years of heartache, he is an old reliable friend. I told him last night, he better be here for at least another 10-15 years.

​And I am so happy and grateful to report that when I went out to see them at first light this morning, Oliver was the first horse to trot happily up the hill and greet me! He definitely seemed to feel better! That is a huge sigh of relief! So what are you grateful for today? Are you being kind to yourself? I sure hope so. Because today is Sunday, the day of rest. I hope you get to spend some quality time with someone who means a lot to you. Today, you are changing your life for the better. Know that you are loved. You are a magnet for all good things. Today, you are a better person. Today, don’t be afraid, help someone else, smile, dance, and have fun, so that when you go to sleep tonight, you will reflect back on this day, and think, better and better, every day, in every way.

Wishing you all the best you Animal Loving Angels! Have a most wonderful Sunday!

Check out my YouTube channel for a daily "Good Morning!" from the rescues and lots of free tips and training resources. https://www.youtube.com/@the1drq