Airs Above The Ground

Today I rode Hammer while Kate rode Ashley. Hammer was really hyper, almost as hyper as he was last time I rode him, just before we left to go to Houston for Christmas. Then he practically sprinted 4 miles and was still trying to take off on me when we got back.

Anyways, today we rode again. We thought it might be fun to rear Hammer a time or two, and as I was talking I told Kate about how, occasionally, Hammer used to hop into the air mid-rear, thus doing an air above the ground. I believe this is called a corbette. So I got Hammer to rear and gave him a squeeze as he was going up, and lo and behold, he jumped! So we worked on that for a while. It took him about 20 minutes to figure out the difference, and for me to figure out a separate cue. It was awesome! Someday I will get pictures, once we perfect this!

Update on Hammer

Hammer is back to normal - the vet suggested I put the horses on psyllium for 2 strait months. I don;t have the cash for that, but I am going to try 1 month, then regularly 1 week per month after that (I tend to slack on it). But Hammer is okay, hopefully for good. I will take it easy on him for a while.

Update on Hammer

This morning shows no major improvement. Hammer did not eat all his food - though some is certainly gone. He still has diarrhea but at least something is coming out. He still wants to lay down but isn't rolling.

I gave him some alfalfa pellets soaked in warm water, and he has been going for that. Just nibbles for the most part, but he is eating it. Which also means he is getting some water in him.

Oh yes, this morning he has more gut sounds, which is great, though his heart rate isn't as slow as I'd like. He has been pacing at a quick walk when he isn't nibbling or laying down. I hope this passes soon...

Hammer's Colic

So this is just copied from another site:

So that running yesterday might have been a bad idea; today Hammer is colicking. I noticed it this morning, and as of now (7 PM) he isn't all better. He has stopped trying to lay down so often (only once in the past hour at least) but he still isn't eating or drinking. He hasn't broken a sweat all day, and he has remained clear eyed and alert. But we had a scare when he laid down and apparently had a seizure - we were sitting by him as he lay, but as he wasn't trying to roll we weren't trying to make him get up. But then we heard a loud gut sound and he laid flat and started twitching. His eyes rolled back in his head and when Kate tried to pull him up by the lead, he was completely unresponsive. I started pushing on his withers and got him partway up but he wasn't getting his legs under him so I punched him in the ribs a couple times. That woke him up and he jumped to his feet and started trotting around. He looked like he had no idea where he was for a minute.

He has only laid down once since then but Kate had him up pretty quick. He still isn't eating. Kate brought him some warm water as he has only drunk once today (and has not peed at all - only pooped twice and those were both small). But now it's my turn to stay with him for 20 minutes. Update soon.

Edit at 9:30 PM: He has eaten, and Kate said he was asleep when she went to check on him. I will check on him once before bed (hopefully soon - I haven't been this physically tired in a long time).