RicelandMeadows

Knight

October 3, 2015

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. I guess that is true, because each person has their own idea of beauty. I see my horses head, the honesty in his eye, the trust in his demeanor and I am overcome by his beauty.I have owned this guy since he was just a few weeks old. He and I are friends. I take good care of him. He in turn will do almost anything that I ask.

Two summers ago, Knight walked into the roof of one of my pasture pig shelters. (I have since made design changes and keep horses and sheds far apart) The edge of the roof cut my buddy right across his chest. He had a gaping wound eight inches across. It was gapped open enough that my whole fist would fit into the cut. He acted as if he didn’t feel a thing. I, on the other hand, was scared to death.

We made an emergency trip to the veterinarian’s office. They told me the surgery needs would be much easier to do there, than here on the farm. We sped over to the vet’s place. Upon arriving, we found the restraint pen the vet had was way to small for my very large friend. The vet was a bit worried about the procedure and the lack of ability to restrain the animal. I reassured the vet that all would be well, as long as I was at the horse’s head.

I put him in the pipe stall. It was wide enough, just way too short. I calmed Knight with my voice and hand. The vet numbed the cut with several shots. My horse’s eye got a little big. The white showed for just a second or two, but he did not move. He kept his eyes locked on me. At times he would put his muzzle on my shoulder, but he did not make a fuss of any kind. I talked to him softly, just as I have any time some “monster” scares him like a tarp, plastic bag or child in a nylon snowsuit. He stood still, waiting on me to tell him what to do next. My veterinarian remarked, “That horse really trusts you. I can’t hardly believe what I am seeing.”

The vet finished in about an hour. Two drains were installed in his cut and many stitches to close the wound. It was an ugly thing to see, but much better than the bloody, gaping wound it had once been. I began daily care of that awful wound. The care lasted more than three months. Wound dressing, rest, daily bathing of the area and a whole lot of praise and it healed. It healed to the point that there are just a few white hairs to show the scar, no bump, no indent, just those white hairs. I am so very pleased, it is hard to describe.

Knight and I have always been close, but our bonding over his wound is like no other. He comes to me wherever I am. He listens to me anytime and he stays calm always. Calm is a great thing for an animal this large and powerful. It is not only a great thing….it is a beautiful thing 😮