Moto's Morning

I met the vet at Moto's barn bright and early this morning on my way into the office. I arrived just in time for the diagnostic ultrasound on his bowed tendon. Dr. Reese is the ideal vet: confident, competent, and genuinely caring. She is as good with people as she is with horses. She patiently explained the ultrasound images in detail. She didn't seem to mind my barrage of questions, many of which were probably stupid, but she never let on.

Moto is making excellent progress. He's completed his fourth (!) month of stall rest and his recovery is progressing as expected. He now can be ridden at the trot for the next two months. If all goes well, he can be ridden at the canter in June. I expressed my nervousness at moving to this next phase, but Dr. Reese explained that it's not only safe, it's also necessary. The gradual increase in weight on the tendon rebuilds the tissue--walking puts more weight on it than standing; trotting puts more weight on it than walking; cantering puts more weight on it than trotting; and the ultimate weight-bearing exercise is jumping. I don't intend for Moto to resume his show jumping career, so I think we'll be just fine once he is cleared to canter again.

Stay with me now only if you're up for a recap that screams Too Much Information. About once a year, a gelding needs to have his sheath cleaned. It's not the most pleasant thing to do, but it is essential. Smegma (dirt and excretions) builds up in the sheath, creating lumps or "beans" that must be removed. It was time for Moto's cleaning today.

The vet gave Moto a mild sedative to get him to, uh, relax his sheath, and we waited for the drug to kick in. It was kind of funny to be responding to work emails on my Blackberry while constantly glancing over to see if Moto had "let down" his privates. What's that saying--a watched pot never boils? Modest Moto had to be given another sedative to fully relax. It's always sad to see a sedated horse. They sweat, drool, and hang their sleepy heads. The cleaning took much longer than I expected. Although my horse books provide instructions for sheath cleaning, I've decided that I'm very happy to pay the vet to do this particular procedure. I haven't received the bill yet, but I feel certain that the vet earned every cent.

Cleaning complete, I thanked the vet and headed to the office. By 10AM, I'd mucked out a goat pen, witnessed a sheath cleaning, and prepared three documents for filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Some days are sorta weird.