MA>LD :>Phoenix colicked twice in the last 3 weeks.....hefty vet
MA>LD :>bills!  Tru had a
MA>LD :>slight colic last weekend, but she got through it without
MA>LD :>much stress.
MA>Whew!  What's with all these colics?  Does your vet have any idea why?
MA>Hope you're through with this for now.  Nothing scarier!
The changing weather is what the vets keep saying is the cause of the
colic.  I think it was the tons of acorns that fell from the skies and into
their corral.  One time Phoenix had a slight swelling in her colon, the
next time it was a slight impaction.  Both times she did this in the
evening, she refused food and stretched like a crazed park horse.  She
almost fell over she was so far out in front and so far out in the
rear.  Then she's crumple in a moaning heap at the end of the lead rope and
use the rope to hold her head up as she'd look at me helplessly.  She is
VERY good at drama!  I think that she has a very low threshold for pain,
but I couldn't take a chance that she might not be over reacting.
She has been back to her old wild self ever since, though.  We've started
to add salt and corn oil to the grain and have been hosing down the hay.
I'm not sure it helped, but I'm not going to stop and find out.
Speaking of wild, I rode her for the first time in about 2 weeks today.  It
was the only day that I had time and it hadn't rained in 2 days, so parts
of the arena were ok.  She was fine to mount, then she decided that all she
knew was to back up.  Then, when we finally found forward, we found an
enormous buck and rear combo that just about put me on the ground.  I have
a lovely bruise in the stomach where I came down on the horn from the buck
portion and she was coming up for her rear.
I haven't been able to figure out her cues that she's about to blow up.  It
almost always comes as a complete suprise to me.  I even lunged her to get
some of it out of her first.  Even on the lunge line I can't always tell
when she's about to blow.  I really don't think it's bad temper, because
there isn't any flat ears or wringing tails prior to the episode.  And,
she stopped completely once I yelled out her name and said no or whoa. (I
can't remember!)  It really frustrates me since she can be such a dream to
ride when we're in sinc!
Laura
 * LND 1.0 * "The majority is never right"
--- Maximus/2 3.01
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