Poppi is saving up all his energy to be a bad boy when he finally is let out of his stall.  He was almost uncontrollable this morning on his hot walk.  Rearing, hopping, side stepping at a jog.  I think dressage is in his future... he is somethin' else...

I will start off by saying that I almost had to cancel Poppi's ultrasound appointment at Tufts.  Why?  Because he would not get into the trailer!  Matt took the day off of work to go with us and drive us to Tufts Hospital.  Poppi had no intention of loading.  Thank goodness Sherry and John were driving by and helped us "push" him into the trailer.  Finally, he got on, but only after tip toeing and taking his time.  Off we went, and as soon as we drove into the parking lot at Tufts, he screamed his head off in pure Poppi style until he backed out of the trailer and saw where he was.  Walking in, he was fine.  Once inside the big hospital, he paced a bit and waited patiently for me to give the staff all of his updated info.  He was mad at me because he kept pushing me with his nose and head and stared at me like he was terrified I was going to leave him there!  We then walked into the ultrasound room, he walked in with his head down like he had been there a million times.  His ultrasound was amazing to watch.  It was confirmed that he has a hernia, though not a terrible one and with rest and more time to heal, it may get smaller than it is now.  It is about the size of a grape sticking out from the incision site and it feels like its full of fluid.  The chances of his large intestine getting strangled are very low, and the ultrasound tech was very positive about how he looked.  He weighed in at 1166lbs, heavier than I had taped him.  Doctor Provost was so sweet, she gave him hugs and was pleased with him and said that he didn't look overweight, which was my concern.  The one staple he had left in his incision must have fallen out because they couldn't find it.  So that was a good thing.  All in all, good news.  Two more months of stall rest and then we can start letting him out into a SMALL turn out at first so that scar tissue can continue to form and he can heal better.  He gave us a little trouble getting back onto the trailer but with some help, he did his slow walk into the trailer and gave me the look like, um, I'm in charge here and I'm ready to go home now.  The ride home was great, due to Matt's pro dirivng and Poppi was more than happy to be home.  It did take two full syringes of tranq to quiet him down for his ultrasound, but he sweat that all out on the ride home.  He was so happy to be home, he pranced to the barn and greeted his buddies with his high pitched whinnies.  A true sign that he feels very good and he is back to his old self again.  He really is the most amazing horse I have ever known. <3

This weather is a little much for me.  When the barn kitty's milk freezes after being outside for 5 minutes, its time to move to a warmer part of the country.  Poppi is now in full winter gear.  Heavy winter blanket and hood, since he decided to tell me that the sleazy sleepwear hood I had put on him was not good enough, I needed to change to a thicker piece of horse clothing.  Oh don't worry, he let me know that he was not satisfied with his "hood-wear" by rubbing his face and neck on the wood in his stall until he put some nice rips in it and then somehow tore the nose piece right off, so it is virtually, un-fixable.  Yes, Poppi is back to being Poppi.  And though it gives me a slight stabbing pain behind my right eye to think about having to throw away a $60 hood that has been worn.... sigh..... twice..... I am happy that he is back to being himself and communicating things to me the way he always has - BY DESTROYING THINGS.  He goes in for his ultra sound on Tuesday.  Keep your hooves crossed for him <3

Lots of snow today, and wind and REALLY cold temps.  Looks like its not getting above 20 for the next couple days.  Things have been steady, Poppi is going on little walks here and there to get him out of his stall and stretch his legs.  He was doing good, until yesterday when he decided to rear on me twice and then canter in place for no reason except that he must have been happy to be out of his little jail cell.  Poor thing.  Needless to say, that was the end of his walk and back into the stall he went.  Naughty boy.  Today, he decided to walk himself out of his stall WITHOUT my assistance AND without his halter on.  He went right on over the hay and started eating because of course, he owns the barn.  I made his ultrasound appt today and continue to pray that they see only good things when he goes for his visit.  He seems to be doing really well, but I can't see whats going on inside of him, and that scares me.  His belly is still VERY loud and makes lots of noise, which I was told was a good thing.  Now I just have to keep his weight in check so that he doesn't get a hay belly.  Rozzi was Mr cuddle bug today and just would not leave me alone in the barn, so i took the clippers out and got to work on one of his legs.  He looks like a little clydsdale, you would not believe how much fur he has on his fetlocks and legs.  So he now has one clipped leg, and three unclipped which looks pretty cute.  I had to stop to give the clippers a break from all the hard work!  But what was great, is that he stood there in his stall, no halter or lead rope, and pretty much supervised the clipping of his fetlock hair.  After a few attempts to chew on the cord to the clippers, he finally realized that it may be better to just stand there and enjoy.  And so he did.  I can only pray he remains this laid back and calm... hooves crossed... Fanci and Codi are content and staying out of trouble for now... I think they are officially BF and GF, although it is a love/hate relationship.   =0)

so today was chillier than i had thought it would be.  Kept the blankets on Poppi and Rozzi and dewormed Rozzi half his dose.  The last time I wormed him his full dose, he had diarrhea for a day, so now I just do half a dose one day, wait a couple days, do the rest of the dose- on all the horses.  This month its strongid.  My goal is to be able to worm all of them without a halter on.  They are all getting better, only Fanci and Poppi give me trouble, but I can't blame either one of them after what they have both been thru in their lifetimes.  I need to clip the fur on Poppi's belly so I can see his "hernia" more clearly to be sure that its not getting bigger.  I feel like he may be getting a little round in the belly area, so I need to decrease his grain intake a bit.  Maybe 3/4 of a quart per feeding instead one full quart.  I will be calling Tufts monday to make his appt for his vet check and ultrasound.  Lets hope for good news.  Diana was nice enough to call me tonight and talk about Poppi's status and how he is doing.  She is so sweet, she gave me some good advice and can't wait to see Poppi! I bet he will remember her too when he sees her.  She did so much for him while he was sick and I will never be able to repay her or any of the doctors that worked on him and with him.  Maybe if the sun is out tomorrow, he can come out for some sun bathing again.  He seems to really enjoy that. =0)

It is so very warm in the sun today.  Poppi had a morning walk, well, more like a prance, and then he walked ME back into his stall so he could finish his breakfast.  Some people are asking me about his eyes.  He was diagnosed with a cataract in his left eye last August.  Doc says its not bad, but it does affect his vision and he can see mostly shadows.  He has been bumping into things, even before his surgery, so I am taking precautions so that its easier for him to get around.  He wears a fly mask with no ears and UV protection during the day when the sun is the brightest.  He has been wearing one of those his whole life to prevent eye damage and moon blindness, but some things you just have no control over- like genetics, and we all know how that goes!  Soon he will be going to Tufts for his ultrasound...

I took some updated pics of Poppi.  He has his butt back!  AND he is back up to his 1033lbs!  Woo hoo!  So happy.  He has had so much energy lately and I am getting anxious to let him out into his paddock.  But it scares me and I have to keep reminding myself that he needs an ultrasound first to be sure things are ok.  There is still that one spot on the left side of his incision that is soft, but it seems strong and he is quite happy and eating and pooping, and it hasn't changed size at all.  The Roz man decided to figure out how to get out of the gate into the grass pasture by pushing his weight against the gate so that eventually, the latch popped out and out he went to run and play.  He chased his ball into the field and then ran around like an Arab with his tail straight up and then he fell cuz he was running so fast.  Its all soft snow out there though, thank goodness.  Fanci and Codi were flirting over the rails yesterday, sniffing and kissing each other.  I think its good for Fanci to interact like that, mostly because she is so timid and gets very protective of me and her surroundings.  I can't wait for the next couple days, its going to be 40 degrees! YAY! =0)