Sometimes it's great when you can trust your intuition, and things work out well, it's an amazing feeling. After this many years working with animals, and attempting to hone my skills, it's nice that it pays off sometimes. That being said, many of the species we are caring for are very new to us, so I'm still a little unsure when things come up, but as I've tried to impart on the various keepers/owners/trainers (and husband), if you don't ask the question/do the test/take the sample etc, you won't know, so you can't assume!
If I hadn't brought in Henry's fecal, he could have become horribly anemic and died. Lambs do. It would have been easy to just say I didn't have the time, it was 35 miles away, he's probably fine, etc. There's always a reason to put something off here, at least for a procrastinator like me. Always more to be done. How to prioritize? (aside from obvious triage) So when I'm rewarded for my efforts, it's a really really good thing. He never scoured. I just knew he wasn't right. It's a tough call when it involves money in order to test a theory, and when you are just barely getting to know an animal's normals. My decisions aren't made out of fear. But at the end of the day absolutely I am terrified of loss, I've had too much. And I know all too well that there are some mistakes or omissions you can't take back. If you screw up, and something dies, you can't take it back. There are no do-overs.
****
I've been missing riding so much. Hardly ridden at all this summer, after waiting for the snowpack to leave...It's been so hot...some days downright dangerous to exercise a horse, let alone one with respiratory disease. I like to think that I can read Oakley pretty well now, and we have a pretty good relationship. He's not a bad horse AT ALL, but he has taken off on me twice, once under saddle, and I got him under control (but boy did I get him back to the barn quickly before he tried again) and once in the winter with only a lead and halter on, while wearing snowpants, on his slippery blanket, I slid off sideways in the millisecond it took me to decide I'd try to bail out, but it was too late, and I landed right on my face in the sharp granular snowpack. Two months of whiplash pain. So I've become a lot more cautious with him, and unfortunately it means I don't ride him like I should, and WILL. He's just as moody as any human, with the 1300 lbs and super speed to make a situation turn dangerous. I want to learn how to manage these situations better, because I'm very aware of how quickly he learns, and just like with any other intelligent species that's hierarchy driven (dogs, horses, chickens) I don't want to set a precedence for him to say" ohhhh here's an opportunity for me to test her and win, so I'll try that every single time..." I don't want to ruin him : (
Learning to read his moods has been so much fun. I always know when there are coyotes around, based on his behaviour, an hour before we hear them. He's such a friendly boy, and I miss him terribly especially on my Fridays (TRC days). It also has to be part of self preservation...I'm here alone, a lot, with him. I have to make sure I set up for success, so if I know it's a blustery cold evening when he's likely to be all wired, I obviously won't ask him for any new behaviours, or get myself into situations where he's be inspired to bolt....
But last week, the mood was perfectly relaxed. Hot but not oppressive. G was scything and putting up the new sheep rotation in the adjacent pasture. I went out to see the horses--it was time to come in for their midday break from flies and heat. Oak saw me coming, and walked over to meet me, all inquisitive and sweet. I grabbed his halter and we walked over closer to Sir Winnicus. I let go of Oak, and he decided we had stopped in a perfect spot for a roll. He thumped down in the grass, and rolled and kicked. I was only 5 feet away, so I jumped over to him and threw a leg over, grabbed his mane just as he was heaving himself to his feet. What a rush! I looked across the field and saw G through his arms in the air and then give a thumbs up, and a whoop. I had a lead in my hands and managed to reach forward far enough to clip it to the cheek piece of his halter (he's got a really long neck!!) Reached around the other side and tied a quick knot, and we headed over to see G, with Winston following us. Got to G, and he said " what the hell was that??? since when did you become a Princess of Rohan!!?"
I guess it was a risk, but I felt in that instant that he would behave, and he did. Just like yesterday when I finally took his sutures out from his head wound. What a good boy! Reading moods is everything it seems....It's a good feeling to make training gains when you didn't plan for them--just be opportunistic (but not reckless) and you might add some +'s to what sometimes feels like = or -'s in keeping animals.
****
At the time I started this post I had mentioned to G that Captain Jack seems a little off, and I'd like to get some blood work done asap. Yesterday morning (Monday) G went off to work, and I slept in. The reason I slept in is the upsetting part. Since when does Captain Jack not crow in the morning??? I woke up, concerned, and sure enough poor Mr. Hun EE was too weak to jump down from his perch. He would only walk very slowly when I put him on the kitchen floor. He seemed stunned, cold, disoriented. I sat here wrapping their perch while my brain worked on all the options of what could be wrong.
So by midday he was at the vet, and two hours later I'd spent G's greenhouse supply money. : ( Jack is doing a little better today, but I'm still very worried, as we don't really have a firm diagnoses. We both woke up at 5am today and I was already out of bed as G sleepily asked if I was going to check on Mr. Hun EE.
 |
| Captain Jack resting in the sun this morning. |
Lorpie is off as well, and I just can't tell if her reproductive disease is resurfacing, or if she's just depressed from her moult that is taking forever. We've often noticed moulting birds acting cranky and off. I hope my gut is wrong on this one.
****
This is a tough time of year for all of the birds. There was frost on the car yesterday morning. It will be 83 degrees tomorrow afternoon. These fluctuations set them up for respiratory issues. The guinea keets are doing well so far, despite neurotic Miss Demeanor, their mom. I've put up wind breaks of clear PVC lite which makes a little mini greenhouse effect, and I have a heated seed mat in a tray in there as well, so they can get some heat when Miss D isn't willing to sit for them.
****
The evenings and nights are wonderful lately....it's really feeling like fall, and with it, I feel more like myself. The sounds of migration are finally here. The change of the seasons has always been exciting to me. Anyone who has grown up in the west doesn't really know what it's like! G is learning. It was clear and cold late last night when we went out to give the lambs their medication. Oakley was bright eyed, resting in the middle of his paddock, and the moon was so bright it cast shadows everywhere. My cold nose on his warm furry neck. Great horned owl hooting. After our barn time we headed back to the house, smiling. I heard a yip in the distance, so we stopped to listen, and pretty soon a full pack of coyotes was barking and yipping and howling while we stood there smiling.
City life has got NOTHING over this. I guess that's why my stomach turns to knots when I spend too much time in the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment