Stand Up and Be Counted

A good sign on the road to recovery for River -- she was moved to another pasture as she had decided to upset the horse hierarchy in her pasture.  River was low mare on the totem pole in her pasture, waiting quietly for the other two bonded, larger mares to eat.  River largely stayed to herself as she was the "third wheel" so to speak.  When River strayed from the hierarchy, she was immediately put in her place by the other two mares.  So, I was really surprised to hear that she had decided to take charge!  River is on a grain-restricted diet due to her laminitis issues, and she was put in with those horses in particular as they wouldn't let her near their grain.  With River stepping up and taking over the top of the "feed chain", River was moved to another pasture with another set of horses. She has settled in nicely as "top horse" in the hierarchy for that pasture.

So -- River decided to assert herself.  Now, in the horse world, that means re-establishing her place in the herd, which usually means forms of physical and verbal communication  such as pinned ears, kicking, or biting --- not acceptable behavior in the human world!  The concept, however, of being assertive when necessary (not aggressive -- assertive) definitely applies in the human world, both in one's work life and personal life.  This could be as small as saying "no" to a social commitment in order to spend time with your family to standing up for a cause you passionately believe in.

The dictionary defines the term "assertive" as:  "having or showing a confident and forceful personality".  Words associated with term "assertive" include confident, assured, forthright, firm, and emphatic.

Being assertive is necessary for us to establish boundaries in our lives.  I know that there are times that I need to be more assertive as I often have trouble saying "no".  Are there areas in your life where you need to be more assertive?  Food for thought courtesy of River.

 

                                  River doesn't hesitate to tell me how she feels about a bath.

 

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Yesterday was another milestone in River's recovery from a bout of laminitis -- and time for another round of x-rays to look at how the bones in her two front feet are doing.  I am happy to say that her condition continues to improve, though we are still trying to pin down the underlying cause for the laminitis, as well as chart a path for her long term care to minimize future flair-ups.

[As a side note, technology is a wonderful thing in the equine veterinary field.  The vet can bring portable x-ray equipment to the barn, take an x-ray and get an x-ray image almost immediately on a laptop screen.  At the end of the process, I get a CD of images that I can take home and look at, as well as export images as photos and send them to my farrier, another critical team member in River's recovery.]

In addition to having to stand for x-rays, River was also subjected to a blood draw (for an endocrine test to see if the underlying cause of laminitis can be determined) and her annual dental work.  As always, she was quite the trooper, including standing still for a significant period (well... most of the time) for multiple x-ray images.

I peppered the vet with questions about her follow-on care (yep, I'm an engineer -- I have my list!) -- remain with a hay only diet; anti-inflammatories on a regular basis; additional hoof trimming on the front....  After the vet left, I had a chance to reflect.  River is now out of the immediate crisis phase and moving into the longer term managed-care phase.  She is comfortable on her feet, but she has a long way to go, with the possibility of having another occurrence.

The door has been slightly opened to the possibility in the near-term future (weeks) that I may actually get to ride her to do some very light exercise -- which I find exciting and scary at the same time.  Scary as I want to be careful not to exacerbate her condition.

River has come so far in these past few months -- bringing me along with her as I get a crash course on laminitis.  Her slow and steady progress will be the key to a long and comfortable life for her and a long-term equine friendship for me.  The recovery requires lots of patience on my part -- River is always patient;  she takes what comes to her with equanimity.

In practicing patience, I have developed a stronger bond with River as I now spend time with her in other ways than riding, like leisurely grooming sessions and baths.  I have to remind myself periodically, though,  that slow and steady will ultimately win this race.

And the patience I am learning through this experience is helping me in other areas of my life where previously I may have acted more quickly than I should.  Patience is certainly a virtue in all areas of our lives.  Sometimes it takes a significant event to teach that lesson.

River takes a drink after some grooming time.