Hot Horses

Yesterday, Juanita asked me to take Jesses' temperature. As the temp needs to be taken rectally, and horses can KICK, I always approach the task with some trepidation. Jessie was a little concerned, but behaved herself (probably because Juanita was grooming her while standing on her other side). Temp was normal.

Taking Jessies' temperature reminded me of the first time Ranger had his temp taken. As a 15 year old mustang, there was a lot about life with people he still didn't "get". About 4 or 5 years ago in December, we found a tumor growing on his gums about where the "bit bar" would go. It grew to the size of a golf ball in less than 2 weeks time. I called our old local vet to check him out. Doc looked him over and decided he needed to go the vet hospital at CSU down in Ft. Collins because the tumor was growing so aggressively. We loaded Ranger into the trailer a day or two later and took him down to the vet hospital.

At the hospital, I took him into a large concrete floored barn space (a first for him) where by the wall he saw a horse skeleton display, just standing there. He was completely focused on the horse bones, and suddenly I saw his eyes bug out. I looked back and the Vet tech had just inserted a rectal thermometer. He never did look away from the "Dead Horse Standing".

Surgery was a success, and I was riding him (without a bit) just a few days later.





Looks rather like I was on a lady moose.