Olive update

There seems to be some confusion about my current location, at least as far as the Braymere Facebook page is concerned. 

For the record, I am at home in Colorado. All the pictures I've been posting from Kentucky were taken by other people.

I had planned to attend BreyerFest this year, but family and financial issues caused me to reconsider. In April, I officially canceled my plans. That's just as well. There's no way I would have been able to leave Olive at this point in her recovery.

For the first month after surgery, it is recommended that horses stay in a small stall - I was told twelve by twelve was ideal - for thirty days with just two just two twenty minute sessions of quiet hand-walking or quiet hand-grazing per day.

I was really worried about this stage. So much so, I asked the vet to send me home with a little chemical help.

Fortunately, that wasn't necessary.

Or at least it wasn't necessary until day twenty eight. On that day, Olive walked maybe twenty feet out of her stall, stood up on her back legs and jumped into the air. As I contemplated the bottom of her hooves, which were right at eye level, I decided that even though it was two days early, it was time for Olive to move her back into her real stall.

So that's what we did.

Given her behavior earlier that day, I was expecting fireworks, but she took everything in stride.

The first thing she did was make a complete inspection of both the stall...

and run.

Yes, Olive. Your Frankoma is still there!

Then she laid down and rolled for the first time in almost a month.

The happiest pony!

That was almost a week ago.

Olive is still on stall rest with just two twenty minutes walks per day, but now, at least, she can go outside.

I know she's happier, and I am, too.

Just twenty seven more days, girlfriend. Then it's back to the field!

I hope everyone is having the best time in Kentucky. In the meantime, I'm here in Colorado, walking my pony.