I phoned the vet yesterday to talk to him about Klængur’s perpetual lameness.  The vet, Jim, does have an x-ray machine but it is not very portable and would involve Klængur being travelled to Scalloway (about an hour in the trailer).  However, Jim very kindly offered to lend us his hoof testers first to try and narrow down the abscess location before we went down the x-ray route.  So, in agreement with this plan, I collected the equipment and we took them to Klængur.

Klængur was very pleased to see us.

Jo did some work on his hoof, cleaned it up and then tried the testers.  Nothing.  Klængur just stood there.  The whole point is that he reacts when you press on the nasty bit.  But no, either he is a huge stoic or something else ……

So Daisy took Klængur outside to walk him up the track.  Looking at his gait might give us some more ideas.  A few days ago, he was nearly on his knees.

And today he walked quite well.  Hmmmm……  Then Jo picked up Klængur’s hoof again and we saw the break in the skin.  The abscess had burst through the back of his heel.  Poor boy but he was walking much better and looking relieved.

Another poultice on the heel and yellow vetwrap to keep it in place.

A big hug to make it all better.

And we put Klængur back in his stable for the night.  I am very relieved that this has happened.  Hopefully we can start treating him now.  Also I am sure that the two days of hot water/cold water bucket routine helped to bring this nasty to a head.

More healing vibes please for my special brave soldier.

The weather just circles now – gale and rain storms after gale and rain with little or no breaks.  It is exhausting for everyone including the horses.

We are all existing at the moment, going out only for the necessities and keeping things as simple as possible.  There is no riding in this – the indoor school is noisy and the horses have lost shoes or are lame.  I have never seen so much water about.  It is just not draining off the land and we are all fed up.

Today I made the executive decision to move everyone into their “January” field – Clothie.  Ok, it is two weeks early but necessary.  I called the horses up to feed them and once they had eaten, we led them over.

Clothie is 5 acres big and situated in the open hill opposite my house.  It is a completely separate croft to Thordale with a derelict house and outbuildings on it.  They all make good shelter as well as the high dry stone walls that surround two sides.

The horses were very happy to be moved into this drier field.  I don’t think anyone has been in Clothie since last spring so there is much to eat.

The old fields can have a rest and maybe they will drain a bit.  There is still some grass to be found there, though, which the horses can return to when it is calmer.

I just feel very sorry for the animals.  The bad weather seems never-ending (Day 8 so far of continuous gales and rain) and it is getting to everyone.  Utterly horrendous and very eroding.

I won’t lie to you but I am worried about Klængur.  His hooves are just not healing.  There has been no sign of an abscess and nothing has come to a head. Klængur has been lame for a while now, alternating from painful to hopping.  Not good.

Today Daisy and I drove over to Sandness where Klængur is living in a stable.  Jo wanted to try a new treatment – alternating standing his hoof in hot water and then cold to try and draw out the abscess.  His right hoof was very hot yesterday and he could barely walk.

First we gave him a feed with Danilon in it so that there was something in his system to help while we did this alternate bucket thing.  He was very happy to eat his painkillers.

While Klængur was eating his grub, we had put the Burco boiler in the next door shed to heat up the water.

Jo flitted between the sheds in her oilskins (national dress for Gale Force 8 and sheet rain) collecting and refilling buckets.

Klængur was a perfect gentleman and a stoic.  He stood completely still while we alternated the buckets of water.   We made sure that the water was always above the coronet band too so that if the abscess is going to burst through there, the hot water could work on that area too.

Klængur never mentioned if it was difficult or painful, just stood there and made polite conversation, gently nuzzling us and accepting any snuggles.  He really is the most gentle horse I have ever met.

Then a poultice was put on his foot and it was bandaged in vetwrap.  We will now wait and see. If it is dry tonight, then the foot will have Icthammol ointment to see if that draws anything out.

I hate this waiting game and even more seeing my beloved boy in pain.

“There aren’t gentlemen like him anymore” was what everyone said today.

We went to the celebration of my neighbour, Sonny Williamson’s. life.  An afternoon’s party was organised at our local hall and there was a good turn out.  Folk talked about him, telling stories of his love for his animals and their admiration for him.

For me, Sonny was always there.  He used to get me out of endless trouble.  I was a single parent for many years in my little house with two young children, two dogs, three cats and “some” horses.  When Jo’s tractor went into the peat bog and refused to budge, he arrived with his tractor and dragged it out.

One day, a stranger appeared at my door saying Sonny had my dog.  This was Pencille, a clever black lurcher taken to going off on his own after rabbits.  I was terrified that Sonny had shot him for being in his fields.  Up here dogs are swiftly dispatched for sheep chasing and rightly so too.  I knew that Celt was after rabbits but didn’t know if Sonny could tell the difference. I tentatively asked if Sonny had shot Celt only to be told that no, Sonny had caught him, put him in a shed and was feeding him dinner.  Feeling very embarrassed, I went and collected Celt.

I used to ride on Sonny’s land, with his permission.  I was very careful especially during lambing season, and would ask if I could take the dogs too.  This was in the days when they came along when I rode.  Sonny always talked to them and the horses.  He trusted me that my dogs would behave and they did (phew!).

We would often pass the time of day on these rides and Sonny was one of those people who had a cheeky grin and a sparkle in his eye.  His cows were gentle and trustworthy.  They would follow me either on horseback or on foot and I was never feared of them.  He loved his cows.  I found out today that each one had a proper name too.

On Sonny’s land was the galloping track and every year he would leave the gate open knowing full well that we would charge up and down it. We even took the cart and two Shetland ponies to race them.  We took the sharp corner at the end on one wheel.  I bet he watched us smiling from his window.

I will miss Sonny.  A part of my life has gone now and there will never be that smiling gentle man for whom nothing was too much trouble.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful.  Utterly vile.

Today, I did something I rarely do – I gave everyone a hard feed.  Horses produce the most heat through their metabolism – (Heat in the horse’s body is continuously generated as a by-product of metabolism, and a healthy animal has significant internal sources of heat from the metabolic processes – See more at: http://thesoulofahorse.com/blog/a-amazing-article-on-why-horses-should-not-be-blanketed-in-winter/#sthash.35a8fA3P.dpuf)

It has been raining consistently plus gale after gale after gale.  I lie awake at night listening to the wind and rain hammering on the roof worrying about my boys out there.

They get a bale of silage divided between them every day and Daisy has been absolutely invaluable distributing it.  I shall be sad when she goes back to university.  Then all the work will fall on me.

Up until now, only Taktur has been given hard feed to bulk him out while he is in training.

So, today, I gave in and fed everyone hoping this will act as central heating for them over the next few days.  They had a good sized portion of mix, cubes and bruised oats.  Everyone wolfed it down and were most grateful.

Upon close-up examination, however, no one is actually soaked through.  The horses’ thick unwashed, unrugged and unclipped coats are doing a very good job of keeping everyone dry where it matters.  They are built for exactly this.  I would worry more if it was freezing, which it isn’t.  I knew being filthy was a good thing!