I'm still here!

I'm feeling guilty that I have neglected my blog since November and completely failed to offer my readers Seasons Greetings.  I hope you had a lovely Christmas and belated Happy New Year wishes to you all.  I hope everything is going well for you.

It has been a busy time here in Wales and both horses have been ill.  I was also ill at the beginning of December, then we had a trip to Nepal, then Christmas happened and new year, then the weather got really wintery... so all in all life has been happening, but not blogging.

Dee had a snotty nose in December and a chill.  We kept her in for a few days and then brought her in just at night for a few more days and then she was fine.  Red's illness was a little more serious as he has had strangles.  He was confined to his stabe for about 6 weeks, and considering how much he hates being in the stable for a long time, he behaved very well.  The strangles abscess on his throat was huge and produced a bucket-load of pus when it burst.  The folk at Briwnant have been amazing and nursed him so well.  I am eternally grateful for their expertise and care.  In all I think it was five horses that had strangles, and they have all come through it with no long-term problems.  Red is still convalescing, being given extra feed to build up his strength again, but is back out with the herd now.  He has been declared fit by the vet.  He definitely wants to be out in the field and not kept in.  He looks fine and has only lost a little weight.

As Red is on full working livery at Briwnant he is groomed every day and fed as necessary, whereas Dee is just on grass livery.  So Dee tends to get more attention because she needs it.  Just after Christmas we went up to give Dee a feed and groom her, but as we led her in from the field Red followed us.  He didn't want to miss out on the family gathering.  If anything he is more affectionate since being ill and likes to come in as well for some TLC.

I have not been riding because the yard has been on quarantine and the fields were so wet, but I have decided I'm not going to ride until the weather gets warmer anyway.  I find that I get clumsy and tense in the cold and feel that I am a bit of a liability in the saddle.  I think I may not clip Dee next year and simply not ride for the coldest months of the year.  We have had such a lot of snow, that I have not been able to get my car up the lane to Briwnant.  I tried one day last week and nearly ended up in a hedge.  I miss seeing the horses but know they are well cared for and that Paul would let me know immediately if there was any problem with them.  If the snow continues till the weekend, we may try hiking over to see them.

The whole family went on the week's trip to Nepal which was wonderful.  Our sons liked it there and had a good time.  Straight after we returned home it was into Christmas preparations, and we had a lovely family Christmas.

A lot more snow arrived yesterday and more is forecast for Sunday.  It has thawed quite a lot today though, so hopefully it will go away for long enough that we shall be able to get up and see the horses.  We so rarely have snow in Cardiff that lasts for more than a day, that we are not really set up for coping with it.  It has not snowed like this here for nearly 30 years.  I think it is quite good to have a 'real' winter for a change though, and we are nice and snug in front of the wood stove.  I hope you are all snug and warm too.

Relaxation

I have been away on retreat for a week and so have been unavailable to write any posts. Thank you to everybody who has sent supportive comments about Dee. She has returned a second negative swab result so we are pretty much in the clear with her now. We have spent an enjoyable couple of hours with the horses this afternoon, and also met Jayne’s new mare. Her loan agreement expires in a week, so we shall be spending more time with Red again soon. Life is starting to return to normal at the yard after the strangles scare, except for the one horse that was infected who will have to remain in quarantine for a little longer.

Our retreat was wonderful. We have been learning practices connected with Ling Gésar – the legendary warrior king of Tibet; and also gar’cham – ritual dance. When we tell people that we shall be on retreat for a week they often go a little starry eyed and say how lucky we are to have such a relaxing spiritual experience. We are indeed lucky, but people don’t seem to realise that retreats are in fact quite demanding and not ‘relaxing’ in the usual sense of the word – it is not like being on holiday. We rise early and have two hours of meditation practice before breakfast; we spend many hours concentrating listening to teachings; we engage in physical yogic practices; and we also have to look after ourselves including cooking all our meals and cleaning up. Relaxation is certainly the ultimate result of such intensive spiritual practice – and interacting with one’s Lamas and spiritual brothers and sisters – but this is the relaxation of mastery gained through long-term commitment. It is the ease and comfort in the saddle after years of riding experience … or the apparently magical communication between horse and handler through a deep understanding of natural horsemanship. Years of experience of meditation practice and recognition of the nature of mind produces the capacity to relax totally into the natural state – but arriving at this point requires concentrated effort.

Dee seemed glad to see us, and was a little mischievous as we took her out to her field. She has not been ridden for a month now, so I think she needs to work a little. I am looking forward to working with her again next week.

Undesired results

Dee's blood test came back this morning - not good news unfortunately. Her antibody count is rising. This does not mean she has got strangles, but that she has certainly been in contact with it, and her body is fighting something. She's now in her stable and will be there for five days until the result of a swab is returned.

I went up to the yard to be with her while the vet swabbed her. She was quite agitated when I arrived, but settled down once I was there and started munching her hay. The swabbing was not a pleasant experience for her - a swab on the end of a metal rod stuck about 12" up her nose. She coped with it very well considering, and soon went back to her hay.

Red is now out in the field where Dee was, and I shall have to go up to muck out Dee's stable twice a day for the next few days so that she is clean and comfortable. I have to pass the field on the way to the stable, so it will be nice to see Red every day as well and hang out with him, giving him a few treats of apple and carrot.

Daith yn ôl yr prawf gwaed Dee. Anfodus dydy e ddim newyddion da. Ei chyfrifon gwrthgorffyn ydy'r codi. Mae e'n ddim yn meddwl bod strangles arni hi, ond mae hi wedi bod agos strangles. Mae corff Dee yn ymladd yn erbyn rhywbeth. Rhaid i Dee aros yn ei stabl am pump dyddiau.

Es i i'r iard. Bues i gyda hi wrth iddi milfeddyg ei lanhau. Mae hi wedi cynhyrfus pan on i'n cyrraedd, ond ymlaciodd hi gyda fi a fwytais hi gwair. Glanhau dydy ddim profiad pleser i Dee. Rhoiodd milfeddyg yr swab rhwyllen i'w thrwyn. Oedd y swab rhwyllen yn mesur deuddeg modfedd. Ymdopodd hi yn dda. Yn fuan aeth hi yn ôl i wair.

Mae Red yn y maes nawr. Bydd rhaid i mi fynd i'r stabl dwywaith bob dydd am pump dyddiau i glanhau ei stabl. Rhaid i mi pasio y maes ar yr ffordd i'r stabl, felly gwela i Red pob dydd hefyd. Rhoia i fe moron a afalau a byddi i hapus ei gweld.

Good news

Red's blood test came back today - negative. He is not a carrier of strangles. Phew - what a relief. I had not realised until I heard the result how much it had been preying on my mind.

Although Red is being kept in he is calm and relaxed. I think because there is little coming and going on the yard and all the other geldings are also in, he has just accepted it. In this photograph he has just completed one of his favourite tricks - flicking his headcollar of the hook by his stable door. The mares are staying out, well away from the geldings, until the rest of the blood tests come back - hopefully tomorrow. Then we shall know if there is a carrier or if any of the other horses are infected - I pray they are not.

The infected horse is well away from all the other horses and being cared for in isolation. Strangely he is not really ill and has very few symptoms. As far as I have heard he just seems a bit under par, but nothing serious. Hopefully this means he will recover quickly and be free of the disease.

Dee is fine and enjoying being out grazing all the time despite the heavy rain.

Quarantine

Unfortunately my progress with taking Dee out to the Wenallt horse trail on her own is on hold for a while. There is a suspected outbreak of strangles on the yard so no horses are allowed to leave for three weeks. The horse that may have the disease - as yet unconfirmed - has been isolated and all the horses have had blood tests. Dee and Red are both healthy, but there is some concern that Red may be a carrier as he is in the stall next to the infected horse and our horses are the most recent new arrivals on the yard. I do hope he is not. I wonder how people may react if it is discovered that we have inadvertently brought this unpleasant illness onto the yard.

I have been doing a little research into strangles and have discovered the following information (extracts from the strangles web site):

Strangles is a highly contagious, seriously debilitating disease in horses caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus equi. Clinical signs include fever, nasal discharge, cough, depression, anorexia and enlarged glands on the head and neck, which can become abscesses. The swollen glands can restrict the airway and make breathing laboured, hence the name strangles. Infection is usually restricted to the head and neck, however in up to 10% of cases it can develop in other body organs and cause abscesses. This is usually fatal and is known as ‘bastard’ strangles. Another complication is purpura haemorraghica (damage to the blood vessels of the limbs, eye lids and gums), which can be so extreme that it can cause circulatory failure and death.

Streptococcus equi is transmitted by horse-to-horse contact or via humans, tack, feed and equipment. Transmission frequently occurs through shared water sources where the bacterium lives for longer periods of time. The incubation period is approximately a fortnight. However, new outbreaks can occur up to three weeks or more after the initial outbreak as infected horses can shed the bacterium for long periods. In addition, approximately 10% of recovered horses, known as ‘carriers’ may harbour strangles with no outward clinical signs, increasing the likelihood of recurrent outbreaks in unvaccinated horses. It is imperative, therefore, to minimise contact with horses of unknown origin.

The implication of this information is that if Red is a carrier he must have had the disease at some point and recovered. I feel this is unlikely, but as I have only owned him since last October I cannot know for certain. If his blood test comes back positive, I shall contact his previous owners and see if they can offer any information about this.

Sally, our yard manager, is coping with the situation in her usual efficient manner - addressing the emotional responses of some of the horse owners, dealing with the practical necessities such as foot washes, and organising the quarantine protocols. The ill horse is in the farthest field on his own and strict procedures are in place with separate clothing being worn when caring for him and such like. As it is a gelding that is showing a possible infection, the mares and geldings are being separated even more completely than usual, until the blood tests have returned and the situation is clearer.

So Dee is on turn out in her field round the clock for the next few days. It has poured with rain heavily throughout most of today, but she was perfectly content when I visited her this afternoon. I am glad I rugged her last night in view of the heaviness of the rain. She is happier about being approached in the field these days. On Sunday she let us adjust her rug as one of the clips had come undone, even though she had only just been turned out. Previously she would have run away from us in case we were going to try and catch her. Today Dee made no sign of wanting to move away from me. She allowed me to examine her neck and under her head, and then enjoyed the carrots and apple I'd brought her. She even accepted a cuddle.

I shall be going to see her every day as usual and checking she remains free of symptoms. I'll also be checking Red of course who is being kept in. Sally and her staff are also checking all the horses at least once a day. The blood tests for Red should return tomorrow, so at least we will then know whether he is the carrier.