Got to the barn and they were in, had they been in all day? I was coming from work and I needed to drop off Duke's arthritis medicine. Work was over and the stress was over too but I felt bad. Anxious headache generally terrible in the head, didn't ever have coffee that day. I pulled down the Greenwood road and saw that there was a farrier in on Duke's side. As I drove down the curve of the road and over the speed bumps heading toward the trailers for horses and the people on the right too. As I turned the corner I could seen in the aisle that it was a round big butt, beautiful gray. It was Dave Edmunds and my sweet Duke. He was getting his winters changed. this would be the last time before the winter was over . . . I hope.
Dave I was so happy to see him. He said that the horses had been in since he got there. So the horses were in because of the snow, what snow it wasn't even a trace. Since Bonnie broke her hip I think that things have gotten terrible. Her son doesn't help any more in the mornings do the stalls. This puts them at a disadvantage.
Anyway, I had the meds, Dave talked for a while, hed been sick with anemia and he was just getting better, he had levels so low he almost died. He was found on the side of the road slumped over the steering wheel with his dog. The cops drove by 2 hours later and saw the van was still pulled over and stopped, opened the door or tapped on the window and Dave was head back with eyes crazy like a overdose looking person. The cop was cared but no drug stuff was there so he knew it was something else. So they got him in the ambulance, towed the truck and took care of the dog. He was totally down needed 3 transfusions. He had had the broken arm from the horse kick too.
Well he told me a ton of stories about Bonnie's grandfather and how he had the nicests man. How the 2 other barns had burnt down and they had lost many horses. It made me feel sad. He said the original horse barn was where the hay barn is now. He said he used to shoe horses there. Also I talked to him I hadn't seen him in like a year. He said he knew Wayne the dentist and he was great and that He used him on his horses too. this made me feel great, I will always use Wayne now. Also he told me stories and his opinions on Bobbys. He thinks that the old man is old but that the kids egg him on and make him crazy. He's not able to take care of the horses cause hes just too old. He told me stories about Apache and how he was not able to shoe him unless someone was there to hold him. He likes shoeing at the boarder barn because they show on cross ties. He thinks that Bobbys, young Bobby isn't good with horses, hates them and actually mishandles them. It was pretty touch talk but its ok he sees things that no on has seen. Hes not on the inside of stuff hes been an observer for a long time. They were great stories. He called Duke, fat ass. I like Duke's ass, he should be fatter.
After he left, Kristin Mc came to feed the horses, shes a good person. she loves animals so much. She said that both of her horses were lame. This really upset me. But she said that her leaser crapped out of the lease of Kinsey. She couldn't tell her husband because hes starting a new job. I talked to her a lot. About how she takes feedings and that she likes it. She does 3 of the feedings, 2 nights and one day. She said its easier than other barns she has worked at. She also was not happy that the horses had not gone out. I had been grooming Duke during his shoeing so I was ready to take him out. I brought him into the arena and we walked a bit about 3 times around. Then he did a beautiful dramatic roll, I had to put up the board because I thought he was going to run around, just wanted to roll.
Then we walked out to my car on the side of the barn and then into to the field and down to Bonnies on the road and then back. Duke was trying to be careful not to take in any grass. I was giving him some peppermints everytime he was good. I stopped and took some quality pics us. Then we went behind the hay barn to graze on the grass near the tractors. Yum. Then walked behind barn and around to the parking area.
Then into the outside ring where he grazed on the hay that was there from the other day. While he was in the outside ring, I was able to go over the what needed to be done. Paid DAve, Paid Bonnie and then put the pills in the bottle in the office.
We trotted into the barn, I was walking at a good pace but Duke raises his legs so high when hes proud and walking with me into the barn. He makes me feel so good I smile like no one has ever seen. I'm so fortunate. One more thing Dave mentioned that he guessed that Duke was 24 years old or so.
This made me think, life is short if hes 25 hes got a few years left but honestly not that many. 5 or 6? The years go by so fast. Hes a wonderful boy and hes made my life amazing. <3 Long Live Duke.
