Lets hear it for the wonderful horse support (aka family/friends)out there!

[becca1305]

So today is day 3 of the wonderful stomach bug/ flu/ food poisoning which kindly onset on my friday evening and ruined this beautiful weekend for me. Whilst feeling slightly sorry for myself I feel exceptionally guilty for my wonderful mum and dad keeping the ponies happy whilst Ive been sat down in my new favourite spot- the bathroom floor . It got me thinking about all the wonderful support networks out there particularly for people like me who keep their horses at home so no livery to fall back on, and how we would manage without them.

I started feeling rather unwell on fri eve whilst riding pone who was in an awkward mood and after finally establishing an elusive half decent right rein canter promptly patted, cooled off and sluthered off pone and headed back to the stables where mother found me in a state of desperate pre-faint whilst sorting out pone. I was promptly sent up to the house and felt so guilty about leaving my mum with 5 horses to bring in and bed down for the night that I kept trying to head back down to the yard post stomach emptying but never got further than the door before a prompt run back .

My parents, predominantly mum, have been looking after 5 horses + all the other animal rabble and a very sick as well as occasionally slightly delirious and feverish me all weekend with no complaints. I am feeling slightly more human today and once the feeling of someone punching me in the guts everytime I stood up had reduced to a more friendly jab I ventured outside to check on the rabble Ive been keeping an eye on out of my bedroom window through the day who were all content and happy as larry not being ridden and out grazing in the sunshine! . Its times like these when I remember how lucky I am to have such a strong support network (and also why I always have their feeds written up on a whiteboard!). I am exceptionally grateful to my family and just wondered who else out there is as lucky as I am with their horse support?!

[ebonyallen]

I do hope that you are starting to feel a little better now, and you must have been unwell, as I know most horse people carry on doing everything for as long as poss as we all know what hard work it is, not the same as looking after the cat for you lol. So when any of us can not do our horses this is because we are very poorly, and it is great to know that your animals are being looked after for you. I have had many months in hospital on several occ. and without my friends at the yard and the support of my parents I would not have been able to keep my girl, so I really do understand and value my friends that have helped me out for many months till I was strong enough to take care of my horse again. I think that you would do the same for someone if they needed your help as all of us would do, again I think its a horse thing with people. You take care of yourself and, try not to do too much too soon. Thank goodness for great friends and family.

[rascal]

Hope your soon up and about again. As im the one who can drive i need to keep going no matter how yuk i feel, but you can get to the field on the bus if i really cant go. My family hate horses, hubbys family are all over the country so cant rely on them. My daughters friend is horsey and will go if we need her to. The lovely field owners will also give them water and count legs.

[Copperpot]

In lucky as on full livery but my OH drives me about in the lorry here there and everywhere. Sits thera hours whilst I'm hunting etc and soon as I'm done he's there with the rugs/sponge/hay net etc. Today by time I'd got my hat and boots off he'd untacked my boy and was washing him off. And he mucks lorry out when we get back. So big thanks to him!!!

[becca1305]

Lovely to hear other people have such fabulous support too . I am feeling decidedly better today as in yuck but physically able to drag myself down to do the horses this eve, though my lovely dad also came to give me a hand . Im very glad as it had been decided if I wasnt better today I was going to be dragged down to the walk in centre, and like most of us I avoid hospitals like the plague wherever possible!

Copperpot you are very lucky usually someone comes with me in the lorry and dad often drives but I havent got him that well trained yet hes good at holding pone though .

[becca1305]

ebonyallen- I meant to say thats some serious level of support you are very lucky to have such a wonderful family behind you.
And yes I would definitely do the same for me as for someone else techically 2 of the horses are mums though she doesnt ride so she does some chores each day and when shes feeling a bit ill I take them on for her (shes never been properly ill as long as I can remember. Although this is the illest Ive ever been as long as anyone can remember so we are a lucky family as a whole )

[sophiebailey]

That really sucks, I hope you feel better soon

I can chip in with what happened this week! **Drama Alert** lol

Went on holiday to Turkey a week last friday, left Bailey in the care of my mum. Mum has recently broken up with her partner so was very shaky and not feeling up to feeding/haying Bailey on the Tuesday so my friend went up to do him. Arrived at the yard and immediately identified Bailey was suffering from choke. Within 1 hour she had my vet at the yard, she stayed with him for over 5 hours 2 of which were spent trying to flush him with the vet. Flushing didn't work so they dosed him up with muscle relaxant, boxed him up for the night with a view to coming back and trying again in the morning. She went home at midnight on Tuesday, and was back at the yard at 5.30am on Wednesday cuddling him and massaging his throat, and spent another 1.5 hours helping the vet try again to flush him.

They sucessfully got rid of the obstruction, and she then spent wednesday - friday at his side every two hours, taking his temperature, giving him water through a big pipette to stop him from dehydrating, injecting his antibiotics, turning him out for half an hour intervals then bringing him back in .... she brought everything I need for his recovery out of her own pocket and keeps dismissing me when I ask her how much she spent so I can pay her back (she brought shed loads of bran mash, molasses, mineral powders, salt licks, stable licks, thermometer ....) and contacted my insurance company to start the ball rolling for a claim for the £800+ vets bill!

Even though I got back on Friday, she still came to the yard on Friday & Saturday to check on him and show me how to administer his medicine etc. She had time off work to care for him and also picked all of my paddocks for wood (we think he'd ingested bark) and took my dad to buy electric fencing and stakes so they could section him off a recovery paddock.

Dad also took time off work to help Bailey and help my friend administer the medicine, pay the vet, fence the field, burn a lot of wood, b****ck our field owner for pruning hedges & trees in the horses paddock and then not removing the wood afterwards ....... He's now gone from a total city slicker to a country bumpkin, and showed me proudly today how he knows how to put on Bailey's headcollar, and he likes feeding Bails molasses from his hand

I owe them both so much, I'm so lucky! It may be a different story for Bail's if my friends quick thinking and attentive nursing hadn't saved the day. She really is one in a trillion xxx