[LIT] Phase 1 : Skin and Bones

The day Bones arrived at the ranch, she was terribly malnourished. You could definitely guess why she ended up with her nickname. I stood at the entrance to the ranch, brushing excess horse hair off my shorts. Of course, it all ended up back on my sun-screened legs that were already sporting bug bites. I grumbled to myself about how itchy I was going to be later until the trailer finally showed up, dragged along by Snake driving the old work truck. That thing must be a hundred years old, I remark to myself as I hurried over to the back of the trailer once the truck stopped. Everyone at the ranch practiced for days in anticipation for the arrival of our first rescue Loshenka. We’ve had rescues before, sure, but Loshenkas were a tad more delicate than the usual draft breeds we take in. I struggled to unlatch the trailer due to my nerves, but once it was finally done, the doors swung open to reveal a very skinny horse. The poor thing was ragged and malnourished, barely wanting to move in the back of the trailer not only due to the unfamiliar space, but also from the torn ligaments in her front feet. I could see the swelling from here and scrunched my nose, the poor dear would need a lot of ice. Rehabilitation plans churned through my head as I rythmaticly unhooked Bones from the trailer and led her out. Once she stepped down off the ramp she let out a pained huff, as if walking was a chore for her. Off the side, Snake watched with narrowed eyes as usual, I always could never tell what was on his mind. I figured he was taking account of the new horse and her physical state. I led her across the ranch, a couple of ranch-hands trailing behind to lend a hand if needed. But, Bones was a sweet girl, even through her pain, and allowed me to lead her into the quarantine pen without any hassle. I glanced down at her swollen legs for a second while I removed her halter, I must have moved slightly closer to her legs then she liked because she gave a half-rear, lifting up her front legs as if to kick me. I realized in time, slipped off her halter, and booked it to the nearest fence to then vault over it. I breathed out a sigh of relief just to notice that Snake was beside me, an eyebrow raised. I straightened up, “What?” I painted. Snake held the face for a second before chuckling, “You know not to get too close to the rescues!” he remarked, continuing to laugh. I felt my face burn in both embarrassment and the beginning of sunburn, “I can’t help it, they’re too cute.” I tried to defend myself, pretending to be angry, but I couldn’t help smiling as well. A ranch-hand spoke up, pointing out the condition Bones was now in. Seems that, when she came down on her front legs, the pain spooked her and she was now trotting around, acting all spooked and riled up. Snake barked an order and in a minute, Bones was roped and led to the fence to be calmed down with high-nutrition treats. I took a moment to run over what was wrong with the horse, she had been a high-ranking dressage show horse before she tore major ligaments in both her front legs. After that, she was abandoned to an auction house that didn’t feed her well, leading to the worsening of her condition as well as malnourishment. I turned my attention back to Bones, who now was rolled on her side in the grass, enjoying the relief of pain from her legs. “Vet’s coming out to see her tomorrow, then?” I ask Snake, who was now writing down scribbles in his notepad. “Yep, 9am, bright and early.” He replied before speed walking over to another ranch building. I hear a clammer of hooves to my left, along the fence to the main pastures a few other ranch horses had gathered, trying to get a peek at the new guy. I walk over to shoo them away, most of them happily walking back out to pasture while a couple stay behind, viewing my order as a game. They frolic along the fence, braying to the new horse. Bones doesn’t seem to mind the attention, seeming perfectly fine rolling in the grass under the sun, so I roll my eyes and let the horses continue to pace the fence until they become bored of their own game. Walking past the quarantine field, I ask ranch-hands to do basic chores, such as give water and hay to Bones before heading on to my other duties. After a minute I breath a sigh of relief, the adrenaline from the encounter with Bones finally wearing off. I shuffle into a cabin nearby to rest for a while, near-death experiences are so much fun, I think sarcastically.

The next day, I woke up at the early time of 8am. I rushed to get ready, being out the door just before the vet arrived. They took one look at Bones legs before immediately diagnosing them with some sort of torn ligament, then proceeding to drug and X-ray Bones’ front legs. They concluded it to be a suspensory ligament injury, and with lots of ice, wraps, and downtime, Bones will heal in 8-12 months. This is longer than most horses because Bones went without treatment for too long, but not long enough to where surgery was needed. I could hear Snake breath a sigh of relief, most horses don’t survive leg surgeries, and if they did, it would likely cause chronic pain. Of course, that’s not always the case, but better to be safe than sorry. I was pulled out of my thoughts by the vet explaining the best diet, treatment, and recovery plan. Before Bones awoke, the vet gave her legs a wrap as well as a cold pack that we have to change every few hours, especially in this heat. After the vet visit, Bones was carefully transported to a smaller field she’ll also have all to herself, stumbling along due to the drugs. The ranch-hands were able to give Bones a thorough bath and brushing before the meds fully wore off, leaving her coat finally clean and shiny. It was unclear before what her exact coloring was, but now her shiny little appaloosa booty is clearly visible, as well as roaning that was once thought to be dust. I was left alone with the horse, Snake went off to do official things while the ranch-hands hurried off to finish their chores. From then one I spent my day just being near Bones and observing her behavior. At first, she tried nipping at the bandages until she realized that her pain was lessening, this was crucial because she’d let us actually touch her front legs to replace the ice packs and the wrappings after this day. Bones was a sweet and kind horse, she just can’t handle pain. I don’t blame her, I’ve never had torn tendons, but I can’t imagine they feel good. I rambled on in my thoughts, watching Bones take cautious steps as she grazed. The sugar would help fatten her up, she we let her graze without a feeding muzzle, at least until she showed signs of overeating. I sighed and slouched on the fence, underweight horses are so hard to rehabilitate. See, you can’t just keep feeding them, they’ll colic and become sick. It’s a slow, ugly process to fatten up these malnourished horses. I was willing to take the risk, and so was Snake. We knew what we were getting into when we signed up for the Loshenka rescue program. I recall in my mind the other horses at the rescue, I felt like I wanted to save them all. Sadly, we are but one ranch, and Snake would kill me if I snuck in another horse. I let out a chuckle at that last part. Bones suddenly dropped down to the ground, rolling around in a nice fresh dust patch. I let out an aggravated groan, and Bones seemed to do another roll just because of it. When she rose to her feet, she was a nice copper color from the iron-rich soil. I couldn’t help but smile, Bones was adjusting wonderfully.