[Bonus Prompt 2] Milestones

It had been nearly a week since the farrier had been out to the ranch to inspect her new charge. Since then, Katrina has been keeping a close watch on the mare to make sure no further abscess were forming. So far, it was going well and the handler couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful that maybe, just maybe, they were on their road to recovery and eventually, the mare would no longer be plagued by these issues. Which also meant she could start working on reducing her weight to a healthier level and possibly even help those underused joints.

Grabbing the rope halter with the same paw holding the large syringe, the feline enters the stall and gently rests her free forepaw on the mare’s side, “Hey there, hun. Ready to take a small stroll with me? You’ve been doing so good the last few days.”

The chestnut plum mare neighs softly and approaches the handler. That was another stunning development. The mare came toward her when she entered now instead of moving away or standing stiffly against the wall. Katrina had never felt such a surge of satisfaction in her many years of working with horses. To have a horse, injured and neglected and treated improperly by her previous owners, come to her hurt and learn to trust again… It was an amazing feeling.

Offering the mare a biscuit, Katrina then puts the rope halter over her head and ties the knot in place beneath her jaw. Once she’s done chewing the treat, Katrina places the syringe at her lips. It had no needle and was filled partway with a paste that she squeezed in small increments onto her teeth and lips so the mare would lick it up. “There we go. That should help with some of the inflammation.” A few days ago, when the mare had been walking more consistently, she noticed an increase in the swelling of her joints. They weren’t used to this much movement and activity and the vet assured her it would take some time for that to pass. In the meantime, she offered an anti-inflammatory paste the handler could give her mare before walking that would kick in by the time they were done to make sure she’d be comfortable in her stall afterward.

With lead in paw, she guides the mare out the back of the stall, taking the metal gate that dumps into the outside dirt path and will lead them to the field. The past week, Katrina had started a routine. They’d walk to the fenced in field and the feline would spend about fifteen minutes lightly walking the mare through the pasture. Once they were done, she’d undo the lead, give the side of her neck and her chin a few scritches, then leave her to graze for about thirty minutes. During that time she’d clean out her stall, give her fresh water, and her daily portion of oats and hay. She’d retrieve her and lead her back to a nice clean stall where she’d give her the last of the paste.

It was a slow going process, but Katrina was pleased with the milestones they reached.