One White Sock, Buy A Horse

In case you, my dear sweet reader have forgotten, I grew up on a paved cul-de-sac street.  We (the neighborhood children) walked on a paved street to our school.  We played on that paved cul-de-sac street after school.  Some of us had animals, a dog or a cat and occasionally a hamster or a goldfish (which doesn’t really count as they always died), city/town/domestic animals…and not a lot of them.

My Loving Spouse on the other hand grew up with a menagerie of animals.  He tells many tales of dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, horses, ponies and the like.  His father was at one time a Steeplechase Jockey, who recited this poem, as sage advice when buying horses.

One White Sock, Buy a Horse

Two White Socks, Try a Horse

Three White Socks, Look Well About Him

Four White Socks, Do Well Without Him

My Loving Spouse thinks it had sometime to do with his belief, that the white socks meant weaker ankles or their fetlock, which is what one calls a horse’s ankle (which I confess I Googled).  My Loving Spouse with a jockey for a father comes from a long line of horse people.  My father sold pajamas.  

My Loving Spouse is supposed to be our animal person.  My Loving Spouse is gone…a lot lately, which means I have been promoted to chief animal person.  My Loving Spouse has been talking about how he’s really, really interested in getting bees.  I have not been talking about it.  My Loving Spouse had a day off recently, except he had to go in for a meeting and a BBQ (Bad British Word).  This left me with the Farrier and two horses who needed to be shod.  My horse Beau had hurt himself over the weekend and I was concerned.  I sent My Loving Spouse this message as Beau started to bleed and the Farrier went into concerned mode.  When the official horse person is concerned, this unofficial person gets overwhelmed.

Our Farrier is a very thorough, knowledgeable horse person.  Beau’s frog was bleeding.  (Non-horse people, yes, it is true horses have frogs, although whoever thought to name the bottom of a horse’s foot a ‘frog’ probably had too many pints at the pub!)  The Farrier carefully cleaned his foot, put medicine on it, cotton pad, a special foam pad to keep it all together and then taped Beau up with Scotch Duct Tape and then Vet tape.  It was quiet the procedure and I would have to do it all again the following day.  My having to do it all again was a tad concerning.

I did a lot of thinking about the situation.  The goal was to change the bandage and have the bandage stay on.  It was Beau’s back hoof.  I would have to hold the hoof up with one hand and bandage with the other, and keep the horse calm so he didn’t kick me with the same hoof.  Simple….

Beau and I have a pretty sweet bond, I was pretty sure he wouldn’t try to kick me, but I wasn’t as sure that I could do what the Farrier did and get the bandage to stay on.  It was time to dig deep, go to my roots, do it my way.  I gathered my supplies.  People tape, book tape, Gorilla tape, Vet tape and foam pad.I irrigated the wound.I slapped on the dressing and vet taped up the hoof.Then I dug deep, and improvised by adding what I know….clothing.  My Loving Spouse gives up one for the team.I get the sock on and over the bandage, feeling pretty proud of myself.

One White Sock, Buy A Horse….Sorry, Beau is not for sale.  He is my buddy and I am blessed.