Monday, March 17, 2014

The Old P

After a very sudden whirlwind of events, the old Pmare is now home. This has been a total chaotic cluster of a week, and I'm still trying to process my thoughts on everything.


Yesterday, I got a text from P's lessee saying that P had cataracts. Cataracts? She didn't have cataracts when she left my place, when did these show up? Only one eye? And 48 hours ago? Ok, that's not normal. 
She texted me a picture:


Oh geez. THAT'S not normal. It looked like a small ulcer, or fungal infection. It looked as though there was already a small crater in it. I told her that she needed to have the mare taken to the vet right away, and that eyes were never something to mess around with - it might be nothing, but it might be something that causes her to lose her eyeball. You just don't take changes with an eye.

Then I started getting texts back saying, 'welllllll I don't know how I'm going to pay for that, sooo....'

Welp, that's the end of that. That is a breach of the terms of lease - the lessee was to pay for all veterinary upkeep (and farrier, and feed) in place of a lease fee. (Barring major catastrophe, which was a negotiable thing.) If you can't even afford to have the vet come stain the eye and look in there to see if there is something going on, then you certainly can't keep the horse. It is one thing if you choose to bypass a veterinary issue with your own horses. It is another thing entirely if you choose to do it with someone else's horse. I told her I'd be there as soon as I could in the morning to pick the horse up. 


I got up at 4, slogged my way through dressing, driving, hooking up my trailer, feeding the horses, and then driving for several hours to pick up my mare. I texted the lessee an hour out, and then 10 minutes out, to let her know I was on my way. 
When I arrived and called to Pmare, she popped her head up and stared at me in what looked like total disbelief. She didn't come over at first, just stared at me while the other horses ate. It was almost as if she was going, "are you seriously here right now?" It was definitely a look of recognition. A minute or so passed, and she decided to make a beeline to the fence to come over and see me. Good old mare. 

I still had no reply from the lessee, even though I had texted her to tell her I was there. I had already schedule a vet appointment at 1pm, so I couldn't really hang around. I tried to call her, and the phone picked up, but then promptly hung up. I tried to call back, but the phone went to voicemail. A third call sent it to voicemail as well. Frustrated, I searched the barn for her belongings - her Renegades, her blanket, her bridle - but I found nothing. I tried to approach her door, but her dog wouldn't let me it. Finally, I just gave up, took the horse, and left. I texted her and told her to send the things to me, though I don't expect to ever see them again.



Several more hours in the trailer, and finally arrived and unloaded her at the vet. She's very dirty, very hairy, and a lot thinner than the last time I saw her :(






Obviously she's not emaciated, but to give you some idea of a comparison, here's how she looked at this time last year, shortly before she left for the lease:



It's unrealistic to think that anybody I could have ever leased her out to would uphold my ridiculously high horsecare standards, but this is a little ridiculous. Return her to me dirty? No problem. Return her to me a little rude and pushy? That's fine, I get it. Return her to me with her ribs sticking out and neck half the size of what it was, and feet flared out with tons of extra toe? That's really not cool. 

The good news though? Today, the eye thing has magically disappeared. When I arrived at her lessee's, I immediately looked in her eye, and.... saw nothing. Huh. We stained it at the vet anyway, and... nothing.
Diagnosis? Really interesting looking EYE BOOGER. 


Obviously, it was some divine intervention or something though.... she couldn't stay at that place looking this way. All the pictures I've seen of her were taken from angles that just never showed how thin she really had become. I had no idea it was like this. It just took a really questionable looking eye booger to get her out of there. 

So, thanks eye booger! Now begins the long process of getting her back to the way she used to look... 


17 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you got her back! Poor P mare. That's so frustrating.

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  2. Poor Pangea. I'd go visit Immy in person to check up on her, just in case. As for the lesse, if you had a written contract, I should think that you'd have some legal recourse to get your stuff back, AND some compensation for rehabbing Pmare.

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  3. I really hope you can get your things back, sounds like a nightmare :(

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  4. Holy shit, thank god for the mystery eye booger. :( Poor P-mare. But I'm sure she is happy to be back in your awesome care, as evidenced by the beeline she made towards you!

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  5. Awe, poor girl. Glad things didn't end up worse though- at least the horse is okay.

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  6. Ugh...nightmare. Glad shes safe at home again.

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  7. Oooh, my blood is boiling right now. What is wrong with that woman? I mean, to not answer the phone, not have your stuff ready, why make it so dramatic? Would it have been that hard to pack her things for you? It's not like you or the mare did anything to her! I am so glad P is back with you.

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  8. Poor P! I can't believe the size of her neck! HOLY COW! Thank god for eye boogers!

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  9. So glad for P that you have her back! I could never lease a horse. Heck, I can't even sell a horse. :P Had too many bad endings. Best wishes for the old girl!

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  10. Glad you got her! That really is divine intervention.

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  11. Is Immy at the same place P was?

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  12. Oh no!! I'm so glad you got her back. Hopefully she bounces back quickly :)

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  13. You put so much work into getting Pangea to look the way she used to look...and her feet! It was so hard for you to get her feet in good shape! This makes me furious. WTF? Thank god for eye boogers. I'm glad she's back with you!

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  14. Hi - I'm not a horse owner, even though I love these gorgeous creatures! Here's my two cents... I take way better care of something (living or not) that is NOT mine! It's a matter of respect and trust. You should not expect less.
    attnamedboo@gmail.com

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  15. I had a free lease horse last summer, got him from the lady that was free leasing him from his owner about two hundred pounds underweight. Immediately I texted the real owner saying the condition he was in, which she hadn't seen him is a few months. By the end of the summer I put two hundred plus pounds(OTTB so could use it) on him and he was being ridden. It makes me SO mad when people are jerks and don't take care of another person LET ALONE THEIR HORSE!!!! I am glad it was just an eye snot and not anything bad and now she will be taken care of like the queen she is

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  16. My god this is shocking - her neck is unbelievable!! I would be furious with that useless bitch, and you sure as heck shouldn't give up on your expensive gear. Didn't this lady have Immy too though in her paddock?

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  17. This makes me SO mad because it's exactly why my horses are with me for life until the day they do into the ground. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that ribs = bad. I'm so sorry, Andrea, and I'd go after the useless (former) lessee and get your stuff back. She owes you that much at the very least.

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