May 2010

Suki and Nikki seemed to settle in well together with only a few scuffles here and there. They were gradually weaned onto the grass, and soon were staying out overnight like the other horses. I find this ironic. The reason Suki was in the barn the night of the fire was because she did not like to be outside for extended periods. Now she was going out over night and loved it. It is hard not to look back and think "what if". But we go forward without regrets. I think Suki has a bigger purpose in life now and hope that we can inspire those around us.

I was now allowing Suki to go out over night without a sheet. The wound on her back seemed to do OK, and I continued to clean it daily and apply medication. Without further veterinary instructions it seemed that the best thing to do was to let it dry and heal. Suki wore a fly sheet on the cooler nights and I still applied sunscreen to any exposed skin. The folks at Smart Pak sent a very nice cooler to me for Suki, which included a neck piece. It arrived with a get well card from the staff. I was grateful for their kindness and generosity.

Wearing the fly sheet worked well for coverage, but frequent rolling opened the wound regularly. Not bad, but enough to hinder healing. It was never infected, but was stubborn about healing completely. Then I started to apply Blu-Kote, which seemed to dry the area well and protect it. We continued with exfoliation every other day and moisturizing the larger areas of dry skin. Suki went through a long period of not rolling over completely, and that area on her back began to improve. I was hopeful!

It was a lot of work treating Suki's back, lunging her occasionally and riding Nikki. I almost welcomed the days when it rained heavily as a respite form riding and lunging. Nikki was progressing nicely and was fun to ride. A 3 year old requires just basic training, so I tried to give her variety, without exerting pressure. I had learned my lesson from Suki's meltdown early in her career and went with my own instincts this time. Of course, Heather's wisdom in the training of a young horse were my biggest influence. She had made numerous babies from the ground up with much success and I agreed with her philosophy.

December 22, 2011
Sorry for the short post this evening. With Christmas quickly approaching I am trying to tackle all of that last minute preparation. With a 5 year old son Santa is a huge presence in our lives right now!

I have been thinking about starting a charitable organization for horses, but struggling with what the best forum is and how to start it. I have many ideas for fundraising and marketing, but still trying to determine what the highest unmet need is. There seem to be so many that need assistance!

Suki is truly a blessing (so is Nikki). I know that she has some greater purpose, and that her survival has great meaning. She has a story to tell and a message to send. So I need to combine that with a charitable organization. i wish that I could board her at a farm with a therapeutic riding program so that more people would have access to meet her. But it needs to be close enough to home of course.

Once Christmas is over I will have a week off from work, and will spend some of that time trying to figure out our next steps. I am also going to try to finish the text for the children's book. The problem that I am having with that genre is sending the right message. So much to do!

many thanks to my readers. I enjoy looking at the stats and seeing how many people from so many different countries are following Suki's story!