Do horses have flashbacks??

It has been said that horses remember people who have been kind to them and people who have been unkind....long after they last met.  I certainly believe that.  There was a story recently about a family who had sold a horse and requested first refusal if the new owner decided to sell her.  The original owner had taught the horse tricks, including how to bow.  A few years later the original family was alerted that this pony was in the kill pen at an auction, and the photo that the family saw made them fairly certain that this was their beloved pony.  Attempting to get information from the people they had sold her to proved fruitless.  A rescue took the pony and the original family went to see/retrieve her.  When the pony saw the girl and heard her voice, she bowed.

The other night Deb and Toby took care of the girls as they always do on Wednesdays.  A farrier was working inside the barn, which was filled with smoke.  Suki refused to go in the barn.  So I am left to wonder....was this due to her nervousnous around farriers, or this time did it have to do with her experience in the fire.  As I thought about this (and now as I write about it) I can feel my chest tighten and my eyes fill with tears.  It physically hurts me to imagine what she went through that night.  The amount of fear as smoke filled the barn knowing she was trapped.  The pain of firey debris falling on her as she was rescued from the burning barn.  The fear that sent her and Whisby running from the paddock to get as far away from the chaos as possible!  I know from several accounts that Suki's back was literally on fire, and no amount of time will ever heal the emotional wounds that cut deep into my heart and soul.....so how must Suki feel?

Suki has come along way physically and from everything I can tell as I take care of her daily, she has recovered mentally as well.  At least that is how it appears.  From what I understand military dogs can experience post traumatic stress disorder, and for mny abused animals it takes them a long to time to trust again.  I think that non-animal people don't get that....

So now I am away at a conference.  I left on Friday (5 April)  and will return Wednesday night.  Deb and Toby are taking care of the girls.  The weather is perfect for riding so I am really anxious to get home to get Nikki back to work and start getting Suki fit for our long lining adventures.  My show season will start late, but I intend to get cranking by summer!  I can't wait to get beautiful Nikki out in front of the judges again! 

With Suki I will make sure that she is sound and happy.  As we progress I will decide what the next direction will be and which trainer I will seek assistance from.  One thing that may turn up as I start to increase Suki's work is her respiration.  Although it does not appear that she has lung damage from the smoke inhalation, her veterinarians warned that perhaps if she were to ever go back to work we would discover that there is indeed some damage.  This could surface as an inability to work past a certain point, but it is all a mystery at this point.  I have never pushed her to a true fitness level other than lunging for 15 minutes or so at a time.  She seemed okay with that but time will tell.  So this spring/summer and fall will be one of discovery and milestones. 

Speaking of milestones!!!!  As I said, I am away at a conference.  Of course the temperatures have soared and Nikki is now naked.  I am sure she will have some good back-scratching rolls with all of that shedding!  Suki cannot be naked, so she is wearing a fly sheet for the first time since last September.  At that time she was wearing that stiff fly sheet with the foam padding to protect the graft area on her back.  When she wore a regular fly sheet I used a small padded bandage to protect it from the trauma of rolling.  In her stall she was allowed to be naked or wear a fly sheet without a bandage, but not outside.  Today, for the first time, Suki was out in a regular fly sheet.  No bandage, no padding.  Deb said that after a full day of turnout, all is good!  Fingers crossed that this continues......I was nervous being away and not able to monitor it but I trust Deb, and know that she takes good care of the girls.  I cried when I read the text that said Suki's back looks great!  Yes, I am a sap.  I have become a crier since the fire as well (delightful....so much for that tough exterior that took a lifetime to perfect!).  That's okay.  I am just so thrilled that Suki continues to progress.  Is there a saddle in her future......???

However.....both girls' manes are a mess!  Suki will get hers razored (pulling requires sedation or she body slams me off the stool).  Nikki is perfect about it and even dozes sometimes while I am pulling her mane!  Silly girl.  So this weekend there will be a lot of cleaning and beautifying going on so that the girls can be their stunning selves!