I got up bright and early to go check on Prize before work. I was worried that I was going to wake everybody up but when I drove in I saw a light on in the barn. Unfortunately, it turns out that they must just leave that light on since there were no other humans around. That means I walked into a barn of hungry horses wanting breakfast.

If you haven’t had the experience, remember the seagulls from Finding Nemo who all say, “Food? Food? Food? Food?” and you’ll get the idea.

Prize was standing up in her stall. She was in her favorite position – pressed up against the bars between her stall and the big bay Thoroughbred gelding next door. My little hussy does love the boys. When I opened the door I was all but strip searched for treats. So her attitude is back to normal. No more Woe Is Me Pathetic Pony. She was standing normally. Last night she was rocking back on her hind legs to take pressure off the front ones. She still doesn’t want to walk so her feet must still be sore but they are cool to the touch with no pulses felt. That means little to no active inflammation in the feet.

She’ll be staying in today and getting more pain drugs. She’ll have company. Another horse foundered this summer and he’s been staying in. He’s her friend from this spring when she was refusing to leave the boys when she was in heat. She’s borrowing from his stash of medicine now.

I’m not sure what set this off. She’s in the same pasture that she’s been in all summer. It has rained all week so maybe there was a grass growth spurt that upset her stomach.

Then I had to get out of the barn past all the hungry horses who were incredulous that I wasn’t feeding them. “Are you leaving? We didn’t eat. We know you aren’t the normal breakfast giver but you know where the hay is, right? Prize, tell your human-slave to feed us!” I walked down the aisle saying, “Sorry, sorry, sorry, gotta go.”