Clever “Casper” Invents New Game – Crash through the Rails
Familiar Ghost exhibits his sense of humor working with his new mom
“Casper” (Familiar Ghost) is doing very well. He’s slowly coming into frame and getting rounder. I’ve jumped him over small stuff, little x’s, and he really thinks about things. I can almost HEAR him thinking, “why jump over this stuff? I can go around it much more easily.” But he’s honest and tries, so I have no complaints!
We did go through a rather humorous couple of days when he decided that blowing THROUGH the fences was great fun. The plastic rails would go flying all over the arena like pick-up sticks. Then I took him out to the outdoor arena and spoiled all his fun. The rails out there are wood. Rapped himself once and that was the end of arena pick-up sticks.
Since “Casper” has a pretty good opinion of himself and KNOWS that I am in humble servitude to him, he coliced on New Year’s day. Nothing bad. I hauled him to our vet and after some Rompun and Banamine he was right as rain. The weather here has been entirely goofy–70 degrees one day, 30 the next–so a lot of the horses aren’t drinking as much as they should. My vet feels this was the case with “Sir “Casper””.
After the colic I had some real behavior problems with him–crabby, shying at everything (yes, apparently there is STILL a gremlin under the judge’s stand in the outdoor arena), he even bolted. So I called the vet and he explained that sometimes Banamine can cause ulcers to flare. Off I went with “Casper” again to the vet last Tuesday to have him scoped. Good news is that there are NO ulcers (thank God–not only for “Casper”, but for my wallet. Gastro-Gard is priced like platinum), but he does have some thickening where the esophagus meets the stomach. He’s on Ulce rGard for 12 days.
I haven’t been able to ride for this last week because I’ve been at in-service for school, but hopefully once I start the semester I’ll be able to get out to the barn more often.
So, that’s the latest on “Casper”. He’s the best.
Lesli