A Deeper Love

A Deeper love...the trials that you go through in life can make love be deeper then it already was.

One particular day at the very beginning of this summer, when the sun was making it's daily visits longer and more intense, Chester and I were rather enjoying ourselves until we hit a trial head on. And that is the tale I am going to tell you today.
    As the sun was sinking behind the hills and evening was already upon us, I walked down to the round pen to fetch my pony. I had left him out there from an afternoon ride and work out. He was very alert and definitely ready to come up to his yard. I walked my prancing pony up to his yard and proceeded to put his halter away and began to get him fresh water. While I was getting him water he laid down in the cool wet sand. The odd things was, after he did, he proceeded to lay completely down. He spread out his legs and rested his head on the sand. That isn't normal for him and as I continued to get him water I thought he was just plain exhausted from walking around all afternoon.
Well he continued to lay down, get up and go over to his feeder then back to the sand and do the same thing again.
   So I went and told my mom that I thought something might be wrong and she came up to look at him. He was laying completely down. My mom said, "That's not good. See if he gets up when you feed him." I got him grain and he got up and nickered and ate his grain. We were like, ok...hmmm. I proceeded to feed him and gave him his hay. He started to eat it but then all of a suddenly he laid completely down in his stall, head and all. His breathing became really heavy and slow and it seemed hard or painful for him to breath. Besides him looking quite horrible, one of the other things that was abnormal was that he laid down when I was standing right there. He usually doesn't let me get too close to him when he lays down. (Though the more I get to know him and the more he trusts me, he has allowed me to get closer. Making special moments.) :)
Once he laid down my mom went to call the vet to see what we should do. I went around him and up by his head and as tears where running down my face I asked him what was wrong. (Because as any horse girl does, I talk to my horse.) He would lift his head up and then lay it down with big sighs and heavy breathing. Something was not right. He kept this up a little bit and then I ran inside to see what the vet said. They said we needed to check his temperature.  I went back out there to find him laying out in his yard and doing the same things; sighing, laying his head down and then picking it up and breathing heavily. He didn't look good. He was getting worse really fast. He looked like he was in pain and was so uncomfortable. I went in to tell my mom that he was progressing really fast. I headed inside right as my Dad got home and I tearfully told him what was happening. We headed back up there and Chester was doing really bad. My Mom came up and then we decided we needed to call the vet and have them come out. My sweet Mom went in and called them once again telling them that we needed a vet out.
Me and my Dad watched and talked to Chester as he lay there in pain. We were crying and praising God that he provided this wonderful horse for us. And for the time the Lord had given us with him. Then my Mom came up and said the vet would be there in 20 to 30 minutes. That gave us some comfort, but we were thinking that this was it for Chester.
About 15 to 20 minutes later the vet showed up. Amazingly fast...I wonder how that happened? ;) (We have an Awesome God.)

{Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Matthew 10:29}

She came up to his yard and evaluated the situation and looked him over.
She said, "we need to get him to his feet." So she clucked and waved her arms and I pulled a little bit oh his halter. He got up and stood there miserably.
She checked for capillary refill and took his temperature. She said that he had a small fever and was dehydrated. 
She said she was going to give him a small sedative, a pain reliever and one other thing to help keep his system open and clear. We gave the sedative a couple minutes to kick in and then she put bags on her arms and proceeded to check him out. Chester did just fine standing there drowsily.
After a while, she said that he had a big gas bubble in his system and that he had two piles of manure to pass. She wanted to see him pass three piles within 24 hours and then he would be basically out of the woods.
Then, she said that we needed to get water into him because he was dehydrated. She got a long clear tube, a small hand pump and filled a metal bucket with water. She explained to me what she was going to do. She then proceeded to put the tube up his nose and down his throat. You could see it in the side of his neck/ throat; very strange but interesting.
She pumped water into him and then let it run out to see if there was anything in his stomach. After a few times of doing that, there was nothing concerning. So she pumped a bucket of water into him and wouldn't allow it to come back out.
When she was done, she pulled the tube completely out. It gave him a bloody nose, poor guy.
   After all that was done, she said that he should be feeling better real soon with the pain meds and water in his system. But we needed to walk him every two to three hours and let him graze a little bit while taking him out to walk. The motion of grazing, moister from the grass and fresh grass itself would help his system a lot.
As he was still a little drugged he went over to his feeder and started eating. The vet pulled him away and said he shouldn't eat. She didn't want him to eat for awhile and didn't want the dry hay in his system.
   Well, we walked him three times that night and let him graze. As the night went on he looked better and better. Slowly but surely he was pulling out of it. In the morning he passed one of the piles of manure. That made me happy. I continued to watch him all that day and take him for walks. Later on in the day he passed another pile of manure and by that night he passed the third. He was doing much better and was almost out of the woods!
 Why did he colic? Well, the last couple days had been really warm. That day I took him out and worked and rode him. He didn't drink any water while we were playing and then I left him out in his pen until that evening. (I don't think he drank any then either.) At that time he was really barn sour so all of his meals where hay. Not much water that day plus dry hay in his system makes for not a good situation. Thus, colic.
  The vet said he couldn't eat any hay or grain for twenty-four hours. She said we should get some pelleted feed and soak one pound in water and he could have that. Thankfully we already had some so I soaked some and gave it to him the next morning. He wasn't too thrilled about that. ;)

The vet left and said that we could call her anytime. We went inside and breathed a sigh of relief that we didn't have to put down our sweet pony.

Thus, I now have a deeper for love for my sweet boy Chester. And I am SO thankful for the horse God provided and gave me; allowing me to have him for this long and every day I have with him.
May we never take for granted those things that we so earnestly prayed for, God provided, and we now have as a privilege to take care of while we and they are alive on earth.

                                         Medical papers and a pain reliever.

                                Keeping the colic away with grazing and walking.

                                                         Lots of water!

                                                This was a few days before.