December 5- SO COLD

WOW, has it been cold.  -10 at night and +12 high during the day. At least we are starting to see the sun. I have been checking on Sherlock daily but he is still lame. This blanket is really too small for several day's use. Need to budget for a new one in the right size.

I think he may have a bad sole bruise or hoof abscess, putting an Easyboot on the foot helped a bit. Today I decided he might have fractured a bone in his foot-not as serious as a break in a larger bone- and so I called the stable about moving him to stall rest for a few days.

Shaggy Sherlock

When I got there it turns out the water is not working (likely frozen?) to the paddock we were talking about. But Stable Manager M moved his horse so Sherlock could have a stall with run for the weekend. Sherlock's bandage/boot were still holding up and he actually walked pretty well. He was pawing at his feed tub as well which is a bit of improvement from the last couple of days.

Today I refreshed the bandage and found a new swollen spot- on the outside of the cannon bone just below the knee. The only place that has been tender in all of this was just below the knee to the inside. So I wrapped it with a very loose wrap. Interesting development-more research. Tomorrow I'd like to get a polo wrap on the whole thing for cheaper cleanliness. My fingers keep going numb when bandaging.


 So today Sherlock's in the stall with a stack of hay, a grain tub with lots of BL-Solution in the feed, and a fresh bandage/boot. He seemed perfectly happy with his huge pile of hay, and I hope he remains so all day. I finally remembered the turquoise beads and blessed them and braided one into Sherlock's mane this morning. I also did a little energy cycling but he seemed uncomfortable with that.