China the horse.
Went to the stable this morning, scheduled for a 9 AM lesson, but it was not to be. When I arrived my young teacher was inserting a hypodermic needle into the neck of an obviously distressed horse while a stable hand held the horse's head. This was China.
Apparently China had choked on either some of last night's dinner rations, or something very early this morning, probably the former, which means she had been in this distress for over twelve hours. When I saw her, her tongue was hanging out and something plentiful and vile-looking was streaming out of her nostrils. The hypo held a sedative of some kind, and was also intended, I gathered, to ease her swallowing. She was so dehydrated that finding a vein was proving difficult.
Then followed a lot of cell phone calls. My teacher and her partner, who own China and the horse-show and lesson operation, were on the phone to various vets, and the stable owner was assisting. The three stable dogs, picking up the general air of emergency, seemed anxious to get in the way. I was sent 6 miles to Starbuck's for mocha for all hands. All the human beings anyway.
I only barely understood what was going on medically - am I a veterinarian? - but I gather that whatever it was that China had gotten stuck in her throat had probably, by this time, bruised her esophagus, making simple remedies (like, sticking a tube down her throat and pumping water down it) dangerous. According to some. One vet had what the horse owners deemed a "bad attitude" (actually I've cleaned the language up quite a lot here)... should the horse be treated on site? Should she be trailered to the University of California, Davis, a two hour drive, but the best animal hospital in the State? Why was it so difficult to reach the regular vet?
Meanwhile the horse, by now barely able to stand, hung her head miserably. Why, in medical emergencies, are doctors so often a part of the problem rather than being a part of the solution?
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A bit about China here. China is a 22 year old mare, and she's been a lesson horse all her life. When you go out to start riding you think, well, lesson horse, probably the least spirited nag at the stable. You could not be more wrong.
A lesson horse is a unique (and very valuable, and by the way very expensive) animal. This is a horse who can be trusted with the clumsiest beginners. She will not buck you off almost no matter what you do or don't do. At the same time, as you begin to be able to give simple orders, she will if at all possible intuit what it is you want and try to comply. A lesson horse, even more than most horses, is a superlatively well trained animal, and has a terrific temperament in addition. This particular mare is very fond of human children, and will go to great lengths to protect them. (Some, but not all, elderly mares take this attitude.) To top it off, she's not a bad riding horse in her own right, a bouncy little Arabian with a very smooth gait, fun and responsive. Even financially, China is worth her weight in gold.
I fell off a half-trained horse and broke my arm some years ago. China is the horse who taught me how to trust horses again. To me, her value is not to be measured in money.
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As the sedative began to wear off, China seemed to revive a little, and began to sip a little water, a good idea in any case, given how much fluid she had lost. Her throat still seemed swollen and probably still partially blocked, but she was able to swallow the little water. The vet was on her way, finally. The horse trailer was hitched up, and the truck was full of diesel, so going to Davis was still a possibility if that seemed advisable. My teacher and I exchanged a hug, and I drove home.
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Did China survive? How does the story come out? No one knows yet, including me. Check tomorrow's daylog!
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In other news, today is the 58th birthday of my baby brother, whom I accordingly called on the phone. I explained some of this to him. He said, "wow, you're really getting into this horse thing seriously, aren't you."
You could say that.
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Late breaking news, 6 pm California time: Called the trainer. China is OK. Exhausted, of course. More news in tomorrow's daylog. The gods protect the innocent.