I just love that big, velvety nose of his!I've been anxious about Curly. For so long there hasn't seemed to be any change in his level of pain; he just plods along, stiff and slow. I've continued to hand walk/trot him and E even ponied him with Monte. Curly always does what we ask, but he just doesn't feel very fluid and happy in the doing.
And then a couple of days ago my barn manager approached me at a party we were both at and informs me (with a huge smile on her face!) that Curly suddenly appears to be doing much better. He has begun to quickly trot out to the field in the morning and then back to his stall at night (food - the great motivator!). And yesterday, when I went out to check on him, I saw him actually galloping across the grass. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. :) All those acupuncture visits, steroid shots and supplements must be finally making a difference.
I had honestly resigned myself to the fact that we would have to put our big boy down in a few months at most. I couldn't, in all good conscience, force him to live in continuous pain. Plus, we really can't afford to keep just a pasture pet for a decade or more - and Curly could easily live that long since he's only 12.
I still have to determine if he'll be ridable...and if he's not....well, I still may have to put him down. Seems so harsh. These are the times when I wish we had our own property so I could just put him out to pasture where he could be fat and happy for the remainder of his life. But with boarding, I have to consider the financial impact of owning a non-working horse. Such a hard choice.
