Got home and started to feed in the stables. That's great I thought Nico's been fed.... and then I looked at him and realised it was his breakfast still sat there - SHITE - walked in to his box and he isn't weight bearing on his near hind, he's breathing heavily and his eyes are about popping out his head - OH SHITE - when I say "not weight bearing" that doesn't even come close to describing it - he won't move at all, his leg looks misshapen, swollen in places and slightly warm. He'd been eating his breakfast when I left perfectly sound and had obviously stopped eating almost immediately after we left - so I conclude something catastrophic has happened soon after 8 in the morning.
I get Mark to look at his leg but already I have that sick feeling in my stomach, that absolute certainty that we are about to be shooting our second horse in six months. Marks face tells the same story, we can't work out how he's done it but we decide he's broken his leg.....
Andrew Miller the vet arrives quickly and is absolutely positive Nico has an infection.... "An Infection????" Deep sighs of relief all round (Mostly from Nico I guess, especially if he understood the "how do we get him out the box" conversation) IV bute and Penicillin and he brightens up within five minutes and manages to choke down a carrot or two.
So for today we have a stallion who has a leg like a tree trunk and he's not well but fingers crossed we'll get him back on track soon.
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