I took this photo a couple of days ago of blind Bo and blind Rosie enjoying life on a bright green pasture. It was late afternoon, and Alayne and I were heading out to start bringing the horses in. It's still hard for us to believe how green the grass is, especially in late August. In Montana, the grass turned brown in July and stayed that way until the snow came. Our actual "green-up" was from May, when the grass was still too short to graze, only to mid-July -- and that's if we had decent spring rains. That was the duration of the green season. From then on, the grass was brown and dry. So this late summer green here is a feast for our eyes.
You can tell these two horses have had plenty to eat because neither one is grazing ... just hanging out. But Bo has us concerned, because he isn't holding his weight, no matter how much he eats. Bo has always been very lean -- unlike his rather plump girlfriend! -- but we don't like what we're seeing. So our equine vet, Dr. Steve Levine, is scheduled to come out this week to look at Bo's teeth, do bloodwork, and figure out what the problem is.
But meanwhile, they and the rest of the herd are happy to be grazing on this kind of grass in late summer!
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Speaking of horses: Every few days, someone somewhere emails us the story about "Molly the Amazing Pony" -- the one with the prosthetic leg. While we've known about her for years, I've often wondered about the follow-up. The story that has been floating around the Internet and that everyone keeps sending us was written soon after she was fitted with the prosthetic. How did she do a year or two later? Well, the Washington Post has a photo essay about Molly today and you can read it here. (Please note ... if the photo gallery doesn't launch for you, I can't troubleshoot it for you.)
I hope Bo's problem is a simple one with a quick, painless and inexpensive fix. We "don't want no Bo problems."
Hugs all around,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit
Enjoy your blog break, Steve. You deserve it!
Posted by: ginger | September 07, 2010 at 05:42 PM
That is some beautiful grass there! It's so nice to see the horses enjoying themselves. I hope that you can find out what's going on with Bo very soon and that he'll get to feeling better!
Posted by: Ann | September 02, 2010 at 03:10 AM
Spectacular! Nature's beauty at it's finest!
Posted by: Doe George | September 01, 2010 at 08:19 PM
It's wonderful to hear the horses are enjoying the beautiful, green lush grass. I'm glad you all enjoying it too! The picture tells the story of how much it's being enjoyed by Rosie & Bo. I sure hope you can pinpoint Bo's weight issue & he is doing better soon.
Posted by: Colleen & In Memory of Sweet Kitty Erin | September 01, 2010 at 12:19 PM
Check Bo for Ulcers or the start of them. Our 18 year old paint mare, Lacey, dropped weight, off feed and started to lie down a lot. The vet was out could not find anything. I noticed a new slight head bob or popup and a twitch of the tail on occasion.I asked him to come back and check for ulcers. In short time of our move and then 3 months out there it was ulcers! I had never had them in any horse in my over 50 years. A Rantidine course and soaked alfalfa hay( still use alfalfa soaked mixed with her grass said to help acid in equine stomach)Recovery was swift. A year later she is still well and very active. Lacey was an orphan foal to start her life off and maybe was more at risk for stress in the move then our others.
Posted by: Oregon27 | September 01, 2010 at 11:49 AM
Nice to see the horses enjoying the green grass! I'm sure they are doing their fair sharing of rolling with happiness!! Hope it is nothing serious with Bo.
Posted by: Laura, Levi & Timmy | September 01, 2010 at 11:23 AM
What a beautiful shot - makes me want to be there enjoying the luscious setting and telling these 2 beauties how happy I am for them that they are so content.
Posted by: Angela | September 01, 2010 at 11:15 AM
Maybe chasing after his girlfriend, Rosy, is knocking all his weight off his body. I hope everything will be okay with Bo. Molly the pony is quite an uplifting story. Bless her and her "person". In God's eyes we are all perfect and have a place in this universe!
Posted by: Kathleen Rivard | September 01, 2010 at 10:08 AM
I'm so glad to finally see some horses in their new pastures! Thanks Steve!
Posted by: Claudia | September 01, 2010 at 09:59 AM
For Tia & Karl, please let us know when sweet Molly arrives safe and sound in her new home. We are all cheering for you and her and her new & old buddies.
Posted by: Anne in Florida | September 01, 2010 at 09:08 AM
I was thinking of Rosie yesterday and wondering how her foot healed after Dr. Levines Christmas bootie treatment. Glad to see her & hoping she is sound on all 4. I hope you come to a good conclusion on slender boy Bo. He is a good looking horse (his ears seem to work just fine, he knows right where you are standing :) ) What a beautiful piece of property you have! I wish they all could see it to appreciate it, but I am sure they do in other ways.
Posted by: Anne in Florida | September 01, 2010 at 09:05 AM
It must feel great to them to be standing/lying on that lushness, compared to the Montana pasture. I am so HAPPY that you are here in New England now!
Posted by: kathy | September 01, 2010 at 07:38 AM
WOW!! I haven't seen the original email but those photos are just amazing!! What a pony!!
Posted by: Maree in NZ | August 31, 2010 at 11:02 PM