Lifre is still here at Squalor Holler, amazingly. Yesterday’s plan was for us to meet up with Terri for a ride at Crevasse Moraine. Afterwards, she’d then take him with her back to her place. However, as she was preparing to leave her place, she discovered that her horse Joe had injured himself and needed to be stitched up. So Pete and I instead went for a 1 ½ hour ride with Deb Moore’s posse, and then came home, with Lifre.

Lifre’s situation is this. He has a large weepy hole in his abdomen. And he has several smaller weepy holes in front of the larger hole. His former owner (who

Pete and Lifre at Beth's

has yet to sell Lifre to Terri) doesn’t want Lifre to (as he put it) “go on the table.” Lifre (per the clinic’s original orders) was on a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The hope was that this would clear up the infection prior to surgery, that is if former and owner and current caretaker opted to take this route. And it was hoped that the reason behind the infection might be determined during the surgical process. The thinking is that the cause of the infection might be non-disintegrating sutures.

Pete’s thinking is that Lifre ought not be ridden hard, which means that training for, and doing the July Bald Mountain Butt Buster Competitive Trail Ride is out. Lifre also bears close watching when in the enclosure because he’s been determined to be a former cryptorcid. A cryptorcid is a horse that has one or two undescended testicles. The testicles were surgically removed when Lifre was at the Icelandic Horse Farm. Lifre definitely has retained stallion like tendencies. He is very possessive of Raudi and somewhat possessive of Hrimmi. We fear that if Hrimmi goes into season that he might try and mount her, and perhaps in the process injure her.

The latest is this: Yesterday Terri talked with Julie Grohs, who along with her husband Joe owns and runs the Grohs Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Grohs suggested that Lifre be brought back into the clinic, and that she do what I’m calling “non-invasive surgery,” which is surgery that’s not invasive. She wants to check out the wound sites, and culture the area, in order to determine the type of infection that Lifre is harboring. This then, will enable her to determine what ought to be done, be it leave things be, or do surgery. It will also give her an indication as to what type of antibiotics might best clear up the problem.

So this is where we all, and Lifre is, now at. The decision making process is really out of Pete and my hands, since he’s not our horse. So we aren’t having at all to deal with the stress that accompanies Lifre’s future health related plans. However, I feel bad for Terri, who has several things to contend with, ownership and health issues included.

I do feel bad for us, because things didn’t go as planned. I thought that having Lifre here would be a good thing for Pete, who then would continue to get to ride, and perhaps do the competitive trail ride. And I thought that having him around would at least temporarily fill the void left by the multiple losses of Siggi and Signy. In a way it has for me – I have enjoyed tending to Lifre who has a wonderful disposition. But less so for Pete, who while he likes Lifre, has also had to put some plans on hold.

If there is an upside to this at our end, it’s that we’ll be able to spend more time with our three horses, all of whom will enjoy the additional attention. And they’ll have access to more enclosure space, which is very important.

The lesson we have learned is ALWAYS look a gift horse in the scrotal area.

Next: 154. 6/4/14: Learning to Knit