Oroquin 10 - Day 3

AM: Blue spooked a little as I walked up to his stall this morning. His hair showed a sweat pattern at his chest and flanks - even though he had a cool bath in the evening, it had cooled down significantly due to thunderstorms rolling through the area, and his box fan was on all night.

He was done eating breakfast, so I slid on his halter and took him out to the field to graze a little. He was head-in-the-air interested in getting out there and even jigged a little. At first he was more interested in moving around and looking at everything, but eventually decided the clover should be his priority.

Again the flies were relentless. Blue was more bothered by them than usual, even though he was well sprayed down before we went out.

I decided to stick him in the arena to walk a little, just because he seemed so on edge. He immediately trotted over to the open door, and had a little trot and then rolled. He got down right away to roll, and then looked like he was going to roll on the other side, went down to his knees and decided against it. This is something I have NEVER seen him do in the 20 years we have been together.

There is a feeling deep inside me that says this is go time. I think something is starting to happen inside my horse. I'm grateful that we put him on the Dex (get gets another shot tonight) to help control the inflammation as the parasites die and his body works to expel them.

Here is an AM video. As you can see, lots more energy and while his gait is pretty wild, he has no problem moving forward. The "tilt" is better and he seems a lot less crooked.

PM: Blue was much calmer this afternoon. I spent about 45 minutes brushing him with a soft brush and feeding him treats. He was almost hyper-focused on me. The rest of the barn was quiet. He whiffled in my hair and turned his neck to watch everything I was doing. He nuzzled my pockets for treats and licked my hands. I decided not to take him out of his stall after that. He seemed content and calm, and I didn't want to disturb that.

Also a note: I think he laid down to rest today. He had several stains on his side and rump that suggest that he slept in his stall in the late morning or early afternoon. This is significant because my vet believes Blue was suffering from sleep deprivation from not being able to get down. Little victories.