This Year...

So this year has been a roller coaster it seems full of adventures, tears and laughter. I was looking through all the blogs that I have posted and I seem to have forgotten where this whole thing began. I want to catch you all up on the latest when it comes to my horse Tanner.

I left off saying I just started riding him lightly but as of today my horse is being ridden 5 days a week. He hasn't taken a lame step (for all of you non-horsey people that means he hasn't limped). We started trail riding allot but I have found that for my own personal reasons as well as Tanner's liking we will continue to focus on the arena stuff. Im impressed with all that he still remembers even though its sometimes a fight to keep him motivated. (Reminds me of the Biggest Loser series where as Tanner is a contestant getting in shape and I am the personal trainer; Im going to say I more resemble Jillian aka I will kick his butt).

This leads me to my next point of topic... I have decided to sell my golden palomino. It doesn't really have to do with him its more because when I bought this 2 year old horse I thought I would have all the time in the world to make him into that family horse that everyone wants. I got a reality check when I got approved to graduate and my parents said "guess you are closer to working 9-5!" Made me really think how in the world am I going to have time for a 4 year old horse who needs to be ridden at least 4-5 days a week!!!!

Thats when I realized I was becoming a grown up even if I didn't really want to...

Its been an emotional week of trying to figure out what to do and push aside the feelings I have for him and do what's best for the both of us... So feelings aside I realized its time to sell my beautiful, big hipped, sometimes sassy, horse and move onto the next chapter.

My goal from the start of this blog was to see that my horse recovered... Now that that goal is accomplished I can move to my next goal one that is even more difficult... getting my horse in the best shape and selling him....

Until next time ride tall!

~September~

Its September! That means schools are in session and the seasons will begin to change. As for my horse changing... well the horse trainer/whisperer guy has been helping out a lot. I can say that Tanner has more respect for "my space".

I have been riding him every other day. Trying to get him into a routine. I ride him four days a week nothing big mainly walking. I started jogging him a little. The vet said that I can canter (its like a run) him at the end of this month... that can not come sooner.

Tanner is a wonderful horse and has so much potential to become one of those horses you can put anyone on. But I get so frustrated with him. I know that all I really need to do is let him run run run but can I?!?! No! I want to so bad so I can get that little "tude" out of him.

So I am frustrated. Thats it. I wish I can skip this part of recovery because its the most stressful and not fun part. Who knows what the future has in store all I know is that I am at a cross road...

Ride Tall.

6 Months!!!!!

Im pleased to say that we made it to month six in operation heal Tanner the Beast. After the last time I blogged the vet came out and instead of hearing the inevitable that I had been planning I was pleasantly suprised with good news. Travis was there for this whole ordeal. The vet came out nice and early and made me trot him out. Tanner attempted to tromple me but what can you expect. Any ways the point is quite simple my horse is on the track to being ridden.

And today was the day where I did it. I actually tried riding him a little the other day but today I rode him the whole 15 minutes. Im oh so excited that I can ride slash that I lived to tell the tale. Im feeling so good about this now. My life is looking up!

Tomorrow we are having a horse trainer/whisperer coming out to help with Tanners sassiness. That has maximized since being stuck in a corral all these months. Im hoping that this will solve the problems. But guess Ill have to wait and see.

Till next time

Ride tall!

Its July!!!

The countdown is on... I have made a countdown calender and we are at 42 days till its been 6 months exactly. 

As of now though I have been brought face to face with the reality of it all. Not only is the decision resting heavy on my heart its coming closer to having to make it. In the beginning I was hopeful with the possibility that Tanner would be healed. After visiting the specialist I had a new found hope. With the swelling going down so much I felt a sense of ease that all will be well with my baby. 

But as I continually mark down each day and the day of truth comes closer and closer I am getting ever more worried. As of yesterday Tanner started limping... we gave him some bute which helps relieve pain. When I went out there today he was still limping. This isn't a good sign. Also there is heat in his leg which means the injury is still very prevalent. I'm worried that this next month of waiting is all for waste... I called the vet leaving a message.

The question remains is a month enough to heal this injury or am I just putting off the inevitable fact that Tanner is terminally broken....  

My heart is breaking with this question. Hope is harder to find in the darkness of this reality.

I finally cracked the case!!! aka I remembered my password

Sorry for the long time between blogs I forgot the password but as you can see I broke the code!!!! Any ways here is a briefing of what has happened since last we talked.

So its been quite a journey thus far with the beast. We completed therapy using the cold compression system, Game Ready. Tanner enjoyed every minute of it. I measured his leg from the middle of treatment to the completion and it went down 3/10ths of an inch. I am so pleased.

Bed ridden or should I say corral ridden Tanner is doing the best a 4 year old can do. We have figured out a system on how to keep him generally calm but he still gets a little hop in his step every once in awhile. 

I'm really starting to feel the depth of this injury... Im gettin horse crazy. I really want to ride him and it kills me whenever I walk out to feed or water or even just bath him. This whole situation is just terrible. I know that it could be worse but I am getting stir crazy with out my noble stead to sit upon.

Well I will try to remember to do this more often. To keep his progress updated. 

Oh yes Tanner is turning into quite the funny guy lately... when I go in his corral to clean it he takes the pitch fork and walks away from me... also the other day I was loading up the wheel barrel in his coral and right when I was about to put the last scoop in the barrel Tanner decided it would be a great idea to flip the entire barrel and all my hard work over. So I had to start all over. 

Till next time...ride tall

Twenty- Six miles....

Twenty-six miles down the 15 freeway we found ourselves on our to the fate of my trusty stead. As I pulled up the driveway with my rig I witnessed one of the most impecable stables I have ever seen! Tanner was excited too he was stomping and rocking the truck and the trailer.

Let me get you caught up, we made an appointment with Dr. Mark Martinelli and where scheduled to be seen on Wednesday at 2:30-3ish. He is one of the best Orthopedics for equines he works alongside Dr. Norman W. Rantanen who has wrote books about the ultrasound systems in the horse world. ( So they are the BEST at what they do or as my dad said $$$).

As I parked the trailer and hopped out of the truck a young woman came up to great us right away she intruduced her self as Dr. Lea Walker, who is an intern. The next thing I know I lead Tanner out of the trailer which was...hmmm. Any ways as soon as he made it to solid ground someone took him and settled him into a nice stall.

Dry Humor is a understatement to give these Dr.'s I can honestly say I am terrible at it even though I grew up in a house full of it. But by the end I think I did myself justice since I am a Comm major.

After they did the ultrasound they couldnt say that they were exactly pleased with what was going on so they suggested us getting x-rays again to check to see if there was any changes since the injury first occured.... As I waited I have to admit I wasnt as stressed as I was before I figured my horse maybe crazy at times but he isnt dumb. Most horses that get there leg caught in anything frantically pull and end up breaking there bones. He on the other hand figured "Well I guess Im stuck... Hello..."

The results where something along the lines of this " The radiographs confirmed that there was a fracture to the collateral ligament of the left hind fetlock. There was no other abnormalties. "

Recovery is in full swing here at the Rahe's... We brought Tanner up to our corrals and he is so much happier. He has bucked and ran... even though he isn't supposed to but I can only do so much... if he wants to get better he is going to have to figure out that he isnt coming out of his stall for 5 more months and he needs to lay low. His regime is this...no more 10 minute walks from hell... just 20 minutes of Game Ready twice a day. Game Ready is used on athletes aswell its a cuff that applies pressure with cool water its a from a cold compressive threrapy. It helps release the fluid and swelling.

So every day now I get to look outside my window I see golden specs reflecting of my California dreamin' horse...Tanner.

Ride Tall.

We met again at the hitching post...or in this case the bath rack

I havent posted in awhile mainly because A) I have been really busy B) I have been doing the same thing everyday with "the beast" and didnt want to bore you C) I kept forgetting.

I dont remember if I wrote that Tanner is on a shot that is supposed to calm him down... its like a horsey "prozac". I think its working. But then again today on our daily adventure to the bath rack he started goofing off. He is kind of cute when he does this its like he is playing. He jumps and lifts up... and then I get nervous and ask him to stop. Im not going to lie its very intimidating one false move and he would clobber me.

Today was also his last day of the 15 pills in the morning and in the evening. Which is great! Giving a horse that much medication is no fun... Although he was the dream little medicine eater he licks that bucket clean.

Tomorrow, I am going to re-wrap Tanner's leg but this time we get to use different supplies. Usually the wrapping proccess consists of a cotton sheet then medical vet wrap and then a casing of stick tape. We are moving along in our healing so we are upgrading to a quilted sheet and then just a polo wrap... sounds a lot easier. I am also going to bathe Tanner if the weather permits. And if its sunny enough I may put some more sun-in in his mane and tail since they are kind of yellow.

We called the San Louis Rey Equine Hospital to schedule Tanner's ultrasound. We are going in on March 13 which yes is a Friday... and is perfectly a month since this disaster happend. Best case scenario is they find nothing is wrong... no tears and no problems with that bone chip.... next best case would be that he tore a ligament but very slightly and it would only take 4-5 months off.... worst case would be that the chip is what is causing the problem then surgery would be mandatory... and the most terrible scenario is that the surgery wont work.

I am keeping positive however because of all the progress he is already showing. On our walks he is barely short striding the leg which is a blessing in itself. So until we get to the vet I can only pray that all will be well.

Ride Tall~

Re-wrappin

So yesterday I had to re-wrap... Again my baby matches which just makes my day. I walked Tanner to the bath racks so he wouldnt be able to move as much. He still some how managed to move a little. I took of the wraps from Friday to find his leg still swollen. I m not sure if that is ok.... It hasnt been two weeks yet but I dont know how long is a normal amount of time for a leg to be swollen. I might call the vet and ask. As of now surgery seems to be necessary. That is going to cost around $3,000. What fun. I think I am going to get a big bucket and put a picture of Tanner on it and put it at work so people will donate money. I think people would totally do it.

Our walks arent getting any smoother after I wrapped I went to walk him around and he took out a vine. Literally. At this barn they have all these jasmine vines that go around the building and Tanner just walked by and took a bite ripping the entire plant of the wall. I have to go fix it today.

So today when I walk him Im going to sedate him. He is just to out of control....

Till next time...Ride Tall

The vet said walk and we... walkedish?!?!

So the vet told me that I can start walking Tanner 2x a day for 10 minutes. So today we started that... Um easier said than done!

Let me just set up this situation... for the past week give or take... Tanner has been locked up in a tiny tiny stall... every day twice a day he gets a decent amount of "grain" with his meds... Well if you dont know "grain" is for older horses and it gives them a little boost. Its like giving a 5 year old a bunch of cotton candy. So he is hyper!

I put a chain around his nose so at least he may listen to me. Its called a Stud Chain, its used to kind of pinch him a little. Obviously he doesnt feel it and the ten minute walk felt like an eternity of him pulling me around. Eating everything in sight and spooking at anything... oh and there are a bunch of pepper trees so he not only reached down to get the grass and weeds but up to get the tree... he is like a giraffe, which is fine by me because they are one of my favorite zoo animals!

Well my mom took pictures and I am way excited because he looks so darn cute in his purple blanket and purple wraps! I love that I have to match his outfit...it must be the rodeo queen in me:)

So I have to do this one more time today...aye vey!

Ride Tall

The vet came!!!!

So I was a little nervous this morning because our vet Dr. McNeil was on his way to check on Tanner. After me and my mom have been nursing him this whole week I could only hope for the best. In my mind I still was prepping myself for the worse... aka I would have to let Tanner join the herd in the sky.

As 8am aproached I was left thinking about how much I have already done with my soon to be 4 year old horse. We have done shows...got titles.... awards...trophy buckles...and jackets...parades...and Tanners favorite holding that red, white and blue as we galloped around a crowd stopping in the center to hear our national athem... What a proud moment.

Now I was left thinking what if I wont ever be able to do that with Tanner. It would never be the same. Seeing his golden fur sparkle in the California sun and his white mane and tail flowing in the wind is something I look forward to every day.

I heard the vet roll up and the butterflies hit! I pulled my super big sunglasses over my eyes preparing for the worst.

So Tanner got to get out of his stall for the first time today! He was nuts! He was pushing me and trying to eat all the plants that were in mouths reach and if they werent reachable he would make them. The vet assistant tried to soothe him with some lavender fragrance but that just pissed Tanner off because he couldnt eat it. So after about 2 minutes Dr. McNeil ran to his truk grabbed a huge needle and shot him up with some sedation... no more Mr. Moody!!!

Dr. McNeil unwrapped Tanner's leg and complimented me on my wrap job. As he pulled away the last of it... I could see suprise on his face. I am excited to report that Tanner is on his way to a speedy recovery. Him being a good patient and also him having the best nurses... granny and momma(me) ;)

So only 3 more weeks of wrapping; 60-90 days of just walking; and then a evaluation to see if surgery is still needed to remove the bone chip. Needless to say I will be saving my $ just in case he has to go under the knife!

Till next time...Ride Tall

Puttin the S in Sassy!!!!

Today Tanner was just so full of himself! He's got such a little attitude. I swear he is such a little brat. Spoiled like the kids from the show The Real Housewives of Orange County. He tried to have a little taste of my arm(little did he know I am skilled as Bruce Lee) and quicker than the speed of light it seemed I jabbed him right in the mouth. More harm to me it seems but at least he knows that bitting is off limits.

Before I went to school today(By the way, school was pointless because two of my classes were cancelled) I visited the baby to give him his medicine. I have to squish up 15 huge horse pills and put them into some yummy grain so he would eat it. Last night my mom (aka Tanner's Granny) made him a toy. Its a milk gallon with treats in it. We tied it to his stall. Any ways when I went out there this morning it didnt look like a milk gallon any more it was all squished and controted.

Tanner really doesnt know how to stay out of trouble! I got a call from my mom this afternoon saying he got his other leg stuck in a rope that was attached to a bucket. Jeeze he sure likes to make this whole thing hard. After I got out of work I went to the barn to see the damage and also to give him his secong dosage of the 15 pills. The rope reminded me of the tracking device Martha Stewart had on when she left the big pen. I had to practically saw it off. Thankfully no harm was done.


Today was quite the adventure it never ceases to amaze me how truly ridiculous and silly horses are... but I can honestly say that no matter how stupid they are my love for them will not detour.

Till next time

Nurse Sarah reporting for duty

So its raining cats and dogs outside. Which doesnt make Tanner any happier. The vet said he must stay in a 12 by 12 stall for the next 45 days... actually a little less about 42 more days. Just imagine confining a 3 year old in a play pen for that long. He is already getting pretty sassy.

Today I had to take the bandages off and re-do them. I was totally going to document it and take pictures but my camera didnt turn on. So that idea went out the window.

Being a nurse to a 3 year old horse is not easy let me tell you. Tanner is like no other 3 year old...he is huge. He is about 16.3hds now. For those who dont know horse terms that is about 70" at the shoulder. So when he puts his neck up he is like...a giraffe!!!

Anyway after giving him a shot of ace( Its like a tequilla shot) to make him relax. I went in there and had to cut away the old bandages. Im pleased to say that the swelling has gone down dramactically. That is a good sign!!!!

So with that said I am feeling much more upbeat about my horse and his recovery:)

Friday the 13TH

So I decided that I should give this whole blog thing a shot... I have heard rave reviews about having one... so why not jump on the band wagon.

Well this weekend has been...well... dramatic. Experiencing the rollercoater ride of emotions. This is just the begining though... I am going to be nursing the pride and joy of my life back to health for the next 6 months if I am lucky.

They say Friday the 13th...beware... if I would have taken it seriously I might have prevented this whole situation from ever occuring. So lets begin this tale from the very begining it was Thursday and I was just arriving at the UofR to go to the Beta Date Night....

I was dressed in a dress that looked like I was going to your Grandma's tea party... but my hair looked nice. Anyways after a few "purple Gatorade"drinks later we were set on our merry way. I had a wonderful time seeing all the girls at the house. After some much needed chatting, singing, and table dancing it was time for me and Brenna to make our way back home.

Thats were the adventure began... we fell into a fitfull sleep on the twin bed somehow... I woke to my internal time clock that told me its 6am lets get moving. I tried to sleep longer but couldnt. I looked at my phone and at that very moment I was getting calls from a restricted number and my house. I didnt want to wake Brenna so I ever so carefully climbed up and over off the bed and out the door.

I was in the hallway listening to the voice mails... the first sounded urgent it said this " Dr. McNeil I'm on my way" (I thought to myself now thats interesting I wonder what the vet is doing calling me) the next voicemail was my mother... the message was all fuzzy as if someone was crunching a candy wrapper over the speaker " Sarah....horse....cant get up.....vet....hocks are..." (I was thinking ok the horse we are leasing is dying he is 21 years old...)

So I call my mom... frantically she answered and said "Sarah, Tanner(aka my baby horse) kicked the fence and got his foot stuck between the pannels...it took three of us to get him out... the vet is coming...(she paused for what seemed like forever) he may have broken his leg...
For those of you that dont know if a horse breaks a leg they are automatically euthanized.
I ran back into the room...made a quick grab for all my stuff and was on the road to Murrieta.

By the time I got there the vet had left and was taking the x-rays to the clinic to see if he broke anything...I was thinking how cruel is this, 8 months ago I had to put my paint horse to sleep and now this.

The results came in no broken bones... thank goodness...but we have to wait and see if Tanner can ever be ridden again. I have 6 months of nursing his leg. That is what gave me the idea to blog... I am going to blog his progress in hopes of seeing the results. The vet comes out on Friday so I am praying for a good report.

Till next we meet... Ride Tall