by Desmond » Tue Dec 20, 2016 5:02 pm
What a handsome boy -- thank you!
I'll be working with him this week to get the tasks put together, so I'll use that time to get his information in line. <3
Show name: Fear Not The Conquerer
Barn name: Emperor
Halter color: Gold with white detailing
Task 1:
Alex ran his hand through his hair, watching the wary equine in front of him. Already, he could tell the poor creature was going to need a lot of work and help - the tiny ballerina sized hooves were a clear sign of future tendon surgery and special shoes, and the scars needed to be at least checked out to make sure they were fully healed, never mind anything else that was going on that he hadn’t yet spotted signs from. But in order to make any progress, he needed to be able to get close without being left behind or bitten - being kicked wouldn’t be pleasant, either, but judging on the little gelding’s posture, that might not be a worry until his legs and feet felt better.
Standing at the fence of the corral hadn’t helped so far; whenever he tried to move along the outside of the fence, those pale eyes would lock onto him and the gelding would carefully limp just enough to maintain the most distance between them, and he’d go back to nosing at the ground for the stalwart little blades of grass that pushed through the dried mud of the corral. Not once did he stick his head out of the fence to nibble at the tall weeds that managed to escape the mower.
Sighing softly, Alex sat in the grass and dug around in his backpack for his lunch, figuring he might as well try to satisfy his stomach, if he could get nothing else done. The salad wasn’t going to be too satisfying, but it was something, and it was still fresh - fresher than the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that had soaked through, looking like a strangely vividly purple bruise against the dull tan of the bread.
He had no more than started on the first bite when he heard a quiet, off-beat thh of hooves in dirt, and, turning, came eye-to-eye with the scarred, shy little creature that he’d been hoping he’d find in the gelding’s tough anti-human shell. Smiling kindly, Alex traded his lunch for the opportunity to get a closer look at his newest friend.
This could work out.
Task 2:
As soon as the vet laid eyes on Emperor, she gave Alex The Look - or, well, one of The Looks - that silently asked him if he was out of his mind. While he offered Emperor leaves of lettuce, one-by-one, fresh from a huge head that his sister had grown and given to him, she carefully ran her hands over the equine’s body, doing her best to not spook him and put both humans in danger.
“Contracted Flexors. Don’t let him gain much weight until it’s sorted - It’ll take surgery to get it to relax, then bandages and physical therapy. He’s a little older, he might not lose the limp, so let’s get him on light pain medicine to help him feel better. Something that might be worth looking into, to get him walking properly, is to set his shoes on a wedge, so that the angle in his foot gradually goes down to normal.”
Alex nodded, taking as many mental notes as he could, and knowing that she’d go over it all with him again once they were inside to discuss his options. “Have his scars healed over okay? There’s a lot of them.”
“Looks like it. Seems like they’re all from other horses, so be careful letting him around Princess and Heir. They’re a bit rough as it is, and Emperor here doesn’t look like he’s up to holding his own against a strong pair like them.
“A few vaccines and boosters, and then some vitamins are all good ideas, seems the worst issue is with his legs, then we can deal with possible underweight issues and everything else should clear up with proper nutrition. Sound fair?”
Task 3:
The surgery wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it went better than the mess with the shoes or the episode that the pre-surgery prep became. Emperor was not eager to have his hooves touched, let alone trimmed, even though it gave him the best chance at the best recovery he could get. Within a few hours of waking up, he’d managed to pull himself upright, and it was like he’d forgotten how to stand; with the tendons relaxed and still somewhat numb from the anesthetic, and his hooves trimmed to allow for a more normal growth pattern, to suddenly find himself able to lay his whole hoof down, instead of balancing on the tip, was utterly confounding.
The bandages were another interesting hassle, because it was a little difficult to both feed Emperor and change his bandages on one’s own, but Alex did the best he could with what he had - and if that meant a Rube Goldberg-style horse feeding contraption, it had to be done for the betterment of all.
The walks, though, that’s where he and Emperor bonded a little. They had to start off small at first - just a few laps around the main three paddocks while Princess and Heir slept in - but that quickly became a long hike through the mountains starting about an hour before sunup and ending a little over an hour after sunrise - and then, a careful grooming session while Emperor buried his muzzle in the mule’s borrowed feedbag.
The limp the doctor had predicted never really went away, the last remaining reminder of the ballerina’s feet that he’d lived with for so long. And though he wasn’t completely put back together, though he was still wary of humans and far too submissive to be allowed near Princess and Heir on his own, he was safe from the threat of slaughter and making progress.
Alex, for one, was thankful.
