A Mudshow Season

Benton, LA. Good first show today, lighter in the evening when the chill settled in. Farrier visited the show today. He hit a ride pony with a cocktail of Ace and Rompum. He'd never used a chemical restraint on a pony before and the dosage was a little off. Pony went down hard. Suspect he was unaware that Epi can counter both an adverse reaction to medication and can reverse Xylazine sedation. Pony was down for a solid hour and banged up from the initial thrashing. Stress and overheating are the major risk factors with this particular restraint, and the pony's respiration and pulse remained steady -- but it was the first time since I left zoo work that I found myself wondering why anybody who can't titrate dosages is driving around with restraint meds in the truck? Pony will be off the ride until the abrasions around the eye have healed.

Live and learn.

On the road we're sometimes at the mercy of sponsors when it's time to find a farrier, or a vet, or even a good bale of hay.